Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Friday, 16 July 2021

BBC News

• Nottingham City Transport: Bus operator hit by cyber-attackA bus operator has said it is working with cyber-security experts after its IT system was attacked.
• Battery-powered trains part of Merseyrail expansion planBattery-powered trains have been tested as part of plans to expand Liverpool City Region's rail network.
• Formula 1 boss Ross Brawn says hydrogen could be future fuelHydrogen-powered cars could be the future of Formula 1 according to Ross Brawn, the F1 managing director for motorsports.
• Vauxhall bridge reopened after 'explosive device' reportVauxhall bridge in central London was closed and one man arrested by police.

ITV News

• West Midlands bus prices to be among 'lowest fares in the country'
People using bus services in the West Midlands are to get lower fares as Covid restrictions lift, says Transport for West Midlands.

Financial Times

• Carmakers and airlines warn EU’s climate plan imperils innovation Battle ahead for Brussels as it negotiates with member states to pass ambitious road map into law
• How Wizz Air’s bumper pay package is a sign of the timesAirline has a better claim to be creating a genuinely high-risk, high-reward pay plan than most
• Slow train across Siberia offers glimpse of Russia’s rail ambitions Redevelopment of a 4,300km Soviet-era rail line aims to propel the network into the 21st century

The Guardian

• Cost of petrol in UK hits highest level since 2013 after pandemic slumpPrice of a litre of petrol risen by almost 20p since November as economy has reopened after lockdownThe cost of a litre of petrol has risen by almost 20p since November to hit its highest level since 2013, according to research by motoring group the AA.The organisation said the average pump price in the UK was now above 133p a litre, up from 114p in the autumn. Diesel has undergone a similar price rise, the figures show, with the cost of a litre rising from 117.20p in the middle of November to 135.74p on Sunday. Continue reading...

Times Online

• £27bn road scheme in a jam over legal battles and planning woes [subscription]The government’s £27 billion road building programme is facing delays and rising costs following opposition from environmental groups.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol roads set to be improved in multi-million pound schemeThe council has more than 700 streets on a rolling programme that require repairs

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail sets sights beyond Merseyside with pioneering battery-powered trainsThe revolutionary trains will be able to run without installing an expensive "third rail" and can serve new stations in the city region and beyond

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• The staggering number of rail services Northumberland could lose a day under controversial plansAn overhaul of rail timetables on the East Coast Main Line could cost Northumberland 24 trains a day

Yorkshire Post

• Northern mayors Dan Jarvis, Andy Burnham and Tracy Brabin refuse to agree to 'substandard' new rail timetable to tackle congestion around Manchester

Kent Online

• Free bus travel for young people across Kent this summerYoung people in Kent will be eligible for free bus travel this summer.

Other Regional Press

• Rallying call for people to find out more and get involved with Worcestershire Community Rail PartnershipTRAIN users and enthusiasts in Worcestershire can find out more about the work of the county’s Community Rail Partnership (CRP) next Friday, July 23.
• Warrington Borough Council hopes to 'transform' bus servicesWARRINGTON Borough Council is hoping to ‘transform’ bus services in the town. The council has launched a consultation with residents over its bus service improvement plan, which aims to make public transport in the town ‘more frequent, faster and reliable, cheaper, easier to use and better integrated’.

Train Operators

• Metro Mayor’s vision of a Merseyrail for All takes vital step forward with successful trial of new battery-powered trainsMetro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s ambition to create a ‘Merseyrail for All’ has taken a major step forward with the successful testing of new battery powered trains in the Liverpool City Region.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Network Rail to connect 11,000-tonne tunnel at PeterboroughNetwork Rail is carrying out work to connect a new tunnel north of Peterborough to existing railway.   The project at Werrington will allow slower moving freight trains to dive underneath the famous passenger route.   It is part of the £1.2billion East Coast Upgrade, which has also seen major work completed to transform the track layout and reopen a tunnel at King’s Cross, making it easier for more trains to enter and exit the station.   In January, engineers pushed the world’s longest single underground jacked structure – an 11,000-tonne curved concrete ...
• Welsh Affairs Committee calls for electrification and new Wales Rail BoardThe Welsh Affairs Committee is calling for a new Wales Rail Board to be in place by the Autumn that can consider improvements and upgrades to Wales’ ageing rail network.   According to the Committee, Wales’ rail infrastructure is a Victorian system system trying to support a 21st century level of service, with passengers experiencing slow services and inadequate stations. To enhance rail infrastructure in Wales, the Committee said urgent upgrades backed up by sufficient investment is desperately needed.    A new Wales Rail Board, including the UK and Welsh governmen...

Coach and Bus Week

• Ongoing Government funding confirmed as Covid-19 restrictions liftThe Government has outlined its plans for the final phase of Covid-19 support funding for the bus industry, which will run until April 2022
• New Darts bring down the TigerMeanwhile in West Yorkshire, sister operation Team Pennine has unveiled Denby Darts as the brand name which it will begin the promised transformation programme for customers in Kirklees and Calderdale from Sunday 25 July, when it takes over the two-depot Yorkshire Tiger operation and its 163 staff from Arriva. New route D1 will link Denby Dale, Clayton West and Skelmanthorpe with Huddersfield with what Transdev says will be much more than just a new name. The Denby Darts route will be run with a new-look fleet of bright pink buses brimming with customer-friendly features, launched as part of Team Pennine’s mission to create buses people are proud to be seen on.

New Civil Engineer

• Lower Thames Crossing | Changes to planning application add £362M to project costChanges to the Lower Thames Crossing planning application have added £362.5M to the final estimated cost of the project.
• Hammersmith Bridge to reopen this weekend after engineers deem it safeEngineers from Mott MacDonald have completed their checks of Hammersmith Bridge and have given the green light for the River Thames crossing to reopen to pedestrians and cyclists.
• 28% cost hike on £1bn A66 upgrade blamed on Project Speed accelerationSpeeding up construction of Highways England’s A66 upgrade has added £280M to the final estimated cost of the project.
• HS2 minister: ‘Integrated Rail Plan not going to be published as soon as some people would like’Dedicated transport minister for HS2 Andrew Stephenson has refused to confirm if the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) will be published before the Parliamentary summer recess.

Railnews

• Railfreight operators welcome decarbonisation plan The Transport Decarbonisation Plan unveiled by the government has been welcomed by the railfreight industry. The plan sets out a programme of decarbonising transport by 2050, and is being described as a 'greenprint'.
• Railfreight operators welcome decarbonisation plan The Transport Decarbonisation Plan unveiled by the government has been welcomed by the railfreight industry. The plan sets out a programme of decarbonising transport by 2050, and is being described as a 'greenprint'.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• 1,600 passengers board D&E’s Inverness tour buses in first monthInverness-based D&E Coaches, believed to be the largest private hire coach and minibus operator in the north of Scotland, has welcomed over 1,600 passengers onto its Inverness City Sightseeing bus tours since taking over the contract in May.
• £50m to launch Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge FundThe Scottish Government has launched a first £50m phase of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB). It is intended to encourage the market to agree and implement “new and innovative” ways to finance zero-emission buses and it replaces previous funding streams, including the successful Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme.
• FlixBus reaches Scotland as UK network expands furtherFlixBus has extended its scheduled coach network to Scotland as part of further growth in the UK. Edinburgh and Glasgow are among 10 additional destinations, with Greenock-based McGill’s Buses introduced as a partner of the brand to deliver Anglo-Scottish services.
• BODS team advises on home-to-school scope and supportThe Department for Transport (DfT), through its Bus Open Data Service (BODS) team, has summed up the scope of how BODS applies to home-to-school services, and confirmed that it will continue to offer business change support to all operators during a transition period that is now scheduled to run until December.
• Go-Ahead commits to 100% zero-emission UK bus fleet by 2035The Go-Ahead Group will operate an entirely zero-emission bus fleet in the UK by 2035, it has announced. The plan forms part of Go-Ahead’s wider strategy to become a carbon-neutral transport provider by 2045. That work includes a significant reduction in its contribution to air pollution by 2025 and a 75% cut in emissions by 2035.

Aviation Industry

• British Airways Passengers Can Now Drop Bags At Heathrow Train PlatformsBritish Airways is launching a new bag drop option to simplify the passenger experience at London Heathrow Airport. Targeted at those traveling on the Heathrow Express train services to the airport, the move will see the airline add bag drop points on Heathrow Express platforms.

Other News Sources

• “People consider a train station to be more than just the start or end of a rail journey”In an interview for Global Railway Review, Christian Fricker, Train Station Concept Specialist and Senior Project Manager at the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), shares opinions on the importance of station design in improving the passenger experience.
• Zero-pollution refrigerated truck trailers trialled to cut diesel useThe government has announced that the sale of new diesel lorries is to be banned from 2040, as part of its transport decarbonisation plan.
• Sixty entrants set to take part in electric vehicle rally from London to BrightonSIXTY entrants are set to take part in a 58-mile electric vehicle rally with stars including Fat Boy Slim getting behind the wheel this weekend.