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

Friday, 10 September 2021

BBC News

• Hitachi train cracks due to fatigue and corrosion, report saysCracking that led to high-speed trains being withdrawn from service was down to fatigue and stress corrosion, a government report has found.
• Merseyrail train carriage cleaners dispute set for more talksA pay and conditions dispute involving train carriage cleaners for Merseyrail is set to go to arbitration.
• London transport staff warned of anti-mask posters with razor bladesThe Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union says its members are at risk.
• Rail industry urges workers not to spurn the trainCity centres and High Streets could suffer unless workers start taking the train again, the industry warns.

Financial Times

• European airlines set for turbulence as carriers jostle for positionWizz’s bid for rival easyJet signals potential power shift in pandemic-battered market

The Scotsman

• ScotRail’s new ‘ridiculously expensive’ Edinburgh-Glasgow fares are actually cheaper than the tickets they replace – Alastair DaltonWhen it comes to bees in your bonnet about transport – and there are many – rail fares are right up there.

The Telegraph

• Wizz Air’s takeover approach puts easyJet on amber alert [subscription]The low-cost airline has brushed off the offer from its rival, but consolidation is coming and it must either lead or be swept up

Times Online

• All new homes in England to include electric car chargers [subscription]All new homes and offices will feature electric car chargers under new laws designed to address fears over a shortage of plug-in points.
• Weather on the line halted £5.7bn Hitachi-built trains, rail watchdog inquiry findsMultibillion-pound trains were withdrawn from some of Britain’s busiest intercity lines after being damaged by the weather, an inquiry has found.
• Wizz Air buyout bid for easyJet fails to fly [subscription]EasyJet has rejected a takeover offer from Wizz Air and announced plans to raise £1.2 billion from investors to withstand a more prolonged downturn in the travel market.

City AM

• Easyjet shares dive as carrier rejects takeover bid 'from Wizz Air' and flags £1.2bn rights issueEasyjet this morning said that it had rejected an unsolicited takeover bid as it announced a new £1.2bn rights issue.

Mail Online

• Cracks under train carriages could have been caused by seawater spraying onto them, report suggests An investigation said a type of aluminium used under some of the trains may have been vulnerable to being damaged by 'salt-containing' substances. The cracks caused weeks of travel chaos.
• Electric car charging points are to be built into all new homesThe move aims to drastically increase the rate at which charge points are being built so the Government can hit its 2030 target for banning sales of new petrol and diesel cars.

Sky News

• Airlines accused of giving inaccurate advice that could cause passengers to be barred from flightsMajor airlines have been accused of giving out inaccurate information about COVID testing requirements - with a watchdog warning this could result in passengers being turned away from flights.

Birmingham Post

• Shortlist revealed for £275m HS2 depot schemeProject in Birmingham will house a maintenance and inspection hub and act as the network control centre for the high-speed rail line
• Cause of Hitachi Rail cracks that led to train cancellations identifiedRail services on the East Coast main line and in the South West were cancelled after trains were quickly withdrawn from service

Daily Post (North Wales)

• North Wales bypass decision to be fast-tracked by climate change committee due to EU cash deadlineWelsh Government announced a pause on road projects to review their carbon impact
• Free-to-use electric bikes for parts of North Wales thanks to £1 million schemeThe scheme is already up and running in Rhyl where 20 battery-assisted bikes are stocked

London Evening Standard

• Airlines ‘giving passengers incorrect testing information’A mystery shopping exercise found passengers were given information that risked them being turned away from their flights.

Yorkshire Post

• Why have Tories turned against Yorkshire as HS2 speculation grows? – The Yorkshire Post saysDAME DIANA Johnson wasn’t just speaking for her constituents when she stood up in Parliament and asked: “What exactly do Conservative MPs have against Hull and the East Yorkshire area?”
• HS2 minister fails to rule out that eastern leg between Leeds and Birmingham will be scrappedIt has been reported that financial pressures will mean that the Government will not go ahead with plans for the line between Birmingham and Leeds, but Transport Minister Andrew Stephenson did not take the opportunity to put those “scandalous” rumours to bed when asked in the House of Commons on Thursday morning.

Reading Evening Post

• Heathrow blasts Border Force for 'unacceptable queuing times'Heathrow says they've "failed to ensure appropriate numbers of officials are on duty"

South Wales Argus

• Rail firm uses VR to improve safety on the tracksA RAIL business is emplying virtual reality to ensure industry safety is improved.

Other Regional Press

• MPs to consider ‘stopping work on HS2 immediately' following petition successThe House of Commons has formally announced that on Monday (September 13), it will debate whether or not to ‘stop work on HS2 immediately and hold a new vote to repeal the legislation’.
• MP highlights importance of East Coast Mainline for union connectivityAndrew Jones MP, has this week highlighted the importance of the East Coast mainline for union connectivity during questions to the Scotland Secretary.
• Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney challenges ministers to block rail cutsRichmond Park MP Sarah Olney is calling on ministers to block cuts in rail services to key commuter stations in North Sheen, Mortlake and Barnes.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Scottish bus support to last until March 2022Scottish Government is supporting buses in the country until March 2022.
• Ed Wills is new Brighton MDEd Wills is to become Managing Director of Go-Ahead-owned Brighton & Hove and Metrobus, replacing Martin Harris on his retirement in November.
• First starts coaching arm in Aberdeen

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Transport Secretary encourages UK to switch to electric vehiclesA new government-backed app has launched to help drivers make the switch to electric vehicles.    The app, EV8 Switch, calculates how much money UK drivers could save by switching to an EV compared to their current petrol or diesel vehicle, along with details on the CO2 savings and air quality improvements they could achieve.   Those with the app can also see how close their nearest chargepoints are, and which journeys can be completed without the need to top-up en-route.   The zero emission car market in the UK is accelerating quickly, with more models coming onto the mark...

Coach and Bus Week

• Government’s hydrogen strategy could go further and faster says CadentDr Tony Ballance, Chief Strategy & Regulation Officer at Cadent, the UK’s largest gas distribution network which manages a network of more than 80,000 miles of pipes, most of them underground, and which transports gas to 11 million customers, said he welcomed the release of the Government’s Hydrogen Strategy as a great first step in promoting the use of the gas, but added there were opportunities for the UK to go further and faster.
• Modernising McGill’sJonathan Welch speaks to McGill’s CEO Ralph Roberts about electrification and the state of the industry post-pandemic.

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 construction commissioner warns of mounting issues at Euston and Old Oak CommonHS2’s Independent Construction Commissioner Sir Mark Worthington has warned about mounting issues at the high speed rail project’s London stations.
• Autumn of weekend work planned to deliver next stage of Leeds station upgradeNetwork Rail has said that work will be carried out over four weekends in the next four weeks at Leeds station to remodel the track layout between platforms 4 and 6 to deliver better reliability and boost capacity.
• How Gatwick’s planned airport expansion will be built over five yearsThe public consultation on the airport’s plans to bring the existing northern runway into routine use began yesterday.
• Three bidders shortlisted to build HS2’s £275M nerve centreHS2 Ltd has confirmed the shortlist of bidders to build the high speed rail project’s network control centre and rolling stock maintenance depot, which will create around 500 long-term jobs in Birmingham’s Washwood Heath.

Rail Magazine

• ECML’s new ‘dive-under’ signalling commissionedSignalling for the Werrington ‘dive-under’ was commissioned in early September, ready for the new grade-separated junction to come into regular use before the end of the year.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Passenger’s new discount code capability ‘boosts traveller incentives’Public transport app and website provider Passenger has launched a new campaign capability that allows bus operators to create discount codes for travellers and boost incentives for bus travel.
• Passenger’s new discount code capability ‘boosts traveller incentives’Public transport app and website provider Passenger has launched a new campaign capability that allows bus operators to create discount codes for travellers and boost incentives for bus travel.
• Scottish COVID-19 bus support extended to 31 March 2022The Scottish Government has extended the COVID-19 Support Grant – Restart (CSG-R) scheme in a move that will see a further up to £42m go towards maintaining bus services between 4 October and 31 March 2022. It sits alongside concessionary reimbursement and bus service operators grant continuing to being paid at pre-COVID-19 levels.
• Clarity on PSVAR exemptions post-April 2022 needed ‘quickly’Clarity on how PSVAR exemptions will apply from April 2022 is required “quickly” if the coach sector is to plan for them effectively, a trade body has said.
• Harrogate ZEBRA bid unrest after operator’s ‘excluded’ claimThe North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) bid to the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme has sparked controversy after one operator in Harrogate complained that it was “excluded” from the submission, which is among 17 to progress to the business case stage through ZEBRA’s standard mechanism.

Other News Sources

• A new map and altered timetables: How 2 new London Underground stations will change the Northern line as we know itThere are just ten full days to go until the London Underground's newest stations are opened at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station on September 20.
• LNER services in 'strong demand'A YORK-BASED train firm continues to see strong demand for its services as customers return to rail - with bumper bank holiday bookings and 200,000 bargain tickets sold.
• Trains to London from Brighton suspendedTHERE are long delays between London and Brighton as engineers investigate a potential landslip.