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

Monday, 29 November 2021

BBC News

• Covid: Cardiff Airport dead without bailout, boss saysCardiff Airport would not have stayed alive without an £85m bailout from the Welsh government during Covid, its boss says.
• Transport for London: Protest to demand more fundingUnions warn public transport across London will grind to a halt without a long-term financial plan.
• Covid: BA suspends Hong Kong flights amid crew quarantineThe airline has temporarily stopped flights after more of its staff were forced to isolate.

Financial Times

• Letter: Green public mass transit requires active government backing Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/bd7b8808-77fb-462a-bcd5-550cae78175a The recent announcement of cutbacks to the flagship high-speed rail scheme (HS2) underline the dilemma facing a return to public mass transit (“Chorus of criticism greets Johnson’s dilution of high-speed rail schemes”, Report, November 19).
• Travel and aviation groups dismayed by fresh Covid restrictions Response to Omicron variant a blow to businesses that had hoped worst of the pandemic was over

The Scotsman

• SNP under fire as Prestwick Airport faces renewed criticism over wagesTaxpayer-owned Prestwick Airport is facing fresh criticism after advertising jobs below the real living wage despite previously pledging to boost pay.

The Telegraph

• Eastern leg of HS2 scrapped before formal value for money analysis was calculated [subscription]Lord Macpherson questioned the 'odd' and 'surprising' decision which leaves some MPs upset about the use of £100 billion in public money
• Pioneering British hydrogen maker wins £25m investment [subscription]Melrose's investment in HiiRoc marks the first time it's taken a stake in a business rather than acquiring it outright

Times Online

• BP plans to turn Teesside into first green hydrogen hub [Subscription]The oil giant said its HyGreen Teesside project aimed initially to develop 60 megawatts of electrolyser capacity to produce zero-carbon hydrogen by 2025 at an estimated cost of about £100 million. This would produce enough hydrogen for 1,300 new lorries to run on the green fuel, replacing ones that burn polluting diesel.
• Thousands of drivers join £50m diesel case [subscription]More than 12,000 motorists in Scotland have joined a £50 million class action against carmakers after the Dieselgate scandal. They are pursuing the first group proceedings litigation in Scottish legal history after a change in the law three years ago to formally allow such class actions.
• Thousands of bad drivers on road despite 12 penalty points [subscription]Brake, the road safety charity, said it was “appalling” that they were not banned, and police leaders said that laws should be changed to stop drivers being granted exemptions in court.

City AM

• HS2 plans to scrap line to Leeds announced before value for money analysis completedPrime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to scrap High Speed Rail 2’s (HS2) eastern leg from East Midlands to Leeds was taken without a formal cost-benefit analysis of the remaining line, according to The Sunday Telegraph.

i News

• Transport operators fear customer backlash over new face mask rulesUnions calling on the government to provide resources to police the face mask rule and clear messaging on the importance of wearing them

The Mirror

• Refusing to wear a mask in shops and on transport 'punishable with £200 fine'The charge will then double for each offence, making it £400 the second time, £800 the third - up to £6,400. The new rules will begin on Tuesday at 4am 0 seconds of 15 secondsVolume 0%

Birmingham Mail

• 'Right to be furious' - Mayor Andy Street fires Man City trains warning amid Aston Villa fans' furyThe West Midlands Mayor is working closely with Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow to improve railway services on match days at Villa Park

Birmingham Post

• Aircraft industry seeing 'long and turbulent' recovery from pandemic, industry group ADS saysOctober sees dip in aircraft orders The UK aircraft industry saw a dip in orders and deliveries in October - and the CEO of trade body ADS says he expects the sector's recovery from the pandemic will be "long and turbulent".

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Transport for Wales wants future train drivers - with 100 jobs a year up for grabs TfW has become the first train operator in the UK to offer an accredited NVQ level 3 qualification in train driver operations
• Fears Holyhead could miss out amid Government doubts on freeportsFreeport status for Holyhead would stimulate inward investment and create jobs, supporters argue, but reports say Treasury officials now have doubts about the scheme
• Upgrades to 'overstressed' A55 key to levelling up North Wales with rest of Britain says UK GovernmentWestminster review highlights need for better cross-border transport amid claims devolution has been a stumbling block

Northern Echo

• Middlesbrough MP: One train a day ‘not a proper service’ for townAndy McDonald, the Middlesbrough MP and former Shadow Transport Secretary, welcomes the start of a daily train service from the Boro to the capital but says it is not enough to get the region’s economy on track.

The York Press

• I HOPE Julian Sturdy's suggestion that York is “oven readyâ€� for the proposed Great British Railways HQ does better than the Prime Minister's promises of an oven-ready Brexit deal and social care plan.

Wales Online

• We took the six-and-a-half hour train trip between two Welsh towns 40 miles apartAberystwyth and Carmarthen - two of the most important towns in the neighbouring local authority areas of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.
• Transport for Wales had its longest trains in the depot as passengers packed onto overcrowded match day servicesThe larger trains have been unreliable even with normal numbers of passengers on board

Carlisle News & Star

• 'It's time to electrify the coast line'THE last portion of the high-speed link to Leeds is not going ahead. So there is, presumably, a bit of money from HS2 in the pot.

Other Regional Press

• Nexus 'aiming to get a full service for Monday morning' on Metro network as some trains resumeMetros have resumed between St James and South Shields, and South Gosforth and Park Lane as Nexus confirms it will work to restore a full service to the network ‘for Monday morning’.
• 'I am battling Avanti about restoring direct services between Chester and London’ - Chris Matheson MPTHE government’s rail announcement last week was a big disappointment. The headlines will be grabbed by the scrapping of the eastern leg of HS2 and the abandoning of HS3 – the new fast line across the Pennines.
• Cornwall railway stations show huge drop in passenger numbersRailway stations across Cornwall saw a massive drop in passengers last year, despite it seeming like everybody came down here on holiday.

C.N.N.

• The 'betrayal' that could kill Britain's railway romance(CNN) — The romance of rail travel has seduced many travelers over the years. Sitting in a train as it slips quietly out of a city, along tunnels and viaducts, sneaking glimpses of people's backyards before rolling into open countryside is one of life's true pleasures.

New Civil Engineer

• Network Rail replaces Highland Mainline bridge ahead of A9 duallingNetwork Rail has begun demolishing the existing bridge under the Highland Mainline railway at Lynebeg, near Inverness.
• Union Connectivity Review | Current proposals to deal with M4 congestionThe Union Connectivity Review - published last week - called for the government to recognise the "urgent need" to reduce congestion on the M4 motorway and adopt a multi-modal approach to the South Wales corridor.

Rail Advent

• Alstom set to exhibit a full scale model of the future trains for Barcelona Metro Rail Live event.As a world leader in sustainable mobility, Alstom play a key role in the Spanish rail sector and will be taking part in the Rail Live! 2021 event in Madrid, running from the 30th of November to the 1st of December.
• Transport for Wales apprenticeship for next generation of train driversThe Transport for Wales apprenticeship offers an NVQ Level 3 Qualification in train driver operations and is the first of its kind for Wales.

Other News Sources

• Commuter train line exposed to ‘extreme levels’ of pollutionThree councils have warned that residents living near the commuter train line running through the Chilterns are being exposed to dangerous levels of pollution.
• Cabbie does not want camera moved at Brighton Station taxi rankA CABBIE says taxi drivers without permits are “stealingâ€� work from those who pay to use the Brighton Station rank.
• Freight objections to passengers in WalesA much-improved passenger service connecting communities in Wales and England may not go ahead unless a solution can be found to accommodate rail freight. Despite new trains already on delivery, willingness from the devolved government in Cardiff, and cooperation from local authority leaders in England, the needs of existing freight operators may have been overlooked. As a result, an objection has been lodged, with freight effectively stopping progress in its tracks.