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

Tuesday, 18 January 2022

BBC News

• Britain's most dangerous roadsPanorama investigates the roads that kill a jumbo jet's worth of people every three months.
• Line works cancel Great Western Railway sleeper trainsThe

Financial Times

• City Airport boss banks on revival of business travel to pre-pandemic levelsSinclair resists shift away from corporate to leisure customers as investors offer financial backing to help navigate crisis
• Atlantia wins €950m bid to acquire Siemens’ traffic lights divisionInfrastructure group seals first big deal since resolving dispute over Genoa bridge tragedy
• US airlines warn of ‘chaos’ as telecoms groups roll out 5GAviation lobby says services will cause ‘incalculable’ disruption to passengers and cargo

The Guardian

• US airline officials warn of ‘catastrophic’ crisis in aviation with new 5G serviceIntroduction of the new technology near airports could interfere with critical airplane instruments such as radio altimetersUS airline chiefs have warned that the introduction of a new 5G service could cause US commerce to “grind to a haltâ€� due to possibly grounding a significant number of aircraft and might “strand tens of thousands of Americans overseasâ€�.Warnings of an impending “catastrophicâ€� crisis in aviation came in a letter sent to White House National Economic Council director Brian Deese, transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator Stev...
• Manchester bus driver dismissed for being ‘too short’ given job back after appealTracey Scholes was dismissed after Go North West’s bus redesign meant reaching the pedals caused a blind spotA woman who was dismissed after she flagged that she was “too shortâ€� to drive safely due to a bus redesign has been reinstated, the bus operator has said.Tracey Scholes, one of Greater Manchester’s first female bus drivers, who is 5ft (1.52m) tall, said Go North West’s changes meant she could no longer reach the pedals on the new model of bus used on her route without a blind spot appearing when she leaned backwards to use the wing mirrors. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Government agency encourages staff to drive instead of using public transport to avoid catching CovidRecommendation from Acas comes as passenger usage slumps to around half of pre-pandemic levels

The Telegraph

• Rush hour pushed back as workers return to offices – but later than before Covid [subscription]Peak travel times shift as workers take advantage of flexible arrangements to go to the gym, do the school run ... or have a lie-in
• Why Britain must speed up to stay in the electric car race [subscription]When working at Nissan, Andy Palmer was tasked with finding a way to catch up with rival Toyota’s dominance of the hybrid car market.
• Sadiq Khan considers charging London drivers by the mile to meet net zero goals [subscription]Capital’s mayor could introduce new road pricing policy to encourage motorists to switch to electric cars or take public transport

Daily Express

• Free bus pass divides Britons as entitlement could be axed - should it be means-tested?BRITONS are torn over the potential axing of the free bus pass for over 60s with some saying it should be removed, while others are concerned for their livelihoods.

The Mirror

• Bus driver, 57, sacked for 'being too short' given her job back after appealTracey Scholes, 57, from Rochdale, Manchester, was left devastated after she lost her job for being "too short" but after a recent appeal she has now been reinstated by Go North West

Birmingham Post

• Could Leicestershire get 10 new railway stations and an underground terminal at East Midlands Airport?Uunderground station at airport in Castle Donington could improve accessibility

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 'Unacceptable work' to be corrected on bus stop markingsAN energy company have said they are going to rectify the

Bristol Live

• Jet2 announces new Bristol Airport flights to IcelandJet2 packages include flights from Bristol Airport as well as trips to see the Northern Lights, the Golden Circle, and cityscape of Reykjavik

London Evening Standard

• Uber Boat to launch UK-first eco-friendly hybrid ferry in LondonLondon is to be home to the UK’s first eco-friendly high-speed passenger boats by the end of this year, it has been revealed.
• ‘Boris bus’ may have to be taken off road unless TfL funding crisis resolvedThe “Boris bus” may have to be taken off the road unless Transport for London’s long-term financial crisis can be resolved, City Hall said on Monday.

Other Regional Press

• Islington: Cycle track could be back if funding foundImprovements to cycling between the Regent’s Canal and Highgate and along the historic Bunhill Row could be on track if Islington Council wins funding.
• From Burslem to the boardroom: Stokie Jon lands top job with London bus companyJon puts his career success down to hard work, resilience and a willingness to embrace new opportunities
• Controversial extra £5.50 a day charge for driving into London 'ruled out'Transport for London bosses have been scrambling to find an extra £500m a year
• Transport for Wales slammed after paying out £2million to dissatisfied customersMORE than £2 million has been paid to rail customers in compensation since 2018 – showing just how unreliable train services can be in Wales. Figures obtained by the Welsh Conservatives show £2,229,114 has been paid out by Transport for Wales in as a result of delayed or cancelled trains or seat reservations not being honoured. The party believes the whopping figure further highlights the dire state of rail services across the country and says commuters deserve better. Nearly £1.5 million was paid to customers in 2019/20 – the highest amount by far compared to other financial years. The major jump came in the same year the transport body dropped its del
• Newport to Crosskeys rail line suspended in timetable cutGWENT’s newest railway service has been suspended indefinitely – less than a month after opening.
• Massive Cooper Bridge scheme should be paused after concerns over public engagementResponse rates to the £70m project have been described as "miniscule"
• Kirklees council repaired 28,000 potholes in one year at a cost of £2mBut motorists in Huddersfield are being warned of pothole hell for the coming months
• £1m rail station revamp: Pictures show work in progressPictures show how work is progressing on the £1m revamp at the entrance to Weymouth railway station.

New Civil Engineer

• Covid impact expected to ‘significantly’ hit Crossrail income projectionsCrossrail's projected income for the coming years is expected to be significantly impact by the effects of the pandemic on travel patterns, according to Transport for London (TfL) chief financial officer Simon Kilonback.
• Birmingham puts problem PFI learnings into action on new roads contractLessons learned from Birmingham's troubled highways PFI contract have informed its restructure, according to BHL chief executive Natasha Rouse.
• London’s new transport chief could put Crossrail 2 back on the agendaLondon’s new deputy mayor for transport has outlined his desire to resurrect Crossrail 2 and the Bakerloo Line Extension as he appeared before a London Assembly committee for the first time yesterday.

Rail Advent

• Trans-Pennine routes could soon benefit from hybrid Northern trainsRail operator Northern is investigating the financing regarding the purchasing of 20 additional CAF trains.