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Friday, 23 August 2019

BBC News

• Warning over King's Cross station bank holiday closureRail passengers planning a bank holiday getaway are being urged to avoid travelling from Kings Cross.
• Eddie Stobart chief leaves as shares suspendedThe transport firm, known for its green and red lorries, revealed a £2m discrepancy in its accounts last month.
• William and Kate take budget flight from Norwich to AberdeenThe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge boarded a Flybe jet at Norwich airport.
• August bank holiday 2019: Where to avoid on roads and railTraffic is expected to peak on Friday as holidaymakers share the roads with commuter traffic.
• First Bus drivers in Glasgow to hold strike ballotThe Unite union has informed the company it intends to ballot drivers on action over service changes including reduced rest time for drivers.
• Ryanair flights take off despite pilots' strikeUK pilots at the airline have begun a two-day walkout in a row over pay and conditions.

The Guardian

• Rail line in Hampshire is world's first to be powered by solar farm Pilot scheme on Network Rail’s Wessex route could pave way for direct powering of trains

Times Online

• Times letters: Independent review of the HS2 rail project [Subscription]Sir, It is excellent news that the HS2 scheme is finally being subjected to a thorough analysis (report, Aug 22). However, the review must consider the scheme in the widest possible context rather than just rehearsing narrow arguments about cost. In particular, the only environmental appraisal, setting out the effect of HS2 on greenhouse gas emissions, was produced nearly a decade ago and was inconclusive.
• Vital Spark: Historic puffer ship faces uncertain future [Subscription]The seller of one of Scotland’s last working puffer ships might have expected a flood of interest in the vessel. Yet the Vital Spark, named after the ship in Neil Munro’s Para Handy stories, has so far failed to find a buyer.
• Boris Johnson plans to save HS2 northern links and scrap London line [Subscription]Boris Johnson is considering building the northern stretch of HS2 first as part of an overhaul of the project, The Times has learnt.

City AM

• Eddie Stobart fires boss and suspends shares after accounting scandal Eddie Stobart parted ways with its chief executive and suspended trading in its shares this morning after a multi million-pound accounting error shook the group.

Mail Online

• Ryanair is voted the worst company for customer service over their 'sneaky' and 'arrogant' approach to handling passenger complaintsRyanair has been rated the worst firm for customer service out of 100 British brands after passengers were left dismayed by its handling of complaints.
• Child is carried to safety as UK Border Force stops FIVE boats carrying 80 migrants across the Channel in just two daysA group of suspected illegal immigrants, believed to include a family with children, have escaped police from a beach in Sussex.
• EasyJet pilot who told friends he is 'suicidal' is immediately banned from flying holiday jets out of the UK in wake of 2015 Alpine Germanwings tragedyAn EasyJet pilot has been banned from flying holiday jets out of the UK after he told friends that he was suicidal.
• Prince William and Kate going economy on a £73 flight is a first class lesson for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and their gas-guzzling private jets, says LIBBY PURVESOh dear. It had to happen. Just as the world winces at Harry and Meghan taking four private jets in a week while preaching eco-sense to the rest of us, William and Kate are spotted on a budget Flybe flight to Aberdeen.

London Evening Standard

• George Washington Bridge latest: One of New York's busiest bridges forced to close over 'bomb threat'One of New York's busiest bridges was forced to close after police received reports of a bomb threat, authorities said.
• Central Line delays: Chaos as commuters trapped underground 'for over an hour' after Tube breakdownCommuters travelling in east London have faced chaos after a Central Line failure left
• August bank holiday: Drivers urged to travel 'after 9pm' as one of the busiest travel days of the year looms Bank holiday revellers have been urged to drive

Yorkshire Post

• Why high-speed rail in North must take precedence over HS2 - Bill CarmichaelNEWS this week that the Government is launching a review of the HS2 rail project linking London to Birmingham and eventually to Leeds and Manchester – with a “go or no-go” decision by the end of this year – shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

Kent Online

• Brexit: Chris Grayling told Operation Brock plans to use Manston as lorry park were 'completely unsuitable'The government was warned that its plans under Operation Brock to use Manston as an emergency lorry park were “completely unsuitable” and risked businesses folding and prolonged gridlock on the roads, it has emerged.

North Wales Live

• Giant Gwynedd mountain bike park launched by world champion biking familyDan, Gee and Rachel Atherton have opened Dyfi Bike Park after securing a £2 million commercial mortgage from HSBC UK

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• HSBC UK to support Maritime's multi-million pound expansion plansMaritime Transport, a market-leading transport and logistics operator with headquarters in Felixstowe, is making a number of major strategic changes to strengthen the business for the future, becoming even more versatile and responsive to customer needs, after securing an eight-figure finance package from HSBC UK.

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 | Review could make project unrecognisable 22 Aug, 2019 By Katherine Smale Removing Euston as the High Speed 2 (HS2) southern terminus and examining whether HS2 Ltd is the right entity to take the scheme forward will be among the questions a new no-holds-barred review into the project will ask.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Government announces £25m Brexit high-speed medicines serviceIn the event of a No Deal Brexit, the Government has announced the setting up of a high-speed train service to ferry medicine to the UK from France.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair to add first flights to GeorgiaRyanair plans to make its debut this fall in Georgia—a former Soviet republic located between Europe and Asia—serving the country’s capital of Tbilisi and the west-Georgian city of Kutaisi. read more

Other News Sources

• How Merseyrail dared to be different  Stability and local control has provided the basis for this unique city region railway operation to push on and create a success story   All Merseyrail stations are now being prepared for the biggest change to the network in years – new rolling stock   “Liverpool, surreal. Liverpool, sardonic. Liverpool battered dignity. Liverpool, flotsam of maritime memory. Liverpool never quite what it was because everything it does changes what it does … Liverpool, welcoming the world. Liverpool cutting edge, keeping pace, dropping anchor.â€� Extract from The North by Paul Morley...
• Boris Johnson – I will transform bus servicesPrime minister Boris Johnson declared his love for buses during a speech in Manchester and pledged to support delivery of ‘London style bus system’     Prime minister Boris Johnson declared local bus services to be among his government’s domestic priorities in a speech in Manchester last month. Johnson told an audience at the city’s Science and Industry Museum that he wanted to improve transport services within cities -not just between cities – so that “people don’t have to driveâ€�. “That means buses,â€� he said. “I know a lot about buses, believe me. I love buses … I will b...

EIN News Subscription

• RSA report recommends making e-scooters legal … report was commissioned by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and … other EU member states. It also examined the safety implications in … should be allowed on roads. Road safety would be his paramount … situation, mainly in other EU countries, and found very …
• Germany’s leader calls for EU-wide climate neutrality by 2050 … called Thursday for the European Union to support ambitious … of winning support from all EU countries, she said “ … Netherlands has an efficient public transport system, bicycle tracks throughout … parking garages at major railway stations for commuters. For …
• Truckers could be “lethalâ€� on roads if no-deal Brexit forces them to drive for longerExhausted truckers could pose a “lethalâ€� danger to other road users if they end up working longer hours as a result of a no-deal Brexit , a union has warned. Unite fears a rise in road fatalities if the Government suspends the EU’s 56-hour-a-week limit on …
• Wills, Kate and the family take a budget flight days after Harry and Meghan jet-set through summer … the budget airline from Norwich International Airport to Aberdeen Airport. The … they had security on the plane and passengers were blocked … Europe. Photos emerged of the Sussexes boarding a private jet … SuppliedThey took four private jet flights in just 11 …
• Direct London to Sydney flights a step closer with Qantas tests Direct flights between London and Sydney are a step closer after Australian carrier Qantas announced new research into the route long seen as “the final frontierâ€� of international travel. Qantas aims to operate regular, non-stop commercial flights from the …
• Stobart Says London Southend Airport Signs Wizz Air Agreement … LOW-COST AIRLINE IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE, WIZZ AIR.WIZZ AIR WILL PUT … FROM AIRPORT, USING AIRBUS A320 AIRCRAFT.AIRPORT EXPECTS TO WELCOME AN ADDITIONAL 250,000 PASSENGERS … WOULD ENJOY USUAL RIGHTS TO INFORMATION, FREEDOMS OF ACTION ENJOYED BY …
• Huge airport queues at Manchester prompt calls for action from Andy Burnham … passengers who have faced long queues at passport control at Manchester Airport … to ensure citizens from the European Economic Area wait no longer …   The longest wait for EU citizens was 46 minutes, while … the flawed way in which data is reported,â€� he added. “ …
• All Airports in Bulgaria Tightened their Security Measures after Yesterday’s False Bomb Threats … disruption of flights. Passengers were evacuated from the airport in Plovdiv. A … were sent to airports and media in other EU countries yesterday as … Ministry says.  According to an information of the Bulgarian General Directorate …
• Volocopter unveils VoloCity eVTOL air taxi … the battery-powered aircraft under the European Union Aviation Safety … for VTOL (SC-VTOL) airworthiness regulations, which were announced … the demands of urban air mobility,â€� says Volocoper chief … Designed for inter-city transport, the eVTOL is expected to …