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

Saturday, 21 December 2019

BBC News

• Free bus pass age increase for over-60s in Wales axedMinisters change their mind about raising it in line with the state pension age.
• Christmas getaway 2019: Where and when to avoid on roads and railThe RAC and AA motoring groups expect the M1, M5, M6 and M25 to see the worst congestion.
• The lifeline ferry deal that went adriftA £97m order for two ferries that ended up sinking the revival of the Clyde's last commercial shipyard.
• What's gone wrong with CalMac's new ferries?Four years late and £100m over budget - but who is to blame for the problems at Ferguson shipyard?
• Northern rail: Threats against staff probed by policeNorthern staff walked out after one of their female colleagues was allegedly threatened with assault.
• Jim McColl: CalMac ferries 'should be scrapped'Ex-Ferguson shipyard boss Jim McColl speaks out against plans to spend £110m on part-finished ferries.
• Heathrow third runway 'delayed for 12 months'The airport claims a decision by the aviation regulator to limit its spending will delay progress.
• VW hit with record fine in Australia over emissions scandalThe fine is to settle lawsuits over the German car giant's global emissions scandal.

Financial Times

• Boeing blow as Starliner fails to reach space stationAutomation and timer error blamed for glitch in test mission
• Aviation: Boeing parks its 737 aspirationsThe company’s decision to suspend operations is costly but maybe necessary to repair its damaged reputation

The Guardian

• Two Carnival cruise ships collide in Mexico's Caribbean port of CozumelCarnival Glory was docking when it collided with Legend, leaving six people injured and Glory’s stern crushedTwo cruise ships have collided in the port of Mexico’s Caribbean resort of Cozumel, damaging the 952-foot-long (290-meter) vessel and leaving passengers stunned at the loud impact.Six people were lightly injured on the massive ship named Carnival Glory, according to Carnival Corp, the world’s largest cruise operator. A passenger said the incident occurred during rough sea conditions. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Boeing's Starliner astronaut capsule forced to cut short test flight after malfunction 
• Six passengers injured after cruise ships crash into each other in Mexico

Times Online

• Christmas rail chaos in France may turn tide against President Macron’s adversaries [Subscription]Every year Philippe Roche leaves his home in Paris to spend Christmas with his father, who lives alone in the central French town of Vichy.
• Mothers call for action after toxic air forced them to move [Subscription]Three mothers who moved house to escape air pollution are launching a campaign calling for new limits on toxic fine particles and clean air zones in all large cities.
• Cost-cutting and crew shortages will force pilots to fly solo [Subscription]Single-pilot planes will take to the skies in less than 20 years because of a shortage of aircrew and the need to cut costs, research predicts.
• Flooding and heavy rain hit Christmas getaway [Subscription]Flooding and landslips caused severe travel disruption across the southeast yesterday as Britons embarked on their Christmas getaway.

Reuters News

• Heathrow's new runway delayed until at least 2028An expansion plan for Britain's Heathrow Airport will be delayed by more than a year and a third runway now will probably be completed between early 2028 and late 2029, the airport said.

City AM

• Christmas travel disruption: everything you need to knowIt’s Christmas! Which means, among happier things, torturous travel planning as city-dwellers escape to the country for a few well-earned [...] The post Christmas travel disruption: everything you need to know appeared first on CityAM.

Daily Record

• Passengers stranded on trains amid signalling fault chaos in Glasgow and AyrshireOne passenger told the Daily Record that they were stuck on their Glasgow train for more than two hours on one of the busiest nights of the year.

Mail Online

• Boris Johnson hints he wants to build a BRIDGE between Northern Ireland and ScotlandBoris Johnson today delivered a fresh hint that he wants to press ahead with building a bridge between Northern Ireland and the British mainland.
• British Airways passenger tells police she saw a drone flying at 30,000ftSarah Baker from Cambridge was on a British Airways flight from Tokyo when she saw the device 30 minutes before landing at Heathrow Airport, London.
• Great festive fuel rip-off: Drivers pay up to £20 more to fill up at motorway service stationsServices along the M25 - where some of the worst holiday congestion is expected - and the M20 are charging the most, with many asking for 149.9p a litre for unleaded and 155.9p for diesel.
• Railways and roads grind to a halt after two weeks worth of rain falls in 16 hoursTorrential rain turned the Christmas getaway into a misery yesterday - with more downpours expected today. Flooding blocked roads and railways, while part of a historic promenade collapsed.

The Mirror

• Christmas getaway chaos as '9 motorways and 18 rail lines' disrupted across UKThe Environment Agency warned of 229 flood alerts as well as 74 flood warnings and the Met Office issued a severe weather warning for more heavy rain and showers across southern England from Saturday to Sunday

This is Money

• UK car manufacturing slump rattles on as production falls 16% in NovemberThe SMMT blamed the dip on planned factory closures at Halloween, which had been put in place to mitigate against disruption caused from the potential of a no-deal Brexit on October 31.

Sky News

• Cruise ship smashes into another owned by same companyA cruise ship has smashed through another owned by the same company at a Mexican resort, injuring six passengers.

Birmingham Post

• Direct services between Glasgow and Liverpool Lime Street launched by TransPennine ExpressRunning three times a day, the new services mean there is no longer need to change at Preston or Wigan
• Transport for the North calls on TransPennine and Northern to ‘step up’ after week of delaysTimetable changes came into effect on December 15, with customers experiencing cancellations - both pre-planned and last-minute - as well as shortened trains and overcrowding

Bolton News

• North West Motorway Police share crisis helplines to prevent suicides North West Motorway Police have shared Christmas helplines for those in crisis.
• Bolton Council says parking warden CAN park on double yellow linesA SPY car which catches drivers parking illegally has been accused of double standards ­— after being snapped on double yellow lines.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• £17.3m Forster Square Station redevelopment takes a step forward DELAYED plans to redevelop Forster Square Railway Station have taken a step forward today with the announcement by Bradford Council that a design and build contractor has been appointed.
• Petition calls for improvements to unadopted road A PETITION is calling for Bradford Council to adopt an unadopted road riddled with potholes.
• £100m road plans scrapped as council reveals airport link plans Plans to build a new link road to Leeds Bradford Airport have been scrapped by Leeds City Council, as the authority prepares to revamp transport links to the facility.

Bristol Live

• The punishments you can face for each rude gesture you make while drivingWe all know driving can be a rather frustrating experience

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Inside Stena Estrid as the ship sails to Holyhead for launch on the Dublin routeStena Line has also released an interactive tour so people can take a look around
• North Wales rail passengers 'sacrificed to save Cardiff commuters 16 minutes'New services came in last week, and they've not gone down too well

Liverpool Echo

• Claims Peel Ports 'real driving force' behind controversial new road through beauty spot A spokesman for Peel said that it had campaigned to improve the transport infrastructure around the Port of Liverpool

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow faces government row over 'higher costs'Heathrow's £14 billion plans for a third runway have hit turbulence with the cost having been underestimated, according to a government insider.
• NASA and Boeing's new Starliner space shuttle runs into trouble minutes after launchBoeing's new Starliner capsule has run into trouble in orbit minutes after blasting off on its first test flight.
• Travel chaos hits Christmas exodus as torrential downpours cause flooding on roads and railwaysThose embarking on their journeys home for Christmas face travel chaos with rail delays and traffic jams set to dampen their spirits.
• Tfl Tube delays: Londoners face travel woe as severe disruption hits Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan lines and London OvergroundThree underground lines and the London Overground were blighted with severe delays this evening.

The York Press

• Inter-City 125 pays one last visit to YorkTHE train now standing at Platform 9 at York Railway Station...will probably never be seen there again.
• All aboard a bus driven by Santa ClausFIRST York bus drivers will be raising money to help vulnerable local children this weekend – with a little help from Father Christmas.
• Region bids for half a billion pounds to boost transport - including York StationA BID for half a billion pounds to transform transport across the region - aiming to ease congestion, improve trains and buses, and boost cycling and walking - has been submitted to the government.

Wales Online

• Transport for Wales cancels 36 trains on Black Friday nightMost of the services between Cardiff Bay and Queens Street are cancelled
• The huge unfairness in rail fares that cost twice as much for the same distance as othersThere is a big difference between journeys of the same length

Cambridge News

• A14 traffic: Important update on Christmas and New Year road closuresThe announcement will have a big impact of those travelling to see loved ones

Other Regional Press

• Council invests thousands of pounds to transform Watford Cycle Hub A council has invested thousands of pounds into developing a new building that houses a cycle hub.
• New suggested taxi rules 'could help air quality' in SwindonTaxi drivers will be asked for their views on proposals to get them to drive younger cars in a bid to cut pollution.
• Electric car charging points pilot in Oxford: The resultsA 'GLOBALLY significant' project installing electric car charging points in lampposts, bollards and homes across Oxford has published its first key findings.
• New Eurostar trains can finally stop in townAfter almost two years of delay, full international services at a station will be restored and possibly extended.
• SEND parents urged to share their experiences of school transportParents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are invited to share their experiences of school transport at an event in the new year.

The Economist

• Boeing will halt production of its troubled 737 MAXThe crisis may force a significant strategic rethink

Railnews

• ˜Deeply frustrated™ minister issues slap on wrist to rail operators Rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris has told Rail Delivery Group chief executive Paul Plummer that it is ˜extremely disappointing that the rail industry and train operators will fail to meet the deadline to provide accessible trains by the end of the year™. A number of non-compliant Pacer units are among the trains which will be staying in service from 1 January, in spite of new accessibility regulations, because new trains to replace them have been late arriving. Mr Heaton-Harris continues: ˜Owners and operators have had 10 years to prepare for the 31 December 2019 deadline. It is deeply frust...

Other News Sources

• Green light for £11.4m road scheme to ease traffic in BlackburnA MULTI-million pound scheme to widen a major route into Blackburn has been approved.
• Plan to cut city centre traffic as car parking spaces axedMOTORISTS driving into the heart of Winchester could have less choice in car parking but pay more for the privilege as council bosses try to improve the district’s climate and reduce the number of vehicles in the city centre.
• Multi-million pound works fail to prevent rail chaos on Brighton Mainline FLOODING has paralysed the Brighton Mainline despite a multi-million pound engineering project which pledged to improve drainage.
• Valley Gardens scheme will increase driver journey timesA project aimed at reducing traffic will actually make journey times longer.
• Hundreds of unresolved lost luggage complaints at GatwickHUNDREDS of airline passengers are still waiting to find their lost luggage.
• Flooding brings thousands travel misery as roads closed and trains cancelled FLOODING brought severe travel disruption across the county as many people embarked on a Christmas getaway.