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

Saturday, 29 February 2020

Government

• Welsh stations in line for share of £20m UK Government funding boost for accessibility improvementsGrangetown, Pontypool & New Inn, Llantwit Major and Neath train stations to benefit from a share of £20m funding boost to improve disabled access

BBC News

• Weymouth tramway: Disused rail line removal plans win £1mA disused train line at a Dorset seaside resort will be removed after plans won more than £1m in funding, council and rail bosses have said.
• Greater Anglia: Twitter outcry over train operator award 'insult'Rail passengers have mocked a train operator criticised for its "catastrophic performance" after it was crowned the best in the industry.
• Disabled train access: 'I feel less human' due to lack of liftA man with cerebral palsy has said he does "not feel human" due to not being able to get on trains. Joshua Reeves, 23, is unable to access platforms at some stations across Wales, due to stairs and lack of access.
• Northern trains run for last day under Arriva Rail NorthPassengers have faced delays, cancellations and strikes since new timetables were introduced in 2018.
• Taxi driver numbers: Theory test 'leading to decrease'New figures show there are now 6,000 fewer on the road in NI than five years ago.
• London Tube workers balloted over strikes in pay rowLondon Underground workers have been locked in more than a year of negotiations in a pay row with TfL.
• New aircraft parts factory in Prestwick officially opensThe Spirit AeroSystems facility in Prestwick will make components for spoilers on Airbus A320 wings.
• New roads face Heathrow-style court action threatEnvironmentalists could try to block new road plans if they fail to take climate targets into account.
• IAG and EasyJet warn of coronavirus bookings hitBritish Airways owner IAG says it has seen a

Channel 4 News

• Will the Heathrow runway decision make a difference to climate change?We’re joined by the Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Richard Burge and Farhana Yamin, an environmental lawyer who played a key role in the Paris Agreement.

Department for Transport

• £20 million to connect communities across the country with new railway stationsNew stations to improve links between communities and unlock economic growth.
• Government to improve road journeys across the country with £93 million investment and cutting-edge transport techInvestment to target current pinch points on local roads.

Financial Times

• BA parent IAG and easyJet report tumbling demand as virus spreadsAirlines seek to implement measures to cushion blow on profits
• EU opens probe into Italy's €400m loan to AlitaliaBrussels to assess whether money to airline from Rome constitutes state aid
• All change as rail franchises reach end of the lineTermination of Northern contract signals wider problems with privatised system
• DfT counsel set to step down after Heathrow decisionJames Maurici, adviser to government on runway project, in talks over timing of departure

The Guardian

• Campaigners celebrate Heathrow ruling as 'beginning of the end'Activists hope appeal court’s decision will mean death of third runway expansion plan

The Independent

• After Heathrow, what other projects could be cancelled over the climate crisis?It is hard to see how the Paris Agreement is compatible with plans to expand airports at Birmingham Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Southampton, writes John Rentoul
• Paris train station: Huge fire erupts at Gare de Lyon as area evacuatedOfficial says blaze began after electric scooter set on fire

The Scotsman

• Unions vow to block dead bodies being carried on ScotRail passenger trainsRail unions today condemned the transporting of dead bodies on ScotRail trains as “unacceptable”.

The Telegraph

• Ministers announce £20m new station boost for Beeching towns [subscription]The Government has pledged £20 million to open new train stations across the country, in a fresh boost for towns who lost their rail lines in the Beeching closures.

Times Online

• Tube workers threaten Easter strike [subscription]Up to two million commuters and tourists are facing travel disruption in London after transport unions threatened mass strike action despite being offered a pay rise and a cut to the working week.
• Heathrow ruling could jeopardise upgrade of roadsA £25 billion upgrade of roads is at risk due to climate change concerns days after a critical court ruling on a third runway at Heathrow.

City AM

• London Underground workers to be balloted on tube strikes in pay rowLondon Underground’s thousands of workers are to be balloted on tube strikes as the long-running dispute over pay continues. The The post London Underground workers to be balloted on tube strikes in pay row appeared first on CityAM.
• Oil prices drop again as coronavirus cases escalateOil prices fell again today as the spread of the coronavirus cast uncertainty over the world economy. Oil prices saw The post Oil prices drop again as coronavirus cases escalate appeared first on CityAM.

i News

• The war over Heathrow continues with Boris Johnson under pressure from all sides over third runwayThis week's court verdict does not settle the question of what will happen to Heathrow

Belfast Telegraph

• Last day before train operator Northern hits buffersSaturday is the firm’s last day before its routes are taken under public control.
• Third runway at Heathrow 'vital' for Northern Ireland, says PaisleyIan Paisley has said a third runway at Heathrow is "absolutely vital" for Northern Ireland after the expansion of the airport was thrown into doubt.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• The bling Airbus plane where even the shower cost a million dollars British designer Celia Sawyer created a cabin full of sky high opulence for a royal from the Middle East

London Evening Standard

• 10,000 Tube staff balloted over strike action that could bring network to standstillMore than 10,000 Tube staff are to be balloted for strike action in an escalating row over pay.
• Google logo to replace yellow covers on Oyster card readers in £2m deal with TfLThe distinctive yellow Oyster card-reader badges will disappear from the Tube network under an exclusive sponsorship deal with Google worth almost £2 million.
• The Reader: Heathrow ruling just the start for our green futureClimate campaigners have been vindicated by the Court of Appeal's ruling against a third runway at Heathrow. This opens the door to legal challenges to other polluting schemes. But expensive legal battles are not the only solution — we need to stop damaging schemes like this earlier.
• Paris fire: Major blaze breaks out at Gare de Lyon railway station Police have evacuated a historic Paris train station after a fire engulfed multiple vehicles and sent a cloud of black smoke over the neighbourhood.

Northern Echo

• Northern Rail reveals record-breaking job applications in 2019A CHAOS-hit rail operator has revealed that it received a record-breaking number of applications from members of the public wanting to work for them in the past year.
• Arriva issues warning over bad behaviour on Darlington's buses A BUS company has re-issued stern warnings against anti-social behaviour following a series of incidents reported on buses in Darlington town centre.

Yorkshire Post

• The road to better transport infrastructure in the eyes of expertsForget Brexit, if you are looking for a divisive topic of conversation, you could do a lot worse than the nation’s transportation infrastructure.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Large lorry park set to be built close to A14 and portPlans for a large new lorry park to be built a few miles from the Port of Felixstowe have been submitted, close to where lorries are occasionally forced to ’stack’ on the roadside.

Other Regional Press

• Hartlepool rail passengers deserve more after having to 'put up with slow and irregular services' for too longHartlepool MP Mike Hill has reiterated the need for investment in local rail services after the £100 billion HS2 project was given the go-ahead.
• Work under way to reopen railway line between East Grinstead and LingfieldWork is under way to reopen the railway between East Grinstead and Lingfield by March 30 after two landslips blocked the line.
• New footbridge at Newport train station set for approvalA LONG-AWAITED new footbridge at Newport railway station is set to be given the go-ahead.
• Inverkeithing rail passengers are being 'short-changed'INVERKEITHING has been named the worst-performing rail station in Scotland according to one new survey.
• Heathrow Airport expansion: Bracknell Forest reactionHEATHROW Airport’s expansion has been deemed unlawful after judges said the government did not suitably consider climate change issues.
• Rail minister visits Ilkeston to launch £20million fund for new railway stationsA senior politician visited Ilkeston this morning to launch the next phase of a £20million fund to build new railway stations across the country.
• Oxford Bus Company awards night at the museumOXFORD Bus Company celebrated the contributions of its staff in its annual Really Amazing Awards ceremony at the Ashmolean Museum.
• EasyJet is cancelling flights over coronavirus fears EASYJET has said it will be cancelling flights as a result of the continued spread of coronavirus.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Government to improve road journeys across the country with £93 million investment and cutting-edge transport techCommunities around the country are set to benefit from a £93 million boost to connectivity, ensuring England’s roads are fit for the 21st century. Roads Minister Baroness Vere has announced today (28 February 2020) that 32 local authorities will receive investment for essential repair works, levelling up infrastructure, cutting congestion, improving road conditions and making journeys easier. This includes over £4 million for crucial repairs to the New Elvet Bridge in Durham along with £3.7 million to help refurbish several steel bridges around Northumberland. This c...
• £20 million to connect communities across the country with new railway stationsTowns and cities could see new stations constructed and disused links restored to their former glory, the Rail Minister has confirmed, thanks to a £20 million fund to boost rail connections across the country. This forms just one part of the government’s £500 million drive to reopen former routes and stations closed during the Beeching cuts and marks its commitment to levelling up transport infrastructure across the country to improve links between communities and unlock economic growth for towns, cities and regions, so everyone can access the opportunities they need to thri...
• Teesport welcomes extension to successful Unifeeder servicePD Ports has welcomed the announcement of an additional UK hub port added to the successful Unifeeder Teesport – Europe service launched in 2018. The service, introduced in August 2018, connecting Teesport with Dunkerque and Antwerp will now call at London Gateway as part of the existing weekly rotation.  Kim Catterick, PD Ports’ General Manager - Key Accounts, said: “Short-sea services are the lifeblood of our ports and our valued partnership with Unifeeder offers more routes for customers in and out of Europe and into the UK.  “Adding additional UK port ca...

Rail Technology Magazine

• £20m funding for new railway stations across the country The Rail Minister has announced today (Feb 28th) a £20m fund boost for rail connections across the country. The new £20m funding is the third round of the New Stations Fund and comes off the back of the £500m Reversing Beeching Fund. The funding also highlights the...
• £20m Northern train depot refurb in Manchester The £20m refurbishment of Arriva Rail North’s (Northern) Newton Heath train depot in Manchester is almost completed. Northern’s brand new diesel trains will be kept at Newton Heath and the team of 300 staff will also be responsible for maintenance, routine servicing and repairs...