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

Tuesday, 10 March 2020

BBC News

• Welsh road tolls and charging to be considered in reviewOptions to be looked at include congestion charging and parking levies for workers and shoppers.
• Belfast City Airport staff face temporary lay-off, union warnsA trade union says some baggage handlers and check-in staff could be stood down for 14 days unpaid.
• Metrolink's Trafford Park £350m tramline opening date revealedThe new Metrolink line, linking Manchester city centre to the Trafford Centre, will open on 22 March.
• British Steel: Takeover by Chinese firm completedThe Chinese Jingye Group has reportedly paid about £50m for the British steel manufacturer.
• Boeing 737 Max: 'Nothing will ever be the same'The father of a British woman killed when a Boeing 737 Max plane crashed speaks to the BBC.
• Coronavirus: Qantas cuts almost quarter of flightsAirlines preparing themselves for further pain by cutting more flights as virus spreads across globe.
• Coronavirus: Virgin Atlantic admits flying near-empty planesThe carrier has seen a fall in bookings due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Financial Times

• Frequent flyers fear loss of airline loyalty pointsTravellers stand to lose out as business flights are hit by coronavirus

The Guardian

• UK companies to invest £12bn in switch to electric vehiclesWith a fuel duty rise expected in this week’s budget, a survey by Centrica finds businesses on course to move to cleaner cars and vans

Times Online

• Charging a car with solar? The only way is in Essex [subscription]Britain’s first solar-powered “fuelling station” for electric cars is being built as part of plans to meet rising demand for public charging facilities.
• Greyhound is a dog for First and should be sold, says Coast Capital [subscription]An activist investor has renewed its call for a break-up of First Group and may convene an emergency meeting of the transport operator’s shareholders to try to force it through.
• Rishi Sunak to unveil £25m data fund [subscription]... In the budget tomorrow Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, will reveal how the government plans to spend the £80 billion of headroom it has for infrastructure investment. Transport and broadband are expected to receive extra funding with a focus on the north of England, where former Labour constituencies voted Tory on December.

City AM

• Shipping firm Clarksons swings to £10.5m lossShipbroker Clarksons swung to a £10.5m loss for 2019 after a one off impairment charge relating to buying Norwegian rival RS Platou ASA.

Mail Online

• Britons think Heathrow SHOULD have a third runway, despite court ruling £14bn expansion was illegalThe Court of Appeal ruled that the £14billion Heathrow expansion project was illegal because the Government did not take its duty to curb climate change into account.

The Mirror

• On-board the worst train service in the country that's cancelled every other dayThe Northern Rail 7.13am from Harrogate to Leeds has been cancelled 28 times out of the 55 days it was scheduled to run since it timetables changed in December last year

Network Rail

• Statement from Network Rail on the sale of British SteelAndrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: "We are delighted with today's news that the sale of British Steel to Jingye has completed, securing the future of the business.

Birmingham Post

• Huge new Stena Line ferry makes maiden voyage between Merseyside and Belfast following £200m investmentA Stena boss also revealed what is being done to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus
• Ongoing coronavirus situation sees Jaguar Land Rover‘s Chinese sales plummetThe news comes after a lengthy period where slowing sales in China had been reversed

Daily Post (North Wales)

• How one Welsh council wants to save the planet with car-charging solar canopiesDenbighshire will be looking at a host of innovative ways to reduce its carbon footprint to zero

London Evening Standard

• London Euston blighted with cancellations and delays due to overhead cable repairsPassengers have been warned to check services before they travel to or from the station
• Flights to locked-down regions halted as Italy tries to contain spread of virusFollow our live coronavirus updates here
• London the worst city for commuting by car in the UK, according to new studyThe UK's most congested cities have been revealed, and London is top of the pile.

Northern Echo

• ScotRail firm posts £11m losses for train franchiseNorth East needs a seat at Northern rail table, say campaigners

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham City Transport bus fares set to increase at the end of the monthNottingham City Transport will be increasing its bus fares at the end of the month.

Wales Online

• Live updates as Keolis boss Alistair Gordon joins passengers on Welsh commuter trainCEO Alistair Gordon is joining passengers on the 7.07am train from Bridgend to Cardiff

Leeds Live

• Feral kids smash up SIX buses so badly they can't run - then attack workman who came to fix itSix buses were attacked in Seacroft over the weekend
• Remote controlled 5G trams could be coming to LeedsWest Yorkshire Combined Authority is working on an ambitious project to bring trams back to Leeds by 2033

Other Regional Press

• £650m likely cost of rail improvements at Ely as new report reveals capacity 127 train movements a day has been reachedUp to £650 million could be the final cost of improvements to Ely station and Ely North and to ensure continued access to the city for Queen Adelaide residents.
• How do you power a steam train at Pickering without UK coal?The search is on to find a more reliable source of fuel for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
• Northern's self described 'fat controller' Robin Gisby vows to put train passengers and staff firstThe new chairman of Northern wants the train operator to put passengers and staff first as the former franchise enters public ownership.
• £1bn Huddersfield rail widening project takes another step forwardNetwork Rail claims 85% of public support huge infrastructure project ahead of chance to learn more detail about ambitious plan

Train Operators

• ScotRail first train operator to publish real time train dataScotRail is now Britain’s first train operating company to publish data on its trains’ type and carriage length in real time.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• P&O Ferries launches second rail line to double train capacity at its Europoort hubP&O Ferries has announced the doubling of its rail capacity at Europoort with the launch of a second line into its terminal at the continental hub.  The 650-metre long track will complement P&O's existing rail line and means that the integrated ferry and logistics company can handle up to four trains of either 36 trailers or 42 x 45 foot containers a day, comprising eight services to and from locations across Europe.  Janette Bell, Chief Executive of P&O Ferries, said:

New Civil Engineer

• Heathrow runway ruling sends ripplesThe Court of Appeal decision to outlaw Heathrow Airport’s third runway plan has left its expansion plans in limbo. It has also rocked the aviation sector’s growth plans and threatened to hit the UK’s wider infrastructure pipeline.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Alstom's world first hydrogen train completes tests in the Netherlands After ten days of successful tests, Alstom’s Coradia iLint train ran 65 kilometres of line between Groningen and Leeuwarden in the northern area of the Netherlands. The tests follow 18 successful months of passenger service on the...
• Metrolink Trafford Park Line start date announced Greater Manchester’s new £350m Trafford Park line will launch on Sunday 22nd March. The date comes directly after the successful completion of the project and delivery of the new line to the operator, KeolisAmey Metrolink, whose drivers are currently partaking in a training programme...

Other News Sources

• Train de-rails between Blackburn and Clitheroe causing rush hour disruptionA train has derailed between two East Lancashire stations, causing lines to be closed and trains cancelled.