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

Sunday, 17 May 2020

BBC News

• How coronavirus is driving a revolution in travelBarriers closed a stretch of Deansgate, Manchester's main thoroughfare, to motor vehicles on Saturday.
• HS2 'badly off course' with bosses 'blindsided', MPs sayA damning parliamentary report raises questions about transparency on the high-speed rail project.

ITV News

• Council rejects Bristol Airport application to increase night flights in summer months Bath and North East Somerset Council has rejected an application by Bristol Airport to increase the number of night flights.

Financial Times

• Department for Transport kept back vital HS2 failings MPs hear rail project was known to be ‘badly off course’ but officials failed to disclose overruns

The Guardian

• HS2's costs and potential delays are running out of control, warn MPsDamning report by public accounts committee accuses transport department of hiding details of overspending and hold-ups, The HS2 high-speed rail project has gone badly off course and further cost increases and delays cannot be ruled out because of the way it is being managed, according to an excoriating report by the parliamentary spending watchdog published on Sunday. The hard-hitting assessment by the all-party public accounts committee (PAC) accuses the Department for Transport of hiding information about cost overruns and delays from MPs, in a way that has undermined confidence

The Independent

• HS2 'badly off course' as damning report accuses government of hiding soaring costsSenior official may have breached civil service rules by failing to inform Commons spending watchdog of troubled project's woes

Times Online

• Only taxpayers can stop aerospace from falling out of the sky [subscription]Grim reality has dawned for Andrew Churchill and his aerospace engineering company. Orders for JJ Churchill’s jet-engine turbine blades have collapsed in recent weeks. The Leicestershire business, which supplies companies including Rolls-Royce, expects turnover to plummet 60% this year.

City AM

• HS2: MPs say controversial rail project 'badly off course'MPs have slammed the controversial HS2 rail project, saying that the scheme is “badly off courseâ€� and calling for far The post HS2: MPs say controversial rail project 'badly off course' appeared first on CityAM.

Daily Express

• Coronavirus hope: Temperature checks mean Britons could fly abroad without quarantineHEATHROW will reportedly launch airport temperature checks this week with the ambition to allow Britons to leave the UK safely without having to quarantine on their return.

Daily Record

• Ryanair tell customer 'we are not forcing you to travel' after refusing refundAirline chiefs were adamant a scheduled flight to Spain will go ahead in June, despite UK Government warnings against non essential travel.

The Mirror

• British Airways cabin crew 'face 75% pay cut with salaries slashed to £24,000'Senior British Airways cabin crew would have to downgrade to the level of basic crew and entry-level junior members would be paid £24,000 as the Heathrow-based airline presses ahead with 12,000 job cuts due to the coronavirus crisis
• Travel rules for Tube and buses - when to avoid and if you need a face coveringTransport for London says it is increasing service levels across its Tube, bus and Overground networks as it urges people not to take public transit as the coronavirus lockdown is eased
• MPs' fury as controversial HS2 project as costs nearly double to £100bnThe new line that will link London to Birm­ingham, then to Manchester and Leeds by 2040, is five years behind schedule and way over its £55.7billion budget
• Hope for holidaymakers as Heathrow Airport trials thermal imaging fever checksHeathrow Airport will trial automatically screening passengers for fever using thermal imaging cameras this week, raising hopes that travellers could fly overseas without having to quarantine

This is Money

• Greybull Capital in talks to bail out Virgin AtlanticGreybull Capital bought a majority stake in Monarch in 2014. Private equity giants Greybull and Centerbridge Partners are understood to be interested in the next stage of talks over Virgin.

Sky News

• MPs launch scathing attack on 'blindsided' HS2 bossesMPs say HS2 bosses have been "blindsided by contact with reality" with the project "badly off course".

Belfast Telegraph

• How can you ensure social distancing on a packed bus? Translink has faced many problems in recent years - and maintaining social distancing on its buses and trains at peak times when passenger demand increases will be yet another.

Birmingham Mail

• HS2 programme was in 'significant difficulty' - but MPs say they were not toldAnger over alleged lack of transparency over budget and timetable problems

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford taxi drivers ask for help on coronavirus screensTAXI drivers are calling on Bradford Council to follow Leeds Council and help pay for protective screens in their vehicles during the coronavirus pandemic.

London Evening Standard

• Air Canada to shed 20,000 staff due to Covid-19 pandemic amid 'darkest period in history of commercial aviation'Air Canada plans to lay off at least 20,000 employees due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sheffield Star

• Campaign to reopen 150-year-old Sheffield railway stationA councillor has written to local authorities calling for them to reopen a long-forgotten railway station, saying the public enthusiasm would be 'overwhelming'.

Yorkshire Post

• Government 'opaque' over 'badly off course' HS2, report claimsHS2 has gone “badly off course”, an influential Commons committee has claimed, as it accused a senior civil servant of withholding information about the state of the project.

Get Surrey

• Transport yourself back in time and see Surrey's railways stations a century ago A fascinating book looks at the history of the 89 railway stations 

Kent Online

• Manston Airport: May 18 decision day looms for RiverOak Strategic Partners' push to reopen Thanet airfieldA decision is expected to be made this week on the future of Manston Airport in Thanet.

Other Regional Press

• Name a train on the Highland lineLondon North Eastern Railway (LNER) is celebrating a full year of the world-class Azuma service.
• London Stansted Airport owner asks passengers and staff to wear masks and gloves in pilot scheme against coronavirusPassengers travelling through London Stansted are being asked to cover their faces and wear gloves.
• Bus company takes precautions to protect passengers and driversSwindon’s Bus Company issued guidance to passengers following the government’s changing lockdown regulations.

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 lacks transparency and is ‘badly off-course’, government watchdog rulesLack of transparency and issues with skills and capacity have been identified as key failings on High Speed 2 (HS2) in a report that labels the scheme as “badly off course” and calls for more regular, accurate and open updates on the project.

Rail Advent

• £3m boost for Devon economy as Network Rail upgrades Dawlish Sea WallFigures released this week have confirmed that £3m has been spent locally in South Devon between June 2019 and May 2020 by Network Rail and contractors.
• New timetable from Northern – passengers advised to avoid travellingNorthern Trains Limited (Northern) will be introducing a new timetable from Monday 18th May 2020 to help key workers get to work.
• Non-Executive Directors appointed by Network RailNew Non-Executive Directors have been appointed by Network Rail to replace retired members.

Transportxtra

• Stagecoach wants post-Covid bus visionBus operator Stagecoach has called for a joint strategy between industry and the Government to secure the bus sector’s future after the Covid-19 outbreak ends.

Other News Sources

• What we know about the Staines masterplan planned for completion by end of yearPublic transport and parking are some of the areas that the masterplan will look into