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

Wednesday, 22 July 2020

BBC News

• Crossrail: An extra £140m need to complete surface lineThe government announces a new funding package is needed with London
• Ryanair to close base after pilots reject pay cutThe airline is shutting its hub at Frankfurt Hahn airport and considering other German closures.
• Coronavirus: Airlines call for joint US-European testing schemeMajor carriers in the US and Europe want a coordinated programme to get passengers flying again.

Financial Times

• Airline chiefs urge Covid-19 testing on transatlantic flights European and US calls for co-ordinated programme as industry struggles to recover from pandemic

The Guardian

• Sadiq Khan launches review of TfL in response to official inquiryMove by London mayor the latest in row with No 10 over £1.6bn Covid-19 bailoutCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has launched an independent review of Transport for London’s future funding and finances, in swift retaliation to the government-imposed inquiry whose terms and panel were announced on Monday.The review is the latest move in a bitter row between City Hall and Downing Street over the £1.6bn bailout begrudgingly granted to the capital after TfL fare income collapsed with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, as the public were warne...

Times Online

• Coronavirus in Ireland: Mixed messages over green list for quarantine-free travel [Subscription]The cabinet met last night to discuss a green list of countries for safe travel after Leo Varadkar cast doubt over the plan.
• Half of £75m fund to fight pollution goes unspent [Subscription]Almost half of a £75 million fund to cut pollution on motorways has not been spent because officials failed to identify “effective solutions”, according to an official review.
• HS2 chief’s £660,000 pay package causes ‘deep disquiet’ in Whitehall [Subscription]HS2’s chief executive was paid more than £659,000 last year, it has been disclosed, adding pressure on the project’s leaders to rein in salaries.

City AM

• Stagecoach profit nosedives amid pandemic woesStagecoach’s profit has sunk a staggering 60 per cent in its latest financial year due to the unprecedented impact of The post Stagecoach profit nosedives amid pandemic woes appeared first on CityAM.

The Mirror

• Full list of UK's worst motorways - with roadworks-plagued stretch most hatedThe 50-mile stretch of M20 between London and Dover has been voted by drivers as the worst motorway in the country as drivers grow sick of roadworks and reduced speeds

Birmingham Post

• BA chief underlines importance of green jet fuel as a priorityUK aviation chief flags up South Humber Bank refinery as MPs call for support on fuel as engines and aircraft are backed by government
• Fresh call to create Freeport next to East Midlands AirportSome say it could help UK as country edges ever closer to no-deal Brexit
• New government funding to support regeneration of Birmingham stationDepartment for Transport awards £12m to project which received the green light in June

Daily Post (North Wales)

• New video shows Snowdonia standstill as 500 cars block Pen y PassA video shot by a local resident showed the scale of the problem

London Evening Standard

• Sadiq Khan launches fresh funding review of London's transport network after Covid-19 shutdownSadiq Khan has announced an independent review into the long-term funding of the capital's transport network after the Covid-19 shutdown almost crippled the service.
• M11 named England's best motorway for journey times and safetyThe M11 has been named as England's best motorway for journey times and safety.
• Troubled Royal Mail sees parcel volumes surge as sales move online in lockdownRoyal Mail has shipped 117 million more parcels than last year during lockdown as the pandemic triggered a boom in ecommerce.

Leeds Live

• The changes to Leeds bus services that will transform journeys for thousandsThe overhaul of Leeds' bus system aims to make journeys easier for the city

Other Regional Press

• Weymouth Council goes electric to offset carbon footprintWEYMOUTH Town Council has announced it has added a second electric vehicle to its fleet as it continues to work towards a goal of carbon neutrality.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• £38m announced for cycling and walking routesA total of £38m in funding has been announced to improve cycling and walking facilities in Wales. Bike sales surged in lockdown as people avoided public transport for fear of catching Covid-19. Economy and Transport Deputy Minister, Lee Waters, said he wanted people to leave the car in the garage following the pandemic. Last month ministers said roads, public transport, walking and cycling routes would get £15.4m worth of improvements. Combined with the new cash, the Welsh Government said it would be the biggest ever investment in healthy travel in Wales.
• 24/7 bus lanes proposed for London’s busiest roads to support a sustainable recovery from the pandemicTransport for London (TfL) has set out plans to extend the hours of bus lanes on its roads in London to reflect a customer shift away from peak hours, helping ensure London’s sustainable recovery from the pandemic. As London recovers from coronavirus, there is an increasing need to provide more safe space for people to use active, sustainable and socially distanced modes of travel. Even with current capacity restrictions due to social distancing, a single decker bus can carry ten times the average occupancy of a car yet only uses twice the amount of road space. Extending bus lane operat...
• Dipesh J Shah OBE announced as new Highways England chairDipesh J Shah OBE has been announced as Highways England’s new chair to lead the government’s ambitious plans to level up road infrastructure across the country. Following a competitive selection process he will take up the role on 1 September 2020 and will be responsible for the delivery of the second 5 year road investment strategy. The £27 billion strategy, known as RIS2, began in April 2020 and will further improve the safety, reliability and connectivity of England’s strategic road network. Mr Shah takes over from Colin Matthews who, since 2014, had led the organ...

Rail Technology Magazine

• DfT publishes annual Crossrail update Today (20 July) a written statement was issued to Parliament illustrating an update on the Crossrail project. Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris began the document stating: “Over the past year, several milestones have been reached on the Crossrail project and work continues despite the new...
• HS2 Ltd releases Annual Report and Accounts document HS2 Ltd have published their annual reports and accounts review that looks at the organisation’s activities over the course of the year, giving highlights and key points and the progress that has been made in meeting the organization’s objectives. HS2 highlighted they have employed...

Railnews

• Network Rail™s Mark Langman to step down THE director of Network Rail™s Wales and Western region Mark Langman has announced his retirement. Mr Langman joined British Rail in 1986 as an apprentice on the Youth Training Scheme.

Aviation Industry

• Government’s transport decarbonisation plan must include aviation, AEF arguesOn 4th March, shortly before the Coronavirus lockdown began, the Government published Decarbonising Transport: setting the challenge, designed to represent the ‘first step’ towards a pathway to achieving carbon budgets and …

Other News Sources

• Consultation over Southampton Airport runway extension planA PUBLIC consultation over plans to expand Southampton Airport is set to start this week.
• Southern and Thameslink train stations treated with 30-day virus killer in coronavirus safety measures Stations served by Thameslink and Southern are being sprayed with the product every 21 days

EIN News Subscription

• Sadiq Khan launches fresh funding review of London's transport network after Covid-19 shutdown … Andy Byford, London's Transport Commissioner, said: "Prudent … - TC Chew, global rail business leader at engineering firm … CBE, emeritus professor of transport and infrastructure at Imperial … vice president of the European Investment Bank from 2013 …