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

Friday, 21 August 2020

BBC News

• Design work on Cardiff Central station upgrade under wayThe plans aim to improve access and capacity, ensuring platforms are suited for longer trains.
• Bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis to cut 160 jobs in FalkirkThe cuts at Alexander Dennis are part of a wider plan to cut 650 jobs across the UK.
• Waverley paddle steamer restarts Clyde sailings after refitThe 70-year-old ship missed the 2019 season as it waited for urgent repairs to its boilers.
• Weather forces closure of Old Military RoadHeavy rain led to the A83 diversion route being closed from 19:25 on Thursday until 09:00 on Friday.
• Coronavirus: Portugal added to UK's safe travel list as Croatia is removedPortugal is added to UK's safe travel list but Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago are removed.

Department for Transport

• Transport Secretary launches new Acceleration Unit to speed up transport infrastructure projects and build back better from COVID-19Vital rail and road upgrades that will create jobs, increase connectivity, and boost the economy will be delivered more quickly, thanks to the launch of a new Acceleration Unit announced by the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps today (21 August 2020).

Financial Times

• Travel operators call for end to UKs stop-start coronavirus quarantinesFrustration as Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago taken off list of safe destinations but Portugal added
• Airport ground-handling companies warn of more job losses UK’s four biggest air services groups urge government to provide extra support for aviation
• Uber and Lyft win reprieve to keep operating in CaliforniaGroups had threatened to cut off service at midnight if forced to treat drivers as employees

The Herald

• Britain's biggest bus builder 'Alexander Dennis cuts' 160 jobs in ScotlandPLANS by the UK's largest bus and coach builder to axe 160 jobs in Scotland have been condemned

Times Online

• Rolls-Royce partners with Reaction Engines for supersonic Virgin Galactic jet [subscription]Rolls-Royce is teaming up with a technology business based in Oxfordshire to develop high-speed aerospace engines that could work on a supersonic business jet designed by Virgin Galactic.
• John Laing profits are sunk by pandemic [subscription]One of the country’s best known investors in public infrastructure has posted a half-year loss and is unlikely to meet its £1 billion investment target because of uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
• Seven more smart motorways will go ahead as upgrade is accelerated [subscription]More smart motorways will be outlined today as the government introduces a specialist unit to accelerate road and rail upgrades. At least seven new routes without a hard shoulder will be approved to improve 4,000 miles of English roads.

Birmingham Mail

• Huge platforms, six tracks and 10 high speed trains an hour - plans for HS2 station set to be approvedThousands of car parking spaces and a driverless people mover also form part of plans
• Jet2 announces Birmingham Airport to Portugal flights restart dateJet2.com and Jet2holidays announced they will start offering breaks to the popular destination of Faro from August 24

Birmingham Post

• Train Wi-Fi leader Nomad Digital sees sales jump 13%The Newcastle firm said the coronavirus pandemic has led to some delays but says its order book is holding strong
• Aviation services firm's record month as number of flights soarRVL Group continuing to bounce back from Covid-19 challenges
• Bombardier testing first new train for West Midlands RailwayFirm starts putting the Derby-built electric train through its paces
• Project to redevelop Cardiff Train Station gets £58m from the UK GovernmentThe UK Government said it forms part of £343m of funding for rail projects across Wales, but includes money already pledged for Valley Lines electrification

Bristol Live

• Hundreds hit back at campaign to stop street being pedestrianised"St Marks Road is a good high street with a good diversity of shops and it’s really well-loved, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect"

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Hundreds refused travel over mask rules - and enforcement is being stepped upTransport for Wales warns those who fail to comply with the rules could face a fine
• Rail investment to speed up North Wales train journeysUK Government said it would help 'level-up' infrastructure

Wales Online

• Cardiff Central train station gets £5.8m for work on new designThe UK government has also announced cash for other improvements including signalling and track alignment

Other Regional Press

• Plan to speed up train journeys in Wales will benefit Gwent routeSPEEDING up journeys on rail routes across Wales - including between the Severn Tunnel and Cardiff - is a key aim of a major multi-million pound upgrading programme announced today.
• NEON ‘CHEERS DRIVE’ SIGN PERMANENTLY INSTALLED AT BRISTOL BUS STATIONThe familiar refrain of “cheers, drive” is heard across the city every day as passengers thank their driver when getting off their bus.
• Isle of Wight faces three months with no trains on Island LineTHE overhaul of Island Line and introduction of replacement trains will take the track out of action for three months at the start of next year.
• Face coverings will be enforced on public transport in WalesLAST week 500 people were stopped from boarding trains in Wales because they were not wearing face coverings.
• FIRST PHOTOS OF NEW ISLAND LINE TRAINS RELEASED AHEAD OF TRACK TESTINGThe first photos of the brand new Island Line trains, which are currently being built by Vivarail in the Midlands, have been released today (Thursday).
• Massive HS2 station plans set for green lightIf approved, it will consist of huge platforms, six tracks, and 10 high speed trains per hour

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Rail still safer than road during Covid-19Passengers can be a lot more confident about travelling by train safely according to RSSB – with the risk of Covid-19 infection being less than 0.01% on an average journey.   Rail safety experts worry that people may be assuming that the roads offer a less risky alternative during the pandemic, when in fact trains are safer and greener.   Analysis by the rail safety body has shown that the risk of contracting Covid-19 while travelling by train is about 1 in 11,000 journeys – equivalent to a chance of less than 0.01% - based on an hour-long train journey in a carriage with...

Coach and Bus Week

• National Express Coventry offers council sneak preview of first electric busesCoventry City Council has welcomed a sneak preview of National Express Coventry’s first fully electric buses, ahead of their official launch in service later this month.
• Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel grow fleets with nine new Wrightbus StreetDecksOxford Bus Company and Thames Travel have further increased the volume of ultra-low emission buses in their fleets, thanks to a £2m investment in green technology.

Rail Business Daily

• Transport Secretary launches new Acceleration Unit to speed up transport infrastructure projects and build back better from CovidVital rail and road upgrades that will create jobs, increase connectivity, and boost the economy will be delivered more quickly, thanks to the launch of a new Acceleration Unit announced by the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps today.

Rail Technology Magazine

• New Acceleration Unit launched by Transport Secretary Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has today (Aug 21) announced the launch of a new Acceleration Unit to help bring essential rail and road upgrades that will create jobs, rise connectivity, and boost the economy coming out of the Covid-19 outbreak. The new team of specialists will join the...
• HS2 release designs for Amersham vent shaft headhouse Today (Aug 20) HS2 have released the design for one of the five structures that will be built to provide ventilation and emergency access to the high-speed rail line’s 10-mile-long Chiltern tunnel. The Amersham vent shaft headhouse will be set in the middle of a road junction just outside...
• Temporary bike storage at Bristol Temple Meads stationA new bike storage facility is to be constructed next to Bristol Temple Meads station in preparation £24m worth of works to begin on the station’s roof. The new facility is set to open on the 5th of September and will be the same capacity as the ones on platform 3 and 4, housing just...

Railnews

• ANALYSIS: Let's be clear: there has been no decision about rail fares A well-worn saying in the world of news is ˜a lie is half way around the world, while truth is still getting its boots on™ (writes Sim Harris). It may be well-worn, but it certainly fits the facts in the Case of the January Fare Rises.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• National Express West Midlands introduces capacity checkerNational Express West Midlands (NXWM) has launched a new information service for passengers that shows bus capacity predictions up to two weeks in advance.
• Provisional PSV O-Licence closer after consultation responseThe introduction of a provisional PSV O-Licence has come closer after a positive response to a Department for Transport (DfT) consultation. The latter document examined proposals to change licencing procedures to allow applicants to have operational approval at the earliest opportunity.
• Hanover continues ‘cobot’ installation to deliver buyer benefitsHanover has invested in the latest collaborative robot – or ‘cobot’ – systems to deliver significant benefits for customers that purchase its destination display technology.
• ADL outlines COVID-19 protection measures across its new and existing coach and bus productsAlexander Dennis (ADL) has today (19 august) summarised the coronavirus COVID-19 protection solutions now available across its new and existing vehicles.
• Stagecoach Manchester launches Flexi Day 5 flexible ticketStagecoach Manchester has launched a flexible ticket called Flexi Day 5. It gives five days’ travel in any 30-day period for the price of four day tickets and is aimed at customers that now spend fewer days at their work locations, or who have part-time or shift-based positions.
• Bristol Clean Air Zone hangs in balance as council reconsidersBristol has become the second city in England to suggest that a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) may now no longer be necessary to the delivery of air quality improvements that are legally required.

Other News Sources

• ADL begins consultation on up to 650 job lossesBus builder plans to stop manufacturing in Guildford and transfer chassis production to its Falkirk factory     Alexander Dennis Limited has today announced that it has begun the formal consultation on its previously announced restructuring programme in response to the significant fall in demand for new buses and coaches in the United Kingdom as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The UK”s biggest bus builder, which was acquired Canada-based NFI Group Inc last year, says that the dramatic fall in demand for new buses and coaches as a result of lockdown, social distancing and ...
• Campaign for Better Transport seeking new CEOCurrent CEO Darren Shirley is joining the Department for Transport’s new Acceleration Unit   Darren Shirley joined the sustainable transport charity in August 2018   Campaign for Better Transport has announced it is looking to appoint a new CEO to replace Darren Shirley. Shirley, who joined the sustainable transport charity in August 2018, is leaving in October to take up a role within the Department for Transport. He will head up the department’s new Acceleration Unit to speed up the delivery of government transport programmes and projects post Covid-19. “It has been a p...
• Hundreds of train passengers without face coverings refused travelMORE than 500 people refused to wear face coverings on trains and were not allowed to board Transport for Wales services last week, the firm has said.
• Friends of King Alfred Buses running days confirmed for 2021THE Winchester-based Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB) has confirmed details of the events it hopes to operate in 2021.