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

Thursday, 15 October 2020

BBC News

• Teignmouth rail line plan delayed after consultationPlans to move a railway line further out to sea to avoid cliff falls have been delayed after an "unprecedented" public response to the scheme.
• Covid: Reading Green Park station delayed to 2021The opening of a new railway in Reading has been delayed due to the Covid pandemic.
• Manston Airport: Judicial review granted over developmentA judicial review can go ahead to challenge the government's decision to allow an airport site to be developed.
• New Shepard: Jeff Bezos' rocket tests Nasa Moon landing techThe New Shepard rocket carried technology designed to return humans to the Moon in four years.
• HS2 costs rise again weeks after work beginsMinisters admit an extra £800m is needed due to more asbestos discoveries and complexities at London Euston.
• EU to reject UK plea for Brexit electric car dealThe European Union is about to formally reject a UK plea for special allowances for exports of electric cars.
• Virgin Australia boss quits ahead of new ownershipPaul Scurrah had reportedly clashed with Bain Capital over plans to make it a low cost-carrier.

Financial Times

• United Airlines reports $1.8bn third-quarter lossCarrier to reduce workforce by 22,000 employees during coronavirus pandemic
• Maersk raises profit forecast for a second timeWorld’s biggest shipping line says demand has recovered more quickly than it expected

The Guardian

• Quarantine for arrivals to UK may be cut to a week, says ShappsTransport secretary describes 'test and release' scheme being considered as UK travel body says thousands of jobs at risk. The quarantine period for travellers arriving in the UK is likely only to be cut to about a week, according to the transport secretary, under a 'test and release' scheme being considered by the government's taskforce.Grant Shapps said the new regime, which is due to be confirmed in November, would require a single coronavirus test, to be taken about a week after arrival and paid for privately.

The Independent

• Grant Shapps refuses demands for coronavirus airport testing on arrival‘Britain will be in the lead’ on opening up travel, the transport secretary said
• Brexit: Grant Shapps admits UK-EU flights could be grounded in the event of no dealThe transport secretary has acknowledged that flights between the UK and the European Union could be grounded from 1 January 2021 in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Times Online

• Coronavirus testing plan for airports only cuts quarantine period by week [subscription]Travellers arriving in the UK will still be required to quarantine for a week under a new coronavirus testing regime being drawn up by the government, according to the transport secretary.

City AM

• Travel industry calls for 'decisive' action on airport testingThe UK travel industry has urged the government to “act decisively” in putting in place airport coronavirus testing in order to save the £60bn industry.

Daily Record

• Recovery workers remove car from tracks at Stirling Station after bizarre crashNetwork Rail have had to shut off overhead power cables to recover the Renault with the operation causing further disruption to rush-hour commuters.

The National

• Extra £58.6m in funding for bus operators in ScotlandEXTRA funding of up to £52.6 million will be provided by the Scottish Government until January for bus operators to cover lost income.

Birmingham Post

• New concerns over cost of HS2Two components of phase one between Birmingham and London could cost a total of £800m more than planned
• Welsh travel ban for visitors from high-Covid parts of England, Scotland and Northern IrelandFirst Minister Mark Drakeford says he wants the powers in place by the end of the week

Bolton News

• Bolton people banned from visiting Wales as First Minister clamps down on holidays THE Welsh Government is preparing to prevent people who live in areas of the UK with high levels of coronavirus from travelling to Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Car ends up on track at Stirling Railway Station in Scotland THERE was almost two-and-a-half hours of disruptions to some train services in central Scotland after a car ended up on the track at a railway station today.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus secures new airline customer despite aviation crisis due to Covid pandemicAthens-based airline SKY express has placed an order with the aerospace giant

Manchester Evening News

• "Bleak Christmas looms": More than 2,000 Manchester Airport-based jobs at riskThe figure includes proposed redundancies by external firms such as Menzies, Swissport and baggage handling firm Stobart Aviation

Northern Echo

• North Yorkshire bus service hit by government rail changes is handed cash lifelineA LIFELINE volunteer-run rural bus service which has lost funding due to the government axing railway franchises is being given a stay of execution.
• Darlington's cycle routes slammed as research shows people keen to get on bikes THE Covid pandemic has had a

The York Press

• Revealed: Five changes to York roads and cycle routes planned A TEMPORARY cycle lane at Tower Street is set to be removed - but new routes for cyclists could be created across the city as part of major road schemes.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• HS2 at heart of 'fightback' against Covid, Mayor saysHS2 will be at the heart of the region’s fightback from the economic devastation caused by Covid-19, Andy Street has claimed.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Government needs to prop up bus services for another two years says transport expertSome of Leeds’s buses will disappear if the Government does not continue to subsidise services after the Covid-19 pandemic is over.

Bucks Free Press

• Protesters protecting woods from HS2 charged with trespassVeteran eco warrior Swampy is due in court next month after being hauled from a 26 metre high tree house on the proposed route of the High Speed 2 rail line.

Cambridge News

• E-scooters launch in Cambridge despite safety issues elsewhere in UKOne charity said the electric scooters posed a danger to the public

Leeds Live

• The first ever all-electric buses in Leeds and where you can spot themIt cost £7.3 million to roll out the environmentally-friendly buses across Leeds

Other Regional Press

• £870,000 signed off to keep Northumberland Line project on trackCouncillors have signed off on more cash to keep the Northumberland Line project on track, ahead of a hoped-for Government funding commitment in November.
• 'Temporary' cycle lane over Watford bridge causing congestion concerns Before the county council installed the ‘temporary’ cycle lane on the Wiggenhall Road bridge, the carriageway was wide enough to allow traffic to move to the left, in order to create a clear path for emergency vehicles in the centre of the road.
• New 'high-speed' roundabout for Bicester is put on holdAFTER several fatalities at a roundabout in Bicester, plans to build a new one in the town have been put on hold as councillors want to make sure the junction is as safe as possible.
• Kirklees councillor attacks 'blinkered approach' of £1bn rail upgradeMirfield Tory says 'once in a lifetime' opportunities are being missed
• Pride train's new name revealedIt has been a frequent caller at Coventry Railway Station

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 has already spent a quarter of £40bn Phase One target costHigh Speed 2 Ltd (HS2 Ltd) has already spent almost a quarter of its £40.3bn cost estimate for building Phase One of the line between London and the West Midlands, despite official construction only getting underway last month.
• Gulf between councils’ road maintenance output revealedA new study into road maintenance has revealed a huge gulf between councils who do the most and least repairs to their networks.

Railnews

• Longer freight trains to Southampton with £17m investment The government has announced a grant of £17 million so that freight trains running to Southampton Docks can be increased in length from 520m to 775m, which will allow an extra 14 containers aboard each train.
• New Scottish light rail funding is ˜disappointing™ The Scottish Government is providing a further £4 million of emergency funding for Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams in response to the pandemic, but the chairman of SPT has described the award as ˜disappointing™.

Other News Sources

• Now you can book and ride: Catch a fflecsi bus around St Davids peninsulaPublic transport users in parts of Pembrokeshire will now be able to book a bus journey - thanks to Transport for Wales' expansion of its fflecsi service into the county.
• Aviation Clean Air Successfully Neutralizes 99.99% of COVID-19 in Second Test of Its Purification SystemAviation Clean Air, the only proactive system that immediately improves interior air quality and neutralizes pathogens, is pleased to share its successful results from a second phase of testing.
• Coronavirus: Wales will ban visitors from UK virus hotspots Wales will ban entry to people from areas of the UK with high levels of coronavirus by Friday if Boris Johnson fails to impose UK-wide travel restrictions, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
• Maria Caulfield MP welcomes contract to secure Newhaven ferryAN MP has welcomed news that a popular ferry route has been saved from decommissioning.

EIN News Subscription

• Aviation Groups Protest EU Failure To Act on QuarantinesAviation bodies ACI Europe, Airlines for Europe, and the International Air Transport Association have strongly criticized what they regard as the European Union leaders' failure to harmonize Covid-related travel restrictions between member states. On Tuesday, European Affairs ministers from EU states adopted a European Council recommendation on a coordinated approach to the restriction of free movement. But the industry groups said that the move falls “far short” of what the groups consider its mandate: “encouraging a restart of travel through effective coordination and proportionate, predictable, and non-discriminatory measures.”
• Norwegian union pushes minimum plane ticket price in reaction to Wizz Air's low-cost routesThe Norwegian Pilots’ Association believes it may be worthwhile to see if a minimum price for airline tickets can be set in the country. The notion comes as a reaction to the low-cost airline Wizz Air’s setup of new domestic routes in Norway.