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

Saturday, 17 October 2020

BBC News

• Stonehaven derailment: Track damaged in fatal train crash replacedEngineers are laying 500m of track at the scene of the incident in Stonehaven in which three men died.
• Coronavirus: TfL secure two-week extension of bailoutThe government continues the terms of the current £1.6bn bailout package, due to run out on Saturday.
• British Airways fined £20m over data breachThe fine is the largest ever issued by the Information Commissioner's Office.
• Manx Electric Railway sign to be dismantledThe Manx Electric Railway sign in Douglas is to be removed, the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) has said.

Financial Times

• Sean Doyle: A soft-spoken insider to lead an airline in crisisThe new British Airways boss will be tasked with rebuilding the UK national carrier’s public image
• EU safety watchdog poised to clear Boeing 737 Max for flightRegulator’s signal removes significant barrier to passenger jet’s return to service after fatal crashes
• BA fine for data breach in 2018 sharply reduced Relief for airline after UK’s data protection regulator cuts penalty to £20m
• Covid nostalgia for the days of taking wingTravellers grounded for months by lockdown can now become reacquainted with the airlines

The Guardian

• Extend London congestion charge zone to Clapham and Catford, TfL toldSadiq Khan says government’s proposals to plug capital’s Covid-ravaged finances are ‘not right’Londoners would be “punishedâ€� by proposals including having to pay £15 to drive in the suburbs, the mayor has claimed, after talks on a fresh funding settlement for the capital in the face of Covid-19 failed to reach agreement.Negotiations for a settlement for Transport for London will continue after the government offered to extend the existing £1.6bn bailout terms for two more weeks, just before a deadline to avert financial collapse. Continue reading...
• Protester HS2 wanted jailed gets suspended sentenceElliott Cuciurean’s case is seen as important ruling about right to protest An environmental protester who HS2 asked to be imprisoned has was given a suspended sentence in a landmark case about the right to protest.Elliott Cuciurean, who is described by fellow environmental activists as a “conscientious protectorâ€�, was accused by the high-speed rail company of repeatedly breaching an injunction not to trespass on an HS2 site at Crackley Woods in Warwickshire. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Trial to cut diesel fumes at train stations [subscription]Diesel train engines will be deactivated in stations under government-backed plans to cut levels of air pollution on platforms.
• Coronavirus: Digital ‘health passport’ to be trialled at Heathrow next week [subscription]A new “health passport” will be used on flights out of the UK for the first time next week under plans for a common international standard for Covid-safe air travel.

City AM

• BA and Virgin bag £70m of taxpayer money to fly PPE back from ChinaBritish Airways and Virgin Atlantic have been paid more than £70m of taxpayer money to ferry personal protective equipment (PPE) The post BA and Virgin bag £70m of taxpayer money to fly PPE back from China appeared first on CityAM.

Sky News

• Transport for London offered £1bn bailout in exchange for fare hikes and wider congestion charge zoneMinisters want the capital's congestion charge zone to be extended in return for the money, Sky News learns.
• Welsh travel ban: Can you visit from a COVID-19 hotspot? The Welsh government has released a list of exemptions for people travelling into the country from COVID-19 hotspots.
• Drivers to be banned from taking photos with mobiles as loophole closedA loophole which can allow drivers to escape punishment for using a mobile phone if they are taking a photo or playing a game is set to be closed.

Birmingham Post

• British Airways fined £20m for huge customer data breachThe Information Commissioner's Office said a cyber attack in 2018 gained access to the data of more than 400,000 customers
• BusinessLive Wales podcast 4: Sion Barry talks to Prof Dylan Jones-EvansThis week they explore calls to create a regional development agency for the Valleys

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Delight as Willenhall and Darlaston railway stations plans approvedIt’s full steam ahead for plans to reopen railway stations in two Walsall areas for the first time in more than 50 years.

Bucks Free Press

• HS2 ‘traffic forecast’ could spell misery on roads between Wendover and AmershamA SIGNIFICANT rise in traffic along a by construction vehicles next year could force road users to exploit other routes resulting in “massive chaosâ€� for neighbouring communities.

Cambridge News

• Calls for urgent action over 'rapidly sinking road' outside Cambs homesNene Parade remains open despite residents saying it is becoming "increasingly dangerous"

Get Surrey

• Surrey councils could be £15 million worse off due to lost parking revenue over lockdownCouncils will make cuts, dip into reserves and apply to government to help reduce the financial burden.
• Passenger numbers dropped by 92% at Surrey stations during lockdown Even since restrictions were eased in July, footfall at Guildford and Woking stations is down by a third

Other Regional Press

• Plan for £300 fines to stop 7,000-lorry queueLorry drivers could be fined £300 for not having the right papers after Brexit in an effort to stop queues of 7,000 trucks building up through Kent.
• Free London Underground and bus travel for pensioners and children now looks even more likely to endTransport for London (TfL) and the Government are in talks regarding funding for the future of the city's public transport system - and there could be some consequences that hit many Londoners in the pocket.
• Isle of Wight train pulled from service following damageUPDATED: South Western Railways said the train had a fault, not damage, as was first thought.
• Cumbria County Council insists Carlisle railway station development on right trackAMBITIOUS development plans for Carlisle Railway Station are on the right track.

New Civil Engineer

• Hammersmith Bridge | Floating bridge and navigable pontoon mooted for ferry serviceA floating bridge coupled with a navigable pontoon has been tabled as a possible solution for the temporary ferry service planned to run alongside Hammersmith Bridge.

Railnews

• DfT awards new contract to Arriva CrossCountry The Department for Transport has awarded a three year contract to Arriva to continue running CrossCountry until October 2023. The new deal will not include significant commercial risk for Arriva, because the terms of the contract are those which apply to the new Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements, with the DfT paying the costs and collecting the revenue. Arriva will be paid a ˜performance-linked™ fee. The RMT has greeted the news by calling for full renationalisation.
• TfL emergency funding extended by two weeks Talks between Transport for London and the Government have resulted in an additional two weeks of emergency funding, which will take TfL to the end of October.

Railway Gazette

• New CrossCountry contract includes capacity, accessibility and environmental improvementsUK: The Department for Transport has directly awarded incumbent Arriva a new contract to operate CrossCountry services for a further three years. CrossCountry Managing Director Tom Joyner tells Rail Business UK about the operator’s plans, saying ’the good thing is the longevity, which CrossCountry really needs as it gives us ...

Transportxtra

• Tuohy is CBT’s new chief executivePaul Tuohy will join the Campaign for Better Transport as its chief executive next month, succeeding Darren Shirley
• In Passing Bus-based park-and-ride is a simple enough concept but there are fiendish complexities to how they operate in different towns and cities, for instance fare structures, funding models, what you pay for (parking, bus or both), and how services are organised (dedicated routes or served by local bus services).
• Nexus Metro staff transfer to Stadler Swiss trainbuilder Stadler has taken over the employment of 120 Nexus staff responsible for servicing and maintaining the Tyne and Wear Metro fleet. Stadler is responsible for maintaining the fleet as part of its contract to build 42 new trains for the Metro, which are scheduled to replace the existing fleet from 2023
• SLC Rail granted a licence to run trainsRail consultant SLC has been awarded a non-passenger train licence by the Office of Rail and Road.
• Burnham’s youth travel pass proves a hitTransport for Greater Manchester has reported huge demand for its ‘Our Pass’ free bus travel scheme for 16-18 year olds, although Covid-19 has hit take-up.
• First Bristol launches ‘tap and cap’ travelBus operator First West of England has introduced capped pricing for users of contactless ticketing on its buses in Bristol.
• Edinburgh’s tram firm wary of merger with bus companyEdinburgh’s council-owned tram company has voiced concerns about a plan to merge it with bus operator Lothian Buses.
• SELEP juggles LGF grantsThe South East England Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) is reviewing its capital programme to ensure its Local Growth Fund (LGF) grant is fully spent by the deadline at the end of March next year.
• Dire consequences if Crossrail £1.1bn hole not filled, says TfLTransport for London has warned of dire consequences for the Crossrail project if an agreement with Government is not reached soon for an additional £1.1bn needed to complete the project.
• Ramsden joins Crossrail from MHCLGHelen Ramsden has been appointed head of programme controls at Crossrail Ltd, joining from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government where she was deputy director for planning and performance.

Other News Sources

• Arundel bypass is a "win" for ancient woodland , trust says A CONSERVATION charity says new plans for the Arundel bypass is a