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

Friday, 13 November 2020

BBC News

• Margam train deaths: Network Rail 'long-term safety failure' highlightedGareth Delbridge, 64, and Michael Lewis, 58, were hit by a Swansea to Paddington train in July 2019.
• Covid: Car use down as second lockdown takes effectBut the roads are much busier than during the first lockdown, new government figures show.
• Loganair staff brace for more airport job lossesThe airline says the potential loss of up to 165 jobs at four Scottish airports is a
• China Muslims: Volkswagen says 'no forced labour' at Xinjiang plantThe car maker defends continued production in a Chinese region mired in allegations of rights abuses.

Financial Times

• Emirates swings to first half-year loss in more than 30 yearsDubai-owned carrier’s revenues slumped about 75 per cent on coronavirus travel curbs

The Guardian

• Stonehenge road tunnel given go-ahead despite backlashGrant Shapps gives approval for A303 to be tunnelled under ancient site in £1.7bn project . The government has given the go-ahead for a controversial £1.7bn road tunnel under Stonehenge, as campaigners vowed to continue the battle to oppose it.The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, overruled the recommendation of planning inspectors and approved a development consent order on Thursday that will allow the nearby A303 to be turned into a dual-carriageway tunnel under the ancient site.

The Telegraph

• Close roads to cars to build community cohesion, says Boris Johnson's former cycling aide [Subscription]Xavier Brice, chief executive of Sustrans, says schemes should appeal to "natural conservatism"

Times Online

• Goldman is back on board owner of British Airways [subscription]The owner of British Airways flew to the top of the FTSE 100 leaderboard yesterday as Goldman Sachs set out how it could be worth four times its present value once the headwinds of Covid-19 ease.
• Recognition for bridge that transformed Glasgow [subscription]One of the busiest road bridges in Europe has been category C listed. More than 150,000 vehicles use the Kingston Bridge over the River Clyde in Glasgow each day.
• National Express set to take students home for Christmas [subscription]National Express is hoping to get its drivers back behind the wheel by encouraging universities to charter its vehicles to take students home for Christmas.
• Stonehenge road tunnel plan approved by transport secretary Grant Shapps [subscription]Plans for a two-mile road tunnel near Stonehenge have finally been approved despite warnings that it will cause “permanent irreversible harm” to the ancient site.

Mail Online

• Sadiq's war on cars: How motorists are secretly taking down cycle-friendly bollardsDrivers have been accused of taking bollards to allow them to drive through lanes meant to be restricted to cycle-only in London. The boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Ealing are all affected.

The Mirror

• Stonehenge tunnel plan gets go-ahead despite fears of 'irreversible harm'Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has green lit a controversial plan to dig a road tunnel near Stonehenge despite warnings it could permanently harm the World Heritage Site

Belfast Telegraph

• Nissan’s civil court case against former chairman Ghosn opens in JapanA civil court trial has begun in Japan over Nissan’s demand for 10 billion yen (£73 million) in damages from its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn.

Bolton News

• Free parking to continue in Bolton Town Centre into next summer FREE town centre parking will be extended to give businesses a much needed Christmas boost.
• Plans for new Bolton station drop-off area ‘a massive missed opportunity’COUNCILLORS have failed to back plans for a new drop-off and pick-up point at Bolton railway station – describing the proposals as ‘a massive missed opportunity’.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford to receive share of extra £10 million for walking and cycle schemes in West Yorkshire AN extra £10.5 million of Government funding will be allocated to improve walking and cycling links in West Yorkshire, including numerous projects in Bradford.

Wales Online

• Rail workers died on tracks after years of safety failures by Network RailGareth Delbridge and Michael Lewis were working on the track when they were hit by a train
• Wales area sees cycling rocket by 125 per cent in pandemicThere's now 20km worth of routes available on the roads

Bus and Coach.com

• Cardiff Bus signs new three-year contract with PassengerCardiff Bus has renewed its app and website contract with UK technology company Passenger, and says it is looking forward to another three years working with the digital transport services provider.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Addison Lee launches new delivery serviceAddison Lee has launched a new delivery service to provide consumers with access to their own dedicated delivery drivers to help them during lockdown. AL REQUEST is a new click and collect feature in their existing courier service which will help both businesses and consumers as they navigate the second lockdown and future COVID-19 restrictions.    Immediately after the first lockdown in March, demand for Addison Lee’s courier services rose by 30% as businesses and people adapted to spending lots more time at home. The focus at that time was to support a monumental shift in the...

Coach and Bus Week

• World’s first hydrogen double-decker arrives in AberdeenThe first of Aberdeen’s new Wrightbus Streetdeck hydrogen double-deckers was delivered in mid September. Jonathan Welch was given an exclusive first drive
• Industry figureheads say service recovery remains at 60%Comparing the latest data on passenger numbers in October with a typical period pre-Covid, members of the Ten Per Cent Club, which includes subsidiaries of the major groups, municipal owned and independent operators, say that it shows a very consistent position with September on commercial services with 60% recovery for fare paying passengers and 44% for concessionary passengers, compared to figures for September which were 60% and 45% respectively.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Bus use takes moderate hit from England restrictions – figuresThe latest figures on bus use in Great Britain show that overall patronage has taken a predictable hit since the introduction of additional restrictions in England on 5 November – but that a possible modest rebound was quickly seen outside London when the 17-day ‘firebreak’ in Wales ended.
• National Express to capitalise on December university exodusNational Express intends to capitalise on the government’s planned university exodus next month by providing additional coach services to help students to get home. The operation will take place over seven days between 3-9 December. It will involve extra capacity on existing routes and the provision of further dedicated vehicles.
• Temsa makes changes to grow UK sales and support structureTemsa has begun an expansion of its presence in the UK market that will see it soon announce at least one additional service and support partner and then sell coaches here directly.
• Go North East celebrates its engineers and apprenticesGo North East (GNE) last week (4 November) celebrated its 233 engineers on ‘This is Engineering Day’ to recognise the hard work they do in keeping the fleet moving.
• Coach industry ally underlines call to government for supportCoach industry political ally Emma Hardy, Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle (pictured, above), has called on the government to act on its promise to arrange a meeting between a relevant Minister and herself and sector representatives to discuss operators’ need for bespoke support.

Other News Sources

• World's Largest LNG-fueled Containership Bunkers In RotterdamThe world’s largest containership powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) began its first gas bunkering operation in Rotterdam on Thursday, French shipping company the CMA CGM Group said.The CMA CGM Jacques Saadé, which has an 18,600 cubic meter tank…