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

Tuesday, 24 November 2020

BBC News

• Brexit: Hauliers fear 'mayhem' at Holyhead portThere are claims Holyhead port will not be ready for the end of the Brexit transition period.
• Bridge due to be installed in Renfrew falls from loaderThe new pedestrian and cycle bridge, due to be lifted into place in Renfrew, crushes a van.
• Covid: Rail numbers plummeted by up to 90% last weekendThe volume of people using buses in Scotland also dramatically declined during the first weekend of tougher restrictions.
• A6 road: New section of Randalstown to Castledawson stretch opensThe infrastructure minister opens the new road, describing it as a
• Network Rail fined after allowing trains over damaged Lamington ViaductSeveral trains were allowed to use the West Coast Main Line crossing after it was badly damaged in a storm.
• British Airways' big sell-off: Champagne flutes and trolleysThe airline is selling thousands of items, including memorabilia from its retired 747 aircraft.
• Covid-19: Arrivals in England to be able to cut quarantine if they pay for testPeople arriving in England can end their self-isolation with a negative test taken after five days.

Financial Times

• Covid-19 drives urban push for walking and cyclingPlanners see ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity to shift behaviour in face of driver fury
• Drone deliveries to rural areas on UK government’s radar Scheme aims to cut transport times and road emissions
• Vaccination will be ‘a necessity’ for international flights, says Qantas chiefAirline plans to insist that passengers have had a jab against Covid-19
• Willie Walsh set to be appointed head of IataFormer British Airways chief to lead industry’s response to Covid-19 pandemic

The Independent

• Millions face Christmas rail chaos during ‘lockdown lifting’The 19 million British people without access to a car could find their journey plans thwarted or extremely crowded

The Telegraph

• Business rates subsidy covers just 7pc of Heathrow's £120m billHeathrow - which has lost its crown as Europe's busiest airport - is due to pay £120m in business rates this year

Times Online

• Travellers must pay £120 to exit coronavirus quarantine early [subscription]International arrivals into England will be required to pay up to £120 each to reduce the two-week quarantine as part of a five-day “test and release” system.
• Hybrid cars ‘up to eight times more polluting than advertised’ [subscription]Popular “green” hybrid cars are emitting up to eight times more pollution than advertised, research suggests, potentially undermining a government pledge to prolong their sale in the UK.

City AM

• Covid-19: Travel quarantine restrictions to be relaxed in time for ChristmasTransport secretary Grant Shapps has scrapped blanket travel quarantine restrictions in time for Christmas so that people can travel to high-risk

Birmingham Mail

• Candidate for West Midlands mayor who wants to scrap Metro tram and make bus and rail freeTim Weller is running against incumbent mayor Andy Street "to get publicity for the future of the really good railway infrastructure we have"
• Rare glimpse inside forgotten railway tunnel being brought backThe line, which is being laid along a disused rail track, will be two kilometres long when complete and be used as a test track for Very Light Rail
• Jaguar Land Rover launches 300-strong recruitment driveThe car manufacturing giant is looking for apprentices, undergraduates and graduates to start at the firm in September 2021

Birmingham Post

• Norton producing first bikes under new ownershipNew CEO John Russell says management laying foundations for long-term success
• Midlands firms invited to tender for £12bn worth of HS2 contractsAn event is taking place to give businesses an insight into how they can become part of HS2's supply chain
• E-scooter firm Ginger secures £500,000 investment to expand across TeessideMore than 63,000 miles have been traveled using the scooters since July

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Airline CEO expects global rules coronavirus vaccine rule Airline boss says Corinavirus vaccination rule could be used around the globe

London Evening Standard

• This hasty cycle lanes experiment has left residents hopping madHence the huge amount of money thrown suddenly by the Government and Mayor at “low traffic neighbourhoodsâ€� and bicycle lanes. Two of the latter have popped up in Kensington High Street. Nobody living locally was asked but suddenly there they were, installed by Kensington and Chelsea council. 
• Cycle Lane wars: How will London’s new cycleways work and what are the routes?Cycle lane wars: Transport for London have prioritised three main cycleway routes as it seeks to discourage car use
• Proof of coronavirus vaccination will be requirement for international air travel, says Qantas CEOThe CEO of Australian airline Qantas has said that proof of Covid-19 vaccination will be a condition of international travel.
• Arrivals in England to be able to cut quarantine if they pay for coronavirus testTravellers arriving in England will be able to end their quarantine period after five days from December 15, if they pay for a coronavirus test that comes back negative.

East Anglian Daily Times

• New trains to enter service but won't reach Suffolk until next yearGreater Anglia is set to introduce the first of its fleet of new suburban electric trains on routes in Essex within the next few weeks – but they are unlikely to be seen in the Ipswich or Colchester area until the New Year.

Business Live

• Chancellor urged to support three rail projects to transform services in North Wales, Cheshire and MerseysideChancellor Rishi Sunak has been urged to back three rail improvement schemes in North Wales and the North West of England.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• UK rail industry faces critical skills shortage by 2025 – putting success of major new projects at riskNew research by City & Guilds and the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) paints a stark picture for the future of the rail workforce, with skills shortages set to escalate significantly in the sector over the next five years.    With major rail infrastructure projects due to be announced next week as part of the long anticipated National Infrastructure Strategy, the Back on Track report – which includes findings from research undertaken by YouGov[1] and data from NSAR on 242,000 workers in the rail industry – reveals that there is potential for these to create a ...

New Civil Engineer

• More than 200 bridge bearings replaced on M62 in two-year repair jobMore than 200 bridge bearing have been replaced on the Ouse Bridge on the M62 in Yorkshire.
• Crossrail station hits milestone with 120t of structural steelwork installed The first phase of work on the West London Crossrail station in Ealing Broadway has been completed.
• Lower Thames Crossing consultation labelled ‘misleading’, ‘confusing’ and ‘not fair’ The consultation process for the Lower Thames Crossing project was “misleading”, caused “confusion” and was ultimately “not fair”, according to official evidence submitted to the Planning Inspectorate by a campaign group opposed to the scheme.
• Warning against further construction delays to High Speed Rail instituteConstruction delays at the Institute for High-Speed Rail and System Integration will “reduce the effectiveness” of the institute, leading rail industry figures have warned.

Green Miscellany

• Damon Motorcycles: Electric bikes that promise a two-wheeled TeslaWhile his ultimate dream might be to launch an electric equivalent to the Ford Model T, Elon Musk understands that it makes financial sense to fund research and development by selling low-volume, high performance cars to early adopters. Perhaps just as importantly, Musk is building a powerful brand – skilfully navigating the seeming dichotomies of being an environmentally friendly manufacturer… The post Damon Motorcycles: Electric bikes that promise a two-wheeled Tesla appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail uses laser and drone technology in viaduct restoration projectAs part of Network Rail’s £2.1 million Great North Rail Project investment, North Yorkshire’s iconic Ribblehead viaduct was 3D scanned and turned into a computer model by surveyors.
• Ageing workforce and skills shortage ‘threaten future rail projects’Roughly 15,000 rail industry employees could be due to retire by 2025, threatening the future of major new projects.
• Calls made for over £2.4 billion underinvestment in Welsh rail to be addressedThe Welsh Minister for Transport has called on the UK government to “put right” its neglect and underinvestment in Welsh railways.
• Minster tells UK Government to ‘put right’ its £2.4bn ‘neglect’ of Welsh railwaysA minister has warned the UK Government that it needs to “put right” its £2.4bn “neglect” of Welsh railways.
• Call to reverse decision to scrap Shoreham cycle lane COUNTY councillors have called for the decision to remove a temporary pop-up cycle lane in Shoreham to be reversed.