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

Saturday, 28 November 2020

BBC News

• Final farewell to Northern's fleet of Pacer trainsIt marks the end of more than 35 years of service, clocking up 300 million miles in the north of England.
• Covid: Road and rail changes planned for Christmas travel spikeAround 500 miles of roadworks are being cleared to ease congestion on motorways over the festive period.

Financial Times

• Japanese airline ANA to raise $3.2bn as it faces its largest ever lossMost of the money will be used to buy new aircraft
• UK rail industry in talks to boost Christmas services Relaxation of coronavirus rules during festive period expected to lead to surge in people moving around the country

The Guardian

• HS2 urged to rehouse London council block residents over disruptionConstruction making conditions in Camden flats ‘unbearable’, says Keir Starmer, the Labour leader

The Telegraph

• HS2 work has finally started - but doubts grow over when it will finish [subscription]Spiralling costs cloud the national infrastructure project's future as work finally begins on the rail scheme
• Ministers in last-minute dash to stop Christmas rail chaos [subscription]Britain's first Christmas transport tsar appointed to prevent meltdown on rail network when Covid restrictions eased

Times Online

• New ferry between Ireland and France to ‘ease post-Brexit trading’ [subscription]A new ferry service running between Ireland and France will make trading much smoother for Irish companies after Brexit, the head of a haulage association has said.
• Extra trains planned amid fears of Christmas crowds [subscription]The government is considering running extra trains and suspending some rail engineering work to avoid crowding at Christmas, The Times has learnt.

City AM

• Gatwick Airport demand takes off after quarantine rule changeGatwick Airport is preparing to ramp up flights after the government said quarantine rules will be relaxed in the run-up to Christmas.
• Heathrow workers to strike next weekWorkers at Heathrow Airport are planning to strike on Tuesday over proposed pay cuts, the airport said today. Unite the The post Heathrow workers to strike next week appeared first on CityAM.

Conservative Party

• Shapps has spotted a once-in-a-lifetime chance to give Britain world-class railwaysWhat a wonderful time to be in charge of Britain’s railways. The pandemic both demands and enables a programme of improvements which would otherwise have taken many years to achieve.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Significant steps forward in Greengates Crossroad projectSIGNIFICANT steps forward have been made at a major junction redevelopment.

Sheffield Star

• Three rail South Yorkshire rail schemes rejected by Government but one goes onto next stageA number of applications for new railway stations to reopen lines across South Yorkshire have been knocked back by the Government but one scheme has been successful.

Yorkshire Post

• Rail leaders' plea to 'not just build half a project' over HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail in YorkshireDecisions by the Government next month are set to shape the future of Yorkshire’s high speed rail ambitions. Rob Parsons reports.
• Bradford could miss out on high speed Northern Powerhouse Rail station if Ministers choose £4bn cheaper route through HuddersfieldNorthern leaders face a battle to persuade the Government to back plans for a vital high speed rail station in a Yorkshire city amid pressure to cut costs by choosing a less ambitious route that is billions of pounds cheaper.

Other Regional Press

• Councillors call for more information after Metrolink WiFi ‘terminated’Free internet access was suspended ‘indefinitely’ in June as bosses grappled with funding uncertainties and plummeting passenger numbers caused by the first Covid-19 lockdown.
• New bus franchising consultation gets approval - but concerns raised over timingGreater Manchester’s plans to bring the local bus network into public ownership have been approved for further public consultation to consider the effects of Covid-19.

Train Operators

• Pacers bid final farewell to Northern networkNorthern has bid a final farewell to its fleet of Pacers after more than three decades’ service.

Business Live

• Go-Ahead switches to all-electric bus fleet in North East heartlandNewcastle-based transport group has invested in new fleet of electric buses as part of a move to lower emissions
• Look at evidence and invest in transport in WalesThere are many transport investment opportunities for the Westminster Government, building the M4 south of Newport is not one of them. Perhaps that £1.6bn could be invested in Wales railway network

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Reconnecting the railways: communities awarded funding to restore Beeching rail links and forgotten stationsTowns and villages across England, which were left isolated when their railways were closed, are one step closer to having their connections restored and transformed, as 15 projects are awarded up to £50,000 each to progress plans to reinstate historic stations and restore passenger services, as announced in the Spending Review. More than 50 years since the railways were radically reshaped, including thousands of lines and stations closed during the infamous Beeching cuts of the 1960s, this latest investment will kick-start work on schemes that reconnect previously cut-off communities, ...
• DfT update: tiering and Christmas travel announcementUpdate from the Department for Transport As you will be aware, on Monday the Prime Minister announced details of the Government's COVID Winter Plan, including new regional restrictions in England. He confirmed the tiers will come into effect in England from 00:01 on Wednesday 2nd December and will be set at medium, high and very high. Until then, national restrictions remain in place.   Please continue to refer to our safer travel guidance for passengers and operators. These have now been updated to reflect the new restrictions.    Christmas period  On Tuesday it was a...

Other News Sources

• Christmas travel tsar appointed in bid to avoid chaosNetwork Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy will scrutinise whether train, air and road networks are ready for millions of people making festive trips.
• More than 2,000 people had to be told to wear a face covering on Welsh trains in just one weekendThe number of transport officers on trains in Wales will be increased this weekend in a bid to tackle a rise in anti-social behaviour.
• Inside track: The long journey to new £9 million Harrogate-York rail improvementsHarrogate passengers have got used to delays on the railways in recent years but this particular late arrival has been overdue for the best part of a decade.