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

Thursday, 10 December 2020

BBC News

• Boeing 737 Max: Brazilian airline resumes passenger flightsThe jet has been overhauled after it was grounded for 20 months following two deadly crashes.
• Brompton bikes: Production delay after UK port problemsThe company famous for its folding bikes says its production is being delayed by UK ports congestion.
• UK has 'no authority' to impose tariffs in Boeing row says USThe US says the UK has no place participating in the fight because it has left the EU.

Financial Times

• Stagecoach shares rise despite 90% drop in profitsChief executive says investors relieved that regional bus operator is ‘still cash positive’
• Stagecoach shows benefits of free ride through Covid crisisBus investors should be able to rely on state support; Howden Joinery boost may not last
• Honda closes UK plant as logjam at ports causes parts shortageJapanese carmaker considers importing components by air after ships diverted elsewhere in Europe
• Pandemic triggers perfect storm for global shipping supply chainsContainer ships queue to enter world’s busiest ports as backlogs and delays mount

The Guardian

• Boeing 737 Max back in the skies after fatal crashes that killed 346Brazilian airline Gol has resumed commercial flights using the plane grounded globally since March 2019. Commercial passenger flights have resumed on Boeing's 737 Max aircraft for the first time in 20 months, after Brazilian airline Gol resumed operations using the plane.
• SpaceX Starship SN8 explodes on landing after test flight Elon Musk tweets ‘Mars here we come’ after fireball engulfs prototype SpaceX’s Starship prototype has exploded while attempting to land after its test launch from the company’s rocket facility in Boca Chica, Texas. Live video of Wednesday’s test showed the self-guided rocket landing at speed following a controlled descent before disappearing in a ball of flame. Despite the catastrophic end to the six-and-a-half-minute test, SpaceX entrepreneur Elon Musk was thrilled. “Mars, here we come!!â€� he tweeted. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Remote communities left isolated as councils cut support for buses and journeys fall by almost 100m in a decade [subscription]The government has been called upon to channel a some of its £4bn national bus investment strategy to the shires
• Air pollution soars as commuters avoid public transport [subscription]Air pollution is back to or exceeding pre-pandemic levels in 80 per cent of the UK despite continued lockdowns, according to a new study.
• Truckers given emergency hours extension as fears grow over chaos at ports [subscription]Retailers face significant challenges with the import of some items ahead of Christmas

Times Online

• Bottleneck Britain: ports hit by Brexit and virus [subscription]They are the biggest economic issues facing the country and together Brexit and Covid-19 have collided at Britain’s busiest container ports. The fallout — thrown into sharp relief by one carmaker’s lament yesterday — is being felt across the country, from Felixstowe to Southampton to Liverpool.
• Air pollution eats into unique habitats of Highlands [subscription]Air pollution is “devastating” some of Scotland’s most important species and natural habitats, according to a report.
• Flying taxis division sold as Uber gives up on its blue-sky thinking [subscription]It was meant to put Uber in the sky, with the promise of flying taxis jetting commuters across the cities of London, Melbourne and Los Angeles by the end of the decade — yet less than a year after Uber said that it wanted to create “virtual highways in the sky” and that flying taxis would be a reality in some American cities by 2023, the company is selling the entire division.
• London buses put Stagecoach en route to share price revival [subscription]Running a full London bus service has helped to rescue the bottom line of Stagecoach. With less traffic on the roads and fewer passengers to pick up and drop off, lower costs for initially running a smaller service and the benefit of previous contract wins, Stagecoach was able yesterday to report an 80 per cent increase in profits in the capital.
• Nicola Sturgeon’s shipyard failure cost 700 jobs, bosses claim [subscription]The failure of Nicola Sturgeon and her ministers to intervene in a ferry dispute cost the Ferguson shipyard the chance to create hundreds of jobs building fishing and military vessels, former managers have alleged.

City AM

• Anything from the trolley? Easyjet launches doorstep cabin crew serviceAlthough you might have missed out on going abroad this year, you can still relive the in-flight experience from your The post Anything from the trolley? Easyjet launches doorstep cabin crew service appeared first on CityAM.

Birmingham Post

• Transport chiefs unveiled revamped designs for Perry Barr stationArchitects sent back to drawing board after public backlash when plans were initially lodged in September

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• First Bradford bus drivers vote for strike action over shifts BRADFORD bus drivers have voted overwhelmingly for strike action over First West Yorkshire’s continuation of ‘dangerously unsustainable’ scheduling, the Unite union said today.
• Memorial plan for ten workers who died building Queensbury Tunnel CAMPAIGNERS who hope to reopen a disused railway tunnel have unveiled plans for a memorial to the ten men known to have died during its construction.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Arriva drops 'unviable' North Wales bus route - this is what's happening next The bus giant said it had made the decision to finish the 3/3B service as it was 'not viable'

London Evening Standard

• SpaceX Starship test flight ends in explosive fireball at touchdown The latest prototype of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship rocket’s test flight ended in an explosive fireball at touchdown, dramatic footage shows.
• London Underground will not run through night on New Year's Eve due to CovidThe Tube shutdown is designed to discourage people from congregating late into the night in central London
• Young men least likely to wear face masks on London Tube and buses, TfL chief saysIt has been mandatory to wear face coverings on public transport since June 15

Northern Echo

• More money for A66 as Shapps accelerates projects THE Government has thrown a further £146m into the £1bn pot to dual the A66 trans-Pennine road, the Transport Secretary told The Northern Echo today.

The York Press

• Co-op to replace home delivery vans with electric vehicles A RETAIL giant with York and North Ystores has unveiled plans to replace its fleet of fossil-fuel powered home delivery vans with electric vehicles by 2025.
• York Railway Station revamp is "a crackpot scheme" I FIND it hard to believe that the station redevelopment cannot come up with a better plan than to have some buses from the front of the station and some from the back - preferring an expanse of paving area which is of precious little value to travellers.

Other Regional Press

• Bradford bus drivers to go on strike in row over 'unsafe shifts'Nearly 300 drivers voted for strike action

Railnews

• RMT blames ScotRail for strike vote defeat A strike ballot held by the RMT on ScotRail has failed to attract enough votes in favour, and the union is blaming ˜ScotRail tactics™ and ˜prohibitive anti-union laws™. ScotRail said it cannot take part in pay talks without the government™s permission.

Aviation Industry

• Stop airport expansions to help reach net zero emissions, say Government’s official climate advisorsThe Government’s stated policy position is to support airport growth, though there were signs this may have been weakening even before the Covid crisis. Earlier this year, it chose not …

Other News Sources

• Wrong for one person to have final say on cycle lanesWHETHER you were for or against the decision to remove the Upper Shoreham Road pop-up cycle lane, surely we can all agree that it was wrong for the decision to be taken by just one councillor. And he didn’t even represent Shoreham.