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Wednesday, 16 December 2020

BBC News

• HS2 eastern leg downgrade 'will short-change millions'The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) suggests options on the future of the high-speed line.
• Covid in Scotland: Scottish airports 'urgently need testing regime'Aviation representatives claim Scotland is being
• Covid-19: Safety concerns over planes returning to servicePilot rustiness, maintenance errors and even insect nests could endanger safety warn airline experts.
• Prioritise northern rail network over HS2, says reportLinking close-by cities with an upgraded line will have a higher economic impact, a report says.
• Struggling Air India could be taken over by workersA group representing employees is one of a number of bidders for India's loss-making national carrier.
• Rail fares to rise more than expected next yearJanuary's planned rise is delayed until March - when prices will increase by an inflation-busting 2.6%.

Financial Times

• Airlines fear fines for breaking EU data rules without Brexit dealHandling of passenger information for UK flights becomes major concern ahead of January 1
• Norwegian Air woes reveal the hazy status of corporate nationalityWhen things go badly, where a company calls home can matter
• HS2 spur to Leeds should be delayed, infrastructure commission advisesAdvisory body says routes between cities in the north and midlands should be prioritised
• UK draws up plans to rival Singapore with post-Brexit shipping regimePush to attract more vessels to sail under British flag with reforms to tonnage tax
• UK competition watchdog launches probe into airline refundsCMA will examine whether carriers breached customers’ rights during pandemic

The Guardian

• Rail fares in England to rise above inflation for first time since 2013DfT announces shock 2.6% rise in March despite widespread calls for freeze to boost train usageRail fares across England will rise by 2.6% in 2021 after the government decided to increase prices above inflation for the first time since 2013.The shock increase will take place in March, two months later than the usual annual rise, the Department for Transport announced. Continue reading...
• UK drops push for renationalising of fishing vessels in Brexit talksNo 10 said to have reached a compromise over fishing vessels to be majority British-owned in futureDowning Street has watered down a key demand over post-Brexit fishing rights as part of a broader compromise, EU sources said as Germany’s ambassador in Brussels said there was a chance of a deal by the weekend.The UK dropped a push for fishing vessels operating under the UK flag to be majority British-owned in the future, it was claimed. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Covid Scotland: Scottish airports 'being left behind without testing strategy'Scotland's aviation industry leaders have warned that the industry is being left behind due to the lack of a testing strategy - while the Scottish Goverment said the claims are "simply not true."
• Covid Scotland: Scottish airports 'being left behind without testing strategy'Scotland's aviation industry leaders have warned that the industry is being left behind due to the lack of a testing strategy - while the Scottish Goverment said the claims are "simply not true."
• Scots taxi drivers to mount Holyrood demonstration in fight for survivalTAXI drivers are to mount a protest at the Scottish Parliament to help assure the survival of an industry that dates back a century.

The Independent

• Honda recalls 1.4M US vehicles for software, other problemsHonda is recalling over 1.4 million vehicles in the U.S. to repair drive shafts that can break, window switches that can overheat and a software flaw
• Rail fares to rise by 2.6% in first above-inflation increase for 8 years‘Raising fares sends entirely the wrong message on choices,’ said Paul Tuohy of the Campaign for Better Transport

City AM

• Why the new electric Polestar 2 should have Tesla worriedThe Polestar 2 is a cool and clever electric family car – and a direct rival for the best-selling Tesla Model 3. The post Why the new electric Polestar 2 should have Tesla worried appeared first on CityAM.

Daily Express

• Brexit breakthrough as leaked report shows £3.7bn UK shipping boost to ‘rival’ SingaporeLONDON is planned to be the UK's shipping hub after the Brexit transition period, with the aim of Britain being able to rival Singapore as a hotspot for the shipping industry for Britain.

Mail Online

• Passengers will bear the brunt of Government's bailout of rail companies during pandemicTrain fares are set to rise by 2.6 per cent from March 1. The increase will see the cost of an average annual season ticket go up from£3,064 to £3,144 as passengers bear the brunt of rail operator bailout.
• New doubts over future of HS2 as report calls for eastern leg of the project to be SCRAPPED The future of HS2 was thrown into doubt yesterday after a report recommended a huge scaling back of the £106billion project, suggesting the eastern-leg should be shelved.

The Mirror

• Rail fares will rise above inflation for the first time in eight yearsTicket prices will increase by an average of 2.6% from March 1 next year in an increase described by a critic as "extortionate and plain daft" given the "massive economic fallout from the virus"

Sky News

• 'Chaotic start' for testing scheme designed to cut travel quarantineA new testing scheme designed to reduce the quarantine period for people arriving in England has suffered what has been described as a "chaotic start".
• Airlines face COVID cash refund investigation amid soaring complaintsAirlines operating in the UK are to face an investigation into whether consumer laws were breached through failures to offer cash refunds to passengers during the coronavirus crisis to date.
• 'A kick in the teeth': Commuters face rail fare hike to help pay for COVIDCommuters will face an above-inflation hike in rail fares next year, the government has announced.

Birmingham Mail

• Firm facing ruin after shipping costs almost tripleKhalid Pervase says he was charged £2,500 to ship in a container of food boxes from China last month - now he must pay £7,000

Birmingham Post

• Serco offers to extend talks in bid to stop strike crippling Royal NavyOutsourcing giant says it will seek compromise after tug crews voted to go on strike in Plymouth from Christmas Day
• Motor industry software firm acquired by London tech specialistBeverley firm bought out by ClearCourse Partnership in undisclosed deal
• Terminating HS2 in Leicestershire is "common sense" says MPComes as official report suggests turning East Midlands Parkway into end of the eastern leg of high speed line
• Rail review recommends cuts to HS2 proposalsNational Infrastructure Commission says new high-speed line travelling north east from Birmingham should stop near Nottingham

Bolton News

• More cycle lanes planned for Bolton's major roads Two new cycle lanes are set to be implemented in the borough, it has been announced.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Express Motors fake bus journey fraudster ordered to pay £80,000 compensation to Gwynedd CouncilIan Wyn Jones has three months to pay back more than £300,000 of criminally acquired profit or face more jail time and a judge has ruled the local authority should get a share

London Evening Standard

• TfL and Grainger get approval for new rental homes near Kennington station Transport for London has got the green light for another project with residential landlord Grainger, with new rental homes planned near Kennington station.
• Rail passengers to be hit by inflation-busting fares hike for first time in eight years Rail passengers are set to be hit by an above inflation fares rise for the first time in eight years.

Northern Echo

• Metrocentre confirm car parking will remain free after signs go up in error METROCENTRE bosses have confirmed its shopping centre car parks will remain free after a number of signs were incorrectly installed.
• Video shows what finished Teesside Airport will look like next year A VIDEO showing how Teesside Airport will look after a major refit has been revealed - and it shows just how different the terminal building will be.
• Roadworks staff are being abused by drivers and put at risk by speeding - petition calls for protection ONE in three motorists in the North-East admits to speeding through temporary roadworks and rates of abuse to road workers are on the rise as the industry begs for greater legal protection.

The York Press

• Grand Central doubles number of carriages to cope with pre-Xmas rushYORK train operator Grand Central has doubled the number of carriages available to passengers on busy pre-Christmas services on the York-London route.
• Christmas bus to deliver over 100 presents to York residents A CHRISTMAS bus is doing the rounds in York this year delivering presents to more than 100 homes.

North Wales Live

• Manchester Airport launches flights to 'cheapest holiday city'Starting in 2021, SunExpress sees Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines join forces

Reading Evening Post

• Rail passengers to be hit with above inflation fare riseIt is the first time railway fares have risen above inflation in eight years

Other Regional Press

• Oxford street to be made car-free so diners can eat outsideGRAND PLANS to pedestrianise another street in Oxford have been unveiled by the council.
• Proposed flight path changes at Luton Airport could cause disruption to our area, say campaignersThere are just eight weeks left for you to have YOUR say on proposed flight path changes at London Luton Airport (LLA).
• Anniversary of double tragedy which sparked road safety campaignTwo decades ago a little girl and her grandma were killed by a car on a busy dual carriageway but their legacy is still seen by many every day.
• Brazen thieves strip cars while owners are in supermarketOffenders are willing to dismantle cars in full public glare because the parts they steal can be so valuable
• Cunard extends cruising suspension as Queen Victoria departs Weymouth BayCRUISE ships previously moored in Weymouth Bay won’t be setting sail until May next year after operator Cunard extended its suspension of sailings.

Railnews

• Hitachi unveils plans for battery-powered Intercity Express The first intercity train in Britain to use batteries is to be developed by Hitachi and Eversholt Rail, for trial service on the Great Western Main Line. The train will be a conversion of an existing bi-mode GWR Intercity Express, and the result will be a five-car unit which will be able to use electricity from overhead lines, diesel fuel or battery power. Hitachi says adding batteries will offer fuel savings and carbon emission reductions of more than 20 per cent.
• Anger in Midlands as report downgrades HS2 eastern leg The National Infrastructure Commission has published a new assessment which reduces the importance of the eastern leg of HS2 to Leeds via the East Midlands in favour of regional schemes. The recommendations have angered and dismayed politicians and business leaders, with Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood describing the proposals as ˜an insult™. The Commission recommends ˜prioritising improved connectivity between Sheffield and Leeds, improved connectivity between Sheffield and Manchester [and] a new line from Manchester to Leeds via Bradford™, while it also questions the need for a hub sta...

Aviation Industry

• AEF welcomes new Chair and talks airport expansion at 2020 AGMThe meeting also saw our long-serving Chair, Richard Roads step down from his role. Richard, a founder member, embraced the role of leading the Executive Council and helping AEF grow …

Other News Sources

• Ship Finance Lenders Fall Short of Sector's Carbon TargetsMany of the world’s biggest lenders to shipping companies fell short of carbon-cutting targets last year in the first analysis of CO2 goals for the sector by financiers, a report showed on Wednesday.Global shipping accounts for nearly 3% of…
• Alarm at plans for extra lorry journeys near Leominster CIVIC leaders in Leominster have objected to proposals which could see a hundred extra daily lorry journeys on local roads.
• Cycling UK could take legal action after Shoreham lane scrapped LEGAL action could be taken against a local authority after its decision to remove a cycle lane which featured in a government film.

EIN News Subscription

• EU pushes gradual return to airport slot competition -sources … summer starting in March, the EU plan falls well short of … Reuters. A European Commission transport spokesman declined to comment. Major airlines represented by … , without penalty. While the planned EU threshold is 40%, the absence …
• Airlines Warned About Mishaps As Planes And Staff Return To Service … unprecedented number of aircraft grounded as coronavirus lockdowns … according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Such … vital. According to aircraft maker Airbus SE, the largest … the only concern. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency …
• French cycling route receives EU funds for being ’emissions-free’ … €2.1 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under … region. The need for fresh air after months of lockdown, now … greater reluctance to take public transport has provided further impetus to … negotiated for the 2021-27 EU budget in order to …
• Quarantine means pilots stay on board their aircraft … In the words of the Transport Select Committee chair, Huw … Grant Shapps’s Department for Transport (DfT) to sort out. … headlined: “Travel Corridors? The transport secretary might as well have … As the airline has no traffic rights for the intra-European leg …