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

Sunday, 17 January 2021

BBC News

• Hampshire rail manager avoids 60mph train by 'a second'A railway manager narrowly avoided being struck by a train after a mix-up over signalling before he ventured on to the line, investigators have said.
• Airline industry needs up to another $80bn to survive pandemicThe world's airlines need another $70-$80bn of government aid to get through the pandemic, the industry says.
• Covid: Airport support scheme to open in EnglandThe government is aiming to provide grants by April to mitigate the impact of Covid travel rules.

ITV News

• Work to install a new tunnel under the east coast mainline is underway
Work to install a new tunnel under the east coast mainline just north of Peterborough has started as part of the continuing upgrade of the line. 

The Guardian

• UK aviation sector needs urgent support, industry leaders sayAirline chiefs say airports are supporting critical services such as freight and coastguard flights Industry leaders have said the UK's aviation sector urgently needs more government support if it is to survive another lengthy period of travel restrictions, as they warn of a deepening financial crisis over the coming months.From Monday, international arrivals to the UK will be required to quarantine for 10 days,
• Nasa's Space Launch System cuts short vital testEngines of Boeing rocket fired for only a minute, potentially delaying push to return humans to the moon by 2024. Nasa's Boeing-built deep space exploration rocket has cut short a crucial test, after briefly igniting all four engines of its core stage for the first time.

The Telegraph

• Sadiq Khan's Greater London entry tax is socialist highway robbery [subscription]The policy is as cynical as it is petty, and will put up the cost of services for all Londoners.
• Smart motorways widow demands her husband's killer is not deported [subscription]Claire Mercer has written to Grant Shapps urging him to prevent her husband's killer from being deported when he is released from jail
• Shapps’ plan to get e-scooters on the road hits speed bumps [subscription]The government's adviser will not report back on whether to give electric scooters the green light until the end of October
• Rail firms considering 'frequent flyer' scheme to win back passengers after coronavirus [subscription]Operators are considering a raft of measures to make leisure travel more appealing after coronavirus
• Traffic wardens are being sent out to stop motorists being fined, council admitsTraffic wardens are patrolling newly closed roads to stop motorists being fined amid claims council bosses are trying to prevent a backlash against Grant Shapps’s “green transport revolution” from affluent residents.

Birmingham Post

• Amazon rolls out 50 electric delivery vans in ExeterAmazon's Climate Pledge has made a commitment to be net zero carbon by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement's goal of 2050

Bolton News

• UK's second CYCLOPS junction opens at Newport Street and Trinity Street A MULTI-million pound cycling junction has opened in Bolton town centre.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Concerns over pandemic's impact on future of West Yorkshire's bus servicesWEST Yorkshire Councillors have raised concerns over the future of local bus services, and fear the Covid pandemic could see some routes or even whole companies disappear.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Stena Line diverts ferry service away from North Wales to meet demand for direct routes to EuropeStena Line is to move its passenger and vehicle ferry Stena Estrid from Holyhead to create a new weekend service between Dublin and Cherbourg.

London Evening Standard

• UK coronavirus LIVE: Boris Johnson slams shut travel corridors to keep out new strains as daily cases top 50kAnyone entering the UK from 4am on Monday will need to isolate for 10 days after Boris Johnson slammed shut all travel corridors in a bid to keep out new coronavirus variants.
• NASA's Boeing moon rocket has successful test as it prepares for moon launchNASA's Boeing-built deep space exploration rocket, Space Launch System (SLS), successfully fired its behemoth core stage for the first time on Saturday, a crucial test for a years-delayed U.S. government project facing mounting pressure from emerging private sector technology.

Yorkshire Post

• Numbers behind Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy to become city without need for a carLeeds City Council's new vision for transport is to a place where a car is not needed - but what are the key components behind that overall goal?

Bucks Free Press

• TfL reaches milestone as its entire core bus fleet ‘meets the strictest emissions standards’The bus fleet upgrade is forecast to see nitrogen oxide emissions and particulate matter from buses fall by an average of 90% and 80% respectively
• Major £1.2 million works to replace Beaconsfield railway footbridge to make crossing safer for publicA footbridge over the Chiltern main line in Beaconsfield will undergo a major overhaul to make it safer and more reliable for passengers and the public.

Other Regional Press

• Dunfermline to Alloa rail link reopening forms part of Green Party's rail revolution plansRE-OPENING the Dunfermline to Alloa railway and a rail tunnel under the Forth are part of a £22 billion plan put forward by the Scottish Green Party.

Train Operators

• New waiting room for Rye House rail stationRail passengers using Rye House rail station are benefiting from a new waiting room. Greater Anglia has replaced the existing open-sided waiting shelter on platform 1 to install a comfortable new waiting room to help protect people from the elements as they wait for trains.
• Customers benefit from strong performance on Scotland’s RailwayCustomers using Scotland’s Railway are continuing to benefit from a recent strong performance in the number of trains running on time across the network.

Transportxtra

• TfL announces further £1m for cycle parkingNearly 2,000 cycle parking spaces are to be installed across the capital, with 14 boroughs to receive a total of £1m in funding. This will support the Streetspace for London programme where boroughs last year installed protected cycle lanes, extended pavements and reduced through-traffic in residential streets in response to Covid-19. Some 1,400 bike parking spaces were installed as part of Streetspace between May and August 2020.

Other News Sources

• WASPI women ask why they have to pay for some bus services when their friends in Wales get them freeThe fact that English passengers have to pay while their Welsh friends get to travel for free shows confusion over pension age, says campaigner
• New rail station at Inverness Airport 'must meet needs of Highlanders from day one' says MSPMulti-million pound plans for a brand new railway station at Inverness Airport must "meet the needs of Highlanders from day one", a Highlands and Islands MSP has argued.