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

Thursday, 18 March 2021

BBC News

• Southampton Airport expansion recommended for approvalPlans to lengthen the runway at Southampton Airport have been recommended for approval by council officers.
• Lothian Buses suspends evening services following attacksThe decision by Edinburgh's largest bus operator follows damage to a number of vehicles over recent weeks.
• Stonehaven derailment: Report recommends aerial safety checksA report following the Stonehaven train crash recommends greater use of aerial safety checks.
• Scotland's train operator ScotRail to be nationalisedThe Scottish government says ScotRail will be taken into public ownership in March 2022.
• Local traffic changes 'more divisive than Brexit'The schemes were introduced to tackle increasing traffic on minor roads but some face fierce opposition.

Financial Times

• Airline IPOs tap investor expectations of post-pandemic reboundSun Country is the latest carrier to make public debut as travel industry sees a recovery ahead
• Aviation industry carbon scheme highly flawed, Brussels warnedAirline sector's reliance on its own carbon offsets system comes under fire in unpublished report for EU

The Guardian

• Air pollution breaking WHO limits surrounds 25% of UK homes, analysis findsNearly 8m addresses affected by high levels of toxic particulates and nitrogen dioxide
• Scotland's railways to be nationalised next yearScottish government says ScotRail franchise to be taken over when contract expires in 2022. Scotland's railways will be nationalised next year, the Scottish government has announced.The ScotRail franchise run by Abellio will be taken over by the state's operator of last resort when its contract expires in March 2022.

The Herald

• Dutch firm Abellio "proud" of its record as Scots ministers snatch ScotRail from its graspDUTCH state owned railway company Abellio has said it remains "proud" of its role after being axed from their involvement with Scotland's railways which are now to become nationalised.

Times Online

• End of the road for Tesla grants after surge in electric car sales [subscription]Grants for electric cars will be cut by £500 and abolished altogether for more expensive models under plans designed to stretch taxpayer support further.
• Lothian Buses: Attacks bring evening services to a standstill [subscription]A wave of youth attacks on buses and drivers across Edinburgh has led to the withdrawal of all evening services as it was warned that the incidents could lead to “serious injury or even death”.
• ScotRail back under public ownership from next year [subscription]The bulk of Scotland’s railway services are to move into public ownership from next year.

City AM

• National Express careers to £380m loss as pandemic forces emergency stopCoach firm National Express this morning reported a £381.4m operating loss for 2020 as the pandemic drove its vehicles off The post National Express careers to £380m loss as pandemic forces emergency stop appeared first on CityAM.

Network Rail

• Super-fast work to improve West Coast main line journeysTrain journeys are being made more reliable on the West Coast main line thanks to major work to upgrade drainage, track and signalling equipment in North London.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Queensbury Tunnel campaigners claim 'scandalous waste of public money' over works CAMPAIGNERS fighting to safeguard a historic railway tunnel claim there has been a “scandalous waste of public moneyâ€� spent on its partial infilling.

London Evening Standard

• Pop-up cycle lanes in Kensington High Street will not be reinstalled, rules councilLabour says decision is completely bonkers as councillors back long-term review
• No more ‘mega projects’ and we may not have enough money to finish Crossrail, admits TfL chiefRequest for third Government covid bail-out set to go ‘down to the wire’

Yorkshire Post

• MP Diana Johnson's three-year battle to get toilets in Hull station sorted 'shows why Transport for the North needs to be properly funded'An MP told the Commons how her three-year battle to improve the toilets in Hull station showed “why Transport for the North needs to be properly funded”.

Cambridge News

• EasyJet issues major update as flights cancelled due to travel restrictionsTravellers who booked flights in the hope that the pandemic would have been over have had their flights and holiday plans cancelled

Reading Evening Post

• Heathrow Airport workers set to strike again in pay rowThe Unite union says there will be 41 strikes in April

Other Regional Press

• Column by west Dorset MP Chris LoderWEDNESDAY last week was a busy day in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister backed my call for railway investment to improve regional connectivity at Prime Minister’s Questions which I want to use to focus on the Heart of Wessex line.
• Network Rail apologises for road gridlock caused by bridge worksThe works have now been ongoing for almost two months
• Strange Airbus Beluga makes rare landing at Birmingham AirportThe unusual aircraft, named because of its resemblance to a Beluga whale, was diverted due to the weather

New Civil Engineer

• On-demand driverless pods mooted for £2bn Cambridgeshire Autonomous MetroConcept designs for the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM) have been revealed as part of the ongoing design process.
• Clarity on HS2 eastern route and cost needed before being approvedNational Infrastructure Commission commissioner Bridget Rosewell has urged the government to put more time into developing proposals for the eastern leg of High Speed 2’s (HS2) northern phase before pressing ahead with the project.

Rail Business Daily

• One Big Circle’s pioneering technology deployed by Network RailIntelligent video specialist, One Big Circle has successfully secured a contract with Network Rail to detect critical faults on the conductor rail of the electric sections of routes.
• ScotRail to move to Scottish Government ownershipScotRail services will be provided within Scottish Government ownership from the expiry of the current ScotRail franchise, currently expected in March 2022.
• River diversion in Warwickshire avoided as a result of HS2 design refinementsHS2 has revealed revised designs of the railway in the Canley Brook area near Kenilworth in Warwickshire which will significantly reduce environmental impacts and avoid a major realignment of a local river, preserving the home of protected wildlife such as otters and bats.
• Latest on repair plan to get Kirkby station reopen for passengersWork is taking place to get Kirkby station in Liverpool reopened to passengers as soon as possible after an incident involving a Merseyrail train.
• Station partners transform platform shelter into art galleryA partnership between local community groups and Southern Railway has created a surprising artwork installation at Penshurst station, on the Redhill-Tonbridge branch line in Kent. An exhibition of paintings by local artists has transformed a once dreary shelter into the Penshurst Platform Gallery.
• The next revolution in transport?The Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough on making CAM a reality by 2030 Plans for the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM) to provide a public transport solution with trailblazing 21st century technology continue to move forward at pace.

Railnews

• ScotRail will move to state ownership The Scottish Government has decided to keep ScotRail under public control when the present Abellio franchise is terminated using a break point in the contract a year from now.

Aviation Industry

• Claim that new fuel from waste will massively cut flying emissions is dangerously misleadingA press story yesterday claimed that US scientists had found a way to massively reduce carbon emissions from flying. In fact, though, the ˜up to 165% emissions reduction claimed by …

Other News Sources

• Network Rail inks 10-year lease for Birmingham shed spaceNetwork Rail has signed a 10-year lease for 30,000 sq ft at IM Properties’ The Hub industrial and distribution scheme in Birmingham.