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

Wednesday, 24 March 2021

BBC News

• Oxford to Witney railway: Call to protect 'future' routeA group campaigning to re-establish an Oxfordshire railway has called for a council to protect a possible route from development.
• G7 summit: Newquay airport to get £7.8m for upgradesThe airport which will receive world leaders for this year's G7 summit has been given £7.8m for upgrades.
• China's biggest car brand to launch rival to TeslaGeely's new upmarket electric car brand Zeekr comes as Elon Musk goes on the charm offensive in China.

Financial Times

• Vaccines/travel: not the jab some had hopedInvestors, like holidaymakers, will have to sit it out for a while longer
• BA owner offers landing slots as collateral to secure $1.8bn fundingIAG uses London airport ‘crown jewels’ for first time to back up credit facility to fortify finances
• Suez Canal blocked after huge container ship runs agroundThe Ever Given is blocking the southern end of the passage, causing a rapid build-up of vessels

The Guardian

• Suez Canal blocked by huge container ship‘Suspected gust of wind’ sends 400m-long vessel into bank, sparking several failed attempts to refloat itA vast container ship has run aground in the Suez canal after being blown off course by a “gust of windâ€�, causing a huge traffic jam of vessels at either end of the vital international trade artery.The 220,000-tonne, 400 metre-long Ever Given – a so-called “mega shipâ€� – became stuck near the southern end of the canal on Tuesday. Continue reading...
• Labour urges ministers to back UK steel with ‘buy British’ pledgeThe Labour party has called for the government to commit to “buy British” when sourcing steel for big infrastructure projects such as railways and nuclear power stations.
• Like many other London bus drivers, my dad died needlessly from CovidA recent report shows that more could have been done to protect my father. Now we need a public inquiry

The Telegraph

• Rail review delay keeps diesel trains on the tracks [subscription]Three in five rail services in Britain are powered by diesel trains - significantly more than Italy, Spain and Germany
• British Airways owner in Heathrow and Gatwick slots deal [subscription]The UK's aviation sector is expected to be the slowest to recover among the G20 nations

Times Online

• Clean air campaign: Southern cities motor ahead with clean air zones while north stalls [subscription]The country is facing a north-south divide on air quality because northern cities are behind the pace on introducing clean air zones, a report reveals.

i News

• Councils back Greater Manchester bus takeover in bid to create connected transport networkIf approved by mayor Andy Burnham, the plans could make Greater Manchester the first city region outside London with a ‘fully franchised and locally accountable’ bus network

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/19182044.letter-urges-leeds-bradford-airport-decision-called-in/Letter urges Leeds Bradford Airport decision be ‘called in’

London Evening Standard

• Spain to lift travel ban on UK arrivals from next weekSpain has announced it will lift its ban on travel from the UK from March 30.
• Camilla backs extension of free rail travel for domestic abuse survivorsThe duchess has recorded a video message of support for the scheme.

Manchester Evening News

• New Metrolink line could be created in Salford in 'ambitious' plansSalford Crescent will be a 'focal point for growth'

Wales Online

• Flights to and from Europe into Cardiff Airport despite stay home rule criticised'It can’t be right that you’re permitted to fly from Cardiff to Alicante, but not to drive from the capital to Aberystwyth'

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Commuters will ditch HS2 due to poor connectivity, MP claimsHS2's "lack of connectivity" will end up dissuading most people from using the line, an MP has claimed.

Yorkshire Post

• Government should set a target for how much British steel will be used in big projects like HS2, says LabourMinisters are being urged to set a target for the amount of British steel used in big infrastructure projects like HS2 as they unveiled plans to change government policy to spark a "renaissance" in domestic shipbuilding.
• The Williams Review setting out the future of railways has been re-written because 'the pandemic changed everything', says Rail Minister Chris Heaton-HarrisLarge parts of the Government's vision for how the nation's railways will be run have had to be re-written because of the dramatic impact coronavirus has had on the industry, a Minister has revealed.

Bucks Free Press

• Aylesbury MP Rob Butler slams HS2 Ltd on their 'behaviour'Aylesbury’s MP, Rob Butler, has slammed HS2 Ltd over their ‘behaviour’ after Buckinghamshire Council rejected the proposed agreements on traffic management for construction.

Plymouth Herald

• Plymouth's £80million railway station upgrade officially beginsWork has begun on the £80million transformation of Plymouth’s main railway station into a modern transport hub with shops and offices.

Other Regional Press

• Harlow transport infrastructure set for £170 million boostNext week, Essex County Council is set to approve an agreement with Hertfordshire County Council to unlock over £170 million of Government funding for new roads and housing developments in and around Harlow.
• £150m rail project to be developed on Powys borderCELTIC Energy has welcomed the Welsh Government’s announcement that the £150m Global Centre of Rail Excellence project will be developed on the Powys border.
• Department for Transport hints at Taunton to Minehead rail links"There is considerable interest in improving rail access to the area to boost opportunities."
• Is Heathrow Airport's third runway necessary in a post-Covid world?The Covid pandemic has provided a time for reflection for businesses and many have been forced to amend how they operate.
• Southampton Airport runway plans: Everything you need to knowA FINAL decision on plans to expand the runway at Southampton Airport will be made tomorrow.
• Glasgow Airport introduces new rapid Covid testing facilitiesThe terminal-based facilities offer both PCR and antigen testing for passengers currently travelling for essential purposes during lockdown.

Business Live

• £7.8M pledged for Cornwall Airport ahead of world leaders' G7 Summit arrivalThe funding pledge has been revealed in documents that have gone before Cornwall Council
• Northern Gateway site in Deeside gets £10m funding boost to unlock developmentWelsh Government funding will pay for a road across the site to open it up to new businesses

New Civil Engineer

• Year’s worth of rail upgrades completed in just five days in NorthamptonA year’s worth of work to upgrade the railway in Northampton has been completed in five days by Network Rail while passenger numbers remain low during the Covid-19 lockdown.
• HS2 forced to reschedule work between London and BirminghamHS2 Ltd has been forced to reschedule its programme of work for phase one of the project connecting London and Birmingham.
• How Covid’s impact on travel patterns has changed infrastructure planningTwo months into last year’s lockdown, in May 2020, the government granted Transport for London (TfL) a £1.6bn grant to keep services running, after passenger numbers dropped by 90% as the nation stayed at home.
• 30-year electrification programme central to decarbonising UK’s railwaysA 30-year programme of rail electrification coupled with developing hydrogen and battery technologies are central plans unveiled by the government's Transport Committee to decarbonise the nation's railways.

Other News Sources

• Red faces as Belthorn bus shelter built wrong way round! A new bus stop put up outside the Dog Inn and Belthorn in 1990 was causing all sorts of consternation for passengers.
• Millions of pounds poured into sustainable transport projects in UKFunding for green transport projects continues to flood in as a new project in Northern Ireland seeks to further its hydrogen fuel technology capability.