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

Wednesday, 07 April 2021

BBC News

• Test travel regime must be easy and cheap, says PMIt comes after airlines criticised plans to make travellers pay for pre and post-travel testing.
• City drivers 'should think twice' before buying SUVsThe boss of the RAC Foundation says drivers in urban areas should consider which car is most appropriate.

The Guardian

• Carbon emissions from England's roads plan '100 times greater than government claims'Carbon emissions from England’s planned £27bn roadbuilding programme will be about 100 times greater than the government has stated, according to expert witnesses in a court challenge.
• Heathrow boss: UK is ’too cautious’ on international travelTravel industry frustrated by lack of detail from government on 17 May restart after Covid restrictions
• Plans for expansion of Leeds Bradford airport put on holdClimate campaigners say they have been told government is preventing the granting of planning permission

Times Online

• Holidays could become preserve of the wealthy, but cost of tests could be cut [subscription]Boris Johnson has pledged to cut the price of coronavirus testing for holidaymakers as research showed that passengers face having to pay up to £420 each, making travel “prohibitively expensive” this summer.
• No sign of plain sailing in the stormy saga of Ferguson Marine [subscription]here have been some intriguing developments at Holyrood in recent weeks as the state-owned Ferguson Marine struggles to complete two new ferries for Caledonian Maritime Assets, or CMAL, the Scottish government’s procurement agency.

City AM

• Mayor of London election: Sadiq Khan pledges to ban gambling ads on the TubeSadiq Khan has pledged to ban gambling advertisements on the Tube if he is re-elected as mayor next month.
• Qatar Airways completes world's first fully vaccinated flightQatar Airways has this morning conducted the world’s first ever flight on which all passengers and air crew had been vaccinated.
• Boris Johnson aiming for cheap and easy travel testing systemBoris Johnson has today said that he wants the testing system for international travel to be cheap and easy, after concerns were raised about the current cost of such arrangements.

Network Rail

• £31m Easter rail upgrades complete between London and ScotlandNetwork Rail has completed a range of essential upgrades to the railway between Euston, the Midlands, North West and Scotland over Easter.

Birmingham Post

• Brittany Ferries starts taking holiday bookings for 2022Cross-channel operator seeks to reassure holiday-makers who have booked for 2021 in case foreign breaks are impossible this year

Bolton News

• Driving lessons and tests to resume in England and WalesDRIVING lessons and tests are to resume in England and Wales this month, with demand expected to “skyrocket”.

London Evening Standard

• Decision delayed on controversial development of Leeds Bradford AirportLeeds Bradford Airport has said its proposal will replace the existing terminal building with a more efficient and sustainable development.

Manchester Evening News

• 'Hugely disappointing': Manchester Airport bosses slam UK's international travel plansTheir response follows a tough year in which demand for international travel has plummeted by 90 per cent

Yorkshire Post

• Leeds Bradford Airport expansion decision delayed by communities secretary Robert JenrickPlans for the expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) face a delay after the Government said it needed more time to decide whether to 'call in' the application.

Bucks Free Press

• Plan launched to help residents after East West Rail worriesA plan has been launched to help residents in the north of the county deal with the disruption that has been caused by the current East West Rail works.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Tourist information office set to reopen at town's railway stationVolunteers are gearing up to reopen a popular tourist information office next week. The Tourist Information office at Lowestoft Railway Station is set to reopen to the public next Monday, April 12.

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail submits plans for station at KincardineTHE RE-OPENING of a rail line between Alloa and Longannet could be a step closer with the submission of a planning application.
• ScotRail keen to play its part in putting brakes on hate crimeSCOTRAIL has pledged to take a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime on its services in Renfrewshire.
• Dalmuir railway station ’no go zone’ over anti-social behaviourANTI-SOCIAL behaviour is making Dalmuir railway station and the area around it a “no-go zone”, according to worried residents.

Train Operators

• Rail improvements to impact journeys on the Tarka LinePlans to carry out track improvement and platform extension work will see the railway line between Barnstaple and Crediton closed for nine days this April.

New Civil Engineer

• Programmes announced for NCE’s virtual Roads, Rail and Bridge eventsFollowing on from the success of NCE’s Future of Transport virtual events last autumn, it has been confirmed that the conferences will remain virtual this year as the programmes for the first three events are revealed.
• People will still be as critical as technology for delivering the projects of the futurePeople that can display leadership and deliver change effectively will be a key resource on projects of the future, according to Bechtel president of infrastructure Shaun Kenny.
• Manchester transport framework winners announcedBig name consultants including Aecom, Arcadis, Turner & Townsend, WSP and Mott Macdonald have been awarded places on Transport for Greater Manchester's (TfGM's) £88M professional services framework.
• Winners announced on £75M Northern Ireland transport frameworkNorthern Ireland transport provider Translink has revealed the eight winners on its major building works framework.
• Western Isles to mainland Scotland tunnel to be consideredA 27km tunnel linking the Western Isles and mainland Scotland has been suggested by the Scottish government.
• Engineering plan behind Hammersmith Bridge’s double-decker solutionA double-decker temporary crossing running above the existing deck of Hammersmith Bridge would allow pedestrians and motorists to cross the Thames while permanent repairs are carried out to the ageing structure.
• Balfour scoops £52M HS2 Phase 2a contractBalfour Beatty has won a £52M early environmental works contract for Phase 2a of HS2 between Birmingham and Crewe.

Transportxtra

• £33m aid for light rail operatorsThe DfT has awarded a further £33m of emergency funding to support light rail and tram operators in England during the pandemic. The funding will be paid over 11 weeks from the 6 April to the operators of the systems in Nottingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Blackpool, Manchester and Birmingham. It comes on top of more than £160m paid to operators in the last 12 months. The Urban Transport Group welcomed the latest funding but said extra funding would need to extend beyond the summer...
• Bradford NPR station site selectedBradford Council has identified the site currently occupied by the Bradford’s St James’s Wholesale Market as the planned location for a new city centre Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) station.

Other News Sources

• Community volunteers’ ’important’ role in supporting railEAST Lothian volunteers were among 1,200 members of a nationwide grassroots community rail movement working through the Covid-19 pandemic to keep railways at the forefront of a “greener transport future”.
• East Lancashire Railway's litter picking trains costing railway £2K per journeyPREPARATIONS for the re-opening of the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) are being hampered by continuing instances of fly-tipping and vandalism along the track.
• Department for Transport offers £200k for next chair of HS2Campaign seeks “exceptional” candidate but offers £30k less than current rate for three-day-a-week role