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

Saturday, 10 April 2021

BBC News

• Covid-19: People can start thinking about foreign travel - ShappsThe transport secretary says people are no longer being advised against booking holidays abroad.

Financial Times

• Bumpy landing forecast for airline industryPandemic turbulence hits Europe’s biggest travel company

The Guardian

• Airlines warn the cost of Covid tests will stop people going abroadResearch shows travellers have to pay twice as much for PCR tests in the UK as they do in much of EuropeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Airlines have called for the competition watchdog to investigate the price of Covid tests for travel, with the travel industry warning that the PCR tests required by government will in effect block most international holidays this year.Global airline body Iata called on the UK Competition and Markets Authority to launch an inquiry, as separate research showed that travelers had to pay twice as much for PCR tests in the UK as they d...

The Herald

• 'A disgrace': Ministers under fire for 'withholding' £19m of Covid support for Scots taxi driversMINISTERS are under fire for 'withholding' taxi support cash as drivers face a postcode lottery of support during the pandemic.

The Telegraph

• Travel traffic light Q&A: Quarantine, tests and what happens if you're vaccinated

Times Online

• How to beat the bicycle thieves [Subscription]Uninsured riders pay the price as crooks capitalise on a shortage of cycles

Mail Online

• Pakistan is added to travel ban 'red list' as thousands race to get home to UKAll arrivals landing in the UK from Pakistan after 4am today will have to pay £1,750 for 11 nights of quarantine in a Government-approved hotel.
• Passengers film chaotic scenes in Islamabad Airport as hundreds race to reach UKAirline staff in Pakistan were forced to stand on check-in desks and urge people to form in orderly lines with one person in the scrum as 'the worst experience ever'.

This is Money

• Port problems and stockpiling surge costs British businesses thousands in costsBritish ports under pressure from Brexit and coronavirus-fuelled stockpiling surges have caused UK businesses to face vastly higher container shipping costs than those in Europe.

Birmingham Post

• Bristol Airport calls for 'cheaper testing' as travel update announcedThe system will categorise countries based on risk alongside the restrictions required for travel
• New Norwegian container shipping line heading for the HumberViasea will launch the service on May 1 in Immingham

Bolton News

• Drivers face car tax price hike - this is how much you will pay The changes will see drivers told to pay a higher amount of Vehicle Excise Duty.

Bristol Live

• The cheapest flights from Bristol Airport in June 2021There are bargain flights to some top destinations

Daily Post (North Wales)

• The idea for future of Airbus A380 which could save super-jumbo from oblivionConversion of the out-of-favour A380 into a dual-purpose aircraft might yet give it a new lease of life - but some analysts are sceptical
• Concern after videos show people tripping over bollards in front of trafficFears somebody may be killed with concerns also on the effect on businesses of stopping cars parking

London Evening Standard

• Night Tube won’t start running again until 2022, TfL boss Andy Byford revealsExclusive: Night time economy bosses said the move was “putting hurdles in the way of a true West End recoveryâ€�

The York Press

• York train firm LNER is offering young people support in work A NEW scheme by a York-based train firm is offering support to young people through work experience placements across the business.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Trains, not trams says environmental campaigner as West Midlands Metro extension takes shapeAfter 30 years in the planning, the West Midlands Metro extension is finally taking shape.

Bucks Free Press

• Chiltern Railways to make its TENTH major timetable change since March 2020CHILTERN Railways is set to introduce a new timetable next week - increasing services in line with the government’s roadmap out of lockdown.

Cambridge News

• Red list countries from which passengers are banned from entering UKThe list now has 39 countries on it
• Jet2 announces cancellation of all its flights until late JuneThe Jet2 CEO said the company was "extremely disappointed at the lack of clarity and detail" in the Global Travel Taskforce’s framework

North Wales Live

• Sad fate of ship touted as 'floating hotel' for Grand NationalThe Magellan will be scrapped in the world's "largest ship graveyard"

Reading Evening Post

• All travellers to pay for Covid test in order to go on holidayTransport Secretary Grant Shapps has laid out plans so people can start travelling abroad again
• M4 weekend closures return as lockdown easesSmart motorway roadworks return to the M4 in Berkshire

Other Regional Press

• “Diabolicalâ€� Mead Way roadworks delays hurt business owners on industrial estateDELAYED roadworks on Mead Way have caused havoc for business owners on a nearby industrial estate.
• Southampton Airport runway plans approved after three days of debate AFTER 19 hours of deliberations plans to expand the runway at Southampton Airport have been given the green light.
• Chiltern rail update timetables as Covid restrictions ease A NEW railway timetable will be released to coincide with the next step in the Government’s roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions in England.
• Key workers are given hundreds of bikes during year of lockdownKathryn McNicoll, of Cyclox, and Josh Lenthall, of Active Oxfordshire, celebrate the first anniversary of an important cycling project.
• Covid: Tests for travellers in traffic light travel plan HOLIDAYMAKERS could have to pay more than £100 for Covid tests before and after arriving at their destination, it has been reported.
• Grant Schapps tells people to 'start to think' about booking holidays abroad The Transport Secretary said it was the first time in “many monthsâ€� he was not advising against foreign travel.

C.N.N.

• Boeing's 737 Max has a new problem that will ground some of the jets againBoeing announced a new problem with the troubled 737 Max -- this time, the issue is with its electrical system.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Travel  information  for customers as Government restrictions are eased further from Monday 12 AprilWith further lifting of lockdown restrictions by Government coming into effect on Monday 12 April, including reopening of non-essential retail and outdoor hospitality, Transport for London (TfL) is issuing information for customers who will be returning to the transport network.   As has been the case since July 2020, TfL continues to run near-normal levels of service across the public transport network and a wide range of active travel options are available, including Santander Cycles and protected cycling and walking routes, especially in central London and the West End. &nbs...
• £18 million announced for cycle training for children and their familiesTransport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced £18 million for cycle training across the country to ensure children and their families have the confidence to choose active travel, as the government encourages everyone to choose to walk or cycle where possible. The funding, which is managed via the Bikeability Trust charity, will go toward delivering high-quality, practical on-road cycle training as a modern day equivalent of the ‘cycling proficiency’ scheme many parents will themselves have undertaken during their school days. Bikeability, brought in from 2007, goes beyond ...
• Global Travel Taskforce sets out framework to safely reopen international travelA framework to chart the safe return of international travel has been set out by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. A traffic light system, which will categorise countries based on risk alongside the restrictions required for travel, will be set up to protect the public and the vaccine rollout from international COVID-19 variants. Key factors in the assessment will include: • the percentage of their population that have been vaccinated • the rate of infection • the prevalence of variants of concern • the country’s access to reliable scientific data and genomic seque...

New Civil Engineer

• Lower Thames Crossing team vows to learn from HS2 construction complaintsProject bosses working on the Lower Thames Crossing are in talks with their counterparts at HS2 Ltd to ensure they can be “the best neighbour possible”.
• Last chance to submit evidence to smart motorway inquiryTomorrow is the deadline for contributions to an official inquiry by MPs into the benefits and dangers of smart motorways.

Other News Sources

• London Underground weekend closures: The tube lines and overground shut on April 10 and 11 Passengers are being urged to plan ahead and check before they make journeys as trains will be disrupted
• Royal Mail offers free parcel pick-up in the UK Royal Mail is offering free parcel pick-ups across the UK.

EIN News Subscription

• Flying: What's the big deal for the planet? … all the chaos of airport security, overpriced water and pitiful … some freight), the commercial airline industry manages to chug … offsetting programs that invite passengers to invest in projects  … , including the EU, certain plane tickets and jet fuel are not …
• Traffic light travel: All your questions answered … on 17 May, the airline industry and holiday companies will … prepare to face off against security forces during a demonstration … in force has been preventing passengers buying tickets on these … difficult for officials at the airport of arrival to discern …
• Holidays for the rich: airlines criticise Britain’s travel restart plan … . Under government proposals, airlines and passengers will not find out … EasyJet, Britain’s biggest airline by passenger numbers, singled out the … years and are among Europe’s highest spending tourists. … country’s category should data show risk had increased. …
• Boeing's infamous 737 Max plane has a new issue, and 16 airlines are being told to ground planes Axios Data: Sherpa; Chart: Will Chase… in the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Africa, require visitors … to help passengers manage it all. American Airlines helps passengers check the … cruises in June for vaccinated passengers, starting with Bermuda, Iceland …
• Airlines warn the cost of Covid tests will stop people going abroad … – a term echoed by transport secretary Grant Shapps. He threatened … price for passengers at Gatwick airport – most travelers are … association Abta and the Airport Operators Association. The average … travel to a green-listed European destination could be £306 …