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

Thursday, 15 April 2021

BBC News

• Heathrow says airport queues are becoming 'untenable'The airport says some travellers are facing waits of up to six hours.
• Matchbox cars get green makeover in eco driveThe toymaker is launching new toy cars based on electric models and making some from recycled materials.

Financial Times

• Airport queues threaten travel revival, says Heathrow executivePassengers often spending up to six hours getting through passport control, MPs told

The Telegraph

• EasyJet chief is right to be living in fantasy land [subscription]Johan Lundgren seems to be willing Europe into opening up to tourism this summer - no surprise given the airline's financial situation
• Heathrow travellers face six hour queues due to Covid checks [subscription]Police forced to step in as 'untenable' delays see half of arrivals waiting at least two hours to pass through border control
• Scots could be forced to travel to London for flights abroad, airport chief warns [subscription]The Scottish Tories have accused SNP ministers of “burying their heads in the sand” and putting thousands of jobs at risk

Times Online

• Taking commuters for a ride ‘can boost operators’ [subscription]or much of the pandemic, there has been a feeling among commuters that transport operators would have to cut their fares if they wanted to tempt them out of their new-found fondness for working from home. Not many, it seemed, were content with forking out hundreds of pounds each month just to get up earlier and get home later.
• Call for CalMac to compensate businesses after ferry failure [subscription]The ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has been criticised for “poor service” after the company’s largest ferry broke down and will be out of service until at least the end of the month.
• Holidaymakers face six‑hour queues for Covid checks at UK airports this summer [subscription]Holidaymakers arriving back in Britain will face queues of more than six hours after rules on international travel are relaxed from May 17, officials have warned.

Belfast Telegraph

• Blocking middle seats on planes reduces virus risk by half, US study suggestsLeaving middle seats open could give airline passengers more protection from the virus that causes Covid-19, a new study suggests.

Bristol Live

• Bedminster station to become new terminus replacing Temple MeadsA minor train station on the mainline into Bristol is to become the new railway terminus for passengers arriving in the city.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Passengers rise as lockdown rules eased on trains and busesThis week's easing of lockdown has also seen a relaxation in the rules about who can use public transport - and an increase in the number of services being operated.

Other Regional Press

• NYMR heritage railway back in motion from MayThe majority of the services will be available to book from April 19th
• Trentbarton busses taking part in Nottingham and Derby traffic light priority trialNine red arrow coaches are getting a quicker green light at key traffic junctions in Nottingham and Derby from this week.
• Inverness rail line to reopen for passengers and freight servicesThe railway line has been closed near Dalwhinnie since Saturday following the derailment of two rear vehicles on an overnight rail operations test train.
• Rail travel restrictions to be lifted on FridayScotland’s rail operator urged customers to ‘plan ahead to stay safe’ as travel restrictions are lifted from Friday.
• New rail campaign launched to connect the north eastA new campaign has been launched to reconnect the north east by rail.

Train Operators

• Buses to replace trains on branch line during G7 summitGreat Western Railway (GWR) will operate a Rail Replacement Service along the Cornish Branch line route between St Erth and St Ives during the G7 summit in June.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Freight traffic between Welsh and Irish ports rises after slumpOne of the largest Irish Sea ferry operators says freight traffic is on the up between its ports in Wales and Ireland, following a dip after Brexit. It was down by half for much of the first three months of 2021 at Holyhead and Fishguard. Ferry operators said this was partly because lorries from Ireland to other EU countries had started going on ferries direct to France. But latest Stena Line figures show the reduction in lorry numbers is now 28%. The figures are for the week ending on Easter Sunday, compared with the same week last year. The company said at least one major exporter had n...

New Civil Engineer

• Pinch point removal completed on Manchester’s busy A57Replacement of the former rail bridge has been completed above the A57 Hyde Road in Gorton, Manchester as part of a £5.9M scheme allowing the route to be widened, reducing traffic congestion.
• Arcadis, Motts and WSP among 40 firms on Midlands transport frameworkArcadis, Mott MacDonald and WSP are among 40 companies on a new West Midland Combined Authority (WMCA) procurement framework.
• Concerned MPs urge Highways England to revisit plan to demolish hundreds of historic rail assets The House of Commons Transport Committee – made up of cross-party MPs – has urged Highways England’s new chief executive to re-evaluate plans to demolish and infill hundreds of historic railway bridges and tunnels.

The Business Desk

• FlixBus back in Birmingham with new connections and further expansionIntercity coach travel provider FlixBus is launching new connections from various cities in the UK, including Birmingham.
• High speed electric motor specialist powers up with £5m funding roundAeristech, a specialist in high-speed electric motor and controller technology, has announced the close of a £5.15m private funding round led by investors Sabien Technology, Vela Technologies and SAIC Venture Capital.

Other News Sources

• Rail Forum Midlands: Supporting the Green RecoveryIn advance of the May elections, Rail Forum Midlands (RFM) has launched ‘Supporting the Green Recovery in all the Devolved Nations and City Regions’.
• Navigating the new National Bus StrategyOne of the most significant of these is the Bus Service Improvement Plan which every local authority has to produce and which must be ‘driven by what passengers and would-be passengers want in their area’. These plans must be published by the end of October 2021, updated annually and reflected in the authority’s Local Transport Plan. They need to be developed in collaboration with operators, community transport providers and, critically, the local community including residents and businesses, with a significant focus on driving improvements for passengers.
• Hydrail breezes in the UKRegular operation of the world’s first hydrogen train started in September 2018 with two Alstom Coradia iLints on the somewhat isolated Cushaven-Bremerhaven-Buxtehude line in northwest Germany. Powered by eight 30kW hydrogen fuel cells (HFC) per car, they are replacing diesel trains on the line, with more iLints coming into service as they are completed. Hydrail, the portmanteau of hydrogen and rail transport, is the more common term for this new type of train.
• MP praises railway volunteersMember of Parliament for Clwyd South, Simon Baynes MP, has praised the efforts of volunteers in fundraising to save Llangollen Railway.