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

Monday, 03 May 2021

The Guardian

• Will Virgin Galactic ever lift off?It’s taken 17 years, with many setbacks and some deaths, and still Richard Branson’s space mission is yet to launchRichard Branson was running almost 15 years late. But as we rode into the Mojave desert on the morning of 12 December 2018, he was feeling upbeat and untroubled by the past. He wore jeans, a leather jacket and the easy smile of someone used to being behind schedule.Branson hadn’t exactly squandered the past 15 years. He’d become a grandfather, moved to a private island in the Caribbean and expanded Virgin’s business empire into banking, hotels, gyms, wedding dresses and more. But ...
• Holidays abroad should be discouraged to stop Covid third wave, say MPsAll-party group on coronavirus gives recommendations on international travel for leisure, which could resume on 17 MayCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHolidays abroad should be discouraged even once legal, a cross-party group of MPs have said as part of a suite of recommendations to prevent a third wave of coronavirus and further lockdowns.Under the UK government’s roadmap to relax coronavirus restrictions, international travel for leisure purposes could resume from 17 May. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• FirstGroup faces battle with rail union over plans to restart dividend [subscription]RMT union wreaked havoc on the company’s South Western Railway franchise, in a dispute over train guards before Covid hit

Times Online

• Buying buses from China will leave us in slow lane, despite climate ambitions [subscription]ince last week’s climate summit, the world has seen an impressive ramping up of major economies’ ambitions. The UK is again at the forefront of this movement, announcing a world-leading climate-change target, to reduce emissions by 78 per cent by 2035, compared with 1990 levels. No other country has matched this level of ambition.
• Time and cost put young people off ’vanity’ of learning to drive [subscription]The price of learning to drive and the pressures of modern life are forcing young people off the road, with analysis showing that it costs more than £1,500 to pass the test.
• Ministers urge Boris Johnson to push for longer list of ’safe’ countries [subscription]Boris Johnson faces a cabinet rift as ministers argue over how many holiday destinations should be on the government’s “green list” for international travel, The Times understands.

Sky News

• MPs urge ministers to maintain ban on foreign holidays after 17 May amid variant fearsLimits on international leisure travel should continue even after 17 May, a cross-party group of MPs has warned.

Bristol Live

• Man seen riding e-scooter the wrong way along the M5It is still illegal to ride privately-owned e-scooters on public roads - not least on a motorway

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Rules on car sharing amid warning over Covid cases linked to mixing in vehiclesThe official guidance issued for England and Wales, separately, discusses the rules around travelling with other households

Manchester Evening News

• Airport arrival halls “breeding ground for infection”: MPs say restrictions on foreign holidays should be maintainedThe All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) claimed the importation of new variants could “lead to further lockdowns, and inevitably, further loss of life”.
• MPs say restrictions on foreign holidays should be maintainedThe All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) claimed the importation of new variants could “lead to further lockdowns, and inevitably, further loss of life”.

Wales Online

• Trees cut down and replaced with 1km fence because of rail trespassersDB Cargo said it had to secure the perimeter of its land between Port Tennant and Crymlyn Burrows

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Building trade facing struggle as HS2 'creaming off' materialsThe lack of building materials has reached crisis levels in the West Midlands – because they are being "creamed off" by HS2.

Yorkshire Post

• Yeadon's growth from farm town to home of Leeds Bradford AirportYeadon played an important role in Britain’s war effort and today its airport is a key player in the region’s economy. Phil Penfold reports.

Other Regional Press

• Ageing trains mended using recycled parts for final years of serviceAgeing trains which have ferried commuters between London and the East of England since the 1980s are being retired from service.
• Train station for Inverness Airport finally gets the greenlight but councillors remain concerned about accessibility with the closure of a crossing and replacement with a bridge that would cause problems for disabled peopleThe long-awaited two-platform railway station at Inverness Airport has been “reluctantly” granted planning permission by Highland Council.
• Malvern Link pedestrian rail crossings are set for reviewNETWORK RAIL is planning a safety assessment of Malvern Link’s pedestrian rail crossings as part of a county-wide review.
• Footbridge removed in train station revampAn old footbridge at a railway station has been removed as part of a multi-million pound refurbishment scheme to improve access.
• Plea to save 'failing' buses that cut people off from jobs Better Buses for West Yorkshire wants buses to be run for 'public service rather than private profit'

Rail Business Daily

• SME suppliers urge government to commit fully to HST eastern legA recent survey of SME suppliers in the rail, construction, and engineering sectors has found overwhelming support for HS2’s Eastern Leg, with those currently working on HS2 contracts predicting severe impacts on their businesses should it be curtailed.

Other News Sources

• Heathrow should think ’long and hard’ about putting the squeeze on London’s black taxis says LTDAHeathrow Airport should think ’long and hard about what putting the squeeze on black cabs means for the prestige of their airport’ says London taxi driver representatives.
• Let's get Aberdeenshire rail lines back up and runningIt should be “full steam ahead” with plans to open railway lines across Scotland, including links to towns in Aberdeenshire such as Peterhead and Fraserburgh.
• New Herefordshire railway station looking even more likelyA PROPOSED new railway station in Herefordshire is getting closer, with the group spearheading the project optimistic that the project will happen.
• Gatwick and Heathrow: When foreign holiday destinations will be listed under new traffic light systemThe Government is due to announce which countries will fall under the red, amber and green traffic light system