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

Wednesday, 19 May 2021

BBC News

• UK must do better over electric cars - MPsThey're still too expensive and there are not enough charging points, a report warns.
• Eurostar secures £250m rescue packageThe cross-Channel rail operator has been fighting for survival during the pandemic as demand slumped.
• Don't holiday in amber list countries - Boris JohnsonBoris Johnson says not to go but some travel firms are refusing refunds for those destinations.

Financial Times

• Boris Johnson urges Britons to avoid amber list countries for holidaysPM says people should only visit such destinations in exceptional circumstances, as criticism of his policy mounts
• Eurostar lands bailout from investors and French stateCross-Channel passenger train operator secures £250m as UK sits on sidelines

The Guardian

• Eurostar gets £250m refinancing deal to manage Covid impactChannel tunnel train operator’s passenger numbers dropped by 95% after March 2020 lockdown

The Telegraph

• Airport queues are 'super spreading risk', warns MP [subscription]Queues of travellers at UK airports could pose a "super spreading risk", the chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee has warned.
• Wall Street giant backs FirstGroup board in activist battle [subscription]Columbia Threadneedle moves to support the transport operator's board in a rare public intervention
• Wider chairs and guaranteed tables: what £15 'middle class' rail travel will look like [subscription]Avanti West Coast has launched its 'standard premium' class initially as an upgrade with prices starting at £15 for Birmingham to London

City AM

• Biden charges up $174bn electric vehicle plan in Michigan speechUS President Joe Biden today called for government grants for new battery production facilities as he made the case for The post Biden charges up $174bn electric vehicle plan in Michigan speech appeared first on CityAM.
• 2035 zero emission car target a 'mountain to climb' for government, MPs sayThe government is facing a “mountain to climb” to deliver on its ambition to make all cars sold in the The post 2035 zero emission car target a 'mountain to climb' for government, MPs say appeared first on CityAM.

Daily Express

• Foreign travel: MP blasts complete mixed messaging amid lockdown easingA LIB DEM MP has criticised the Government's advice on foreign travel following the easing of lockdown restrictions that now enables non-essential trips to other countries.
• Covid traffic light system ‘confusion is no good’ for anyone warns travel expertA TRAVEL expert has warned that confusion around the UK's traffic light system is

Mail Online

• Border staff say airlines should send staff to help reduce immigration queuesUK airport and airline staff should be deployed to ensure passengers have booked the necessary Covid tests and filled in their locator forms, a union boss has claimed.
• Travel rules chaos as ministers are overruled by Boris JohnsonOn a chaotic day, George Eustice suggested trips to 'amber' countries to see friends and family were acceptable. Yet hours later Boris Johnson over-ruled him by insisting such travel was off limits.

Birmingham Post

• Hull Trains is heading to city centre office complex as £1.5m overhaul begins Hull Trains and FigFlex Offices brand to be established as part of phase one development of former HM Revenue and Customs office
• World's first hydrogen hypercar being created in heart of EnglandViritech hopes it will be the starting point for a cleantech revolution� based on zero emissions hydrogen fuel

London Evening Standard

• Ministers urged to slash bus and train fares to get passengers backLatest figures show the recovery in demand for public transport lags far behind car use.
• Travel confusion: What have politicians said and where can I holiday?Boris Johnson is expected to be questioned in the Commons about the differing messages sent from Whitehall about travel abroad.
• Don't travel abroad this year because it's dangerous, says health minister Lord BethellLord Bethell's comments come after George Eustice said it was okay to visit friends abroad

Yorkshire Post

• The economic recovery will fall short if we are denied promises made on high speed rail - Paul HirstIn a few weeks’ time, the fate of high-speed rail projects such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail will be decided in the Government’s much-anticipated Integrated Rail Plan.

Carlisle News & Star

• Carlisle Airport's new owner Ettyl Limited sets out visionTHE businessman whose company has acquired Carlisle Lake District Airport says he aims to see scheduled passenger flights restarted by the summer.

Other Regional Press

• Watch high-speed Middlesbrough-to-London direct train take its first test run on TeessideThe 'bullet' train for Middlesbrough's direct route to London has had its first Teesside test run.
• Abandoned Forth crossing may form part of active travel planAN ABANDONED rail bridge could be given a new lease of life as part of new proposed active travel links between Clacks and Stirling.
• Traveline Cymru invest in vulnerable customers alongside leading inclusive theatre company, HijinxStaff at Traveline Cymru have taken part in specialist communications training with one of Europe’s leading inclusive theatre companies to improve its service for vulnerable customers.
• Cuts to Weymouth to London Waterloo rail services - council to debate motion tonight FURIOUS councillors are demanding action after rail services to Weymouth were cut this week.

New Civil Engineer

• Luton Airport to scale back expansion plan in bid to save £1bnLuton Airport, wholly owned by the town’s financially-struggling council, is scaling back its expansion plans to save “the best part of £1bn” on its original £2.4bn price tag, NCE sister-title Local Government Chronicle (LGC) has learned.

Rail Advent

• New Cambrian Route from Shrewsbury to Pwllheli and Aberystwyth set for release on Train SimulatorA new route has been in development for Train Simulator and is due for release in the near future, thanks to developer Matthew Powell.

Rail Magazine

• Bon voyage to RAIL’s Head of NewsHead of News (Print and Digital) Richard Clinnick leaves RAIL for pastures new on May 19, after 15 years working on the magazine.

Railnews

• TfL funding deal given short extension Funding for Transport for London has been extended until 28 May, while talks continue with the government over a longer-term financial settlement.
• New financial rescue deal saves Eurostar Eurostar has reached agreement with its shareholders and banks, lifting the threat which had been hanging over the operator as a result of the Covid pandemic and resulting travel restrictions. The deal is worth £250 million consisting mainly of additional equity and loans from a syndicate of banks, backed by guarantees from its shareholders.

Railway Gazette

• Services ramp up as 80x inter-city trainsets return to serviceUK: Both LNER and Great Western Railway have been able to reinstate many of their inter-city services after the Office of Road & Rail reached agreement with Hitachi and the train operators over how the cracking problems with the Class 80x fleets are to be managed.

Transportxtra

• Perry Barr railway station to close for one yearPerry Barr railway station in Birmingham has closed for a year to allow for refurbishment work, ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2022. The closure expected to last until May next year.
• Palmer’s election defeat casts doubt over future of CAMPlans for mass rapid transit project the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM) look set to be shelved after the election defeat of James Palmer.
• Uncertainty over accessible coach regulationsA delay by the DfT in announcing plans for the next stage of implementing the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) is causing continued uncertainty among coach operators in England, Scotland and Wales.
• TfW shifts focus from long to short distance bus servicesBus network reviews for Transport for Wales propose downgrading longer-distance bus services in order to improve frequency on shorter routes.
• Most of Cardiff Bus fleet given zero financial valueThe impact of Covid-19 on the bus market has resulted in most of the Cardiff Bus fleet being allocated zero value in the municipal company’s recently published 2019/20 annual report.
• Don’t overlook equity when deciding where to place cycling schemesCycling is often described as good for health, the environment, accessibility and social justice, but current appraisal methods may only capture some of these benefits, which may perpetuate bias, warn Rachel Aldred and James Woodcock
• Jo Field is new president of Women in TransportWomen in Transport has elected Jo Field as new president, succeeding Katie Hulland. Her  election for a four-year term was confirmed at Women in Transport’s AGM last week.
• Midlands Connect appoints HeppenstallKaren Heppenstall has been appointed head of rail at Midlands Connect. She joins the Sub-national Transport Body after six years at engineering consultancy WSP, before which she worked at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Network Rail.

Other News Sources

• Europe’s transport ministers OK long-distance high-speed railTransport ministers from the EU, Switzerland and Norway have signed a letter of intent at a rail summit held by Germany's Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure to establish a new Trans Europ Express (TEE) network that will link the continent with a mesh of high-speed services. 
• Exclusive: Luton rethinks airport expansion plansLuton Airport, wholly owned by the town’s financially-struggling council, is scaling back its expansion plans to save “the best part of £1bn” on its original £2.4bn price tag, LGC has learned.