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

Friday, 09 July 2021

BBC News

• Project Wingman: Furloughed travel workers 'give back to NHS'Furloughed cabin crew and pilots have been volunteering in hospitals during the pandemic.
• German carmakers fined over emissions 'cartel'VW and BMW fined €875m by the European Commission for colluding to restrict emissions cleaning tech.
• Vauxhall owner Stellantis to invest €30bn in electric vehiclesStellantis, which also owns Peugeot and Fiat, will invest the money on cars and battery factories by 2025.
• Easyjet warns travel rules may just benefit richCostly testing could put travel out of reach for some, despite more relaxed rules, the airline says.
• Toyota halts donations to Republican election objectorsThe Japanese car maker donated $56,000 to Republicans who tried to block certification of Biden's win.
• Bookings surge after Covid quarantine rules relaxedAirlines say bookings increase after the government removed quarantine rules on amber-list countries.

Financial Times

• Toyota halts donations to Republicans who tried to block Biden’s electionCarmaker performs abrupt U-turn after weeks-long pressure campaign
• Branson and Bezos in space: how their rocket ships compareVirgin Galactic’s billionaire founder plans to kickstart space tourism industry with mission on Sunday
• Travel restrictions to ease for double-jabbed in EnglandQuarantine for Britons returning from ‘amber’ countries to end, as Border Force brings in retired staff to deal with added checks
• Can Wizz challenge Ryanair as king of Europe’s skies?Hungarian carrier’s breakneck expansion threatens Irish rival in battle for low-cost market

The Guardian

• Because the night … why I love a sleeper trainWhether it’s Edinburgh, Vienna or Madrid, overnight rail travel is about romance and excitement. So look forward to new French night trains from 2024When I’m on a sleeper train I can barely sleep, such is my state of expectation. Everything, from the handsome ticket to the unsociable departure time to the identity of other passengers, is liable to induce excitement.Once in the cosy, linen-provisioned room, the door closed, there’s the sound of furtive passengers in the corridor, preparations and salutations, a drinks trolley. I’m sometimes torn between sitting down for a meal in the dining car...

Times Online

• Vaccinated Britons rush to book quarantine-free holidays in amber list countriesWarning that jab paperwork will cause long queues at airports

The Mirror

• Airline bookings surge by 400% as double-vaccinated Brits scramble for holidaysThere are fears that travellers could face six-hour queues at airports after the rise in bookings following plans to drop quarantine for the fully vaccinated

Birmingham Post

• Brittany Ferries predicts 'avalanche' of bookings after quarantine scrappedPlymouth-based cross channel operator is delighted fully vaccinated adults will not have to quarantine on return to England

Bristol Live

• Bristol Mayor announces new cabinet lead for transportMarvin Rees has appointed a new cabinet member for transport.
• E-scooters to be fitted with cameras to stop riding on pavementsThe cameras will see if it's on the pavement and sound a warning
• Colourful new mural is sucking pollution from Bristol's streetsThe artwork has been created using special paint which absorbs CO2

London Evening Standard

• Test trains get green signal on Northern Line Tube extensionA “major milestoneâ€� in the opening of the first Tube extension this century was hit on Thursday when it was revealed that trial operations had started on the Northern Line extension to Battersea.

Other Regional Press

• MP asks Transport Minister about disabled access at local railway stationsYesterday evening Nus Ghani MP for Wealden used an adjournment debate to raise the matter of step-free access upgrades at Wealden train stations, Blue Badge parking at Eridge station and to probe the Minister on investment into the electrification of the Uckfield Line and a new depot in Crowborough.
• Transport Minister visits Bo'ness project halfway down the trackTransport Minister Graeme Dey MSP visited Arcola Energy’s rail engineering team working on the Scottish Hydrogen Train project at the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway on Monday.
• Cycling Without Age Bridport seeks trishaw 'pilots'CAMPAIGNERS looking to launch a scheme which would allow older residents to experience the thrill of a cycle ride are seeking volunteer 'pilots'.
• 'We now have an inadequate train service to London'South Western Railway must do more to provide a better rail service between Weymouth and London Waterloo.

Train Operators

• Codename Swift: tailormade light logistics train takes to the railsThe changing face of rail operations in the UK has taken a mother step forward. An example of the former high-density commuter passenger electric multiple unit class 321 has been rolled out in a new guise. Rebranded as the Swift Express, the 100mph (160kph) EMU is now ready to serve the fast-growing market in parcels and light logistics.

C.N.N.

• Volkswagen and BMW fined $1 billion for running emissions cartelThe European Commission has fined Volkswagen Group and BMW over €875 million ($1 billion) for colluding with Daimler to hold back the development of technology that could have reduced harmful emissions from their vehicles.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• DPD trial new EV tyres to reduce air and microplastic pollutionDPD is joining forces with tyre company ENSO to conduct full road trials of an innovative new tyre for commercial EVs.   The trial is a part of Transport for London's FreightLab Innovation Challenge, which is encouraging innovations that will tackle London's air pollution and road congestion due to increased freight movement in the Greater London area.   ENSO has developed a new tyre that increases EV-range on a single charge, while reducing both air and micro plastic tyre PM pollution.    ENSO's EV tyres recently broke a world hypermiling record, achieving the longest dist...
• Quarantine-free travel to resume for fully vaccinated passengersArrivals who have been fully vaccinated with an NHS administered vaccine in the UK, or are on a formally approved UK vaccine clinical trial, returning to England from amber list counties will no longer need to quarantine from 19 July.    Passengers will need to provide proof of their vaccination status to carriers in advance of travel.    Arrivals will still be required to complete a pre-departure test before arrival into England, alongside a PCR test on or before day two after arrival.   The recommendation for people to not trav...
• Passenger trains set to deliver parcels to city centresHigh-speed parcel deliveries will soon be made by rail to satisfy a growing demand for faster freight.   Network Rail and distribution firm Orion showed how the concept works at Euston station earlier this week.    Former passenger trains are being converted to take goods directly into city centre stations.   As well as online retail, the flexible freight operation could transport other light goods needed in fast times by businesses.   Parcels would then see bicycle or van couriers take them for final delivery.   Daniel Fredriksson, Network Rail customer relations...

Coach and Bus Week

• Inaugural ITT Hub event hailed a successThe first coach and bus industry trade show to be held for over a year, the new ITT Hub Future Logistics Conference was said to be a success by its organisers, with a healthy throughput of visitors over the two days. Major names and smaller suppliers from across the coach, bus, truck and van sectors showed off their latest products and developments, including ADL, Daimler, Switch Mobility and Wrightbus, whilst a series of discussions on a varied range of related topics was kicked off by a Keynote speech from Astronaut Major Tim Peake CMG.
• Delayed end of lockdown bad news for environment, says Passenger CEOThe delay in ending restrictions was received with dismay across the country. Speaking about potential consequences of the decision, Tom Quay, CEO of UK public transport app and website provider Passenger, said: “The Government’s decision to keep face mask rules on public transport past 21 June could have a serious impact on people’s confidence in public transport, and the success of the National Bus Strategy. I think it’s fair to say we all have a natural reaction to areas where face masks are mandatory, with an assumption that such areas may post more risks to people’s health compared to areas where face masks aren’t needed. By keeping face mask restrictions on public transport, people may automatically assume that it’s not Covid-safe.

New Civil Engineer

• Crossrail | Huge cost hikes at three stations and on 19 main works contractsHuge cost increases on 19 of Crossrail’s 36 main works contracts have been revealed, including cost hikes at three of the line’s Central London stations.

Railnews

• Peace talks set to start in Caledonian Sleeper dispute Talks are due to begin at ACAS tomorrow in a bid to resolve the RMT's dispute with Caledonian Sleeper over a pay freeze. Meanwhile, the RMT has welcomed a Parliamentary motion which calls on the Scottish Government to intervene.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• CrewPLAN drives down driver recruitment costs at Cardiff BusCardiff Bus is controlling the cost of driver scheduling with the use of CrewPLAN, the system designed by software supplier Omnibus to automate production of efficient crew schedules.
• Six fast-track ZEBRA bids proceed to business case stageExpressions of interest from six local authorities (LAs) in England submitted via the £120m Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme’s fast-track mechanism have been selected to proceed to the business case preparation stage. They from are:
• Bus recovery funding in England to succeed CBSSG Restart226.5m of recovery funding to support bus services in England outside London after the COVID-19 Bus Service Support Grant (CBSSG) Restart mechanism ends on 31 August has been made available by the Department for Transport (DfT).h
• 111 Scottish coach operators benefit from support fund opener111 Scottish coach operators have collectively been awarded grants worth £8,396,500 through the first round of the Scotland Coach Operators – COVID-19 Business Support and Continuity Fund, data published by scheme administrator Visit Scotland has revealed.
• England public transport face coverings advice ‘confusing’: CPTThe Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has criticised what it says is “confusing” advice from the government about the continued wearing of face coverings on public transport in England after the country enters step four of the roadmap out of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is expected to happen on 19 July.
• TransMach contactless ticketing increases patronage by 10%Hulleys of Baslow deploys cloud-based payment system across 25-strong fleet
• Trentbarton fits Wheely-Safe technology across its fleetTrentbarton has fitted Wheely-Safe technology across its entire over 400-strong fleet after extensive trials proved the system’s safety benefits. It includes the latest generation tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and wheel loss and brake temperature sensors.
• Switch Mobility sets out aims, makes leadership appointmentsSwitch Mobility – which has taken on elements of the Optare business – has announced its formal launch.

Aviation Industry

• AEF Newsletter: Time for a plan to achieve net zero aviationCall on Government to introduce moratorium on UK airport expansions Until the Government has a net zero plan for the aviation sector, including a national strategy for airport capacity which …

Other News Sources

• Cheshire East Council unveils plan to scrap Transport Service SolutionsCheshire East Council is to scrap its transport company Transport Service Solutions (TSS) and bring its delivery back in-house.
• Minister for Transport opens new rail research building at the University of BirminghamAndrew Stephenson, Minister of State for Transport, has formally opened a new purpose-built centre at the University of Birmingham, designed to deliver specialist research in railway engineering.
• Department for Transport confirms easing of cruise capacity limitsThe Department for Transport (DfT) is set to increase capacity limits to 50% for cruise ships operating domestic cruises with fully vaccinated passengers on board.
• A New Zero-Emission Hyperloop Port Offers Ground Transport at 'Airplane Speeds'The much-hyped hyperloop is one step closer to becoming a reality with the announcement of HyperloopTT's HyperPort concept.
• Network Rail to rebuild South Lane railway bridgeThe £2.85m project will “secure the future of journeys for rail passengers between Manchester and Liverpool”, according to the arm’s length public body.
• Brighton MP warns government about new loosened travel plansAN MP has warned the government they are taking risks with the new travel announcement.