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

Thursday, 16 September 2021

BBC News

• Tarporley railway station: Grant Shapps criticises council in funding rowThe transport secretary has criticised a council for refusing to grant £5,000 to the reopening of a railway station.
• Cambridgeshire level crossing crash: RAIB finds no call madeInvestigators found no evidence a request was made to open level crossing gates before a train hit a trailer.
• Covid: 45-minute wait warning as school buses face disruptionOne of Wales' largest councils face disruption due to the number of drivers and helpers isolating.

Department for Transport

• HS2 Construction Commissioner report 18The eighteneenth in a series of regular progress reports from the High Speed Two (HS2) independent Construction Commissioner.

Times Online

• SpaceX launches civilian crew into orbit [subscription]Four civilians who harboured once-fanciful dreams of going to space were orbiting Earth at 17,500mph last night on a mission that lifted the last barrier to the final frontier.
• Qantas to resume Sydney-London flights for Christmas [subscription]Regular commercial flights between the UK and Australia will be reintroduced for the first time in almost two years.
• Tougher travel rules for Covid vaccine refuseniks [subscription]Unvaccinated travellers are due to face tougher restrictions from next month as part of efforts to encourage more young people to get the jab.

City AM

• Ryanair aims to fly 225m passengers a year by 2026Ryanair today announced that it now expects to fly 225m passengers a year by March 2026, a 25m hike on The post Ryanair aims to fly 225m passengers a year by 2026 appeared first on CityAM.

Belfast Telegraph

• SpaceX launches first completely civilian-crewed rocket into orbitSpaceX has sent the first-ever all civilian-crewed rocket into orbit from the Kennedy Space Centre.

Birmingham Post

• MP claims HS2 will cost over £160bnMidlands Tory MP tells Parliament that whistleblowers have shown him documents outlining spiralling costs of high-speed rail project

London Evening Standard

• Unvaccinated travellers ‘will have to take two PCR tests’ after arriving in UK Unvaccinated travellers face having to take two PCR tests after arriving in the UK from any other country, according to reports.
• Ryanair to create 5,000 new jobs as it anticipates COVID-19 bounce backRyanair has announced plans for a post-COVID hiring spree that will reverse pandemic layoffs and grow headcount as air travel begins to recover.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Ryanair to open 10 new airport bases and create 5,000 jobs under Covid recovery planChief executive Michael O'Leary says the firm is in talks to buy out airport slots left empty by airlines during the coronavirus pandemic

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Aberdeenshire free transport service expands with new vehicleA pilot project offering free community transport in Buchan has acquired a new electric vehicle to join its fleet of accessible vehicles.

The York Press

• Network Rail bridge works keep Drax power station runningMAJOR improvement work to a railway bridge means freight can keep one of the country's biggest power stations running.

Cambridge News

• Jet2, easyJet, Ryanair, BA: Stansted Airport bosses call for simple two-tier travel system from OctoberIt has called on the UK Government to scrap the current traffic light system and reduce PCR testing requirements

Kent Online

• Eurostar services from Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International to remain suspended until 2023A further delay to the return of direct Eurostar international train services from the county has been branded "bad news for Kent".

Other Regional Press

• Shapps hits out at council over £5k station refusalTHE transport secretary has taken a swipe at Cheshire West and Chester Council over its refusal to stump up £5,000 towards reopening a Cheshire railway station.
• London to Brighton Bike Ride: Cyclists face disruption on trainsCYCLISTS are being warned that they face disruption on the trains this weekend.
• TfL confirms new Elizabeth line will be split into 3 separate sections prompting Crossrail confusionMany residents of East and West London have been waiting patiently for the long overdue Crossrail works to be completed and a full service direct to the heart of Central London to start.

New Civil Engineer

• Smart motorway safety solution suggestedAn alternative to smart motorways that would increase capacity without “adversely compromising safety” has been suggested by the RAC.
• DfT ‘looking at options’ as Crossrail funding pot runs dryThe Department for Transport (DfT) is exploring ways to generate a potential £275M of additional funding needed to close out Crossrail.

Rail Magazine

• Cancelled Trains at CleethorpesTrains serving Cleethorpes will be cancelled over the weekend of September 25-26 to enable vital footbridge work. 

Railnews

• Community rail partnerships encourage sustainable development, says report THURSDAY BRIEFING: Community rail partnerships encourage sustainable development, says report ++

Railway Gazette

• Direct awards agreed with Greater Anglia and West Midlands TrainsUK: The Abellio-led Greater Anglia and West Midlands Trains businesses have agreed directly-awarded National Rail Contracts with the Department for Transport, ahead of the expiry of their Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement contracts on September 19.

Other News Sources

• Transport boss says Isle of Wight's troubled floating bridge ferry could be replaced in three yearsIf a new floating bridge is to replace the Isle of Wight's troubled FB6 then it could be in the water within three years of commissioning.
• Transport for London contracts TCS as it modernises taxi and private hire operationTfL signs 10-year deal with Indian IT services giant to digitally transform taxi and private hire administration
• Tree cutting to improve safety at Fife train stationTree cutting is set to improve safety at a Fife train station.
• South Ayrshire trains: MSP presses transport minister on cutsTrains in South Ayrshire are still under threat, with Scotrail proposing to reduce journeys between Girvan and Stranraer.