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

Monday, 13 December 2021

BBC News

• HS2: Transport for Wales boss wants equivalent funding for WalesWales should not lose out on funding because the HS2 high-speed rail line is classed as a Welsh project despite not entering the country, a rail boss said.
• Trains: Crosskeys to Newport service is first since 1962A village that shares its name with a pub toasts a rail link restored after 60 years.

Financial Times

• Dublin’s Lo-Lo port boom reveals shift in Ireland’s trade after BrexitMore freight is bypassing the UK and heading straight for the EU
• UK ports on course for worst year since 1983Volumes not expected to hit pre-pandemic levels until 2026 as drop in oil production and Brexit bite
• Airlines call for UK support after Omicron dents recovery hopesIndustry heads warn that carriers risk ‘permanent scarring’ from new restrictions
• Air freight costs soar to record high Cargo prices spike as Christmas demand heaps further pressure on already strained supply chains

The Telegraph

• Covid travel restrictions are haphazard and disproportionate, airlines tell Boris Johnson [Subscription]The heads of the UK’s largest operators attack Prime Minister’s approach to travel, claiming that he broke promises to fix rip-off testing

Times Online

• Aer Lingus let fly at transport minister for ‘lack of support’ [subscription]An emergency meeting between the taoiseach Micheál Martin and Aer Lingus was called during the summer following a heated exchange of emails between the airline’s executives and Eamon Ryan, the transport minister.

City AM

• TfL gets a funding extension amid ongoing discussionsTransport for London announced over the weekend that the Government would extend its funding support until 17 December in light of the ongoing struggle to reach an agreement. The post TfL gets a funding extension amid ongoing discussions appeared first on CityAM.
• Nation-wide metro mayors: A plan for regions to pull their own bootstraps upWhen the prime minister appointed Michael Gove to head up a rebranded Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in September’s reshuffle, it was a significant statement of intent. Gove is one of Whitehall’s biggest hitters, having run three major government departments, and is brain cell for brain cell one of the cleverest and most [...] The post Nation-wide metro mayors: A plan for regions to pull their own bootstraps up appeared first on CityAM.

Birmingham Mail

• Rail firm which pledged £1bn upgrade cancels services and tells passengers: 'Don't use our trains'Things were so bad over the weekend that West Midlands Trains urged West Bromwich Albion fans not to try to catch a train to or from The Hawthorns

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• New app goes live to make transport safer for Metro and bus users - here's how to download itThe Safer Transport Northumbria app can be used to flag up any safety concerns or tell the authorities if you feel unsafe on the Metro or bus

The York Press

• Government offers commitment on new Haxby railway station cashYORK Outer MP Julian Sturdy has won an assurance from Treasury chiefs that they will grant the final funding needed to build a new railway station in Haxby once all planning permissions are granted.

This Is Local London Network

• TfL plans for Canons Park station car park flats lose appealPlans for more than 100 new homes on a Tube station car park have been thrown out for the second time. 

Wales Online

• 'Outrage' as passengers are packed into train carriages on Transport For Wales serviceA concerned passenger has shared a picture of what they described as "a very uncomfortable and unforgettable experience".

Yorkshire Post

• Grant Shapps to control spending decisions on mayors' £5.7bn transport fund in 'devolution roll-back’Key decisions over the spending of almost £6bn for a “local transport revolution” will be made in Whitehall rather than by regional mayors - leading to accusations that the Government is undermining its own levelling-up agenda, The Yorkshire Post can reveal.

Other Regional Press

• Scotland’s Railway opens £33million servicing depotScotland’s Railway continued its Fit For The Future’ investments with the opening today (Sunday) of a new engineering depot at Cadder, near Glasgow.
• 'It's ridiculous!' Fury as rush-hour route to be made one-wayOne of Kent's busiest routes is set to be transformed into a one-way road next year as part of a controversial plan to ease rush-hour gridlock.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Training and more testing to help people become HGV driversFree courses for adults to train to be HGV drivers are under way across the country – as part of a package of measures to ease driver shortages and support supply chains.   Skills Bootcamps in HGV driving are free, flexible, intensive courses designed to train drivers to be road ready and gain their licence, offering people the chance to launch well-paid careers in the logistics sector.    People that successfully complete the HGV courses are guaranteed a job interview with an employer, and the first drivers are expected to be on the road from March 2022.   The course...

New Civil Engineer

• Green light for new £80M Merseyside stationConstruction of a new £80M station in Merseyside will begin in January after receiving planning permission.
• Bank Station Upgrade | Engineers have only ‘days’ leeway on intensive 17-week blockadeThere is little margin for error for engineers working on the 17-week Bank Station blockade, with just a matter of days leeway to complete the work.