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

Friday, 17 December 2021

BBC News

• Covid: Transport department apologises for Christmas party during lockdownAnother government gathering during lockdown is revealed, with staff admitting it was
• First-class rail carriages should be scrapped in the North, says mayorGreater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham says he will oppose a new timetable unless rules are eased.
• Flights between Scotland and North America resumeAir Transat becomes the first airline to run a scheduled transatlantic flight since November last year.
• Troubled shipyard's turnaround director Tim Hair to leaveFerguson Marine says Tim Hair will be replaced in February by a new permanent chief executive.
• Boeing: Families in legal action against US over air crashRelatives of passengers killed in Ethiopian Airlines crash file legal action over Boeing deal.

ITV News

• Government accused of 'playing politics' with Transport for London's fundingThe Government said it is "completely untrue" that it is "playing politics" with Transport for London’s funding.

Financial Times

• Heathrow landing-charge increases a sign of a broken systemRegulator agrees 37% rise next year while charges remain pegged to inflation at London’s other main airport
• Delta Air Lines chief warns of hit to air travel from OmicronUS carrier expects first quarter of 2022 will be affected as restrictions increase

The Guardian

• Rail fares to increase by 3.8% in MarchRail fares are to rise by 3.8% in March, the government has confirmed, in line with July’s RPI inflation rate.

The Independent

• Transport Secretary refuses to rule out 3.8% rail fare riseLabour MP Louise Haigh said such an increase would be ‘brutal’ with people already facing ‘a tough Christmas’.

The Scotsman

• Scotland’s first renewable biomethane HGV refuelling station opens on key transport routeScotland’s first public renewable biomethane for HGVs has opened on a key route between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The Telegraph

• Cyclists given priority over cars in ‘dangerous’ Highway Code change [subscription]Highway Code changes giving cyclists priority over drivers could cause "confusion and dangerous situations", the AA has warned as polling found two thirds of drivers were not aware of the incoming rules.
• Huge rise in Heathrow charges must be stopped, says Willie Walsh [subscription]Willie Walsh has urged Grant Shapps to intervene after Heathrow won a increase in landing charges of seven times the rate of inflation.

Times Online

• Heathrow cleared to increase passenger levy by 56% [subscription]After months of arguments between Heathrow and its airlines led by British Airways — fanned by interjections from BA’s former boss Willie Walsh, who is now director-general of the International Air Transport Association — the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said Heathrow would be able to charge £30.19 per passenger from the new year. That is 56 per cent higher than the existing charge of £19.36 but lower than the sum Heathrow was seeking.
• Ferguson shipyard turnaround expert Tim Hair departs before ferries are built [subscription]Hair, 61, had been commuting from his home in Gloucester to the Port Glasgow yard. He was put in charge after a bitter dispute between the previous shipyard owners and Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, the government quango, over a £97 million contract to build two ferries for the Scottish public fleet. That caused the financial collapse of the business with Scottish ministers stepping in to buy it.

Mail Online

• Petrol firms are accused of ripping off motorists and cashing in on the great Christmas getawayFor the first time petrol forecourt margins have surged past a record 20p a litre. And some motorway services are charging £10 over the national average to fill the typical 55-litre tank in a family car.

Sky News

• Rail fares to increase by 3.8% in MarchThe Department for Transport says the rise will help meet the costs of keeping services running during the pandemic and "pay for service increases and improvements on many lines which began this week".

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• The Bradford NHS worker petitioning to hold the government accountable for HS2 withdrawalA Bradford NHS worker has formed a petition calling on northern MPs to challenge the Government on what she states are its broken promises regarding Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Department for Transport apologises after it was revealed staff threw party same day London was plunged into Tier 3 restrictionsA spokesman for Mr Shapps said the minister had "absolutely no idea" about the gathering
• North Tyneside Council releases new images of transport hub and town square as plans submittedThe proposals are part of North Tyneside Council’s Ambition for North Shields and the Fish Quay Masterplan, aimed at transforming the town centre and riverside and providing the right environment for businesses, leisure users and retail.

Coach and Bus Week

• Safety success for National ExpressNational Express UK Coach has been awarded a five-star rating from the British Safety Council for the eighth consecutive year. Organisations from over 77 countries across the world put themselves forward for a thorough Health & Safety Audit by an external assessor. The tests go beyond legal health and safety minimum requirements to judge companies on absolute best practice in safety culture, leadership, and well being. Chris Hardy, Managing Director of National Express UK Coach, commented: “The safety of our customers, employees and the general public is at the heart of everything we do, and we set ourselves high standards to work to.
• Promech Technologies to launch new UK bus rangeUK-based commercial vehicle technology, chassis and powertrain integration specialist Promech Technologies has announced a partnership agreement with Renault Group and its specialist vehicle subsidiary, PVI.

New Civil Engineer

• Amey wins Transport Scotland motorway contractAmey has secured a new contract with Transport Scotland to operate, maintain and upgrade the motorway and trunk road technology infrastructure across the country.

Railnews

• Transport secretary refuses to rule out 3.8% fares increase FRIDAY BRIEFING: Transport secretary refuses to rule out 3.8% fares increase ++ TfL warns of more Underground disruption ++

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• RHA ‘National Coach Week’ will promote sector starting next yearRHA has announced it plans to promote the coach sector with what is describes as the first-ever National Coach Week, set to take place from 1 April 2022.
• Switch Mobility to develop Spanish manufacturing centreSwitch Mobility is to build an advanced manufacturing and technology centre in Castilla y León, Spain, with construction scheduled for January 2022.
• Zero-emission coaches pass million kilometre mark in UKZero-emission coaches have covered over one million kilometres on UK roads, importer of the only such model yet available here Pelican Bus and Coach has revealed.
• UrbanThings’ Bus Checker X goes live with e-ticketingTickets are now supported through UrbanThings’ UK Bus Checker app, which entered its 10th version (Bus Checker X) this week.
• Switch Mobility hosts shadow ministers at Sherburn factorySwitch Mobility welcomed Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh to its factory in Sherburn-in-Elmet on 10 December. The visit demonstrated to the two Labour frontbenchers how zero-emission buses can contribute to the transition to a green economy.
• Nine BYD ADL Enviro200EV buses arrive for Stagecoach East ScotlandAlexander Dennis (ADL) and BYD have supplied nine BYD ADL Enviro200EV single-deck buses to Stagecoach East Scotland to be used on local services in Perth.
• Enel X and Optibus partnership delivers EV bus management solutionEnel X, part of electricity and gas distributor Enel Group, has announced a partnership with Optibus to provide what it describes as an end-to-end electric bus operations solution.

Aviation Industry

• ACF joins forces with AEFThe Aviation Communities Forum was set up in 2015 following a number of airspace change trials and has always worked very closely with the team at the Aviation Environment Federation, … The post ACF joins forces with AEF appeared first on Aviation Environment Federation.

Other News Sources

• First Ship Fit with 'Seawing' Kite Propulsion SystemA French ro-ro ship will be the first commercial vessel to trial a novel wind-assisted propulsion system designed to curb emissions from shippingAirseas said it has installed its Seawing system on the vessel Ville de Bordeaux owned and operated by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs.
• The European year of rail: Why rail can transport us to a greener futureInternational water researchers have predicted that 10% of inland waterways will run dry every summer but the future impact of this on supply chains might have been overlooked. Global supply chains are already constrained owing to capacity bottlenecks in ports and ocean-going vessels. Container rates are soaring: the costs of a container from Shanghai to Rotterdam, which was at $2,000 in December 2020, more than quintupled to $14,000 by August 2021.