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

Monday, 28 February 2022

BBC News

• Call for progress on mobility scooter bus rules on Isle of ManThe Isle of Man risks becoming "a laughing stock" if UK rules allowing mobility scooters on buses are not adopted, an MHK has said.
• Driving: More 50mph zones on the way for Welsh roads?Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration needs to be reduced on stretches of the A470 and the M4.
• Tube strikes: Two more 24-hour walkouts due to go aheadLondon is bracing for its first Tube strikes since all government Covid restrictions were lifted.
• British Airways passengers call airline 'woeful'British Airways customers have faced delays and cancellations for a second weekend due to IT problems.

Financial Times

• Russian airlines face total ban from EU’s airspaceBrussels’ officials aim for bloc-wide halt to all flights following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine
• Etihad chief warns climate change costs could hit airlines harder than pandemicHead of Gulf carrier fears higher taxes to pay for decarbonisation will hang over industry for decades

The Guardian

• Russian airlines to be banned from most European airspaceRussian airlines are facing an almost complete blockade from flying west over Europe after they were barred from the airspace of nearly 30 countries following the invasion of Ukraine.

The Telegraph

• Commuters urged to work from home as Tube strikes threaten to derail return to officeTransport bosses said services would be seriously disrupted from Monday to Wednesday after talks broke down

City AM

• Rail operators ramp up services following passenger demand increaseRail operators Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway are set to ramp up services as passenger demand is coming back post Omicron.

Mail Online

• Train journeys are now more expensive than holiday flights as rail fares rise again by 4% Peak-time commuters between London and Birmingham, who pay between £52 and £188, could get return flights to 51 European places from London airports for the same price range or less.
• Holiday hell as British Airways has another IT meltdown and 500 flights are axed over weekend It comes at the worst time for BA, with bookings at their highest since the start of the pandemic after the UK and most European countries ditched Covid traveller tests for fully vaccinated holidaymakers.

Sky News

• BP to offload its 19.75% stake in state-owned Russian oil giant RosneftBP is to offload its 19.75% stake in state-owned Russian oil giant Rosneft "with immediate effect" following the invasion of Ukraine.

Belfast Telegraph

• Nichola Mallon announces freeze on public transport fares in light of cost of living crisisNichola Mallon has put a freeze on fares on the public transport network due to the ongoing cost of living crisis facing individuals and families across Northern Ireland.

Birmingham Post

• Stagecoach West drivers to strike during Cheltenham Festival in pay disputeA union has said services across the West of England could be affected

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Rail company accused of 'stealing' footpath crossing from residents in row over closure planNetwork Rail has been accused of trying to "steal" a footpath crossing a railway line from Conwy residents.
• Rail company accused of 'stealing' footpath crossing from residents in row over closure planCouncil vow to fight rail crossing closure

Liverpool Echo

• Northern bus crisis: How Liverpool compares with Leeds, Manchester and the North EastSetting out his £3bn 'bus back better' strategy last spring, Boris Johnson's enthusiastic tribute to buses made it no surprise that he famously claimed to make models of them out of old wine crates to relax

Manchester Evening News

• 'Free Creme Eggs' and the smell of McVities: Why the 192 bus is a Greater Mancunian adventureOnce named Britain's busiest bus route - with nearly 10 million passengers a year - it's so Mancunian it's been immortalised in song.

Nation. Cymru

• Rail company accused of ’stealing’ footpath in ongoing right of way battleNetwork Rail has been accused of trying to ’steal’ a footpath crossing a railway line from Conwy residents.

Wales Online

• New 50mph zones possible for major Welsh roads to cut pollutionSections of the M4 and A470 are thought to be likely locations for new reduced speed limits

Get Surrey

• We tested whether new Staines roundabout was £6.4m well spent and one exit caused confusionThe improved roundabout is pedestrian-friendly, but there is still potential for confusion in a key area

Peterborough Telegraph

• Opinion: ’It’s time for sustainable transport in Peterborough’I have discussed a number of key issues with the metro mayor, Dr Nik Johnson, with a view to ensuring we receive our fair share of funding from the Combined Authority. I am pleased that the mayor is committed to improving public transport: his views are well documented.

Other Regional Press

• Office of Rail and Road offers clarity as councillor blasts them for ’red tape’ over Wrexham to Bidston lineThe Office of Rail and Road have said they are making a ’delicate balancing act to determine the best overall outcome’ as they resolve a dispute over the Wrexham to Bidston railway. Known as the Borderlands Line, it connects the Wirral with North East Wales and serves eight Flintshire stations from Hawarden Bridge to Cefn-y-Bedd.
• Transport for Wales completes Class 158 train refurbishment workTransport for Wales (TfW) is celebrating the completion of work to refurbish its fleet of Class 158 long-distance trains.
• Cyclists welcome Oxford's new Zero Emission ZoneCyclox chairwoman Dr Alison Hill looks at the implications for cyclists and other road users of the introduction of Oxford’s Zero Emission Zone.

New Civil Engineer

• Quantum physics-based innovation could deliver ’new lens into the underground’Detection of buried structures has been successfully undertaken in the first real world test of a new microgravity sensor in what has been described as an “Edison moment” in sensing technology.
• National Highways outlines safety work to be undertaken on paused smart motorway schemesDetails of the safety work expected to be undertaken on some of National Highways' paused smart motorway schemes has been revealed.
• Four month TfL funding deal worth £200M agreedTransport for London (TfL) has agreed a £200M funding and financing package with the Department for Transport (DfT) – the fourth such package to be put in place to cover for revenue loss due to reduced passenger numbers using TfL services as a result of the pandemic.
• Interview | Transport for the North boss Martin Tugwell on opportunities following the Integrated Rail PlanDecisions in the government’s Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), published in November last year, did not go the way Transport for the North (TfN) had hoped. In particular TfN was disappointed by the decision to axe the eastern leg of High Speed 2 (HS2) from the Midlands to Leeds and the scaling back of the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) programme.

Rail Advent

• Multi-million-pound upgrade for South Wales as work begins on Ebbw Vale railway lineNetwork Rail is carrying out work on the line between Newport and Ebbw Vale to provide greater capacity and allow more rail services to run in the future.

Other News Sources

• Regular Stansted Airport rail link to resume for holidaymakers in CambsCambridgeshire holidaymakers will be able to catch more trains to Stansted Airport after a timetable update.
• Electric vehicles, automated ferries and car share schemes feature in net-zero transport strategyA 20 year transport strategy will focus mainly on achieving net-zero targets – with electric vehicles, hydrogen ferries and car share schemes all playing possible roles.