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

Saturday, 12 March 2022

BBC News

• North West train services to get £84m boostImprovements across Manchester's railway stations
• Turkish yard wins contract to build Islay ferriesThe nationalised Ferguson shipyard missed out on the order for two CalMac ships last year.
• Heathrow passenger numbers remain nearly 50% downThe industry is slowly recovering from the impact of Covid, but warns more difficulties are to come.
• Petrol price hits new record above £1.60 a litreAs fuel prices reach fresh highs, one coach travel business says some services are becoming unviable.

Financial Times

• Planes trapped in Russia highlight legal risks for leased aircraftAn estimated $12bn to $15bn of assets are in limbo due to sanctions imposed since the Ukraine invasion

The Guardian

• Uber fares to rise in UK as 20% VAT rate is appliedChange comes after high court ruling that Uber should be regarded as a contractor, not an agentUber fares across the UK are to rise sharply from Monday night when VAT of 20% will be applied to rides booked via the app.The change comes after a high court ruling last December that Uber could not be viewed as simply an agent but should be regarded as the contractor. Continue reading...
• Kent police charge 74 people over Insulate Britain road protestsCharges relate to series of protests that blocked M25 and roads near Dover in September and OctoberSeventy four people have been charged over Insulate Britain road blockade protests in Kent, the county’s police force has said, in what is believed to be the first criminal proceedings against the activist group.The force said a total of 104 charges had been laid against Insulate Britain members in relation to protests that took place on the M25 and on roads near the port of Dover in September and October last year. Continue reading...

The Herald

• 'Embarrassment': Two CalMac ferries to be built in TurkeyA Turkish shipyard has won a £105 million contract to build two new lifeline CalMac ferries for Islay.

Times Online

• Excise cut on petrol vanishes as fuel inflation crisis deepens [Subscription]By the time ministers took their places at podiums on Wednesday afternoon to announce a 20c cut in excise on petrol and 15c cut on diesel, overnight price increases at many garages — in some cases to levels well above €2 a litre — had already eaten up most if not all of the reduction.
• Heathrow warns of delays when summer takes off [Subscription]Heathrow has painted a gloomy picture for travellers in the coming months, warning of the return of long queues and delays fuelled by additional pre-departure checks and fears of the inability of UK Border Force to cope.

City AM

• TfL unveils long-term plan for buses prioritising faster journeys and environmentTransport for London has unveiled its long-term plan for buses, putting faster journeys and the environment at the centre of the agenda. Under the new Bus Action Plan, journeys will be 10 per cent quicker than in 2015, while all bus related deaths and injuries will be eliminated by 2030. The public body has also [...] The post TfL unveils long-term plan for buses prioritising faster journeys and environment appeared first on CityAM.

Daily Record

• Rail drivers threaten to boycott type of train in deadly Stonehaven crashKevin Lindsay, organiser at the ASLEF union, said that action would be taken next year after after it emerged concerns were raised before the fatal crash.

This is Money

• Mini's UK car factory closed until 18 March due to chip shortageAll staff members - believed to be around 3,800 people - will receive full pay during the 'stand down'.
• Heathrow traffic struggles at 50% of pre-pandemic levelsOnly 2.9 million people transited through Britain's largest airport in February, compared to 5.4 million in the month before the WHO declared the Covid-19 outbreak to be a pandemic.

Birmingham Post

• Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports report best month since pandemic beganThe group served 2.4 million passengers last month
• Campaign underway to make Derby the home of Great British RailwaysGreat British Railways will be the new public body set up by Government to link up Britain's disjointed rail network
• Wales on Rails launched in bid to get more visitors on trains and busesTransport for Wales's Community Rail Partnerships and Visit Wales have funded the new initiative

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Met Office issues weekend weather warning as 60mph winds approachThey warned of transport delays, power cuts and large coastal waves
• Manchester Airport drivers face 25-mile diversion due to four-day M56 closureThe closure comes into force later this month
• Readers have say on multi use paths as dog off lead needed leg amputating after being hit by cyclistBuddy the springer spaniel lost a leg after being struck by a cyclist in Gwynedd
• A55 stretch to be closed all weekend for resurfacing workThe westbound carriageway between junction 36 at Warren interchange, Broughton and junction 35 at Dobshill will close from tonight until Monday

Liverpool Echo

• Face mask rules if you are flying with TUI, easyJet, Jet2, British Airways or RyanairWe have compiled a list of facemask rules for various airlines

Manchester Evening News

• Giving up the car and dreading the future - what surging petrol and diesel prices mean for people on the streets of Manchester"Fuel prices, inflation, electricity and gas are increasing and by the end of it people will be out on the street."

Northern Echo

• Suzuki launches full hybrid version of popular VitaraSuzuki has gone a step further with the electrification of its popular compact crossover.
• Over 5,000 speeding motorists caught on North Yorkshire roadsSHOCKING figures reveal that more than 5,000 motorists were caught speeding on North Yorkshire's roads in just one month - with the fastest clocked at 116mph.
• Latest fuel prices UK: 12 tip to make your fuel last longerIn response to the rising cost of filling up your tank, car finance platform CarFinance24/7 has shared 12 tips to make your fuel go further.

North Wales Live

• Fuel prices continue to rise as drivers ask 'when will it end?'Some have said garages in the same area should be priced the same and called for action to prevent people "suffering"

Other Regional Press

• Dublin flight added to Southampton Airport routes by British AirwaysYOU can now fly to Ireland's capital as a new route to Dublin as been added to Southampton Airport.
• Flying Scotsman to pass through Oxford Railway Station again this weekendGet your cameras ready!
• Aer Lingus launches new service from Birmingham Airport to Northern IrelandThe flight to Belfast takes just over an hour
• Major upgrades at Huddersfield train station kick off on MondayLift repairs come in advance of even bigger changes as part of a £1.56bn rail revamp

Railnews

• Carmont report reaction: 'more needs to be done' The Scottish Government has responded to the Carmont accident report by urging all concerned to learn the lessons it contains. Transport minister Jenny Gilruth said: 'The report makes a series of recommendations in relation to water management and climate adaptation. Some of these have already been implemented but there is recognition more must be done.' RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: 'RMT has been leading the calls for an urgent safety summit to prevent future rail tragedies, so we welcome the Scottish transport minister’s commitment today to convene a rail safety steering group.'

Other News Sources

• Jet2 suspends flights to Poland amid war in UkraineTwo weekly flights to Krakow usually operate from Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford and Newcastle airports, plus four from Manchester.
• Hereford petrol station out of diesel amid rise in demandA HEREFORD petrol station has run out of diesel after a rise in demand.
• New move to save lost Herefordshire bus routePeople affected by the recent cuts to bus links between Ross-on-Wye and Ledbury and Newent have agreed to work towards a solution to replace the lost services.
• 'Decades-long' plan to reopen 150-year-old canal linking London to south coast reversed by Waverley councilCllr Martin D'Arcy described calling the 23-mile waterway a canal as a "bit of a joke"