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

Thursday, 14 April 2022

Cogitamus

• 🐣🐥 TransportInfo is taking a short break 🐣🐥🐣🐥 TransportInfo will be taking a short break over the Easter holiday and will not be updated from 15 to 18 April 2022. We will see you bright and early on Tuesday 19 April 2022 🐣🐥

BBC News

• East Cornwall: Buses being cut across the areaSome Cornwall Councillors have said people are unable to get to work or access services due to bus route cuts.
• Bike carriage rollout on ScotRail over the summerScotRail has announced it will introduce more bike carriages on trains over the summer.
• Soaring petrol costs drive UK inflation to 30-year highPrices went up by 7% in the 12 months to March, as food and fuel costs continued to climb.

Financial Times

• Delta chief says ticket sales are surging despite inflation concernsCarrier has never sold more tickets than in the past five weeks, says Ed Bastian
• P&O suffers setback after second Dover-Calais ferry barred from sailing‘Spirit of Britain’ vessel detained by inspectors because of ‘number of deficiencies’
• British travellers warned to prepare for extensive Easter delaysStaff shortages, seized ferries and engineering work expected to affect plans as holiday demand soars

The Guardian

• Easter travel disruption to hit air, rail, road and sea in UKDozens of flights cancelled and ferry firms struggling to meet demand in run-up to bank holiday weekendHolidaymakers trying to get away for the Easter weekend have been warned they are likely to face disruption whether travelling by air, rail, road or sea.Staff sickness and a shortage of workers have already caused multiple days of chaos for air passengers, with carriers cancelling dozens of flights at short notice, while ferry operators have struggled to meet demand as P&O Ferries services remain suspended. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Rail operator faces strike over ’see-through’ uniforms [subscription]Avanti is embroiled in a row with the RMT after giving workers 'flimsy new blouses and shirts'

Times Online

• Come fly with us for a £1,000 golden handshake, British Airways tells workers [subscription]The carrier, part of International Consolidated Airlines Group, is advertising on its careers website for Heathrow cabin crew who already have a current Heathrow or Stansted airside ID and cabin crew attestation.
• Labour is levelling up in Greater Manchester - Yasmin Qureshi MP [subscription]ince Margaret Thatcher’s failed experiment with bus deregulation in the mid-1980s, working families in our region have been plagued by systemic failings in a key node within the transport system. Designed to drive prices down and standards up, the reforms have left my residents with higher prices and lower standards from bus operators.
• CalMac ferry chaos leads to missed cancer consultations [subscription]Arran Cancer Support, which for 30 years has helped residents affected by cancer arrange transport to the mainland, said February was the worst month on record for cancelled appointments, with 16 out of 32 missed due to chaotic crossings.
• More fears for Easter travel as third P&O ferry is detained [Subscription]Another of its ships, the Spirit of Britain, was detained on Tuesday after inspectors found serious deficiencies on board. Both ships will need to rectify the problems and undergo a further inspection before they can sail.

City AM

• Wizz Air UK not affected by Covid-induced staff shortagesWizz Air UK has not been affected the current wave of Covid infections that has forced other airlines to slash hundreds of flights, its managing director Marion Geoffroy said. “We haven’t seen an increase in the number of infected employees and we haven’t had to cancel any flights,” she told City A.M. “But we have [...] The post Wizz Air UK not affected by Covid-induced staff shortages appeared first on CityAM.

Daily Express

• 'Nothing short of embarrassing' Sturgeon mocked as SNP plan destroyed after ferry fiascoNICOLA STURGEON and the SNP have been brutally mocked over new tram extension plans around Edinburgh after the ferry fiasco that has engulfed Scotland's ruling party.

Sky News

• P&O ferries: 'Additional deficiencies' found on Dover ship Pride of KentThe Pride of Kent was found by the maritime authorities to have problems in safety systems and crew documentation, adding to the company's self-inflicted woes.

Birmingham Post

• Eastern Airways secures subsidised Scottish Highlands route as regional aviation role underlinedAberdeen and Wick John O'Groats service launches

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Otley bus passengers "deserve better", says West Yorkshire MayorBUS passengers in Otley deserve better services, according to West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Extension of narrow gauge Snowdonia railway takes major step forwardThe £5 million project has been described as a game changer for the economy of Bala

Manchester Evening News

• Holidaymakers' fury after cars left trapped in muddy field with keys missing as police investigate Manchester Airport 'meet and greet' firmsReturning travellers have been left fuming after spending hours trying to track down their vehicles

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Replace free Newcastle city centre parking with free buses and Metro after 5pm, says passenger groupA consultation on proposals to axe free evening parking in the city centre closed on Wednesday and has sparked concerns over the impact on businesses

Other Regional Press

• Scaled-back bus service improvement plan for Cheshire EastCHESHIRE East will drive ahead with scaled-back plans to improve bus services despite the government putting the brakes on some schemes by refusing grant funding.
• Oxford Bus Company staff enjoy awards night at the Ashmolean MuseumThe Oxford Bus Company celebrated the achievements of its staff through the return of its Really Amazing Awards ceremony at the Ashmolean Museum.
• Detained P&O ship fails second inspectionP&O's Pride of Kent - which previously failed a safety inspection - has now failed another inspection by the coastguard.

New Civil Engineer

• West Midlands Metro milestone hit with concrete pourA significant concrete pour has taken place on Castle Hill in Dudley for the eagerly awaited West Midlands Metro extension.
• Overcoming port construction challenges with digital technologyWith the government’s much-touted Freeport scheme set to provide a massive boost to the UK’s trading capabilities, there’s never been a better time to be involved in marine and coastal construction.
• Bam close to finishing new Scottish station on East Coast Main LineReston station in Scotland, a new stop on the East Coast Main Line, will open to services next month, replacing the village’s former station that closed in 1964’s Beeching cuts.
• Heathrow rail link decisions needed as airport passengers hit two-year highDecisions on proposed rail links to Heathrow are needed sooner rather than later, with airport passenger numbers at a two-year high.

Railway Gazette

• Decisions needed soon on major timetable recastsUK: Crucial decisions need to be taken soon to ensure that major recasts of the East Coast and West Coast main line timetables can be delivered on schedule, the Office of Rail & Road has warned.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Wales bus franchising: Clarity for industry ’needed quickly’Moves to introduce bus franchising in Wales will cause major uncertainty for the industry if the Welsh Government does not step in quickly to provide clarity on how investments made in the meantime will be protected, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has said.
• ZE buses ’must be matched by priority measures’, says MDInvestment in zero-emission fleets must be matched by improved road infrastructure and better bus priority measures if people are to be further encouraged to switch to those vehicles from cars, Stagecoach Bluebird Managing Director Peter Knight (pictured, left) has said.
• NCT rolls out England’s first ’Oyster-style’ contactless system outside LondonNottingham City Transport has rolled out a new contactless multi-operator tap-and-go option across its buses, NET trams and CT4N Linkbuses in what it describes as the first “Oyster-style” contactless system in the country outside London.
• TransMach Bus Tracker system ’the industry’s most accurate’TransMach has launched a ticket machine-enabled real-time vehicle tracking system called Bus Tracker that it says is “the most accurate” such product in the industry.

Other News Sources

• Blackburn with Darwen Council says 'Go online to report potholes'A LOCAL authority is promoting its online service for residents to report potholes, damaged street lights and other highways problems.
• 'Chaos' warning to UK holidaymakers planning a trip in the next six monthsDelays in processing security checks for new airline crew are increasing the number of flights being cancelled, according to the boss of easyJet.
• Sussex sees mass railway clean up for Queen's JubileeHUNDREDS of graffiti-stricken heritage railway sites have been given a new lease of life.