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

Tuesday, 19 April 2022

BBC News

• Lumo train passengers' panic after emergency stopBritish Transport Police say 15 train passengers reported minor injuries after the emergency stop.
• Rail ticket sale launched as travel costs criticisedThe move was announced to boost numbers on trains, which have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Financial Times

• US will not enforce travel mask mandate after legal defeatDecision comes after judge rules against face-covering requirement on US flights, trains and other public transport
• Korean Air urges government to ease restrictions on inbound arrivalsChief executive says faster reopening needed as competition to profit from pent-up demand intensifies

STV

• Scots encouraged to keep wearing face masks on public transportThere is no longer a legal requirement to wear a face covering in Scotland.

The Guardian

• Government plan to tempt UK back to trains dismissed as gimmickLabour and unions say Great British Rail sale will do nothing for commuters who have suffered steep fare rises. A government-backed Great British Rail sale to tempt travellers back to trains will slash the cost of a million journeys next month, but unions have dismissed it as a gimmick.

The Telegraph

• Tesla forces Shanghai workers to sleep on the floor [subscription]Elon Musk's Chinese factory using 'closed loop' system to restart production amid stringent Covid lockdown
• Hopeless airlines cannot take us all for fools forever [subscription]The great travel comeback has been marred by the biggest number of flight cancellations in a decade
• Hopeless airlines cannot take us all for fools forever [subscription]The great travel comeback has been marred by the biggest number of flight cancellations in a decade
• UK space industry prepares for lift-off after Putin triggers launch countdown [subscription]Russia's war in Ukraine means British satellite operators are turning to homegrown launch sites
• The Coventry centre helping to drive Britain's electric car dreams [subscription]The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre hopes to unlock Britain’s potential to catch up with Europe in battery development

Times Online

• Electric plane soars above competition [subscription]On an overcast day two American military test pilots climbed into a peculiar-looking white aircraft modelled on an Arctic tern. It lifted into the air almost silently, before soaring over Lake Champlain and landing at an airport in Vermont.
• Judge throws out mask mandate for US planes and trains [subscription]The mandate for planes, trains, buses and taxis was recently extended by 15 days until May 3 by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to give it time to study the impact of the BA.2 omicron subvariant responsible for the vast majority of US cases.
• One million half-price rail tickets offer to boost tourism and ease cost squeeze [subscription]The discounted tickets are available from today and apply to off-peak fares for travel between next Monday and May 27. All English government- contracted train companies are included. The discounted routes will be chosen by operators, based on factors such as demand and the potential to encourage people to travel by train.

Reuters News

• The brands that are banding together to jumpstart clean fuels in transport and industryThe International Energy Authority estimates that half of the emissions reductions necessary to reach net-zero will come from technologies that are too nascent to be used commercially today.

Daily Express

• Million half-price tickets offered to tempt passengers back in 'Great British Rail Sale'THE GOVERNMENT is planning to slash the prices of a million train tickets in half to try and tempt back rail passengers, reports state.

Daily Record

• Plea to boost Renfrewshire's rural bus routesCouncil candidate hopes new laws will see better links for outlying communities

The Mirror

• Railway revolution as 34 new train stations could open across UK - see full listAll over the UK new stations are in the pipeline. From under construction to just a twinkle in city planners' eyes, these projects will transform their local area.

The National

• Glasgow premiere of Bus Regulation: The Musical debuts this weekendTHIS weekend Glasgow is set to play host to Bus Regulation: The Musical, a celebration of the history of the city's buses.

Bristol Live

• Network Rail shares Bristol Temple Meads update as ticket office relocatesTransformation is ongoing for better rail services

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Aberdeenshire Lib Dems promise plans for new rail routes in council manifestoNew rail routes in Dyce, Ellon, Fraserburgh and Peterhead could be installed in Aberdeenshire under the Lib Dems as they pledge to improve transport in their manifesto.

Wales Online

• Buses have stopped using the bus station in Maesteg because people keep parking thereThe service has been altered until further notice with First Cymru co-ordinating with Bridgend Council to resolve the issue

Other Regional Press

• More people need to get out of their cars, says BCP transport councillorPARTS of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole will grind to a halt unless more people can be persuaded away from their cars.
• Over 250 bus shelters in Blackpool to be repaired to encourage public transport useThe total includes £667,000 for repairing potholes, which will be used as part of the Project Amber scheme
• The "eye-catching" fares that could be used to get passengers back on the buses in LancashireLapsed or reluctant Lancashire bus passengers could be tempted on board the county’s services with more appealing ticket prices as part of a plan to provide a better experience for travellers.
• Explorers 'hear woman saying goodbye' on spooky trip inside dark Yorkshire castleThey claim to have found 'strange audio' on their recordings

Business Live

• List of 34 new train stations and wish list schemes leading the UK railway upgradeHere is a rundown on the latest rail station developments currently underway with details of schemes that local leaders say will transform the economy if they get built.
• Model railway retailer Rails of Sheffield to expand creating 20 jobsFamily-run Rails of Sheffield has secured funding to build a new 12,000 sqft base to accommodate its growing business
• New £60 million A50 junction delivers boost to Infinity Park research centreNuclear AMRC Midlands facility prepares for enhanced infrastructure

New Civil Engineer

• Work on A63 underpass in Hull progressesWork on a new underpass for the A63 Castle Street in Hull is moving forward, creating better connections for drivers in the city centre.
• Majority of Network Rail suppliers pledge to cut carbon emissionsOver two thirds (67%) of Network Rail’s suppliers have signed up to the organisation’s Science Based Targets initiative, which focuses on the reduction of its carbon emissions.
• Transport efficiency and safety innovations receive DfT fundingThe Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded £1.95M of funding to innovators pioneering ways to improve the transport system’s efficiency, safety and sustainability.
• Bam Nuttall begins enabling works on £26M Sunderland stationEnabling works are underway on the first part of a transformational programme to reinvent Sunderland’s train station. Bam Nuttall is making final preparations to deliver the £26M project that will see the southern entrance of Sunderland Central Station transformed into a bright and airy point of arrival for visitors travelling by train and metro.

Rail Advent

• Northern maps out locations of blue plaques across its networkNorthern is emulating the blue plaque scheme for marking historic sites, by installing blue plaques at historical sites across its 470-station network.

Rail Business Daily

• Former Prime Minister joins GWR’s independent advisory boardGreat Western Railway has welcomed the Rt Hon Theresa May MP to its independent stakeholder advisory board. The 12-strong board of experts helps provide opinion and oversight.

Railway Technology

• Network Rail to invest £70m on 550 upgrade projectsNetwork Rail will undertake plain line track renewals, resignalling and maintenance works, etc.

Transport Network

• Nottingham launches Oyster-style contactless ticketing systemNottingham City Council has successfully rolled out the first Oyster-style contactless ticketing system in the country outside of London.