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

Friday, 24 July 2020

BBC News

• Transpennine rail upgrade to get £600m kick-startPeople in northern England
• Social distancing on ScotRail trains to be reducedScotland's principle rail operator ScotRail is to relax the two-metre rule from Monday.
• Crossrail managers blame Covid-19 for further delaysCrossrail is working on a plan for a new time frame, as plans to open in summer 2021 are scrapped.

Financial Times

• BA pilots to vote on pay and redundancy packageUnion recommends crew accept proposals that include salary cut and voluntary working
• American Airlines pledges brand and slots to secure $1.2bn loanCarrier ends a tumultuous second quarter with higher cash burn than its rivals
• Passengers sue Carnival in Australia over virus outbreakSuit alleging ‘misleading and deceptive’ conduct adds to cruise group’s legal woes

The Guardian

• HS2 to hide tunnel vent shafts with 'country barns' in ChilternsRail project’s treatment of area contrasts with that of council estate in inner London HS2 is planning to build tunnel vent shaft “headhousesâ€� in the Chilterns disguised as barns to help appease local opposition to the high-speed rail line.Ministers had long since caved to demands for extra tunnelling so that the line should run underground for most of its passage through the picturesque Chiltern hills. Now, for the few overground structures the tunnel requires, HS2 has unveiled a design that owes more to a farmyard than a railway. Continue reading...
• Iranian passenger plane forced to change course as US fighter jets approached – reportIran promises political response after several passengers were reportedly injured when Mahan Air plane quickly changed altitudeTwo US fighter jets came close to an Iranian passenger plane over Syrian airspace, causing the pilot to change altitude quickly to avoid collision and injuring several passengers, Iran’s official IRIB news agency reported.The agency initially said a single Israeli jet had come near the plane but later quoted the pilot as saying there were two jets that identified themselves as American. Continue reading...
• Crossrail opening delayed again due to coronavirusFirst section of Elizabeth line will not open as planned in summer 2021, board saysThe heavily delayed Crossrail will not open as planned in summer 2021 because of delays caused by coronavirus, its board has said.The troubled railway, from Berkshire to Essex via central London, was originally expected to open in December 2018 but repeated delays have pushed it back. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Coronavirus: Physical distancing measures to be reduced on ScotRail trains next weCommuters and travellers will no longer have to remain two metres apart on trains and at railway stations across Scotland from Monday.

Times Online

• Tesla’s ride looks a little too wild [Subscription]Elon Musk is often called the Thomas Edison of his age — for good reason. His ambitions range from space travel and underground hyper-speed railways to brain-computer interfaces.
• Tesla gets trucking with new factory [Subscription]Tesla is building a new factory in Austin, Texas, wrapping up a months-long search for a site to manufacture its futuristic cybertruck.
• BA pilots get talks off the ground [Subscription]Today’s lesson from job crisis Britain: it’s amazing what can happen when a union negotiates with an employer. The result? A far better deal for the workers than the one initially on the table, as pilots union Balpa has just proved at British Airways.
• Little light at end of Eurotunnel [Subscription]Unable to carry anything but the most important lorries and people after the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March, Eurotunnel has seen its profits halved. The parent company of the railway under the Channel also warned that, although it expects the second half of the year to be better, it will still have a worse year than initially forecast when the outbreak struck.
• Iranian plane forced to nosedive as US fighter jet approached over Syria [Subscription]An Iranian passenger plane went into a steep dive after a US fighter jet came within approximately 1,000 metres over Syrian airspace, injuring passengers.
• Switch to Swiss-style railway would see fewer but more timely trains [Subscription]Many commuter trains may have to be scrapped in favour of a “Swiss-style” network that relies on fewer but more punctual services, according to a rail watchdog.
• Air traffic controllers paid bonus for ‘extra work’ [Subscription]France French air traffic controllers are receiving bonuses of up to €550 a month for “extra work” although only a quarter of normal flights are operating in French air space.
• Coronavirus: Heathrow packed as passengers turn up eight hours before flights [Subscription]Concern grows as families prepare for big getaway this weekend

Mail Online

• Road traffic is again nearly as heavy as it was before lockdown while London still lags behindThe number of motorists on Britain's roads is up four percentage points week-on-week with figures up even higher over last weekend, according to the Department for Transport data.
• Face masks will be compulsory in AIRPORTS and TRAIN STATIONSFace coverings will have to be worn in shops, supermarkets and shopping centres as well as train stations and airports under new rules set to apply across England from tomorrow.
• Iranian airliner goes into nose-dive when pair of US fighter jets 'came too close over Syria'The Iranian plane, belonging to regime-owned Mahan Air, was heading from Tehran to Beirut and landed safely in Beirut when it nose-dived over Syria.

The Mirror

• Travel air bridges 'could be pulled at last minute' as Spain cases explode againThe coronavirus air bridges enabling Brits to travel to a list of countries without needing to quarantine on returning home could be changed day-by-day meaning holidaymakers abroad could face an unexpected isolation

This is Money

• Electric vehicles are now CHEAPER to own than petrol carsIn 2020, the average lifetime running costs - including purchase price - for an electric car is £52,133, while an equivalent petrol model is £53,625, according to calculations by Direct Line.
• BAE's £100m British warship contractsThe deals will support 250 jobs at the suppliers as construction gets under way on the final part of the first Type 26 frigate. The warships are being built at BAE's shipyards in Glasgow.
• Pilots urged to vote for deal to save jobs at British AirwaysThe airline had originally planned to axe around 1,250 of its 4,300 pilots. But this has been cut to 270 under the terms of an agreement that has taken months to hammer out with unions.

Belfast Telegraph

• Campervan demand soars thanks to holidays at homeCampervan firms have avoided a Covid-19 crash thanks to a boom in staycations.

Birmingham Mail

• Holiday chaos for Brits as quarantine-free travel faces 'being pulled'Spain was included in the 'green' list of countries for quarantine-free travel from the UK, with airlines now operating flights abroad

Birmingham Post

• New designs showcase revamped Birmingham International stationNext stage of work has been completed in £286m regeneration project to create multi-modal transport hub
• Haulage firm receives industry recognition for Covid-19 responseLymers Assist hailed by Road Haulage Association for ‘outstanding’ work
• Airbus makes move to resolve WTO trade dispute and remove costly dutiesAirbus has announced it has agreed to make changes to the A350 jet’s repayable launch aid

Daily Post (North Wales)

• The new Snowdonia parking rules you must follow - and what happens if you don'tThe car park at Pen-y-Pass will now be a drop-off site for buses and taxis only on weekends

London Evening Standard

• 'Packed like sardines': Passengers slam 'chaos' at Heathrow Airport as queues spark social distancing fearsFurious passengers have complained they were

Bucks Free Press

• Moto service stations slash fuel prices as part of new trial Moto, the UK’s largest motorway service station operator, have cut fuel prices at some of its filling stations as part of a new trial.
• HS2 Chiltern tunnel: This is how vent shafts will lookHS2 has revealed the final design for the Chalfont St Peter vent shaft headhouse – the first of four structures that will be built to provide ventilation and emergency access to the high-speed rail line’s 10 mile-long Chiltern tunnel.

Reading Evening Post

• Full M4 closure in place this weekend for smart motorway roadworksThe busy route will be shut between junctions 6 and 8/9 for the new Wood Lane bridge to be constructed

Other Regional Press

• Fears that level crossing closure would blight neighbourhoodTracy Brabin MP back residents concerned about possible new bridge over rail line
• New electric vehicle charging points on Cov's most polluted roadIt is the most polluting road in the West Midlands

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• £589 million to kickstart rail upgrades across the NorthTo kickstart work on the Transpennine main line between Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester, £589 million has been confirmed by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. The establishment of a new Northern Transport Acceleration Council dedicated to accelerating vital infrastructure projects and better connecting communities across the North’s towns and cities has also been announced. The most congested section of the route will be doubled from 2 to 4 tracks, allowing fast trains to overtake slower ones, improving journey times and reliability for passengers across the North. Most of the li...

Rail Technology Magazine

• £589m for rail upgrades across the North A multi-million-pound investment has been confirmed today by Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, to kickstart work on the Transpennine main line between Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester. This announcement also comes from the newly established Northern Transport Acceleration Council (NTAC)...

Other News Sources

• Bus usage remains low but modest growth continues, figures showBus patronage in Britain outside London on Sunday 19 July was 41% of that on an equivalent day, the first time that a figure of 40% or more has been achieved since 21 March. But bus usage is still well below car use as a percentage of an equivalent day, figures from the Department for Transport show.
• Stagecoach Solutions targets dedicated service marketStagecoach has announced its Stagecoach Solutions product. The group says it will offer a range of sustainable options as alternatives to traditional public transport to deliver more flexible travel for businesses and educational establishments, including dedicated services.
• South East submits transport devolution bidTransport for the South East wants to formalise its role as the regions’s voice for strategic transport by becoming a statutory body     A partnership of local authorities and business leaders in the South East of England have submitted a ground-breaking bid for transport devolution in the region. The proposal from Transport for the South East is designed to boost the region’s economic recovery from the effects of Covid-19 and accelerate investment in sustainable transport as part of a 30-year transport strategy. If agreed by transport secretary Grant Shapps and approved by parliamen...
• £589m for rail upgrades across the NorthInvestment announced alongside establishment of a new Northern Transport Acceleration Council   Transport secretary Grant Shapps will chair the new Northern Transport Acceleration Council   To kickstart work on the TransPennine main line between Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester, £589m has been confirmed today by transport secretary Grant Shapps. The establishment of a new Northern Transport Acceleration Council dedicated to accelerating vital infrastructure projects and better connecting communities across the North’s towns and cities has also been announced. The most congested sec...
• M23 ranked second worst motorway in the countryDRIVERS have ranked the M23 the second worst motorway in the country.

EIN News Subscription

• Iranian airliner goes into nose-dive when pair of US fighter jets 'came too close over Syria' … jet from the window of the plane and comments from a passenger … especially China, and European destinations. In 2016, … Airport and Düsseldorf Airport, citing Mahan's involvement in Syria and security … airline used to ferry Iran's arms and terrorists …