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

Saturday, 09 January 2021

BBC News

• Speeding trains on Aberdeenshire crash line investigatedThe Rail Accident Investigation Branch says two services went through the 40mph restriction at up to 100mph.
• Brexit: New NI fishing boat rules 'create hard border'The number of Irish ports at which NI-registered boats can land their catch has been reduced to two.
• Covid-19: School meals and transport on hold until FebruaryThe Education Authority has told schools that pupils must bring packed lunches for the next few weeks.
• Hyundai's confusion over Apple electric car tie-upThe Korean car company originally said it was in talks with the tech titan before backtracking.
• Boeing to pay $2.5bn over 737 Max conspiracyThe firm is to pay $2.5bn to settle US criminal charges over the 737 Max aircraft conspiracy.

Financial Times

• Signature/private jets: boarding GatesAviation services company has a decent business model and could attract higher bids

The Guardian

• Hyundai's value surges by $9bn amid reports of Apple electric car dealSouth Korean firm backtracks on statement confirming 'early discussion' with US company. Hyundai's value surged by $9bn (£6.6bn) on Friday after reports that it could join with Apple in developing a driverless electric vehicle “ despite confusion as it backtracked on a statement acknowledging 'early discussion' with the iPhone manufacturer.Investors sent the South Korean carmaker's share price on the Seoul exchange up almost 20%, as local media reported a possible tie-up on electric cars and batteries with Apple, which has been developing its own vehicle technology.
• Car owners told not to miss MOT despite Covid lockdownTests now deemed an essential service, unlike during first UK restrictionsSee all our coronavirus coverage. Car owners in the UK have been told to make sure they do not miss their MOT, even if they are not currently able to use their vehicle.During the first national coronavirus lockdown in 2020, the need for the annual checks was put on hold and drivers whose certificates were due to expire before 31 July were given a six-month extension.
• Firms halt deliveries from UK to EU over Brexit border problemsDPD pauses road service and retailers suspend sales or reduce lines amid concerns over paperwork and tariffs A growing number of retailers and courier firms are suspending or cutting back deliveries into the EU as companies grapple with new border controls as well as import taxes.On Friday DPD, the international delivery giant, said it was 'pausing' its road service from the UK into Europe, including the Republic of Ireland.

The Independent

• Ireland forced to ease Brexit bureaucracy after hauliers warn supermarket stocks could run lowLorries turned away at ports and ferry crossings cancelled as backlog builds in England and Wales

Times Online

• Arrivals to UK must quarantine even after a negative Covid test [Subscription]The quarantine system for international arrivals will be imposed indefinitely despite the introduction of compulsory pre-flight tests, it was revealed yesterday.

Mail Online

• Bill Gates bids for private jet operator - one month before he releases climate change book The Microsoft boss's company Cascade Investment entered the bidding war for British private jet servicing company Signature Aviation Friday.
• Tesla crashes caused by drivers mistaking accelerators for brakes, safety officials announce On Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the findings of a year-long investigation into a 'defect petition' filed last January, involving three models of Tesla cars.
• British Airways economy class food will now come from Michelin-star chef Tom KerridgeFood from Tom Kerridge's menu will be available on a 'buy before you fly' basis from a new 'Speedbird Café' service. The gourmet menu will include a posh Warm Steak & Ale Pie and a Soft Brie Ploughman's.
• Covid UK: Ryanair boss slams Grant Shapps's 'shambolic' travel orderThe Transport Secretary has said nobody will be able to depart to the UK by plane, train or ferry unless they present a 'recognised' test result on check-in along with a valid passport and visa if required.
• Prime Minister's Jaguar could be replaced with a German BMW or MercedesJaguar halted production of the XJ Sentinel after demand fell during the pandemic. The Prime Minister's fleet of Jaguars has been depleted by crashes and breakdowns since 2010.

This is Money

• The five safest new cars to buy in 2021 have been named by expertsMotors launched in the last year by Honda, Mazda, Seat, Toyota and Volkswagen have all received the highest recommendation from Thatcham.
• Supermarkets stung drivers with above-average fuel price hikes in DecemberMorrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco increased fuel prices above costs in December, hiking petrol and diesel by 3p-a-litre when wholesale rose just 1p.
• Cost of car insurance increased at end of 2020 as lockdown lifted slightlyCar insurance premiums started to rise towards the end of 2020, after four consecutive quarters of falls, new research has revealed.
• Tesla's value races past $800bn as car maker's shares shoot upThe company's shares rose by as much as 8.4 per cent at one stage. It came just a day after boss Elon Musk overtook Amazon's Jeff Bezos to become the world's richest person.
• Bill Gates throws weight behind bid for Signature AviationThe Microsoft founder, who owns 19 per cent of the private jets provider through his vehicle Cascade Investment, has joined US private equity giant Blackstone in its bid to buy the business.
• EasyJet secures £1.4bn state-backed bailoutThe firm said the five-year loan had been underwritten by a group of banks and part-guaranteed by UK Export Finance, a government agency.

Birmingham Mail

• HS2, housing and the Covid recovery - what 2021 has in storeCouncil leader sets out roadmap for the next 12 months

Birmingham Post

• Customs red tape suspended by Irish tax bosses in bid to ease post-Brexit trade backlogThe temporary easing of new customs rules will help ports like Holyhead and Fishguard
• Airbus reveals delivery and order totals for pandemic hit 2020The aerospace giant has been badly impacted by coronavirus but orders still coming in

Bolton News

• National Express has suspended all services The coach line has a provisional restart date of 1 March in place, but has warned that plans could change.
• Plans to END traffic jams outside Bolton railway station THE concourse and entrance to Bolton railway station is to be rebuilt with a new road off Newport Street serving passengers.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Gritters out this afternoon and tonight to combat cold snap GRITTERS will be out in Bradford this afternoon and tonight as temperatures after the district has been gripped by snow.
• Bus routes cut, sledging and snowmen as snow causes disruption SNOW brought disruption to the Bradford district today but the wintry weather is not set to last this weekend.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus delivered 566 planes in pandemic hit yearThe aerospace giant that employs thousands of workers at Broughton has been impacted by the Covid crisis

London Evening Standard

• How will coronavirus travel testing work for arrivals in England and Scotland?Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced new restrictions for travellers entering England and Scotland.
• Heathrow drops off list of 30 busiest airports for first time ever due to Covid pandemicHeathrow has fallen out of the top 30 busiest airports globally for the first time in its history, figures show today.
• Evening Standard comment: Virus travel tests are long overdue | Follow the rules | Time to go, TrumpNearly one year on from the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the UK, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that international arrivals to England must present a negative Covid-19 test at the border.
• Grant Shapps nods to new US Presidential administration with bookshelf displayTransport Secretary Grant Shapps appeared to flatter the incoming Joe Biden administration with a strategic bookshelf display during a round of media interviews on Friday.
• Passenger tests must only be temporary measure, say aviation bossesAviation bosses today warned that the Government's plan to require passengers to have a Covid test before flying to the UK must only be a temporary measure
• £86,000 court bill for Londoners who flouted public transport coronavirus face mask rulesLondoners caught not wearing a face mask on public transport have been ordered to pay out more than £86,000 after a first batch of criminal prosecutions.  
• Snowdonia car parks forced shut in Covid rules crackdown"This is not a dress rehearsal. People will live and die on the actions we all choose", said a Welsh police chief.

Northern Echo

• Northern Trains roll out more job opportunities this yearA TRAIN company's has recruitment drive helped many back into work during the height of coronavirus pandemic last year.

Wales Online

• Landslide means months of long detours for residents of two villagesTrees and part of the roadside bank have fallen down towards the stream below
• Car parks shut at national park because people keep flouting rulesThe chairman of Snowdonia National Park Authority said people have been ignoring lockdown

Cambridge News

• Waterbeach busway plans raises 'genuine concern''The short-term investment should probably be more towards the railway'
• Northern route for Cambourne to Cambridge busway 'slightly less preferred'The mayor secured the backing of his transport committee to ask the GCP to consider the northern route
• Works to cause 'significant disruption' to some Cambs rail services this monthThe works come as part of a £1.2 billion upgrade of the East Coast Main Line.

Peterborough Telegraph

• ‘Delays’ to mail delivery in Peterborough as posties self-isolatePeterborough residents could see delays in receiving their mail due to a number of posties self-isolating.

Reading Evening Post

• Latest Heathrow rules as England arrivals must have negative Covid testThe new rules for travellers will be in place from next week

Other Regional Press

• 'Chaos' as truckers given wrong postcode for Brexit lorry parkConfused truckers sparking chaos in a village while trying to find a Brexit lorry park have been given the wrong postcode by the government.
• Drivers face 21-mile diversion around Dorset due to roadworks on major route A KEY road into a Dorset town will close overnight for major resurfacing works - and the official diversion route will take drivers on a 21.4-mile trip around two counties.
• Why it has been a good year for cycling in Oxford Alison Hill, chairman of Cyclox, reflects on a surprisingly good year for cycling.
• Southampton Airport demands more support for airline industry OWNERS of Southampton Airport have urged the government to provide more support for the airline industry as it struggles to survive the Covid crisis.
• All the travel rules for Yorkshire buses, trains and trams in lockdown 3Passengers must follow strict Covid-19 rules when travelling across Yorkshire

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Coronavirus testing for hauliers to continue following decision by French governmentCurrent testing arrangements for hauliers crossing the Channel – where they must have had a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours of crossing – are set to continue following a decision by the French Government.   The continuation means that hauliers – including drivers and crew of HGVs, drivers of LGVs and van drivers – planning to cross the Channel should get a negative test before travelling to Kent or other Channel Crossing points.   Following the French Government’s original decision to close the border to the UK, and the subsequent reopening of ...
• Mandatory Covid-19 testing introduced to bolster border measuresPassengers arriving from all international destinations will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result before departing for England to help protect against new strains of coronavirus circulating internationally. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that from next week inbound passengers arriving by boat, plane or train will have to take a test up to than 72 hours before departing the country they are in, to help protect against the new strains of coronavirus such as those seen in Denmark and South Africa.
• National Express announces full suspension of servicesNational Express will fully suspend its national network of scheduled coach services with effect from 23:59 on Sunday 10 January 2021. Chris Hardy, managing director of National Express UK Coach: “We have been providing an important service for essential travel needs. However, with tighter restrictions and passenger numbers falling, it is no longer appropriate to do this.” All journeys before Monday 11 January will be completed to ensure any passengers making essential journeys are not stranded.

New Civil Engineer

• TfN: Delivering HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail in full is key to Union connectivityTransport for the North (TfN) has called for “clear commitment” to the delivery of High Speed 2 (HS2) and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) to boost UK connectivity.
• Network Rail draws up list of possible deferrals after recording £96M shortfall Network Rail bosses are evaluating which of its planned schemes could be pushed back if the rail operator is asked to cut its expenditure by government.

Other News Sources

• Blackburn Bus Company changes timetables to 'accommodate key workers'BLACKBURN Bus Company will be operating services it says are built around the needs of key workers from Sunday.
• National Express has suspended all services The coach line has a provisional restart date of 1 March in place, but has warned that plans could change.
• Heathrow and Gatwick airport: Full list of flight destinations with no quarantine on return to UKInternational travel is only permitted if passengers have a legally permitted reason

EIN News Subscription

• Airbus orders plunge 65pc as airlines hunker downPARIS, Jan 9 ― European plane maker Airbus said yesterday that it garnered just 268 net new orders last year, a drop of 65 per cent year-on-year reflecting persistent fears about the prospects for air travel amid the coronavirus crisis.