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

Thursday, 01 April 2021

Cogitamus

• 🐣🐥 TransportInfo is taking a short break 🐣🐥🐣🐥 TransportInfo will be taking a short break over the Easter holiday and will not be updated from 2 to 5 April 2021. We will see you bright and early on Tuesday 6 April 2021 🐣🐥

BBC News

• London Southend Airport to pay out £86k over runway extension noiseAn airport has been ordered to pay compensation to the owners of neighbouring homes over noise caused by a runway extension.
• Should airports be allowed to expand?Airports around the UK want to expand and increase flights, despite a government commitment to cut emissions.
• Gatwick Airport: Can Crawley turn away from aviation and go green?The economic impact of the pandemic has hit few places as hard as Crawley, which relies on nearby Gatwick Airport for thousands of jobs.
• Easter 2021: Late surge in traffic predictedAbout 5.6 million people are thought to be planning trips by car in the UK over the weekend.
• COP26: Government has 'no plans' to delay climate summitDowning Street sources reject reports the COP26 meeting in Glasgow will be postponed until next year.
• Runway dining at $540 a meal proving hit in JapanJapan's biggest airline is making the most of grounded planes while Australian carriers are cutting prices.

The Guardian

• 'Suez 2'? Ever Given grounding prompts plan for canal along Egypt-Israel borderUK prepared to play leading role in project given new impetus by Ever Given blockage, say sourcesThe blockage of the Suez canal by the beached Ever Given container ship has prompted fresh international efforts to find an alternative to the world’s most important shipping corridor.UN officials are understood to be reviewing plans to construct a new canal along the Egypt-Israel border, having previously dismissed ideas for a much longer route through Iraq and Syria as too hazardous. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Airport ordered to pay compensation to home owners over noiseA court ordered a total of £86,000 to be paid to nine households

The Telegraph

• Revealed: devastating social impact of Beeching railway cuts [subscription]Report shows devastating impact on coastal and former industrial towns, which also suffer from poor bus links and low car ownership
• France and Germany wrongfoot the UK on hydrogen-fuelled road transport – again [subscription]Car-making giant Stellantis will soon have a production fuel cell vehicle on sale in the UK, but how does that fit with Government policy?

Belfast Telegraph

• Translink marks 25th anniversary with green recovery commitmentTranslink is marking its 25th anniversary this year, since it brought together Ulsterbus, NI Railways and Metro (then Citybus) under the one company in 1996.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford BID chairman backed new rail station plans for city PLANS for a Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) station in Bradford city centre would be a ‘game changer’, according to the city’s businesses bosses.

Blackpool Gazette

• Blackpool Airport hit by downturn in aviationThe current state of the aviation industry means the chance of commercial passenger flights returning to Blackpool Airport have dwindled even further.

Cambridge News

• Uber-rival taxi app Bolt launches in PeterboroughBolt has more than 50 million users in over 40 countries across Europe and Africa

Other Regional Press

• LETTER: Concerned by Liverpool John Lennon Airport’s plans for expansionLIVERPOOL Airport is planning on expanding over green fields near Speke, and Halton have given permission.
• Councillor leaves Lib Dems after Southampton Airport decisonTHE chair of the committee that last week rejected plans to expand the runway at Southampton Airport has stepped down.
• £31m Easter upgrades on railway between London and ScotlandNetwork Rail is keeping people on the move this Easter (2-5 April) while carrying out £31m of upgrades to improve future passenger and freight journeys between London and Scotland.
• A movement to recover green transport in Wales has been commended for its effortsreports revealed that the Community Rail Wales movement has more than 1,100 volunteers working for them, delivering 50,000 hours annually, valued at £4.3m.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Cast adrift – does the minister understand the problems?Our coverage of the Transport Select Committee evidence session raises some serious questions about the intention or the competence of government to aid our sector.

Coach and Bus Week

• National Express gets back behind the wheelThe familiar sight of National Express’ white coaches returned to the UK roads on Monday 29 March, with the operator promising its customers more in 2021.
• Zero emission buses to arrive across England in multi-million pound schemeA new scheme worth up to £120 million launched to help local transport authorities introduce zero emission buses and reduce carbon emissions from local public transport across England. The support follows the Governmet’s National Bus Strategy announcement, which set out how buses will be greener, cheaper, more frequent and more reliable.

New Civil Engineer

• Crossrail bosses to ‘refine’ delivery scheduleCrossrail’s delivery schedule is being “refined” to ensure the Elizabeth line is open for the first half of 2022.
• HS2 secures full planning consent for UK’s longest rail bridge after council drops legal challengeHS2 Ltd has secured full planning consent to build the UK’s longest rail bridge, after Hillingdon Council dropped its legal challenge against the Colne Valley Viaduct design.

Rail Business Daily

• East West Rail launches new consultation for vital local rail linksEast West Rail comes another step closer as the East West Railway Company (EWR Co) encourages people from towns and villages between Oxford, Bedford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge to take part in the next phase of public consultation.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Megabus services in England and Wales restart on 29 MarchMegabus scheduled coach services in England and Wales will restart from Monday 29 March. A reduced timetable will initially be in operation to connect key towns and cities. Cross-border services to Scotland will also resume from the same date.
• NCT marks closure of South Notts Gotham depot after 95 yearsNottingham City Transport (NCT) commemorated the closure of the former South Notts Bus Company depot at Gotham on 27 March. It has been shuttered as part of a post-COVID-19 recovery plan and a need to save costs, NCT says.
• £120m ZEBRA zero-emission buses scheme launchedThe Zero-Emission Buses Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme in England has been launched. It will provide a maximum of £120m of capital funding towards up to 500 emission-free buses and their associated infrastructure.
• Stagecoach orders 46 zero-emission buses for ScotlandStagecoach has ordered 46 battery-electric BYD Alexander Dennis (ADL) buses for deployment in Scotland.
• ‘Sector needs vision beyond National Bus Strategy’: SMMTThe recent publication of the long-awaited National Bus Strategy for England is welcome news, providing much clarity for a beleaguered sector. However, the proof will be in the pudding as we wait for strategy to be translated into tangible policy that can address the industry’s key concerns, says Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) CV Section Manager Nigel Base.
• Van Hool reaffirms commitment to UK customer baseVan Hool has underlined its commitment to the UK market after the closure of its former dealership partner Arriva Bus and Coach (ABC). That work will be built around the Van Hool UK business, which is based at the former ABC site in Wellingborough.
• Confusion over 12 April restart date for coach trips in EnglandRHA Coaches has questioned “arbitrary” guidance that was contained in a Q&A issued to the Tourism Alliance by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on 29 March and which suggests that coach trips in England for multiple groups may not restart until 17 May at the earliest.

Aviation Industry

• Belfast International achieves ACI Airport Health AccreditationFollowing the implementation of stringent health and safety measures at the airport, Belfast International has achieved ACI’s health accreditation.
• Airport fee reduction schemes could help to revive tourism post-CovidIn a move to incentivise airlines to resume services, the reduction of airport fees could act as an alternative strategy to revive traffic as the long road to tourism recovery begins.

Other News Sources

• Bam starts embankment construction and piling for new Scottish rail stationBam Nuttall has begun to create new embankments for platforms at Reston station in the Scottish Borders.
• Residents left ‘reeling’ ahead of next stage of East West rail consultationAhead of today’s announcement of the next stage of the East West Rail (EWR) consultation, residents of the Poets Area, near Bedford Station, have been left reeling at the news that their homes are under threat.
• East Lancashire Railway plans massive restoration and expansion of its historic loco works PLANS have been submitted for a massive restoration and development of the Buckley Wells locomotive and carriage works site, home of the East Lancashire Light Railway.