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

Thursday, 23 December 2021

BBC News

• Barcombe: Former railway bridge saved from infilling planProposals to infill a former railway bridge with concrete have been halted following a campaign by the community.
• US safety body to probe Tesla on in-car gameplayIt follows a complaint from an owner who discovered he could play games while driving.
• Isolation rule change will mean fewer rail cancellations, says industryShorter Covid self-isolation in England should mean fewer cancelled trains, says the Rail Delivery Group.
• November car production hits lowest level since 1984Industry group calls the figures

Financial Times

• Maersk to buy Hong Kong’s LF Logistics in $3.6bn dealDeal part of Danish shipping group’s push into land-based distribution
• Wizz Air snaps up Gatwick slots from NorwegianLondon-listed Hungarian airline strikes deal as part of effort to challenge Ryanair
• Maersk/LF Logistics: deal makes giant shipper even more powerful Container freight rates are at record highs as supply chain disruptions push up demand
• UPS/FedEx: not all delivery companies benefit from ecommerce boomOne US parcel business has done a better job of generating returns for shareholders but competition can only increase
• Ryanair doubles forecast of full-year losses as Omicron spread hits bookingsLow-cost carrier cuts schedules and warns new guidance still sensitive to more coronavirus news

The Herald

• Alan Simpson: From CalMac to Scotrail, politicians need to start taking transport seriouslyIT is the role of every Government to pass laws and legislate and is pretty much the only thing that we, the electorate, expect from the politicians that we vote in.

Times Online

• Moving the deckchairs on Scotland’s ferry programme before the storm hits [Subscription]n Scottish government circles, I’m told, it is known as Project Neptune — the moniker consultants at EY have attached to their advice to ministers on what to do about the organisational clutter that is failing to deliver reliable ferry services for many of Scotland’s island communities. Neptune was the Roman god of the seas. It is also the furthest known planet from the Sun, an icy world that has been visited by mankind, or at least one of its satellites, only once — by Voyager 2, in 1989.
• Wizz Air takes Gatwick airport slots off NorwegianWizz Air, which is taking on Ryanair and easyJet in the discount European short-haul market, has won take-off rights at Gatwick in a move that is likely to fire up an era of cut-throat competition at Britain’s second airport.

Parliament

• The future of railThis briefing provides an overview of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, the Government's White Paper on rail reform, and some of the key challenges ahead for the railway in Great Britain, along with an explanation of the arrangements the Government has put in place to ensure services continued to run during the Covid-19 pandemic. This briefing also provides an overview of the current system and how the railway in Great Britain has been structured over the last 30 years.

City AM

• Automotive output falls 28.7 per cent despite EV boostThe UK automotive output declined 28.7 per cent in November to 75,756 units produced. According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) released today, both domestic and overseas markets plunged, going down 18.8 and 30.4 per cent respectively. “These are incredibly worrying figures, underscoring the severity of situation facing the automotive [...] The post Automotive output falls 28.7 per cent despite EV boost appeared first on CityAM.
• Brits will have to pay for entry to the EU from 2022: Bloc to demand cash and pre-approval as post-Brexit trips to Europe are no longer for freeBrits will have to start paying €7 per person and pre-register their details in order to enter the European Union from next year. Reports had surfaced in various European media in recent weeks that access to all Schengen EU countries would come at a cost from 2022, and when approached by City A.M. this morning, [...] The post Brits will have to pay for entry to the EU from 2022: Bloc to demand cash and pre-approval as post-Brexit trips to Europe are no longer for free appeared first on CityAM.

The Mirror

• Families 'clobbered' by cost of travelling home for Christmas, says LabourFamilies travelling to see loved ones to celebrate Christmas are being "clobbered with massive costs" for train fares, bus tickets and fuel.

Birmingham Post

• Hundreds of jobs could be created at Rolls-Royce in UK following Japan fighter jet dealThe aerospace giant and Tokyo-headquartered IHI Corporation are going to build a jet engine demonstrator

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford bus company offers £1,000 joining fee for driversA BUS company is offering a £1,000 joining bonus in a bid to attract more drivers amid continuing discontent among passengers over the number of service cancellations.
• Bradford's Clean Air Zone delayed until Spring 2022The introduction of the Clean Air Zone in Bradford has been delayed until Spring 2022.
• UK car production suffers worst November in 37 years, according to 'incredibly worrying figures'UK car production saw the worst November performance since 1984 last month despite a surge in demand for battery electric vehicles.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Barmouth Viaduct to reopen for Christmas as major repairs to 'rotten' structure continueWalkers will get a Christmas bonus when an iconic railway bridge temporarily reopens over the festive period.

London Evening Standard

• Tube line closed for rest of year because of staff shortages due to CovidTransport chiefs have been forced to close a Tube line because of driver shortages due to Covid.

Northern Echo

• Fresh Leamside Line hopes for County Durham communitiesDISCUSSIONS about resurrecting a ‘mothballed’ rail route in the North East are expected to take place in the new year after fresh hopes of returning the train network to its ‘former glory’ have been tabled.

Sheffield Star

• HS2 Sheffield: Green councillor in charge of Sheffield transport is pleased high speed rail link was scrappedThe councillor in charge of transport in Sheffield says he ‘won’t shed a tear’ about HS2 being axed.

Chester Standard

• Merseyrail services to be cut back next week due to Covid-related staff absencesA REDUCED timetable will be running on Merseyrail services between Chester, Ellesmere Port and Liverpool next week due to the impact of Covid-19's latest wave of cases.

Other Regional Press

• Axe to fall on Clacks X53 bus routeA CLACKS bus service will be cancelled next month despite the valiant efforts of users of the bus and politicians to stop the decision.
• Guided busway: Partial closure of Cambridge southern section amid safety reviewAn inbound section of the guided busway between Cambridge Railway Station and Addenbrooke’s Hospital will temporarily close in January.

C.N.N.

• Unruly airline passengers could lose TSA PreCheck credentials. 'If you act out of line, you will wait in line'The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have joined forces in the fight against unruly airplane passengers.

New Civil Engineer

• National Highways no longer intends to infill 140-year-old East Sussex bridgeNational Highways has U-turned on plans to infill a 140-year-old bridge in East Sussex.

Transport Network

• DfT calls for local resilience reviews to manage Omicron impactTransport minister Baroness Vere has written to all local transport and highway authorities, bus and light rail operators in England asking them to review resilience plans in light of the Omicron variant.

Other News Sources

• The London bus route with high back seating, phone chargers and wooden floors on brand new busesThe 63 bus route has been running between Central and South London for 102 years. It has been chopped and changed but it has never received a makeover or gone viral on social media... until now.
• ‘We’re working towards developing a transport network that works for everyone’Buses in Hull have revealed a significant improvement in service since the introduction of extended bus lane times.
• More funding needed to fix 'wear and tear' of drivers using Surrey roads for Heathrow and Gatwick AirportsCouncillor Rebecca Paul said the issue was not just about Surrey residents
• EU split on proposals to extend carbon pricing to road transport and ban polluting cars EU countries remain divided on proposals to tighten carbon emission standards for cars and extend the EU's carbon market to the road transport sector, with the fault line running largely between richer and less-wealthy member states.