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

Friday, 07 January 2022

BBC News

• Covid-19: Hundreds of maskless London Underground passengers finedCompulsory face coverings were reinstated amid rising concerns about the Omicron variant.
• TransPennine Express cuts services to cope with impact of CovidStaff sickness due to the Omicron variant causes cuts to TransPennine Express rail services.
• London Underground: Northern Line to partially shut for 17 weeksThere will be no Northern Line service from Elephant and Castle, Borough and London Bridge stations.
• Covid: Pre-departure travel tests have outlived their usefulness - ShappsRules for those travelling to England are changing as Omicron is now worldwide, the transport secretary says.

Department for Transport

• Pre-departure testing removed for vaccinated travellersTesting and border measures are changing for fully eligible fully vaccinated travellers arriving in England.

The Guardian

• Travel sector welcomes end of pre-departure Covid tests for EnglandPCR test requirement for arrivals to be lifted from 4am on Friday and follows calls for it to be scrapped

The Telegraph

• Gatwick divert flights after IT problem at air traffic control tower

Times Online

• UK could scrap all Covid travel testing, says Shapps [subscription]Pre-departure tests have already been shelved for arrivals, saving vaccinated families £300

City AM

• Sadiq Khan hits out at rail union over planned six-month Tube strikeSadiq Khan has hit out at the UK’s largest rail union for its planned Tube strike tomorrow, saying that the long-term industrial action will “cause further devastation” for London’s economy.

Sky News

• COVID-19: Pre-departure tests scrapped for travellers entering the UKWhen he announced the measures on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson explained that the pre-departure measures were having a limited impact because the Omicron variant is so prevalent.

Birmingham Post

• Bentley Motors targets further sales drive after record yearThe Americas and China helped the company's total sales rise to a record level

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Jet2 in 150 per cent bookings spike after travel restrictions easedJET2holidays have reported a surge in bookings following the easing of travel restrictions by the UK Government.
• £40m road scheme will help reduce number of cars in Leeds city centreA £40m scheme to widen Armley Gyratory has been described as “criticalâ€� to getting cars out of Leeds city centre.
• Northern and TransPennine Express reduce train timetables amid 'rising sickness levels'Rail services in Bradford and other parts of West Yorkshire are continuing to be hit hard by

Other Regional Press

• Nottinghamshire goes greener with delivery of BYD ADL Enviro200EVsBYD UK and Alexander Dennis (ADL) have delivered four new 10.2m Enviro200EV electric buses to Nottinghamshire County Council, the first two of which have now entered service in Mansfield.
• Little used station will see no more trains despite campaignCouncillors have started a petition after their campaign to upgrade Sudbury & Harrow Road, one of London’s least used stations, fell short. 

C.N.N.

• England scraps pre-departure PCR tests for travelers(CNN) — England has ditched its requirement for pre-departure tests for inbound travelers in the latest shake up to Covid restrictions in the destination.

Coach and Bus Week

• Perth passengers benefit from new electric bus fleetStagecoach East Scotland is launching nine electric buses supplied by the BYD ADL partnership on local services in Perth. The buses were part-funded by the Scottish Government’s Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS).
• Switch to establish Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Centre in SpainThe new centre will provide a production and R&D hub for Switch Mobility’s contemporary electric buses and light commercial vehicles as part of the company’s global strategy

New Civil Engineer

• Crossrail’s main station contractors demobilised at all but two sitesEight of the Eliabeth line’s 10 Central London stations have now been transferred to Transport for London (TfL), with main contractors demobilised.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Go-Ahead, Air Products agree Metrobus hydrogen supply dealThe Go-Ahead Group has agreed a deal for Air Products to supply liquid hydrogen for the 20 confirmed GB Kite Hydroliner single-deckers that are on order for Metrobus, but its negotiations with Wrightbus over a potential 34 further hydrogen fuel cell-electric buses remain ongoing.
• Blackpool assesses potential for real-time displays with JourneoReal-time information for Blackpool Transport and Stagecoach buses serving the Fylde resort’s town centre is now being provided by a large display. Along with the accompanying software system, it has been installed by Journeo and forms “an insight into the potential of the technology,” says Blackpool Council, which plans to expand real-time bus information provision in due course.
• Harrogate Electrics fare-free Sundays return thanks to BIDFree Sunday buses are again running in Harrogate after the town’s Business Improvement District (BID) agreed to support the initiative on the Harrogate Electrics network, which is operated by Transdev Blazefield subsidiary The Harrogate Bus Company.

Other News Sources

• Jacobs says Crossrail still heading for £150m overpsendCrossrail has been warned that the chances of completing work within its current budget are continuing to shrink.
• Hove seafront cycle lane consultation must be re-done, says ConservativesA CONSULTATION into the extension of a seafront cycle lane must be done again, the Conservatives say.

News from Europe

• Europe’s greenest city has free public transport and highways for beesAs cities around the world scramble to find greener modes of living, one European capital is already leading the way in the race for sustainability.