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UK delays more all-lane smart motorways for five years
More safety data is needed before other hard shoulders are made into traffic lanes, the government says.
Heathrow demands end to Covid testing for vaccinated as 600,000 cancel flights
Airport says passengers abandoned plans because of Omicron variant and uncertainty on restrictions
HS2 Minister commits to powering highspeed trains with zero carbon energy
HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson commits to powering the new highspeed trains with zero carbon energy supporting the net zero goal for 2035.
North Wales rail network upgrade plans move forward
PLANS to upgrade rail links between north east Wales, Chester and Liverpool are moving forward. Transport for Wales and Growth Track 360 have been developing plans for:
Wednesday, 12 January 2022
BBC News
- Station ticket office opening hours could be cutScotRail says fewer customers now buy tickets over the counter but critics say the offices have a wider role.
- London faces pollution public health crisis, Sadiq Khan saysThe city's mayor says more needs to be done to prevent a crisis of
- Scotland's airports warn Covid recovery will take yearsPassenger numbers at Glasgow Airport alone have dropped to levels not seen since 1973 due to the impact of the pandemic.
- Heathrow Airport warns return to normal travel years awayBritain's busiest airport wants an end to testing for all vaccinated travellers, as passengers hit 50-year low.
- UK delays more all-lane smart motorways for five yearsMore safety data is needed before other hard shoulders are made into traffic lanes, the government says.
Financial Times
- Heathrow carries fewer passengers in 2021 than first year of pandemicEmergence of Omicron causes wave of flight cancellations and deepens aviation crisis
- Boeing jet orders bounce back in 2021But Chicago-based manufacturer lags behind arch-rival Airbus in deliveries of new aircraft
The Guardian
- Bus services in England face axe as end to emergency Covid funding loomsBus services in England used by hundreds of thousands of passengers are poised to be slashed when emergency Covid funding expires at the end of March, transport authorities have warned.
- Ditching the hard shoulder proved too hard a sell to MPs and motoristsPausing the rollout of smart motorways suggests the government has finally bowed to the inevitable, faced with the collective outrage of motoring groups, bereaved families, newspapers, MPs – and indeed a former minister who signed off the schemes.
- Smart motorway rollout suspended amid safety concernsThe rollout of smart motorways has been suspended by the government until at least 2025 in response to safety concerns from MPs and motoring groups. Schemes to convert stretches of the M3, M25, M62 and M40 will be put on ice until five years’ worth of safety data from the controversial roads are available, ministers said.
- Heathrow demands end to Covid testing for vaccinated as 600,000 cancel flightsAirport says passengers abandoned plans because of Omicron variant and uncertainty on restrictions
The Herald
- Kate Forbes admits Prestwick Airport sale fell apart due to lack of taxpayer valueKATE Forbes has admitted bids for government-owned Prestwick Airport were rejected as they were “considered not to be adequate right now to secure value for the taxpayer”.
The Independent
- Three ticket offices to close as part of ScotRail’s proposalsTicket offices could close at some Scottish railway stations as part of the first overhaul of the service in three decades, but critics have blasted the plans as ones which will hit passengers and undermine station safety.
- EU under pressure after airlines fly thousands of empty ‘ghost flights’The European Union is facing increasing pressure to drop rules that necessitate airlines flying thousands of empty flights, dubbed “ghost flights”, in order to keep coveted airport slots.
Times Online
- Devil’s in the ducktail as turnaround director heads for shipyard exit [subscription]Two days before Christmas and just a week after it had been announced that he would be leaving his hugely-remunerated task of turning around the Ferguson Marine shipyard at Port Glasgow at the end of this month, Tim Hair submitted his final quarterly progress report to MSPs on the Scottish parliament’s net zero, energy and transport committee on delivery of the devolved government’s two many-years-late ferries. Was the timing designed to minimise scrutiny?
- End of the line looms for ticket offices [subscription]Ticket offices could close at some Scottish railway stations as part of the first overhaul of the service in three decades, but critics condemned the plans as ones which would hit passengers and undermine station safety.
- Smart motorway rollout paused amid safety fears [subscription]The government will pause the rollout of all future smart motorways for at least two years following concerns about their safety.
- Heathrow boss spells out frustration at Covid curbs [subscription]John Holland-Kaye says constant changes to regulations are stifling airlines’ revival
City AM
- Petrol prices drop to lowest levels since November after record-breaking surgePetrol prices have fallen to their lowest levels since November, with the costs of both unleaded petrol and diesel dropping over the past week. The post Petrol prices drop to lowest levels since November after record-breaking surge appeared first on CityAM.
The Mirror
- Smart motorways rollout paused following deaths and 'not fit for purpose' claimsThe government's decision to halt the rollout of smart motorways until more data is available has been hailed after concern has been raised over fatal accidents where there has been no hard shoulder
- Huge lorry queues at Dover as more lateral flow tests needed to keep traffic movingQueues have been backing up on the approach to Dover port and there are fears that there could be standing traffic for up to 20 miles long by Easter unless Covid checks are lifted
- Archaeologists find incredible lost Anglo-Saxon church along planned HS2 routeThey found the remains of an ancient church at the site of St Mary's Church, Stoke Mandeville, Bucks. and it was built around 1080 in a damp, isolated spot around half a mile from the village during the Norman conquest
Sky News
- COVID-19: Heathrow demands all testing is dropped after 600,000 passengers cancelled Christmas flightsThe UK's largest airport says it carried 12% fewer passengers in 2021 than in the previous year and says the damage it has sustained bolsters its case for regulators to accept its proposals for higher passenger charges.
Manchester Evening News
- Government pauses smart motorway rollout amid safety concerns“While our initial data shows that smart motorways are among the safest roads in the UK, it’s crucial that we go further to ensure people feel safer using them."
Nation. Cymru
- Rail company defends not investing in Welsh seafront defenceA rail company has defended not investing in the defences of a stretch of land frequently battered by waves.
Wolverhampton Express and Star
- M6 Toll price to increase 10p for cars from FebruaryAs part of the new pricing structure, there will be a 10p rise for cars at mainline and local junction plazas, a 20p increase for vans and a 30p increase for HGVs using the road.
Leeds Live
- Taxi drivers set to march on Leeds Civic Hall over policy that could cost them their badges The policy by Leeds City Council states 'it is essential that those seeking a living as a driver meet the required standards' but private hire taxi drivers say they want it to be reversed
Other Regional Press
- East West Rail route campaigners to stage protest in BedfordThey'll be a whole host of keynote speakers too
- North Wales rail network upgrade plans move forwardPLANS to upgrade rail links between north east Wales, Chester and Liverpool are moving forward.
- Rail Heritage Quarter takes step forward as lottery bid passes first stage with £52k grantThe plans would see the creation of a visitor attraction ready for the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway
- Calls to build gigafactory planned for Coventry Airport somewhere else ahead of meeting tonightWarwick District Council is set to consider an outline planning application for a gigafactory on the site tonight
New Civil Engineer
- MP calls for ‘four village bypass’ if Sizewell C is given green lightA Suffolk MP is calling for a proposed bypass to be extended if Sizewell C nuclear plant is given the green light.
- Removing railside human lookouts results in dramatic drop in near missesNetwork Rail's removal of human lookouts has resulted in a dramatic drop in near miss incidents on the UK's rail network after growing concerns over worker safety.
- Shapps urged to consider busway alternative to restoration of Portishead rail linePressure is mounting on transport secretary Grant Shapps to look at an alternative proposal to the restoration of the Portishead rail line.
Rail Technology Magazine
- HS2 Minister commits to powering highspeed trains with zero carbon energyHS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson commits to powering the new highspeed trains with zero carbon energy supporting the net zero goal for 2035.
Other News Sources
- New Smart Motorway plans paused as Government reviews safety dataA stretch of the M3 motorway in Surrey has already been converted into Smart Motorway
- New report looks at potential for community railways in UKProf Paul Salveson, who wrote the report, says co-op and community ownership models are well suited to the ideas put forward
- Maersk India sees big growth in export rail movement in 2021India has recorded huge growth in the exports rail movement of containerised cargo in 2021, after introducing 13 new weekly rail services.
- Servo Group grows rail divisionServo Group is expanding its fast-growing rail division, appointing a new Sentinel and Resource Manager after winning a raft of new work, including a major contract win with Network Rail.
- Penmaenmawr rail link reopens after a decadeHanson invest £300,000 to repair, refurbish, upgrade, and reopen North Wales railhead HANSON’s Penmaenmawr railhead in North Wales has reopened as part of the company’s UK rail strategy to reduce vehicle movements and cut associated CO2 emissions.
- North Wales rail network upgrade plans move forwardPLANS to upgrade rail links between north east Wales, Chester and Liverpool are moving forward. Transport for Wales and Growth Track 360 have been developing plans for:
- Glasgow Airport had worst year in almost five decades in 2021PASSENGER numbers at Glasgow Airport dropped down to levels not seen since 1973 due to the impact of the pandemic, MPs have been told.
- Heathrow airlines facing refuelling and ground handling misery as Menzies workers ballot for strike actionOver 400 workers employed by ground handling and refuelling company Menzies will be balloted for strike action from this Thursday (13 January) in a dispute over pay.
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