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

Wednesday, 24 February 2021

BBC News

• Google-linked smart city plan ditched in PortlandIt is another blow for Alphabet-owned Sidewalk Labs which cancelled a project in Toronto last year.
• Preferred bidder chosen for Prestwick AirportThe Ayrshire airport, which owes more than £43m to the taxpayer, is on the verge of being sold to a European investor.
• Covid: Airline industry travel pass ready 'within weeks'Industry body IATA says it sees its pass as essential for reopening quarantine-free travel.

Channel 4 News

• Johnson promises Covid vaccine passports reviewThe Prime Minister has admitted that the government is considering the possible use of

The Independent

• Heathrow suffers £2bn loss after traffic collapses in 2020UK’s busiest airport handled more passengers in January and February than in the whole of the rest of the year

The Telegraph

• Rail commuters could stick to car post-lockdown prompting calls for fare reform [subscription]Rail bosses said that one in seven former train commuters could add 175,000 cars to the morning rush hour
• Heathrow sinks to £2bn loss during pandemic [subscription]Bosses called on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to deliver measures to support the stricken sector in next week's Budget
• Road pricing is inevitable – on both sides of the Atlantic [subscription]Championed by Tony Blair then dismissed by Gordon Brown, pay-per-mile charging is being advocated to make up for a shortfall in fuel revenue
• Rail commuters could stick to car post-lockdown prompting calls for fare reform [subscription]Rail bosses said that one in seven former train commuters could add 175,000 cars to the morning rush hour

Times Online

• Drivers must pay £690 to park outside own homes in plan to cut pollution [subscription]A London borough is planning to drive up fees for permits in controlled parking zones to what is believed to be the most expensive in the UK.
• Concern as agency in Ferguson ferry debacle plans seven more vessels [subscription]A government agency heavily involved in the disastrous Ferguson ferry contract is making preparations to build seven new vessels.

The Mirror

• Heathrow Airport plunges to £2billion loss amid 'toughest year in its 75 year history'The airport urged chancellor Rishi Sunak to hand out further support for the ailing sector, with international travel not set to resume until at least May 17, 2021

Sky News

• Heathrow issues plea for budget aid as airport dives to £2bn lossThe airport hopes that a vaccine-driven recovery in demand is on the horizon after worst year for passengers since the 1970s.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Top Councillor calls Leeds Bradford Airport expansion plan a 'disaster'THE deputy leader of Wakefield Council has branded the expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport “a disaster”. Labour councillor Jack Hemingway said the move would undermine efforts to make West Yorkshire carbon neutral.
• Railway group backs proposals for new train service to Manchester A PUBLIC consultation on the possibility of the Manchester to Clitheroe train service being extended to Hellifield and on to the Settle and Carlisle line as far as Garsdale, is being strongly supported by a rail user group.

Bristol Live

• Bristol Airport responds to lockdown roadmap Flights are limited at the moment

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Abandoned buildings at Victorian train station like 'stepping back in time' as revamp plan revealedStation rooms in Abergele and Pensarn that have been left unused for decades could now become commercial space
• Holyhead jetty upgrade will make it 'more attractive' to cruise ship passengersThe £500K investment will also help Orthios get the jetty ready to receive recycled plastics

Liverpool Echo

• Major new £200m rail plan could link Merseyside and North WalesIt would see the Wrexham to Bidston line extended to Liverpool

London Evening Standard

• Geography lecturer charged over Euston HS2 tunnel protestA geography lecturer has been charged after he was removed from the network of tunnels beneath Euston Square Gardens in protest at the HS2 railway line.
• United Airlines grounds Boeing 777 planes after engine failure over DenverBoeing has recommended grounding more than 120 of its 777 jets worldwide following an engine failure on a United Airlines plane over Denver.

Wales Online

• Airport bosses welcome moves to resume overseas travel as Heathrow reveals £2bn lossThe UK's busiest airport saw passenger numbers collapse to 22.1 million last year from 80.9 million in 2019 as Covid-19 crisis ravaged travel industry

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• £16 million funding sought to start passenger services on rail lineA bid is set to be submitted for £16 million of government funding to extend rail services in the Black Country.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Theresa May wants international travel to return - after receiving £40k worth of gifts from Heathrow AirportTheresa May has urged the UK Government to “open up our international air travel” and provide certainty to the aviation industry, after receiving more than £40,000 worth of gifts from Heathrow Airport last year.

Bucks Free Press

• Bucks Council slammed for bodge up of more than 70 potholes in Chesham OUTRAGED locals have slammed the scandalous repair of what is said to be more than 70 on a stretch of road, branding the job a bodge up� and a waste of money

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• London's congestion-cutting Lane Rental scheme to be expanded and updated from MayA series of changes to London’s pioneering Lane Rental scheme are set to come into force from May after Transport for London’s (TfL’s) plans to improve the scheme were approved by the Department for Transport (DfT). These include an expansion of the area it covers and incentives for the highest safety standards.
• Proposals received for Hammersmith ferry serviceTransport for London (TfL) has received proposals from two bidders in its competition to determine who will provide a cross-river ferry service near Hammersmith Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, while the vital link undergoes essential repairs and refurbishment works. City Cruises and Uber Boat by Thames Clippers are the operators who have submitted detailed bids.

New Civil Engineer

• Industry-wide Expenditure Transparency Charter mooted to improve procurementThe Rail Supply Group is developing an industry-wide charter to log all expenditure in a bid to improve procurement processes.
• Electric resistant paint saves Cardiff rail bridge from costly demolitionThe use of electric resistant paint combined with voltage-controlled clearance (VCC) has helped make a Victorian railway bridge usable by new electric trains, saving Network Rail millions of pounds in the process.

Railway Gazette

• Smart windows on Paris airport peoplemoverFRANCE: One of the Orlyval shuttles at Paris Orly airport has been fitted with smart LCD windows which show information including flight departures and weather forecasts for the destinations. .

Other News Sources

• Plans to reopen Meir Station after 50 years chug forward with £37.5k cash injectionCouncil chiefs have been awarded nearly £40,000 of government cash to develop their plans to reopen a railway station – more than 50 years after it closed.
• Longer freight trains at Southampton port after £17m Network Rail projectLONGER freight trains are set to travel through Southampton following the completion of a £17million upgrade to a key stretch of railway line.
• Further consultation called for as opposition grows to chosen East West Rail routeBedford residents, councillors and MPs have called for further consultation on the rail link between Oxford and Cambridge as opposition to the proposed route mounts.