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

Tuesday, 20 July 2021

BBC News

• Bike carriages rolled out on West Highland rail lineThe specialist Highland Explorer train carriages have designated spaces for up to 20 bicycles.
• Northern's self-service ticket machines hit by ransomware cyber attackNorthern rail's new self-service machines were installed at 420 stations two months ago.
• Covid in Scotland: Review after row over 1m rule on cross-border trainsA rail operator is carrying out a review after it was criticised for not enforcing social distancing rules when trains cross the border from England.
• Crossrail: Full timetable 'predicted in May 2023’A full Crossrail timetable will not be in operation until May 2023, the Public Accounts Committee has been told.

Financial Times

• AirAsia plots more digital deals to navigate Covid troublesTony Fernandes says pivot to ride-hailing and ecommerce could involve Spac listing
• Biden’s shot across the bows for the world’s shipping linesSurges in transport costs and antitrust concerns have sparked action by the US president
• French night trains head towards a new dawnClimate change is prompting a revitalisation of the country’s rail sector
• Northern Trains ticket systems hit by suspected ransomware attackUK state-owned rail operator says customer and payment data not compromised

STV

• Train firm ‘reviewing’ distancing guidance after backlashLNER had said it was following the English rules, meaning no masks or physical distancing required.

The Guardian

• UK bus privatisation breached basic rights, says ex-UN rapporteurReport blasts more expensive, unreliable routes outside London that have cut people off from communities and essential services. Britain's bus services outside London were so damaged by privatisation that people were unable to access basic needs such as work, education and healthcare, according to a scathing report by the former UN special rapporteur on human rights. Many people in Britain had lost jobs and benefits, been forced to give up on education, or been cut off from communities and healthcare as bus services grew more expensive, unreliable, and dysfunctional after the 1985 reform

The Independent

• Station known as ‘Titanic of the mountains’ reborn as hotelUnlucky village in Pyrenees to gain new attraction

The Telegraph

• Train companies defy Sturgeon and axe social distancing in Scotland [subscription]Rail operators are embroiled in a row with Nicola Sturgeon's government after refusing to enforce social distancing rules for passengers travelling into Scotland.
• Thatcher’s bus privatisation legacy castigated by former UN adviser [subscription]Philip Alston says bus operators have been allowed to prioritise profits and dividends, leaving cash-strapped councils to plug the gaps
• Drivers face higher repair bills in EU car parts crackdown [subscription]Brussels rules could leave British motorists paying almost £100 extra a year to big manufacturers

Times Online

• Train firm rebuked over its English rules on Scot routes [subscription]A UK government-owned train company has said its passengers would be allowed to potentially break the law by allowing them to follow England’s relaxed social distancing rules when they enter Scotland.
• Polluted roads to have speeds cut and lorries sent elsewhere [subscription]Lower speed limits and vehicle diversions are being imposed on some of the country’s busiest roads under plans to cut illegally high levels of air pollution, The Times has learnt.

City AM

• Northern Rail ticket machines hit by ransomware attackNorthern Rail’s new self-service ticket machines have been the subject of a ransomware attack, the rail operator confirmed this evening. The post Northern Rail ticket machines hit by ransomware attack appeared first on CityAM.

Network Rail

• Lift-off for Barry Station: £3.3m project gets underway to improve passenger accessibilityNetwork Rail is upgrading Barry Station with a lifts and a brand-new footbridge Passengers will soon benefit from an improved travel experience at Barry Station, with a multi-million pound investment to upgrade accessibility

Sky News

• Crossrail services could start in February at the earliest, MPs are toldCrossrail's chief exec tells the Public Accounts Committee of MPs that it has recovered time lost to COVID disruption but the pandemic has added to its already inflated costs.

Birmingham Post

• Additional expertise sought to help deliver Hull's cruise terminal ambitionArchitect and specialist marine engineer tenders approved by city council as part of £73m plan

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Leeds Station opens new Changing Places facilityNETWORK Rail has opened a new Changing Places facility – a toilet for people with profound and multiple disabilities – at Leeds station.
• Uber issues update on face mask rules following changes in UK Covid lawsCar-hailing app Uber has issued an update to users across the UK following a change in the law surrounding Coronavirus.

Edinburgh Evening News

• ‘I felt extremely uncomfortable’ - Lothian Buses accused of not doing enough to prevent overcrowding on busesLothian Buses has been accused of not doing enough to prevent overcrowding on buses - leaving passengers feeling “extremely uncomfortable”.

London Evening Standard

• Crossrail almost at ‘dress rehearsals’ ahead of possible February 2022 openingThe Public Accounts Committee has heard that efforts to complete the railway are “going well”.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Call for £1 flat rate bus fare across Newcastle and Gateshead to slash air pollution from carsNewcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes says bus companies need to significantly cut their prices

Yorkshire Post

• UK bus services 'scaled back dramatically' since privatisation, says former UN inspectorBus services in South Yorkshire and other areas of the country have been “scaled back dramatically or made unaffordable” since they were privatised in 1986, claims former UN Rapporteur Philip Alston.

Other Regional Press

• The failed London commuter train service that would have made life easier for manyAn 'Ultraspeed' train between Glasgow and London was once on the cards but has since been abandoned
• LNER slammed by angry MSPs over ‘unacceptable’ English Covid guidance on train services in ScotlandTrain operator LNER has been accused of issuing “inaccurate advice” to passengers by saying it can operate its services under English virus guidance while in Scotland, in a row that sparked angry responses from Scottish Government ministers.
• New artwork windows that honour 'Britain's finest war poet' Wilfred Owen unveiled at Scarborough train stationVisitors to Scarborough train station may have noticed that two new colourful windows have been installed.
• Prince Charles unveils Exeter's new bus station ahead of huge opening dayThe future King was told about plans for the city to achieve zero carbon emissions within the next decade
• Cheshire East in bottom 10 local authorities for bus usageCHESHIRE East is in the bottom 10 local authority areas for people using buses and the council is looking at ways to improve this.
• Preston Bus announces improvementsPreston Bus has announced a number of improvements to bus services from next Monday, July 26, to encourage passengers to get back on bus following the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• £56 million recovery package to support light railLight rail operators will receive £56 million in financial support to help longer-term viability and self-sustainability as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.   Rt Hon Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, said: “As restrictions are lifted and passengers return, the light rail sector is important in helping local economic recovery, thereby supporting the government’s ‘levelling-up’ agenda.   “To encourage passengers back, light rail services should be as available as they were prior to the pandemic. Without support, however, it may not be ...

New Civil Engineer

• Bristol Airport expansion inquiry beginsThe public inquiry into Bristol Airport's expansion proposal begins today, with the airport hoping to overturn North Somerset Council's decision to refuse the expansion plans last year.

Aviation Industry

• “It Doesn’t Fly With Us”: New campaign sees aviation industry stepping up to protect threatened wildlifeThe ROUTES Partnership and United For Wildlife have launched a new ‘Step Up to Stop Wildlife Trafficking’ campaign and are encouraging all aviation companies that want to help to end wildlife trafficking in air transport to get involved. For International Airport Review, Michelle Owen, ROUTES’ Lead, discusses the campaign and how airports can work to combat the global issue of wildlife trafficking.
• Swiss flies on sustainable aviation fuelThe fuel has been in use in the country since July 1 thanks to new customs provisions 
• Joby Aviation, JetBlue and Signature to create pathway for utilisation of electric and hydrogen aviation creditsJoby Aviation is working with JetBlue Airways and Signature Flight Support to forge a new path toward net-zero emissions in the aviation industry, which will incentivise the rapid commercialisation of clean propulsion systems.

Other News Sources

• UK's Northern rail's self-service ticket machines hit by ransomware cyber attack- BBCBritain's Northern rail's new self-service ticket machines have been targeted by a suspected ransomware cyber-attack, the BBC reported on Monday, adding that the system has been offline since last week and an investigation is under way.