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

Saturday, 14 August 2021

BBC News

• Covid in Wales: Rail staff face abuse enforcing mask rulesPassengers on trains in Wales must still wear a mask, unlike in England where it is only advised.
• Covid study: How to avoid catching virus in a shared carOpening four windows at lower speeds and only two on the motorway is best, researchers say.
• Cost of NHS Covid tests for UK arrivals reducedSajid Javid reduces the cost of NHS travel tests ahead of a review into the pricing of all test providers.
• Privately owned e-scooters 'should be legal on roads'Tony Mumford died a week after crashing the e-scooter his partner Cheryl Evans gave to him.
• Gatwick in talks with lenders amid Covid lossesThe airport says Covid restrictions and a collapse in customer demand pushed it to a loss.
• Will I ever be able to fly without feeling guilty again?More efficient planes and sustainable fuels could lower air travel's impact, but not for a while.

Financial Times

• Branson's Virgin Group takes in $1bn from Galactic share salesSpace travel company's market value has almost trebled since 2019 listing through a Spac
• Gatwick in talks with lenders as losses mountUK's second-busiest airport posts first-half net loss of £245m

The Guardian

• Motorhomes and caravans banned from standby Scottish ferriesPolicy follows surge in complaints from islanders after services booked out for months by holidaymakersCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMotorhomes and caravans have been banned from joining standby queues for ferries to Scottish islands after a tide of anger from islanders about overwhelmed services.CalMac, the state-owned ferry company, has decided motorhomes, camper vans and caravans will only be allowed on their services if they have a confirmed reservation, in a bid to placate furious islanders. Continue reading...
• Richard Branson sells third stake in Virgin Galactic to prop up other firmsShares in space tourism firm worth $300m will support Virgin Atlantic and other businesses hit by Covid-19Richard Branson has sold a further $300m (£220m) stake in Virgin Galactic to raise more funds to prop up his airline, Virgin Atlantic, and other businesses hit hard by the pandemic.It is the third time Sir Branson, 71, has sold a large tranche of shares in in his space tourism company since it joined the New York stock exchange in 2019. He sold $505m worth in May 2020 and $150m in April this year, taking his total stake sales to almost $1bn. He still holds about 46m shares worth $1.2bn. Co...

The Herald

• Arran Ferry: Police called on CalMac stranded passengersPolice were called to deal with passengers who refused to leave the Brodick ferry terminal after they were left stranded on Arran when the last ferry back to the mainland was cancelled last night.
• Sturgeon faces CalMac ferry inquiry callsTHE direction in which the Scottish ferry fiasco appears to be heading has a significant bearing on business.
• Scots ministers transparency row as Ferguson Marine fixer paid £250k more than admittedA ROW has erupted over Scottish Government transparency as it emerged the Ferguson Marine ferry fiasco fixer was actually paid £252,701 more than was divulged.

The Independent

• Government cuts price of travel Covid tests by £20But the health secretary is accused of ‘tinkering’ over costs for travellers

Times Online

• Passengers refuse to leave pier after last ferry off Arran is cancelled [Subscription]Police officers went to a ferry terminal after passengers refused to leave when the last sailing back to the mainland was cancelled due to poor weather.
• Relax rules on travel, demands Gatwick [Subscription]Gatwick airport has urged ministers to relax travel restrictions and is seeking further breathing space from its lenders as it reels from a collapse in passenger numbers caused by the pandemic.
• Gatwick’s gripes are well grounded [Subscription]Flight delays are a bane of foreign travel. But who knew the government could successfully prolong them for the whole summer? And all thanks to its wacko traffic lights system and rip-off PCR testing regime.
• Tesla awaits green light for German mega-factory [Subscription]Tesla hopes to make the first cars at its huge factory near Berlin in October or soon afterwards, Elon Musk has said.
• RAF ready to airlift Britons from Afghanistan [Subscription]RAF airplanes are on standby as Britain faces a “race against time” to evacuate thousands of British and Afghan citizens from Afghanistan before the Taliban take over the country.
• Fleet of drones to be sent on pothole patrol [Subscription]It is a thoroughly modern solution to an age-old problem: drones are to be deployed onto Britain’s roads to help fix potholes.

City AM

• Elon Musk sets sights on October opening for new Tesla Berlin factoryTesla hopes to make the first cars at its new gigafactory near Berlin in October or soon afterwards, boss Elon The post Elon Musk sets sights on October opening for new Tesla Berlin factory appeared first on CityAM.

The Mirror

• Cost of NHS travel Covid tests slashed for green or vaccinated amber arrivalsPricing will be reduced from £88 to £68 for green or fully vaccinated amber arrivals, and from £170 to £136 for two tests for amber arrivals who are not fully vaccinated

This is Money

• Low speed limits, no hard shoulder... are smart motorways a dumb idea?We've all been there. It's late at night on a 'smart' motorway with little traffic. No visible sign of any problem. But approaching the next overhead gantry, you notice the speed limit is showing 40 mph.

Bristol Live

• M48 Severn Bridge partially closes all weekend - againThe closure will be lifted in the early hours of Monday (August 16)

London Evening Standard

• Council that axed cycle lanes fights bid to put it in 'special measures'Campaigners call on Grant Shapps to intervene in row over Kensington High Street lanes
• London Tube's Central Line could be extended further into EssexPlanners have proposed the London Underground could be extended further into Essex.
• Travel mayhem as UK roads are bumper-to-bumper to Cornwall and DevonTraffic on stretches of a major UK motorway was crawling on Friday as Brits dashed to the coast ahead of the weekend.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Easington MP hits out at overcrowding 'chaos' on Durham Coastline railwayCounty Durham MP Grahame Morris, who represents Easington, has criticised rail operator Northern after passengers were reportedly left unable to board trains on the Durham Coastline railway

Northern Echo

• Steam project now backed by 1,000 regular supportersThe A1 Steam Locomotive Trust is building a new Gresley class P2 steam locomotive No. 2007 Prince of Wales at its base in Darlington

Wales Online

• Transport for Wales launches week of action to reinforce face covering regulations on trainsIt comes after face covering compliance has fallen in recent months on certain services

Cambridge News

• Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2 and TUI: Five new countries that could be added to green list in next reviewEligible countries not added in the last update include Poland and Canada
• Jet2, Ryanair, easyJet, TUI: Government facing legal challenge over red list hotel quarantine policyAirlines and holidaymakers could receive a boost if the challenge proves successful
• Jet2, Ryanair, easyJet, TUI: Government urged to pay for 'hugely expensive' PCR test costsThere have also been calls to abandon the traffic light system

Peterborough Telegraph

• Speeding Peterborough drivers to be targeted in police crackdownSpeeding motorists are set to be targeted in a crackdown on dangerous driving.
• Speeding Peterborough drivers to be targeted in police crackdownSpeeding motorists are set to be targeted in a crackdown on dangerous driving.

Reading Evening Post

• Heathrow Airport: When will the USA and New Zealand open its borders?It's been a long time coming and the two nations have still yet to fully open their borders to tourists due to the coronavirus pandemic

Other Regional Press

• Tesla loses second application over unlawful creation of charging spacesAn electric car manufacturing giant has lost a second retrospective planning application for a parking area at a hotel.
• Rail services affected by improvements to Arun Valley lineRAIL passengers in the south are facing nine days of disruption - starting tomorrow.
• Eight cruise liners head to Southampton port in one weekendSOUTHAMPTON'S Port is due to be busy this weekend as cruises get well underway once again.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Spin launches Essex e-cargo bike trailsMicromobility company Spin is launching two new e-cargo bike trials in Essex.    Working with a new local community-based initiative, the Colchester E-Cargo Bike Delivery Project, Spin is trialling an e-cargo bike delivery service to replace and recharge drained e-scooter batteries.   Through the initial three-month trial, the Colchester E-Cargo Bike Delivery Project will replace approximately 20-30 low charged batteries a day across Colchester and take them to be charged at various points across the town, while they are running deliveries for other customers with four e-cargo b...
• Harlow Council to investigate London Underground extensionA plan to extend London's Underground further into Essex is being proposed by Harlow Council.   Harlow Council is investigating the potential for the extension of the Central Line to Harlow, as part of plans to improve and modernise the town’s transport connections and infrastructure.    Councillor Michael Hardware, Portfolio Holder for Strategic Growth, said: “With Harlow's close proximity to London our plans include investigating the potential for the extension of the central line to Harlow, lobbying to extend London Transport Zones to Harlow, examining connectivit...

Other News Sources

• Gatwick Airport announces almost £250 million loss so far in 2021GATWICK lost £244.6 million during the
• TUI cancel popular holiday destinations amid UK's Covid travel restrictionsTui has cancelled holidays to several popular destinations in Europe, as fears grow that 'green watchlist' countries could hastily be moved to amber.

EIN News Subscription

• New Ryanair deal a huge step on road to recoveryBudget airline's CEO has harsh words … be less airline seats in Europe next year. Shannon has secured … expect from any airport throughout Europe that wants to secure traffic … going to be concentrated in Europe and there's going to …
• Airport boss in blistering attack on government over PCR test rules for travel … summer season remaining, the airport boss launched a blistering attack … , but the latest official data shows only around five per … step with the rest of Europe. “UK passengers continue to be subjected … subscribe we will use the information you provide to send …
• News: Manchester Airport calls for traffic light overhaul … set-up. The airport has published passenger figures for July, … , when the airport served 3,178,505 passengers, compared to … said the requirement for passengers to pay for PCR … come as data from Airports Council International – Europe (ACI Europe) has laid …
• Cargo Airlines Cancel Hundreds Of China Flights Amid COVID Outbreak … cargo operations at several airports and reduced crew availability, … a few weeks, making air transport five or six times more … pure freighters. China Eastern Airlines has suspended passenger freighters, … and canceled 25% of its European and U.S. freighter …