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

Friday, 08 April 2022

BBC News

• Covid: Cardiff Airport could take four years to recoverSpencer Birns hopes its recovery will be helped by Wizz Air, which begins flights from Friday.
• Air travel industry warned over Easter disruptionLast-minute cancellations and delays could damage consumer confidence, says the aviation watchdog.
• Translink: NI bus drivers to take strike action over pay disputeUlsterbus and Metro services will be withdrawn for one week from 25 April.
• HS2: Sir Graham Brady 'assured' link through constituency scrappedSir Graham Brady confirms the transport secretary told him the Golborne Link would be scrapped.
• Hitachi train cracks report calls for standards reviewHitachi Class 800 and 385 series trains were temporarily taken out of service in May 2021.
• Manchester Airport boss warns queues could continue for weeksManchester Airport has blamed staff shortages for long waits at security over the last month.

Financial Times

• Half of all new UK cars should be electric by 2028, says governmentMinisters propose using sales mandates to hit interim targets before 2030 petrol phaseout, but delay ruling on hybrids

The Guardian

• P&O Ferries owner DP World loses status as partner in Solent freeportExclusive: ministers confirm Emirati logistics giant no longer has central role after anger at sacking of 800 workersThe Dubai-based owner of P&O Ferries has lost its status as a formal partner in one of the government's biggest freeport projects, after widespread public anger over the firing without notice of 800 workers last month.Ministers have confirmed that DP World, the Emirati logistics giant behind P&O, no longer had a central role as a 'partner' in the Solent freeport after the resignation of its UK commercial director from the scheme's board last week. Continue readin...
• Airlines and cross-Channel services brace for busiest weekend since CovidAir travellers told to allow extra time for queues, while Eurotunnel expects rising traffic and P&O ferries remain suspendedAirlines and cross-Channel services are braced for their busiest weekend since the start of the pandemic, with outbound and returning holidaymakers set to swell numbers at ports that are already struggling to cope with surging demand.With all areas of the UK now on Easter holidays, passengers have been told to allow extra time to negotiate airport queues, as high rates of Covid infections worsen staff shortages at check-in and security. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Donald MacLeod: Airports fail test as holiday getaways turn to farceAS I mentioned in my last column, the lifting of the UK's last remaining travel restrictions was warmly welcomed by our sun, sea and sangria-seeking holidaymakers and hailed by many business leaders as a vital and timely boost to the fortunes of our ailing aviation, tourism, and travel sectors.
• Edinburgh publishes final cycleways, paths designA key milestone in Edinburgh’s city centre transformation has been reached as the final designs for the flagship Meadows to George Street scheme are published.
• Probe finds train cracks caused by movement and corrosionCracks discovered last year on trains – including some run by ScotRail – were caused by excess movement and aluminium corroded by salt in the air, an investigation has found.

The Independent

• Drivers warned to expect long delays as 27.6m plan Easter car journeysAn AA survey of 14,000 drivers indicated that 53% will use their car to go on holiday in the UK this year.
• Manchester Airport boss says sorry for delays - and sets three-hour deadline for securityCivil Aviation Authority has warned airports they must tackle delays

Times Online

• Hundreds formally complain about Dublin airport security delays [Subscription]The Dublin Airport Authority has received 300 formal complaints from travellers over lengthy queues at security in the past two weeks, although fewer than 150 people have sought refunds for missed flights.
• Mainline link to HS2 ’will not go ahead’ [Subscription]A branch of HS2 that would connect the high-speed line to the west coast main line at Wigan is to be scrapped, Sir Graham Brady has told constituents.
• Stop last-minute cancellations, airlines told [Subscription]Airlines must stop cancelling flights at the last minute and promptly pay compensation to disrupted passengers, the regulator has warned in a rare intervention.

Mail Online

• Now P&O Ferries is 'refusing to refund customers who cancel bookings'A 23-mile coastbound stretch of the M20 was closed from junction eight for Maidstone to junction 11 for Westenhanger to store thousands of lorries heading for the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel.
• Train passengers facing 'ridiculous' £10 fee if they cancel Easter trips to avoid replacement busesRail customers who have booked Easter journeys and do not want to travel on replacement buses may have to pay to receive a refund if they cancel their trip (stock photo).

The Mirror

• Manchester Airport borrows council workers to help bring passenger chaos to an endManchester Airport has been plagued by weeks of chaos that has seen massive queues, passengers waiting hours and missed flights at the hub

Birmingham Post

• Work on £6.5m railway investment set to begin in PenzanceThree new sidings will allow longer trains to run and be maintained in Cornwall

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Key rail services cuts a 'bitter blow' for Bradford districtBRADFORD'S three Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) have joined forces to call on the Government to stop plans to cut key rail services in the district.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Calls for cyclists to face same punishment as motorists for using phones on roadThe Highway Code was amended last January which offers more protection to the most vulnerable road users

Liverpool Echo

• Liverpool John Lennon Airport issues update on Lufthansa's new 5-star route to DubaiJetsetters will soon be able to travel to the holiday hotspot from Liverpool

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester Airports Group has interviewed 4,000 people in just TWO MONTHS amid major staffing shortagesThe increased numbers of hirees, of which there will be 250 joining in security by early May, will 'ease operational pressure' and reduce queue times

The York Press

• Network Rail plans for compound in York field axed after oppositionNETWORK Rail has abandoned controversial plans to turn a York field into a compound for machinery.

Leeds Live

• Jet2 statement as 'emergency situation' unfolds on plane flying over YorkshireThe flight departed from Alicante and landed safely at Edinburgh airport

Other Regional Press

• £11.9million provided for bus service improvement plan in SomersetPLANS to upgrade Somerset's bus network have hit a snag over the government provided less than one-tenth of the required funding.
• Plans for 200-space lorry park thrown outProposals for a 200-space lorry parking area which would have taken trucks off the roads in Kent have been refused.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Ticket tech firm criticises BSIP awardingOne of the UK’s most innovative transport app providers says that the award of funding Bus Service Improvement Plans may be fundamentally unfair.

Coach and Bus Week

• Stagecoach sets out pathway to attracting passengers back to busIndependent research shows that over a million new passengers could start using buses if the transition to zero-emission buses is done right, says Stagecoach
• Arriva helps secure funding for 74 new buses in West Yorks and HertsArriva UK Bus is to benefit from ZEBRA funding in two regions. Through a partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) over the last nine months, Arriva has secured funding towards the purchase of 47 new electric double-deckers for its Wakefield operations. At the same time, a partnership bid with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) has resulted in funding for 27 single decker electric buses in Stevenage. In both regions, the ZEBRA funding also includes contributions towards the upgrade of depots and associated charging infrastructure.

Other News Sources

• Passport warning to Brits over new rule seeing holidaymakers banned from boarding flightsSince the UK left the EU, new rules have come into effect relating to how many months you need left on your passport before it expires to travel.