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

Monday, 16 March 2020

BBC News

• Train companies seek bailout as coronavirus hits passenger numbersThe government is in talks with rail bosses to put emergency measures in place to deal with falling passenger numbers after the coronavirus outbreak.
• Bus route bidding plan to save services in WalesLetting the open market run bus services has been an
• London Bridge road works force partial Thames crossing closureBuses, licensed taxis, motorcycles and bikes are the only modes of transport allowed on the bridge.
• Coronavirus: 'Future of UK aviation' at risk, say airlinesAirlines said the industry may not survive the coronavirus pandemic without financial support.

Department for Transport

• New transport tech to be tested in biggest shake-up of laws in a generationMaking journeys easier, smarter and greener with new technology.

Financial Times

• Boeing shows the danger of ignoring fearful staffWould financial salespeople recommend their products to their own family members?
• Future looks bleak for battered airports sectorTravel bans pile on pressure and force groups to consider drastic cost cutting measures
• E-scooters to be allowed on roads in trialsMinisters set to launch a consultation to look at ways of making transport safe
• Airlines step up calls for emergency state aidEU officials working on measures to help aviation sector cope with coronavirus pandemic
• Khan seeks extra £650m to fund Crossrail overrunsLondon mayor wants to renegotiate £2bn of existing loans with government to ease cash flow

The Guardian

• Not investing in electric car battery production could cost UK 105,000 jobs – studyFaraday Institution says failure to attract ‘gigafactories’ risks future of British car industryThe UK car industry risks losing out to Europe in the race to build major battery factories that are crucial to the sector’s future, putting jobs at risk across the country, a government-backed research body has warned.A failure to attract so-called gigafactories to make batteries for electric cars could cost the UK 105,000 jobs by 2040, forecasts by the Faraday Institution show. Continue reading...
• Investigation reveals number of 'ghost trains' lying idle in BritainChannel 4’s Dispatches reveals carriages that could be used on busy commuter routes are sitting still in depotsAt a time of rising fares and growing passenger dissatisfaction, an investigation has revealed that thousands of unused trains are standing idle in rail sidings and depots across the country.According to industry experts, the unused “ghost trainsâ€� worth at least £3bn and containing over 110,000 seats are being stored across at least half a dozen sites, including Crewe, Worksop, Ely and Long Marston. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Britain isn’t being honest about its carbon emissions - Tony Lodge [subscription]Last month Extinction Rebellion said it was “complete lunacy” for coal from Australia to travel thousands of miles for use in the Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales. They are right. But protesting about carbon-intensive imports is one thing;
• ‘Pothole crisis’ risking cyclists’ lives [subscription]Large parts of Britain’s road network are unfit for cyclists as local councils routinely fail to repair potentially deadly potholes on time, according to research published today.

City AM

• Heathrow Airport expansion in a 'deep freeze' after court decision and coronavirusHeathrow Airport’s planned expansion is now in a “deep freeze”, with the aviation industry expecting the project to fall off the agenda during the coronavirus pandemic.
• HS2: Transport department defends top civil servant over transparency rowThe Department for Transport (DfT) has denied its top civil servant broke the civil service code of conduct as she faces accusations she withheld information on HS2’s budget blowouts.
• Railway industry in talks with government over emergency coronavirus measuresThe government is in talks with the rail industry over a range of steps to protect franchises against falling passenger numbers due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Mail Online

• E-scooters could be legalised on UK roads if they pass safety testsAlthough sales have soared, the 30mph vehicles, which look similar to a child's scooter and cost between £200 and £500, can at the moment be used only on private land.

Network Rail

• Southend rail services return as speed restriction liftedSouthend rail passengers are able to catch their usual train from Monday 16 March after a speed restriction at Maryland, near Stratford, was lifted.

Bristol Live

• Temple Meads works won't be finished until MayIf it runs into June it will be a full THREE YEARS

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Traffic Wales issue update on extensive A55 roadworks which have caused month of closuresThe works have been taking place between Ewloe and Broughton since the start of the month

Liverpool Echo

• What happened when we raced to the city centre by bus, bike, car and trainECHO staff raced to see whether it's quicker by car, bus, train or bike

London Evening Standard

• London Bridge closes to most traffic for seven months in £5m improvement schemeBut don't worry: London Bridge is not falling down
• E-scooters set to be trialled on UK roads as government consults on rules to make them legalPlans to allow electric scooters on UK roads have been unveiled by the Government as part of a

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Disabled passenger furious amid claims wheelchair user refused travel as carriage was 'too full'Doug Paulley,42, was travelling on an LNER service from Newcastle to York when he claims a fellow wheelchair user was left waiting on platform as luggage occupied the wheelchair space on the train

The York Press

• CORONAVIRUS: York minibus firm's bookings collapse amid outbreak A YORK minibus firm has seen 31 bookings cancelled as a result of the coronavirus.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Busy road to get new zebra crossing amid traffic and housing riseA new zebra crossing being created in a growing Suffolk village’s busy main road will improve safety for children going to school, it has been said.

Reading Evening Post

• Unpopular public transport plan could return to East ReadingCllr Tony Page said something needs to be done after the 'unhappy episode' of the East Reading MRT

Other Regional Press

• Coronavirus Kent: Commuters will be able to claim refunds for season tickets if told to work from homeCommuters using Kent's trains will be able to claim refunds for season tickets - if they've now been instructed to work from home.
• Railway line reopens after huge landslipA landslip which left a stretch of railway dangling in mid-air has been repaired and the line has reopened.
• Why the smart motorway rethink will NOT see return of M62 hardshoulderGovernment announces new safety plan which look set to bring changes to the section between Huddersfield and Leeds
• Calderdale rail services to be scrutinised by council boardA panel of Councillors will be discussing the key issues and challenges that are currently facing rail in Calderdale.

Other News Sources

• What travel companies such as Stagecoach, GWR and CrossCountry are doing to combat spread of coronavirusThe latest statements from bus, train and airport authorities running services used by Gloucestershire travellers
• How to protect yourself from coronavirus during your train commute South Western Railway has issued advice on how passengers can help prevent the spread of the virus
• Younger teenagers ‘to be banned from e-scooters’[subscription]Under-14s face being banned from riding electric scooters on UK roads under government plans to roll-out green alternatives to the car.