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

Thursday, 19 March 2020

BBC News

• Coronavirus: Sweeping emergency powers announcedAirports could be ordered to close and people detained on public health grounds under government plans.
• Coronavirus: 40 London Underground stations to be closedThe night Tube will be stopped from this weekend as part of new contingency plans across London.
• 'Sunday service' possible every day on railwaysRail timetable reductions could take effect in days as train firms deal coronavirus effects.
• How coronavirus is killing off global air travelQantas becomes the latest airline to scrap international flights as demand dries up during pandemic.

Financial Times

• Ryanair warns almost entire fleet will be groundedAirline expects ‘most if not all’ flights to be affected amid coronavirus travel bans

The Guardian

• London tube to close many stations because of coronavirusWaterloo and City line will stop running, up to 40 other stations will shut down, and overnight tube services will be suspendedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDozens of London Underground stations are to be closed indefinitely amid a toughening of measures to try to slow the spread of coronavirus.Transport for London (TfL) announced a series of changes late on Wednesday evening as it urged people in the capital not to travel if at all possible. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Thomas Cook customers without Atol protection cost taxpayer £1,078 eachSubsidy is likely to increase still further, National Audit Office report says

Times Online

• Transport firms in fight for survival, minister warns [Subscription]Transport in Scotland may never be the same because many plane, train and bus companies are fighting for survival, a minister warned.
• Oversupply could force oil prices to go negative [subscription]A wide-ranging sell-off in financial markets has hit a collection of other assets apart from equities.

City AM

• IAG boss Willie Walsh to take pay cut amid coronavirus strifeBritish Airways owner IAG’s boss Willie Walsh, who earlier this week deferred his retirement to guide the airline group through The post IAG boss Willie Walsh to take pay cut amid coronavirus strife appeared first on CityAM.

Daily Express

• EasyJet on the brink: Airline CEO warns fleet could be grounded due to virus restrictionsEASYJET's CEO Johan Lundgren told ITV's Richard Peston that the airline has already cancelled 14,000 flights this month but

Mail Online

• Thomas Cook collapse to cost taxpayer at least £156millionThe Department for Transport forked out around £83million flying stranded Thomas Cook passengers back home, new figures reveal. A senior MP said 'lessons need to be learnt'

The Mirror

• Coronavirus shuts Tube lines and 40 stations with 'essential worker' serviceThe Waterloo & City line on the London Underground will be completely dropped from Friday amongst of swathe of changes, with people urged to avoid public transport except for essential journeys

Sky News

• 'Don't travel unless you really have to': London cuts Tube trainsNew measures are being introduced across London's transport network in response to the worsening coronavirus outbreak.

Birmingham Post

• Stena Line port and ferry workers have normal sick pay suspended due to coronavirus crisisThe RMT union has attacked the move as the ferry firm battles a collapse in trade
• Collapse of Thomas Cook cost UK taxpayer at least £156mThe total bill for those covered by the ATOL protection scheme – funded by industry members – could be closer to £500 million

London Evening Standard

• London braced for lockdown as Tube stations to close and troops on standby to help fight coronavirus crisisCoronavirus: the symptoms

Wales Online

• Cardiff Bus announces new reduced services because of coronavirusThe bus firm will run Saturday timetables during the week

Burnley Express

• Burnley town centre road to be shut for weeks for improvement worksPART of a road is set to close for several weeks to allow bridge repair works to go ahead.

Other Regional Press

• Bus pass limits lifted amid virus crisisRestrictions on elderly people's bus passes have been lifted to allow them to travel to special early-morning shopping sessions for free.

C.N.N.

• Qantas halts all international flights as coronavirus restrictions tightenQantas Airways is canceling all international flights, after the Australian government told citizens to avoid any overseas travel in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
• Hong Kong and Tokyo airports are handling coronavirus very differently. Which one has it right?Passing through airports in Hong Kong and Tokyo this week highlighted the differences in the approaches of the two Asian hubs in dealing with the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Manchester adopts plan to halve CO2 emissions by 2025A goal to halve carbon emissions in Manchester by 2025 has been set under a plan approved by council bosses. The city is thought to contribute some 2.1m tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. The climate change action plan commits to reducing CO2 from homes, workplaces and transport
• Coronavirus: 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. Some train operators were already losing money but fewer fares will put even more pressure on their finances. A senior industry source said fairly drastic measures might be required for train companies to survive. At an industry meeting last week, passenger numbers were said to have fallen by up to 18% on certain lines. However, another industry source acknowledged that the fall in passengers could be significantly higher. They told the BBC ...
• Report finds that UK 'can't go climate neutral before 2050'The UK cannot go climate neutral much before 2050 unless people stop flying and eating red meat almost completely, a report says. But it warns that the British public do not look ready to take such steps and substantially change their lifestyle. The report challenges the views of campaign group Extinction Rebellion. It believes the UK target of climate neutrality by 2050 will result in harm to the climate. The claim comes from the government-funded research group Energy Systems Catapult, whose computer models are used by the Committee on Climate Change, which advises government. Its repor...
• Local authorities get £2.2 million boost to tackle air pollutionLocal authorities across England have been granted more than £2.2 million in government funding to deliver innovative projects to improve air quality. The money, from the government’s Air Quality Grant, supports schemes which help councils develop and implement measures to benefit schools, businesses and residents, reducing the impact on people’s health and creating cleaner and healthier environments. Proposals receiving funding include projects and campaigns to: • reduce harmful emissions outside schools; • encourage the take up of electric taxis; • encoura...

Rail Technology Magazine

• First passenger train in 80 years runs on Camp Hill Line For the first time in 80 years, a former railway line in south Birmingham today (March 16th) moved closer to reopening. Trains have not run along the Camp Hill line since 1941 but plans, orchestrated by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, are in place to open the line again with new stations at...

Railnews

• Timetables trimmed as travel falls away in virus emergency Rail timetables are being trimmed in some areas as the demand for commuter services falls, with many people now working from home in response to government advice about coronavirus risks. Tyne & Wear Metro timetables have been reduced from today, while Transport for Greater Manchester has warned that ˜rail services will start to be reduced over the coming days™. Transport for London has reported a continuing drop in passenger numbers, while Eurostar has also reduced its timetables, with fewer services running between London and continental destinations.

Green Miscellany

• Cycle camera footage – a different kind of insuranceRunning a cycle camera on your handlebars or helmet doesn’t make the roads feel any safer, but you do almost immediately feel less helpless. In the event of a road traffic incident, video footage goes a long way towards guaranteeing legal redress – it’s a cycle insurance of sorts. One of the great frustrations about cycling on British roads is… The post Cycle camera footage – a different kind of insurance appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Rewrite the Rules: The Path to Zero EmissionsWith social media updates and conference agendas addressing the subjects of climate change, emissions reductions and alternative fuels, it’s a wonder we are not climbing the Himalayans in search of the Jedi Master that will provide us with the magic potion.
• COVID-19: South Africa Bans Cruise ShipsSouth Africa banned all passenger vessels from its ports on Wednesday due to the coronavirus outbreak, leaving tourists on a cruise ship docked in Cape Town in limbo following tests for possible COVID-19 cases on board.The MV AidAmira's more than 1,700 passengers and crew have been unable to leave t
• Transport for London reduces services amid coronavirus pandemic The night tube will be stopped for the foreseeable