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

Tuesday, 07 April 2020

BBC News

• Coronavirus: New UK car registrations plunge by more than 40%Motor industry records the worst March for two decades as the Covid-19 outbreak keeps buyers at home.
• UK drivers win first round in VW 'dieselgate' caseThe High Court rules that the German firm installed 'defeat devices' in vehicles to cheat emissions tests.
• Coronavirus: US car insurers refund drivers stuck at homeMajor US insurer Allstate is paying out $600m in refunds to drivers in quarantine and through discounts.
• Coronavirus: Why is the petrol price nearing £1 a litre?An oil price war and Covid-19 travel restrictions are cutting fuel costs but it is not good news for everyone.

Financial Times

• EasyJet boosts cash after fresh pressure from Sir SteliosAirline's biggest shareholder calls for CFO's exit over failure to scrap £4.5bn Airbus order

The Guardian

• Colleagues of bus drivers who died of coronavirus call for better protectionDrivers remain concerned for wellbeing as tributes paid to the nine who fell victim to Covid-19Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTributes have been paid to nine bus workers who have lost theirs lives to the coronavirus, with colleagues calling for more robust measures to protect others working in the transport system.Two of those drivers, plus a garage supervisor, worked for bus company Metroline. Alperton bus garage driver Said Musse and Holloway driver Emeka Nyack Ihenacho lost their lives along with Paul Aheto, who worked as a supervisor at the Willesden garage. Co...

The Telegraph

• Transport firms should hire female truckers to cut road fatalities, university study suggestsResearchers found men pose a "significantly higher" risk to other road users than women drivers after studying official data

Mail Online

• 'Do your bit for the country and FIX this!': Furious key workers rage at Sadiq Khan as overcrowded Tubes farce rolls into THIRD week of coronavirus lockdownCommuters shared photos of busy London Underground services again this morning despite the coronavirus lockdown.

The National

• ScotRail says service punctuality at its best for nearly three yearsSCOTRAIL has reported that train punctuality has reached its highest level for almost three years.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham's Clean Air Zone launch now tabled for 2021Government confirms that new charge for high-polluting vehicles can be put back to next year

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Last chance to have say on Clean Air Zone planPEOPLE have until tomorrow to give their views on plans to introduce a Clean Air Zone in Bradford.

The York Press

• Director of York vehicle centre hits out over new MOT rules A YORK based vehicle repair centre says the government delay for MOT testing could cause accidents if vehicles are not road worthy.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• HS2 woodland decimation in Staffordshire to go ahead after legal bid failsWork to decimate ancient woodland in Staffordshire to make way for HS2 will go ahead this month after a legal bid to stop it was thrown out.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Tougher parking enforcement begins across Suffolk as powers transfer from police to councilsPowers to enforce car parking across Suffolk have officially transferred from police to councils – with inconsiderate motorists warned to expect tougher administration.
• Ipswich Buses and First Eastern Counties get boost from governmentThe two largest bus companies in Suffolk have welcomed the news that the government is to support the industry after the number of passengers dropped like a stone during the coronavirus crisis.

Hull Daily Mail

• How 400,000 tonnes of rail freight powers on in the region amid lockdownRegional rail bosses have underlined the dedication of key workers as 400,000 tonnes of freight a week continue to be transported across Yorkshire and the Humber throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Other Regional Press

• Go Cornwall bus drivers to wear Covid-19 plastic face visorsBus drivers on services in Cornwall are to be issued with plastic visors as part of protection measures during the coronavirus outbreak.
• Harrogate Bus Company's free online teaching idea during lockdownThe Harrogate Bus Company is teaming up with educators to create a colourful world of fact-finding fun to help keep children busy during lockdown.
• Renewed calls for stricter hygiene measures after Bristol bus driver diesThe death of a bus worker in Bristol has renewed calls for stricter hygiene measures across the bus industry.
• Coronavirus: Sadiq Khan on using the London UndergroundThe London mayor has made an urgent appeal for Londoners to stop using public transport, unless they really need to.
• Why speed restrictions remain on new M6 smart motorwayHighways England has released a statement about stretch between Coventry and Coleshill

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Coronavirus: Five London bus workers die, union confirmsFive London bus workers have died after contracting coronavirus. Unite said their members had been doing

Rail Technology Magazine

• Cabinet Office releases procurement guidance to support suppliers In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Cabinet Office has changed the way procurement cards may be used. The outbreak has placed increased pressure on commercial and finance teams and increased importance on maintaining cashflow to suppliers. Encouraging and increasing the use of...
• Public consultation extended by Network Rail on major upgrade to railway in West YorkshireNetwork Rail has lengthened the public consultation period in which residents and passengers can express their opinions and give feedback on proposals to upgrade the railway between Huddersfield and Westtown (Dewsbury) until Thursday, 30 April.   The new developments are part of the...
• Key railway workers keep Britain moving As the country enters its third week of lockdown the rail industry has been working tirelessly to keep the country moving. A condensed passenger timetable came into effect last month (March) to allow a reliable service to resume to get key workers, such as NHS staff, to work while allowing key...

Railway Gazette

• Wagon repair company reports successful first yearCZECH REPUBLIC: Wheelset and wagon component repair and maintenance company Vítkovické Železniční Opravny has recorded earnings just under KC120m in its first year of operation.