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

Friday, 24 April 2020

BBC News

• Coronavirus: Luton Airport woes contribute to £49m council deficitPlummeting passenger numbers at Luton Airport are contributing to a £49m shortfall at the council which owns it. Luton Borough Council has projected a £37m drop in airport revenue amid a "catastrophic drop" in passengers.
• Will there be social distancing on trains, after the pandemic?Plans are already being made on how an uptick in passenger numbers on the railways can be managed.

Financial Times

• How Richard Branson changed his mind over government aidTycoon steps up battle to save Virgin empire as group’s Australian carrier collapses
• Lufthansa warns it will run out of cash in weeksGerman flag carrier has applied for state aid in number of European countries and decommissioned more than 40 jets

The Guardian

• Train operators start devising plans to restore servicesGovernment and operators thought to be aiming to increase services by as early as 18 May. Train operators are making plans to restore around 80% of services from next month, should the government decide to partially lift lockdown measures in May.Rail unions have said they will tell members to stop work unless the contingency plans address safety concerns.

The Scotsman

• Covid-19 offers unique chance to reallocate road space - Alastair DaltonCyclists out in numbers after lockdown dramatically cut traffic should be permanently given more room.

Times Online

• Jetfly offers its planes to the NHS to transport medics and PPE [subscription]Jonathan Clough, Jetfly’s UK sales director, has told the government that it can use its 40 planes to transport medical staff and equipment for free. Clough said he was inspired by his 70-year-old doctor father, who came out of retirement to join the battle against coronavirus.
• Coronavirus: Car use creeps up as Britain cautiously goes back to work [subscription]Traffic levels are on the rise for the first time since the lockdown began as Britain inches back to work.

City AM

• Gatwick Airport says passenger numbers will take up to four years to recoverGatwick Airport said today that it would take three to four years for passenger numbers to recover to pre-coronavirus levels.

Mail Online

• Coronavirus UK: Heathrow boss demands mass airport screeningsIn a major intervention, chief executive of Heathrow John Holland-Kaye is writing to Health Secretary Matt Hancock to demand stringent regulations to combat coronavirus.

Birmingham Post

• P&O pauses passenger ferry services until AugustNorth Sea crossings already on pause and now period extended in line with government guidance
• Jaguar Land Rover reveals plans to resume UK car productionLuxury car manufacturer says it will recommence work in the West Midlands and two factories in Europe

Bolton News

• Drivers picking up passengers from airport must be from same household, police sayGREATER Manchester Police (GMP) says drivers who pick up people from the airport should be from the same household as those they are collecting.

Bristol Live

• EasyJet, BA, Jet2, TUI and more reveal when flights may resume"Although these are difficult times for everyone, the sun will come out again"

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Watch Airbus workers transform research centre into production lines for life-saving ventilatorsAn empty space at the AMRC Cymru in Broughton has been changed over a matter of days

London Evening Standard

• Almost half of people believe speeding has increased during coronavirus lockdown, study showsAlmost half of people have witnessed an increase in drivers breaking the speed limit during the coronavirus lockdown, a new survey has found.
• Aston Martin leads factories revving up to start getting back on trackCar maker Aston Martin will restart production in early May in an encouraging sign some mothballed UK factories are getting back to work.
• Ryanair will not issue refunds to customers until 'coronavirus crisis is over', airline confirmsRyanair has told passengers it will not pay refunds for cancelled flights until the coronavirus crisis

Manchester Evening News

• 'We cannot simply shut down': How Manchester Airport is coping in the midst of a pandemicManchester Airport say the opening of the super terminal will go ahead - but the timing has to be right

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Landmark HS2 station approvedBirmingham’s ‘impressive’ Curzon Street station is the first HS2 station in the UK to get planning approval after councillors voted unanimously for it.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Testing stepped up on new Greater Anglia trains during lockdownGreater Anglia is using the reduced number of trains operating on the region’s network at present as an opportunity to bed in the new trains that have started operating over the last six months – and to prepare for the arrival of the new suburban trains later in the year.

Other Regional Press

• Scrap Air Passenger Duty (APD) to help promote City of Derry Airport after COVID-19 crisis says tourism lobbyist Dr. Joanne StuartThe head of a private sector-led tourist lobby has called for Air Passenger Duty (APD) to be scrapped to encourage airlines to choose City of Derry Airport as a destination when the COVID-19 crisis ends.
• Major £1m scheme to make M62 Scammonden Bridge safer to startOne road will be shut for three months and the M62 will be closed overnight on several days

British Trams Online

• More timetable adjustments on West Midlands MetroAs the changes in travelling habits of the public continue as a result of the Coronavirus and the restrictions put in place by government, the West Midlands Metro have announced that they will be making further adjustments to the service operated from Monday 27th April.

Coach and Bus Week

• Ticketer and Passenger join forces to provide bus tracking to keep the country movingIn a UK-wide collaboration, transport technology companies Passenger and Ticketer are working together to ensure that UK bus operators are able to deliver the most accurate information possible for their passengers during times of extreme change and uncertainty.
• Taking action to protect driving staff from Covid-19 Bus operators throughout the country are in the process of finding the best way to protect their driving staff against infection of Covid-19. Many different options are being used by operators, CBW takes a look at some that have now been implemented and provide contact details for those operators still trying to find the right solution.
• 10 buses names after an industry legendFor over 35 years, Ray Stenning and his team at Best Impressions have been ’creating desire’ with iconic transport brands and liveries. Given the ’legend’ status that Ray has built up over years, industry friends at some of the bus companies that use Best Impressions decided that they would surprise Ray on his landmark 70th birthday on 18 April and unveil buses that have been named after him.
• Lothian Buses continue to assist key workers with its critical services networkLothian Buses introduced an update to its critical services network from Sunday 12 April to help keep key workers across Edinburgh and the Lothians moving during this time.

Rail Advent

• New freight express service between Spain and Britain operated by DB CargoDB Cargo UK and Transfesa Logistics have announced that they have launched a new 72-hour express rail freight service to support essential medical and food products from Valencia and Murcia in Spain to London.

Rail Technology Magazine

• RIA 'Digital Journeys' - Day One Webinar Series The Railway Industry Association’s (RIA) Unlocking Innovation series has gone virtual, with a series of five webinars being held over the week of 20 April. With the first webinar taking place on Monday, the discussion looked into what opportunities are being presented for new businesses...
• RIA 'Digital Journeys' - Day Two Webinar SeriesThe Railway Industry Association’s (RIA) Unlocking Innovation series has gone virtual, with five webinars being held over the week of 20 April. The second, on Tuesday 21 April, explored the role of data in improving passenger services. Finding ways to improve and personalise real-time...
• HS2 commence search for lift and escalator suppliers The search for contractors to design, deliver and maintain almost 300 state-of-the-art lifts and escalators for HS2’s four major new stations began yesterday (Apr 22.) 168 lifts and 128 escalators will be fitted across the project, helping hundreds of thousands of people access HS2 trains...

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Third rail replacement PSVAR exemption grantedMinister of State for Transport Chris Heaton-Harris has granted a further temporary exemption to the requirement for PSVAR compliance on rail replacement services. It will commence on 1 May and expire on 31 December.
• Coach operators in England ’not eligible for leisure support’The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has failed to support an advice note issued by the Local Government Association (LGA) which stated that operators of coaches should be eligible to access the coronavirus COVID-19 support package for leisure sector businesses.
• Ticketer receives Queen’s Award for EnterpriseTicketer has received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation for its corporate excellence and innovation.
• CT4N calls for priority bus driver COVID-19 testingThe Managing Director of CT4N, the trading arm of Nottingham Community Transport, has urged the government to prioritise the bus driver role for coronavirus COVID-19 testing when it is rolled out.
• Bus fleets left idle as SORN declarations biteA drop in bus passenger numbers of up to 90% means that many vehicles around the country are under a SORN notifcation, despite operators having been granted varying packages of financial support to enable services to continue to operate. What is the scale of that laid-up resource?
• Belle Vue in deal with Selwyns for school contractsBelle Vue Manchester has completed a deal that will create 20 jobs at the operator and increase revenue by £1m annually with the takeover of 17 home-to-school contracts previously operated by Selwyns Travel of Runcorn.
• 21st Century free content updates keep timetable information accurate21st Century Passenger Systems, a Journeo company, has been working hard to ensure reliable information is being provided to passengers during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

Other News Sources

• Southend Airport confident of bouncing back after lockdownSOUTHEND Airport has pledged to bounce back stronger after the coronavirus pandemic and is continuing its cargo flights every day.
• Bus company shows support for NHS staffSTAGECOACH is showing its support for NHS workers across the UK by displaying messages of support on electronic destination boards.