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

Monday, 27 April 2020

BBC News

• Coronavirus: Transport usage will change after lockdownThe number of people using public transport in Britain's cities could be 20% lower than normal after the end of the coronavirus lockdown.
• Branson’s Virgin Atlantic in virus bailout talksSir Richard Branson has appealed to the government for help as airlines have been hit by the lockdown.
• Coronavirus: Airbus boss warns company is 'bleeding cash'In a letter to workers Guillaume Faury reportedly said the firm's existence was now threatened.

Financial Times

• Airlines pivot to cargo to compensate for loss of passengersWith fewer craft in the air, rates for shipping goods by air have risen sharply
• Branson races to find Virgin Atlantic investor in rescue attemptEntrepreneur denies that an outright sale of the airline is on the cards

The Independent

• HS2 workers accused of destroying birds’ nests and failing to maintain social distancing during coronavirus pandemicWorkers clearing woods and hedgerows to make way for HS2 have been accused of destroying birds’ nests at a time of year when breeding pairs are laying eggs.

The Telegraph

• 'The car industry has to change completely' - Telegraph readers on the new EU emissions standards [subscription]Telegraph readers have their say on the future of the car industry in the post-Covid world
• Exclusive: UK Government 'hiding behind EU laws and failing British airlines' [subscription]The British Government is failing to support UK airlines through the coronavirus crisis by sticking rigidly to European Union legislation that even some member states have abandoned, two former aviation ministers have told Telegraph Travel.
• Has Covid-19 put Uber on a road to disaster or recovery? [subscription]The transport app has remade itself as measures to contain coronavirus have seen rides plummet

Times Online

• Coronavirus in Scotland: Roads will shrink to allow more walking and cycling [subscription]Drivers will be urged to reduce the number of journeys they make as part of planned changes to Scotland’s transport system in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
• Coronavirus: Give masks to shop workers and bus drivers, demand doctors [subscription]Shopkeepers, bus drivers and supermarket staff are among key workers who should be provided with protective masks, the British Medical Association has urged.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• List of Airbus planes grounded as coronavirus pandemic takes out three-quarters of all jetsTravel data and analytics expert Cirium says 64% of all passenger jets are 'parked' or in storage

Liverpool Echo

• The four new Merseyrail lines we really want to see builtExpansion of the Merseyrail has been on the cards for a number of years, with two new stations announced last year and new trains arriving later in 2020.

Yorkshire Post

• Entrepreneur calls on Leeds to join hydrogen bus project to revive economyAn entrepreneur believes Leeds should become involved in a project to roll out hydrogen buses across the UK because it will boost the economy and help reduce the number of deaths linked to poor air quality.

Cambridge News

• Council 'looking at' using roads for cyclists and walkers'It looks as though we are going to be in this situation for quite a while'

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail Scotland keeps country movingMore than 14,000 tonnes of food and medicine are being moved across Scotland’s rail network every day during the lockdown.
• Greater Anglia bid for 24 hour train maintenance shed near HarwichRAIL bosses are hoping to run a new 24-hour maintenance shed on land next to Harwich Port.

Construction Enquirer

• HS2 boss warns protestors putting workers at riskHS2 boss Mark Thurston has warned that anti-HS2 protestors are putting workers at risk during the coronavirus outbreak because they are breaching social distancing.

New Civil Engineer

• French firm drafted in to cut costs on Coventry light rail schemeFrench engineering consultant Ingerop Conseil et Ingénierie has been brought in to drive down the cost of Coventry’s very light rail scheme.

Rail Advent

• Thameslink and Luton Council team up to launch ’Bikes for Bedfordshire Health Heroes’Thirty key workers at Bedfordshire hospitals could soon be travelling to work on free bicycles – all thanks for a new partnership between Govia Thameslink Railway and Luton Borough Council.
• Work progresses on upgrade work on Manchester to Buxton railway lineMajor upgrade work is taking place to protect the railway from landslips in the Derbyshire Peak District on the line railway line between Manchester and Buxton.
• Rail staff provide expertise for NHS Nightingale Hospital North WestLogistics and project management skills from Network Rail have been helping deliver the NHS Nightingale hospital in North West. staff
• Transport for Wales launches WhatsApp service for rail passengersA new WhatsApp service for passenger enquires has been launched by Transport for Wales. Passengers can now message the dedicated Transport for WalesRail Services social media team via the app, providing them with a new way to get the information they need.
• New CEO announced by DB Cargo UKChief Financial Officer of DB Cargo UK, Andrea Rossi, will become the operator’s new CEO from September 1st, 2020 – it has been confirmed.

Rail Technology Magazine

• DB launches new Spanish-Anglo freight serviceA 72-hour freight service carrying essential hygiene, medical and food products from Spain to London has been launched by DB Cargo UK and sister company Transfesa Logistics.

Railway Gazette

• Quieter on-train air-conditioning developedRUSSIA: Transmashholding has worked with the the Andreyev Acoustics Institute to reduce the reduce the noise from on-train air-conditioning systems.

The Business Desk

• Shearings owner ’starts administration process’ in race to find rescue dealThe owner of coach holiday and hotels specialist Shearings has filed a Notice of Intention (NOI) to appoint administrators to a number of subsidiaries, including Shearings and UKBreakaways.com, according to reports.

Other News Sources

• First Rail announces new trains and additions to the managementTransport operator FirstGroup has announced that it has procured new trains and a team for First Rail’s new Edinburgh-London service.
• Davenham and Bostock set for HS2 ground investigationsGROUND investigation work for HS2 is set to begin in Davenham and Bostock by the end of April. The high-speed railway is expected to rip through mid Cheshire's countryside on its way between Crewe and Manchester – the part of the scheme known as Phase 2b.
• Noisy and bumpy M25 road surface between Junction 8 and 11 to be repairedThe Surrey stretch of motorway has caused frustration for many motorists