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

Friday, 01 May 2020

BBC News

• Are 'anti-virus' cars in China just a gimmick?Car brands are looking to tap into the country’s heightened health concerns to help kick-start flagging sales.
• BA may not reopen at Gatwick once pandemic passesThe airline has told staff that it cannot rule out keeping the operation closed indefinitely.

Financial Times

• Boeing taps bond market for $25bn to weather cash drainAircraft maker says strong demand for offering has removed need for government funding
• Coronavirus latest: India’s largest carmaker sold no cars in April
• BA warns Gatwick staff it may not resume flights thereAirline’s operations at London’s second biggest airport face brunt of 12,000 job cuts
• BA job cuts signal depth of crisis for airline sectorPost-Brexit Britain will need a viable industry to support global role

The Guardian

• Transport secretary promised EasyJet not to levy green taxesAirline given £600m coronavirus bailout with no strings attached. The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, promised EasyJet that green taxes would not be levied on airlines six months before the company was given a £600m coronavirus crisis loan with no environmental conditions attached, newly released documents show.
• British Airways to cut Gatwick operation and lay off 1130 pilotsOver 1100 cabin crew jobs also to go, and suspension of remaining Heathrow flights not ruled out. British Airways plans to lose more than 1,100 pilots and make heavy cuts to its Gatwick airport operation as part of 12,000 redundancies.The airline has informed staff of detailed plans after it announced on Tuesday evening that it intended to lay off up to 30% of its workforce.

The Independent

• Ryanair says no holiday flights until July and cuts up to 3,000 jobsHeathrow airport says passenger numbers fell 97% in April
• Coronavirus: New York City ends 24-hour subway service to clean trains every nightNew York City has announced it will suspend its 24-hour subway service every night for cleaning in a bid to better protect essential workers who use the trains to travel to and from work.

Times Online

• Now is the time to fix potholes, councils ordered [subscription]Councils have been told to increase repairs on roads left empty by the lockdown after figures showed a rise in the number of cars damaged by potholes.
• Coronavirus flight refunds: airlines told to pay despite financial riskAirlines have been told to refund passengers left out of pocket by flight cancellations despite warnings that it could lead to the collapse of some carriers.
• BA sacks 1,100 pilots and may quit Gatwick [subscription]British Airways could leave Gatwick, the country’s second largest airport where it is the second biggest operator, as it emerged that it is to sack 1,100 of its pilots on statutory redundancy terms only.

Daily Record

• Ryanair to cut 3,000 jobs amid coronavirus crisisThe budget airline has been crushed by a lack of air travel.

Mail Online

• Fix potholes while roads are empty, councils are told as breakdowns caused by them soarCouncils have been ordered to fix roads while they are empty, as new figures show pothole-related breakdowns increased by nearly two-thirds this year.
• A virus check before going to the airport and wearing a face mask on the plane? This could be the future of air travel when the lockdown is lifted, writes Heathrow Chief Executive JOHN HOLLAND-KAYEPrior to the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19, the term ‘unprecedented’ was as rare as its meaning, only really uttered for the sake of hyperbole if at all.

Birmingham Post

• Bentley introduces 250 new measures as staff gear up for phased return to work Measures include a redesign of the manufacturing facility and making face masks compulsory for all factory and office staff

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus removing plane seats to squeeze in cargo to help struggling airlinesThe aerospace giant said as well as supporting customers it would help global trade during the pandemic
• Stena Line super-ferry suffers engine problems after just four months and is heading for repairsStena Estrid arrived around Christmas after being built at AVIC Weihai Shipyard in China

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh Trams set for Scottish Government bailout amid plummeting passenger numbers and cash crisisEdinburgh Trams have enough cash reserves to last only until July or August which could force government intervention

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow records huge fall in April passenger numbers as Covid-19 crisis hits demandHeathrow Airport on Friday laid bare how the coronavirus crisis has hit the travel sector, as it said passenger numbers for last month are expected to be down 97%.
• British Airways to lay off a quarter of its pilots amid plans to make 12,000 workers redundantMore than 1,000 British Airways pilots are set to lose their jobs as part of major redundancy plans announced by the airline, it is reported.

Sheffield Star

• D-day approaches in campaign to reopen long-lost Sheffield railway lineA decision is expected imminently about plans to reopen a long-lost railway line through Sheffield.

Wales Online

• People asked for views on huge part of Cardiff cycleway plansIt's all part of a 15-year plan to improve cycling in the city
• Police are upping patrols because so many cyclists are on a Welsh promCyclists have been reminded to take care and obey the two metre rule as the area becomes busier

Bucks Free Press

• Coronavirus lockdown speeding: Bucks drivers slammed for using roads like 'drag circuit' Drivers have been slammed for using roads like a “racetrackâ€� while they are emptier during lockdown.

Reading Evening Post

• M4 to close for whole weekend for roadworksA stretch of the motorway and the M25 link road is set to close for work to put up steel beams

Other Regional Press

• Pandemic puts major schemes including York Central and Castle Gate in doubtYork City Council will discuss the viability of huge schemes including York Central and Castle Gateway

British Trams Online

• West Midlands Metro track replacement continuesWhilst a lot of work has come to a halt during the Coronavirus restrictions, various track replacement and general maintenance on the UK’s tramways can still continue – with suitable social distancing put into place, of course – and one such system which has seen recent work is the West Midlands Metro.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Rail replacement vehicles: extension of non-accessible periodThe Minister of State for Transport, Chris Heaton-Harris, has responded to Paul Plummer, Chief Executive, Rail Delivery Group, with regards to the extension of non-accessible period for rail replacement vehicles.  The letter confirms that government is allowing applications to extend the period of non-accessibility compliance for buses and coaches performing rail replacement duties. The period of potential exemption is until 31st December 2020 subject to the conditions that: train operating companies must source and use compliant vehicles wherever possible in the first instance...
• New government testing initiative opens the way to fast growth for UK drone industryThe UK Government’s new initiative* to find a fast way to deliver medicines and supplies via air drones, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, was welcomed today by one of the world’s leading experts on drone technology.   Robert Garbett*, who is Founder of Drone Major Group*, Chairman of the Drone Delivery Group*, and Chairman of the British Standards Institution Drone Committee stated: “This welcome move by the Department for Transport will open the way to accelerated growth of the UK drone industry, and provides the opportunity for UK plc to become a world leade...

Coach and Bus Week

• Coach operators come together to ask for government support and highlight industry crisisFamily-owned coach operators across Britain have created a video to raise awareness of the challenges facing the coach industry during the COVID-19 crisis, aimed at winning support from local decision-makers and MPs for the plight of Britain’s coach operators. The video was made in response to the Government’s decison to exclude coach operators from support measures being offered to the leisure sector.
• Karsan starts work on autonomous Atak electric busTurkish manufacturer Karsan has started the first phase of its work on the autonomous Atak Electric, which it says will bring Level-4 autonomy. Karsan CEO Okan Baş said: “Our agility in rapidly adapting the technologies that seem far away, is one of our strongest competencies. We started works to ensure that Atak Electric enjoys Level-4 Autonomous driving skills, in other words, features an automatic driving system, which will handle all the requirements for a dynamic driving experience without the help of a driver. We expect to complete the prototype for Autonomous Atak Electric this August, and its simulation and validation tests will be carried out in our factory in Hasanağa, Bursa. That said, we will make Autonomous Atak Electric ready by the end of this year.”
• London faces unprecedented challengeThe BBC has reported inside sources as saying London’s transport system faces a challenge like it has never seen before, as TfL faces a significant cut in income. Almost half of the capital’s income came from fare revenue in the 2019-2020 period, and fears are growing that passenger numbers will not rise to the same levels as previously once the COVID-19 emergency is over.
• MAN plans restart of bus and truck productionIn March, MAN announced that it had stopped production to protect its employees and due to broken supply chains combined with the sharp drop in demand for commercial vehicles. After around six weeks at a standstill, its bus and truck plants are now being restarted with a increased safety measures in place. The factories will gradually resume production at reduced capacity, starting on April 27.
• Keolis announces 2019 trading resultsKeolis has announced that in the 2019 financial year, it exceeded the €6 billion turnover mark, achieving another year of strong growth, characterised by an increase in turnover (up 11%). The public transport operator said that revenues rose sharply, thanks in particular to the full-year effect of the Transport for Wales contract, causing it to surpass the €6 billion mark for the first time, with revenue of €6.579bn. The firm reported that revenue growth exceeded 10% for the second consecutive year and brought with it an increase in operational profitability of 6.6%, up from €392m in 2018 to €418m, with an operating margin of 6.4%.
• Optare and Arcola Energy announce a new hydrogen fuel cell busOptare and Arcola Energy have announced a new hydrogen fuel cell bus for the UK and beyond: the Metrodecker H2. With both bus and power system built in the UK, the two companies believe the new bus will make an important contribution to city air quality and a low carbon economic recovery.

Rail Advent

• Next stage of Corris Railway extension beginsThe Corris Railway has announced that the next phase of their Southern Extension has begun.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail key worker moves house to help keep the railway running Network Rail track worker, Jennifer Hayton, from Saltburn-by-the-Sea, has moved house during the COVID-19 pandemic so that she is able to continue carrying out her role as a key worker in the rail industry. Jennifer has worked for Network Rail for six months as a track operative. Part of her job...
• West Midlands Rail Executive appoints new interim programme director West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) have appointed Amanda White as their new interim programme director. Amanda White, former head of rail with Transport for Greater Manchester, joins the WMRE at a time of vital investment and development of the region’s network including the construction...

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• LowCVP welcomes new Technical and Programme Director James McGeachieThe Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) has welcomed James McGeachie as its new Technical and Programme Director.
• HCT Chief Executive Dai Powell announces his retirementDai Powell has announced that he will retire from his position as HCT Chief Executive later this year, after 29 years in the role.
• First top-spec, high-floor MOBIpeople completedThe first example of the newly developed high-floor, executive-specification MOBIpeople body has been completed at the bodybuilder’s factory in Portugal. It is built on an MAN RR2 chassis.
• Optare and Arcola announce fuel cell Metrodecker H2Optare and Arcola Energy have released details of the hydrogen fuel cell-electric Metrodecker H2 double-decker. The two companies say it will deliver a capacity of over 90 passengers and a zero-emission range of up to 250 miles. It will complement Optare’s battery-electric Metrodecker EV (pictured).
• Online DCPC proves its worth, says Passenger Plus Passenger Plus has completed the delivery if its first five online Driver CPC (DCPC) training sessions to its staff.
• ‘Keeping costs down is key for coach operators’Wringing the most out of what little work is left and reducing costs as far as they can go were the central parts of a webinar aimed at coach operators and staged by Busworld on Thursday 23 April.

Other News Sources

• Airport rail link nears as train station plans approvedBut castle tower plans are delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Government launches fund to revive axed Beeching rail routes The Department for Transport (DfT) is inviting MPs, local councils and community groups across England and Wales to propose how they could reinstate axed ‘Beeching’ rail routes.
• The incredible Dartford Crossing pictures showing it as we will never know it again Fascinating pictures show a rare sight of barely any cars using the tunnels