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

Friday, 15 May 2020

BBC News

• Coronavirus: Avanti introduces social distancing measures on its trainsRail passengers have been urged to not turn up at stations without an advance ticket and to wear face coverings when they travel on the West Coast Mainline.
• Coronavirus: Transport for London secures emergency £1.6bn bailoutSadiq Khan agrees to quickly restore a full Tube service under the terms of the emergency agreement.
• Coronavirus: LNER introduces mandatory ticket reservationsRail operators ramp up social distancing measures with move to pre-booked tickets and face masks.

Financial Times

• US airlines eye job cuts once bailout strings expireOther countries’ carriers wielded axe, but Treasury restrictions limit executives’ room to act
• London transport set for £1.6bn bailout after ‘running out’ of moneyMayor Sadiq Khan had warned of cuts to Tube and bus services without extra funding

The Guardian

• London transport fares will rise, says minister, as TfL secures bailoutThe government has said London transport fares will have to rise, as it reached an agreement over a £1.6bn bailout with Transport for London.
• Spacewatch: US military spaceplane poised for liftoffBoeing X-37B to study impact of radiation and other space effects on seeds and other materials. The US's uncrewed X-37B military spaceplane is expected to launch from Cape Canaveral air force station, in Florida, on 16 May.The Boeing craft will be carried into orbit by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
• Flying long haul during Covid-19: air travel has never been strangerI knew my journey home would be complicated, but I wasn't prepared for the sense of isolation as I moved from one dystopian scene to another. When I booked my flight home after spending more than two-and-a-half months in Europe, I knew what my journey would entail. With no more direct flights between Paris and Hong Kong, I would have a brief layover in London. I knew that when I landed at the Hong Kong airport, I would be tested and held at a facility for roughly eight hours until my results came back.
• Air passenger quarantine plan makes no sense, UK adviser saysExclusive: Boris Johnson's coronavirus announcement has no scientific basis, source says. The decision to force air passengers into quarantine when they arrive in the UK doesn't make sense at this stage of the coronavirus pandemic, a senior government adviser has told the Guardian, piling pressure on ministers to explain the scientific basis for their border policies.

Times Online

• Reservations-only rail plan for social distancing [subscription]Passengers could be barred from intercity trains unless they have a reservation under plans to promote social distancing.
• Sit side by side on buses and trains, Danes advised [subscription]Travellers in Denmark have been told that they can sit next to one another on trains and buses during rush hour as long as they are facing in the same direction.
• Willie Walsh condemns quarantine plan as he confirms job cuts [Subscription]The owner of British Airways has sounded a fresh warning to the government over its plans to introduce a quarantine on air travellers and resolved to press on with 12,000 job cuts
• 47,000 passengers waiting for coronavirus flight refunds from BA [Subscription]More than 47,000 British Airways passengers are still awaiting refunds for flights cancelled because of the coronavirus amid claims that travellers’ rights have been eroded during the lockdown.
• No 10 bails out Transport for London to stop Sadiq Khan’s bus and tube shutdown [subscription]London’s transport system was handed a £1.6 billion government bailout last night after the capital’s mayor threatened to cut bus and Tube services.
• Free car parks to keep workers off public transport as lockdown eases [subscription]Motorists could be spared parking charges in town and city centres amid claims that commuters have a “civic duty” to avoid public transport during the coronavirus crisis.

The Mirror

• London Tube and bus fares to see biggest rise in years as part of £1.6bn bailoutThe rise of RPI plus 1% from January, will finally end the 'freeze' on some fares by mayor Sadiq Khan - who said he was forced into the deal as part of a coronavirus rescue package

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Transport for the North welcomes £2 billion road and rail upgrade announcementTHE announcement of a major infrastructure package for road, rail and motorways has been welcomed.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• New £362m Metro trains running behind schedule due to delays caused by coronavirus crisisTransport bosses say they are confident they can still make up lost time in the delivery of the new fleet, which is due to come into use from 2023

The York Press

• Potholes should finally be filled as York and North Yorkshire get £58 million for roadsHIGHWAYS departments in York and North Yorkshire are getting an extra £58 million from the Government to carry out vital repairs to roads.

Wales Online

• Bus company reveals measures it may have to take when lockdown endsPublic transport operators face a conundrum as they prepare for more passengers when lockdown measures ease

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• West Midlands Mayor: Social distancing will impact train services Staggered journey times are among the plans to ease pressure on train services as lockdown measures are relaxed, says Andy Street.

Other Regional Press

• New measures introduced by ScotRail to protect passengers and staffNew measures have been introduced across the railway as Scotrail reminds customers to follow social distancing guidelines in stations and on trains.

Coach and Bus Week

• BASE unveils first prototype of newly-developed exec coachLeyland-based MOBIpeople dealer BASE Coach Sales has offered a first glimpse at its newly-developed MOBIpeople Executive Coach. The first prototype has been built for Anthony’s Travel of Runcorn, a long-running BASE customer. Once it arrives in the UK from the MOBIpeople factory in Portugal, it will then head to AD Coach Systems in Congleton to be converted to the operator’s ‘team coach’ specification.
• Nottingham Community Transport are ‘Going the Extra Mile’With most of the country still in lockdown, a number of key workers are still turning up for work to provide essential services, including the staff at Nottingham Community Transport, who are providing more than just a bus service.

New Civil Engineer

• Gatwick station upgrade on track despite Covid-19 impactNetwork Rail has said that the next stage of £150M transformation of Gatwick Airport station will start on time next week following adoption of some innovative Covid-19 social distancing safeguards.
• 144-year-old Yorkshire viaduct set for major restorationThe 144-year-old Ribblehead viaduct in North Yorkshire will undergo a major maintenance programme this summer, Network Rail has announced.
• Leeds Bradford Airport’s ‘green’ expansion plan faces environmental challengeA local campaign group has vowed to “fight” Leeds Bradford Airport’s (LBA) planned £150M expansion plans.
• HS2 accused of acting ‘irresponsibly’ over Euston tunnel concernsHS2 Ltd acted “irresponsibly” by failing to satisfactorily respond to safety concerns raised in relation to its proposed three tunnels into Euston station, lawyers for Camden resident Hero Granger-Taylor told a court.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Overhead conductor rail for 250 km-h proven in single track tunnelsIn the single-track, 15.4km long Ceneri Base Tunnel, high-speed tests have been running since April 20. On May 1st, at 03.30am Deutsche Bahn's High Speed ICE-S test train successfully reached the speed of 275 km/h. From the 13th May onwards, the tests with the extended ICE-S and two pantographs spaced at 200m are running.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Oxford PickMeUp DRT to be withdrawn after pilotThe PickMeUp demand responsive transport (DRT) service will be withdrawn by Go-Ahead Group subsidiary Oxford Bus Company (OBC) after operation on Saturday 20 June. It will mark the end of its two-year pilot period.
• Scottish LEZs paused thanks to COVID-19Plans to implement Low Emission Zones (LEZs) in four Scottish cities have been “paused” because of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Transport Scotland has announced.
• Some London coach parking to be temporarily repurposed?Some on-street coach parking spaces in London may be temporarily repurposed to accommodate the Streetspace plan, which will provide more room for cycling and walking.
• ‘Additional capacity for social distancing needs already sought’Brighton operator The Big Lemon says it has already been asked by one organisation to provide additional capacity on contracted services to accommodate social distancing. It anticipates that the same will follow from other bodies, mandating either larger vehicles or additional journeys.
• Operators’ backing for coach industry support letter soughtTwo coach operators are calling on their peers within the industry to give their backing to a letter that will be presented to Chancellor Rishi Sunak giving further weight to the sector’s case for financial support during and after the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
• All Hydrogen Bus Town funding call issued by APPGThe All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hydrogen has written to Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps asking him to develop a scheme that will deliver an All Hydrogen Bus Town.

RMT

• Responding to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps who delivered today’s daily Government briefing RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said:“Grant Shapps saying “it’s our civic duty to avoid using public transport” is a disgraceful way to shift the blame onto workers who have been left with little choice but to use public transport when it is his Government’s responsibility to ensure the safety of passengers and transport workers.

Other News Sources

• Government announces £2 billion fund to upgrade Britain's roads and railwaysThe government has set up a £2 billion fund to upgrade the UK's roads and railways which will "relieve pressure" on public transport.
• TfL confirms how London Underground, buses and stations will operate going forwardTransport for London has confirmed passengers may be asked to wait to enter stations and some will have one-way systems