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

Tuesday, 19 May 2020

BBC News

• 'Inadequate' toilet provision on new TfW trainsTrains being built for use in Wales will only have one toilet for more than 120 passengers on some routes, a rail passenger group has warned.
• Coronavirus: Train stations put crowd-control measures in placeMore trains begin running but rail bosses worry that social distancing will not be possible on board.
• Coronavirus: TfL reveals 20 busiest Tube and train stations 'to avoid'Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says using public transport should remain
• Coronavirus: Should cruise ships dock in Clyde during pandemic?The area's port operators have proposed to lay-up cruise ships with skeleton staff at Greenock and other sites.
• Electric bikes 'could help people return to work'A rise in electric-bikes would extend the range of cyclists using them to commute, a study finds.
• Some visitors may be exempted from coronavirus quarantine ruleThe transport secretary says people arriving from countries with low virus infection rates may not need to isolate.
• Coronavirus: Uber announces drastic cuts to secure its futureUber announces drastic action to scale back its business as its losses balloon amid pandemic lockdowns.
• Elon Musk: Tesla raises cost of 'self-driving' carsElon Musk hikes the price of Tesla's

Financial Times

• Ryanair: fight planThe boss of the low-cost carrier is in his element
• Uber announces further 3,000 job cutsRide-hailing company to close or consolidate 45 global offices and scale down several ‘non-core’ operations

The Guardian

• Commuters in England report more traffic and busier trainsPassenger numbers high enough to cause anxiety about distancing and face masks
• 'A new normal': how coronavirus will transform transport in Britain's citiesThe dominance of the car is being seriously challenged for the first time in decades, say experts. Coronavirus offers chance to create fairer UK food supply chainIs this crisis the catalyst for greening the world's airlines? Amid the confusion that followed Boris Johnson's televised announcement easing the lockdown, Will Norman was clear about one thing "the way people move around cities would never be the same again." We are going to have a new normal coming out of this, said London's walking and cycling commissioner

The Independent

• Coronavirus: Tube drivers sent home after raising safety concerns over lockdown easing‘[Train drivers] are being told they can no longer continue to work in the safer way that they have been working over the last six weeks,’ says union

The Telegraph

• Tuesday morning news briefing: 'Air bridge' to save holidays

Times Online

• Coronavirus: Part of rail network could be closed to prevent congestion [subscription]Rail chiefs have said parts of the network could be shut to prevent overcrowding as services increased for the first time since the lockdown began.
• Quarantine to focus on high-risk travellers with reviews every three weeks [subscription]A strict quarantine on all arrivals into the UK could be relaxed in favour of a more targeted focus on people from high-risk countries. Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said the government was considering proposals to create “air bridges” between countries with low coronavirus infection rates while restricting access from elsewhere
• Michael O’Leary’s optimism gives way to anger at quarantine plan [Subscription]The outspoken chief executive of Ryanair has begun to rein in his ambitious hopes for a rapid return in air travel by next winter and has admitted taking UK state aid, despite attacking government bailouts of several continental flag carriers.
• ‘Air bridges’ plan revives hope of summer flights [subscription]Britons were given fresh hope of a summer holiday abroad yesterday after the transport secretary announced plans for “air bridges” between countries with low coronavirus infection rates.

Mail Online

• Coronavirus UK: Car factories restart production linesLuxury car manufacturer Aston Martin has opened its plant in St Athans, Wales (pictured) and Bentley reopened its plant in Crewe last week.
• Commuters are enraged by short trains and as police patrol stations as trains return to 70% capacitySadiq Khan said today that the government forced him to bring back and raise the congestion charge in London today, as 30 Tube drivers refuse to work over health and safety fears.

Network Rail

• Longest tunnel closure since Victorian-era improves West Coast main line journey timesA fortnight’s work on a Victorian-built railway tunnel is now complete to improve future journey times for passengers and freight on the West Coast main line.

Birmingham Post

• Hull Trains MD on frustrating fearful 'sit and wait'Louise Cheeseman on open access operator's immediate future - as MPs seek government support

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• £150m pot for local transport schemes is ‘unlocked’AN extra 300 parking spaces could be created at a Bradford rail station after the next stage of a huge transport budget was “unlocked.”

London Evening Standard

• Calls for temporary ban on HGVs in central London to reduce risk for cyclistsHGVs should be temporarily banned from central London to reduce the risks faced by thousands of novice cyclists riding to work, a leading personal injury lawyer said today.
• Commuters still waiting for refunds as they face cost of buying new season ticketsThousands of London commuters fear having to pay twice for season tickets costing thousands of pounds because they still have not received refunds from train companies.
• Nearly 44,000 airline staff have been furloughed during coronavirus crisis, Grant Shapps confirmsNearly 44,000 airline staff have been furloughed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Grant Shapps has confirmed.
• TfL issues list of London Tube stations to avoid as more people go back to workA daily list of the 20
• Uber cuts 3,000 jobs in second major wave of layoffs in two weeksUber has cut another 3,000 jobs from its workforce as the coronavirus outbreak continues to slash demand for rides.
• Tube journeys up more than 18 per cent as TfL ramps up servicesLondoners have started returning to the Tube, with Underground journeys increasing by more than 18 per cent since this time last week.
• British tourists could be allowed to travel to low-infection countries without 14-day quarantine under 'air bridges' planThe proposal between the UK and nations where the outbreak is under control was backed by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Monday.

Northern Echo

• Darlington group urge council to change road layouts for social distanced walking and cycling MEMBERS of a cycling group have welcomed a government announcement asking local authorities to improve walking and cycling infrastructure in response to coronavirus.

The York Press

• Row over Bishy Road closure grows as 1,000 sign petition A TRANSPORT boss has defended the partial closure of a busy York road - as more than 1,000 people signed a petition calling for it to be reopened.

East Anglian Daily Times

• No trains to Clacton and Walton over the spring bank holiday weekendBuses will replace trains on the rail lines from Colchester to Clacton and Walton on the Naze over the bank holiday weekend as Network Rail engineers carry out work on the line.

Reading Evening Post

• Changes to Reading to Paddington and other Berks rail services Rail companies are increasing services as lockdown restrictions are eased

Other Regional Press

• Stagecoach introduces ‘exact fare system’ for bus passengers who pay by cashStagecoach has today introduced a new system on its bus services for passengers who can only pay by cash.
• Rail line between Eastleigh and Fareham to close for a week of improvement worksTHE RAIL line between Eastleigh and Fareham is scheduled for a week long closure later this month.
• Extra £150m for West Yorkshire transport - here's how it could be spentAn extra 300 parking spaces could be created at Apperley Bridge Station for commuters

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Tube, rail and bus services stepped up for people who have to use public transportTransport for London (TfL) will from Monday 18th May, as previously agreed with the Government before the announcement of the lockdown restrictions being lifted, step up public transport service levels to make journeys as safe as possible for people who have no alternative other than to use public transport as national restrictions on movement are carefully and gradually lifted. The clear advice from the Government and the Mayor is that Londoners should continue to work from home if they can do so. People who cannot work from home are asked to walk or cycle using the existing and extensive n...
• Government invests £35 million to protect critical freight routesVital freight routes into, out of and around the UK will continue to run smoothly, thanks to a multi-million-pound government scheme to help ensure critical goods, such as food and medical supplies, can move freely. The government has signed agreements with 6 operators to provide up to £35 million to help ensure there is enough freight capacity to prevent disruption to the flow of goods. The decision has been made to protect 16 of the most important routes covering the Channel, the Short Strait, the North Sea and routes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland which were previously a...
• Magway wins £1.9 million project in government scheme to help polluting industries move away from fossil fuel technologiesSustainable transport company, Magway, has secured £1.9 million in the government’s ‘Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge’ – a project funded by UK Research and Innovation that seeks to make the UK a global leader in the manufacture of core technologies which underpin electrification: Power Electronics, Electric Machines and Drives (PEMD).  Magway’s revolutionary underground e-commerce and freight delivery system is one of 14 winning projects that aim to boost supply chain efficiencies in industries affected by electrification: from aerospace to a...

Rail Technology Magazine

• £35m to protect vital freight routes Crucial freight routes out of, into and around the UK will continue to operate thanks to multi-million-pound government scheme to help ensure critical goods, such as food and medical supplies, can move freely. The government has signed agreements with 6 operators to safeguard freight capacity to...
• TfL tube and rail services increased Transport for London (TfL) will from May 18th , following discussing with the Government before the announcement of the lockdown restrictions being lifted, increase public transport service levels to make journeys as safe as possible for people who have no alternative other than to use public...

Other News Sources

• Work to start on new Ellesmere Port bus station next monthOld bus station will then be demolished to make way for new public services building
• Growth in UK bus and coach market suspended at 15.8%, as March lockdown measures halt new ordersUK new bus and coach registrations rose 15.8% in the first quarter of 2020, with demand rising to 1,403 units, according to figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The growth comes off the back of a particularly weak first quarter in 2019, when registrations fell by almost a third (-32.8%).
• Cardiff collaboration teams up bike share scheme with bus appPassengers in Cardiff will now be able to link up bike sharing and bus travel to ensure they can seamlessly travel around the city.
• The Friends of King Alfred Buses seeks new base for vehiclesTHE Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB) is in sudden and urgent need of new accommodation for many of its unique collection of Winchester buses.
• The maps that can save you from the busiest Tube routesCycling between London Underground stations gives you a chance to see the sights