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

Thursday, 04 June 2020

Cogitamus

• University ChallengeA new railway linking the university cities of Cambridge and Oxford is predicted to be the catalyst for a UK version of Silicon Valley. Predictably, it’s construction is behind schedule, as Chris Randall explains

BBC News

• Quarantine rules a 'killer blow' for travel sectorAirport services company Swissport warns the rules could cause
• Coronavirus: Lookers to cut 1,500 jobs and close car dealershipsThe company has resumed trading but will shut more showrooms and axe up to 20% of its workforce.
• Coronavirus: Bus and train seats may have to be pre-bookedTrain passengers could face similar restrictions as safety from the virus is made the priority on public transport.
• Coronavirus: UK quarantine plans and £1,000 penalties confirmedThe 14-day isolation for arrivals is needed to protect
• US bars passenger flights from ChinaIt comes after Beijing refused requests by US airlines to resume flights to China.

Financial Times

• Airbus veterans called up to rescue aviation supply chainWith suppliers facing cash squeeze, governments have turned to three retired executives
• Wizz Air chief hits out at UK quarantine plan for air passengersDetermination to push ahead with measure is unnecessarily ‘harsh’, says József Váradi
• Wizz Air: up and awayIf you believe in a V-shaped recovery, the low-cost carrier is the stock to fly you there
• US threatens to bar Chinese airlinesTrump administration to halt flights unless American carriers are allowed back into China
• UK government scolds BA for its approach to job cuts Aviation minister criticises use of furlough scheme for staff destined to be made redundant
• Airlines hit out at UK quarantine measuresWizz Air chief says plan for incoming passengers is pointless and ‘harsh’
• SMBC Aviation warns of tough two years for leasing industryTop five aircraft lessor seeks to take market share during crisis as it turns in record profits

The Guardian

• Rolls-Royce confirms locations of first 3,000 UK job lossesInitial cuts to be carried out via voluntary redundancy, with Derby site among hardest hitCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageRolls-Royce has announced the locations of its first 3,000 redundancies in the UK, as the jet-engine manufacturer makes deep cuts to its civil aerospace business in response to the coronavirus pandemic.The company last month announced it would cut 9,000 jobs across its global operations because of expectations of lower demand for air travel using its engines for years to come. Continue reading...
• Covid-19: Greece quarantines all passengers from Qatar flightAll 91 travellers put in quarantine after 12 test positive, illustrating risk of welcoming back tourists Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGreece has been forced to confront the risks of restarting international tourism after authorities announced that 12 out of 91 passengers onboard a Qatar Airlines flight to Athens had tested positive for coronavirus.The civil protection ministry responded by suspending air links to and from the Arab state until 15 June. All 91 travellers on the flight were immediately placed in quarantine.  Continue reading...

The Herald

• Hundreds braced for job losses at Rolls-Royce plant in RenfrewshireHUNDREDS of jobs face being cut at a Rolls-Royce plant in Renfrewshire as the company struggles with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Times Online

• Wizz Air will have ’most aircraft flying by October’ [Subscription]Wizz Air has given the most upbeat prognosis of any big airline on a recovery in the aviation industry, saying that the eastern European low-cost carrier will be operating 80 per cent of its services later this year and hopes to be flying more full than empty.
• Coronavirus: Holidays in Portugal boosted by air bridge talks [Subscription]Britons were given hope of a summer holiday in Portugal yesterday after its foreign minister confirmed he was in talks with the UK government over an “air bridge” between the countries.
• Coronavirus: British Airways threatened with loss of Heathrow slots after job cuts [Subscription]British Airways should lose its favoured status at the country’s biggest airport because of plans to make a quarter of its workforce redundant, ministers have been told.

Reuters News

• UK looking at air bridges; criticises airlines on job cutsThe United Kingdom is looking closely at air bridges to enable some people to travel but airlines should not be using the government's job retention scheme as a way to cut jobs, a junior transport minister said on Wednesday.
• UK car sales almost 90% below normal in May - SMMTBritish car sales edged up in May after falling to their lowest since 1946 in April, but still remained almost 90% below their level a year earlier as coronavirus restrictions limited sales.

City AM

• UK quarantine: Boris Johnson says UK will 'certainly develop' air bridgesThe government “will certainly be developing” air bridges with other European countries to ensure quarantine-free travel, according to Boris Johnson. The post UK quarantine: Boris Johnson says UK will 'certainly develop' air bridges appeared first on CityAM.

The Mirror

• Nissan warns it could shut UK plant in case of no-deal BrexitCar manufacturer Nissan has warned its Sunderland plant, which employs 7,000 people, could shut if the UK drops out of the EU without a deal and trade tariffs increase

This is Money

• New images of Dyson's £500M failed electric car revealedIn an exclusive interview with Autocar, Sir James Dyson - worth £16.2billion - said: 'Transport interests me: this is not an end to Dyson's interest in mobility.'
• Leaked letter reveals SMMT and government discussions for scrappage schemeIn his letter to Chancellor, SMMT boss Mike Hawes said a subsidy of £2,500 off the price of a car when motorists scrapped older vehicles could see a further 600k motors being bought.
• British Airways facing backlash over claims it abused furlough schemeBritain's flag carrier is facing a backlash from MPs, ministers and union leaders after claiming taxpayer subsidies to pay the wages of 23,000 staff, shortly before announcing 12,000 job cuts.
• Electric bikes like GoCycle's GX can get us out of our carsI imagined that I'd use the folding GoCycle GX a few times to see what it was like and then stash it away and ride my normal bike. That wasn't what happened.

Belfast Telegraph

• Only 20,000 new cars sold in the UK in MayDemand for new cars fell by around 90% last month as the coronavirus lockdown hit sales.

Birmingham Post

• Rolls-Royce confirms 1,500 jobs will go at Derby site this yearEngineering giant opens voluntary severance scheme to all UK Civil Aerospace staff

Liverpool Echo

• All Ryanair and easyJet flight from Liverpool Airport this summerFull list of destinations you can fly to including Spain as airlines ramp up operations

London Evening Standard

• Legalise electric scooters to help make London 'greener' after lockdown, campaigners urgeElectric scooters should be legalised and allowed to use cycle lanes in London, cycling campaigners said today.
• Walking, rolling or cycling will be a vital part of a better LondonIn lockdown we all remembered the pleasure of walking. Now we need it to return as a vital form of transport.
• Car sector driving forward says Bristol Street Motors bossBRITAIN'S car industry, a key sector with more than 800,000 employees, is poised for a rapid bounce back from the Covid-19 malaise according to one of its leading lights.

Cambridge News

• Highways shuts A14 site after team member tests positive for coronavirusWork has temporarily stopped on the project and the site offices have been closed for a deep clean

Reading Evening Post

• The 7 ways Heathrow will operate social distancing measuresThe rules will be enforced at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted

Other Regional Press

• More flights due to return to Southampton Airport as lockdown restrictions easeMORE flights are to return to Southampton Airport this month as lockdown restrictions are slowly lifted.
• Southampton Airport expansion decision might not be taken until the autumn PLANS to expand Southampton Airport might not be discussed until September, a civic chief has claimed.
• Bus passengers worried as people return to workBus users are concerned an influx of passengers could prevent them getting to work but companies say they are increasing the number of services.
• Dorchester town councillors attack railway tree cuttingThe ‘blitzing’ of trees and shrubs along rail lines in Dorchester has again been criticised by town councillors.
• Government looking at possibility of 'travel corridors' with other countriesCountries with low rates of infection will be considered
• Row over dust and noise nuisance from controversial road schemeResidents have suffered "horrendous" problems because restrictions were not enforced, said councillor
• Drivers turn off engines after getting stuck in huge queues on A630One person said it was a 'mess'

C.N.N.

• Airline restarts flights, cancels them again when passengers can't follow Covid-19 regulationsJust weeks after restarting domestic flights, Indonesian carrier Lion Air has canceled them again, citing issues with passengers not following Covid-19 regulations.
• US to block Chinese airlines from flying into the USThe US government says it will block Chinese airlines from flying into the US in response to what it says is a policy that has prevented US carriers from service between the two countries.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Renault cuts 15,000 jobs in major restructuringRenault is cutting 15,000 jobs worldwide as part of a €2bn (£1.8bn) cost-cutting plan after seeing sales plunge because of the virus pandemic.
• British Airways stops flights to Leeds Bradford AirportBritish Airways has axed flights to Leeds Bradford Airport. The airline said it regularly evaluated its routes
• Coronavirus: UK sees almost no car manufacturing in AprilBritish car manufacturing came to a screeching halt in April, down 99.7% against the same month last year. It was the lowest output since the Second World War, according to the industry body, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Just 197 premium and luxury sports vehicles rolled off factory lines, with 45 of those sent to UK customers. Instead, some plants refocused to make 711,495 items of personal protective equipment for health workers. “With the UK’s car plants mothballed in April, these figures aren’t surprising but they do highlight the tremendous chal...
• Rebuilding the bus market in a post-Covid world to meet the route to zero carbon challengeThe Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) has released a White Paper that features 14 recommendations for encouraging government to realign its policies for exiting the Covid-19 lockdown, to work alongside the goal of significantly reducing greenhouse gases and improving the nation’s air quality. Covid-19 changes nothing if, without intervention, the economy and the way we travel reverts back to the status quo ante. Following the government’s policy document, Decarbonising Transport: Setting the Challenge, the landscape of the transport sector has chan...

Railnews

• Keolis chairman dismissed after four months in the job The executive chairman of French company Keolis has been sacked. Keolis has a 35 per cent stake in Govia plus an ˜Operator and Development™ partnership with Amey at Transport for Wales.
• New intermodal freight sidings planned at Peterborough New investment has been announced by GB Railfreight, which is planning to build more intermodal sidings at Peterborough with Balfour Beatty and Network Rail.

Other News Sources

• EU urged not to mess with UN aviation rules Leading MEPs have asked the European Commission and Council not to seek changes to the UN's global aviation scheme, which is aimed at making the industry carbon neutral. Airlines have requested more leeway to ride out the coronavirus outbreak slump.
• Pop-up cycle and walking lanes in West Sussex could become permanentEMERGENCY funding has been announced for pop-up cycling lanes during the coronavirus crisis.

EIN News Subscription

• Jet2 won't ask passengers to wear masks on flights - unlike other major airlines … measure is helpful." The budget airline is deep cleaning aircraft and … More Related Articles Many other European airlines, including Ryanair, KLM and …
• Travel updates: Cruises around Britain could be on this summerEurope's biggest budget airline has rejected the UK Government’ … when the medical science across Europe, in countries such as Portugal …
• Ryanair's passenger numbers down 99.5 pct in MayDUBLIN, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Europe's largest budget airline Ryanair said on Wednesday … March when more and more European countries imposed flight bans and … mainly operates flight services in Europe and parts of North Africa …
• Road to Recovery: EasyJet to fly 75% of routes in August; Qatar Airways to resume Venice flights … to airline and airport activity, interaction between staff and passengers, … . The airport guidelines note: “The post-security terminal airside … June, travellers from the EU, UK, Andorra, Monaco, … and gloves while inside airports. Europe EasyJet has announced …
• Berlin's new airport is finally set to open, its future is up in the air … security checkpoints. Because of the new regulations Berlin airports … . Lufthansa planes parked at BER airport with nowhere … new airport play internationally? All big European hubs … luggage, even when passengers switch airlines. Despite all the planning …
• 24 countries sign pledge to boost international rail routes … the joint letter sent to EU transport boss Adina Vălean, “international passenger … greenhouse gas emissions from transport and the European Commission’s intention to … -outbreak levels. State interventions in airlines are also changing the game …
• Airlines See Signs Of Recovery From Pits Of April … 11 countries by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which … bookings by discounting air fares. Domestic air travel is now … doubled to 12%; with European travellers expressing 6% to … developing bubble corridors and air bridges being forged between …
• Coronavirus: Everything you need to know about air bridges … Tourism Board, is hoping an airbridge connection can be established with … the Schengen area and the EU. Currently, arrivals must self- … is not included in the EU or Schengen area. Quarantine … government is working with the transport industry “to see how we …