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

Saturday, 13 June 2020

BBC News

• Coronavirus: London bus driver on working during pandemicBritish Iraqi bus driver, Susan, had to overcome her fears and work while coronavirus was surging around the UK.
• Coronavirus: Who should wear a face mask or face covering?Face coverings are becoming compulsory for people using public transport in England.
• Greater Manchester councils agree to work together on cycle lanesManchester City Council was initially accused of being
• British Airways: A breakdown in trust?British Airways is a firm in crisis, struggling with Covid-19 and in conflict with its employees.
• BA, Ryanair and EasyJet launch fight over 'devastating' quarantine planBA, Ryanair and EasyJet are challenging plans to force inbound travellers to self isolate for 14 days.
• British Airways' treatment of staff 'a disgrace', say MPsMPs say the airline's planned job cuts are a

Financial Times

• Bankrupt Hertz given approval for unprecedented share saleCar hire group hopes to take advantage of stock market frenzy to raise $1bn
• BA, easyJet and Ryanair launch legal action over UK quarantineAirlines file legal papers at High Court over ‘disproportionate’ government policy
• MPs brand British Airways a ‘national disgrace’ over job cutsTransport select committee’s chair says redundancies and new terms fall below standards expected of employer

The Guardian

• Distancing rules meant CrossCountry rail staff didn't spot dead man for five hoursPassenger who died of heart attack only noticed 250 miles after his Stockport stopStaff abiding by physical distancing rules failed to notice that a passenger had lain dead on a train for five hours after a heart attack, a rail company has said.CrossCountry ticket inspectors on the Manchester to Bournemouth train thought the man was sleeping, the company said. Inspectors are currently advised to keep their distance from passengers because of anti-coronavirus measures. Continue reading...
• MPs call British Airways 'a national disgrace' for attempt to cut staff conditionsScathing report accuses airline of ‘calculated attempt to take advantage of the pandemic’MPs have labelled British Airways “a national disgraceâ€� for trying to slash its staff terms and conditions during the coronavirus crisis.In a scathing report, the Commons transport select committee accused BA of making “a calculated attempt to take advantage of the pandemicâ€� through moves that could lead to up to 12,000 staff being laid off and the remaining 30,000 put on inferior contracts. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Scottish council spends more than £23,000 on flights despite declaring climate emergency A Scottish local authority more than doubled the amount spent on flying its staff around the world - despite being one of the first in the country to declare a climate emergency.

The Huffington Post

• Uber To Introduce Mandatory Face Coverings For Drivers And Passengers

The Independent

• Grant Shapps hints no change to post-travel quarantine until 29 June at earliest'There are countries that have lower levels of infection but that may be because they've yet to go into this, rather than they've come out of it,' said the transport secretary
• British Airways' response to coronavirus crisis a 'national disgrace,' say MPs'This wanton destruction of a loyal workforce cannot appear to go without sanction,' said Huw Merriman, chair of the Transport Select Committee

The Telegraph

• Do I need to self-quarantine for 14 days after travel - and what are the rules?

Times Online

• BA is a national disgrace for cutting jobs, say MPs [Subscription]MPs today branded British Airways a “national disgrace” for attempting to dismiss or downgrade its entire workforce during the coronavirus pandemic.
• End of furlough is threat to UK workers, says Airbus chief Guillaume Faury [Subscription}The head of Airbus has suggested its British workforce is more vulnerable to cutbacks than French and German workers because the UK furloughing scheme is set to be downgraded shortly.
• Sleeper train is the green dream for Germany [Subscription]The sleeper train is making a tentative comeback in Germany as the coronavirus pandemic and global warming put passengers off budget flights.
• Electric flights approved — if you’re not going far [Subscription]Non-polluting air travel has come a step closer after the European aviation regulator granted the world’s first approval of an all-electric aircraft.
• Britain shelves border checks . . . but EU doesn’t follow suit [Subscription]Ministers have abandoned plans to bring in border checks for food and goods entering the UK in January as they admitted that the coronavirus lockdown had delayed preparations for exiting the transition period.

Reuters News

• Quarantine rules are to protect public health, says PM's spokesmanBritain's government have brought in quarantine rules to protect public health, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday, declining to comment on legal action brought by British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair.

City AM

• Commuters can be fined for not wearing masks, Grant Shapps revealsThose using public transport without wearing a face covering can be fined and refused permission to board, transport secretary Grant The post Commuters can be fined for not wearing masks, Grant Shapps reveals appeared first on CityAM.
• MPs label British Airways a 'national disgrace' over job cutsMPs have condemned British Airways, calling the embattled carrier a “national disgraceâ€� over its plans to make 12,000 of its The post MPs label British Airways a 'national disgrace' over job cuts appeared first on CityAM.

Mail Online

• British Airways' treatment of staff 'is a national disgrace', claim MPs in brutal committee reportCross-party MPs have slammed British Airways for the treatment of its staff during the coronavirus pandemic, branding their behaviour during this period 'a national disgrace'.
• American Airlines revenue will be down 90% in second quarterThe company said on Friday that it expects its fiscal 2020 results to be materially impacted given the duration and severity of the coronavirus pandemic remains uncertain.
• Bus crashes into a low bridge injuring three people and bending the roof backwardsThe bus crashed into a bridge on Barton Lane in Eccles, Salford, Greater Manchester, at 5.27pm this evening, injuring three people. Firefighters set up a cordon at the scene and Barton Road was closed.
• Grant Shapps unveils plan to make flights greener - as airlines launch quarantine legal actionThe Transport Secretary used the daily Downing Street press conference to unveil the formation of a 'jet zero council' bringing together aviation figures, environmentalists and politicians.

The Mirror

• Range Rover Velar named in survey as Britain’s 'least satisfying' new car A survey of 43,000 car buyers carried out by Which? found buyers moaned about the Range Rover Velar's electrical faults, poor rear visibility and “iffy reliabilityâ€�
• 'BA has become "national disgrace" during crisis,' says Voice of the MirrorBritish Airways has exploited coronavirus Covid-19 to lay off a quarter of its workforce but still paid out £3.6billion to its shareholders, a report by MPs claims
• British Airways dubbed 'national disgrace' by MPs over plan to cut 12,000 jobsA report accuses the national airline of 'calculated attempt to take advantage of the pandemic to cut jobs and weaken the terms and conditions of its remaining employees'

Birmingham Post

• Avanti West Coast 'fogging' trains with powerful sanitiser in Covid-19 fightInter-city operator has been testing Zoono Z-71 inside the carriage of its Pendolino and Super Voyager fleets

Bolton News

• Stagecoach launches app to help people pick quieter buses One bus company is launching a new phone app feature to help passengers as the numbers of services being provided across the town increases.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Rail investment 'could help region recover from current crisis'INVESTMENT in rail infrastructure will play a key role in helping the area recover from the coming recession - a meeting of transport bosses heard.
• Lamborghini 'race track' Bradford Road could get camerasA LONG-RUNNING campaign to install speed cameras on a major cross-border road described as a “race trackâ€� has been boosted by a new update.

Liverpool Echo

• 11 golden rules for reopening of Liverpool John Lennon AirportPassengers must wear face coverings at all times

London Evening Standard

• Government 'actively working on air bridges' which could let Brits go on summer holidays abroadThe Government is
• Taxi and bus drivers to be given coronavirus tests even if they aren't showing symptomsTaxi and bus drivers will be given tests for coronavirus even if they do not show symptoms, Boris Johnson announced this afternoon in a move to reduce the death toll among vulnerable workers.
• HS2 diggers go to work as boss heralds track as transformation for commutersBritain's 225mph answer to Japan's bullet trains will transform commuting into London while cutting lorry pollution, the project's boss has said.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• easyJet resuming flights from Newcastle on Monday in crunch week for industryeasyJet's return to offering domestic routes from regional airports comes as airlines prepare to take on the Government's quarantine plans
• New rules at Haymarket bus station and there's a big change for passengersBuses and bus stations are expected to become busier next week as shops start to open up again in Newcastle city centre

The York Press

• City walls and road to become one-way - and plans for new cycle network YORK’S city walls could be made one-way when they reopen - and new cycling ‘super hubs’ are to be set up.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Rail station put into use The new Kidderminster Railway Station has opened to passengers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• A new relationship with roadsTraffic was reduced to 1950s levels in lockdown. Now it’s back, but has the balance changed? Andy Richardson and Dan Morris went out to gauge the mood.

Bucks Free Press

• New images revealed of largest HS2 construction site today revealed a series of striking new images showing preparation for the arrival of the project’s first giant tunnelling machines, which will be launched from a site next to the M25 early next year.
• More than 1,000 people call for speed limit on road where cyclists died to be loweredMore than a thousand people have so far called for the speed limit on a busy A-road where two cyclists were killed this month to be lowered.

Cambridge News

• Peterborough city centre prepares to reopen with new measures revealed The Highways team have also made changes to allow more people to walk and cycle into the city
• Detailed plans to give more road space to Cambs cyclists revealedThe plans will go before councillors on June 16

East Anglian Daily Times

• Fresh confusion over Babergh cab fares as drivers warn of issues for companies and customersChanges to Hackney carriage fares in Babergh aimed at simplifying tariffs will create more confusion for both cabbies and customers, drivers have warned.

Reading Evening Post

• Reading in line for £1.5m to boost cycle routes during pandemicThe first scheme, installing new cycle lanes on Reading Bridge, will open on Monday
• Flying from Heathrow? Here's the newest official government guidanceThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office is still advising against all but essential travel

Other Regional Press

• Road collapses from burst water mainPolice are at the scene of the flooding which has caused part of the carriageway to sink.
• First Wessex using virus-killing treatment on buses Passengers in Weymouth and west Dorset are being reassured that buses are being protected against Covid-19 thanks to 'revolutionary' virus-killing treatment.

The Economist

• Britain’s new quarantine rules are a head-scratcherBoris Johnson’s government closes down as Europe opens up

Railnews

• More anti-Covid precautions as railway prepares for compulsory facemasks Train operators are stepping up measures to protect their staff and passengers from coronavirus, on the eve of new regulations which will require most passengers travelling on public transport to wear face coverings.
• Borders Rail campaign ˜vindicated™ by HS2 report Campaigners who are calling for the Borders Railway to be completed between Tweedbank, Hawick and Carlisle say they have been ˜vindicated™ by a new report from the High Speed Rail Group for submission to the National Infrastructure Commission, which recommends the completion of the railway on the grounds of ˜economic regeneration, social inclusion, and strategic deployment of network capacity made possible by the construction of HS2™. The new report, from Greengauge 21, was commissioned by the High Speed Rail Group and says that ˜early studies demonstrated the sound economic case for high-spe...

Other News Sources

• ScotRail warns on social distancingTrain operator warns it ‘can’t guarantee physical distancing at all stages of a journey’     ScotRail has warned that social distancing for its passengers cannot be guaranteed “at all stages of a journey”. The train operator has implemented some measures in a bid to make journeys safer, but it has told passengers that they “must take personal responsibility for their travel choices” as they can’t “guarantee physical distancing” will be possible at all stages of a journey. The warning has come as face coverings become mandatory on ...
• Stagecoach launches ‘busy bus’ trackerApp will use artificial intelligence to help customers socially distance     Stagecoach is launching a new smartphone “busy busâ€� indicator to help passengers plan their journeys as services increase across the country. The new feature on the group’s bus app will use extensive data and artificial intelligence to provide a traffic light indicator to help customers choose quieter services and maintain social distancing. The app is now being rolled out and is planned to be fully in place by June 18. The “busy busâ€� tracker will provide a regularly updated guide to how busy individua...
• Hereford road will be closed for eight months for building work A ROAD in Hereford will be closed for eight months while developers work to build 71 new houses.
• Wales in line for latest battery mega-factoryA firm that aims to make the United Kingdom a leading force in sustainable battery technology has chosen Wales as the preferred site for its first giga-factory, which promises to bring thousands of jobs to one of Europe's poorest regions.
• Electric plane certified by EU regulator in world-firstThe European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) granted this week an electric aircraft worldwide certification to operate, in what the regulator hailed as a massive step forward in battery-powered flight.

Other Subscription Services

• Luton Airport expansion bid pause for review Luton Council's airport company London Luton Airport Ltd is to review its 20 year expansion plan in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.The company has stated an aspiration to make Luton the UK's most...