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

Thursday, 02 July 2020

BBC News

• Coronavirus: Welsh Government asks Ryanair to drop flightsThe airline is advertising flights to Malaga and Faro from Cardiff Airport for Friday.
• Coronavirus: 1,700 Airbus jobs threatened in UKThe company is cutting 15,000 jobs, with 1,700 expected to go in Flintshire and Bristol.
• Broughton Airbus job losses a 'hammer blow' to the areaThe impact of cuts at the wing factory in Broughton, Flintshire will be felt across the region.
• MOT to SORN: How to get your car out of lockdownHaven't used your car in a while? Here are five tips to help you get going again.
• Brexit: Northern Ireland ports ready to build infrastructureThe ports have been engaging with Stormont over the creation of border control posts (BCPs).
• Coronavirus: UK firms slash more than 12,000 jobs in two daysBusinesses including Topshop owner Arcadia, Harrods, John Lewis, Airbus and EasyJet are cutting back.
• Tesla overtakes Toyota to become world's most valuable car makerShares in the electric carmaker have surged, giving it a market value of $209bn.

Financial Times

• Virgin Group commits £200m of immediate funding for Virgin AtlanticCash move comes as grounded airline races to finalise £1bn rescue package

The Guardian

• Tesla becomes world's most valuable carmaker without making a profitElon Musk’s company outstrips Toyota on stock market as demand for electric cars soarsTesla has overhauled Japanese rival Toyota to become the world’s most valuable automotive company.Despite never having made a profit, the billionaire Elon Musk’s electric car manufacturer has been tipped by some pundits to achieve a valuation of more than $1tn (£800bn) as demand for electric vehicles soars. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Call to stop Scotland's aerospace industry becoming 'critically damaged' through massive job cutsSCOTLAND'S aerospace industry will be "critically damaged" if government does not take urgent action, according to a new analysis.

The Independent

• Ryanair pilots to take 20% pay cut after boss Michael O'Leary issues jobs ultimatumChief executive warned pilots that 3,000 staff faced being made redundant if they didn't accept a pay cut
• Coronavirus: More than 12,000 jobs to be lost from high-street retailers and aviation companies hit by pandemicStream of cuts in retail and aviation as industries feel pressure from Covid-19 restrictions
• Electric bicycle buying guide: Everything you need to know about ebikes, from motors to batteriesWondering about the future of transportation? Well, these may just be the answer

The Telegraph

• Quarantine 'utter failure' as first Ryanair flights two thirds full

Times Online

• Green light to visit 95 countries . . . if they will let you in [Subscription]Boris Johnson is preparing to give Britons the green light for travel to up to 95 countries in a move that will signal the end of the government’s blanket quarantine policy.
• Ministers reject £6,000 scrappage scheme for toxic vehicles [Subscription]A scrappage scheme for petrol and diesel cars appears to have been ruled out by the government despite concerns over levels of toxic emissions.
• Flights to US ‘unlikely to be back to normal before next year’ [Subscription]Commercial flights to the United States are unlikely to return until next year, the head of a travel agent representative body has said.
• Ryanair flies again as pilots accept cuts [Subscription]Ryanair endured a turbulent first day back in the air after the pan-European lockdown, with pilots backing down from a dispute over forced pay cuts but social media alight with claims that the airline is irresponsible in putting people in enclosed spaces on its planes.
• Tesla proves electric as it hits top spot [Subscription]Tesla became the highest-valued motor manufacturer in the world as its shares hit record highs and the electric car maker’s market value topped that of Japan’s Toyota Motors, the former frontrunner.
• E-bike advert banned in France for ‘inciting fear and suffering’ [Subscription]A commercial for an electric bicycle has been banned by France’s advertising watchdog on the grounds that it denigrates the motor industry.

Daily Record

• More major flights resume at Glasgow AirportOnly a small number of planes have been jetting in and out of the travel hub amid the global lockdown.

Mail Online

• Volvo recalls 170,000 UK cars due to 'extremely rare' seatbelt faultThe recall is the Swedish brand's biggest ever, and applies to passengers cars built between 2006 and 2018. Affected models include the S60, V60, XC60 (pictured), V70, XC70 and S80.
• Trainline's new app feature lets passengers flag if social distancing is possible on their trainThe feature, called Crowd Alerts, will enable passengers to alert one another if certain parts of a train - the front, middle or back - are too busy for safe distances to be established.
• Elon Musk's Tesla overtakes Toyota as most valuable car makerShares of the Elon Musk-owned Tesla climbed five percent in early morning trade to a record of $1,133, boosting the company's market cap to $209.47 billion - $6 billion more than Toyota.
• Ryanair boss says only way for tourism firms to recover is to slash pricesMichael O'Leary (pictured) said the only way his airline can recover is by slashing fares for the next year or two to encourage air travel.

This is Money

• Branson to put £200m into Virgin Atlantic as targets £1bn rescue dealSome 3,150 out of 10,000 Virgin staff face the chop as the airline industry struggles amid widespread flight cancellations and question marks about how long it will take travel to return to pre-Covid levels.
• Tesla races past Toyota to become world's most valuable car companyThe electric car maker's value yesterday rose by more than 4 per cent to £167.5bn. That made it more valuable than its much bigger Japanese rival, which was worth £163.6bn.

Birmingham Post

• Bristol Airport boss urges government for 'more support'Chief executive Dave Lees has warned over industry jobs as flights begin to ramp back up
• This is not the beginning of the end for Airbus at Broughton says Ken SkatesThe company will confirm tomorrow how many of the 1,700 job losses in the UK will be at its wing-making factory at Broughton
• Snowdon Mountain Railway needs 'visitors like never before' to secure its futureThe railway line to the summit of Snowdon has been operating since 1896
• JCB makes history again with world's first hydrogen-powered diggerLord Bamford and his son Jo Bamford have teamed up to create the industry's first ever hydrogen-powered excavator

Bolton News

• Delight after £3m plans approved to re-deck Daisy Hill railway bridge A RAILWAY bridge which was in danger of closing will remain in place after £3m has been set aside to re-deck it.
• 'Huge relief' as controversial motorway bypass plans shelvedNO new bypass will be built as part of the major plans to ease traffic on the M60 after previous proposals caused controversy and concern in Kearsley.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 'Urgent intervention' needed to boost rail growth URGENT work is needed to improve local rail capacity - and failure to do so could damage the local economy.

Bristol Live

• Changes planned for Bristol Airport bus serviceAdditional bus services are set to run from Sunday

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Incredible drone images give closer look at ship anchored off Colwyn BayThe THV Patricia's presence has attracted a lot of attention
• Minister holds press conference after Airbus job cuts announcement - liveKen Skates is set to address news of 1,700 UK job losses at the aircraft manufacturer
• Union's proposals to help save Airbus workers from compulsory redundanciesUnite the union said keeping as many jobs as possible at Broughton would need government support
• The five steps to support Airbus workers which will be taken by Welsh GovernmentAirbus last night announced it was cutting 15,000 jobs globally - including 1,700 in the UK

London Evening Standard

• Ryanair boss claims plane seats 'act as blockage' to coronavirus as he calls for 'stupid' quarantine to be lifted
• Airlines ramp up flight schedules ahead of 'air bridges' announcement Airlines are ramping up their flight schedules ahead of an expected announcement on so-called 'air bridges' to allow people flying from certain countries to avoid quarantine.
• Tesla overtakes Toyota to become world's most valuable car makerTesla has overtaken Toyota to become the world's most valuable car maker after its stock hit a record high.

Manchester Evening News

• Pictures show what a British Airways flight from Manchester looks like nowBritish Airways have restarted flights from Manchester to London with strict Covid-19 measures including wearing masks at all times, social distancing and separate boarding and disembarking

The York Press

• York train company Grand Central restarts tickets sales A YORK based train operator has announced a ‘measured’ return to service following a four-month period of hibernation during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Wales Online

• Minister's plea to passengers after Ryanair says Cardiff flights still onThe Welsh Government has said it will not "abandon the Airbus workforce"

Burnley Express

• Euro Garages' £70k electric car charging points 'commercially unviable'ELECTRIC car charging points at a Blackburn business park are only being used on average once a day, figures show.

Cambridge News

• Cambs road 'closed for a week' after burst water pipe damages entire carriagewayWater has returned to nearby houses but the road could be out of action for sometime
• The '20 minute' coastal train line near Cambs that could re-open soon Reinstating the railway could cut down the journey time to the seaside by 'a third' thanks to a £50k grant

East Anglian Daily Times

• Parents voice anger as essential school bus service scrappedA bus service popular among students who use it to travel between Hadleigh, Capel St Mary, East Begholt and Colchester is being scrapped come September, leaving some children with no way to get to school.

Other Regional Press

• Stevenage site to be ‘unaffected’ as Airbus looks to cut 15,000 jobsAerospace company Airbus has declared that 15,000 jobs across the company are at risk as part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic, but the Stevenge site will not be affected.
• Crossings in Oxford allow more time to cross roadPEDESTRIANS will be given more time to cross the road in Oxford in attempts to enhance social distancing.
• Ferry firm DFDS announces 650 redundanciesFerry operator DFDS has announced job cuts across its business as it focuses on freight but the company can't confirm how Dover will be affected.
• York's new rush hour as First Bus add more services to timetableCoronavirus has completely changed the behaviours of passengers in York and there is a new 'rush hour' that is different to normal
• 'King Street junction must be sorted before ferry returns' IN SUPPORT of reinstating the cross Channel ferry service (Echo 29/6/20), Robert Theobald states that it can be almost one hour faster to navigate out of Weymouth harbour than Poole.
• Thousands of extra seats on Coventry bus servicesNew social distancing measures will be in place

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• COVID-19 anxiety changing commuter travel habits6 out of 10 London commuters will change the way they travel when the return to work begins, research by Addison Lee has found, with COVID-19 safety concerns changing transport demand patterns.    In a survey of 1,000 commuters across the capital’s 32 boroughs, 56% of commuters who travel into London said that they plan to do their journey to work differently, with many already clear about changes they’ll make:   • 55% plan to change the time of their commute to avoid peak hours • 49% plan to use their own vehicle – up from 23% pre-pandemic  &bul...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Queen Street project to restart after £64m investment Network Rail Scotland is resuming work on major construction across Scotland’s Railway following a three-month standstill due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Reconstructive work on Glasgow Queen Street station, the new £14m Kintore station and the completion of the £13m redevelopment...
• London Victoria approaching 85% recycling target The second busiest train station in Britain has begun a trial to recycle 85% of all waste created on site.   Network Rail’s London Victoria is working alongside its train operators and waste specialist The Green Block, to take the number one spot for recycling on Britain’s...

Railnews

• Eurostar back on track as routes reopen Eurostar is restoring one daily service from London to Amsterdam from 9 July, but passengers in the reverse direction will still have to change at Brussels. Trains from London to Disneyland will return in August.

Other News Sources

• FlixBus confirms UK network launchFirm aims to be UK market leader by 2025 FlixBus will launch UK services on four routes from tomorrow   Growing international coach operator FlixBus has confirmed rumours surrounding plans to launch an assault on the UK market with the announcement it will commence services tomorrow on several routes from London. Last year, the German company registered a new UK-based subsidiary with a registered office based at a Bristol law firm (see issue PT217). The new company’s sole director was named as Max Zeumer, FlixBus’s vice president of international business. The company also applied for a U...
• £46.7m for Scottish bus servicesFunding boost has been welcomed by bus operators Michael Matheson   The Scottish Government has approved additional expenditure of £46.7m to support bus operators as the country comes out of lockdown. Bus travel typically accounts for just under three quarters of all public transport journeys but this has fallen substantially as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Scottish Government had continued to make payments totalling £34.3m to 155 bus operators, covering concessionary fares reimbursement and Bus Service Operator Grant at pre-lockdown levels. However, Scottish transport secret...
• Grand Central announces ‘measured’ restart‘Vital services’ to relaunch later this month   Train operator Grand Central has announced a ‘measured’ return to service following a four-month period of hibernation during the Covid-19 lockdown. As an open access operator, Grand Central does not receive government funding and relies on tickets sales. The company will relaunch services on its West Riding and North East routes, from July 26. Grand Central thanked customers for their support whilst services have been suspended and invited passengers to once again “put their faithâ€� in the company. The planned launch of services ...
• ‘Buses are central to delivering New Deal’CPT boss says National Infrastructure Strategy is an opportunity to ensure that buses are given priority   Boris Johnson speaking in Dudley this week   Boris Johnson set out the first steps in the strategy to “rebuild Britain and fuel economic recovery across the UK” in a speech in Dudley on June 30. Before the coronavirus crisis, buses were at the heart of the prime minister’s domestic policy agenda. In a speech Manchester last August, he declared his “love” for buses and pledged to to “begin as a matter of urgency the transformation of local bus ...
• When E-scooters will be allowed on the roads - and how long for The Department for Transport has announced that e-scooters will be allowed on Britain’s roads from this Saturday (July 4).
• Airlines granted huge emissions reprieve by UN compromiseThe UN’s aviation emissions offsetting scheme will not take 2020 into account when calculating how much airlines have to pay to neutralise their carbon dioxide output. Environmental groups have derided the decision for “making a mockeryâ€� of climate policy.
• Tesla tops list of most valuable carmakersUS electric vehicle specialist Tesla overtook Toyota to become the most valuable car company in the world on Wednesday (1 June), but Elon Musk’s firm also scaled back plans at its future Berlin factory.

EIN News Subscription

• Welsh Government urges Ryanair to postpone 'lockdown breaking' flights to Spain and Portugal … and Portugal this weekend.  The budget airline is planning to run flights … the airport.  Anyone returning from Europe will also need to self …
• People flying into Cardiff will get an email if they need to self isolate … they need to self isolate. Budget airline Ryanair has confirmed it is … between Wales and the two European countries on Friday, despite being … planned for Friday, but the budget airline said the flights were going …
• Ryanair pilots agree to 20% pay cut in bid to avoid up to 3,000 job losses … .  Meanwhile Ryanair, Europe's biggest budget airline, said it had … the UK and Europe.  British Airways: The International … .' Yesterday, budget airline EasyJet revealed up to 4, … affected countries in Europe. Greek prime minister Kyriakos …
• Social distancing on planes: Why new seat designs won't take off … such as those favoured by budget airlines starts at around $4400. A … don't care. In Europe, North America and on domestic …
• Suspension From European Airspace Is Latest Blow to Pakistan’s Troubled Airline … the credentials of Pakistani airline employees. The European air safety agency said the … not be any exchange of information or discussion between crew members … resulted in restrictions on Pakistani airlines and passengers.â€� “Pakistani pilots — as with …
• Airline launches 'yellow card' ban system for passengers not wearing face masks … transport only. Travellers wear protective face masks at Heathrow Airport … But most British and European airlines have opted to … the airline continued. Most major European and British airlines now … Coronavirus travel latest The airline would supply masks to …
• UPDATE 4-Airbus hints at compromise as governments fret over job cuts … and Britain. France urged Airbus (AIR.PA) to make as few … the European planemaker were a “red lineâ€�. “The state urges Airbus … as possible,â€� French Junior Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari told … successful because we have a European and global DNA and …