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

Wednesday, 08 July 2020

BBC News

• Bike sales surge helps Halfords through lockdownThe retailer said sales of bicycles leapt during lockdown, but sales of car parts saw big falls.
• London's North Circular drivers rescued as water floods routeFirefighters help save eight drivers who were stuck in floodwater on the major road in London.
• DHL to cut 2,200 jobs at Jaguar Land Rover plantsDHL Supply Chain will cut about 40% of its workforce at car plants in the Midlands and North West.
• Coronavirus: Budget airline AirAsia's future in ‘significant doubt’Asia's biggest budget carrier faces uncertainties due to the pandemic, auditor Ernst & Young has warned.

The Guardian

• Thousands of Jaguar Land Rover logistics workers to lose jobsDHL to lay off 2,200 workers on JLR contract as calls grow for UK government support package for car industryThousands more UK workers involved in making Jaguar Land Rover vehicles are set to lose their jobs, despite the embattled car industry returning to production after coronavirus shutdowns.Logistics giant DHL has notified unions that 2,200 workers, around 40% of those currently employed on its JLR contract, will be laid off. Continue reading...
• Free hospital parking to end for NHS staff in England, government saysOnly ‘key patient groups and staff in certain circumstances’ will be exempt from fees as pandemic easesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFree hospital parking for NHS staff in England will end in all but “certain circumstancesâ€� once the coronavirus pandemic begins to ease, the government has said.The health secretary, Matt Hancock, announced on 25 March that the government would cover the costs of car parking for NHS staff who he said were “going above and beyond every dayâ€� at hospitals in England. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Airport bosses hit out at Scottish Government over lack of air bridgesNICOLA Sturgeon has been accused of “dragging her feet” and putting jobs at risk over plans to allow Scots to enjoy quarantine-free travel abroad.

The Independent

• Government to scrap free parking for NHS staff once coronavirus crisis eases'Free parking for staff has only been made possible by support from local authorities and independent providers and this support cannot continue indefinitely'

The Telegraph

• 21 killed after bus carrying students crashes into lake amid widespread flooding in China

Times Online

• Coronavirus in Scotland: Travel restrictions lifted in Dumfries and Galloway [Subscription]Travel restrictions have been lifted in Dumfries and Galloway as Nicola Sturgeon revealed that the rate of Covid-19 is five times higher in England than Scotland.
• Electric vans lined up by British Gas [Subscription]British Gas has ordered 1,000 new electric vans from Vauxhall as it steps up plans to electrify the entire fleet by 2030.
• Halfords warns of potholes in the road ahead [Subscription]The boom in sales of bikes and electric scooters may have helped Halfords to steer through the lockdown, but it warned yesterday of a hit to profits — and possibly even a loss — further down the road.
• Beating the Tube to be plain sailing [Subscription]Uber is launching its first permanent boat service in the world in London, as the ride-hailing group expands the transport services it offers customers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Daily Express

• Elon Musk reveals TRUE purpose of Tesla is to enable humans to become multiplanetary ELON Musk has revealed the purpose of US electric car giant Tesla is to enable humankind to become a multi-planetary species.

Mail Online

• Passenger plane 'dropped 18,300 feet as windscreen cracked'The crew were forced carry out the drastic response after a windscreen cracked nearly half an hour after take-off. The aircraft successfully landed in Chongqing just past midnight.
• Commuters told 'don't wear deodorant' in bid to force passengers to wear coronavirus masks in BerlinWith face coverings mandatory on public transport in Germany to prevent the spread of covid-19, BVG provider in Berlin has encouraged its customers to let their natural body odour smell.

This is Money

• New car registrations down by a third in June despite dealers reopeningDealers in England were allowed to welcome customers back from 1 June, but business was tough.

Sky News

• Free parking for NHS staff 'cannot continue indefinitely', health minister saysNHS healthcare workers need clarity over the future of free hospital parking after a health minister announced funding for it "cannot continue indefinitely", a Liberal Democrat MP has said.

Birmingham Mail

• Piers Morgan rages at government over ending free parking for NHS staffHealth Secretary Matt Hancock announced on March 25 that the Government would cover the costs of car parking - but no more

Birmingham Post

• Calls for 'coastal economies minister' as maritime bids to lead UK recoveryCoastal areas are 'ready and willing' to take a leading role in the country's post-coronavirus recovery
• Car dealership group to offset emissions of vehicles soldMotordepot makes pledge after partnering with iOffset
• 'Bitter blow' as thousands of agency jobs to go at Jaguar Land Rover plantsUnion Unite says agency staff working for DHL to be affected in North West and West Midlands factories

Bolton News

• Northern coronavirus recovery plan includes HS2 acceleration and more fundingA NEW think tank to help the north recover from the impacts of lockdown has called for more financial support.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Road closure and pop up cycle lanes - new 'active travel' measures being introduced THE temporary closure of a road is among the first

Bristol Live

• Cyclists could be pushed up Park Street on bike liftThe Clifton Cable Company wants to bring the UK's first CycloCable to Bristol

Manchester Evening News

• Jet2 rules passengers must follow when holidays restart next weekThe airline will restart flights to quarantine-free countries from July 15

Northern Echo

• Full list of everywhere you can fly to from Newcastle Airport this month AS lockdown restrictions are eased, some are already planning where they can go once the government announces holidays abroad are allowed.

Wales Online

• Damaged bridge near Swansea halts services on part of Heart of Wales LineTrains won't run again until the beginning of August, with rail replacement services in operation
• Quarantine for people flying into Wales not being enforcedPeople arriving in Wales from abroad are required to isolate for 14 days unless they come from one of the countries the UK has an "air bridge"

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• First glimpse of region's new trainsNow that's what you call a long vehicle. Covered in tarpaulin, and lowered onto a supersize truck by crane, the future of the West Midland rail service is captured here arriving at Southampton docks.
• Chase parking plan to cost nearly £8mA plan to close car parks, introduce parking charges and manage Cannock Chase over the coming years is expected to cost nearly £8 million, it has emerged.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Could the e-scooter revolution be coming to Peterborough?The e-scooter revolution could be about to hit the streets of Peterborough if new plans win the green light.

Other Regional Press

• Train company give update on Abbey Line A train company has explained to commuters what needs to happen before it can reopen a railway line.
• Buses cannot pick up some passengers in Watford High Street The managing director of a bus company says floral displays at a bus stop are
• Southampton Airport launch more frequent flights to ManchesterNEW fights to Manchester have been launched at Southampton Airport.
• Southampton airport runway plan consultation lauched A PUBLIC consultation over plans to expand Southampton Airport is set to start this week.
• Road bosses urge residents to keep items secure after 46,000 items found on UK highwaysMORE THAN 46,000 items were left at the side of the UK's motorways over the past 10 months, leading Highways England to urge drivers to
• Ring road section could be closed as old Kennington bridge repairs take placePARTS of the Oxford Ring Road could be closed later this month as work to prop up an old bridge is carried out.
• Government must move quickly on hydrogen or 'risk being left behind'Redcar MP Jacob Young is chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Hydrogen, and wants Teesside to be a UK centre for innovation
• Martin Lewis' secret to saving up to £500 on your car insurance billThe Money Saving Expert is hoping to save people hundreds during difficult financial times
• 2,200 Jaguar Land Rover jobs under threat in latest bitter blow40 per cent of the entire workforce employed by DHL, who are the logistics partners to the Coventry car giant, are under threat

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• DUKFT award funding to projects to drive decarbonisation of freight transport in the UKDecarbonising UK Freight Transport (DUKFT) has announced the success of four projects in their latest funding call. DUKFT, a network of over forty industry and academic partners funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and hosted by UCL Energy Institute, selected four successful projects in a three-stage review process consisting of academic and industry stakeholders and a panel of experts. The call, which closed on 30th April, received twenty-one applications, these were whittled down to four by a three-stage review process consisting of academic and industry stakeh...
• Renewing the transport system to better serve communities across the countryThe effect of Covid-19 on transport has been vast, but as the UK begins the process of recovery, the need for sustainable transport has only strengthened. In its new report, Covid-19 Recovery: Renewing the Transport System, Campaign for Better Transport outlines how the transport system can be transformed as part of a recovery programme to create jobs, tackle social exclusion, improve the environment and people’s health, and aid economic recovery. The report calls for a world-leading public transport network with improved connectivity; 100 per cent zero-emission road transport and railw...
• New Eurostar treaties open up direct travel from Amsterdam to LondonDirect high-speed train services from Amsterdam to London will be possible later this year, after new agreements were signed today (7 July). For these services to operate, existing agreements between the UK, France and Belgium signed in 1993 have been modified to include the Netherlands. Representatives from all four countries signed the treaties at a ceremony in Brussels. The Home Office-led treaty concerning Frontier Control arrangements extends the existing model of “juxtaposed border checks” to the Netherlands; whereby passengers are checked, prior to departure, successively ...

Rail Technology Magazine

• West Midlands Interchange to boost local economy The new Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI), titled the West Midlands Interchange (WMI), located in South Staffordshire, is set to become a reality with the promoter Four Ashes Limited (FAL) planning the successive stage in its development after it was granted a Development Consent Order...
• HS2 eastern leg could create up to 150,000 jobs Leaders in the North and the Midlands are calling for HS2 work to be brought forward as new research shows the eastern leg of the line could create up to 150,000 jobs. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being pushed to back his promise to ‘build better, faster, greener’ by clearing the...

Railnews

• Driverless Underground trains row flares after Prime Minister™s visit The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested that introducing driverless trains on London Underground should be part of the autumn cash settlement for Transport for London. One senior union figure has condemned his remarks as ˜outrageous™. The government had not been funding TfL for some years, but the finances of London™s transport systems have been stretched to the breaking point by the loss of revenue from fares since the pandemic started. Emergency measures agreed by the Department for Transport have given TfL up to £1.9 billion until October, when renewed support appears to be almost i...
• Scottish Government concedes support for subway and trams The Scottish Government is to provide up to £9 million of emergency funding for Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams in response to the financial pressure of the pandemic, which has slashed the amount of revenue normally earned from fares.

Aviation Industry

• Suspending air passenger duty would undermine green recoveryThe Chancellor is expected to deliver a ‘summer statement’ tomorrow, including key measures to help deliver an economic recovery from the Coronavirus lockdown. With some in the aviation industry, and …

Other News Sources

• NXWM launches first electric busesOperator’s pledge to never buy another diesel bus becoming a reality     National Express West Midlands is making good on its promise never to buy another diesel bus with the introduction of its first fully electric double deckers. Early on Sunday morning (July 5), vehicle number E008, named ‘Laura’, entered service on Route 6 between Birmingham and Solihull via Hall Green and Shirley. The bus was followed by 19 others into service. A further 10 vehicles will enter service in Coventry later this year. “At National Express, zero-emission is not the future – it’...
• Treaty paves the way for direct Eurostar servicesNew treaties make direct train services from Amsterdam to London possible   Image: Malek Azoug   Direct high-speed train services from Amsterdam to London will be possible later this year, after new agreements were signed today (July 7). For these services to operate, existing agreements between the UK, France and Belgium, signed in 1993, have been modified to include the Netherlands. Representatives from all four countries signed the treaties at a ceremony in Brussels. The Home Office-led treaty concerning Frontier Control arrangements extends the existing model of “juxtaposed borde...
• £9m for Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh TramsSPT and Edinburgh Trams Limited have used existing reserves over the past three months to continue to deliver services for people across Edinburgh and Glasgow – but additional funding is now available     The Scottish Government is to provide up to £9m of emergency funding for Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams in response to the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergency measures will be in place from July to the end of September and will support services throughout this period. The funding announcement follows talks with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (S...
• Blackburn steam seaside treat on track for summerEAST Lancashire residents will this summer get the opportunity of a steam-hauled train trip to the seaside.
• Blackburn's new bus station cost rocketed by millionsTHE final cost of Blackburn’s problem-plagued bus station spiralled by more than two thirds to £8.4million, it has emerged.
• Shawford station car park criticised by Extinction RebellionLOCAL climate campaigners have criticised proposals to turn part of Shawford Down nature reserve into a car park for commuters.
• VW to remove petrol and diesel vehicle manufacturing lines from key factory Volkswagen (VW) is set to remove production lines for all internal combustion engine vehicles from one of its key factories this year, replacing them with electric vehicle (EV) production capacity.
• Showdown over Old Shoreham Road cycle lane A BATTLE is raging over a controversial “Covid cycle laneâ€� on a major dual carriageway.

EIN News Subscription

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• #TimeForTravel: All three Manchester Airport terminals to open by 15 July … & Antelope (airside) and Caffe Nero (Ground Transport Interchange) a day … UK. The Department for Transport has revealed the full … below. The Department for Transport will monitor the COVID-19 … Most airlines are back with a wide range of European holiday …