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

Saturday, 11 July 2020

BBC News

• Coronavirus: Snowdon Mountain Railway to reopen after lockdownAll aboard as the train up Wales' highest peak will resume on Friday - but it won't go to the top.
• Coronavirus: Jet2 suspends all flights to Spain from ScotlandThe airline halts flights for the next two weeks after the Scottish government left Spain off the quarantine exemption list.
• EasyJet 'using sickness records to decide job cuts'Pilots say the airline will include sick days when assessing job losses - a claim EasyJet rejects.
• Coronavirus: Emirates set to cut 9,000 jobs, citing pandemicThe Middle Eastern airline will make more redundancies but says it is 'not as badly off as others'.

Financial Times

• Heathrow chief warns industry must prepare for periodic lockdownsNew testing standards are needed to ensure air travel remains open during further virus outbreaks, says John Holland-Kaye

The Herald

• Over 130 aerospace jobs at risk in PrestwickGE Caledonian in Prestwick has said 137 jobs are at risk from a new redundancy process which started yesterday.
• CalMac website flooded with visitors as new four-week ferry booking window launchesScots trying to book a place on ferries across the country have been met with difficulty this morning after an influx of visitors caused CalMac's site to crash.

The Independent

• Coronavirus: Planes are 'relatively safe' due to powerful air filters, says WHO expertDavid Nabarro reassures travellers
• London City takes off as a 'summer-sun' airportFour out of five past users of the Docklands airport say they are likely to travel soon
• French bus driver dies after being attacked by passengers 'who refused to wear face masks'Philippe Monguillot, 59, was left brain dead by alleged assault in southwestern town of Bayonne

Times Online

• How Hazel, 13, helped win Battle of Britain [Subscription]A 13-year-old schoolgirl laid the groundwork for victory at the Battle of Britain six years before the first German bombing raids of the campaign.
• Face coverings on Irish transport to be enforced by law [Subscription]Passengers on public transport will be legally required to cover their face from Monday, Micheál Martin declared yesterday as 25 new cases of Covid-19 were reported, the highest daily count in a month.
• Job losses deepen the gloom at Senior [Subscription]An already depressed outlook for this year has worsened, Senior warned yesterday.
• Unlucky 13 as Carnival cuts ship numbers to save costs [Subscription]The boss of the world’s biggest cruise operator said yesterday that it would emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic a “leaner, more efficient company” after confirming plans to cut its fleet by 13 ships, reducing capacity by almost 9 per cent.
• Manston finally cleared for take-off as cargo airport [Subscription]It is the transport project that feels as if it has been around longer than the HS2 railway and a third runway at Heathrow put together.
• Fancy heated seats on your BMW? Buy a subscription [Subscription]BMW is to build cars on a subscription model, fitted with a host of optional extras that customers can pay to have activated.
• Air pollution lower than normal in cities because vehicles are idling less in queues [Subscription]Air pollution is lower than normal in cities because vehicles are idling less in queues. Nitrogen dioxide levels, which are largely driven by diesel engines, were 30 per cent below pre-lockdown level at the end of last month, despite HGV traffic being at 95 per cent of usual levels, vans at 90 per cent and cars at 75 per cent.

Daily Record

• Jet2 cancel all Scottish flights to Spain as Scots hit by 14-day quarantine ruleThe airline made the decision after Spain was left off the quarantine exemption list announced by Nicola Sturgeon despite other areas of the UK lifting restrictions for the holiday hotspot.

Mail Online

• Quarantine-free stays begin today for UK arrivals from more than 70 nations and territoriesEXCLUSIVE: Research for MailOnline found limited appetite among the public for heading for sun-drenched beaches, despite the lifting of draconian quarantine measures on many countries.
• Gatwick is eerily quiet today despite UK 'air bridges' coming into forceGatwick was quiet despite quarantine-free links with 73 countries starting up from this morning as an exclusive poll shows that under a fifth of Britons intend to go abroad
• Cruise ship industry blasts 'vague' Foreign Office advice telling ALL tourists not to go on cruisesCulture minister Caroline Dinenage said the government wanted to be 'a little bit more secure' that ships will not be plunged into coronavirus hotbeds once again.

The Mirror

• Emirates to slash '9,000 jobs' as it becomes latest airline hit by pandemicEmirates had 60,000 staff prior to the crisis and announced on May 31 it had axed roles but did not reveal how many jobs were cut.

This is Money

• British Airways in battle over prized airport landing slotsMore than 100 MPs from across political parties have urged Boris Johnson to review BA's right to slots at airports such as Heathrow as it embarks on a huge restructuring that will axe 12,000 staff.
• Some of Britain's favourite cars are cheaper to buy with finance than cashThe best-selling UK model for the last 11 years, the Ford Fiesta, is £522 cheaper with finance than buying traditionally, as salesmen offer better deals on the latter in the hope of repeat customers.

Sky News

• Ending free transport 'will hit disadvantaged children returning to school'Some of the most disadvantaged children in London may not return to school in September because of transport costs, teachers have warned.

Belfast Telegraph

• Robust cross-border talks about travel needed in Ireland, warns expert amid coronavirus resurgence fearsPolitical leaders on the island of Ireland must devise a plan around the easing of travel restrictions amid fears that it will trigger a resurgence of virus cases, a public health expert has warned.

Birmingham Post

• Bristol Airport to cut nearly 100 jobs as air travel plummetsThe airport said it would make a "very significant" loss this financial year
• 18 railway lines axed by Beeching could be reopenedThe bids are being considered under proposals to reverse cuts to the railways made in the 1960s
• Engineering firm Arup to make 350 of its staff redundantThe Covid crisis has "crystallised the need for a reshaping" of the business
• Creative Newcastle firm designs luxury garages for supercarsDesign North launched Hypercave for car enthusiasts who want the best for their top notch motors

Bolton News

• Ryanair and Virgin among worst travel firms for refunds during coronavirus Virgin, Love Holidays and Ryanair are some of the worst travel firms for offering holiday refunds during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey. 

Bristol Live

• Ryanair is selling cheap flights from BristolBut the offer is only available until Sunday

London Evening Standard

• Volt Metro LS e-bike review: No time for a bulky bike? The fold is the way to go A folding bike is a no-brainer for the London commuter. We put Volt's folding option to the test

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• TUI offer free Covid cover as flights from Newcastle startThe airline has announced a new set of departures from Newcastle Airport in August and is offering cover in a bid to reassure customers

Bucks Free Press

• Near-miss between Chiltern Railways train and Tube train at Chalfont and LatimerAn investigation has been launched after a Chiltern Railways train apparently went through a red signal - resulting in a near-miss with a Tube train.
• Chiltern Railways voted the best by passengersPassengers have once again ranked Chiltern Railways as the best operator for journeys between London and the West Midlands and Oxford in the National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS).

Cambridge News

• New list of countries exempt from quarantine as rules changeThe UK government has updated the list
• The time when the A14 only had one lane and was even more dangerousWhen the A14 was known as the A604 it was considered pretty lethal with its shared middle lane for overtaking in both directions

East Anglian Daily Times

• Go-ahead given for new climate friendly measures at two Suffolk councilsMore electric vehicle charging points and increased tree planting are among the green measures two Suffolk councils have agreed to pursue as part of a pledge to become carbon neutral in a decade.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Metro Mayor says restoring the heavy rail link between Wisbech and Cambridge would be practicable and provide value for moneyMetro Mayor, James Palmer has said restoring the heavy rail link between Wisbech and Cambridge would be practicable and provide real value for money.
• £1m approved to draw up major plans for improvements to Peterborough’s Nene ParkwayThe Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CaPCA) has approved £1m to draw up plans for major improvements to Peterborough’s Nene Parkway.
• Update to Stagecoach rules for city’s bus passengersCity bus operator Stagecoach has updated its rules for customers using its services, in line with government

Other Regional Press

• Cruise firm Carnival has made a third of its land-based staff redundant SOUTHAMPTON-based cruise giant Carnival UK has confirmed that almost a third of its land-based staff have left in a wave of redundancies.
• 'Passenger flights will definitely run from airport'EXCLUSIVE: Passenger flights run by low-cost operators such as Ryanair and EasyJet will run from a Kent airport, bosses have confirmed.
• New £64m Bradford link road could cut through green beltThe huge infrastructure scheme would link Westgate Hill roundabout with the East of the city
• 'Ferry routes to Channel Islands and Isle of Wight are possible' I STRONGLY support the proposal by Jan Bergman and other councillors to restore Weymouth's ferries, with possible passenger links to Guernsey, Alderney and the Isle of Wight.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Net Zero Transport Board paves the way for a green recoveryTransport Secretary Grant Shapps launched the first meeting of the Net Zero Transport Board to help guide the decarbonisation of UK transport. The board will bring together high-profile leaders from a range of fields including behavioural change and policy, as well as experts from a number of prominent industry sectors including environment, science, aviation and technology. The meetings will guarantee a truly collaborative and joined up approach to tackling the wide-ranging issue of transport decarbonisation. The group, who will meet for the first time later today, will provide the opportuni...
• New TfL Commissioner inspects work to ensure transport network is cleaner than ever and keeps Londoners safeAs shops, pubs, restaurants and other venues begin to open across London as lockdown restrictions are gradually eased, Transport for London’s (TfL’s) new Commissioner - Andy Byford - today saw some of the new measures underway to make the transport network cleaner than ever.  Having just taken the helm of London’s transport network, Byford joined the Deputy Mayor for Transport, Heidi Alexander, to see deep cleaning work taking place at Southwark station ahead of its reopening on Monday. They saw some of the huge range of cleaning and hygiene measures that have been intr...
• Space Agency backs space-enabled drones to deliver Covid-19 testing kitsScience Minister Amanda Solloway has unveiled details of the three new projects that have been selected as part of a joint initiative between the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA) to find and support space-enabled technologies and services that can support the NHS response to coronavirus. Space company Skyports will be working with NHS Highland, which serves a group of islands off the west coast of Scotland, to use drones to deliver medical supplies and samples from a hospital on the Argyll and Bute mainland. Drones will use mobile connectivity, satellite communications and...

Rail Technology Magazine

• TfN: New Director for Integrated and Smart Travel programme Transport for the North have today (July 10th) announced the appointment of Jeremy Acklam as the new Director for its Integrated and Smart Travel (IST) programme. Jeremy joins TfN with a strong track record working in the smart travel sector. Most notably he co-led the development and launch of...
• New TfL Commissioner inspects cleaning efforts Today (July 10th), Transport for London’s (TfL’s) new Commissioner, Andy Byford, saw some of the new measures underway to make the transport network cleaner than ever.    Byford was joined by Deputy Mayor for Transport, Heidi Alexander, to the work taking place at Southwark...

Railnews

• Office of National Statistics may ˜renationalise™ train operators The debts of train operating companies may be moved to the public sector balance sheet, effectively ˜renationalising™ the businesses, following the introduction of emergency support by the Department for Transport.

Other News Sources

• Crossing costing nearly £400k to be installed in Four MarksTRAFFIC bosses have earmarked £400,000 for a new road crossing in a village near Alresford.
• Spitfires fly over Sussex in Dame Vera Lynn tribute DAME Vera Lynn has been honoured with a Spitfire flypast in her beloved Sussex village.

EIN News Subscription

• Gatwick is eerily quiet today despite UK 'air bridges' coming into force … .  As well as short-haul European destinations, the travel corridor list … fellow sunbathers, the council says. Airports, hotels, nightclubs, museums, gyms and … UK visitors without restrictions. Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said workers …