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

Friday, 07 August 2020

BBC News

• Airline seat firm Safran axes fifth of staff at Cwmbran siteSafran Seats says it has been consulting with staff about the redundancies since April.
• Ten hurt in 'unnecessary' plane evacuation at StanstedAs the engine was running passengers
• Audi: More former car executives face 'dieselgate' chargesGerman prosecutors charge four more over claims the carmaker misled consumers about pollution levels.
• Anger rises as British Airways cuts start to biteCabin crew who are not made redundant on Friday will still face steep pay cuts.

Financial Times

• Lufthansa swings to largest ever quarterly loss German airline says it can no longer rule out job cuts in its home country
• Appetite for Uber Eats fails to offset ride-sharing collapseCompany recovery is dependent on local Covid-19 cases and is a ‘tale of 10,000 cities’

The Guardian

• Hybrid BMW can now auto-swap to battery power in London and BirminghamGerman carmaker puts pressure on UK government over proposed ban on hybridsMore than 10,000 BMW plug-in hybrid cars on British roads will be able to automatically swap to battery power when entering low emissions zones in London or Birmingham city centres from Friday.Newer BMW cars will be able to switch automatically from burning fossil fuels in internal combustion engines to using battery power with zero exhaust emissions as soon as the car’s GPS navigation system detects that it has reached an emissions zone. Continue reading...
• Social distancing in the skies becomes a perk in post-Covid travelAir passengers looking for that one-metre buffer between seats must be ready to pay for the luxuryCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAfter the government changed its advice against all but essential foreign travel last month I joined some of the first passengers to board a flight in almost four months.As flight attendants herded us post-lockdown travel guinea pigs on to the Ryanair plane to Mallorca from Manchester airport in early July, there was a palpable sense of relief amongst passengers when it became apparent that the flight would not be busy. Continue reading.....

Times Online

• Air pollution warning as road traffic rises above pre-lockdown levels [subscription]Road traffic has exceeded pre-lockdown levels for the first time, prompting a warning that air pollution could become worse than normal as more people drive instead of taking public transport.

Reuters News

• Bombardier sees higher deliveries of flagship jet, misses quarterly profit Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) aims to double deliveries of its flagship business jet during the back half of 2020 and break even this year on free cash, the company said on Thursday after missing quarterly earnings, hurt by higher rail costs.

City AM

• Ryanair increases services to 60 per cent of pre-Covid levels in AugustBudget carrier Ryanair today said that it had successfully increased its flight schedule to over 60 per cent of pre-Covid levels as passenger numbers continue to grow after lockdown.

Bristol Live

• Bristol Airport to appeal against refusal to expand Campaigners against the plan face another battle

Sheffield Star

• Freedom Rider campaigers call on politicians to introduce annual fee to allow pensioners to claim free travel across South YorkshireCampaigners are calling on politicians to introduce an annual fee for pensioners to claim free travel across South Yorkshire, six years after the concession was taken away from the county's elderly.

Bucks Free Press

• The 17-metre high headwall built by HS2 is finished - this is what it looks likeA 17-metre high headwall at what will become the south portal of the 10-mile long HS2 Chiltern tunnel has been completed.

Other Regional Press

• Huddersfield Railway Station's pillars to be brightened up by yarn bombingCraze has seen areas from Edgerton to Hepworth given the yarn bombing treatment
• Row over 'secret' flight paths to and from airportCampaigners are calling for more transparency over flight paths to and from an airport.
• £195,000 Scottish Government and Victa Railfreight trial to remove 250 lorry loads of timber from roads in Caithness, Sutherland, Ross-shire and InvernessHUNDREDS of lorry loads of timber could be removed from the A9 in Ross-shire after almost £200,000 was allocated to a rail freight trial.
• Harrogate Bus Company in running for top award for ‘Clean, Safe, Ready to Go’ campaignHarrogate Bus Company's boss says the firm is 'delighted to be to rubbing shoulders with the biggest names in British retail' for a top award.
• Nottingham’s tram network has resumed full service as travel restrictions continue to easeThe full tram service has now resumed as government restrictions around public transport continue to ease.
• Blackpool commuter’s frustration after facing ‘zero social distancing’ on rush hour tramThe tram company are making services more frequent later this month in response
• Departure boards vandalised with social distancing stickers at Welshpool Railway StationTransport police are investigating an incident at Welshpool Railway Station after social distancing signs were found plastered on the display boards.

British Trams Online

• More Tyne & Wear Metro trackworks to take place in AugustThe culmination of 12 month project to replace the track on the Tyne and Wear Metro in Gateshead and Tyne and Wear will take place over four weekends in August, it has been confirmed. This is the latest phase of a £8 million track renewals programme and will centre on an 1.8km stretch of line between Heworth and Pelaw.
• New fares for BlackpoolSunday 9th August will see the introduction of a new simplified fare structure by Blackpool Transport which for the tramway will see a flat single fare of £2.10 – regardless of length of journey. So, whether you travel from North Pier to Tower or from Starr Gate to Fleetwood your single fare will be £2.10 making one of those journeys excellent value and the other not so much! These fares only apply to the core Flexity service.

Coach and Bus Week

• Transdev customers ready to return to the busA poll of almost 1,000 Transdev customers, including commuters, shoppers and leisure travellers, has revealed that the majority are keen to return to using the bus.
• Reading Buses Chief Engineer confident industry will bounce backBill Gough, Reading Buses’ new Chief Engineer, has spoken out about the unprecedented challenges brought by the coronavirus crisis, adding that he is ‘fully confident’ the bus industry will emerge stronger and more resilient.
• Solaris to deliver first electric school busThe first electric school bus in Poland will carry children to classes in Godzianów near Łódź. With a purchase subsidised by NFOŚiGW (the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management), Solaris will supply the green school bus to the Municipality of Godzianów in October.

Rail Advent

• Major Tyne and Wear Metro track replacement set to take placeNexus has announced that a major track replacement scheme between Gateshead and South Tyneside will be carried out on the Tyne and Wear Metro during August 2020.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Doncaster Clever Buses mark start of First’s South Yorkshire overhaulFirst South Yorkshire has taken the initial step towards turning around its business with the introduction of the Clever Buses brand in Doncaster.
• Broad horizons for The Big Lemon with launch of new coach companyBrighton-based community transport provider The Big Lemon yesterday (4 August) announced the launch of its new international coach outfit, Brighton Horizon Coaches, at its seafront home.
• Jane Reakes-Davies appointed as Managing Director for First CymruFirst Bus has named Jane Reakes-Davies as the Managing Director (MD) for First Cymru. She will take up the role permanently from 1 August. Jane was most recently Head of Human Resources for First Bus in the South of England, Wales and Ireland before filling the role of MD on an interim basis.

Other News Sources

• Councils unite to press for transport improvementsCOUNCILS in the South have joined forces in a bid to transform transport across the region.
• How the return of sleeper trains will keep Europe connectedANDREW ADONIS looks forward to a renaissance in overnight trains as a way to keep Europe connected
• Pupils face school bus ban if masks not wornChildren face being turned away from school buses if they do not wear face masks under new rules introduced by East Lothian Council.
• The changes TfL has made after disabled London bus passengers 'were left humiliated’ by card reader problemsDisabled bus passes from outside London are frequently not recognised by the card readers on the capital's buses