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

Saturday, 08 August 2020

Government

• Government extends coronavirus support for buses and trams, total funding tops £700 millionBus and tram services in England to receive extra support worth up to £256 million.

BBC News

• M42 motorway set to close near Solihull for new bridgeThe road network around Solihull is being remodelled as part of work to create an HS2 station.
• Rest and Be Thankful: Old Military Road could reopenA safety assessment could give the A83's alternative route the green light to open again on Saturday.
• British Airways: 'I felt forced to take redundancy'The airline's cabin crew who are not made redundant on Friday will still face steep pay cuts.

Financial Times

• Thousands of British Airways staff braced for job cutsAirline pushes ahead with restructuring after more than 6,000 apply for voluntary redundancy
• Uber racks up another loss as rides business shrinks 75%Company recovery is dependent on local Covid-19 cases and is a ‘tale of 10,000 cities’
• Bus and tram operators in England get second coronavirus bailoutDeal excludes London as extra £256m reflects expected slow recovery in passenger numbers

The Guardian

• How part-time commuters can save money on peak-time rail travelWhen offices all reopen there is a good chance that many workers will still spend at least some of their week at a desk at home – whether through choice or because their employers do not have room for everyone to be in at once.
• Thousands of BA staff to find out if they will lose jobs due to CovidMore than 6,000 workers accept voluntary redundancy as airline makes cutsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMore than 6,000 British Airways staff have accepted voluntary redundancy as the airline moves to tell thousands more cabin crew and ground staff whether or not they will keep their jobs or face pay cuts.The airline, which is seeking to make up to 12,000 job cuts to slash costs as the coronavirus pandemic hammers the travel market, was on Friday sending one of three letters to affected staff who have not taken voluntary redundancy. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Call to let sleeper trains use the Channel tunnel [subscription]Going to bed in London and waking up in Barcelona could become an option for green-minded travellers under a rail industry proposal to run sleeper trains through the Channel tunnel.

Belfast Telegraph

• Britain to demand French crackdown on migrant Channel crossingsBritain is to call on France to crack down harder on migrants attempting to cross the Channel by boat, including taking them back to French ports rather than shepherding them to the UK.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Jet2 suspends flights to two islands until August 15 JET2 has decided to suspend flights and holidays to the Balearic and Canary Islands until August 15.

The York Press

• Leeman Road closure objectors hit out over 'intimidating' email RESIDENTS opposing plans to close a York road say they feel intimidated after it was suggested they might need to attend a public inquiry unless they withdraw their objections.

North Wales Live

• We tried out the e-scooters that could soon be on our streetsAs the council tries to encourage people to find alternatives to public transport these scooters could be the future for commuters

Other Regional Press

• Southern Rail links to Heathrow Airport from Surrey could be improved - making journeys much quickerThe train from Guildford to Heathrow could get down to less than 30 minutes
• British Airways protest gains cross party support on TeessideUnite held a protest outside in Yarm against BA proposals to change contract terms and reduce its workforce
• Oxford supports measures to tackle congestion - including bus gatesPLANS to install new bus gates in Oxford have been supported by residents and organisations in the city.
• Letter: Is the council doing enough to create new cycle lanes? Whilst the addition of any cycle lane is welcome, the short section added along Wiggenhall Road does not in any way go far enough.
• Emergency funding for buses and trams extendedEngland’s bus and tram services will receive extra support worth up to £256 million.
• Viaduct designed by railway pioneer George Stephenson to get £3.7m revampRailway through Todmorden will be closed for a week between October 24 to November 1
• Stabilisation work to be carried out at Old Castle Road, Weymouth Campaigners are delighted after a solution was found over a landslip-hit road in Weymouth – which prompted fears traffic may have to be diverted.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail repairs lifeboat ramp during Cumbrian Coast line work Railway engineers have rebuilt a section of public walkway at St. Bees beach which is used to launch lifeboats to rescue those in distress at sea. Network Rail is securing the Cumbrian Coast line from extreme weather and erosion as part of an £8m Great North Rail project investment to...
• Network Rail's Southern Region completes installation of secure radio channels A new digitally secure radio system has been successfully rolled out across Network Rail’s Southern region. As their Wessex route joins Sussex and Kent in introducing Airwave to its front-line responders, speeding up response times to improve train performance and improving links with the...
• HS2 publish annual equality, diversity and inclusion report Today (8 Aug) HS2 Ltd have released their annual report which details their equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) work. The report also illustrates the impact of their work across their workforce, supply chain, design and operations, and communities. In the report HS2 have said their gender...

Railnews

• Scottish timber is back on the rails Timber traffic is returning to Scottish railways this week, after a gap of more than a decade during which all timber was carried by road. The Scottish Government has allocated £195,000 to Victa Railfreight for a six-week trial in the far North. There will be up to three trains a week between Caithness and Inverness, which will be able to carry up to 6,000 tonnes between them – the equivalent of 250 lorry-loads.

Aviation Industry

• AEF July Newsletter: New website, covid-19 impacts and Manston decisionAEF’s website relaunches with a brand new look We are excited to announce that AEF’s brand new website went live on July 1st. We have a fresh new look and …