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

Thursday, 03 September 2020

BBC News

• Llangennech derailment: 'Devastation' at crash siteA rail boss says the priority will be limiting environmental damage ahead of repairing infrastructure.
• Covid-19: Reusable face masks to be provided for school transportPupils entitled to free school transport will each be given 10 reusable masks.
• Rolls-Royce launches £250,000 car as demand reboundsThe luxury carmaker predicts better times ahead as it launches the new Rolls-Royce Ghost.
• Heathrow seeks staff pay cuts with jobs warningThe airport says it must act now after the collapse in air travel, but union leaders condemn the move.
• Government 'overseeing the demise of UK aviation'Leading UK aviation figures say the government must show

Department for Transport

• £2 million fund for local action on air qualityNew round of funding opens for Local Authorities to help clean up dirty air for communities
• Transport use during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemicTo monitor the use of the transport system during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, DfT provides statistics on transport use by mode, published every Wednesday.
• Greater voice for rail passengers in new collaboration between government and East Midlands transport leadersNew collaboration will deliver improved service for East Midlands rail passengers.

Financial Times

• Virgin Atlantic wins UK court backing for rescue packageApproval takes company closer to securing £1.2bn recapitalisation
• Why cities must make more of their riversAs coronavirus prompts us to remake urban areas for the age of working from home and Amazon Prime, we need to return the waterways to service
• United Airlines to furlough more than 16,000 staffUS carrier details cuts to be implemented on October 1, when government protections expire

The Guardian

• UK rail passengers down 3m on last year despite return to office pleaThree million fewer passengers travelled on Britain’s trains on Tuesday than a year ago, with only a slight increase in commuters rather than the widespread post-Covid return to offices that the government had urged.
• Asphalt roads make city air pollution worse in summer, study findsScientists find 300% increase in harmful particulates emitted during hot weather Emissions from asphalt are a significant source of air pollutants in cities, especially in hot weather, a study shows.Researchers found that when asphalt was exposed to hot summer conditions it resulted in a 300% increase in emissions of secondary organic aerosols (SOA), an air pollutant known to have significant impacts on public health. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Heathrow airport could cut 1,200 jobs [subscription]Up to 1,200 jobs could be lost at Heathrow after passenger numbers at Britain’s biggest airport collapsed.
• PM signals go-ahead for flexible rail season tickets [subscription]Flexible rail season tickets will be introduced to encourage commuters to return to the office, Boris Johnson suggested yesterday.
• We can save London’s centre by testing public transport and passengers - Nickie Aiken Aiken MP - [Subscription]oday I’m bringing together major office employers from the City and West End to look at how we bring workers back to offices as safely and as soon as possible — reviving the central London economy as a result.

City AM

• Travel sector pleads for government support to stave off sweeping job cutsLeading figures from across the UK travel industry have come together in an urgent plea for government support to help stave off hundreds of thousands of potential job cuts.
• Boris Johnson confirms rail industry working on flexible season ticketsBoris Johnson today said that the government was working with the rail industry on flexible season tickets to encourage commuters to return to the office.
• Shooting for the stars: The case for a CANZUK space agencyThe British government knows three things for certain about space. It’s big. It’s cold. It’s expensive. For a small country, The post Shooting for the stars: The case for a CANZUK space agency appeared first on CityAM.

Mail Online

• Day two of Britain's back to work drive and roads and trains into London look emptyWhile some Underground trains were beginning to look busier during rush hour this morning, hardly anyone was to be seen arriving at major terminals in London such as Waterloo and Paddington.
• Fuming easyJet passengers accuse airline of not cleaning planes properlyThe Farrow family, who were flying from Catania, Italy to Bristol on Monday, shared photos which appeared to show tray tables stained with white marks, and crumbs strewn across the carpet.

Birmingham Post

• Rolls-Royce claims breakthroughs in artificial intelligence useEngineering giant believes the technology will ‘accelerate the next generation of industrialisation’
• Transport and city leaders reveal if commuters are returning in 'huge numbers'Early indications from September's first rush hours are that trains, buses and city centres are getting busier

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford disability groups unsure if pavement parking proposals would workBRADFORD disability groups are supportive of Government proposals to tackle pavement parking but they are unsure if they would be workable.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Eurowings resumes Newcastle Airport to Dusseldorf flightsThere are three flights a week between Newcastle International Airport and the German city

The York Press

• Electric scooters and bikes to be available for rent in York ELECTRIC scooters and bikes could soon be available to rent in York - as part of a year-long trial.

Reading Evening Post

• The amazing off-road cycle route that cuts through BerkshireThe amazing off-road cycle route that cuts through Berkshire

Other Regional Press

• £93m plans for electric trains to connect our townsA £93million electric rail service could be built to connect our south Essex towns in revolutionary new plans.
• London Northwestern Railway offering season ticket reductions A railway company is offering students the chance to save money on their travels with a selection of discounts on season tickets.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Investment into Wigan North Western station for better rail journeys As part of the Great North Rail Project, passengers travelling from Wigan North Western station to Manchester and Leeds, will soon be provided with a multi-million-pound platform extension to allow for longer and more reliable trains. Platform 3 will be made longer so it can take four-carriage...
• Atkins and Gleeds brought in by HS2 to monitor costs Atkins and Gleeds have been appointed by HS2 to monitor the costs and programme development as the project proceeds through its construction phases. £125m has been secured by Atkins to oversea HS2’s new Commercial Delivery and Controls Framework while Gleeds Cost Management has...
• New collaboration between DfT and East Midlands transport leaders Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has today (3 Sept) set out a new collaboration agreement between local leaders in the East Midlands in order to provide them more power in deciding how rail services can support improvements across the region. The Department for Transport has signed a...
• DfT 'Access for All' programme has transformed Cadoxton station As part of the Department for Transport’s ‘Access for All’ programme, a range of new multi-million-pound developments have been done at Cadoxton station in south Wales to improve accessibility for passengers. Any passenger visiting the station, whether they’re a...
• Ep.16 Unlocking rail investment, David Ollerhead David Ollerhead, Programme Director at Network Rail’s Open for Business Programme, joins host Ailsa Cowen for episode 15 of Rail Technology Magazine’s podcast, Track Talk. David discusses playing with trains as a child, investment into our railway and removing barriers for third...

Railnews

• Operators announce increased services to meet demand A number of train operators have announced increased services to coincide with the reopening of schools to all children and also to carry more commuters. Most of the changes will take place on 7 or 14 September.

Other News Sources

• Teesside International Airport invests in new security tech ahead of £1m renovationTeesside International Airport has announced that it is investing in new security technology ahead of a £1m renovation.
• Heathrow Express appoints Sophie Chapman as its new directorSophie Chapman, the former head of train services at Heathrow Express, has been appointed to be its Director.
• Border college students to remain getting transport vouchers after council u-turnSTUDENTS who live over the county border and travel into Herefordshire for eduction will still get transport vouchers.