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

Wednesday, 24 June 2020

BBC News

• Segway: End of the road for the much-hyped two-wheelerThe self-balancing vehicle was launched 19 years ago with the aim of revolutionising personal transport.
• Train travels wrong way down London Tube trackTwo trains nearly crash when one travels in the wrong direction on a London Underground track.
• Coronavirus: One in six UK car industry jobs could be lost, warns trade bodyThe industry's trade body says it needs help to restart production and prevent more redundancies.

Financial Times

• What 9/11 can teach us about aviation’s post-coronavirus future Aviation bosses at the time of the attacks expect passenger confidence to return slowly
• EasyJet faces group legal claim over cyber attack data breachAbout 10,000 of the low-cost airline’s customers have joined the action

The Guardian

• UK's net zero pledge: what has been achieved one year on?The urgency of the climate emergency has grown but there has been little progress so farLast summer, Theresa May signed into law the UK’s ground-breaking target of hitting net zero carbon emissions by 2050 against a backdrop of increasingly vocal Extinction Rebellion protests, school climate strikes and Brexit-related political turmoil within the Conservative party.It was one of the last acts of a beleaguered prime minister, under fire after a series of missteps and haemorrhaging support in party and country. Protesters lined the streets, businesses despaired at the lack of leadership and the ...
• UK ministers in talks to create air bridges with 'core' European nationsPlan could allow Britons to holiday in Spain, Italy and other countries without quarantining on return Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMinisters are in talks to create “air bridgesâ€� with a number of “coreâ€� European countries including Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Turkey and Croatia to let holidaymakers go abroad this summer without having to quarantine on their return.Austria and Germany are also among the countries officials are considering, the Guardian understands. There are hopes an announcement will be made before the UK quarantine programme is officially revi...

The Herald

• UK's 'first commercial-scale electric flight' hailed a successZeroAvia, a leading innovator in decarbonising commercial aviation, has conducted the 'first electric-powered flight of a commercial-scale' aircraft carried out in the UK.

The Independent

• London train going wrong way stops metres away from head-on crashSection of Metropolitan line left damaged by incident, though no casualties reported
• Tui says more July holidays to go ahead – but not with defunct FlybeOne bemused customer was told he would travel to Menorca with an airline that went bust in March
• Invest in key infrastructure now to create over 1m jobs, urges TUC'Investing in infrastructure now... will stop the devastation of mass unemployment,' says Trades Union Congress

Times Online

• Coronavirus in Ireland: Air travel restrictions could be lifted next week [Subscription]Restrictions on non-essential air travel could be lifted next week after a government taskforce said Ireland was significantly behind other countries.
• Thousands of jobs set to be lost in car sector crash, warns Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders [Subscription]Up to one in six jobs in Britain’s £18.6 billion automotive sector are at risk of redundancy, the industry’s trade association has warned.
• Help for the UK aerospace industry is stuck in a holding pattern [Subscription]At the 2019 general election big promises were made by the Conservatives about levelling up the deep inequalities between London and the southeast and much of the rest of our country. These words must urgently be converted into deeds. The danger is that government inaction during the Covid crisis in key manufacturing sectors of the economy, such as aerospace, automotive and steel, will lead not to a levelling-up but a spiral downwards into even greater inequalities.

Daily Record

• SpaceX launch delayed - but you can still see Starlink satellites tonightThere will still be several opportunities to see the Starlink satellites flying over Scotland this week.

Mail Online

• Government set to announce quarantine-free 'air corridors'Quarantine-free deals are on the verge of being struck with countries including France, Spain, Greece, Italy and Turkey.

This is Money

• UK motor industry calls for a government 'restart package'A report by the SMMT concluded that 'up to one in six jobs are at risk of redundancy' as 'the harsh reality of the Covid crisis for the UK's £18.6 billion automotive sector is laid bare.'

Birmingham Post

• Avid Technology boosted by Government package to revive automotive sectorNorthumberland firm is one of 10 projects that is sharing £73.5m of Government help at a time of unprecedented challenges for the automotive sector

Bolton News

• Free weekday parking part of £1.25million boost to help Bolton businessesMORE than £1million will be pumped into Bolton town centre in a bid to get the struggling high street back on its feet. SAIQA CHAUDHARI reports

Bristol Live

• Money promised to upgrade junction that doesn't existThe wrong road was written in Weca’s Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP)

Liverpool Echo

• Anger as selfish drivers park all over Liverpool's new cycle lanesCouncil has new powers to crack down on the offenders

Manchester Evening News

• TUI answers all of your holiday questions as they prepare to restart flightsFrom what you need to do at the airport to what you can expect at your hotel, TUI has outlined everything you need to know before you travel

The York Press

• Map of safety measures proposed for York's roads EVERY York resident, worker and visitor is being given their chance to say how they think the city’s roads can be made safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

Wales Online

• Council waives parking fees to help local businesses bounce back in BridgendParking is now free at selected car parks in Bridgend until the end of July to encourage residents to shop locally.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Work on hospital car parks to startWork on two multi-storey hospital car parks designed to ease parking on surrounding roads will start next month.

Cambridge News

• The nine abandoned train lines we want to see reopenThese nine stations were axed in the 60s in the infamous Beeching cuts

Leeds Live

• Ryanair launches flash sale at Leeds Bradford with flights for £18Plus ten more destinations you can fly to from LBA for less than £30

Other Regional Press

• Why world's biggest ship has come to Teesside for third timeThe Pioneering Spirit is the biggest vessel in the world by gross tonnage - but she is becoming a regular sight on Teesside
• Divisive £9.1m car park officially opensA controversial and much-discussed multi-storey car park which a council admits is "no doubt divisive" has opened for the first time.
• Dorset's access to electric car charging points is below averageDorset is behind the curve on the green transport revolution, new figures suggest, with below average access to electric car charging points.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Thousands of hours in delays to be saved as UK’s first mainline digital railway introducedThe East Coast Main Line is set to become Britain’s first mainline digital rail link with £350 million of new investment to install state-of-the art electronic signalling designed to cut journey times and slash delays. This huge cash injection – on top of £1.2 billion already earmarked to upgrade one of the country’s most important rail arteries – will fund the replacement of conventional signalling with a digital system that allows trains to talk to the track. This will smooth the flow of trains, make journeys safer and reduce signal failures that every ye...
• £73.5 million to boost green economic recovery in automotive sectorBritain’s automotive industry is set to benefit from a £73.5 million government investment to develop green technologies and safeguard jobs, Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi announced today (Tuesday 23 June). Ten projects across the UK will receive a share of this new investment to develop cutting-edge technology for the next generation of electric taxis, cars and vans – including recyclable batteries, advanced electrical systems and ultra-lightweight components. This funding will contribute to the automotive sector’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic by safeguard...
• UK inflation rate at fresh four-year low as fuel prices slumpA record fall in fuel prices, including petrol, pushed the UK's inflation rate down to 0.5% in May, the second full month of the coronavirus lockdown. Fuel prices declined by 16.7% during the month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, dragging the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) to the lowest level since June 2016. Supermarkets were among the few shops allowed to open in May and food prices rose, the ONS said. May's inflation rate was down from 0.8% in April, the first full month of the pandemic lockdown. Clothing and footwear prices fell 3.1% amid heavy discounting.
• Aer Lingus to cut up to 500 jobs due to pandemicAer Lingus is set to cut as many as 500 jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic. The carrier said it had been operating at five percent of its capacity due to lockdown restrictions. It said the uncertainty caused by the 14-day quarantine period for arrivals had also contributed. The company said the pandemic had had a
• How a Manchester motorway could soon get its missing linkThe only motorway in England which drivers need to come off to continue their journey on the same motorway could be about to get its missing link. The anomaly was created when the M60 was formed 20 years ago, connecting several existing motorways with a new stretch of motorway to form a 36-mile ring road around Manchester. The current set up means drivers travelling eastbound on the M60 at junction 18 near Prestwich, known locally as Simister Island, soon find themselves on the M62 on their way to Leeds if they don’t use a roundabout to reach the southbound section of the M60. Highways ...
• UK auto industry calls for restart support as Covid crisis threatens one in six jobsThe harsh reality of the Covid crisis for the UK’s £18.6 billion automotive sector is laid bare by a new survey from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The survey reveals that up to one in six jobs are at risk of redundancy. With a third of automotive workers still furloughed, the end of the government’s job retention lifeline in November highlights the critical need for a dedicated restart support package to safeguard these jobs. More than 6,000 UK automotive job cuts have been announced in June, a result of global lockdowns, closed markets and shuttered ...

Other News Sources

• Consultation shows support for franchising83% support proposals as bus operators offer partnership-based alternatives     The vast majority of respondents to a consultation on how buses are run in Greater Manchester support proposals for the combined authority’s plans for a franchising scheme. In total 8,516 people and organisations took part in the public consultation on the proposed franchising scheme that ran between October 2019 to January 2020. TfGM and independent research agency Ipsos MORI have reviewed, analysed and summarised all responses to the consultation in two reports. Ipsos MORI have also analysed qualitative...
• ‘Do we really want to return to traffic jams?’Go-Ahead chief executive calls for government to back Britain’s buses     David Brown, the chief executive of The Go-Ahead Group, has called on the government to launch a three-point plan to put the bus at the centre of planning for a green, post-Covid Britain. In an article for the Red Box column in The Times, Brown said the bus industry was at a crossroads and that public messaging to avoid public transport has meant confidence in using buses has fallen despite the vital role they play. “We know the challenge we face to encourage people back on to the bus,” wrote ...
• Two-thirds of bus users willing to returnBus Users Twitter poll offers insights on how people feel about getting back on the bus     Two-thirds of bus users are willing to continue using buses, according to a Twitter survey by Bus Users. The survey, which attracted nearly 1,500 responses, sought information on the extent and nature of people’s concerns around bus travel as the rules on lockdown are eased. It was launched to coincide with face coverings becoming mandatory on public transport in England. The survey asked five key questions: Are you able to wear a face covering? Are you aware of safety measures put in pl...
• Commuters planning to shun public transportCovid-19 pandemic predicted to make dramatic changes in UK workplace travel patterns     A survey of commuters found that more than a third of those who previously used public transport were not planning to return once the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. In May, 829 commuters from 49 employers from across England were surveyed by sustainable transport consultancy Go Travel Solutions on how they expected their travel behaviours to change because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The results reflect dramatic changes expected in use of public transport, cycling, walking, car use and home wor...
• Gatwick workers' fears over British Airways job cutsAIRLINE staff fear they will be “left on the scrapheapâ€� over job loss plans.
• Brighton taxi drivers 'have never had it this bad'LONG-SERVING taxi drivers are giving up as their takings plummet in the coronavirus crisis.

EIN News Subscription

• Government advised to lift 14-day quarantine for people arriving into Ireland The Government has been advised to lift the 14-day quarantine for people arriving into Ireland by next Wednesday. The Aviation Recovery Taskforce was set up two weeks ago to make recommendations on how to help the Irish aviation sector to recover. It says …
• UK ministers in talks to create air bridges with 'core' European nations … to create “air bridgesâ€� with a number of “coreâ€� European countries including … between some but not all EU countries; all those with a … Street press conference. The shadow transport secretary, Jim McMahon, has said …
• Spain's air pollution falls to levels of 2011, but... … -wide hauled before the European Commission again to explain … Nuria Blázquez, coordinator for transport at Ecologists in Action. … were breathing in unclean air. This would appear extreme, … countries were affected by air contamination. Reductions in pollution …