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

Saturday, 25 April 2020

BBC News

• Coronavirus: Support package to protect NI-GB ferriesUp to £17m is being provided to maintain “critical routes” during the Covid pandemic.
• Coronavirus: Frozen airline food mountain to feed those in needDisadvantaged people across Greater Manchester will receive meals intended for air passengers.
• Coronavirus: Government to fund 'essential' light rail servicesDepartment for Transport funding will support
• Coronavirus: Transport for London furloughs 7,000 staffLondon's transport commissioner says fare revenues have plummeted by 90% during the pandemic.
• Coronavirus: 'We're giving our tour buses to the NHS'Buses which are usually home to rock stars are now giving frontline workers a place to rest.
• Coronavirus: Air France-KLM secures billions in government aidLike many other airlines, the Franco-Dutch group has been badly hit by the coronavirus outbreak.
• Coronavirus: Transport usage will change after lockdownPublic transport usage won't recover to pre-Covid19 levels once the lockdown ends, a survey suggests.

Financial Times

• FirstGroup taps UK for £300m as buses and trains are left emptyTransport group also expects its Greyhound bus service to receive US financial support
• Heathrow chief calls for health checks at UK airportsDowning Street rejects plea and insists country’s stance on controls is based on scientific advice
• Local authorities say multimillion-pound light rail deal not enoughSupport for five networks around England follows coronavirus rescue packages for bus and train sectors
• Lufthansa warns of 10,000 excess jobsGerman carrier tells staff company is unlikely to experience pre-crisis levels of demand until 2023
• Air France-KLM secures at least €9bn in Franco-Dutch loansRenault also in line for €5bn deal as Paris steps in to tackle coronavirus impact

The Independent

• Coronavirus: Medical drone deliveries and transport volunteers announced to help secure supply chainsTransport secretary admits operators are 'facing challenges as fewer people travelling means less capacity to move goods'

Times Online

• Jet2 profits slashed after missing out on cheap fuel [Subscription]As if having your 90-strong fleet grounded and the summer season looking increasingly like a write-off, Jet2, the north of England-based holiday airline, has admitted that it has taken a £109 million hit after losing out through forward-buying its jet fuel.
• Coronavirus lockdown: Rise in car journeys prompts new appeal to obey the rules [Subscription]Priti Patel will today urge the public to stick to coronavirus restrictions amid “worrying” evidence that commitment to the lockdown is beginning to wane.

Reuters News

• UK to trial drones to deliver medical suppliesBritain will begin trials next week of using drones to deliver medical supplies as part of its response to the coronavirus outbreak, transport minister Grant Shapps said on Friday.

Mail Online

• Coronavirus UK: Heathrow boss demands mass airport screeningsIn a major intervention, chief executive of Heathrow John Holland-Kaye is writing to Health Secretary Matt Hancock to demand stringent regulations to combat coronavirus.

Belfast Telegraph

• Northern Ireland ferry operators will receive £17m to help keep crucial supply chains openFinancial support of up to £17m has been announced for ferry operators who are aiming to keep Northern Ireland's supply chains open during the Covid-19 crisis.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• UK Government doesn't include Holyhead to Dublin route in Irish Sea ferry support packageRoutes between Northern Ireland and the UK mainland have been backed but not the Wales/Ireland service

Manchester Evening News

• What Manchester Airport passengers think of lack of covid screeningCoronavirus screening happens at airports in Uganda and Singapore where there have been barely any fatalities - so why isn't it happening here as UK deaths soar?

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Transport Secetary promises 'millions' to save Tyne and Wear Metro afloatThe Government says it will save the Tyne and Wear Metro from closure but little detail was given about the level of funding on offer

Northern Echo

• Children as young as six seen on rail tracks at Durham and DarlingtonCHILDREN as young as six-years-old are among people spotted risking their lives by trespassing on railway lines.
• Car finance and payday loan customers can freeze repayments MILLIONS of motorists and those with payday loans will be given the option to temporarily suspend making repayments for up to three months.

Wales Online

• 'The thunder of the lorries is gone': The change on Swansea's busiest roadsThe drop in traffic levels has changed things for residents living on some of the most frequently travelled routes

Bucks Free Press

• Transport for Bucks urges drivers not to park on double yellow lines Transport for Bucks has urged drivers to park considerately after they lifted parking charges and relaxed on-street rules.

Reading Evening Post

• Pictures show Heathrow Airport as you've never seen it beforeThe airport is barely recognisable with the vast majority of flights being grounded due to COVID-19

Other Regional Press

• The new electric cars on the streets of Oxford as part of a superhub schemeSIX new electric vehicles have been delivered to Oxford City Council, as it takes steps towards reducing carbon emissions.
• Company donates bike locks after thefts from Stevenage’s Lister Hospital during coronavirus pandemicA company is donating bike locks to NHS workers after a spate of bicycle thefts from hospitals during the coronavirus crisis, including at Stevenage’s Lister.
• Rock-star tour bus loaned to Teesside hospital for staff breaksThe idea is to provide spaces for health workers to rest and take stock during their rest break or at the end of each shift
• Government outlines support for tram system in Sheffield to keep it runningIt will mean that it will still be available for key workers
• What you need to know about driving a company car while on furloughFurloughed staff are not allowed to do any work that is related to their job or benefits the company during this time

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Coronavirus: Vital routes for supplies and people kept open through coronavirus support packageVital routes for supplies and people have been protected through a coronavirus support package to keep the flow of goods and services running smoothly in and out of the UK, and around the country, throughout the pandemic. A multimillion government support package for essential freight services includes: up to £17 million for critical routes between Northern Ireland and Great Britain up to £10.5 million for lifeline ferry and freight services to the Isle of Wight and the Scilly Isles further support for critical routes between Britain and the European mainland The fund...
• Coronavirus: Transport for London to place 7,000 staff on furloughTransport for London (TfL) is to place 7,000 staff whose work has been reduced or paused as a result of the coronavirus pandemic on furlough from Monday.  This will allow TfL to access funding from the Government’s Job Retention Scheme, saving the organisation an estimated £15.8m every four weeks. This will partly reduce the huge financial impact of coronavirus whilst constructive discussions continue with Government on the wider revenue support that TfL will need to continue the effective operation of London’s transport network. Since London entered lockdown on 23rd Mar...

Railnews

• Unions concerned about risks if more trains run Reports that the number of trains on National Rail could be increased to Saturday levels next month have raised concerns that staff may not be protected adequately. The government announced last night that up to 10 million key workers and their households, including rail staff, can now book a coronavirus test online or through their employer, but only if someone in their house is showing Covid 19 symptoms. However, the rail unions are unhappy because they fear rail staff could be at greater risk if more people start travelling again.
• Government announces funding deal for trams and light rail The government has confirmed that it will provide funding to support the tram and light rail systems in Sheffield, Manchester, the West Midlands, Nottingham and Tyne & Wear, and says it is ˜working with local authorities to identify what support is needed to allow essential services to continue™. The news comes after several days of intense negotiations, amid warnings from City Mayors that some systems might have to close down as the result of dramatically lower revenue.

Other News Sources

• Merriman calls for fairer rail compensationTransport committee chair warns many passengers will not be refunded Merriman expressed particular concern about the fairness of refunds where the ticket is close to its expiry date   Huw Merriman, the chair of the transport select committee, has written to the transport secretary Grant Shapps, to call for a better deal for rail season ticket holders whose usual journeys have been cancelled by the outbreak of coronavirus. The committee argues that unless the changes are made, many passengers will not receive any recompense at all for circumstances beyond their control. The committee is al...
• TfL to furlough a quarter of its staffMove will save the organisation an estimated £15.8m every four weeks Palestra in Southwark – one of TfL’s three office hubs   Transport for London has announced it is to place a quarter of its staff on furlough leave from Monday. It says the move will allow the organisation to access funding from the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, saving the TfL an estimated £15.8m every four weeks. TfL says furloughing staff will also partly reduce the huge financial impact of coronavirus whilst “constructive discussions” continue with government on the wider reven...
• FirstGroup strengthens cash positionGroup benefits from UK and US government financial support schemes Greyhound is expected to be a significant beneficiary of the US government’s CARES Act   FirstGroup has revealed that it has strengthened its cash position to more than £800m after being awarded £300m through the UK government’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility. In an update to the City this morning, the group also disclosed that US subsidiary Greyhound, the express intercity bus operator, is also expected to be a recipient of funding from the US government’s CARES Act. A total of $326m in emergency sup...

Other Subscription Services

• London bus boarding changed to help protect drivers Buses in London temporarily became middle-door only boarding this week.Following a trial 13182 the change took effect on Monday (20 April) as part of Transport for London's efforts to...
• TfL seeks urgent support as 7,000 staff furloughed As a result of the coronavirus pandemic Transport for London is to place 7,000 staff on furlough from Monday (27 April).The move will allow TfL to access funding from the government's Job Retention...
• Government agrees to prop up light rail systems The government has promised to provide financial support for light rail systems in Sheffield, Manchester, the West Midlands, Nottingham and Tyne and Wear which are haemorrhaging cash as a result of...