In The News: 5th June

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The Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that face coverings will become mandatory on public transport from a week on Monday.

In the coronavirus briefing yesterday, he warned that people could be refused travel and even fined if they don’t comply with the new regulations.

British Transport Police’s Assistant Chief Constable, Sean O’Callaghan said he’s confident the public will act responsibly and comply with the requirement to wear face coverings on the network to try to control the spread of the coronavirus.

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The operator of the ScotRail franchise has come under fire after it emerged it had failed to pay its bills on time for more than a year.

According to an article in The Scotsman, Abellio settled 25 per cent of its bills over a six-month period in the 30-day timescale that forms part of its contractual obligations with the Scottish Government.

In response, a spokesperson for ScotRail said it had ‘varying payment terms with suppliers’ which resulted in differing payment dates, adding ‘invoices will only be paid when suppliers follow the correct payment process’.

The Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales Ken Skates has written to the Secretary of State for Transport, setting out a strong argument to build four new railway stations across Wales.

The letter calls on Grant Shapps to invest in the Wales and Borders rail network through the UK Government’s Restoring Your Railways fund, not only to improve rail connectivity, but to supercharge Wales’ post coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery.

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Finally and transport apps will show how busy train stations are in a bid to help passengers with social distancing as part of a new service launched today.

The article in Daily Telegraph says travellers will be able to see alerts before they leave home and can choose to be sent messages via the Messenger app with updates on their journey.

Photo credit: Maria Sbytova/ Shutterstock

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