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

Wednesday, 13 July 2016

BBC News

• Brexit may change South Wales Metro plans, Jones warnsPlans to upgrade public transport in south Wales may have to change after Brexit, the first minister has said.
• Bromsgrove railway station opensBromsgrove's new £24m railway station opens.
• Investigation as grandmother 'left' in Edinburgh AirportA firm employed at Edinburgh Airport to help reduced mobility passengers launches an investigation after a grandmother was reportedly left on her own for hours.
• RMT claims strike-hit Southern rail 'out of control'Managers on Southern rail have been forced to work as conductors to operate a reduced timetable, the RMT union claims.
• Potential Glasgow and Aberdeen airport strikes called offA potential strike by hundreds of workers at Glasgow and Aberdeen airports is called off following talks.
• Farnborough Airshow: The F-35, up close and personalThe BBC's Theo Leggett gets an insider's view of the F-35 fighter, from chief test pilot Alan Norman, at the Farnborough Airshow.
• Siemens promises UK investment despite Brexit warningGerman industrial giant Siemens says it will continue to invest in the UK, despite earlier warnings that a Brexit vote could affect its future activities in the country.
• Airbus slashes delivery target for A380Airbus has more than halved its delivery target for its super-jumbo A380 planes from 2018.

ITV News

• Questions over future of Circuit of Wales scheme post BrexitThere are questions over the viability of big building projects in Wales. Today, First Minister Carwyn Jones said Brexit had changed everything and there were doubts over publicly funded schemes such as the south Wales Metro, a new M4 relief road at Newport and multimillion-pound racetrack in Blaenau Gwent.

Financial Times

• Hyperloop One accused of ‘mismanagement’Former top employees sue company planning high-speed transport system
• Airbus slashes production of A380Cut planned from 27 deliveries in 2015 to just 12 by 2018
• Head-on train crash in Italy leaves 25 deadMany more injured on one of country’s worst rail accidents

The Guardian

• Train fare included £16.60 for walking between two stations in BirminghamI could save the money if I bought two single tickets for my journey from Bristol to Stratford – but Trainline.com didn’t tell me thatI had to go from Bristol to Stratford-upon-Avon, booking through thetrainline.com. The one-way ticket price came up at £50.50. Just before confirming the payment I clicked the “Show journeys” button. It showed the route as being from Bristol Temple Meads to Birmingham New Street, then from Birmingham Moor Street to Stratford. In between the Birmingham stations the carrier was “Foot”. I wondered what the cost breakdown of the journey was, so checked the price of ...
• No more waiting in the aisle? Airbus plans to install urinals on planesThe manufacturer is exploring new toilet designs to optimise space and reduce queues for lavatories during flights The end of the line could finally be in sight for the embarrassing air travel ritual of waiting in the aisle to go to the toilet.Airbus, the manufacturer of the A380 superjumbo, is working on a plan to install urinals into its planes. Continue reading...
• Airbus to cut back production of A380 aircraftEuropean plane manufacturer to make 12 superjumbos in 2018 compared with 27 deliveries in 2015Airbus is to dramatically cut production of the A380 superjumbo, highlighting the lacklustre performance of the biggest passenger jet ever built.The plane-maker aims to cut production to just 12 A380s in 2018, compared with 27 deliveries in 2015. Continue reading...
• Tesla has no plans to disable autopilot mode as third recent crash is revealedTesla said data suggested the driver’s hands were not on the wheel in a recent accident in Montana in which a Model X veered off the road and hit a postAnother accident involving Tesla’s autopilot system has been reported, this time in Montana when a Model X veered off the road and hit a post. Early on Sunday morning on a highway near Whitehall, a Tesla veered off to the right into a wooden guardrail, according to the Detroit Free Press, stopping the car before it left the road. The driver told a highway patrol officer that the car’s driver assist feature had been engaged. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Prestwick's spaceport ambitions boosted by deal with US spaceplane designerSPACE tourism from Prestwick is a step closer after a US firm at the cutting edge of spaceflight design struck a deal with the Ayrshire base to bring manned launch services to Scotland.

The Telegraph

• Italy train crash: At least 27 dead and 50 injured as PM Renzi says 'this is a moment for tears'

Times Online

• Threat to passenger safety as hackers infiltrate rail network [Subscription]Hackers have penetrated deep into Britain’s rail network with four major cyberattacks in the past year, security experts have revealed.

Mail Online

• Airbus considers introducing urinals on aircraft after reviewing how passengers use fleet Aviation giant Airbus is considering introducing urinals on planes in a bid to cut queues for toilets. However, the plan has often been held up by airlines due to cultural reasons.
• Jaguar to trial self-driving cars on public roads with new 'cone-buster' system Jaguar Land Rover is to begin self-driving car tests on public roads around Coventy and Solihull in the UK, including a system that can safely steer through traffic cones (pictured) and contraflows.
• BBC denies 'faking' footage during Trainspotting Live after it admits using YouTube video The BBC claimed host Peter Snow got over excited when he saw footage of a Class 66 locomotive while hosting the first episode of Trainspotting Live on BBC4.

The Mirror

• BBC goes off the rails with Trainspotting Live by showing OLD footage The show was blasted after one segment was exposed as shot back in February
• Dashcam captures moment bus crashes into parked car - then drives off The National Express West Midlands single decker ripped the wing mirror and bumper off the parked VW Polo
• Are you safe on Britain's trains? Five sex attacks occur EVERY DAY – with victims as young as TWOMore than 6,000 people have been targeted by sex attackers - including rapists and paedophiles - on the UK's transport network in just five years, shocking figures show

Birmingham Mail

• MPs barred from taking part in HS2 inquiry MPs representing communities affected by HS2 are asking the House of Lords to listen to their concerns about the rail line

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Roll out for bus travel smartcards BUS passengers can now use a new smartcard for pay as you go journeys around West Yorkshire.
• Full steam ahead for new Bradford-London rail services FIRM plans for six daily direct return rail services between Bradford and London have been unveiled to local business leaders.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus secures 25 plane deal with Germania Group The £2bn contract for Airbus A320neo aircraft was signed at the Farnborough International Airshow
• Watch Airbus A350 make incredible near vertical take-off The plane maker was testing the capabilities of the passenger aircraft at the Farnborough Air Show
• Airbus bags 72 plane deal...then 28 MINUTES LATER gets fresh order for 100 aircraft Indian budget airline Go Air wants 72 planes while Air Asia has placed order for 100 aircraft

London Evening Standard

• Southern rail: City lawyer issues legal threat to crisis-hit operatorA City lawyer who claims she was forced to quit her job because of the Southern rail chaos is threatening legal action against the "failing" rail operator for loss of earnings.
• Sadiq Khan says Southern Rail is an 'embarrassment' to LondonSadiq Khan branded Southern Rail an "embarrassment to our city" today as he urged the Government to strip its operator of its franchise.
• HS2 still failing to engage over rail route with 'anxious' Camden residents, warns councilThe Government came under pressure to dramatically improve HS2's plans for community engagement today.
• Commuters' fears over use of Pok�mon GO on London's transport networkLondon commuters have raised safety fears over the new Pok�mon GO phone game, after pictures emerged of the digital creatures on Tube tracks and in the middle of busy roads.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester Airport passenger numbers hits 24 million for first time It comes as parent group MAG is set to unveil full year results this morning, which analysts expect will show increased revenues and profits and a record dividend for its council shareholders.

Other Regional Press

• 'Noisy' overnight electrification works to start soonNetwork Rail says it is 'taking steps' to minimise disruption and noise
• Brexit could hit metro project

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Millions of drivers benefit as Transport Secretary opens �61 million A1 upgradeTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin officially opened a new £61 million road scheme near Gateshead today (7 July 2016). The new scheme will help tackle congestion and increase road capacity in the area, benefiting the 116,000 drivers that use the A1 every day. It is part of the government’s £15 billion roads investment strategy, which is transforming the road network and improving connections between cities. The Highways England scheme covers a 4 mile stretch of the A1 from Coal House (junction 67) to Metro Centre (junction 71) and drivers are now able to use an extra lane...
• Crossrail 2 issues still being worked out, says TfLNo final decisions have been made over the proposed Crossrail 2 route; that’s the main message from transport authorities responding to issues raised during a recent consultation. Transport for London (TfL) and Network Rail say that many of the complex engineering and infrastructure challenges are still being worked out. Crossrail 2 aims to ease rail congestion by connecting the West Anglia and South Western main lines via London Victoria and King's Cross St Pancras stations.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Ingeteam: Rail Solutions and Rolling Stock Engineering Ingeteam's development of solutions and systems for the efficient exchange of energy in different sectors, combined with our know-how on rolling stock engineering and rail operations, allow us to offer solutions that allow all parties actively involv…
• Bel Power Solutions Offers Modular Battery Chargers for Railway Vehicles With the LBC series, Bel Power Solutions targets for the first time the market for auxiliary power supplies in railway vehicles. However, Bel is not new to this industry: under the MELCHER brand the company is at home in the international railway mar…

Railnews

• Frustrated commuters call for action over Southern The crisis at Southern was deepening last night, after the first day of an emergency timetable which involved the axeing of 341 services -- around a sixth of the total. Angry commuters protested in strength at Victoria station in London, under a banner reading 'Commuter Hell', while it was reported that a City lawyer who claims she was forced to resign because of Southern's problems is threatening to sue Govia Thameslink Railway for loss of earnings. At the heart of the matter is the continuing dispute over the proposed extension of driver-only operation to most Southern services, although th...
• New station opens at Bromsgrove A modernised station at Bromsgrove in the West Midlands opened for business this morning, and the first train to depart was the 06.20 London Midland service to Birmingham New Street. The previously unstaffed station, which now has a booking office, was rebuilt as a joint project between Worcestershire County Council, Centro and Network Rail.

Railway Gazette

• Pantograph module to be launched at InnoTrans 2016TE CONNECTIVITY: A next-generation modular roofline assembly incorporating all of the equipment...

Aviation Industry

• SHOW ANALYSIS: It’s all about service support & stretchesThe Farnborough Airshow livened up Tuesday with a flurry of new aircraft orders, including two big A320neo deals with Asian low-cost carriers. But if any themes are emerging from this show, it’s about Airbus and Boeing testing the airline appetites for larger variants of new aircraft; and also about OEMs securing long-term support service agreements. read more
• SHOW ANALYSIS: Engines remain at center stageAs has been the trend at major international air shows in recent years, the news out of the 2016 Farnborough Airshow is as much—if not more—about engines as the aircraft to which the engines are affixed. read more
• Qatar Airways to acquire 10% of LATAM AirlinesDeal will see $613m injected into Latin American carrier

Other News Sources

• Campaign launched to secure £1bn of rail improvements in North Wales and CheshireA CAMPAIGN has been launched to secure £1bn of rail improvements which would transform the North Wales and Cheshire regional economy and deliver 70,000 jobs over 20 years.
• Businesses to tighten travel budgets post-Brexit - GBTAOrganisation predicts vote could cause cancellation of trips