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

Friday, 15 July 2016

BBC News

• Confidence £1bn north Wales rail cash can be foundA campaign is launched to secure £1bn of rail improvements for north Wales and Cheshire to help link the region with the planned HS2 line.
• Tesla Autopilot needs rethink urges US consumer groupUS group Consumer Reports has called on Tesla to disable the automatic steering function in its electric cars.
• Inside Bombardier's 'giant gamble'The BBC's Theo Leggett looks inside one of Bombardier's new C-Series aircraft, a programme that faced years of questions about its financial viability.
• VW failure to compensate UK owners 'deeply unfair'MPs criticise Volkswagen's failure to compensate UK owners of cars affected by the diesel emissions scandal.

Financial Times

• MPs criticise UK response to VW scandalPossible conflict of interests cited for Department for Transport
• No comfort for Southern rail commutersIrate passengers are calling for the company to be stripped of its franchise
• Air show witnesses slowdown in jet ordersRivals Airbus and Boeing say they are focusing on delivering aircraft to customers

The Guardian

• Bus company staff told firm has shut down – via textGHA Coaches notifies employees of redundancy by mobile phone, after going into administration, leaving many in Welsh rural areas without transport linksMore than 300 workers at a bus company in north Wales have been made redundant – by text message.GHA Coaches, one of the UK’s largest independent operators, told staff via their mobile phones on Wednesday that the company “will cease trading tonight”. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Will we ever get a modern public transport system that is fit for purpose?

The Independent

• Chris Grayling promoted to Transport Secretary by Theresa MayThe Secretary of State for Transport will oversee Heathrow expansion and HS2

The Telegraph

• Heathrow Airport expansion in doubt after Theresa May promotes critics to top cabinet postsExpansion of Heathrow Airport appears increasingly unlikely after Theresa May appointed to her Cabinet a series of opponents to a third runway

Times Online

• DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT WILL CONTINUE UNDER CHRIS GRAYLING, SAYS NO 10 [Subscription]REPORTS OF the Department for Transport’s death are exaggerated: Chris Grayling has been appointed transport secretary by Theresa May, the new prime minister.
• Stansted has sights on second runway [Subscription]Two of Britain’s busiest airports expect to suffer a Brexit-related slowdown in growth over the next couple of years, but their owner argues that one of them will still be so congested by 2030 that it will need a new runway.

Mail Online

• Italian station master admits to error which led to deaths of 23 people in train crash A station master has confessed to a mistake which led to a train crash which killed 23 people in southern Italy on Tuesday. Vito Piccarreta said it was his error which caused the accident in Puglia region.

Birmingham Mail

• Jaguar Land Rover prepares to go off-road – autonomously Self-driving systems will read the terrain and find a way through

Daily Post (North Wales)

• GHA Coaches: New Denbighshire bus times released in the wake of company's closure Several councils are working to replace bus services which have been thrown into doubt by the news that the company is set to shut
• A494 super-highway housing development will 'bring back lost community' Campaigners who fought £71m road scheme say new homes will revive the area where properties were compulsory purchased
• Employment opportunities in north east Wales as region suffers bus firm jobs blowThe closure of GHA Coaches is devastating for workers but firms say that there are jobs in the area

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow and Gatwick Airport clash over third runway and long-haulGatwick has fewer frequent, long-haul routes flying from its runways today than it did in 2010, leading rival Heathrow to claim that allowing the Sussex airport to build a new runway would be a “high-risk gamble”.
• Sadiq Khan 'needs more powers to protect London from Brexit'As well as greater financial autonomy, he wants wide-ranging control over business and skills, housing, planning, transport, health and criminal justice. Mr Khan has called for discussions to start right away and some senior ministers have responded warmly.
• These Oyster Card finger nails let you swipe through the London UndergroundDesigner Lucie Davis has the solution to lost Oyster cards — just hack your nails with microchips, says Rosamund Urwin

Manchester Evening News

• Does this video show how easy it is for motorists to accidentally drive onto tram tracks? The footage shows a driver turning on to Metrolink tracks in the city centre... and having a near-miss with an oncoming tram
• New cab comparison firm launches in Manchester - and the aim is to be bigger than Uber Karhoo lets people pick between black cabs, minicabs and executive cars

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Nexus and a new age of transportIn July 1996, Nexus arrived on Tyneside with a new vision, new logo and amid colourful artwork

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield MP demands urgent talks over fresh round of bus cutsA Sheffield MP has demanded urgent talks with bus bosses after a fresh round of service cuts and shake-ups.

Get West London

• Has new chancellor Philip Hammond let slip Government's decision on Heathrow Airport third runway?Philip Hammond quickly corrected himself after appearing to suggest Heathrow had won the battle for an extra runway

North Wales Live

• Riverside MP recognised by John Moores University with honorary fellowship Louise Ellman has represented Liverpool constituency since 1997

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• ORR’s first annual assessment of Highways England: Good start to delivery but future planning needs focusThe Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has published its first annual performance assessment of Highways England, the government-owned company responsible for England’s strategic road network. The report found that Highways England has made a good start on delivering £15 billion of investment in England’s strategic road network by 2020-21. The company now needs to implement a more robust internal planning process to make sure that future targets are met. Laid in Parliament yesterday, the Annual Assessment of Highways England’s Performance April 2015 – March 2016, fou...
• Chris Grayling named new Transport SecretaryChris Grayling is the new Transport Secretary following Theresa May's appointment as Prime Minister. The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP as Secretary of State for Transport.

Rail Magazine

• Grayling is new Transport SecretaryChris Grayling (MP for Epsom & Ewell) has been appointed Secretary of State for Transport.

Railnews

• Northern and Network Rail form new alliance Network Rail has launched another Alliance with a train operator. The new arrangement with Northern follows a similar partnership in Scotland with Abellio. Network Rail said the alliance would mean 'even closer working between the two organisations as part of a joint commitment to plan together to provide a better railway and resolve operational issues'.
• Cabinet reshuffle: Patrick McLoughlin leaves DfT THE Prime Minister's office at 10 Downing Street has confirmed that Patrick McLoughlin is moving from his present post as transport secretary to become Conservative Party chairman and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in Theresa May's new government.
• Chris Grayling named as new transport secretary The Prime Minister Theresa May has named Chris Grayling as the new transport secretary after Patrick McLoughlin moved to new roles as Conservative Party chairman and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Aviation Industry

• Airbus, Boeing log nearly $62 billion in airliner deals at FarnboroughAirbus came out on top at the 2016 Farnborough Airshow, reporting $35 billion in orders for a total of 279 airliners. read more
• Amadeus reports 80% rise in ancillary servicesTravel tech firm sees ancillaries soar through its distribution channel

Other News Sources

• 'This is wonderful news' - residents relieved as three major Blackburn bus routes saved WORRIED pensioners said they were relieved to discover that three major bus routes set to be axed will be saved by another service.
• Theresa May appoints Surrey MP Chris Grayling new transport secretary Mr Grayling joins fellow Surrey MPs Philip Hammond and Jeremy Hunt in new Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet
• Improved roadworks information vital so operators can plan ahead, says FTAThe Freight Transport Association agrees that Highways England has made a positive start in its first year but the association would like to see ...
• Call for transport minister to sort out county rail chaos THERESA MAY'S new Transport Secretary has been urged to waste no time in sorting out the rail problems in Sussex.