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

Saturday, 16 July 2016

BBC News

• GHA Coaches: Bus firm collapse 'unexpected'The scale of the collapse of north Wales bus company GHA Coaches was unexpected, says a senior council figure.
• M4 relief road public inquiry date announced by ministersThe public inquiry into the M4 relief road is set to begin on 1 November, Economy Secretary Ken Skates announces.
• Plan to boost north Wales economy to be presented to the TreasuryA plan to boost the north Wales economy will be presented to the Treasury by the autumn with a request for cash support for infrastructure projects.
• Car clocking ban called for by councilsA proposed EU ban on companies who provide mileage
• UK robot cars to challenge Google and TeslaA British firm develops autonomous car software that it hopes will be used by a variety of vehicle manufacturers.
• Another weekend of RMT strikes on ScotRailRMT union members working for ScotRail have started another two days of strike action over the role of train guards.
• Escaped wallaby on the tracks causes rail delaysAn escaped wallaby is spotted on a busy railway line, causing delays to services between West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.
• Diverted flight passenger billed �12,000 after 'outburst'A passenger on a flight from Leeds Bradford Airport is billed for �12,000 after an
• Sadiq Khan urges swift decision on Gatwick expansionLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged Theresa May to make a quick decision on airport expansion in the South East.
• 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

• FirstGroup flags potential pound benefitTransport operator says challenging UK economy may outweigh weaker sterling since the Brexit vote
• Rail minister quits over Southern chaosStripping operator of franchise is not the answer to problems on commuter service, says MP
• Mayor Khan backs Gatwick expansionSussex airport announces �200m more in investment

The Guardian

• Government is letting VW off the hook over emissions scandal, say MPsAlthough 1.2m UK diesel cars were affected by Volkswagen’s defeat devices, ‘little action’ has been taken by regulators, report finds
• Rail minister resigns as Southern commuter chaos continuesClaire Perry stands down after a week in which she said she was ‘often ashamed to be the rail minister’
• London mayor Sadiq Khan joins Gatwick bosses in call for new runwayKey political figure shares stage with airport executives and calls for Theresa May to rule out controversial Heathrow expansionGatwick’s campaign to win approval for a second runway has been boosted as the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, joined executives at the airport calling on the new prime minister to back expansion at Heathrow’s rival. The event came as Gatwick announced a further £200m to improve its terminal facilities, and a day after Theresa May’s new cabinet promoted several figures who oppose Heathrow’s third runway. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Disabled rail passengers 'put at risk' by driver-only trains, warns unionDISABLED rail passengers will be put in danger if conductors are no longer present on Scotland's trains, a trade union has warned.
• Glasgow passengers delayed by Flybe plane 'computer issue'A

The Telegraph

• Rail minister 'fed up with justifying cr-- railways' resigns following�Southern Rail chaos

Times Online

• May’s hostility to new Heathrow runway revealed in deleted files [Subscription]The prime minister’s attacks on airport expansion have been unearthed years later. A third runway at Heathrow would devastate the lives of thousands of people living under the flight path, Theresa May warned while in opposition.
• How Boeing shot down Airbus’s lumbering super-jumbo [Subscription]In the aviation industry, he is almost a legend, the smooth-talking New Yorker who last year sold more aircraft than anyone. Within Airbus John Leahy, the company’s chief salesman, is reckoned to be able to sell anything to anyone. Or so we had been led to believe.
• Start spreading the news, Sepura’s on its way [subscription]If it can make it there, it can make it anywhere. As Sepura picked up a contract to supply a radio network for the New York City Transport System, investors were channelling Frank Sinatra’s optimism over the Big Apple.
• Claire Perry quits as rail minister over Southern trains crisis [Subscription]The rail minister has quit over chaos on Britain’s busiest train line as it emerged that an emergency timetable had failed to prevent delays to a fifth of all journeys.
• Surge in electric car sales brings end to free charging on motorway [Subscription]A big rise in the sales of electric cars in Britain in the past 12 months has forced the largest network of charging points to stop offering free power.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham speed camera switch-on delayed after summer rain halts testing Eight new cameras in the city and Solihull were set to be switched on on Monday, July 18, but that had to be postponed after summer showers made testing impossible

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New station runs into further delay A LONG-AWAITED railway station has been delayed by a further 10 months at least, as teams search for more hidden mine workings.
• Jet2 expands Bradford training base as demand soars WHILE disappointed at the outcome of the EU referendum, Jet2 boss Philip Meeson is confident that demand for its flights and package holidays will continue to grow.
• Investigation starts after two Bradford commuter trains pass over 'unsupported' section of track AN OFFICIAL inquiry is under way into how two busy Bradford commuter trains were allowed to travel at nearly full speed over unstable track after a flash flood swept away supporting gravel.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• GHA Coaches: The bus routes Arriva will be taking over in the wake of firm's collapse The Wrexham-based firm, which ceased trading on Wednesday, employed 320 workers

London Evening Standard

• Travel giants fall on Bastille Day terror tragedyThe horrific Nice massacre struck airlines and tourism stocks hard today, leaving easyJet floundering at the bottom of the FTSE 100 as investors absorbed the impact of another terror attack in Europe.
• Rail Minister Claire Perry quits amid 'shame' over London Bridge chaosRail Minister Claire Perry today quit just two days after she admitted feeling "ashamed" by the shoddy conditions for passengers using London Bridge.
• Syon Lane fire: Police hunt arsonist who caused track 'explosion' and havoc on South West TrainsA railway track explosion which caused havoc on the train network in west London yesterday was started deliberately and could have killed people, police said today.

Northern Echo

• New bike library encourages military families to get on their bikes CHILDREN living in the largest military garrison in Europe will be given the chance to ride a bike for free following the launch of a new Yorkshire Bank Bike Library.

Sheffield Star

• VW ‘unfair’ for payout refusalMPs have accused Volkswagen of being “deeply unfair” for refusing to compensate owners of rigged diesels - including 20,554 people in Sheffield.

The York Press

• York bus drivers consider strike FOUR thousand bus workers across Yorkshire including York will be voting on whether to take industrial action in a dispute over pay, terms and working conditions.

Wales Online

• Date set for public inquiry into M4 Relief Road Welsh Government Economy Secretary Ken Skates said it was in "Wales' interest" to have an independent review

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Thousands of riders gearing up for Leeds Sky RideCyclists of all ages and abilities will hit the city’s traffic-free streets on Sunday for the Leeds Sky Ride.

Blackpool Gazette

• Fylde minibus firm bought in �200,000 dealA Fylde coach and minibus company has been snapped up by the company which runs Preston’s buses.
• New buses to lead revolutionBlackpool’s new bus fleet has been hailed as just one part of a public transport revolution in the resort.

Burnley Express

• Wheels back in motion for vital bus serviceA vital bus service has been reinstated after pressure from the Burnley MP.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Bus and train operator FirstGroup on track despite slow start to yearBus and train operator FirstGroup stuck by its outlook for full-year results yesterday despite reporting a fall in first quarter revenues.

North Wales Live

• Pokemon Go - Arriva buses help the hunt for Pokemon in Liverpool Company advise fans on the best bus services with WiFi for Pokemon Go ride on Sunday

Other Regional Press

• South Holland MP John Hayes new Minister for Transport It has been confirmed within the last 30 minutes that South Holland and the Deepings MP John Hayes is the new Government Minister for Transport.
• Delays expected after Newport Bus workers vote to strike TIMETABLE disruption is expected after dozens of Newport Bus workers voted to go on strike on Tuesday over pay increases, the chairman of Newport Transport has confirmed.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Optare Solo destined for UtopiaUtopia Coaches have added another Optare Solo to their fleet.  Established in 1994, Utopia Coaches are a family owned and run coach and bus company located in Sherburn in Elmet, just a stone’s throw away from the Optare production facility.     The Euro 5, 7.2m slim line Solo seats up to 19 and features belted seats.   The bus will operate on services between York, Pontefract and Selby and was purchased to enable a more frequent timetable to be introduced.    Owen Thorpe, Owner of Utopia Coaches said, “We already have five Optare Solos in our flee...
• First Group announce first quarter trading updateFirstGroup has reported the following update on trading since the start of our 2016/17 financial year. Highlights include:  Trading performance as outlined at recent full year results in June has continued during the first quarter  Group revenue in the first quarter decreased by 1.4% in constant currency, with revenue growth in First Student, First Transit and First Rail offset by decreases in First Bus and Greyhound  No change to overall outlook for the current year, recognising that the degree to which potential net currency benefits as a result of our significan...
• Unipart Group wins wellbeing award at Responsible Business Awards Unipart had been named the winner of the Bupa Wellbeing at Work Award in the 2016 Responsible Business Awards.  This award recognises Unipart’s approach to employee wellbeing and the way in which they encourage and support all their employees to lead healthier lives through the Unipart WorkWell scheme. Up against some excellent companies each of which had strong employee wellbeing programmes, other finalists included Marks and Spencer, BAM Nuttall and Morgan Sindall, Visualsoft and Northstar Housing Group.  “Winning this award is particularly important because it recogn...

Railnews

• Southern cancellations down, but more ScotRail strikes loom The emergency timetable introduced at the start of this week by Southern to combat staff shortages has resulted in a sharp fall in cancellations, said Southern's owner Govia Thameslink Railway. But there seems to be no end in sight to disputes with the rail unions over extensions of driver-only operation in England and Scotland, with another strike set to take place on ScotRail this weekend. After a parliamentary question revealed that 214 out of 346 Scottish stations are unstaffed, RMT general secretary Mick Cash claimed that disabled and vulnerable passengers will suffer if DOO is extended ...
• 'Ashamed' rail minister Claire Perry steps down The transport minister who had been the public face of the Department for Transport over the Southern DOO dispute has resigned. Claire Perry, who is MP for Devizes, became Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in July 2014. It is understood that she resigned from her post at the DfT last night, only days after admitting that she was 'often ashamed to be the rail minister'.

Green Miscellany

• Transform any bicycle into a cargo bikeCargo bikes are bulky to store and relatively expensive to buy. Not so the Lift, which transforms any bicycle into a cargo bike in less than a minute. The LIFT will retail for $899 – the equivalent of about �675. �Although for that price it is possible to buy an excellent complete bike, it’s �less than a third the price… The post Transform any bicycle into a cargo bike appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Southern Rail adds trains back into emergency timetable More services are set to run through Dorking and Epsom, with Southern saying it was able to "fine tune the deployment of our available train crews"
• Major driving test changes will see learners follow sat-navs instead of road signs The classic reversing around a corner manoeuvre will be ditched as the DVSA makes significant changes to make tests 'more realistic'
• Powering our transport and heating our houses?The Scientific Alliance asks: could hydrogen still be the fuel of the future?
• MP calls for 50 per cent train refunds AN MP is demanding that train operator Govia refunds disgruntled season tickets holders 50 per cent of the cost.
• London Mayor urges quick go-ahead for Gatwick second runway from PM London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged Theresa May to give the go-ahead for a second runway at Gatwick as quickly as possible.
• Call for Transport Secretary 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.