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

Friday, 14 October 2016

BBC News

• Four bidders to take on £600m South Wales MetroFour foreign-owned firms are competing to run train services in Wales and create the £600m South Wales Metro.
• Railways: A great English journeyTake a journey on England's railways from the
• Plan to improve public travel for people with dementiaHelp to make using public transport easier for people with dementia and similar conditions is being sought by a health board.
• Electric bike scheme first to be launched in the UKThe UK's first city-wide electric bike scheme is launched in Exeter.
• Rail firm committed to the Far North LineScotRail Alliance chiefs say they are committed to the future of rail services to the north of Inverness.
• How the railways changed leisure and travelHow the railways changed leisure and travel in the North West.
• Metrolink's Trafford Park £350m tramline approvedA £350m tramline to Greater Manchester's Trafford Centre is given the go-ahead by the government.
• Airport operator Hial reports record figureHighlands and Islands Airports Limited has seen its passenger numbers rise above 900,000 for the first time over the first two quarters of a year.
• Rail delays: New plans to compensate passengersRail passengers will be able to claim compensation for delays of more than 15 minutes under plans being announced.
• Lord Wolfson offers �250,000 prize for roads solutionLord Wolfson, the chief executive of Next, is offering a �250,000 prize for the best suggestion on how improve the UK's overcrowded roads.
• MPs urge ministers to 'get a grip' in midst of Southern strike woesThe government's handling of rail franchises is attacked in a report by MPs that cites Southern passengers' woes as a three-day staff strike ends.

Department for Transport

• Government must 'get a grip' on monitoring rail franchise agreementsLessons must be learned from the woeful experience of passengers on Southern Railway, say MPs on the Transport Select Committee.

Financial Times

• Kenya Airways raises stakes in pilot rowGovernment joins calls for planned stoppage to be called off
• Hyperloop One wins backing from DP WorldMiddle-East backer helps fuel race to build radical new transport system
• London Bridge chaos highlights franchise woeMPs say miscalculation of delays reveals error in Thameslink, Great Northern and Southern grouping

The Guardian

• Lord Wolfson warns against isolationist Brexit courseChief executive of Next says UK will be ‘finished’ if government fails to build open and global-facing economy
• Electric vehicles could go first at traffic lights under UK clean air zone plansGovernment proposals to tackle air pollution in five UK cities could see electric vehicle drivers using bus lanes and getting priority at traffic lightsDrivers of electric vehicles could be allowed to use bus lanes in five UK cities and even go first at traffic lights, to tackle illegal levels of air pollution, the government has suggested.Launching its consultation on clean air zones to be introduced in Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby and Southampton, the environment department said air pollution killed 50,000 people each year at an annual cost to society of �27.5bn. Continue reading...
• Southern rail: MPs condemn ministers' failure to monitor firmTransport committee report blasts failure to enforce terms of contract with UK’s worst performing rail firmMinisters and officials in the Department for Transport lost their grip on Southern, failing to monitor the rail company properly and enforce the terms of its contract, according to a withering report by a cross-party group of MPs.Concluding an inquiry into the experience of rail passengers that became dominated by the events at Southern, the transport select committee said commuters had been badly let down.
• Unions write to Labour MPs urging them to back Heathrow expansionCampaign for a third runway puts unions at odds with senior party figures, including Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnellTrade unions are preparing to ramp up their efforts to persuade Labour MPs to back expansion at Heathrow airport, putting them at odds with senior party figures including Jeremy Corbyn.Community, the union that represents iron and steel workers, wrote to all Labour MPs on Thursday calling on them to back the expansion if it is approved by the prime minister, Theresa May, next week.

The Herald

• When it was good to be steaming along the once-busy canalWHAT a pleasurable sight this is – a moment of timelessness and tranquility. It could be anywhere in the world really. Is it in Africa perhaps, although the lock would suggest otherwise. Or is it perhaps a smaller of the riverboats on the Mississippi in America? But no, it is Scotland, and the Forth and Clyde Canal.

The Independent

• MPs accuse the Government of hiding evidence on the poor performance of Southern RailCommittee’s report says Department of Transport is refusing to reveal whether under-fire operator is in breach of its contract – and, therefore, could be stripped of it

The Scotsman

• Forth Rail Bridge “paid for in blood”The “epic struggle” of the men who built the Forth Rail Bridge is to be examined in a new documentary which claims the construction was “paid for in blood”.

Parliament

• Department for Transport questioned on departmental prioritiesThe Transport Committee hears evidence from the Secretary of State for Transport and the Permanent Secretary in a session examining the new Secretary of State's priorities and the Department's annual report and accounts.

Mail Online

• Transport Secretary says passengers should be able to pay with a 'flick of a card' Chris Grayling said passengers should never have to queue again for a ticket, and should be able to buy them from the comfort of their home or while enjoying a coffee at the train station.
• Third runway at Heathrow 'to get go-ahead in days': Theresa May set to defy fierce opposition to announce boost to airport's capacity  After years of delay, Theresa May is set to defy fierce opposition from key members of her Cabinet, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, to boost Britain’s airport capacity.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Rail union says Welsh should run their own train services The RMT wants 'Welsh Rail' created instead of handing contract to global corporation

London Evening Standard

• London's black taxis 'must slash night fares in order to keep up with Uber'Expensive night-time black cab fares need to be slashed if drivers are to have any chance of fighting back against the threat from Uber, a major new study claims today.
• 'Rethink London's cycle lanes and end congestion charge', say business chiefsBusiness chiefs are demanding a dramatic rethink of how traffic is managed on London's roads as the capital approaches mega-city status.
• Black taxi drivers march in protest over minicab medical testsAround 100 cab drivers marched in protest today at TfL's lack of medical regulation of mini cab drivers.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Drivers caught by Newcastle bus lane camera could be due a refund - because of 'inadequate' signsThe landmark ruling could 'open the floodgates' for motorists who have been fined driving along John Dobson Street in the city centre

Yorkshire Post

• End to paper rail tickets ‘by the end of 2018’PAPER tickets will be a thing of the past on British railways in the next two years, according to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.
• Gerald Jennings: HS2 alone is not enough to bring the North up to speedWITH the party conference season behind us, the next major political diary date will be the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement.

Blackpool Gazette

• Flights firm positive about Blackpool airport saleThe boss of the only commercial air passenger firm operating at Blackpool Airport said he is confident about the future in the light of a possible sale of the site.
• Time is running short to have a say on bypass bidTime is running out for people to have their say on a proposals for a huge new dual carriageway.
• Weekend shutdown sparks rail miseryRail passengers travelling between Blackpool and Preston are set to suffer more disruption with Network Rail planning months of weekend closures.

Crewe Chronicle

• Chester MP backs HS2 benefits in parliamentary debateRegional rail hub at Crewe would extend the benefits of the new line to 1.5 million people

Reading Evening Post

• Great Western Railway passengers can test their knowledge of the South West in new quiz Passengers will be tested on the sights seen from the train

Other Regional Press

• Oxford line closed after freight train breaks down A broken down train is causing delays of�about�an hour for rush hour commuters this evening.�

Buying Business Travel

• Rail passengers can claim refunds for 15-minute delays‘Delay Repay 15’ to be introduced within months starting with Southern
• Flights between UK and China to jump 150%The UK and China have agreed to more than double the number of permitted flights between China and the UK
• British Airways boosts London capacity on Germany routes34,000 extra seats to Hamburg and Dusseldorf from City airport
• Heathrow/Gatwick expansion decision next Tuesday?Campaign group believes government have set a date for the long-awaited runway announcement

Rail Magazine

• Mark Carne to give keynote speech at RAIL’s National Rail ConferenceNetwork Rail’s Chief Executive will speak at the NRC in Manchester on November 1

Rail Technology Magazine

• Interior Doors for Trains PMC Polarteknik Door Systems is a leading European supplier of fire barrier gangway door systems for rail vehicles. These products help increase passenger comfort and safety in modern as well as refurbished passenger coaches.
• Cables for Rail Technology We at SAB Bröckskes see ourselves as manufacturer and service provider - in the sense of real partnership and customer-oriented work. The quality of our products is known in more than 40 countries of the world.
• Service Solutions for the Rail Industry Sulzer is recognised worldwide for its experience servicing AC and DC traction motors, braking systems, bogies, gearboxes, generators, and other transportation equipment and parts.
• Government gives go-ahead for Trafford Metrolink extensionA 5.5km extension to the Manchester Metrolink tram network is set to go ahead after the DfT gave an order allowing it to be built. The £350m Trafford Park Line, funded through Greater Manchester’s devolution deal, will branch off from the Pomona stop and reach six further stops. It...

Railway Gazette

• Bogie test facility opens in HuddersfieldUK: The University of Huddersfield has completed the installation of a full-scale bogie test rig,...
• Railway supply industry news round-upAbellio has agreed eight-year framework contracts with Alstom, Bombardier, Siemens and Stadler for...
• Wales & Borders bidders asked to propose Metro optionsUK: The four bidders shortlisted for the contract to be the 'Operator & Development Partner'...

Aviation Industry

• Air New Zealand may offer Wi-Fi from 2017Air New Zealand may offer Wi-Fi connectivity on flights from 2017 onward, CEO Christopher Luxon said in a statement Oct. 11. read more
• Sweden’s airports post 5% passenger increase year-to-dateSwedavia, owner and operator of 10 airports across Sweden, reported Oct. 13 a total of 29.7 million passengers have embarked and disembarked at the state-owned company’s airports through Sept. 30, a 5% rise year-over-year (YOY). read more

Other News Sources

• Defra correct to identify burden on small businesses of Clean Air Zones - but fails to offer supportFTA has once again raised concerns over planned restrictions reiterated in the Defra Clean Air Zones document published today. ...
• Damning report slams Southern Railway management for poor performance TRAINS are in such a bad state on the Southern network that the contract would normally be pulled at this stage, MPs have recognised.