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

Tuesday, 06 December 2016

BBC News

• Rail minister refuses Southern rail dispute interventionThe rail minister reaffirms the government will not intervene in the dispute between Southern Rail and the RMT.
• London Underground drivers call off planned strike actionA 24-hour strike that was due to take place on two London Underground lines is suspended.
• Southern rail strike to bring 'major delays'Commuters have been warned to expect major delays during a three-day walkout on the Southern rail network.
• Trains and track come together in rail management revampRailway management in England is set for a major overhaul, promises Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.

Department for Transport

• Rail reform: future of the rail networkBritain’s railways are crucial to our economic future, and we have seen significant growth in passenger numbers in the 20 years since privatisation. This growth brings challenges, and the impact of disruption can be immediate, significant and wide ranging.
• Transport secretary puts passengers at the heart of the railwayNew East West rail operation and closer industry cooperation for better services for passengers.

Financial Times

• Electric city shuttles mark a shift in directionVW’s service will be a clean competitor to Uber and buses, writes John Gapper
• Network Rail faces loss of power to train operatorsPlan to form ‘integrated teams’ in crackdown on infrastructure owner

The Guardian

• Cycling heaven and Hull: can the city recapture its 1950s pedal power heyday?Poet Philip Larkin described Hull as ‘very nice and flat for cycling’ – and in the 1950s a third of the population rode regularly. It’s still flat, so why is this pioneer cycling city back-pedalling?“I wish I could think of one nice thing I could tell you about Hull,” Philip Larkin moaned to his friend DJ Enright not long after moving to the city to become university librarian in 1955. “Oh yes … it’s very nice and flat for cycling.”It’s a shame the poet’s best known pronouncement about his adopted city was a thinly veiled sneer, not least because at the time Hull was buzzing with bikes. Accord...
• Chris Grayling to unveil plans for new fully privatised railway lineTrack and trains on Oxford-Cambridge route to be run by one firm, in first fully integrated operation since 1990s privatisationThe government is to unveil plans for a fully privatised railway line, with track and trains operated by the same company.A new route linking Oxford and Cambridge will not be developed by Network Rail, the owner of Britain’s rail infrastructure. Instead, a new entity will be responsible for track and infrastructure, as well as operating train services, under proposals drawn up by the transport secretary, Chris Grayling. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Cycling with headphones kills mother as coroner says she caused her own death

Times Online

• Call to phase out all fossil fuel transport [subscription]A date should be set by the Scottish government for phasing out cars running on petrol and diesel, an environmental group has said.
• Ryanair pilot blinded by laser during landing [Subscription]A Ryanair flight was forced to abort its planned landing at an airport in Portugal last year when one of its pilots was temporarily blinded by a green laser.
• Shake-up signals end of Network Rail’s track monopoly [Subscription]Network Rail could lose its monopoly over the operation of at least three railway lines under the biggest overhaul of the system since privatisation two decades ago.
• Khan doubles spending on London cycling schemes [subscription]Sadiq Khan has announced that investment in cycling in London over the next five years will be almost double the amount spent under his predecessor as mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

Sky News

• Network Rail to be stripped of complete control of railway tracksThe Transport Secretary says the major change will lead to more reliable services and help "transform the passenger experience".

Birmingham Mail

• HS2 depot site sold by St Modwen 50-acre plot in north Birmingham acquired by the Government to house a new rolling stock maintenance depot

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham Airport delays warning as strike action looms Trade union members at baggage handling and ground crew provider Swissport vote in favour of strike action

Bolton News

• INQUEST: Death of budding young police officer could have been avoided�if motorway�had been lit THE death of an aspiring young police officer could have been avoided if there had been better lighting on the M61, an inquest heard.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Plans for a new railway station serving Leeds Bradford Airport are unveiled A NEW railway station serving Leeds Bradford Airport is part of �270 million proposals to transform transport in Leeds, it has been announced today.

London Evening Standard

• English language tests for minicab drivers hit disabled pupils' transport serviceThe boss of a transport firm which takes about 230 disabled children to school each day says his company will be forced out of London by TfL's new language test.
• Tube strike: Piccadilly and Hammersmith and City line walkout suspended after talksA planned 24-hour strike by Tube drivers has been suspended following last-minute talks.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Fears costs of Aberdeen-Inverness rail upgrade have ballooned to £330millionThe cost of rail upgrades between Aberdeen and Inverness could have ballooned to £330million. An expert report has said the price-tag of the project could have almost doubled from £170million.

The York Press

• Judge slams rail company over crossing crash YORK'S top judge has warned�people could have been killed in a recent train crash and urged Network Rail to improve safety.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Bus overhaul for £180m revealed in second wave of Leeds transport planAn overhaul of bus services in Leeds has been announced by council chiefs in the second wave of a £270m transport masterplan.

Yorkshire Post

• YP Letters: Leeds public transport and a chronicle of failure YP Letters: Leeds public transport and a chronicle of failure Public transport in Leeds has had many false starts. 18:0618:15Monday 05 December 2016 0 HAVE YOUR SAY From: Tony Young, Cross Bank, Skipton. ONCE again your headline ‘Motorists face over £2bn bill for jams by 2025’ (The Yorkshire Post, November 30) highlights the determination of Leeds City Council to keep their heads firmly in the sand. It is now well known that Leeds is the largest urban area in Europe without a transit system. What is perhaps less well known is how man

East Anglian Daily Times

• Train passengers face cancelled trains and long delays due to defective trackRail passengers travelling from London to Clacton, Colchester and Ipswich tonight are facing cancelled trains or delays of up to 45 minutes due to a defective track on the outskirts of London.

Other Regional Press

• Conservative leader calls for Vale rail line upgradeAction must be taken to address problems of overcrowding on train services in the Vale, South Wales Central AM Andrew RT Davies said this week.
• Anger that Streatham is left out of transport planGrowing concern about a reliable and safe transport network around Streatham prompted a public meeting with residents, Streatham MP Chuka Umunna and Transport for London and Southern Rail. Shujaul Azam finds out what the main concerns aired at a recent
• Passengers raise fears as axe falls on vital bus routeRESIDENTS have voiced their concerns after discovering that a bus service they use to get to hospital will be scrapped next year.
• Extra lane on M1 will ease queues for Meadowhall shoppersExtra lane for drivers using motorway link to Stocksbridge bypass
• Transport Secretary set to pledge commitment to East West Rail link

Buying Business Travel

• UK needs urgent airspace modernisation - NATSAirline flight industry group warns of rise in flight delays
• Dubai Airports rolls out free unlimited wifiUpgrade follows a four-month pilot project at Dubai International’s Concourse D, which opened earlier this year

Rail Technology Magazine

• Watchdog rejects reopening LU ticket offices, but demands urgent action planTicket office closures on London Underground (LU) can be implemented, but new measures should be carried out to address areas such as passenger safety, London TravelWatch’s review of the closures has concluded. The independent watchdog’s final report, which was commissioned by London...
• Maynard outlines plans to move rail investment to Innovate UKInvestment in innovation across rail development could be transferred from the DfT to Innovate UK, the government’s innovation agency. Speaking at the Future of Rail conference on Friday, rail minister Paul Maynard said he was looking into introducing the changes in April. Meanwhile, the...

Railnews

• Underground strikes called off after 'progressive' talks The RMT says 24-hour strikes which had been called on the Piccadilly and Hammersmith & City lines of London Underground from 21.30 tomorrow (6 December) have been cancelled, following successful talks at ACAS. The union said 'all objectives' in the Piccadilly line dispute had now been achieved and that it was committed to further talks 'aimed at a long term agreement' on the Hammersmith and City line.

Aviation Industry

• CityJet calls off Stobart Air acquisition talksIrish regional airline CityJet has withdrawn from talks to acquire UK regional Stobart Air, formerly known as Aer Arann, saying the negotiations were taking too long. read more
• United agrees to pay second fine related to Newark-Columbia flightUnited Airlines has agreed to pay $2.4 million to settle civil charges related to a money-losing flight it operated to “curry favor” with former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNY) chairman David Samson, according to a statement from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). read more

Green Miscellany

• Cars to get zebra crossing projectorCars of the near future will be equipped with their own zebra crossing projector, according to Mercedes. The German car maker has developed high-tech headlights that comprise�one million pixels, each of which can be illuminated or dimmed�independently. The car’s�cameras and radar look out for other road users and then tailor the headlight beam accordingly. For�example, the light would be dimmed… The post Cars to get zebra crossing projector appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Southern Rail commuter pens amusing 'ditty' in an attempt to 'find something funny in a desperate situation' Billy Hamilton Stent wrote a song about commuting with Southern Rail after missing countless bedtimes and meetings due to disruption and strikes      
• Major M25 junction 10 and A3 Wisley improvements reveal flyover and roundabout optionsHighways England said the scheme will lead to reduced delays on the A3 and safer roads after holding its first public consultation on the plans on Monday
• Rail services across UK to follow Scotland’s allianceEngland’s rail system is to follow the Scottish model by bringing the train operators and Network Rail closer together.
• Enough is enough - end this train misery RAIL passengers and politicians have demanded an end to the stalemate between Southern rail and unions as strikes blight Sussex's transport network again today.