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

Saturday, 16 September 2017

BBC News

• The New Space AgeForget the old rules of space. Now anyone with enough money can get there.
• Parsons Green: UK terror threat increased to critical after Tube bombAnother attack may be imminent after an explosion on a Tube train in south-west London injured 29.
• Bombardier announces 95 job losses in NI operationsAlmost 100 job losses will hit support staff in the aerospace company's Northern Ireland operations.
• Glasgow road reopens after 16-month closureScottish Water said Queen's Drive/Langside Road will reopen on 22 September after being shut in May 2016.

The Guardian

• Ryanair cancels 40 to 50 flights a day for staff to go on holidayPassengers furious over ‘ruined’ travel plans, with 285,000 journeys likely to be affected by airline’s move to improve punctualityRyanair has announced it will cancel 40 to 50 flights a day for the next six weeks due to a backlog of staff leave. The budget airline says the measure is designed to improve punctuality, which has fallen below 80% in the first two weeks of September. Continue reading...

The Scotsman

• Edinburgh-Glasgow rail commuters to trial superfast wi-fiCommuters on the main Edinburgh-Glasgow line are to trial the first superfast wi-fi on a British train.
• Transport Union bosses back Richard Leonard as Labour leaderRichard Leonard’s bid to become the next Scottish Labour leader has been backed by union chiefs at the Transport and Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA).
• Commuters hit by third delay to ScotRail’s new electric service The launch of electric trains on the main Edinburgh-Glasgow line has been delayed for a third time – leaving them more than a year late.

Times Online

• Ryanair cancelling flights so pilots can go on holiday [Subscription]Ryanair will cancel up to 50 flights a day over the next six weeks, affecting thousands of customers, because its staff need to catch up on their holiday entitlements.
• Carmakers hail the ‘robo-taxi’ as electric push gathers pace [subscription]Renault and Nissan plan to launch “robo-taxi” services within five years as part of an acceleration into driverless and electric cars.
• Terror at Parsons Green [Subscription]The sight of armed police and the sound of sirens have become all too familiar in Britain’s cities. At the Palace of Westminster and Manchester Arena, on London Bridge and in Finsbury Park, too many lives have been lost to terrorism this year

City AM

• EasyJet submits offer to acquire part of insolvent Air BerlinBudget airline EasyJet has this afternoon announced a proposal to take over parts of Air Berlin's short haul business.

The Mirror

• Network Rail buys foreign steel for key electrification work - snubbing British plant less than two miles awayForeign steel is being used for a key rail electrification project after a British steelworks less than two miles away was snubbed.

Morning Star

• Transport Cuts Put Everyone In DangerTHE terrorist attack on a train at Parsons Green in London was the latest in a series of sickening attempts to take the lives of innocent people going about their business — an attempt that fortunately failed, though many will bear its scars for the rest of their lives.

Northern Echo

• Aysgarth Station to be sold by Wensleydale RailwayA HERITAGE railway has launched a new bid to stay on track with a grand plan to develop a ten mile steam line - and sacrifice long-term dreams of being part of the wider public transport system.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Should subway underpasses be closed?Underpasses – or subways – were a popular across the Black Country and Staffordshire and became heavily linked with the notorious hooligan firm, Wolves Subway Army.
• 'Affordability' of HS2 Phase 2 questioned by Government body Anti-HS2 campaigners have labelled recently released papers which question the affordability of the scheme as 'absolutely damning' after fighting years for their release.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Hutchison Ports announces contract award for the latest phase of expansion at the Port of FelixstoweHutchison Ports has announced the award of a contract for the latest phase of expansion at the Port of Felixstowe which the operator says will “further enhance Felixstowe’s ability to handle the world’s largest container ships”.
• Stansted Airport's new CEO renews calls for a national aviation strategyStansted Airport’s new CEO, Ken O’Toole, has called on the Government to put in place a national aviation strategy that not only supports airports to grow but ensures the spare capacity available today is used to generate the biggest positive impact for consumers and the economy.

Other Regional Press

• Revolutionary Hyperloop link could propel you to Newcastle in FIVE minutesThe Teesside-Tyneside Hyerloop route would be the UK's first :: With speeds of 700mph, it could kickstart a transport revolution
• HS2: Owen Paterson MP meets transport minster over impacts on Shropshire Avoiding sending HS2 construction traffic through a village on the Shropshire border could prove expensive, an MP has warned.

Rail Magazine

• May 2018 start for ScotRail HST fleetFirst refurbished HSTs enter traffic with ScotRail next May. All 26 in traffic by May 2019.

Rail Technology Magazine

• London businesses endorse calls for 'Crossrail for the North' London business leaders have this week firmly put their support behind ‘Crossrail for the North’ and said the government should seriously explore the project. A statement from the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) admitted that travelling in the north was a...
• Delayed Sheffield tram-train starts services on light rail networkThe delay-hit tram-train project has finally reached an important landmark as it launched its first passenger service yesterday. Rail minister Paul Maynard was in attendance with transport leaders from across Sheffield to introduce the first train onto the Supertram network. “South...
• First of ScotRail's revamped HSTs arrives for driver trainingThe first of ScotRail’s refurbished high-speed trains has arrived in Aberdeen to start driver training ahead of the fleet being rolled out next year. When finished, the revamped rolling stock will create a new connection between Scotland’s seven cities, with the first train to be...
• Strikes on horizon for Greater Anglia after overwhelming RMT agreement Greater Anglia could soon be the latest TOC to be hit by strike action as RMT members this week voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action against the operator. The union balloted its driver and guard members and 90% voted for strike action from a 75% turnout. The result will now be...

Railnews

• Major milestone for Crossrail as track is completed The last section of track for London Crossrail has been laid, and the event has been hailed as a ˜major milestone™. Transport secretary Chris Grayling and deputy mayor for transport Val Shawcross joined Crossrail chairman Sir Terry Morgan and chief executive Andrew Wolstenholme in the eastbound tunnel of the new Whitechapel Elizabeth line station – where the final rail clips were fixed by track quality control engineer Ellen McGuinness. The phased opening programme should mean that Elizabeth Line trains are reaching Reading – the last link – by the end of 2019.
• First tram train in Britain enters service A tram train has carried passengers in Britain for the first time, although the inaugural journey was made only on a tramway. The Sheffield tram train service is set to be extended via heavy rail to Rotherham next year. The project is running several years late, with the connection to National Rail at Tinsley yet to be completed, while the costs have risen five-fold to some £75 million. It was revealed earlier this year that the government had considered cancelling the project, but decided to carry on because at least £20 million of investment already made by Network Rail would then have been...

Aviation Industry

• AEF briefing looks at the economics and UK-wide impacts of Heathrow expansionAEF has released the last in a series of briefings on Why the third runway plan can't fly, looking at the impacts on other UK airports of Heathrow expansion, as well as the purported economic benefits that an expanded Heathrow …
• Ryanair cancels flight to restore punctuality levelsEurope’s largest LCC, Ryanair, will cancel up to 50 flights each day over the next six weeks as it seeks to recover from a dip in punctuality levels. read more

Green Miscellany

• Electric HGV with overhead power lines get go aheadOne day we may look back and wonder how 40-ton lorries were ever allowed to rumble through our villages and city streets. Though they make up only 3% of vehicles, lorries account for one quarter of Europe's road transport emissions – a figure that’s expected to grow as traffic increases further.

Other News Sources

• UK ports remain apprehensive about Brexit impactThe UK’s ports are meeting Brexit with some optimism but mainly apprehension as there is still little clarity as to what it really means for them and the nation.