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

Thursday, 30 November 2017

BBC News

• Traffic commissioner for Wales has no office or staffNick Jones says there have been problems in finding bilingual staff in Cardiff
• TfL may take over suburban rail linesThe Transport Secretary is urged to resign after a leaked letter shows he opposed rail devolution to keep it

Financial Times

• Network Rail and train operators shunted towards closer integrationShake-up involves major reform of structure pursued since privatisation
• Thousands of American Airlines flights without pilots because of computer glitch
• Uber says claims about spy unit came from disgruntled managerFormer employee was making ‘extortionate demands’ when he raised concerns, court told
• Lufthansa must offer EU concessions to seal Air Berlin dealBrussels regulator concerned that move will hurt competition and raise prices

The Guardian

• East Coast rail 'bailout' could cost taxpayers hundreds of millionsUnions and Labour criticise government as Virgin Trains East Coast’s contract is terminated three years earlyThe East Coast rail franchise will be terminated three years early, avoiding the embarrassment of another private firm handing back the keys to the government but potentially forfeiting hundreds of millions in premiums due to the Treasury.

The Telegraph

• Rail routes axed under 1960s Beeching cuts could reopen to ease overcrowding
• Transport officials knew there were problems with Queensferry Crossing when it opened three months ago

Times Online

• Uber-loss adds another bump in road for taxi-hailing app [Subscription]Uber’s loss widened to nearly $1.5 billion in the third quarter as it struggled to contain a series of scandals, regulatory investigations and a court battle with Google.
• Stagecoach reaches end of East Coast line three years early [Subscription]The troubled East Coast rail franchise will hit the buffers three years early after warnings that the private operator was on the brink of handing it back to the government.
• It’s not just driverless cars, robots could drive our trains too [Subscription]The government has announced further support for autonomous vehicles. We are embracing the opportunity presented by driverless cars to lower accident rates and transform how we think of urban road networks.
• Series of strikes to derail Christmas plans [Subscription]Union bosses have announced a series of strikes over the Christmas period.
• Ticket-free train travel means end of inspections [Subscription]The end of traditional ticket inspections is in sight after rail bosses launched a trial of “hands-free” fares yesterday that automatically charge passengers as they board trains.
• Drivers face months of delays to fix snags on new Queensferry CrossingMotorists are facing ten months of delays and lane closures on the Queensferry Crossing because of poor workmanship on the new bridge.
• Green light for reopening derelict rail lines - Andy McDonald, MP Shadow transport secretary [Subscription]Sir, I was pleased to see Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, announce the pledge from Labour’s manifesto to reopen rail lines (“Derelict rail lines will reopen to tackle overcrowding crisis”, Nov 29), but his failure to back up this commitment with more tangible support is disappointing.

City AM

• Moody's expects a slowdown in traffic growth at UK airports as airlines move capacity elsewhereWhile Europe's airport sector as a whole is poised to reap the rewards from robust traffic growth over the next year and a half, the UK faces the prospect of a slowdown as airlines shift capacity elsewhere, according to a new report from Moody's.
• Heathrow has revealed the latest rankings of the nosiest and dirtiest airlines at the airportHeathrow has revealed the latest rankings of the nosiest and dirtiest airlines at the airport
• Wizz Air eyes greater expansion in London as it picks up Monarch's Luton slotsHungarian airline Wizz Air has secured a number of take-off and landing slots at Luton from collapsed airline Monarch.

Mail Online

• Electronic passport gates 'helping people smugglers' Electronic passport gates at airports could be hampering the fight against people smuggling, David Bolt, the chief inspector of borders and immigration, has said.

Birmingham Post

• Why Birmingham leader cannot rule out congestion charge to tackle lethal pollution Council leader Ian Ward says he will support whatever it takes to clean up the city's air quality and stop 900 premature deaths a year.
• This is exactly why Birmingham is being short-changed on transport West Midlands is way behind London, but also South East and North West regions
• Qatar Airways chief says Birmingham has contributed to the airline's success Birmingham Post Power 250's principal sponsors outlines why airline is enjoying successful boom period

Bolton News

• 'No viable option' to restore disused railway line, despite new Government plan to bring back old routesBOLTON is unlikely to benefit from plans to re-open train lines that have been closed for decades, rail users believe.

London Evening Standard

• Pictured: how Knightsbridge Tube station will look after multi-million pound revampThis is how Knightsbridge Tube station will look when a multi-million pound redevelopment is completed in five years.
• TfL could take control of Southern Rail routes in major transport overhaul, Chris Grayling announcesTransport for London could be handed control of some major commuter routes run by Southern Rail in an overhaul of the capital's train services.
• 'Decaying tracks' led to Paddington commuter train derailment"Decaying tracks" led to the derailment of a commuter train as it left London's Paddington station, investigators have found.
• How to make the most of your 'millennial railcard': the best day, weekend and long weekend trips from LondonFrom Edinburgh to Arundel, these are the best places to visit by train from London
• Virgin Trains strikes: Train workers to stage six 24-hour walkouts in December and JanuaryVirgin Trains West Coast workers are to stage six 24-hour strikes in December and January in a dispute over pay.

Other Regional Press

• Rail lines and stations closed in 60s could re-open in new 'rail strategy' OXFORDSHIRE rail lines closed during the notorious Beeching cuts of the 1960s could be reopened, the Transport Secretary has announced.
• On Yer Bike - Why people get confused about where you can and can't cycle in Oxford I’VE an apology to make. Riding east on The High, a few afternoons ago, outside the Covered Market, I was behind a couple of other riders and we were all blocked behind a bus.
• Rail fans say Transport Secretary could do a lot more for rural OxfordshireRAIL champions have hit out at Chris Grayling for not doing more for Oxfordshire in his new national rail strategy yesterday.
• At least one carriageway of motorway into Leeds will be shut EVERY night for the next six months Major safety work on the M621
• Trains, social care and housing - Colne Valley MP Thelma Walker delivers her alternative budgetLabour MP on what Chancellor Philip Hammond should have done

Buying Business Travel

• Air France-KLM seals ‘enhanced’ deal with Jet AirwaysAirlines extend their co-operation agreement between Europe, India and North America

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• IAG secures Monarch's Gatwick slots (Image source: BBC) British Airways owner IAG has secured take-off and landing slots at London's Gatwick Airport that used to belong to Monarch before it collapsed. IAG said the deal would enable its airlines - primarily BA - to offer more flights and new routes from Gatwick. Monarch collapsed in early October and thousands of its customers had to be returned on government rescue flights. Its administrator, KPMG, won a court appeal last week for the right to sell Monarch's slots at Gatwick. KPMG's lawyers said at the time that the slots were its
• Firms team up on hybrid electric plane technology (Image source: BBC) Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens are to develop hybrid electric engine plane technology as part of a push towards cleaner aviation. The E-Fan X programme will first put an electric engine with three jet engines on a BAe 146 aircraft. The firms want to fly a demonstrator version of the plane by 2020, with a commercial application by 2025. Firms are racing to develop electric engines for planes after pressure from the EU to cut aviation pollution. Each of the partners in the programme will be investing tens of millions of pounds, they said on a press call. The firms are d...

Rail Technology Magazine

• DfT reveals new franchising model for upcoming South Eastern contractPlans revealed today by the DfT detail a 40,000-passenger capacity increase expected from the next operator of the South Eastern franchise. The new operator will also have to work under the new ‘one team’ model of franchising, which was announced by transport secretary Chris Grayling...
• Grayling shakes up franchising and plans to overturn Beeching cutsA new franchising model will be brought in, some old routes may be reopened, and more details have been revealed on the break-up of GTR and Great Western as part of the government’s ‘Strategic Vision for Rail,’ released today. Transport secretary Chris Grayling has used the...
• Union threatens six days of strike on Virgin West Coast servicesFollowing a vote earlier this month, members of the RMT union working on Virgin West Coast services have announced six days of strike action in December and January. The dispute revolves around disparities between support staff and drivers, after a deal between Virgin and both sets of staff left...

Railnews

• Grayling report sets out new vision for rail Plans to reform almost every aspect of the railway industry have been set out by transport secretary Chris Grayling. In a new report, entitled ˜Connecting People: a strategic vision for rail™, Mr Grayling™s ambitions include further reorganisation of Network Rail as well as more reintegration of track and train, new forms of passenger franchise, boosts for railfreight and the reopening of some lines which were closed by British Rail. However, it is not clear at this stage how reopenings would be funded. Both Labour and the RMT are critical.

Railway Gazette

• Strategic vision to bring infrastructure and operations closerUK: On November 29 Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling published the government’s...
• Containers by rail from China to FranceINTERNATIONAL: For its customer PSA, Gefco has operated its first trainload of 40 ft containers...

Aviation Industry

• First Airbus A330-800 on final assembly lineAirbus has begun final assembly of the first A330-800, the second member of the A330neo family. read more
• Wizz Air acquires Luton slots from Monarch AirlinesCenter European LCC Wizz Air said it would further increase its fleet at the UK’s London Luton Airport, as it acquires a number of slots from insolvent Monarch Airlines, just a few days after it unveiled a major expansion at the airport. read more
• American’s pilot scheduling glitch threatens holiday flyingA technical glitch in American Airlines’ pilot scheduling system has left the Dallas/Fort Worth-based carrier without enough pilots during the upcoming holiday season, igniting a social media uproar Nov. 29 when news of the situation became public. read more

Green Miscellany

• Christmas lights for your bicycleWhy not festoon your bicycle with a new set of lights worthy of the season?  We have a set of Lezyne lights to give way with no fewer than seven different modes. The compact design emits a maximum 120 lumens for up to 7 hours in the most efficient of its settings. The 20 lumen rear unit matches the seven hours… The post Christmas lights for your bicycle appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Heathrow Airport report shows 15% fewer households are impacted by noise compared to 2006 - the lowest level ever recordedThe data comes after a public consultation on the planned third runway at the airport was reopened in October this year
• M3 smart motorway users tell us just how 'smart' they think the road really is A 13.4-mile stretch of the M3 has active traffic management and converts the hard shoulder into a running lane
• Thomas drives all the way to top spot in FTA competitionThomas Kent has been named as the UK’s top driver in logistics, after a nationwide competition organized by the Freight Transport Association ...