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

Thursday, 01 February 2018

BBC News

• UK plans 200-mile 'country roads' driverless trialAn autonomous car project will attempt a complex journey across the UK, taking in country roads and high-speed roundabouts.
• Manchester workplace parking levy considered by councilA charge on company car parks is among
• London bus and tram 'hopper fare' expandedPassengers can make unlimited bus and tram journeys in an hour for the price of a single fare.
• Croydon tram crash: TfL receives 87 claimsTfL said in the report it had paid out more than £2.2m in compensation since the 2016 fatal crash.
• Pilotless sky taxis: The way to beat the rush hour?As our cities become larger and more congested, could autonomous 'sky taxis' help beat the traffic jams?

Financial Times

• Transport & LogisticsAdvances in artificial intelligence and the use of big data will see freight companies jettison drivers, delivery groups switch to using robots, and transport companies become far more efficient, but what will these changes mean for jobs?
• Seamless travel: One ticket for plane, train, taxi and busUsing a single card or mobile phone for multiple forms of transport is becoming more common
• Europe ploughs resources into digital railwaysThe industry must justify its relevance to transportation as a whole
• Rail stations to have drink fountains in plastics crackdownMove part of government efforts to promote refillable water bottles

The Guardian

• Don’t call me a cheat for riding an e-bikeWould all the rude people who shout “cheat!” when I’m riding my electric bike please stop.

The Herald

• £41m Edinburgh railway station branded a flop as it fails to attract passengersONE of Scotland’s newest railway stations has been branded a flop after attracting less than half of the estimated users in its first year.

Times Online

• Monkey tests showed new VW diesel Beetle worse than ageing Ford pick-up [Subscription]Unpublished results of diesel exhaust tests on monkeys show that a new Volkswagen caused them more suffering than a far older vehicle.
• £130 fine for driving any diesel or petrol car in Hackney and Islington at peak times [Subscription]Petrol and diesel cars face being banned from parts of two London boroughs under Britain’s toughest action against polluting vehicles.

City AM

• It's official: London's one-hour Hopper bus fare is now unlimitedThe Hopper bus fare has gone unlimited from today, so users can make as many bus and tram journeys as they like within an hour.
• Ryanair to roll out Brexit clause in tickets later this year as it says uncertainty hasn't affected bookings yetRyanair confirmed today it will add a "Brexit clause" to tickets going on sale from September for 2019, as the uncertainty continued over arrangements for airlines after Britain leaves the European Union.

London Evening Standard

• Crossrail chiefs warn that £14bn Elizabeth line could blow its budget and open lateCrossrail chiefs have issued a major alert that the £14.8 billion line might not open on time and is at risk of blowing its budget.
• London's one-hour 'bus hopper' ticket is now unlimitedLondoners can now make as many bus and tram journeys within an hour for the price of just one ticket.
• UK's worst three rail operators for internet connection all in London, major survey findsThe UK's three worst rail operators for reliable internet connection all operate major routes through London, a new survey has found.
• TfL set to make bus stations and offices more energy efficient with solar powerThe move comes under the Mayor's new energy saving scheme

Other Regional Press

• "HS2 is crucial to unlocking the future of Stoke-on-Trent"Transport minister Nusrat Ghani makes the case for phase 2a of the high speed railway across Staffordshire
• Rail station figures drop by thousandsPASSENGER numbers at some rail stations across Clydebank and north-west Glasgow are down by more than 10 per cent, according to new figures.
• Isle of Wight MP appeals for feasibility cash to extend Island LineBob Seely MP asks for an assurance that, as £52 billion has been spent on HS2, he will not be told there isn’t any money to fund a feasibility study to extend Island Line trains to Newport and Ventnor.
• Sadiq Khan criticised over Met Line Extension decisionSadiq Khan’s decision to reject extra funding for the Met Line Extension has been criticised by those who supported the campaign.
• County council slashing budget by £101m by the beginning of the next decadeSt Albans MP Anne Main has urged Herts County Council to build homes on Radlett Airfield as the authority considers making cuts of £101m.
• ScotRail looking for ways to add full Changing Places toilet to revamped Dundee stationScotRail has said it will conduct a feasibility study into whether there is scope to provide a Changing Places toilet on the platform in Dundee.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Announcement of new Chief Operating Officer at HeathrowHeathrow Airport Limited has announced that Chris Garton will be joining as Chief Operating Officer in the spring.

New Civil Engineer

• Poor rail demand drags down infrastructure workloadsA drop in railway workloads has contributed to a drop in orders for UK infrastructure firms for the first time in five years.

Rail Magazine

• Northern unveils its first new CAF-built train.The first complete four-car Class 331 electric multiple unit for Northern has been unveiled in Zaragoza, Spain.

Aviation Industry

• Airbus eyes further A321neo stretchAirbus has confirmed it is looking at a further stretch of the A320neo family, but is unlikely to make a fast decision. read more
• Ryanair closes in on Aer Lingus flight connections Ryanair is hopeful of having its much-discussed feeder connection with Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus operational this year, Ryanair head of marketing Kenny Jacobs said Jan. 30. read more
• Boeing projects another record year of aircraft deliveries in 2018Boeing expects to easily top the 763 commercial aircraft it delivered in 2017—an industry record—by delivering 810-815 aircraft in 2018. read more
• Boeing, Embraer still in ‘active’ tie-up discussionsBoeing remains in “activeâ€� and “productiveâ€� discussions with Embraer and the Brazilian government over a potential alignment of the two aircraft manufacturers, the chief executive of Boeing said Jan. 31. read more

Other News Sources

• Dundee bus firm launches new app with discounted tickets for cashless travelBus firm Xplore Dundee has unveiled a new mobile app that could be just the ticket for passengers who don’t carry cash.
• Who took away £700m, George?The Evening Standard, under the headline 'TfL faces £400m budget hole as thousands stop using the Tube' reports that Transport for London's income from fares is set to fall £239 million this financial year, with commercial income - from advertising, retail and property - set to drop £160 million.Tube income is currently £80 million less than planned.
• Devizes' 52-year wait for train station could endMORE than 50 years of waiting for a train station in Devizes may come to an end after a new working group said it has found the ‘perfect’ location for it.
• GMCA in talks with Network Rail to develop station sitesChief executive Eamonn Boylan says the GMCA wants to ‘realise value’ of public land around 98 train stations.

News from Europe

• Qantas uses 150 acres of mustard seeds, an area of land bigger than the Vatican City, to power just ONE 15 hour biofuel flight between LA and Melbourne