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

Thursday, 05 April 2018

BBC News

• North's transport body takes up powers at first meetingA body created to overhaul transport in northern England is to meet for the first time as it takes up new powers.
• Petition over old Birmingham Airport terminalThe petition calls for the Elmdon terminal building, once visited by Concorde, not to be demolished,
• Industry braced for new car sales drop in WalesNew car sales are important for an industry which employs 18,000 people in Wales.
• Call to ban tourist buses from Edinburgh's Old TownA community council proposes a large vehicle ban to bring Edinburgh into line with other World Heritage Sites.
• Ministers outline plan for disabled people's air travelNew measures could be brought in after complaints about long waits and damaged mobility equipment.
• Concerns over Glasgow Airport flight path plansThe consultation into proposed changes to departure routes closes on April 13th.
• UK car registrations plunge in MarchLatest figures from the SMMT show a big drop in the number of vehicles registered last month.

Financial Times

• Free delivery: who pays the priceScale is less important with individual deliveries to doorsteps

The Herald

• Islanders hit out at CalMac after axed services cut trade by a thirdISLAND businesses have condemned ferry operator CalMac after losing more than a third of trade over the vital Easter Bank holiday weekend as services were cancelled and redeployed due to the ageing fleet of vessels.
• Residents alarm at proposed changes to Glasgow Airport flightpathsPLANNED new flightpaths into Scotland's largest airport will see planes flying over some of the country's wealthiest suburbs in a bid to cut down on carbon emissions and handle increased passenger numbers.

The Scotsman

• NASA unveils plans for plane to fly from London to New York in 3 hoursNASA could be on the brink of a “supersonic revolution” in air travel after it unveiled plans for a plane that can break the speed of sound over land.
• Majority of bike thefts in Scotland go unsolvedThe overwhelming majority of bicycle thefts in Scotland go unsolved, new figures have shown.

The Telegraph

• Fancy a baggage carousel? Heathrow to flog entire contents of Terminal 1 in landmark auction

Times Online

• Vauxhall handed jobs boost after owner’s £100m pledge [Subscription]Hundreds of jobs are to be created after the future of the Vauxhall van manufacturing plant in Luton was guaranteed for at least a decade by its French owners.

City AM

• Eight out of 10 insurance bosses predict that premiums will rise in the next two yearsEight out of 10 insurance bosses in the UK, EU and US predict that motor premiums will rise in the next two years, with 43 percent thinking they will rise by at least 10 per cent.
• Canadian start-up looking to raise £35m for project to rival Elon Musk's HyperloopA Canadian startup has entered the futuristic transportation race by issuing a call to arms to raise $50m (£35m) to develop its own hyperloop technology.
• Ranked: These are the worst cities for traffic jams in the UK and elsewhere in EuropeThe cities facing the worst traffic have been revealed - and the capital is second only to Moscow for congestion, according to new analysis.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham Airport hit by new restrictions on late night flights Solihull Council backs plans to minimise disturbance for residents

Edinburgh Evening News

• ScotRail strike set to hit Edinburgh rail commuters RAIL commuters can brace for disruption on ScotRail services after a union voted for fresh strike action in a dispute over numbers of CCTV-monitoring staff.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• The North is urged to speak with one voice as new transport body meets for the first timeTransport for the North, the region's transport body, meets for the first time since gaining legal status

This Is Local London Network

• Rachel Cerfontyne named chairman of Engagement BoardA NEW voice to represent the interests of all communities associated with Heathrow is settling into the job.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Bus changes to affect residents in Peterborough and Northamptonshire Read more at: https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/transport/bus-changes-to-affect-residents-in-peterborough-and-northamptonshire-1-8445631Steve Burd, Stagecoach Midlands managing director, said: “This will improve the service between Peterborough, Lynchwood and Oundle to Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and Northampton from every hour to every 30 minutes.

Other Regional Press

• Could West Fife Rail Link benefit from new fund?WEST FIFE commuters may benefit from a new £2 million community rail fund announced by Transport Scotland.
• Grand Central unveil refurbished super comfy trains The service are updating trains between West Yorkshire and London
• Taxi driver demands police action over fare-dodgers who run off without payingPassenger racked up £25 fare then claimed she'd lost her debit card

Rail Magazine

• ScotRail to follow action points to improve performanceScotRail is to implement all 20 recommendations from an independent review of its operations, with the aim of lifting performance towards Transport Scotland’s 92.5% punctuality target.
• Council leader angry about ‘unreliable and unpopular’ Class 37s on Cumbrian CoastA senior leader at Barrow Borough Council has blasted the “unreliable” Class 37/4 diesel locomotives that operate a limited number of passenger services on the Cumbrian Coast line for diminishing the line’s appeal for commuters.
• First bi-mode Class 800/2s arrive in UKHitachi Rail Europe has delivered the first five-car bi-mode Class 800/2s to the UK from Kasado (Japan).

Rail Technology Magazine

• Alstom and Siemens take next step in merger with BCASiemens and Alstom have entered into a Business Combination Agreement (BCA) regarding the proposed combination of Siemens’ mobility business with Alstom.
• GWR takeover deal preserves Heathrow Express until 2028Great Western Railway (GWR), subsidiary of FirstGroup, has reached an agreement with the government which means it will run the operational aspects of the Heathrow service under a management contract from later this year.
• Grayling ‘knew vital bi-mode tech didn’t exist’ when he scrapped electrification schemesA damning report into the cancellation of three rail electrification projects has been labelled “deeply frustrating” by the Commons Transport Committee.

Aviation Industry

• Lufthansa Cargo to market Brussels Airlines’ cargo spaceLufthansa Cargo will market the cargo capacities of Lufthansa Group subsidiary Brussels Airlines from Sept. 1, joining Lufthansa (mainline), Austrian Airlines, Eurowings and Sun Express. read more
• Swedish freight carrier sells ATP aircraftSwedish cargo specialist West Atlantic has sold two British Aerospace Advanced Turboprop (ATP) freighters to Kenyan company EnComm. read more
• Boeing is a pawn, but not the target, in the US-China trade warChina’s retaliatory 25% trade tariffs on certain goods it imports from the US comes as no surprise. What’s more interesting is how China has limited how the tariff applies to Boeing airliners. read more

Other News Sources

• TRANSPORT FOR THE NORTH SET FOR “WATERSHED MOMENT”Transport for the North is set for a "watershed moment" when it becomes England's first ever sub-national transport body and formally takes up its statutory powers later today (5 April 2018).
• Weymouth WILL keep two direct trains to London per hourSouth Western Railway (SWR) has ‘reworked’ its proposed timetable for the end of this year, following concerns raised during its public consultation.
• Has Virgin trains lost the plot?Twelve minutes till the train. That had seemed like quite enough time as I approached the Virgin ticket machine. Two tickets, London King’s Cross to Durham: a 40-second job, then perhaps a coffee.