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

Tuesday, 17 April 2018

BBC News

• Police use unmarked HGV to catch dangerous driversBeing higher up in the lorry cab gives officers, they say, a new perspective to view roads.
• Trains across Britain missed stops 160 times a day, figures revealNetwork Rail figures released to the BBC show more than 52,000 trains skip stops in less than a year.
• Vauxhall slims down dealer networkCar maker will cut the number of dealerships by about a third in response to changing consumer patterns.

Financial Times

• York turns to technology in congestion battleTrial sensor scheme aimed at smoothing traffic flows could be rolled out nationally
• Britain’s electric car aspirations lag way behind Asia's headstartThe UK’s quest to lead the world in battery technology is 20 years too late

The Independent

• British trains miss out stations 1,000 times a week – and GTR are the worstThousands of passengers each day are left standing on the platform by trains that miss out stops – and numbers are increasing.

Times Online

• Drivers skip jams and avoid fines by defying Forth ban [Subscription]Drivers who wrongly use the Forth Road Bridge to avoid traffic queues on a new crossing are to escape fines.
• One bike is stolen every six minutes [Subscription]One bike is being stolen every six minutes as criminal gangs target wealthy cyclists who have top-of-the range models.

City AM

• Tesla has temporarily halted Model 3 production as it aims to tackle bottlenecksElon Musk's Tesla has pressed the pause button on its Model 3 assembly line for a brief period.
• Londoners warned of May bank holiday travel disruption due to upgrade work on hundreds of rail projectsTrain passengers have been warned to plan journeys over the May bank holidays ahead of time, as work across more than 800 rail projects is underway to help combat overcrowding on Britain's railways.
• Lloyds Bank's £14bn car finance arm facing growth squeeze following Jaguar Land Rover cutsBurgeoning growth at Lloyds Bank's £14bn motor finance arm could be hit by Jaguar Land Rover's recent malaise.

Daily Express

• Noise complaints drop at Heathrow - but same ten people are making two-thirds of them

Daily Record

• Teenager suffers 'life-changing' injuries after electric shock on rail line The 19-year-old touched overhead power lines near an Ayrshire train station.

The Mirror

• How can we tackle the pothole crisis? Scourge of the roads is a £9.3bn headache that's only getting worse They are even more dangerous to cyclists and motorcyclists, with Roger Hamer, 83, killed in March 2016 when thrown off a push bike

Birmingham Post

• Full statement from Jaguar Land Rover - 1,000 jobs to go at Solihull plant Company confirms a series of meetings will be held with agency staff as it suffers from downturn in diesel sales

Bristol Live

• Three years after Metrobus M2 work started it's delayed again because bus wheels do not fit guide railsThe real reason why Bristol's first scheduled Metrobus route is delayed

Derby Telegraph

• Failed rail firm’s premises snapped up in six-figure dealThe former premises of a failed Derbyshire rail engineering firm have been snapped up in six-figure deal.

London Evening Standard

• SpaceX: Elon Musk halts launch of NASA satellite that will look for planets capable of supporting lifeSpaceX has delayed the launch of a satellite that will look for planets beyond our solar system capable of supporting life.
• 'Sky lofts' for sale in Crossrail spot with prices already on the riseWith Crossrail's hotly anticipated arrival, this increasingly lively east London quarter already feels less detached from central London.

Kent Online

• A shocking picture shows problem of overfilled toilets on Southeastern trains as 'urine flooded through a carriage''What will the situation be like now that the weather is warming up and people will be staying out in London drinking?'

Lancashire Telegraph

• Northern has low number of trains missing scheduled stopsNORTHERN is among the operators with the lowest number of trains missing scheduled stops at stations.

Other Regional Press

• Facelift plans revealed for Burton Railway StationBurton's much criticised railway station could be in line for a facelift - including a brewery-inspired feature, phone-charging facility and improved platform area.
• MPs urged to help estateRESIDENTS affected by rail electrification works have stepped up their complaints about disruption.
• '2020 is far too soon' to ban petrol and diesels in city centre streetsTHE 'mischievous' scheme to ban petrol and diesel cars from certain Oxford streets in less than two years must be 'kicked into touch', according to traders.
• 600 jobs on offer at Manchester Airport And, yes, some of them are to be a pilot

Train Operators

• First new Greater Anglia train takes shape at BombardierWork is well underway on the first of over 100 brand new Greater Anglia trains being built at the Bombardier factory in Derby.

Buying Business Travel

• British trains missed stops 160 times a dayGovia Thameslink missed the most stops

Rail Magazine

• ORR authorises Kenilworth openingThe opening of the much-delayed Kenilworth station (RAIL 850) has moved a step closer, after gaining final approval from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

Rail Technology Magazine

• First new Greater Anglia train takes shapeWork is well underway on the first brand new fleet of Greater Anglia trains in production at Bombardier’s Derby factory. Greater Anglia is replacing all of its trains, with 111 of them being built by UK-based Bombardier. Two production lines are being set up and carriages from the first...
• Testing begins on new Caledonian Sleeper carriagesTesting has begun on the brand new Caledonian Sleeper carriages for the first time. The overnight Caledonian Sleeper rail service is to be transformed when the new £100m fleet is introduced later this year. There will be a phased transition starting this autumn, which will see Serco...

Transport Network

• Hyperloop contender building full scale prototypeOne of the leading contenders to build a high speed hyperloop transportation system has said it plans to operate the world’s ‘first full scale’ prototype in France by the end of the year.

Aviation Industry

• Air France faces more strikes as pay dispute continuesAir France faces day-long strikes April 17, 18, 23 and 24 as a series of strikes continues, part of a long-running pay dispute between the airline’s employees and management. read more
• Rolls engine blade fault severely curtails 787 ETOPSSignificantly reduced ETOPS and performance limits plus a new set of mandatory inspections for operators of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Package C-powered Boeing 787s are set to cause further disruption to a fleet already under strain from earlier problems and replacements. read more
• US ultra-LCC Allegiant strongly denies unsafe allegationsUS ultra-LCC Allegiant Air is pushing back hard against new allegations that it runs an unsafe airline, pointing to changes aimed at improving its operations as evidence. read more

Other News Sources

• Rail 849: Another potential rail scandal as short-termism wins out again - Christian WolmarWhen Peter Hendy, the chairman of Network Rail, produced his review into railway overspending two years ago, he blithely recommended that the company could generate £1.8bn by disposing of non-railway assets. At the time, I wrote that this was a bit of smoke and mirrors since by selling off assets that were earning a rate of return, it would be simply foregoing a future revenue stream in return for a capital sum.
• A3 'ghost crash' road named as of one of UK's most haunted A UK recovery firm has combed through the spooky archives to compile a list of the UK's most haunted
• Northern Ireland businesses to gain unique insight into vehicle enforcement from ROI's Road Safety AuthorityDelegates attending the Freight Transport Association's annual Transport Manager Northern Ireland Conference, sponsored by Iveco, will have a ...