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

Tuesday, 13 February 2018

BBC News

• ScotRail Class 385 fishbowl windscreen safety concernDrivers report seeing multiple signals reflecting in the curved windscreen when driving at night.
• Carwyn Jones fights for Welsh ports in Ireland visitLeaving the EU's customs union could damage Welsh and Irish economies, Wales' first minister says.
• Wrightbus: Up to 95 jobs under threatCompany employs more than 1,500 people and sells vehicles in domestic and international markets.
• Heathrow duty free Chinese discrimination 'unacceptable'A duty free event offered higher minimum purchase rates to Chinese travellers, sparking outrage on social media.
• London City Airport to reopen after WW2 bomb movedLondon City Airport will open on Tuesday after an bomb was safely removed from a dock.
• Tata 'to invest £75m in Port Talbot blast furnace repair'The move would extend the life of blast furnace five at the Port Talbot plant, industry sources say.

Financial Times

• Diesel-only trains in UK to be phased out by 2040Jo Johnson to set out ambitious goal but stuttering electrification plan a stumbling block

The Guardian

• Carillion: accountants accused of 'feasting' on companyDetails of £72m in fees in 10 years emerge as 11,800 workers await fate after firm’s collapseMPs have accused the “big fourâ€� accountancy firms of “feasting on what was soon to become a carcassâ€� as it emerged they banked £72m for work linked to collapsed government contractor Carillion in the years leading up to its financial failure.Less than a fortnight before Carillion’s auditor KPMG is due to face questions from MPs on two select committees, the accountant and rivals Deloitte, EY and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) submitted evidence to the inquiry. Continue reading...

The Scotsman

• MPs condemn auditors for ‘feasting on the carcase 
of Carillion’Britain’s big four accountancy firms have been savaged by MPs who have accused them of “feasting on the carcase” of collapsed construction giant Carillion and collecting more than £70 million in the process.

The Telegraph

• Network Rail division to scrutinise franchise bids following East Coast collapseNetwork Rail body will add an extra layer of scrutiny to new rail franchise bids to make sure that plans by operators are workable, in the wake of the collapse of the East Coast mainline contract.
• London City Airport reopens after World War Two bomb scare

Times Online

• Drivers’ safety fear over new electric trains [Subscription]Union leaders have warned modifications must be made to ScotRail’s new electric trains or its drivers will refuse to work them.
• Network Rail sidetracks big-ticket projects [subscription]Network Rail has signalled the end of — or at least a five-year pause in — the construction of big trophy projects on the railways after the fiasco of the electrification of the Great Western main line.

Transport Committee

• Intercity East Coast rail franchise inquiry launchedThe Transport Committee launches an inquiry into the imminent failure of the Intercity East Coast rail franchise, and the best options to maintain services in the interests of passengers and taxpayers.

City AM

• On your bike: Santander Cycles hire scheme arrives in Brixton after record-breaking 2017 with 10.4m hiresTransport for London's Santander Cycles scheme has arrived in Brixton with the opening of seven new docking stations with 200 bikes.
• London Stansted expansion works get underway with £130m new arrivals building on the cards as it posts record JanuaryWork has gotten underway on a £600m revamp of London Stansted, which will include a £130m arrivals building, as the airport today reported its best ever January.
• British Airways owner IAG invests in startup Volantio which aims to tackle flight overbooking troublesBritish Airways owner IAG said today it had invested in another startup called Volantio from its accelerator programme as it looks to nose ahead of rivals in a tech drive.
• Heathrow racks up record January after boost from domestic flightsHeathrow brought in 5.8m passengers in January, marking a fresh high for the airport and its 15th consecutive record month.
• Transport for London fears wider travel changes dragging on passenger numbers as it faces near £1bn deficitTransport for London (TfL) has raised concerns falling passenger numbers could be part of a wider change in travel, according to internal documents seen by City A.M..
• South Western Railway passengers braced for more misery as industrial action to go ahead from Friday 16 FebruarySouth Western Railway passengers face more misery later this week after the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union confirmed this morning that industrial action will go ahead due to a row over the role of the guard.

The Mirror

• 'Big Four' accountancy giants' £150million taxpayer-funded feeding frenzy over collapsed Carillion Carillion has paid Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, and Ernst & Young more than £70million in the past decade - and now they are accused of “feasting” on its collapse

This is Money

• Donald Trump could privatise International Space Station The ISS has hosted more than 100 astronauts over the past two decades – including Britain’s Major Tim Peake – but the US, which contributes the lion’s share of funding, is set to pull support after 2024.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford Green Party calls for East Coast mainline to be nationalisedCALLS have been made for the East Coast mainline to be permanently brought back under Government control.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Emirates and Airbus firm up A380 deal that helps save the superjumbo The agreement is worth $16bn and secures hundreds of Broughton jobs

London Evening Standard

• Charing Cross to become first UK rail station to offer free drinking waterCharing Cross will be the first station in the UK to offer free drinking water as part of a Network Rail drive to reduce plastic waste at its stations.
• New images show plans for cylindrical glass bike storage towers at Old Street roundabout Three cylindrical glass towers with safe storage for hundreds of bikes have been put forward on a long-list of ideas to redesign Old Street roundabout.
• A new solar-powered train will take you to Australia's hippy surf town Byron BayAustralia's ultimate surfie-hippy coastal town is now easily accessible via a solar-powered train, as Sarah Reid reports
• 'Boris bikes' finally arrive in Brixton as TfL opens seven docking stations with space for 200 Santander Cycles"Boris bikes" have finally arrived in Brixton as TfL opened seven new docking stations with space for 200 of the Santander Cycles.
• London City Airport reopens after WW2 bomb towed away down ThamesLondon City Airport has reopened after the discovery of an unexploded Second World War bomb forced dozens of flights to be cancelled.

The York Press

• Yorkshire leaders speak out on rail plansYORKSHIRE leaders have told MPs that the process of planning improvements to the rail network needs an urgent overhaul.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Road ‘disintegration’ fiasco shows Suffolk’s A14 is ‘not fit for purpose’The dangerous “disintegration” of a major Suffolk road has prompted renewed calls for highways improvements to support the county’s economy.
• Drone footage of fire at Saxmundham railway stationA drone pilot has captured aerial footage of a Suffolk railway station fire.

Other Regional Press

• Electrification plan for main Devon railway line short-circuited by Transport MinisterTransport Minister Jo Johnson seemed to rule out the prospect that Westcountry railway lines might one day be electrified
• Why we're not getting these new trains on Teesside to replace outdated PacersNorthern calls its new trains a 'landmark moment' for northern rail travellers - but they won't be heading our way

Rail Technology Magazine

• RSSB: Innovative sander configuration could reduce low adhesion delaysDouble variable rate sanders could combat leaves on the line, according to new research by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB). Sanders are already routinely used to reduce the impact of low adhesion by blasting sand between the wheel and the rail. Last year, rail services across Britain...
• Council approves construction of new rail freight terminal at CricklewoodConstruction of a modern rail freight terminal at Cricklewood has been approved to support the £4.5bn Brent Cross housing regeneration. The terminal will be built on existing rail land at Cricklewood, north London. Without the terminal, the Campaign for Better Transport argues that a...
• Eurostar commits to green power by 2030Eurostar has this week confirmed its commitment to have complete replacements for fossil fuels within the next 12 years. In the company’s ‘Tread Lightly 10-point plan,’ it set out a range of promises which it would be working towards, including completely replacing all vehicles...
• Diesel-only trains should be phased out by 2040, says rail ministerRail minister Jo Johnson will today announce ambitions to end the use of diesel-only trains by 2040. Transport minister Johnson will say: “I would like to see us take all diesel-only trains off the track by 2040, if that seems like an ambitious goal, it should be and I make no apology for...
• Passengers want technology to create 'personalised experience' on HS2 trains The technology used for HS2 should serve a purpose and not appear “gimmicky,” passengers have this week told the industry. New research by passenger watchdog Transport Focus revealed findings uncovered through its partnership with HS2, which has been set up to explore how the...
• New GWR Class 802 IETs leave Italy bound for Devon and CornwallThe first of a new fleet of Intercity Express Trains set to run on GWR routes in Devon and Cornwall have been completed in Italy. Hitachi will send the initial two bi-mode Class 802s across Europe and through the channel tunnel to join three other prototypes in the south west of England for...
• Inquiry launched into third East Coast franchise failure in 10 yearsThe transport committee has today officially launched its inquiry into the “imminent failure” of the Intercity East Coast rail franchise. This will be the third collapse of a commercial franchise agreement on this part of the railway in just over 10 years. The last time a commercial...

Railnews

• MPs launch second probe into East Coast collapse Politicians at Westminster have launched their own investigation into the crisis at the Virgin Trains East Coast franchise. The new inquiry by the House of Commons Transport Committee comes hard on the heels of a separate examination by the National Audit Office, which was announced at the end of January. Transport secretary Chris Grayling told the Transport Committee on 5 February that Virgin Trains East Coast was likely to fail within ˜a very small number of months™. Committee chair Lilian Greenwood said: œThis failure has drawn criticism from all corners. There are serious questions to be ...

Railway Gazette

• Hydrogen train to be tested in the UK by 2020UK: The Rail Safety & Standards Board is working with Alstom with the aim of piloting a...

RMT

• LOW COST TRAIN MAINTENANCE PROVIDER UNDER THE SPOTLIGHTLow cost train maintenance provider under the spotlight after train splits apart causing rail chaos in Leeds last week.

Other News Sources

• Crossrail will generate electricity using the wind created by trainsA pilot project will use grids of lamellae-covered plastic sheets on London's Crossrail to generate electricity from draughty tunnels
• ECHO WINS £6.3M NETWORK RAIL CONTRACTBristol-based customer contact company Echo has been awarded a £6.3m contract to manage Network Rail's 24-hour helpline.