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

Tuesday, 05 January 2016

BBC News

• Faraday Future shows off concept carThe China-backed electric car company Faraday Future shows off a concept electric car that provides augmented reality views.
• Train drivers' strike cancels servicesA 24-hour strike by Arriva Trains Wales drivers cancels all of the operator's services across England.
• Several Tube stations change zoneSeveral east London Tube stations including Stratford are rezoned to recognise the capital's
• Crossrail 2 'threat' to historic sitesHistoric buildings which have stood in central London since the 19th century could be demolished to make way for Crossrail 2, according to heritage campaigners.
• Boulder safety fears prompt A83 closureThe A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll has been closed overnight due to safety concerns following a landslide on the road last week.
• GM and Lyft to develop driverless carsUS car giant General Motors is teaming up with car sharing service Lyft to develop a fleet of driverless vehicles.
• VW sued by US justice departmentThe US justice department is suing Volkswagen over the emissions scandal that saw the German car giant fit software to millions of cars to cheat emissions tests.

Financial Times

• US sues VW over defeat devicesCase threatens to cost embattled carmaker tens of billions of dollars
• Faraday reveals ‘sixth sense’ concept carChinese-backed start-up has sights set on beating Tesla in market for connected electric cars
• Ford chief maps out self-driving routeMark Fields sees carmaker as a leader in autonomous vehicles

The Guardian

• East London tube, DLR and rail stations change zonesFares to be cut for 100,000 people a week as eight stations near Olympic venues including Stratford and West Ham change from zone 3 to zone 2/3
• Where is the most cycle-friendly city in the world?The Dutch and Danish cycling utopias of Amsterdam, Groningen, Utrecht and Copenhagen are high up the list – but what about the rest of the world?
• Jeremy Corbyn joins activists at King's Cross for rail fare rises protestLabour leader attends gathering of party and union members as they leaflet passengers in London about the 1.1% rise
• Tesla supplied just 208 Model X cars in 2015Elon Musk’s new electric car is still hard to find on the streets, but production is ramping upThe Model X, Tesla’s first new car in three years, was launched to much fanfare in 2015, but the company’s boasting of the “most advanced car yet” may have been a tad premature – just 208 cars were actually delivered in the fourth quarter of 2015, the first full quarter in which it was available to buy.A crossover (combining design cues from SUVs and more traditional cars such as hatchbacks), the Model X was unveiled in 2012, with plans for it to ship in 2013. That date slipped, first to 2014 and the...
• East London tube, DLR and rail stations change zonesFares to be cut for 100,000 people a week as eight stations near Olympic venues including Stratford and West Ham change from zone 3 to zone 2/3The centre of London has officially spread a little further east, with the capital’s transport authorities rezoning stations near the 2012 Olympics venues to the boundary of zone 2.The move will cut fares for about 100,000 people travelling each week, and put Stratford’s rail, tube and DLR stations, West Ham and Canning Town and others in the two central zones on the traditional visitor’s map and travelcard. Continue reading...

The Scotsman

• Storm Frank: West coast main line facing weeks of disruptionRAIL services on the west coast main line will be disrupted for the next few weeks due to storm damage on the route.

The Telegraph

• Tube map redrawn due to London's 'shifting economic map'Stratford and a number of adjacent stations shift from Zone 3 to the Zones 2/3 boundary, reducing the fare for some passengers

Mail Online

• Commuters blast railway service over Arriva Trains strike and South West breakdowns Trains into London's Waterloo suffered major disruption while Arriva Trains Wales was shut down by strike action.�A number of South West Trains were cancelled.

Bolton News

• Bolton rail campaigners angry at more fare rises CAMPAIGNERS canvassed commuters at Bolton Railway Station yesterday over further rises to rail fares.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Arriva Trains Wales sorry for strike disruption as talks set to resume to settle dispute The ASLEF and RMT union said strike was 'last resort' and they will now sit down for further negotiations
• A545 to Beaumaris to reopen after landslide The road was closed a week ago but is expected to open at 4.30pm today

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh bus lane fines: £60k remain unpaidALMOST 1000 bus lane fines are currently outstanding across Edinburgh – costing the council nearly £60,000 in lost income.

London Evening Standard

• From Heathrow to the snows of Kilimanjaro: Airport pledges far-flung flights in third runway bidHeathrow today promised direct links to more exotic and far-flung destinations as it entered a New Year battle to win backing for a third runway.
• Commuters hit by rush hour train delays on first working day of 2016Commuters returning to work for the first time after the Christmas break today faced misery on railways serving London.
• Safety campaigners blast 'lack of investment' for cycling in TfL's latest round of fundingTransport bosses spend about 1 per cent of annual budget on cycling, well below ratio of cyclists to other road-users
• Sadiq Khan: How I could freeze our transport fares from now until 2020Labour's mayoral candidate claims he can pay for his plan with efficiency savings and new revenue sources
• Tube map redrawn as Zone 2 boundary change comes into effectCommuters in east London are in line to save hundreds of pounds this year thanks to the redrawing of the Zone 3 fare boundary.
• Southern Rail: 'Britain's most delayed train service' stays true to form on the first working day of 2016A morning commuter train dubbed the most delayed in Britain started the new working year by failing to arrive on time this morning.
• Letters to the editor: Cars are more deadly than bikesYou report on your website that the number of cyclists convicted for breaking traffic rules has more than doubled (Standard online, January 2). Let's hope that the conviction rate for motor vehicles will be proportional to the carnage they cause on the road too.

Sheffield Star

• South Yorkshire bus firm introduces new 10-trip ticketUsing the bus in January is cheaper now after First South Yorkshire introduced a new ’10-trip’ ticket together with a fares campaign designed to help attract new customers.

Sheffield Telegraph

• CAMPAIGN: Bosses backing HS2 in Sheffield city centreSheffield bosses have written an open letter to national business leaders warning the Government is about to make a ‘strategic error’ over plans to site the HS2 station at Meadowhall.

The York Press

• Consultation on controversial York Park and Ride changes TOMORROW is the last chance for people to have their say on a bus overhaul that protestors say would damage services in Fishergate and Fulford.

Wales Online

• Rail services 'should run as normal' on Tuesday, 24 hours after Arriva Trains Wales hit by strike action Members of the RMT and Aslef unions are set to return to work on Tuesday
• The amazing moment train passengers stage New Year's Eve sing-off to Tom Jones' Delilah Two carriages broke into song as they travelled on one of the last train services out of Liverpool

Yorkshire Post

• Further investment calls as Leeds station entrance is openedTRANSPORT Minister Andrew Jones admitted the country has failed to properly invest in railway stations as the southern entrance to Leeds station was officially opened.
• Yorkshire’s new train operator cancels all services as drivers walk outTRAIN services across Wales - operated by the company soon to take over Yorkshire’s local rail routes - were halted today because of a strike by drivers in a row over pay and conditions.

Carlisle News & Star

• Cumbria's rich railway heritage showcased on TV Cumbria's rich railway heritage takes centre stage on two television shows this week.
• Rail line closed for month; what the train firms say Storm damage means the West Coast Main Line north of Carlisle will be closed throughout January.

Doncaster Free Press

• Dearne bus drivers scoop top awards for public serviceTwo Dearne bus drivers have been celebrated at the Stagecoach 2015 Customer Service Stars Awards.
• South Yorkshire bus firm introduces new 10-trip ticketUsing the bus in January is cheaper now after First South Yorkshire introduced a new ’10-trip’ ticket together with a fares campaign designed to help attract new customers.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Trains return to normal after 10 days of Christmas workServices on the Great Eastern Main Line returned to normal after Network Rail engineers completed 10 days’ work on schedule in the early hours of Monday morning.

Get West London

• First images unveiled of Heathrow Garden City proposed for HounslowThere are 2,000 new homes, plus offices, hotels and a new Bedfont train station planned for land surrounding the airport

North Wales Live

• Transport sector leads the way for new business creation in the North West Report by insolvency body R3 says popularity of internet shopping and the 'Uber effect' were big factors behind the 30% rise

Peterborough Telegraph

• VIDEO: Protesters and commuters outside Peterborough Station criticise latest rail fare riseCampaigners protested outside Peterborough Station after the latest rail fare increase came into effect.

Reading Evening Post

• First Stop Bus helping to stop drinking and smoking in January The First Stop Bus will be out and about in Dry January with advice about drinking, smoking and walking to get fit

Other Regional Press

• Rail depot measuring 8 million square feet planned for fields near NorthamptonResidents are worried about plans for a huge rail freight depot they fear would join a village to Northampton.
• Transport firms are the fastest growing in the North WestTransport has become the fastest growing sector in the North West, with the number of active companies rising by 30 per cent over the past year, according to figures from the insolvency trade body R3.
• Commuters face nightmare journeys on the Dover to Folkestone rail line after sea wall cracksRail passengers have faced their first work journeys after a sea wall cracked - with some contemplating leaving jobs or even moving home!
• Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman attacks big rise in rail faresLocal passengers have faced rises of 25% over past few years
• Airship team attach flying gear in preparation for take offThe world’s largest aircraft is on track for it’s maiden flight over Bedfordshire as more equipment is reattached to the helium- filled hull.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Port of Liverpool hails arrival of freight train and says it offers 'huge potential'GB Railfreight has run the first intermodal train between Birmingham and the Port of Liverpool and port bosses say rail offers “huge potential” for moving freight. Locomotive 66729 was used to haul eight IFA ‘Q80’ flat wagons from Maritime Transport’s Birmingham Intermodal Freight Terminal (BIFT) at Birch Coppice to the Seaforth Container Terminal, and back again, just before Christmas. It was hailed as an “important moment” for Port of Liverpool owner, Peel Ports, GB Railfreight and Maritime Transport, as it demonstrates the potential of running reg...
• New �20m entrance for Leeds stationTransport minister Andrew Jones has officially opened a new �20 million entrance to Leeds' city railway station. Around 20,000 people will use the new entrance, improving commuter journeys at one of the busiest train stations in the UK, reports the Department for Transport. The new entrance opens up access to South Bank Central, Holbeck Urban Village and Leeds Dock and Hinterland development areas. Previously, passengers could only reach the station platforms through its northern entrance, which added time and distance to catching trains. Thought has been given to the appearance of the entranc...
• England's towns and cities to benefit from cleaner busesOver 400 buses in England are to be upgraded with green technology to cut the amount of harmful emissions that affect the country's towns and cities. The technology is set to cut emissions by up to 90 per cent, reports the Department for Transport, which has provided �7 million in funding to carry out the improvements. The project, entitled the Clean Bus Technology Fund 2015, will see 18 local authorities that suffer from particularly bad pollution hotspots now benefitting from 439 retrofitted buses. Thanks to high mileage and long operational lives, these buses can make a significant reductio...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Alstom acquires additional 8% stake in Transmashholding Alstom has concluded the €54m acquisition of an additional 8% stake in Transmashholding (TMH) from Russian Railways (RZD).
• How Much Do You Know About Insulated Rail Joints? Sometimes called railway fishplates, rail joints are an important component of a rail track system to connect two rail tracks together.
• 2015: The year's biggest Railway Technology stories Crosslinx signs C$9.1bn contract for Crosstown LRT, Mexico to relaunch bidding for high-speed train contract, and Victoria opens $2.8bn Regional Rail Link. Railway-technology.com wraps up the key headlines from 2015.

Railnews

• Arriva Trains Wales at a standstill as drivers walk out Members of Aslef are staging a 24-hour strike at Arriva Trains Wales, and no ATW trains will run today. ATW said alternative road transport cannot be provided, because there are not enough buses available to replace the 1,000 or so train services it provides on an average weekday. The walkout follows protracted negotiations over terms and conditions, but the company and the union are reported to be at odds over the latest state of play.

Railway Gazette

• EuroMaint agrees to sell German operations GERMANY: Rolling stock maintenance company EuroMaint Rail has signed an agreement to sell its...
• Stadler completes purchase of Vossloh Rail Vehicles EUROPE: Stadler Rail completed the acquisition of Vossloh’s Valencia-based Rail Vehicles locomotive...
• Unipart Rail buys Park SignallingUK: Unipart Rail announced on January 4 that it had acquired 100% of the share capital of Park...
• BlueCube to monitor Great Western train doorsUK: Rolling stock leasing company Porterbrook has awarded Barnbrook Systems a ‘five-figure’...

Aviation Industry

• Air France unions to strike in JanuaryAir France has confirmed it has been informed of strike action by the CGT trade union on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 and by Alter, a minor pilots’ union, from Jan. 10-13. read more
• Ryanair balks at proposed Norwegian taxRyanair is seeking to have the Norwegian government roll back plans for an environmental tax for flights originating in Norway, saying such a move would harm jobs and growth in the Nordic nation. read more
• Cross-party support grows for Heathrow expansionPoll shows majority of MPs are backing Heathrow
• Willie Walsh urges government to end ‘rip-off’ APDIAG boss also wants 10-year visas for Chinese visitors
• Etihad launches legal action over Air Berlin codeshare rulingA court revoked the approval of 29 codeshare flights with German carrier

Other News Sources

• MPs twice as likely to back Heathrow third runway over Gatwick, new poll showsNine in 10 MPs say more airport expansion is needed in the south east for the sake of UK business
• Signalling problems cause back-to-work delays for Southern commuters, despite rail fare hike Rail services were delayed due to signalling problems in Purley on Monday morning, the first working day after a 1.1% price hike
• Supermarket diesel cuts - good news for industryNews that supermarkets are slashing forecourt prices of diesel has been described as ‘good news for industry’ by the Freight Transport ...
• Contractors invited for �112m Glasgow station rebuildNetwork Rail has invited firms to bid for a �112m�contract to redevelop Glasgow Queen Street station.
• Commuters hit by rail chaos on first day back to work RAIL commuters were hit by delays yesterday on the first day back to work after a festive period of disruption.