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

Saturday, 19 March 2016

BBC News

• FBI warns on risks of car hackingThe FBI issues a public bulletin laying out the risks of car hacking and suggests ways the public can protect their vehicles.
• Edinburgh-London train journey time cutA new fleet of trains with faster acceleration will cut journey times on the East Coast Main Line by up to 22 minutes, Virgin claims.
• City buses to get speed-limiters fittedAll buses in London will be fitted with speed-limiting technology from 2017, says Transport for London.
• Bus firms in smart ticketing pledgeMajor bus firms give a boost to plans for a Scotland-wide travel smart card which can be used across public transport networks.
• Arriva wins £1.5bn Overground contractArriva Rail London has won a £1.5bn contract to operate the London Overground line, Transport for London (TfL) announces.
• Airbus sells electronics arm to KKREuropean aerospace giant Airbus Group is to sell its Defence Electronics business to private equity firm KKR.

Financial Times

• Fastjet shares fall as row escalatesAirline takes legal advice against founder who has criticised cash level
• Arriva wins �1.5bn London Overground bidUK division of Deutsche Bahn wins suburban rail contract

The Guardian

• Lufthansa jumbo reports near miss with drone over Los AngelesThe passenger jet was close to landing when a drone flew 200ft overhead, fuelling concerns about the safety of the craftThe pilot of a Lufthansa passenger jumbo jet has reported that a drone aircraft nearly collided with his airliner on its landing approach to Los Angeles, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Related: Unregulated drones are accidents – and worse – waiting to happen | David Dunn Continue reading...

The Herald

• New faster Virgin trains will cut London-Edinburgh journey to four hoursA new fleet of trains with faster acceleration will cut journey times on the East Coast Main Line by up to 22 minutes, Virgin Trains has said.

Times Online

• Oxbridge Express to create new silicon valley [subscription]A rail link between Oxford and Cambridge moves a step closer today as Lord Adonis, the infrastructure tsar, makes the 67-mile corridor between the cities which could become “England’s Silicon Valley”, his next priority.

Mail Online

• FlyDubai plane crashes killing all 62 passengers and crew at Rostov-on-Don airport A FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 has crashed in a fireball while it attempted to land at a Russian airport. Officials say there were 61 passengers and crew members on board Flight FZ981.

Belfast Telegraph

• Decision on £700m Bombardier aid package a step closerA decision could be due soon on whether struggling plane maker Bombardier gets another $1bn (£700m) aid package from Canada.
• Wrightbus recalls 468 Routemaster vehicles from London fleetSteering fault sees 'Boris buses' taken off road as precaution. Almost 500 Ballymena-built London Routemaster buses have been recalled over a fault linked to their power-steering.

Birmingham Post

• Should diesel car drivers pay an extra �800 in tax? Policy Exchange think tank proposes radical action on urban air pollution
• Drivers across Birmingham face �70 fine threat for parking on grass verges Brownfield Road in Shard End is city's first to secure order to protect green space

Daily Post (North Wales)

• �11m Llangefni link road work gets underway Road east of town will be a 'catalyst for regeneration' and bring economic benefits

London Evening Standard

• Westminster Bridge to have segregated cycle superhighwayWestminster bridge is to become the fourth Thames crossing to have a segregated cycle superhighway, Boris Johnson announced today.
• FastJet ready to sue Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou after he warns it is at risk of going bustAfrican budget airline FastJet could sue its second-biggest shareholder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, after he said the company was at risk of going bust.
• First look inside Virgin high-speed train linking London to EdinburghThis is the first look inside a new fleet of trains set to whisk passengers from London to Edinburgh in just four hours.
• Revealed: the number of times commuters befoul the Tube each year with human wastePolice have been called to 570 incidents of people befouling the London Underground with human waste in the past five years, new figures reveal.

Manchester Evening News

• Car park being built near Manchester Airport could have the most expensive spaces in the regionOwn your very own parking space near Manchester Airport...for a mere £35,000

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds cabbies protest over claims of “slave labour” and “rolling sweat shop” conditions by UberHundreds of private hire drivers gathered outside Leeds Town Hall to protest at fare slashes which they claim are tantamount to “slave labour” - and will put passenger safety at risk by forcing cabbies to work longer hours to make ends meet.

Doncaster Free Press

• New fleet of trains to cut journey times on Doncaster’s mainline rail linkA new fleet of trains with faster acceleration will cut journey times on Doncaster’s mainline rail link, it was claimed today.

Peterborough Telegraph

• New fleet of trains will increase speeds and seat numbers on East Coast MainlineA new fleet of trains will cut journey times and increase seat numbers along the East Coast Mainline.

Bus and Coach.com

• CPT welcomes passenger satisfaction figures
• Lucketts takes two 35-seat Yutongs
• Reading orders six StreetDecks for orange route
• Full electric coach unveiled in Paris
• London launch for new Wrightbus SRM on Volvo B5LH

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Successful trials prove effectiveness of speed limiting technology on busesTransport for London (TfL) has completed trials of Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology fitted to buses, proving that the technology can be used to control speeds on London’s bus network.  The trials, the first in the UK, form part of the Mayor and TfL’s commitment to halve the number of people killed and seriously injured on London’s roads by 2020. They saw the technology, which prevents vehicles from accelerating over speed limits, fully tested on two bus routes that included a variety of road environments and differing speed limits. All buses fitted with IS...
• Extra �25.6m in road funding given to improve journeys in North YorkshireThe Budget announced that �25.6 million of additional roads funding will help to cut delays and boost the local economy in North Yorkshire. According to the Department for Transport, the council will be given an extra �25 million from the government's Local Growth Fund for road maintenance and an added �1.6 million will be given to fix potholes. In addition to this, North Yorkshire will also receive �4 million in order to help it with its flood recovery. These sums bring the total local roads investment in the region to more than �150 million up to 2021. This money will help to make sure that ...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Hitachi Rail opens train manufacturing factory in Florida, US Hitachi Rail Italy's American subsidiary Hitachi Rail USA has opened its first train manufacturing facility in Medley, Florida.
• Scottish railway users to benefit from ScotRail’s retention of 13 trains Scottish transport minister Derek Mackay has declared a series of benefits for railway passengers following the retention of 13 Class 170 diesel trains beyond their 2018 lease.
• TfL gets approval for Barking Riverside railway extension The Mayor of London has granted approval for Transport for London (TfL) to seek legal authorisation for the rail extension in the east of London's largest housing development site.
• Jewers Doors Open Hitachi’s Flagship Rail Manufacturing Centre Specialist industrial door manufacturer Jewers Doors have installed several of its Phoenix range sliding folding doors at Hitachi's new UK rolling stock manufacturing centre at Newton Aycliffe.
• Arriva to land �1.5bn contract to deliver London Overground servicesTransport for London (TfL) has named Arriva as its preferred bidder to take over the £1.5bn London Overground contract later this year. The train company will deliver a variety of services, including rolling stock and station improvements, for seven and a half years from 13 November. The...
• Mayor backs London Overground extension to Barking RiversideA rail extension for London’s largest housing development is set to go ahead after the mayor asked Transport for London (TfL) to apply for powers to start construction. TfL are applying for a Transport and Work Acts Order to start construction of a 4.5km extension of the Gospel Oak to...
• HS3 green light welcomed but must include freight investmentThe 2016 Budget’s green light and investment for HS3 has been welcomed by campaigners but led to warnings that it needs to include investment for rail freight. George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced in his speech to the House of Commons on Wednesday that he was giving...
• Virgin unveils Azumas for East CoastVirgin have unveiled a new fleet of their fastest ever trains to increase capacity on their East Coast route. The 65 VirginAzuma trains are capable of reaching 125mph in around four-and-a-half minutes, compared to around five minutes ten seconds for Virgin’s current electric trains and...
• HS2 names Atkins-CH2M-SENER JV as phase 1 engineering delivery partnerA team made up of Atkins, CH2M and SENER has been named as HS2’s engineering delivery partner for phase 1 of the high-speed route. The 10-year contract, valued at between £250m and £350m, will cover the whole phase 1 construction phase, including supporting preparation for, and...

Railnews

• New rail compensation plans are unveiled A major shake-up of how compensation for delayed or cancelled trains is publicised has been announced by the Office of Rail and Road. The decision follows the filing of a 'super-complaint' by the Consumers' Association, which produces Which? magazine. The CA said that 'pressure was now on the train companies', while the Rail Delivery Group said its priority was to 'plan and build for the ever growing demand for rail'.

Aviation Industry

• Norwegian: legacy carriers have ‘fear of competition’Airlines CEO slams US department of transportation for delays to its Foreign Carrier Permit application

Other News Sources

• Virgin ‘Azuma’ trains to cut journey times by 22 minsRail operator unveils new fleet of trains