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

Tuesday, 22 March 2016

BBC News

• Former bus firm boss guilty of fraudA former Gwynedd bus company boss is found guilty of fraud and false accounting involving fake claims totalling more than £800,000.
• TVR to create 150 jobs in Ebbw ValeSports car company TVR is to base its new factory in south Wales, creating 150 jobs, First Minister Carwyn Jones announces.
• 'Boaty McBoatface' name may be overruledLord West, former First Sea Lord, says he hopes experts will not choose to call a new polar research ship Boaty McBoatface, after the name tops a public poll.
• The tech driving down car insurance fraudThe tech tackling motor insurance fraud
• VIDEO: Glasses protect pilots from laser attacksPolice pilots have started trialling new eyewear to deal with the problem of laser attacks on planes and helicopters.
• Airlines urge action over French strikeRyanair and Easyjet urge governments and the European Commission to take action over the strike by French air traffic controllers.

Financial Times

• TVR to build supercar plant in WalesHigh-performance carmaker to resume production after more than a decade’s absence from market

The Herald

• In pictures: commuters face queues at Queen Street stationRail passengers faced long queues�on the first evening of major repair works to the line out of Glasgow.
• Three-hour Glasgow and Edinburgh to London trains 'will brings £3 billion of benefit'Work on a reaching a record three-hour Glasgow and Edinburgh to London rail journey is to begin next year, Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown said at the launch of the next stage in plans for the fastest train to take the cross-Border trip.

Network Rail

• £340m railway upgrade planned for Liverpool City regionLiverpool City Region train passengers are to benefit from £340m of rail improvements over the next three years.
• Easter spotlight: London Paddington to Reading electrification workOver the Easter bank holiday, more than 15,000 members of Network Rail’s teams will be working night and day to deliver £60m of improvements to the railway as part of the £40bn Railway Upgrade Plan.This series of bite-size features takes a closer look at the work they’ll be carrying out across Britain to create a better, more reliable railway.
• First-year university fees to be paid for schoolgirl after Network Rail IT competition triumphA 17-year-old schoolgirl from Northampton has won the top prize in a national competition to encourage more young women to consider a career in IT.

Birmingham Post

• Revealed: The car colour that could cost you an extra �250 Buying a new car can cost more than you think, if you choose this colour.
• Airbus A380 in Birmingham: What time it is coming and where you can see it The world’s largest passenger will arrive then take off again from Birmingham Airport this week

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Road safety campaigner condemns drivers who treat Bradford like a 'Playstation racing game' AN ANTI-SPEEDING campaigner has condemned drivers who treat Bradford's roads like a
• Bradford 15th most congested city in UK, according to new research BRADFORD and Leeds are the 15th most traffic congested cities in the UK, according to a new study by TomTom Traffic.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Gwynedd bus firm boss found guilty of £500,000 fraud Former Padarn Bus Ltd's managing director David John Hulme, 55, of Glan Seiont, Caernarfon had denied his role in the swindle

Liverpool Echo

• Liverpool named as the 12th worst city in UK for traffic congestion "If only 5% of us changed our travel plans we could improve traffic congestion on our main roads by up to 30%"

London Evening Standard

• The Tube: Going Underground: Channel 5's documentary series will make you be nicer to London's TfL staffGet an inside look at London's public transport network – and the horror of facing off with commuters
• Piccadilly line Tube strikes: Walkout 'set to go ahead' on Wednesday and ThursdayCommuters are being warned to expect massive disruption this week after union bosses confirmed a 24-hour strike will go ahead on one of the Tube's busiest lines.
• London drivers 'sit in traffic jams for nearly a week each year'Delays on London's roads mean commuters are enduring 39 minutes of extra travel time each day — or 149 hours a year, a study has revealed.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Newcastle Central Station in line for upgrade as council draws up high speed train plansNewcastle City Council hopes to be awarded a stop on the new HS2 line at Central Station
• Heathrow boss says Government has a month-long 'window' to make decision on expansionJohn Holland-Kaye was speaking on a visit to Newcastle Airport, saying the North East would benefit from a third runway

The York Press

• 29 photos: The making of the National Railway Museum and its early years See fabulous striking photos of the making of the NRM and its first few years

Other Regional Press

• Heathrow could spend "nearly £2bn" on insulating homes if expansion goes ahead, say campaignersHeathrow could have to spend nearly £2bn on property insulation if a third runway is built, according to anti-expansion campaigners.
• Bus link between Preston and Yorkshire is savedA bus service taking passengers from Preston to Yorkshire has been saved from the axe.
• Manchester Airport hit by delays after French air traffic controllers strike and a problem with a plane's brakes Aircraft forced to perform 'go-arounds' following the Scandinavian Airlines plane fault while industrial discontent over the English Channel leads to number of cancellations          

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• South Wales Severn Tunnel to benefit from railway upgradeThe 130-year-old Severn Tunnel in South Wales is set to close for six weeks from the middle of September to upgrade it for electrification. Brand new electric trains will result in more seats and faster journeys for passengers in the area. This is critical work to improve overall reliability of the service and the station will be closed between September 12th and October 21st to allow these upgrades to be effectively carried out. Benefiting from the changes will be those who travel into and out of South Wales, including passenger from London, Portsmouth Harbour and the south-west of England. T...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Women in rail: closing the gender gap Women in Rail's inaugural study on gender diversity in the UK rail industry has revealed that just over 16% of roles are filled by women. How can more women be encouraged to join and flourish in the industry, and with the sector's skills gap growing,…
• What do passengers really think?David Sidebottom, passenger director at Transport Focus, discusses the recent results of the National Rail Passenger Survey and new developments in recording passenger satisfaction.
• A look into the ticket gates of the futureRSSB's Future Railway programme's project manager, Geeta Kailla, tells us about their innovative search to improve gate line congestion.
• Thameslink transformation taking effect at London bridgeMark Somers, rail systems project director on the Thameslink programme, updates RTM on the latest developments taking place in and around London Bridge station.
• Bringing together sustainability in major rail projectsMott MacDonald's group sustainability director, Davide Stronati, and head of rail, Tony Walker, discuss the importance of sustainability and innovation in developing major railway projects.
• Capitalising on contactlessTransport for London's (TfL's) director of customer experience, Shashi Verma, discusses the growth of contactless payment in the capital since its introduction.
• Personalisation is the future - but how do we get there?Joanne Thompson, CEO at Penrillian, discusses one of the key topics covered at this year's Transport Ticketing & Passenger Information Global Conference: personalisation.
• Electrification commitments beyond CP6 key to unlocking rolling stock growth - RDGBritain’s railway needs a continued programme of electrification beyond CP6 to help accommodate an expanding national fleet, which could nearly double in size by 2045, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has stated in their latest rolling stock strategy. The new report says that currently 8,099...
• Analysing the root causes of Spain's high-speed derailmentChris Langer, scheme intelligence manager at CIRAS, looks at all the factors which led to the fatal derailment near Santiago de Compostela nearly three years ago.
• Using technology to reduce accidents at the platform edgeKevin Thompson, RSSB SMS specialist, discusses how a new app will help encourage greater consistency in assessing risk on station platforms.
• Core City council leaders urge party leaders to back HS2 BillLeaders of 10 city councils have voiced their support of HS2 ahead of the third reading of the HS2 Bill, due on Wednesday. The council leaders signed a letter to the leaders and transport spokespeople of the main political parties, saying implementation of phase 1 must begin in 2017. They say...
• HS2 names Atkins-CH2M-SENER JV as phase 1 engineering 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...
• Prioritising the cyber threats to ICS in railDr John Easton, a lecturer working with the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education at the University of Birmingham, discusses the growing threat to the railways from cyber-attacks.
• Our holy grail is to provide a pantograph that reacts to the environmentLee Brun, development and WPS manager at Brecknell Willis, a Wabtec Company, updates RTM on the work to deliver an active pantograph.
• A series of firsts for the Victoria lineDavid Waboso, capital programmes director at London Underground, reminisces about the 13 years' worth of works that made Victoria Line one of the most reliable in the capital, and previews what its future could look like. Luana Salles reports.
• Japanese knotweed an 'unknown' quantity for railWill Sillar, founder and managing director of National Knotweed Survey, talks to RTM about the impact Japanese knotweed could have on rail assets in the UK.
• Deterring cable theft through DNAJames Brown, managing director at Selectamark Security Systems plc, discusses the successful work of the rail industry in reducing cable thefts.
• Rail vibration: An increasing factor in constructionMitigating noise and vibration from trains is becoming an integral part of construction projects, says Julie Dakin, divisional director in the metros and civils division at Mott MacDonald.
• The BIG5 geospatial challenges - building a BIM lighthouseBarry Gleeson, survey manager at Network Rail and a member of the Survey4BIM Technical Committee, on the opportunities and challenges of geo-enabling BIM.
• Ordsall chord delivery needs certainty as work starts to progressMartyn Angus, LNW route senior programme sponsor at Network Rail, talks to RTM about how work is progressing on the Ordsall Chord.
• Women in community rail - on track to changeSally Buttifant, Mid Cheshire Community Rail Partnership Officer, explains how a Women in Community Rail group could be a positive way of promoting community rail, sharing good practice and reaching out to young people.

Railnews

• Number of trains in British fleet 'could almost double' The number of trains in Britain is set to increase dramatically over the next 30 years in response to growing passenger demand, according to a new industry report. It predicts that the fleet will have grown by between 51 and 99 per cent by 2045, with between 13,000 and 20,00 new electric vehicles having been built. It also expects that more than nine out of ten trains will be electrically-powered by 2034.

Aviation Industry

• Passengers face delays as French ATC strikes continueAirlines condemn action from air traffic controllers in France
• British Airways changes short haul economy faresMore benefits to passengers who check in luggage

Other News Sources

• Perth rail station must improve for future electrification - rail study saysPerth rail station must improve to accommodate plans for future electrification of its rail lines due to its “crucial” location — a rail study has found.
• Carolyn Leckie: Kezia’s bus scheme is cynical but worthwhileOPPOSITION parties who have no prospect of forming a government have one great advantage over their more powerful rivals. They can promise the earth, the moon and the stars, safe in the knowledge that they’ll never have to justify their broken promises. As a former Scottish Socialist Party MSP, I can speak with some experience on that.