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

Saturday, 04 June 2016

BBC News

• Pilot to head new health safety bodyThe UK's chief inspector of air accidents is the leading contender to run a new organisation which aims to make the NHS in England safer.
• Walmart to test food delivery with UberUS supermarket giant Walmart is to announce a new partnership with Uber and Lyft as it seeks to take on online retailer Amazon.
• Train seat alert for pregnant womenA bluetooth system that alerts underground train users to give up their seats for pregnant travellers is trialled in South Korea.
• Tram dispute ends with pay rise offerA four-month dispute that led to strikes by drivers of the Luas, Dublin's public tram system, ends after staff vote to accept pay rises of up to 18%.
• VIDEO: Uber rolls out cash option in AfricaHow Uber is changing its business model for its customers in Africa.

Financial Times

• Saudi oil chief steadies Opec shipHelped by a rebound in crude prices, Falih manages to diffuse tensions at production cartel
• Airlines face end of ‘good old days’Low-cost competition intensifies as companies rein in travel budgets

The Guardian

• Tube bosses 'disgusting' for celebrating ticket office closures – RMTUnion says nearly 50 senior TfL managers attended a black-tie Mayfair dinner to mark hundreds of London Underground closures

The Independent

• Airbus adds a fifth seat into the middle row of the A380 passenger cabinAirbus have said the new layout could provide airlines with an additional £16m in revenue each year

The Scotsman

• Walmart to use Uber to deliver to customersWalmart customers in the United States could soon have their groceries delivered by Uber drivers under a pilot to be announced by the retail giant.

Times Online

• Take control of French skies, Germany urged [subscription]Germany is being urged to take control of the skies over France to prevent British holidaymakers being stranded by a feared wave of air traffic control strikes this summer.
• Move over HS2, this is the future of travel [subscription]Ilyas Vali was sitting on yet another soul-sapping commuter train from Preston to London in 2013 when he read two articles that changed his life.
• A driverless future could also be a money-saver [subscription]Wary motorists may be won over as research suggests autonomous vehicles will drive down premiums and reduce accidents
• Baronet takes aim at Network Rail for letting estate cottages go to ruin [subscription]He is a member of the Royal Company of Archers whose family have protected their castle and land on the shores of the Firth of Forth for generations.

Mail Online

• EU transport ministers to debate defeat device loophole -document BRUSSELS, June 3 (Reuters) - EU transport ministers will debate next week whether there is an urgent need to close loopholes in EU regulations that allow defeat devices in car engines under certain circumstances, according to a document seen by Reuters.

Birmingham Post

• Shoppers at 'Midlands' Bicester Village' could use M6 Toll for free Developers of Mill Green Designer Outlet Village, which hopes to attract the likes of Ralph Lauren and Lacoste to Cannock, are in talks with M6 Toll

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Staying in EU will help get cash for A55, says Plaid Cymru AMRhun ap Iorwerth hopes a 'remain' result will allow North Wales to get funds from the European Union funding pot for rail and road links

Derby Telegraph

• Electrification of rail line from Derby to Bristol 'could take 15 years'THE electrification of the rail line between Derby and Bristol can be achieved within 15 years, says Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

Manchester Evening News

• Free overnight weekend parking at Metrolink stops could be made permanent after trialThe pilot has proved hugely popular among football fans and people travelling into the city centre at the weekend
• Heathrow Business Summit brings business to ManchesterNow entering its 20th year, the summit will provide SMEs from across the north west with a platform to grow their business by networking and trading directly with Heathrow’s supply chain.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Major review of Sheffield HS2 station underwayHS2 is reviewing the Sheffield station site following high level meetings with regional leaders, The Star has learned.

Yorkshire Post

• Tom Richmond: Reputations hit buffers again over Leeds trolleybus fiascoLIKE you, I’ve still not received an invite to next week’s transport summit in Leeds which was hastily arranged when the city’s botched trolleybus plan was – thankfully – given the red light by a Government planning inspector after £72m of taxpayers’ money went to waste.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Abellio Greater Anglia had biggest rise in passenger complaints in UK, latest rail regulator report findsTrain operator Abellio Greater Anglia (AGA) has recorded the biggest rise in the number of passenger complaints in the UK over the last year, according to a new report.

North Wales Live

• Cuts to bus routes could start a vicious circle of decline Services under review after budget cut by £1.1m

Rail Technology Magazine

• The Composite Panel Guide Composite panels may be used instead of traditional materials (for example, wood panels and sheet metal) to make systems more efficient.
• Passenger complaints decreasing, but highest on Virgin West CoastThe first Office of Rail and Road (ORR) report on how the rail industry is meeting its obligations to passengers has revealed that complaints from passengers are generally decreasing as operating companies try to meet their obligations. The figures confirm previous findings showing that...
• Crossrail appoints new health and safety directorCrossrail has appointed Martin Brown, formerly head of health, safety and the environment at Transport for London, as its new health and safety director. Brown is also chair of the independent railway assurance board for Crossrail. He was the independent safety expert on the Olympic Delivery...
• Treating each rail passenger as a service partnerThe head of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), as well as representatives from different passenger groups, will give evidence about improving passenger experience to the Commons Transport Select Committee on Monday afternoon. The full list of witnesses includes: Neil Middleton, chair...
• TfGM to renew 10-year plan in light of unexpected improvements in the northAhead of CP6 industry submissions and in order to acknowledge some unforeseen changes since its previous rail plan, TfGM has decided to renew its 10-year investment blueprint. The plan, covering 2016 until 2026, will take into consideration a string of improvements that have taken place in the...
• TOCs defend themselves against 'ticket machine jargon' criticismsTOCs have promised improvements to the self-service ticket selling process after a report by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) found that too many passengers are still experiencing difficulties using ticket vending machines. The first ORR ‘Measuring Up’ report on TOCs’ levels...
• Cutting inter-city WCML services to make commuting 'almost impossible'Restricting the amount of inter-city trains at key stations on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) would make it “almost impossible” to commute between major cities and would be “wholly unworkable” practically and economically, transport chiefs have said. In its response to...

Railnews

• Govia wins injunction against union A High Court judge has ruled in favour Govia Thameslink Railway after it objected to alleged 'discrepancies' in the way ASLEF had conducted a strike ballot of its driver members on GTR's Gatwick Express route. ASLEF had submitted that preventing industrial action in the wake of a ballot in favour would be 'oppressive', but the judge dismissed this, saying:

Aviation Industry

• French air traffic controllers call off strikePlanned action for this weekend cancelled
• Airline profits to hit $39bn amid low oil pricesFears raised that profits are not being passed onto passengers
• Heathrow celebrates 70 years with ‘iconic’ picturesHeathrow has this week marked its 70th anniversary by publishing a series of iconic images

Other News Sources

• Heathrow third runway could bring new air connection to Newquay - and thousands of jobsHeathrow has today launched an 'election-style' expansion manifesto pledging to secure a stronger economy for Cornwall.