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

Tuesday, 05 July 2016

BBC News

• Southern Rail managers to face MPs and cut servicesSouthern Rail managers to face MPs on the transport select committee as the company issues a reduced timetable to cope with staff shortages.
• Southern rail timetable 'loses 350 trains a day'Southern Rail is to axe 350 services a day under an amended timetable drawn up in response to ongoing disruption, a union claims.
• Hovercraft boss: Brexit vote has 'brought new enquiries'Emma Pullen, boss of the British Hovercraft Company, says the Brexit vote has brought new enquiries to her business and is now planning a big export drive.

Financial Times

• Roads and railways seen as vital to growthPost-Brexit spending plans will determine success of the region
• Clarkson: choppy seasShip broker should weather a period of difficult trading

The Guardian

• Caroline Lucas: strip 'incompetent' Southern rail operator of contractGreen MP urges government to get rid of Govia Thameslink Railway after it wins permission to cancel 350 trains a dayCaroline Lucas, the Green MP, has called on the government to strip Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) of its franchise after allowing it to introduce an emergency timetable for Southern rail that permits the cancellation of 350 trains a day.The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said it was given the figures at a meeting with officials from GTR, which runs Southern. Continue reading...
• Southern Railway is in a mess. Here’s a three-point plan to untangle it | Andrew AllenPassenger protests, industrial action … the misery Southern has doled out demands drastic measuresFor months, Southern Railway has been embroiled in a maelstrom of cancelled trains, passenger protests and industrial action. And now an “emergency” timetable is due to be issued, apparently withdrawing up to 350 train services a day.With a botched franchise at the root of the problems, how does the government get out of this mess? Continue reading...
• Life before the Clean Air Act - your memories and picturesTo mark the 60th anniversary of the Clean Air Act, we’ve been asking Guardian readers to share their memories and stories of what the UK was like before the act came into force. You can see all the contributions – or submit your own – via GuardianWitnessThe great smog of 1952 swathed London in a toxic smog of pollution, resulting in thousands of deaths over a four-day period. The Clean Air Act was a groundbreaking piece of legislation that led to the phase-out of coal in Britain’s towns and cities.Sheila Romain, 88, West Sussex“Coming home from school one day I caught the bus from Crystal Pala...

The Telegraph

• London commuter belt crisis: Southern Rail's 350 cancelled trains per day could affect house prices �

Reuters News

• PM candidate Crabb says would approve new Heathrow runway if electedStephen Crabb, one of the candidates to replace British prime minister David Cameron, said on Monday he would approve a new runway at Heathrow Airport immediately if he is elected.

City AM

• Balfour Beatty wins £170m Heathrow Airport contract to upgrade baggage screening systemsInfrastructure firm Balfour Beatty has won a £170m contract to upgrade baggage screening and handling systems for Heathrow Airport.
• Work and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb and Tory backbencher Liam Fox have both lent their support to expansion for HeathrowWork and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb has promised an immediate green light for Heathrow expansion if he is selected as the new Conservative leader.

Mail Online

• Flybe boss calls on ministers to cut flight taxes in half to deal after Brexit 'damage' Flybe chief executive Saad Hammad said Air Passenger Duty should be slashed by 50 per cent and funded by a tax hike at the UK's major international airports.
• Rail commuter fury as firm in safety row axes 350 trains a day Southern Railways services at risk include Clapham Junction to Milton Keynes, Tonbridge to Redhill, Littlehampton to Portsmouth and Southsea, plus Brighton to Southampton and Seaford.

The Mirror

• Watch Muslim taxi driver refuse to take blind man with guide dog 'as it's against his religion' Student Charles Bloch, 22 - who was travelling with his working dog Carlo - was stunned by the response after having booked the cab from a local firm
• Bus drivers who won �20million Euromillions jackpot on Friday don't show up for work on Monday Their boss said he wasn't angry with the workers, and added: "Best of luck to them"

Birmingham Mail

• How Birmingham plans to stop parking on grass verges An 'explosion' of complaints from city residents prompts councillors to launch inquiry into the scourge of grass verge abuse
• 80 casualties a week after surge in injuries on Birmingham roads The city saw a 16 per cent rise in road accident injuries last year - the fourth year in a row it increased

Liverpool Echo

• Liverpool airport flight delays and cancellations expected as French air traffic controllers strikeStrike is the 13th in the last 14 weeks

London Evening Standard

• Stephen Crabb: I'd give go-ahead for third runway at Heathrow AirportAn early go-ahead for a third runway at Heathrow was pledged today by Tory leadership contender Stephen Crabb.
• Art on the Underground commission in London pays tribute to 1960s spy moviesArtist Liam Gillick has used posters and films to brighten up the morning commute

Manchester Evening News

• Is this how we will be travelling around Greater Manchester in 2040? Have your say on the future of transport - with wristwatch tram payment and a 'third city crossing' being offered

Sheffield Telegraph

• How to get unlimited day’s bus travel in South Yorkshire for £2Passengers can enjoy a day’s unlimited bus travel around Sheffield for just £2 in July and August.

Wales Online

• Manager working on £25m rail project abused his position to carry out cable theft conspiracy Construction manager Paul Jones was able to identify where the most valuable cable could be stolen
• Minister pledges not to milk the Severn Crossing as a cash cow Transport minister Andrew Jones said the bridges will not be used as a 'profit-making' exercise

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Heading in the right direction! Bus firm spends £10m on new vehicles for LeedsDozens of new buses are hitting the streets of Leeds in a £10m-plus investment by the First West Yorkshire transport firm.
• South Leeds train station set for �700,000 revampA £700,000 plan to revamp Morley train station is set to be discussed by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Blackpool Gazette

• �22m tram revolution... or a waste of cash?These images show how a £22m investment in Blackpool’s famous tramway could transform part of the town centre.

Other Regional Press

• Commuters urged to go green and beat the traffic by busCommuters are being urged to go green and bat the traffic from today during Catch the Bus week
• 'It's just bewildering': Subway passengers slam replacement bus service after closureSUBWAY passengers have slammed a replacement bus service they say is ineffective.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• DHL now delivers parcels at a scheduled time in the evening all over GermanyDHL Parcel is significantly expanding its time-window delivery service once again and is now offering it outside major urban centers. From now on, all recipients in Germany have the option of choosing an evening time slot for their deliveries, allowing them to decide exactly when they would like to receive their parcel. Regardless of whether they are in Emsland, Brandenburg or Spessart, online shoppers across Germany can now select a two-hour time window between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. for delivery of their DHL parcels during the order process. No other parcel service provider in Germany offers a co...
• Metrocity trio for Central BusesCentral Buses have acquired three new Optare Metrocity buses. The award winning operator runs services across the Midlands area.   The three 150kW Cummins Euro 5, 10.8m with Allison 2100 transmission seat up to 40 and will operate on Route 125 between Stourbridge, Kidderminster and Bridgnorth. The vehicles are fitted with Centrad CCTV and 4G Wifi.   Geoff Cross, Owner, Central Buses, said, “We were already very impressed with the Optare Versas in our fleet and we purchased the new Metrocity buses after hearing such good feedback about the fuel efficiency and Optare’s prod...
• PD Ports reaches award final for its sustainable business excellencePD Ports is being recognised for its dedication to improving learning and employment for young people on Teesside after being shortlisted for a Corporate Social Responsibility award by SHD Logistics magazine. Since co-founding the High Tide Foundation four years ago, the charity has worked with more than 4,000 young people who have been introduced to 65 local private sector companies. The North-East has some of the highest rates of youth unemployment in the UK, suffering significantly lower levels of aspiration and attainment amongst the next generation of workers. Recent government statistic...
• Deputy Mayor of London welcomes the Thames VisionLondon’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, Val Shawcross CBE has welcomed the launch today (Monday, 4 July 2016) of the Thames Vision, a framework for developing greater use of the Thames over the next twenty years.  
• Budget airline bosses outline effects of BrexitThe era of cheap flights could soon come to an end after the UK voted to leave the EU. Chief executive of easyJet Dame Carolyn McCall DBE has stressed that two-thirds of the airline’s flights cross central European airspace and that any disruption to this would have a knock-on effect. “Disruption adds cost, which ultimately means higher fares for passengers,” she said at the launch of Airlines for Europe, a new association comprising the five largest airline groups in Europe. She admitted that while nothing would change overnight, much would depend on any new agreements that Britain reach with...

Construction Enquirer

• Balfour Beatty bags £170m Heathrow Airport projectBalfour Beatty has picked up a £170m contract to upgrade baggage screening and handling systems for Heathrow Airport.

Rail Magazine

• RAIB recommendations to reduce ‘trap and drag’ incidentsTrains could be fitted with sensitive door-edge technology following conclusion of review into accident where passenger was dragged along a platform .
• Government wants more services and longer trains on new South West franchiseMore trains and more space for passengers form key elements of the new South West franchise.

Rail Technology Magazine

• How open rail data is changing the way passengers travel For many years, there were only a limited number of ways to find out if a train was delayed, or where it was and wasn’t calling. Now, open data is rewriting the rule book.

Railnews

• Southern to axe trains in bid to boost reliability Southern is set to cut the number of services it operates in a bid to improve reliability. The RMT says it has learned that the changes will remove 350 trains a day from the timetable. The operator, which is part of Govia Thameslink Railway, is embroiled in long-running industrial disputes over plans to convert most services to driver-only operation, although a second member of staff would usually be carried as well in a supervisory role. However, their duties would not include opening and closing the doors or dispatching the train. Services have been frequently disrupted by high levels of c...

Railway Gazette

• South Western invitations to tender issuedUK: The Department for Transport issued invitations to tender for the new South Western franchise,...

The Business Desk

• Professionals: Law firm takes off with Gatwick extension project; Accountants advise on two acquisitions; and moreLEEDS law firm Stone King has advised on a major project to double passenger lounge waiting capacity at Gatwick Airport.

Other News Sources

• Catch the Bus WeekCatch the Bus Week is a nationwide campaign aimed at driving awareness of the benefits of taking the bus.