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

Wednesday, 03 August 2016

BBC News

• Self-drive taxis to be tested in SingaporeSingapore in second driverless taxi pilot scheme as it aims to become world's first
• Holidaymakers facing 38-hour delay at Manchester AirportPassengers hoping to fly to Corfu face a wait of 38 hours in one of the longest known delays at Manchester Airport.
• Southern plans 60% service during five-day strikeSouthern promises to run 60% of its normal timetable if a five-day strike by the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT) goes ahead.
• Network Rail fined £130,000 over health and safety failingsNetwork Rail has been fined £130,000 for health and safety breaches after a worker touched a live cable and suffered
• Southern rail: Jeremy Corbyn calls on government to renationaliseThe government should renationalise Southern, following weeks of disruption for rail passengers, Jeremy Corbyn says.

Financial Times

• May shifts ‘Northern Powerhouse’ focusPrime minister seeks to widen industrial strategy from Osborne’s Manchester-centric project
• Anti-Uber axis in doubt after Didi dealDidi’s rapprochement with Uber in China leaves global partners pondering the fate of their alliance
• Mitsubishi probe blames failed managementCarmaker missed employee warnings about cheating on fuel economy
• Lufthansa scales back growth plansGerman airline cites economic uncertainty, terrorism concerns and traffic disruption
• Rail nationalisation is not the answerThe UK Southern network’s problems are too complex for slogans to solve
• Uber fares in China soar after Didi dealEnd to discounts nearly doubles cost of rides in Beijing

The Guardian

• Southern and RMT prepare for talks to avert five-day strikeMeeting will take place between train operator and union this week in run-up to latest walkout over role of conductorsTalks will start on Wednesday to avert the most extreme disruption yet for long-suffering Southern passengers, with 40% of trains to be cancelled as conductors prepare to strike for five days next week. Southern’s train operating company, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), said it did not expect to return to its normal timetable until at least September, even without the industrial action. Continue reading...
• London's Fenchurch Street evacuated after reports of man with knifeStation reopens following evacuation of hundreds of commuters in the CityHundreds of commuters were evacuated from Fenchurch Street station in central London as armed police cleared the area following a sighting of a man with a knife.Officers were called to the station following reports of a robbery on board a train. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Compensation calls in Islay ferry crisisBusinesses on two islands should be compensated for the tens of thousands of pounds they are losing due to serious ferry disruption at what should be their busiest time of the year, it is claimed.

The Telegraph

• 'Don't put your hands on my flight attendant' : Video shows pilot tackling unruly passenger in US

Mail Online

• Over 100 holidaymakers are stuck in Manchester Airport for more than A DAY More than 100 passengers expecting to board their flight at 11am on Monday morning have been told their flight, which was delayed due to a technical fault, will leave on Wednesday morning.
• Southampton driver to sue council because potholes caused �3k of damage to his car Dean Harrigan (pictured), 43, of Southampton, had all four wheels on his 155mph Mercedes AMG C63 Coupe damaged after the �45,000 vehicle went over the holes on a roundabout.

London Evening Standard

• Southern rail boss: no date set for return to full serviceHundreds of thousands of long-suffering Southern rail commuters were told today there is no end in sight to the reduced timetable which has seen services slashed.
• Evening Standard comment: Government must get a grip on Southern fiascoCommuters who rely on Southern rail services are a long-suffering bunch. To deal with unacceptable rates of ad-hoc cancellations and regular delays the firm introduced a reduced timetable last month in a bid to make the trains it does run more reliable. Some routes have seen significant cuts to services — one has been written off entirely. Today, the chief executive of Southern's parent company Govia Thameslink admits he cannot say when the full timetable will be restored.
• Fenchurch Street station evacuated as armed police called to 'man on c2c train with knife'Hundreds of commuters were cleared from Fenchurch Street station this evening after a passenger reported a man armed with a knife on board one of the trains.
• Boy who visited all London's Tube stations in a day raises �30,000A teenager who tried to visit all 270 Tube stations in a single day has smashed his fundraising target after �30,000 was donated.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• How did Coast Road and A19 cope with first day of work on Silverlink roundabout?Speed limits have been reduced to 30mph on the approaches to the junction as work begins on a triple-decker roundabout

Sheffield Telegraph

• South Yorkshire commuters face more London rail chaosNetwork Rail bosses confirm bridge repairs affecting Sheffield and Doncaster services to the capital will continue ‘for days’.

Bucks Free Press

• Teenager visits every tube station in a day in memory of brother A 13-year old boy completed a challenge to visit all 270 London Underground stops in memory of his brother.

Burnley Express

• Cyclists urged to ‘lock it or lose it’Police are urging cyclists to keep their bikes safe after figures revealed more than £1.8m worth of cycles were stolen across the county last year.

Other Regional Press

• Teams appointed to carry out bus station visionDesign and build teams have been appointed to deliver the refurbishment and redevelopment of Preston Bus Station and the new Preston Youth Zone.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Kampa-Noise Reduction and Rail Infrastructure Optimisation Solutions Kampa supplies innovative products for rail infrastructure and rolling stock applications.
• Services between London and East Midlands disrupted by bridge collapseA bridge has partially collapsed on to the tracks at Barrow Upon Soar, disrupting East Midlands Trains services to London. The collapse means the line is currently closed between Leicester and Loughborough, cancelling trains between London St Pancras and stations north of Leicester and causing...
• ScotRail offers conductors on electrified services in RMT disputeEfforts to resolve the ongoing industrial dispute on ScotRail services have taken a step forward as the company made a new offer to RMT. ScotRail has offered to guarantee a conductor with power to operate doors on any ScotRail EMU services that operate on routes that are being electrified, now...
• GTR PPM recovers in P4, but still below other companiesGovia Thameslink Railway (GTR) had the worst performance and punctuality measure (PPM) score of all UK rail companies for the third month running, although it has slightly recovered from last month. GTR’s PPM was at 70.4% in 26 June – 23 July (period 4), a 17% decrease from 82.5% at...
• HS1 'exceeds expectations' in performance, says ORRHS1 met or exceeded targets on delays and financial performance, according to the annual report from the ORR. The report says that just 0.44% of delays on the network between St Pancras and the Channel Tunnel were entirely attributable to HS1, which has a 30-year contract to operate the...

Railnews

• Midland Main Line disrupted by bridge collapse The Midland Main Line has been closed between Leicester and Loughborough, because the line is blocked by the partial collapse of a bridge over the line at Barrow upon Soar. Network Rail engineers are at the scene, but the closure could last for some time. No trains are running between Loughborough and Leicester, and the site of the incident has also effectively blocked the alternative route south of Loughborough via Melton Mowbray and Corby to Kettering and London.
• Change at the top for Network Rail Wales Network Rail's new managing director in Wales has started work. Andy Thomas has joined NR from the Keolis Group where he was managing director for Hyderbad Mass Transit Metro in India. He replaces interim managing director Paul McMahon, who had been in charge of the route for almost a year.

Railway Gazette

• ‘Brexit’ uncertainty hits Eurostar businessEUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar has reported a ‘challenging’ second...

Aviation Industry

• Luton airport extends free wifi accessPassengers can now get the complimentary service for up to four hours
• Lufthansa eyes cost cuts after attacks hit long-haul bookingsAirline group warns of cut in winter schedule
• Flybe signs Air Berlin codeshare dealCode placed on routes to Germany from Birmingham, Doncaster, Cardiff Manchester and Southampton
• Icelandair offers bookings through Facebook MessengerLatest example in the rising trend of ‘conversational commerce’

Green Miscellany

• Pop-up zebra crossingEvery child has the right to cross to school in safety. We want to ensure that every school can get a designated safe crossing on any road on which it has an entrance. It’s the reason we developed our pop-up zebra crossing and why we took it to St Peter’s School in Portslade to help with their own campaign to… The post Pop-up zebra crossing appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• FTA calls for action after chainsaw threat to driver in CalaisA truck driver was threatened with a chainsaw during a night of violence in Calais which the Freight Transport Association (FTA) fears could ...
• Bus drivers vote to strike BUS drivers have voted in favour of strike action in a further blow to Sussex commuters.