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

Tuesday, 09 August 2016

BBC News

• 'We have done our best,' says rail bossGovia Thameslink chief exec Charles Horton says changes are needed to improve services
• IPPR urges government to prioritise HS3 linkA high-speed rail link between major northern cities should take priority over the HS2 line between London and the Midlands, a think tank says.
• Southern rail strike: Union 'genuinely sorry'The RMT union's Paul Cox says Southern rail strike is about safety not jobs
• Southern rail strike: Passengers face second day of 'misery'Hundreds more trains are cancelled as the RMT union enters the second day of a five-day strike on Southern railway.
• Southern rail strikeThousands of Southern rail passengers face disruption, but what are your rights if you are caught up in the chaos?
• Delta: Power cut strands thousands of passengersThousands of passengers around the world are left stranded after a power cut forces US airline Delta to suspend flights.
• Southern rail strike: Five-day walkout beginsThe prime minister

Financial Times

• Airbus probe set to change Boeing rivalryInvestigation by UK anti-fraud agency could lead to a reduction in use of middlemen to win contracts
• Southern Rail strike starts after talks failConductors walk out from early hours of Monday
• May condemns Southern rail strike, commuters hitGovia says it operated 88.5% of reduced timetable on Monday
• Delta resumes flights after IT problemsUS carrier blames power troubles in Atlanta after grounding planes globally

The Telegraph

• MP calls for new Sea Marshal force to protect British ferry passengers�

Times Online

• Never again should commuters be held to ransom by unions [subscription]There should be no-strike deals for vital strategic industries
• Hedge fund boss backs Heathrow Hub [Subscription]The key investor in an alternative Heathrow expansion plan that avoids building a new runway has been named as one of London’s most successful multimillionaire hedge fund managers.

City AM

• City chief backs Heathrow Hub for air expansion in the south eastA top hedge fund boss has put his weight behind plans to extend Heathrow's northern runway in order to expand aviation capacity in the south east.

Mail Online

• Gang jailed over attempt to stage Arriva bus crash for cash Leeds Crown Court heard the 19 gang members boarded the Arriva bus on a rarely-used stop at Ferrybridge as the vehicle travelled between Knottingley and Wakefield in West Yorkshire.
• Southern Rail commuters face the longest strike in 50 years starting today� The misery, which has already gone on for months, could worsen as the TSSA and�drivers' union Aslef ballot to join the�Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) in industrial action.

The Mirror

• British Airways jet attacked with laser pen as pilot prepares to land at Heathrow Airport Flight BA759 from Bergen in Norway was targeted by the green laser on at 9.20pm on Monday evening - raising fresh safety fears

Sky News

• City Chief Is Mystery Heathrow Hub BackerA Marshall Wace hedge fund manager is the biggest investor in a scheme to extend one of Heathrow's runways, Sky News can reveal.

Liverpool Echo

• Andrew Percy: the Foundry worker's son in charge of the Northern PowerhouseAndrew Percy is the country’s new Minister for the Northern Powerhouse. He was appointed to the role by Theresa May shortly after she took over at Number 10. Relatively unknown among MPs, Mr Percy’s appointment also comes in the wake of the demotion of former Chancellor George Osborne, who was the principal driving force behind the Northern Powerhouse idea.

London Evening Standard

• Passengers forced to flee London commuter train after 'smoke fills carriage'Passengers were forced to flee a busy London commuter train this evening following reports a fire had broken out on board.
• Southern Rail strike: ‘Business as usual’, say hardened commuters as misery continues with walkoutThe franchise is running just 60 per cent of normal services with hundreds of cancellations on 15 routes as the industrial dispute over driver-only trains rages on.

Wales Online

• Work gets underway on Fiddler's Elbow bridge as three-month road closure begins Video shows major roadworks affecting traffic around the A470 which began on Monday

East Anglian Daily Times

• Fire alarm causes train delaysA fire alarm caused delays for early-morning rail commuters in Suffolk and Essex today.

Other Regional Press

• Steam train could have started huge field fire A steam train could have started a huge field fire near the heritage railway line in Chinnor.
• Fire crews called to Northfleet Railway StationPassengers have described the moment a carriage filled with thick smoke after a train 'hit an object on the tracks' and caught fire this evening.
• UPDATE:Bus drivers back on the picket lines for new 'Poverty Pay' strikes with more next week (& here's the emergency timetable) First bus drivers from Weymouth and Bridport are back on the picket lines today.

Bus and Coach.com

• Wrightbus extends electric options with new 10.6m StreetAir EV DF

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Logistics firms face ongoing driver retention concernsTransport operators continue to face driver retention concerns, new data has revealed. Logistics Manager reports new research published as part of the Close Brothers Business Barometer for the last 12 months has highlighted the issue of driver retention as among the top issues to face the sector at present, with an average level of driver turnover in the UK of 20 per cent. Overall, 31 per cent of respondents to the survey said they find it difficult to retain professional drivers after completing their training, while 25 per cent lamented an ongoing lack of suitably qualified drivers to fill k...

Rail Magazine

• LM and Transport for West Midlands sign partnership dealTransport for West Midlands (TfWM) and London Midland (LM) agree new 45-point plan to improve rail services in the region.

Rail Technology Magazine

• RMT's five-day strike on Southern startsThe RMT’s five-day strike in the bitter dispute with Southern over plans to expand driver-operated only (DOO) services has started today. Hundreds of thousands of commuters will be affected by the action, which is the longest rail strike since 1968. Under a revised timetable, the operator...

Railnews

• Tempers shorten as five-day strike starts on Southern The longest strike yet in the driver-only operation dispute on Southern has begun, and RMT conductors are set to maintain their walkout until midnight on Friday. Tempers are shortening on all sides. Southern said it was 'deeply disappointed and angry on behalf of our passengers', but the RMT accused the Department for Transport of acting behind the scenes to sabotage the talks. Southern said there are no trains at all on some routes, while services will cease by 18.00 on others.

Aviation Industry

• 50 reasons why Britain doesn’t need a new runway: AEF campaign launchesOnce Parliamentary recess ends, Prime Minister Theresa May is going to be under intense pressure from the aviation industry to back a new runway at Heathrow or Gatwick with the decision expected to be made in September or October. AEF …
• Delta flights resume after computer glitchDelta Air Lines said departures have resumed following an early morning power outage at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Aug 8. that impacted Delta’s computer systems and operations worldwide, affecting thousands of passengers. read more
• Malaysia Airlines appoints new CCOMalaysia Airlines has appointed Arved von zur Muehlen as CCO, effective Sept. 5, succeeding Paul Simmons who will be leaving in mid-September. read more
• Airberlin to introduce business class on European routesAirberlin and its Austria-based subsidiary FlyNiki will introduce business class on German domestic and European flights this year. read more
• UK airline Jet2 curtails alcohol salesUK low-cost airline Jet2 is to ban alcohol sales on early morning departures as it seeks to tackle unruly onboard behavior. read more
• Virgin America posts $38 million 2Q net profitUS airline Virgin America reported a $38.1 million net profit for the 2016 second quarter, down 41.4% from a $65 million net profit in 2Q 2015. read more
• Lufthansa reports near-miss with UAV in MunichGermany’s Lufthansa has confirmed an incident involving a near-miss between an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone, and a Lufthansa Airbus A321 on approach to Munich Airport Aug. 4. read more
• Boeing July commercial orders tally neared $9 billionUS manufacturer Boeing booked firm orders for 73 commercial aircraft from four airlines, one lessor and five unidentified customers in July, valued at approximately $8.86 billion at list prices. read more

Other News Sources

• Rail walk-out set to rock economy BUSINESS experts have warned of the devastating impact on the economy as commuters endured the first day of the week-long rail strike.