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

Thursday, 01 September 2016

BBC News

• German station resorts to window access after mix-upRail passengers in a German town are flabbergasted after being told to climb through their local station's windows to get onto the platform because of a planning mix-up.
• Sussex MPs seek Southern rail answers on strike buses and timetableHome Secretary Amber Rudd has written to Southern rail calling for "adequate" bus replacement services to be provided in Sussex during the next RMT strike.
• Transport authority given 'wider remit' despite protestPlans to give Transport for Edinburgh (TfE) more powers have been given the go-head despite objections from Lothian Buses staff.
• Southeastern rail commuters face hour-long London delaysCommuters from Kent and Sussex into London are left frustrated on their journeys to work amid hour-long delays on Wednesday.
• Beijing and Shanghai ban electric scooters and segways on roadsChina's two biggest cities ban the use of electric scooters and segways on public roads because of growing safety concerns.
• Jet2.com to create almost 1,000 new jobsThe airline Jet2.com says it will create almost 1,000 new jobs as part of a recruitment drive.
• Joe Sutter, 'Father of the Boeing 747', diesJoe Sutter, the man who led development of Boeing's 747 jumbo jet, the plane that ushered in the long-haul travel era, has died aged 95.
• US airlines given go-ahead for Havana flightsThe US government gives approval to eight airlines for commercial flights to Havana in a further expansion of travel to the Communist country.

ITV News

• New Rail Central plans unveiledCampaigners in Northamptonshire claim new pictures of a controversial rail depot don't show the full impact the development will have on the countryside.

Financial Times

• BA halves business-only flights to NYNew entrant Odyssey Airlines plans to launch rival service

The Guardian

• Engine failures on 787 Dreamliners prompt ANA to refit entire fleetJapanese airline will replace 100 Rolls-Royce engines after cracking and corrosion of turbine blades led to aborted flights and cancellationsThe Japanese airline ANA has said it will replace all 100 Rolls-Royce engines on its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners after three engine failures in 2016 caused by corrosion and cracking of turbine blades. The world’s largest 787 operator said all 50 of its 787s would receive engines fitted with new blades, a process that could take up to three years. Continue reading...

Times Online

• We want more cycle lanes not honours, say Olympians [subscription]Team GB’s world-beating cyclists from the Rio Olympics have written to Theresa May to demand that 5 per cent of the transport budget be spent on cycle lanes on Britain’s roads.

City AM

• Jeremy Corbyn’s traingate tiff with Virgin East Coast over lack of seats put transport issues on the mapThe bizarre story of Jeremy Corbyn’s attempt to find a seat on a Virgin East Coast service to Newcastle has dominated the news agenda over the past week.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• First vehicles from collapsed Wrexham coach firm GHA sold at auction A total of 200 buses and coaches will be sold, with funds raised going towards paying back the company’s creditors

London Evening Standard

• Sadiq Khan rides Crossrail as half of the track now completed [video]London’s “landmark” new Elizabeth line reached a fresh milestone today as Sadiq Khan became the first VIP passenger to take a trip between stations.
• Victoria Line suspended after 'fire alert' at Kings CrossTube services on the Victoria Line were suspended after "black smog filled a platform" at Kings Cross.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• A Durham MP is among those making the most of first class journeys in 2015-16, new data has shownA North East MP features in a list of politicians who are most addicted to first-class train travel.

The York Press

• 400 miles of roads resurfaced in North Yorkshire this month HUNDREDS of miles of roads in rural North Yorkshire are being resurfaced in the county’s largest ever road improvements programme.

Wales Online

• Train operators are trying out a new queuing method for major events in Cardiff which will see passengers have to walk to Queen StreetValley Lines passengers are going to leave from Queen Street instead of Central as rail bosses try out new queuing system
• Illegal levels of air pollution have been recorded in ALL of WalesA Government report found illegally high levels of nitrogen dioxide that can cause respiratory illnesses and heart failure

Burnley Express

• Level crossing problems affect trains between Burnley and Colne REPLACEMENT bus services have been drafted in after a problem with a level crossing between Burnley Central and Colne railway stations.

Daventry Express

• More seats, free wifi and more ticket options in future for passengers using Long Buckby StationThe Government has set out its plans for the new franchise that will run the Birmingham to London services, including trains to Long Buckby and Northampton.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Jeremy Corbyn’s train-gate has overshadowed any real debate on transportI now have first-hand experience of Jeremy Corbyn’s “Virgin train-gate” nightmare after making a bank holiday return trip from London to Newcastle.

Other Regional Press

• Transport app could help solve Oxfordshire's traffic problems, say entrepreneurs THEIR technical wizardry helped ensure the Tube ran smoothly during the London 2012 Olympics – and now they've been enlisted to help Oxfordshire.
• Strike action considered at Lothian BusesTRADE union members at the country’s biggest municipal bus company, Lothian Buses, may be set to take strike action that could cripple Edinburgh’s public transport.
• 'Boaty McBoatface' will have parts made in Teesside after local firm secures deal“Boaty McBoatface” will be powered by thrusters made by a Teesside engineering firm under a deal bringing more jobs to the area.

Buying Business Travel

• Trade unions urge PM to back HeathrowTrade unions urge PM to back Heathrow
• O’Leary wants three new London runwaysRyanair boss makes call ahead of 2017 summer schedule announcement
• Frankfurt airport security scare causes flight disruptionPolice evacuate terminal after passenger breaches security checks

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• More benefits for West Midlands' passengers as rail contract goes to tenderRail passengers will enjoy extra capacity, more frequent services and free Wi-Fi under a new, locally managed rail network for the West Midlands. A wide range of passenger benefits have been included in a ground breaking document which lays out the minimum specifications to be met by whichever train operator wins the next West Midlands franchise due to start in October 2017. The Invitation to Tender document and the passenger improvements it contains has been drawn up by the Department for Transport (DfT) in collaboration with West Midlands Rail (WMR), a consortium of all 14 metropolitan, shi...

Rail Magazine

• GWR electrification uncertainty raises timetable issuesAbility of GWR's '800' bi-modes to meet current and future timetables is under scrutiny by the operator, due to their maximum speed in diesel mode of 100mph.

Rail Technology Magazine

• DfT issues West Midlands franchise ITT The DfT has issued the invitation to tender (ITT) for the West Midlands rail franchise, which is due to start in October 2017. The West Midlands franchise covers local and inter-regional services centred on Birmingham and along the West Coast Main Line.  The West Midlands franchise...
• Virtual reality modelling 'at the core' of Liverpool Lime Street redesignThe Liverpool Lime Street station redevelopment is the first rail project in the UK to use a “virtual reality model at its core”, according to Network Rail. The infrastructure owner says the use of 4D modelling to prepare for the station work, which will begin in 2017, will reduce...

Aviation Industry

• China Airlines to start A350 XWB flights to Europe in JanuaryTaipei-based China Airlines, which expects to take delivery of its first Airbus A350 XWB by the end of September, will launch its first nonstop service to Europe on Jan. 9, 2017, the China Airlines’ Vienna office confirmed to ATW. read more
• UPS pilots ratify new labor contractUPS Airlines pilots have ratified a new, five-year labor contract by an overwhelming vote. read more

Other News Sources

• Transport body given more powers amid Lothian Buses concernsCouncillors have approved the move despite union concerns it will spell an end to public ownership.