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

Tuesday, 01 November 2016

BBC News

• MSPs to study British Transport Police merger plansMSPs are to question police chiefs about plans to absorb transport policing into Police Scotland.
• Swiss railway ticket machines to sell Bitcoin digital currencySwitzerland's national rail service will begin selling the digital currency Bitcoin at ticket machines.
• Wrightbus to buy Gallahers' Ballymena tobacco factory siteThe 100-acre JTI Gallahers factory site in Ballymena is to be bought by Wrightbus in a deal set to complete early next year.
• Translink seeks opinions on new transport hub for Belfast city centreTranslink is consulting the public on proposals for a new transport hub in Belfast city centre.
• Forged rail tickets sold on 'dark web', BBC investigation revealsForged rail tickets are being sold on the
• Heathrow Airport noise complaint every five minutesHeathrow Airport receives a noise complaint on average every five minutes, according to official data.
• Greg Clark stands by refusal to publish Nissan letterThe business secretary defends his decision not to publish his letter containing

Financial Times

• Japanese groups to combine container ship unitsDeal comes amid brutal industry conditions, including the bankruptcy of Hanjin
• Japanese shipping: just another listNews on JV made some waves but it is too early to expect smooth sailing
• Atlantia criticises ‘immature’ US toll road marketChief says political interference and regulatory fragmentation are harming sector

The Guardian

• The battle over Uber and driverless cars is really a debate about the future of humanity | Paul MasonUber drivers were right to claim employment rights. But in a world where driverless cars may soon make them redundant, we face long-term dilemmas about the systems we choose Sometime during the 21st century you will stagger out of a club at 3am and hail a taxi. The vehicle, no longer allowed to loiter in busy areas, will pop out of a stack nearby, find its way to you and honk. You and your drunk companions will stammer out your destinations until they flash up correctly on a screen. And you will glide home, staring enviously at the few people still allowed to drive: emergency service people an...

The Herald

• Stuart Patrick: Heathrow option offers 'ready access to an expanding long-haul route network'Last week the UK Government approved the proposal for a third runway at Heathrow. It is a decision that Glasgow Chamber of Commerce supports.
• Government declines to publish letter to Nissan bosses over Sunderland plantThe Government will not publish the letter it sent to Nissan which led to the car manufacturer's decision to pour new investment into its Sunderland plant, Greg Clark has signalled.
• Train driver escapes being hit by London-Inverness train 'by three seconds'A TRAIN driver came within three seconds of being struck by an Inverness-bound passenger train travelling at 105mph after a trainee signaller mistakenly left a track open.

Times Online

• Off track: new Borders line is among worst performing railways in country [subscription]The new Borders railway service has been blighted by cancellations, delays and unreliable trains in its first year, according to a new report.

Reuters News

• UK minister says told Nissan he will emphasise common ground with EULONDON (Reuters) - The British government made several assurances to Japanese carmaker Nissan before last week's announcement it would build two new models in Britain, business minister Greg Clark said on Monday.

City AM

• Heathrow expansion will gift the whole UK a skills renaissance - Lord BlunkettI’m very pleased to have been invited to chair the Heathrow Skills Taskforce, and to take on the challenge of developing the skills needed to make Heathrow expansion an inclusive training and employment opportunity for Britain as a whole.

Daily Express

• Heathrow begins pumping millions into uk supply chain after expansion backingA MULTIMILLION-pound boost to UK businesses was triggered by the Government's backing for Heathrow expansion, according to the airport.

The Mirror

• Driver seen cowering next to rail line after diving out of way of oncoming 105mph train The unnnamed Virgin East Coast employee was investigating a power failure on his train when the huge convoy came flying towards him
• Airline customers call for lighter ban after passenger 'set fire to hands and tried to burn steward's face' People are demanding stricter rules after the Birmingham-bound flight was forced to turn back to Tenerife causing a seven hour delay

Sky News

• Heathrow begins spending on building third runwayIt is estimated 2,700 jobs will be created through the process of investing millions into the airport's supply chain.

Belfast Telegraph

• Wrightbus buys former JTI Gallaher site in BallymenaThe Ballymena bus maker is taking on the 100-acre site, which it says will be available in mid-2017.

London Evening Standard

• Nick Clegg: Zac Goldsmith flouncing out over Heathrow is just an empty gestureThe MP for Richmond Park had little influence in the Tory party and, if re-elected, will now have even less
• Southern Rail bosses issue ultimatum to staff planning further strikes: 'Sign new contracts or you're out'Southern Rail bosses issued an ultimatum to 400 train guards planning further strikes to call off the action and sign new deals - or they will have effectively sacked themselves.

The York Press

• 105mph train nearly struck driver A TRAIN driver was nearly struck by a high speed train travelling at 105mph while investigating a fault near York.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• 'HS2 will open up more than a high speed line' says the boss heading multi-billion pound projectIn Staffordshire, HS2’s connection to the West Coast Main Line provides the opportunity for communities beyond our major cities – such as in Stafford and Wolverhampton – to capitalise on the benefits of high speed rail.

Yorkshire Post

• Michael Dugher: Why Heathrow is a vital global gateway for Yorkshire AS much as Zac Goldsmith might think otherwise, the decision over Heathrow Airport matters just as much to Richmond in Yorkshire as it does to Richmond in London.
• Criticism for HS2’s ‘phantom Yorkshire figures’CAMPAIGNERS HAVE accused the Government of creating “phantom figures for a zombie project” as they hit back at claims that high-speed rail will boost Yorkshire’s economy with thousands of jobs and millions of pounds of investment.
• YP Letters: Leeds needs proper leadership to solve its transport issuesFrom: Thomas Harvey, Ilkley.

Buying Business Travel

• Aeroflot reports sharp rise in passenger trafficRussian airline Aeroflot has seen a sharp increase in passenger traffic for the first nine months of 2016.
• Norwegian launches ‘UK’s cheapest’ flight to Las VegasNorwegian claims to have launched the UK’s cheapest flight to Las Vegas

Rail Technology Magazine

• RMT to ballot Piccadilly Line drivers over 'wholesale relations breakdown'RMT will ballot over 400 Piccadilly Line drivers on a proposed strike, alleging there has been a “wholesale breakdown in industrial relations” with London Underground (LU). The union accused LU of failing to properly administer its signal passed at danger policy, threatening...
• GTR to retract �2,000 offer if RMT doesn't call off strikeAn offer to try to resolve the industrial dispute between Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and the RMT is due to be withdrawn if the union goes ahead with a strike on Friday. Andy Bindon, human resources director at GTR, said that the offer, which includes a £2,000 lump sum for affected...
• New exit opened as part of Birmingham New Street redevelopmentThe £750m redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station has neared completion as a new pedestrian exit opened. The southern hub will provide exit-only access to Hill Street from all platforms via the Navigation Street footbridge. Earlier this month, the refurbishment of platform 11 was...
• Liverpool leaders call for �15bn boost from HS2 and HS3 linksLiverpool should have connections to both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) said today. New research commissioned by LCRCA shows that the high-speed rail links could deliver a £15bn boost to the economy, as well as 20,000 jobs, 10,000 homes...
• Maynard confirms Halton Curve will reopen at end of 2018The Halton Curve is expected to reopen when timetables change in December 2018, rail minister Paul Maynard confirmed today. The 1.5-mile line from Frodsham Junction to Halton Junction has been essentially closed since 1975, with one northbound service a week remaining to avoid the costs of a...

Railway Gazette

• Vossloh names Busemann CEOAndreas Busemann is set to take over as CEO of Vossloh AG for a three-year term, with effect from...
• Rail to gain from G�teborg intermodal terminal relocationSWEDEN: Port authority G�teborgs Hamn expects rail market share to grow from early 2018 when the...

Aviation Industry

• Delta, Virgin Atlantic, Jet Airways to expand codeshare from HeathrowAtlanta-based Delta Air Lines and joint venture partner Virgin Atlantic will expand the airlines’ existing cooperation agreement with India’s Jet Airways, the carriers announced Oct. 31. read more

Other News Sources

• Donald MacLeod: Heathrow terminal disaster is vandalism on an industrial scalePlane stupid? Another expensive Government flight of fancy? Or a job-creating runway to success which will see our post-Brexit economy soar?