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

Friday, 16 December 2016

BBC News

• Merseyrail bosses to discuss replacing train fleetTransport bosses are to meet later to decide whether to replace Merseyrail's entire train fleet.
• ScotRail punctuality fails to improveThe punctuality of ScotRail trains has not improved over the past four weeks, according to the latest figures.
• Night Tube service to begin on London's Piccadilly LineThe Piccadilly Line will become the latest route to begin a Night Tube service later.
• Southern rail row: Train drivers' strike halts servicesTrain drivers walk out on the troubled Southern rail network for a third day this week after talks fail to bring a resolution.
• Uber told to stop self-driving in CaliforniaRide-sharing firm Uber is told to stop offering passengers self-driving cars in San Francisco.
• Why aren't there more female pilots?Easyjet CEO calls on the aviation industry to address gender stereotyping
• Southern rail strike: Angry commuters protest at DoTPassengers protest outside Department for Transport over Southern rail strike; one says it four hours to travel home.
• Go-Ahead warns of Southern Rail strike impactGo-Ahead warns its rail division will miss full-year financial forecasts because of strike action on Southern Rail.
• Easyjet wants more women in the cockpitEasyjet says it has doubled the number of female pilots this year and wants to recruit more.
• Southern rail dispute talks end with no dealTalks aimed at stopping industrial action on the Southern rail network have ended with no deal, the rail operator says.

Financial Times

• Public finance sought for Welsh nuclear plantHitachi in talks over state funding for Wylfa in Anglesey
• Go Ahead warns on higher cost of Southern strikesOperator of London rail route is entering second day of talks with drivers’ union
• HS2 head appointed Gatwick airport chairmanSir David Higgins, formerly of Network Rail, will retain role on high-speed line
• EasyJet aims for one in five pilots to be female by 2020Women under-represented across the industry, accounting for 3% of total
• Technology, trains and the power of unionsConductors are a relic of the past; driver-only services are the future
• Southern rail strike goes ahead as talks failCommuters face fresh misery on Friday after failure to resolve drivers’ dispute
• London transport hopes face budget brakeNetwork trying to juggle greater austerity and mayor’s ambitions

The Guardian

• The Guardian view on self-driving cars: apply the brakes | EditorialThe big questions are less technological than societal. The answers will need consensus and debate rather than just more engineering improvementsThe decision by authorities in California to halt ride-hailing company Uber from operating a fleet of self-driving cars on the streets of San Francisco is a welcome move. Technology must not race ahead of the society in which it was created. It did not help that Uber’s cars were filmed jumping red lights. It’s not just that the values embedded in the car’s computer system appear skewed. Regulators said Uber did not have the right permits to test “auto...
• New map reveals shattering effect of roads on natureRampant road building has split the Earth’s land into 600,000 fragments, most of which are too tiny to support significant wildlife, study showsRampant road building has shattered the Earth’s land into 600,000 fragments, most of which are too tiny to support significant wildlife, a new study has revealed.The researchers warn roadless areas are disappearing and that urgent action is needed to protect these last wildernesses, which help provide vital natural services to humanity such as clean water and air. Continue reading...
• With Trump and Uber, the driverless future could turn into a nightmare | John HarrisThe automation revolution is no longer a sci-fi dream – but millions of jobs may go, fuelling yet more alienation and dismayThe future is here – not in the shape of Facebook, Twitter and all the rest, but in a drastic change to one of civilisation’s basic requirements: getting humans from place to place. On Wednesday, Uber added a second American city to an experiment that will soon expand: having already done so in Pittsburgh, it transported paying customers around San Francisco in cabs whose every move was controlled by computer. Related: Uber riders in Pittsburgh can hail self-driving Ford ...
• Transport secretary Chris Grayling knocks over cyclist as he opens car door – videoExclusive footage obtained by the Guardian shows the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, knocking a cyclist off his bike when opening the door of his ministerial car near the Houses of Parliament.

The Herald

• Keith Brown asks ACAS to help Queensferry crossing low pay probeEconomy Secretary Keith Brown will ask an arbitration service to work with the lead contractor building the Queensferry Crossing, Transport Scotland and a construction union to investigate allegations of low pay on the �1.4 billion project.
• £3m package unveiled to help pay for reductions in rail faresAROUND £3 million of targeted rail fare reductions announced in the Budget is a thank you to passengers for their “patience”, the Finance Secretary said.

The Scotsman

• Passengers pan British Airways as strike threat loomsTroubled British Airways has been given the thumbs down by customers in an annual airline satisfaction survey.
• Queensferry Crossing low pay probe moves forwardEconomy Secretary Keith Brown will ask an arbitration service to work with the lead contractor building the Queensferry Crossing, Transport Scotland and a construction union to investigate allegations of low pay on the £1.4 billion project.

The Telegraph

• Southern rail strike: conductors against driver-only trains 'because they earn �2,000 in commission from on-board ticket sales'

Daily Record

• MSP writes to Scotrail to try and solve train service problem in CoatbridgeFULTON MacGregor MSP has contacted the company's Managing Director in hope of solving the issue he claims is becoming 'substantially worse'.
• ScotRail bosses defend under-fire franchise after delays and overcrowded trains in East KilbrideTHE East Kilbride News was invited to the West of Scotland Signalling Centre to discuss commuters concerns regarding the Abellio-operated service.

Bristol Live

• Boss of Bristol Airport demands better transport links The chief executive of Bristol Airport has called on the Government to improve its transport links.

Manchester Evening News

• The nightmare before Christmas as part of city centre closes for Ordsall Chord rail worksBrace yourselves for city centre disruption as Ordsall Chord is knocked into shape

Wales Online

• One of Wales' fastest growing firms Starc on track for further growth after being acquiredLowery has acquired a 75% stake in Cardiff-based Starc whose clients include Network Rail
• A company linked to London commuter chaos on Southern Rail wants to run train services in WalesKeolisAmey is one of four preferred bidders for the next Wales and Borders rail franchise

Yorkshire Post

• YP Letters: Virgin has improved East Coast rail servicesFrom: David Horne, Managing Director, Virgin Trains East Coast, Skeldergate, York.

Other Regional Press

• Milford Haven waterway plans moving forwardTHE continued investment in the Port of Milford Haven was highlighted during a recent visit of Wale's Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure.
• New £50m link road connects Carmarthen with the west A NEW £50 million road that provides a "key link" between West Wales and Carmarthen has officially opened.
• £50m Ceredigion link road opened by minister Ken Skate, completing stretch between Post Bach and Synod Inn
• Bus users are voiceless in Scotland’s deepening transport crisis‘BELEAGUERED’ is a well-worn piece of journalese that’s thrown at most government ministers at some point in their career.
• Transport minister to reveal £3m rail fare reduction schemeHumza Yousaf will explain details of the plans aimed at ScotRail passengers.

Rail Magazine

• Orange army railway workers release Christmas song​A gang of singing railway workers today made a rowdy bid to top the Christmas pop charts.

Rail Technology Magazine

• France to (Finally) Get Wi-Fi on Trains French national train operator SNCF has today officially launched passenger Wi-Fi services on its high-speed Paris-Lyon route.
• Southern in line for more strikes as talks break downSouthern passengers have been warned to expect another day of cancelled services as talks between parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Aslef failed to avert a strike. GTR resumed talks with the union yesterday after a 48-hour Aslef drivers’ strike forced the operator to cancel...

Railnews

• Southern DOO talks break down More disruption on Southern is now inevitable after talks at ACAS over the driver-only operation dispute broke down on Thursday afternoon, with both sides remaining deadlocked. ASLEF, which represents almost 1,000 Southern drivers, began the talks at ACAS with Govia Thameslink Railway yesterday, while Southern services had been halted by the second of three 24-hour drivers' strikes called this week. Another strike is now set to go ahead tomorrow. GTR said it was 'deeply disappointed'.

Aviation Industry

• Thomas Cook pilot wins fatigue tribunal caseA UK airline captain has accepted an apology from his employer, which initially sanctioned him for refusing to fly because he said he was fatigued. read more
• Lufthansa acquires Brussels Airlines, to become part of EurowingsLufthansa Group has taken over 100% of SN Airholding, the parent company of Brussels Airlines, in a deal to fully integrate the Belgian carrier into Lufthansa’s Eurowings Group in 2018. read more
• Bombardier 2017 guidance aims for 50% earnings growthBombardier issued the company’s 2017 guidance Dec. 15, aiming for consolidated EBIT before special items in the $530 million-$630 million range, a 50% increase over 2016, in the coming year. read more

Other News Sources

• Decision due on new Merseyrail trainsA decision on whether the Liverpool City Region will get a brand new fleet of trains is due today (16 December).
• Southern Rail strike: Angry commuters march to Department for Transport demanding answers The Association of British Commuters has said the government is failing to respond to the Southern Rail disputes with two unions
• Dangerous game of 'chicken' at Ashtead level crossing prompts safety warningNetwork Rail has received two reports of children playing the game in the past 12 months
• One in five ScotRail trains now lateScotRail's performance has fallen
• NATS to provide voice comms system for Bristol AirportAir navigation services provider NATS has won a new contract to design and deliver a new voice communications system at Bristol Airport.
• Tackling the spread of pathogens in transport hubsTransportation plays an important role in the spread of infectious diseases, as the continued growth in global travel facilitates the spread of pathogens.
• Deborah Saunt joins Independent Transport CommissionDeborah Saunt, founding director of Deborah Saunt David Hills Architects (DSDHA), has become a member of the Independent Transport Commission (ITC)
• MULTIBILLION-POUND INVESTMENT PLANNED IN WELSH TRANSPORTPlans have been revealed for a multibillion-pound investment in transport infrastructure by the Welsh Government, said to represent the biggest since devolution.
• London Stansted Airport unveils plans for new �130 million arrivals building London Stansted Airport has unveiled plans for a new �130 million arrivals building to significantly improve the passenger experience. The building is the latest phase in the multi-million pound transformation programme by MAG to support future growth at the airport and attract new passengers and airlines.