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

Thursday, 22 December 2016

BBC News

• Bus services get cash boost after GHA Coaches collapseBus services in north east Wales hit by the collapse of a coach firm will be boosted by a grant of £300,000 from the Welsh Government.
• 'Silver Shadow' surfed on 75mph Merseyrail train roofPolice hunt for a man caught surfing on top of a train travelling at up to 75mph in Merseyside.
• 'Please offer me a seat' Tube badges rolled out on TfLTransport for London rolls out
• Sadiq Khan announces new London bus drivers pay dealLondon mayor Sadiq Khan has announced the capital's 25,000 bus drivers will receive a starting salary of £23,000 a year.
• Southern Rail hit by delay... on roadSouthern Rail faced an unexpected delay - when a lorry transporting a carriage got stuck on a road.
• Uber halts California self-driving cars testUber halts its self-driving car pilot in San Francisco after regulators say it needs a special permit.
• Car clampings for unpaid tax are up 80% in two yearsClamping of cars for non-payment of vehicle tax has soared since the paper tax disc was scrapped.

Financial Times

• Car output rises 12.8% to 17-year high in NovemberSome 78% of vehicles made in 2016 were exported despite Brexit uncertainty
• Irish airlines face €16m bill from ECJ for illegal state aidAer Lingus and Ryanair obtained state aid after introduction of air travel tax
• Uber self-driving car registrations revokedBlow to transport company after permit battle over its 16 autonomous vehicles

The Telegraph

• Rail road chaos: Southern Rail train causes delays after lorry carrying it gets stuck

Times Online

• John Laing Infrastructure is safe and reliable: what’s not to like? [subscription]Once upon a time there were three creatures called roscos, or rolling stock leasing companies, which under the arrangements put in place at the time of the rail privatisation owned the trains that were leased to the operators. These turned out to be spectacularly good investments, if not so great for the public purse, which may explain why the current crop of big rail projects is being done rather differently.

Reuters News

• UK prepares tighter laws on drones after air safety scaresLONDON (Reuters) - The British government is preparing to tighten drone regulations after a series of near-misses with passenger planes over the last two years and growing concern about their use near prisons.

Mail Online

• Train surfer called the Silver Shadow caught on CCTV riding carriage roof in Birkenhead The man, who is thought to be in his 20s, was captured on camera lying on the roof of the train after squeezing in between two carriages at Rock Ferry station in Birkenhead and climbing to the top.
• DVLA car clampings double after tax discs are axed Some of those clamped said blame lay with the lack of a paper tax disc bearing an expiry date which they said acted as a constant reminder when payment was due.
• Southern Rail train carriage gets stuck on corner holding up traffic in London The Southern Rail carriage became 'wedged' as it tried to navigate a tight corner in Crystal Palace on Wednesday night and held up traffic for half an hour.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Police 'cranking up' dangerous drivers crackdown for Christmas OFFICERS working as part of the police crackdown on dangerous drivers in Bradford have vowed to crank up the pressure on motoring menaces over Christmas.

Liverpool Echo

• 'Idiotic' superhero wannabe caught riding on top of Merseyrail trainPolice have released images of a man they would like to speak with over shocking Wirral footage

London Evening Standard

• Sadiq Khan promises London bus drivers minimum �23,000 salarySadiq Khan today promised a "better deal" for London's bus drivers by setting a minimum salary of �23,000 a year for the first time.
• Letters to the editor: Southern strikers have lost the plotAs A long-time regular user of Southern rail services, I know how badly the company has been managed since it took over the franchise. The online booking service quickly deteriorated and customer complaints were responded to with nonsense. At first the unions had a good case for strike action but the timing of the latest walkout has lost them sympathy with commuters — and even some of their members can see the strike is not about safety.
• Southern Rail train delays motorists after becoming stuck at junction in south-east LondonA Southern Rail train has caused unexpected delays on a road in south-east London.

Manchester Evening News

• First bus passengers to pay up to £4 more for ticket if they don't use the app Operators says move will 'save boarding time' to beat congestion

Sunderland Echo

• �3million night-time Metro rail tunnels revamp is completedA £3million programme to replace the tracks in the Metro tunnels which run deep beneath the streets of Newcastle has been completed.

Other Regional Press

• Swansea's metro bus scheme was "one of the worst ever delivered", says city leader SWANSEA'S ill-fated bendy bus has been labelled "one of the worst schemes ever" by the current leader of the council.
• ANGER: ‘Vital’ village bus service set to be axed Passengers are in uproar after a ‘vital’ village bus service in north east Derbyshire is set to be axed.
• This train company is ranked the worst at helping passengers get compensation for delays CHILTERN Railways has been ranked the worst train operator in the country at helping passengers get compensation for delays.
• Vital upgrade to railway at Leeds station£2m project should be done by just after Christmas
• Jaguar Land Rover submits plans for massive logistics hubJaguar Land Rover submits plans for massive logistics hub

C.N.N.

• Boeing CEO vows to keep Air Force One costs below $4 billionThe heads of Boeing and Lockheed Martin emerged from meetings with President-elect Trump vowing to rein in the costs of new Air Force Ones and the nation's premier fighter jet.
• Uber stops California self-driving car program after DMV puts the brakes onUber is halting its self-driving car program in San Francisco after the California DMV revoked the registrations for the test vehicles.

Buying Business Travel

• Pilots back government consultation on dronesUsers could face heavy fines if found guilty of dangerous flying
• American Airlines wins $15m in Sabre antitrust caseUS airline claimed Sabre harmed competition and charged inflated booking fees
• Heathrow Express suspends service over Christmas periodPlanned engineering works between December 24-29

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Mackworth launch cycle vision door  Mackworth Vehicle Conversions has announced the introduction of a new cycle safety door. The Mackworth Cycle Vision is available immediately on selected DAF, Renault and Volvo vehicles.  The new product aims to provide greater safety for vulnerable road users, while ensuring fleet operators benefit from more efficient and quicker fitment as well as the lowest cost on the market at only £1,500. Thanks to an innovative approach, the Mackworth Vehicle Conversion designers have engineered a product which fits the safety glass into the original door using all the current wiring lo...
• Brand new �210 million South West Trains fleet arrivesThe first of a £210million fleet of new trains for South West Trains passengers has arrived at Clapham ahead of final testing.  The Siemens built Class 707 Desiro City trains will provide space for approximately 11,000 passengers every weekday morning on one of Europe’s busiest railways; to and from London Waterloo. A pair of five-carriage trains will start testing in the new year and the first trains are expected to enter passenger service in April. When the full roll out is complete by November 2017, 30 trains, comprising 150 carriages will provide space for thousands of ad...
• New proposed measures for drones in the UKThe government plans to introduce new measures to ensure the successful uptake of drones is matched by strong safeguards to protect the public. Measures out for consultation include: • mandatory registration of new drones • tougher penalties for illegal flying near no-fly zones and new signs for no-fly zones at sensitive sites such as airports and prisons • making drones electronically identifiable so the owner’s details can be passed to police if they are spotted breaking the law The consultation will also consider whether there is a need for a new criminal offence for...

Rail Magazine

• Carne acknowledges planning flaws in Great Western electrificationPlanning of Great Western Route Modernisation would take longer if it were being done again - in order to spend less time on construction.
• Testing begins, with Class 385s due in traffic next SeptemberCommissioning of the Class 385s for passenger service begins in July, and they enter traffic in September.
• Great Western has similar problems encountered with a West Coast upgrade -DfTProgress on the Great Western Route Modernisation has been similar in some respects to the West Coast Route Modernisation programme says DfT.

Rail Technology Magazine

• TransLink to purchase 28 Bombardier SkyTrain vehicles British Columbia Transportation Authority TransLink has signed a C$93m ($69m) contract for the purchase of 28 Bombardier Innovia Metro 300 vehicles for service on the Vancouver SkyTrain network.
• Mobile ticketing moves to the Apple Wallet Trainline has partnered with Virgin Trains West Coast to launch mobile tickets in the Apple Wallet – a rail industry first. Does this represent another nail in the coffin for the tangerine ticket?
• MPs launch Rail Ombudsman Bill following Southern disruptionMPs have called for an Ombudsman to oversee the rail industry following the chaos on Southern Rail. Southern services have been severely delayed throughout the year, ultimately forcing it to cancel all trains last week because of an Aslef drivers’ strike. Introducing the Bill, Tim...
• RAIB reveals near-miss between pedestrian and Stansted Airport trainThe Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has decided to post safety digests into four incidents that took place on England’s railways in November, including a near-miss between a pedestrian and a passenger train on the way to Stansted Airport. The most recent incident, announced today...
• HS2 seeks phase 1 class approval for building worksHS2 Ltd is seeking blanket planning permission for support work to building its London to the West Midlands route. Paragraph 5 of Schedule 17 of the HS2 Phase 1 Bill, currently being considered by the House of Lords, allows the transport secretary to make a class approval, automatically...
• Tyne and Wear Metro completes £3m tunnel track replacement A £3m programme of track replacement in the tunnels of the Tyne and Wear Metro has now been completed, the Metro’s operator Nexus has reported. Four kilometres of track has been successfully replaced in the tunnels which run from Jesmond to the Queen Elizabeth II Metro Bridge, which...
• Green light given for �3m refurbishment of Middlesbrough stationMiddlesbrough station has gained approval to have its roof and stonework repaired as the first stage in a programme of upgrades. The project, which costs £2.7m, will begin in spring 2017 and take 13 months to complete. Lisa McGuinness, commercial scheme sponsor for Network Rail, said:...

Railway Gazette

• Vossloh Electrical Systems sold to Knorr-BremseGERMANY: On December 21 Vossloh signed a contract for the sale of its Electrical Systems business...
• KiwiRail to end electric freight haulageNEW ZEALAND: Following two years of studies, national railway KiwiRail announced on December 21...
• Alstom to buy Nomad DigitalUK: Alstom announced on December 21 that it had signed an agreement to buy onboard connectivity...

Aviation Industry

• INTERVIEW: Star Alliance CEO Mark SchwabKurt Hofmann interviewed Mark Schwab in Rio de Janeiro in December, where the Alliance celebrated the opening of a dedicated lounge at Rio’s Galeão–Tom Jobim International Airport. Schwab joined Star from United Airlines in 2011. He retires Jan. 1 and will be succeeded by COO Jeffrey Goh. read more
• MH370: Should the search expand?The governments of Australia, China and Malaysia have long said the underwater search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will end when a 120,000 sq km region along the so-called Seventh Arc in the southern Indian Ocean has been combed for the wreckage—work that is expected to be complete in January. read more

Other News Sources

• Overnight buses offering comfortable compartments proving popular in JapanFUKUOKA – Japan’s long-distance bus operators have improved the comfort level for passengers to the extent that they now offer individual compartments in coaches.
• Future of British Transport Police to be inspected by MSPsA call for views on the future of the British Transport Police (BTP) in Scotland has today been launched by Holyrood’s Justice Committee.
• Guildford bus station: What are the ten options to relocate or replace the town's 'outdated' facility?Get Surrey takes a look at each of the options under consideration for relocating or replacing Guildford bus station
• South West Trains commuters treated to festive prize draw as spirit of Christmas breaks out aboard busy trainChris Burnell held a prize draw on two separate days to say thank-you to passengers, rewarding them with a £5 coffee voucher
• South West Trains passengers brand new-look carriages 'cattle trucks' after �210m upgradeThe all-new trains will be put into testing in the New Year, with the full fleet to be introduced for service in April 2017
• FTA says new report reflects its finding on cross-Channel delaysThe Freight Transport Association (FTA) says a new report by independent watchdog Transport Focus reflects its own findings about the need for ...
• Lewes MP lobbying for soldiers to drive rail strike replacement buses THOUSANDS of soldiers could be drafted in to drive rail replacement buses during the strikes.