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

Monday, 06 March 2017

BBC News

• Peugeot-Citroen agrees deal with GM to buy Vauxhall-OpelThe French company that owns Peugeot and Citroen has struck a deal to buy General Motors' European unit, including Vauxhall.
• Dartford Crossing excluded from pollution assessmentsPollution levels around the Dartford Crossing have been excluded from government air quality assessments because it was classed as a "rural" road, the BBC has discovered.
• M1 closed near East Midlands Airport for Jet2 emergencyThe motorway was shut near East Midlands Airport due to a Jet2 suspected malfunction.

ITV News

• £3.5 million upgrade to 150-year-old Cynghordy Railway Viaduct finishedRemediation work on Cynghordy Railway Viaduct, a grade II listed structure on the Heart of Wales railway line, began in March last year to strengthen the structure and to reduce the long-term maintenance costs. Refurbishment work was undertaken on the pillars and arches, maintaining the original features of the 150 year-old iconic structure.

Financial Times

• Uber used fake app to confuse regulators and rivalsSecret weapon codenamed Greyball displays car icons in random locations
• Uber employees lose faith and explore exitCompetitors and recruiters find more job applications from car-hailing app workers

The Guardian

• Uber is smart, simple and seductive. But should we still be using it?After court cases and footage of its angry boss, the minicab app is losing its shineOver recent months I’ve developed a conflicted relationship with my Uber app. On the one hand, I’ve watched with growing unease as the company has been plagued by revelation after revelation, raising questions about how it does business. There’s the fundamental question about Uber’s relationship with its drivers: are they self-employed, as it claims, or is Uber taking advantage of people who should be employees?And in the last month, it has faced serious allegations about sexual harassment, as early-stage inves...

The Herald

• Top medical charities want 20mph limits on all urban roads to save lives Reducing speed limits to 20mph on residential roads across Scotland will cut air pollution and save lives, according to medical experts and environmentalists.

The Scotsman

• ScotRail’s vintage services run out of steam ScotRail’s attempt to run steam trains is in danger of fizzling out because of heavy losses, just two years after they were triumphantly launched by new operator Abellio.
• Peugeot £1.9bn takeover of Vauxhall confirmedFrench car giant PSA Group is to buy the European operations of General Motors, including Vauxhall in the UK, for £1.9 billion.

The Telegraph

• Uber drivers to ferry elderly patients home from hospital in bid to tackle record NHS bedblocking

Mail Online

• Why BA will soon have less legroom than Ryanair First the free drinks and snacks disappeared from British Airways short-haul flights – and now the carrier is cutting legroom too.

The Mirror

• The great British bus 'rip off' with shareholders raking in millions while services are axed How Britain's bus passengers are being taken for 'rip off' ride

Network Rail

• MP "grateful" to Network Rail's Liverpool Lime Street repair teamLouise Ellman MP today thanked orange army engineers working to get train customers moving in and out of Liverpool Lime Street station again on Thursday next week.
• Network Rail sets '20 by 20' target to increase take-up of female employeesAs one of Britain’s biggest employers, Network Rail recognises it has a role to play in inspiring future generations about careers in the engineering sector. The pipeline of female talent entering the sector is low which WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) say is because 50,000 girls are turning away from an education in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) every year.

Birmingham Mail

• Easyjet launches major sale with money off Birmingham flights The discounts and deals are available on thousands of seats

Bolton News

• Exclusive photos as £48 million interchange takes shape AN IMPRESSIVE £48 million interchange that will transform Bolton's transport network is nearing completion.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Anger as 'lowlives' vandalise railway station DAMAGE to Haworth Railway Station and fly-tipping along part of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (K&WVR) line were reported to a public transport meeting.
• Transport and parking issues raised ahead of Flying Scotsman's visit to Keighley & Worth Valley Railway A COUNCILLOR voiced his concern at how visitors to the Worth Valley will travel from remote car parks to see the Flying Scotsman steam engine this spring.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• This Liverpool 'ghost ship' could launch daily sailings to Llandudno by next springMajor restoration on the former German ferry boat is underway

London Evening Standard

• 'Reckless train surfer' slammed for risking his life by riding on moving DLRThis is the alarming moment a "reckless" thrill-seeker was filmed riding between the carriages of a moving DLR train.

Manchester Evening News

• Live: Manchester breaking news - Flights from Manchester Airport to France delayed or cancelled due to Air Traffic Control strike Manchester Evening News' breaking news service

Wales Online

• All these Cardiff roads are going to have a speed limit of 20mph Cardiff council is introducing the scheme between now and 2021 on residential streets in city centre wards
• This is the impact Cardiff's new bus station will have on the city's landscape The new bus station was given planning approval last week

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Answers demanded over Leeds council’s £270M airport rail link plans A Lib Dem MP is demanding answers over plans for a new rail link to Leeds-Bradford airport, amid claims of poor planning by council bosses.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Bury St Edmunds MP Jo Churchill backs Bus Services Bill for delivering better provision in townLegislation to grant more power to control local bus services has been backed by the Bury St Edmunds MP Jo Churchill, after issues with bus routes in the town.

North Wales Live

• Underground train could go from Liverpool to Manchester in SEVEN minutesTransport bosses considering plans for underground Maglev system

Other Regional Press

• Great Western upgrade failings cast doubt over plans for other routes, warn MPsFailings in the Great Western rail line upgrade raise concerns over similar projects, an influential parliamentary committee has said. ...
• Accessible transport group adds its voice to Southern rail judicial reviewAn accessible transport group has added its voice to the legal case being brought by commuters over the Department for Transport (DfT) handling of the Southern rail dispute.

Bus and Coach.com

• Record passenger numbers for Blackpool tram
• Aberdeen to host hydrogen conference
• Low Emission Bus Workshop in Manchester
• Local authorities report challenges to maintain bus services
• Newport Bus launches new X74 express route
• Reading Buses claims contactless first outside London

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Welsh Government sets out plans for a North East Wales MetroEconomy and Infrastructure Secretary Ken Skates has set out his vision for transport improvements in North Wales which will provide sustainable, reliable, efficient and quality integrated transport links for the region. The Infrastructure Secretary has launched  ‘Moving North Wales Forward - Our Vision for North Wales and the North East Wales Metro’ - which outlines how ambitious proposals will help connect people, communities and businesses to jobs, facilities and services across the region, with the North East Wales Metro integral to these plans. Economy Secretary Ken Skate...

The Business Desk

• £680m rail group snaps up Sheffield manufacturerA £678m-turnover rail group has acquired Sheffield manufacturer Mechan. France's CIM Group operates in more than 120 countries worldwide, for main rail transportation and public transport operators, as well as mining companies.

Other News Sources

• Building work set to begin on HS2 line to South Staffordshire The NFU has vowed to hold HS2 Ltd to the assurances it has made to mitigate the effects of construction on farm businesses.