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

Friday, 17 March 2017

BBC News

• Aslef Southern rail deal 'old one in new envelope' says RMT unionDeal aimed at ending dispute
• Night Tube drivers announce strike dates in row over jobsUnions claim drivers are being blocked from applying for full-time jobs.
• Think again: Will circular runways ever take off?Could circular runways be the future of air travel? Aviation expert Henk Hesselink of the Netherlands Aerospace Centre believes so.
• Eurostar makes loss after Paris and Brussels attacksThe channel tunnel passenger service reports a drop in passenger numbers after terrorists struck.
• Toyota to invest £240m in UK plant at BurnastonThe Japanese carmaker is upgrading its Burnaston plant near Derby, which employs 2,500 people.

Department for Transport

• Reimagining railways: innovation funding announcedUp to £9 million innovation funding competition to improve the railway for customers.

Financial Times

• Cost-cutting helps Lufthansa beat profit forecastStrong results from German airline come day after pilots’ pay dispute settled

The Guardian

• Night tube drivers on London Underground to strike in AprilAslef and RMT members vote for industrial action, saying they are barred from applying for other tube jobs and overtimeDrivers on the night tube are to go on strike next month, less than eight months after London Underground launched its 24-hour weekend service. Two walkouts have been called for the Saturday nights of 8 April and 29 April. Members of both the Aslef and RMT unions voted overwhelmingly for industrial action, in a row over fair access to full-time jobs. Continue reading...

The Herald

• £3m free travel scheme for ScotRail passengers detailedThe Scottish Government has released more details of a £3 million ScotRail free travel scheme thanking customers for their patience during disruptions and upgrades.

Mail Online

• Somali pirates who seized an oil tanker leave the ship The pirates have left the ship, which is heading to Bossaso port, officials say. More than two dozen men boarded the Aris 13 off the coast of Somalia Monday in the first attack of this type since 2012.

Birmingham Mail

• Why bus fares are set to be capped in the West Midlands Mayoral candidate Siôn Simon wants to restrict the price of all-day tickets and other pledges in his new election manifesto
• Bus firms call for congestion charging to get cars off the roads Bus operators tell MPs London-style congestion charging should be extended across the country so there is more room for buses on the roads

Birmingham Post

• London Midland backs tech firms to boost train journeys Rail operator is supporting ten start-up companies to create new technology products which will improve passengers' journeys

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Gwynedd airfield is 'ideal' site for UK's first spaceport Snowdonia's clear skies and coastal location put Llanbedr out in front in the race to send tourists into space

London Evening Standard

• Probe launched after baggage handlers filmed throwing passengers' suitcases while unloading planeBaggage handlers are being investigated after two were caught on camera carelessly throwing luggage as they unloaded a plane.
• ES Views: Is Grayling right to suggest removing first class seats?It is disappointing that, having ruled out handing parts of the Southeastern franchise to Transport for London, the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling is now copying the worst aspects of TfL’s proposals.
• Budget airline Ryanair to launch flights to New YorkBudget airline Ryanair is launching transatlantic flights to the US.
• RMT rejects new Southern rail peace deal agreed by Aslef train drivers unionThe RMT today rejected a new Southern Rail peace deal agreed by leaders of the Aslef train drivers union.
• Cyclists suffer 25 near-misses every yearCyclists risk being knocked off their bikes once every fortnight due to confusion over who gets the right of way at road junctions, research shows.
• Night Tube strike: Drivers from Aslef and RMT back walkout in row over pay and conditions London's Night Tube will come to a grinding halt on two Saturday nights next month after drivers voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.

Yorkshire Post

• Rail group rubbishes ‘tram train’ airport link from Leeds A TRANSPORT pressure group has rubbished proposals by an MP to build a “tram-train” between Leeds and its airport.
• YP Letters: Minister out of touch with transport shambles CHRIS Grayling’s perverse idea of the meaning of ‘public service’ – more specifically, transport – suggests that he is more familiar with ‘public school’.

Blackpool Gazette

• New project under way at Blackpool Airport enterprise zoneWork is getting under way on another plot on the Blackpool Airport enterprise zone as the project to attract businesses and create jobs continues with its rapid start since its launch last April.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Port of Felixstowe announces fresh expansion projectSeven acres of seabed are to be reclaimed and developed for container storage in the latest expansion of Britain’s premier boxport.
• ‘Severe overcrowding’ reported on trains between Suffolk, Essex and London as delays hit main lineCommuters heading home to Suffolk from London have said they are “packed in like sardines” on rush hour train services after a train fault.

Other Regional Press

• Greater Anglia runs ‘Train driver experience’ auction for Red Nose DayCalling all wannabe train drivers – Greater Anglia today (March 16) launched a charity auction where the highest bidder gets to ride a train to London in the driver’s cab and then even have a go at train driving themselves.
• MPS call for the re-opening of Camberwell rail stationTwo Southwark MPs have written to the transport boss asking for meeting to discuss the possibility of re-opening Camberwell rail station.
• Passengers not allowed to use new £100,000 shelter
• Second phase of �12m roadwork project to get under way THE first phase of a 23-month long infrastructure improvement programme across Headington is now coming to an end, and phase two is now just weeks away.
• Thameslink Programme disrupts trains between Kent and LondonJourneys to and from the capital will be disrupted as work continues to rebuild London Bridge.

Bus and Coach.com

• Open data launch by Reading Bus uncovers link between pollution and accidents
• Call for passenger consultation over West Coast acquisition
• ‘Transport deserts’ risk as council funding cuts bite, says CBT
• Euro 6 stop-start technology for new Stagecoach East park-and-ride fleet

Buying Business Travel

• Eurostar: business travel aids recoveryStrong start to year after ‘challenging’ 2016
• Abta cyber attack feared to have hit 43,000 usersTravel trade body confirms details of thousands of website users could have been stolen
• Conference report: what next for business aviation?Senior industry figures discuss more accessibility in private aviation

Global Rail News

• Video: Alstom’s hydrogen train on testAlstom’s iLint hydrogen fuel cell train has successfully completed its first trial run at 80 km/h.

Rail Magazine

• When shall these towns meet again?PAUL STEPHEN examines the campaign for reopening a section of line between Stratford-upon-Avon and Honeybourne.

Rail Technology Magazine

• TfL admits liability over Croydon tram crashTransport for London (TfL) has today begun admitting liability for its part in the Croydon tram crash of 9 November 2016, in relation to compensation claims from families of the victims of the crash. The tram was found to be travelling at over three times the speed limit when it derailed going...
• Union pencils in two days of Night Tube strikeMuch like RMT, members of Aslef union have voted unanimously in favour of a Night Tube strike, with 100% agreeing with the proposed industrial action on a major 75% turnout. The news comes just a couple of days after RMT announced its own members voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike...
• Aslef agrees revised Southern deal, but RMT still unconvincedFor the second time this year, Aslef union leaders have agreed new terms to settle their dispute with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Southern’s parent company – but the deal has yet to be put to wider members. In a statement, Aslef said its executive committee will be recommending...

Railnews

• Merseyrail guard on safety charge is acquitted A Merseyrail guard accused of endangering passenger safety has been found not juilty by a Crown Court jury. The verdict was unanimous. Martin Zee, 33, of Runcorn, had been prosecuted after an incident in which an 89-year-old passenger fell from the platform at Hamilton Square, suffering injuries to her face and ribs. The RMT has welcomed the verdict, saying the case should not have been brought.
• Dates announced for Night Tube walkouts Two strikes on London Underground�s 24-hour services have been announced by the RMT, following a ballot which resulted in a decisive vote in favour of action. The dispute concerns employment opportunities: the RMT claims that London Underground has blocked career progression for train operators who work through the night because they cannot move into vacant full time positions for at least 18 months. Operators also do not qualify for overtime rates until they work more than 35 hours in a week. The RMT is describing the situation as �outrageous�, but London Underground said terms had been agr...

The Business Desk

• Birmingham Airport underlines its importance to region's transport infrastructureBirmingham Airport has underlined its importance to the region and its transport infrastructure by announcing two years of continuous record monthly passenger growth.

Aviation Industry

• Alitalia announces major re-think in business modelItalian flag carrier Alitalia management presented a radical new business plan to the Italian government March 16 as it seeks to turn around the loss-making airline. read more
• Lufthansa Group boosts 2016 net profit in ‘very demanding market’Lufthansa Group turned in a net profit of €1.78 billion ($1.90 billion) in 2016, up 4.6% on the previous year’s figure of €1.70 billion, the Germany-based organization said March 16. read more

Green Miscellany

• Our roads were built for bicyclesHow many miles of road would you guess crisscross this little island of ours? 100,000? 200,000? According to the Department for Transport there are 245,000 miles of roads in Britain; a distance equivalent to circumnavigating the earth 10 times. Even more surprising than the size of our road network is the relatively tiny proportion of it that was designed and… The post Our roads were built for bicycles appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Turbulence ahead: debating noise levels for an expanded HeathrowOpponents of a third runway at Heathrow are adamant that the airport cannot expand and at the same time meet limits on pollution. It is, they claim, disingenuous to state otherwise – expansion, in their eyes, means worsening air quality and more noise.
• Network Rail u-turn on M4 relief road scheme
• Woking station could get a FLYOVER to increase rail capacity through Surrey Network Rail confirmed they are working with Woking Borough Council to "progress the scheme"
• Widening M25 'not the answer' to congestion problems - government reportThe M25 South West Quadrant Strategic Study, published on Thursday (March 16), recommends expanding parallel roads instead of the M25 itself