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

Friday, 31 March 2017

BBC News

• Rail network power devolution to Wales rejectedControl and funding for railway tracks in Wales should not be devolved, the UK Government has said. MPs on the Welsh Affairs Committee said in January it would improve "clarity of responsibility" to the public. The response, published on Friday, said there had been no "political consensus" in Wales for the idea.
• Bombardier's Belfast operation returns to profit in 2016Bombardier's Belfast operations returned to profit in 2016, according to its latest accounts.
• New trains 'dumped' by South Western franchise winnerFirst MTR rejects carriages costing �200m before a German factory finishes building them.
• ScotRail's top 10 busiest trains revealedTransport Scotland says the worst-affected route is Edinburgh to Glasgow Central via Shotts.

The Guardian

• SpaceX becomes first to re-fly used rocketPartially recycled Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched and landed, a step toward vastly less expensive spaceflightSpaceX launched its first “pre-flown” rocket on Thursday, marking the first time anyone has relaunched a booster into space in what CEO Elon Musk called “a milestone in the history of space”.“This is going to be ultimately a huge revolution in spaceflight,” Musk said on a SpaceX broadcast of the launch. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• SpaceX makes history by successfully launching first recycled rocket booster

City AM

• Mace still isn't happy with HS2 and wants the whole tender process rerun for controverisal contract as legal threat loomsCH2M pulled out of a controversial £170m contract yesterday to design the second phase of HS2, citing "ongoing speculation", but the saga may not be over just yet.

Daily Record

• ScotRail reveal the country's 10 busiest train routes and most overcrowded services The list shows the Edinburgh to Glasgow Central via Shotts is the most overcrowded route in Scotland with 270 people packed on train designed for 185 passengers.

Mail Online

• Major review into car insurance launched after backlash Liz Truss (pictured) unveiled an urgent consultation following a backlash over a new formula for calculating payouts for victims that added up �300 to the premiums of older drivers.

The Mirror

• Pensioners' free bus fares and TV licences under threat under MPs' proposals Schemes like the winter fuel allowance, the triple lock pension guarantee, free TV licences and free bus passes should lose money, report claims

This is Money

• German road toll for foreign cars given the green light If enforced, the German government said it expected the toll to generate around �430 million (500 million euro) per year in revenue from foreign drivers.
• Heathrow backers investing another �650m in airport Shareholders, which include the Chinese and Qatari sovereign wealth funds, will invest the cash in 2019 with plans including expanding Terminal 2 and a new access road.

Office of Rail and Road (ORR)

• Track access decisionsRecent track access decisions, including new contracts and amendments to current contracts...

Bolton News

• Pioneering bicycle seat to get overweight people in the saddleA FORMER rugby league player has turned a big idea into a reality after designing a pioneering bicycle seat for overweight people.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Traders' joy as scrutiny committee forces re-think on controversial parking charge hikes BUSINESS owners fighting increased parking charges in Bradford’s struggling ‘top of town’ have welcomed the support of a scrutiny committee.
• GALLERY: World’s most famous railway locomotive arrives in Bradford districtIT WAS the moment rail enthusiasts had been waiting for as the world’s most famous railway locomotive arrived in the Bradford district.

London Evening Standard

• Revealed: London rail fares rise less than inflation for second year runningRail fares in London and the south east went up by an average of 1.5 per cent at the start of the year, according to official figures.
• The 5 best airline meals, according to a man who travels the world reviewing themAirline food gets a bad rep — and one man thinks this prejudice is unwarranted.

Manchester Evening News

• Watch: This is how police are going undercover to catch out drivers who 'bully' cyclists"That is a very worrying number of drivers who think it is acceptable to drive so close to cyclists on the road.”

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn promises better transport and more jobs for the North East Mr Corbyn said the Labour party would transform the region during a visit to Blyth in Northumberland

Wales Online

• A stretch of the Heads of the Valleys road is a step closer to becoming a dual carriageway It comes after funding was secured from the Welsh Government
• UK Government slams door shut on new rail powersThe Welsh Government wants to discuss 'devolution of funding for railway infrastructure and direction over Network Rail'

Other Regional Press

• Calls for better planning between road teams and Network Rail after A55 chaosClwyd West Assembly Member Darren Millar raised the matter in the Senedd yesterday when calling for a Welsh Government Statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure on the trunk road maintenance programme in north Wales.
• Number of crimes reported at railway stations is revealedTHE NUMBER of crimes committed at Vale of Glamorgan railway stations during the year 2015/16 has been revealed. The figures came to light following a Freedom of Information Request made by the Vale Conservatives.
• Figures reveal crimes recorded at Barry train stationsFigures - which detail crimes committed at railway stations in the Vale of Glamorgan - came as a result of a Freedom of Information Request made by Dyfan ward Conservative candidates Vincent Bailey and Leighton Rowlands.
• Leaflet warning of £50 fines for pavement cycling in Northampton sparks Twitter backlash - from Radio 2 host Jeremy VineA police officer's leaflet warning cyclists of the fines people can face for riding bicycles on the pavement in Northampton created a Twitter storm, with a former Stictly Come Dancing star weighing in.
• North Wales residents to learn more about level crossing improvements as railway upgrade continuesNetwork Rail is inviting North Wales residents to a drop-in event to learn more about how Tyn Y Morfa level crossing, near Prestatyn, will be modernised as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.
• Better the devil you know: What will the new south western rail operator mean for Surrey's commuters?With big changes potentially on the horizon, will the county's train users be better off with a new operator?
• Politicians relaunch campaign to rezone Kingston station as Chinese firm completes South West Trains takeoverPoliticians have relaunched a campaign to see Kingston station re-zoned following the Government’s shock announcement a Chinese company will take over South West Trains (SWT).
• Stagecoach-owned South West Trains loses their franchise after more than 20 yearsSOUTH West Trains has lost its franchise on the South Western network, including the Exeter-London Waterloo line, after more than 20 years.

Buying Business Travel

• Etihad offers free wifi and iPads on US-bound flightsOffering follows laptop ban on services from eight destinations including Abu Dhabi
• Sleepless in Seattle: Branson launches Virgin Atlantic routeVirgin founder talks Brexit, low-cost longhaul and more
• Brexit: currency fluctuations hit travel budgetsThe rise and fall of the pound is causing travellers to overspend on trips

Rail Technology Magazine

• ORR: Rail fares rise below inflation for second successive yearRail fares have risen below inflation for the second year in a row, new statistics released by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have today revealed. The news follows a radical overhaul of ticketing that was introduced at the start of February to end the need for ‘split ticketing’ by...

Railway Gazette

• Railway supply industry responds to Article 50 notificationUK: Responding to the UK’s formal notification on March 29 of its intention to withdraw from the...
• N�rnberg S-Bahn EMU contract signedGERMANY: A contract for Alstom to supply 27 Class 1440 Coradia Continental electric multiple-units...
• DB orders 25 inter-city trainsetsGERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has placed a firm order for a further 25 push-pull double-deck inter-city...
• Amtrak’s Gardner calms fears over Trump budget cutsUSA: National passenger operator Amtrak has sought to calm concerns about budget cuts affecting its...

Aviation Industry

• Airbus: Brazil to drive strong aircraft demand in Latin AmericaLatin American airlines will take delivery of 2,570 new passenger and freighter aircraft worth $350 billion over the 2016-2035 period, according to Airbus, which has slightly increased its forecast for 20-year demand in the region from 2,540 aircraft a year ago. read more

Green Miscellany

• Our cities are making us illIt has long been known that air pollution in cities�is bad for the lungs. There is now increasing evidence to suggest it also affects our brains. According to a study published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, children living near busy roads during the first year of their life may face an increased risk of autism. Researchers from the… The post Our cities are making us ill appeared first on ETA.
• Bicycles and the staples of a civilised day-to-day existenceBicycles, like washing machines, are not something that should need to be evangelised about. They are a staple of a civilised day-to-day existence. However, when the question of why more people don’t cycle comes up in conversation, it’s amazing the excuses that are conjured. It’s too dangerous; there are no showers at my office; my commute is too far; there… The post Bicycles and the staples of a civilised day-to-day existence appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Rail system a ‘bit of a nightmare’, says senior civil servantA senior civil servant in Wales has described the rail system as a 'bit of a nightmare' and said bodies meant to serve the public sue each other, in effect, over performance.
• Passenger group calls for investment in new trains Plans to bring the Metro back into public ownership have been welcomed.
• Despite UK deal, MTR CEO says Hong Kong still key marketDespite growing investment in overseas rail networks, Hong Kong remains MTR Corporation's primary market, its CEO, Lincoln Leong, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday.
• Network Rail completes platform extensions at Sunningdale station to accommodate 10-car trainsThe work is part of the £800m Waterloo and South West Upgrade to boost capacity across the network
• Camberley railway station �1.4m expansion and upgrade complete after nearly a year's work The upgrade was part of a £800 million investment in train lines to Waterloo
• Byfleet bridge to get clearer signs after being struck more than 100 times The signs are due to go up this financial year after the work was delayed by the council
• FirstGroup snags South West from StagecoachDespite running the South West Train franchise for two decades, Stagecoach (SGC) has lost the contract to close rival FirstGroup (FGP). The latter will take control of the network this summer through its 70:30 joint venture FirstGroup MTR with Hong Kong group MTR. The ownership will run until August 2024.