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

Saturday, 06 May 2017

BBC News

• Champions League final: More trains to avoid 'embarrassment'Champions League football fans have been promised 21 post-match high speed trains from Cardiff to "avoid the embarrassment" of a repeat of the Rugby World Cup travel chaos.
• Brynglas tunnels 'cost £31m in lost time' a yearThe M4's Brynglas tunnels are the UK's most congested stretch of inner city motorway outside the M25, figures show.
• Anti-social or art? Commuter vs beatboxer on London UndergroundAn encounter between an angry commuter and a beatboxer went viral - but he says he's filling London with art, not noise.
• Online exhibition highlights Crossrail findsThe website has been created with images of items found during the construction of the Elizabeth Line.
• Lost at the airport? This robot can helpThe robot that helps people lost in the airport or the shopping mall.
• BA owner IAG hails record first-quarter profitThe group reports a 10% rise in profits and says bookings for its new long-haul airline are going well.
• China's first big passenger plane takes off for maiden flightThe C919 aircraft is a key symbol of the country's ambitions to enter the global aviation market.
• Diesel scrappage scheme being consideredThe scheme is part of the government's draft clean air plan, which critics dismissed as

Financial Times

• BA owner IAG beats profit expectations to produce record first quarter
• BA parent enjoys record first quarter as demand picks upIAG beats expectations and signs point to turnround in European airline industry

The Guardian

• Air pollution plan: sacrificing the nation's health to save an election campaignPenalising UK drivers in the heat of an election campaign promises a political car crash, so the government has hit the brakes and slammed clean air policy into reverse

The Herald

• Motorists 'abandoning diesel' - but no scrappage scheme yetMotorists are abandoning diesel cars amid fears owners could be hammered as part of a move to cut dangerous air pollution.

Times Online

• Pollution plan leaves charges on diesel drivers to councils [subscription]Ministers have been accused of passing the buck after they told dozens of local authorities to reduce air pollution but left councils to decide whether to propose charging drivers of diesel cars.
• Toothless blueprint fails to meet challenge we face - Sadiq Khan [subscription]The clean air proposals finally put forward by the government yesterday are woefully inadequate. They would still leave Britain with illegally polluted and unsafe air for at least another decade.

Reuters News

• UK proposes clean-air zones, scrappage scheme for polluting carsLONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Friday it could introduce a scrappage scheme to get the most polluting cars and vans off its roads and charge some drivers of old vehicles to enter parts of the country, as it strives to improve air quality.

Mail Online

• Diesel drivers paid to scrap cars to tackle air pollution The Government is consulting on proposals to bring in 'targeted' scrappage scheme to get older and more�more polluting vehicles off the roads.

The Mirror

• Tory diesel car scrappage scheme branded 'half-baked' by clean air campaigners The Air Quality Plan yesterday came just days before a legal deadline to publish proposals to tackle nitrogen dioxide pollution

Birmingham Post

• West Midlands 'bicycle licence' plan to stop cyclists being a menace on the roads Asking voters what a West Midlands mayor should do led to some surprising answers.
• New car sales not quite on the right road Professor David Bailey examines the impact of new vehicle excise duty and the rise in the cost of imported cars

Bristol Live

• Bristol Airport could get a station or dual carriageway link to city centreAirport bosses are investigating ways to improve infrastructure around the airport

London Evening Standard

• Labels on new cars to show level of emissions produced by the vehicleNew cars will be sold with labels telling motorists about the level of toxic air pollutants being emitted, ministers have signalled.
• China's first large passenger jet completes maiden flight as nation tries to rival Boeing and AirbusThe first large Chinese-made passenger jet completed its maiden test flight on Friday as China edged closer to its goal of breaking into the aircraft industry.

The York Press

• River bus plans to solve York's traffic jamsCONGESTION charges, a workplace parking levy and a river-based park and ride system are some of the proposals by experts to solve York’s transport woes.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Businesses could benefit from government vehicle scrappage scheme but drivers face uncertainty as consultation startsA scheme which could see drivers subsidised for trading in their old diesel vehicles would be welcomed by motor dealers – but campaigners have warned measures do not go far enough.

Reading Evening Post

• Broad smile wins Reading Buses driver Star of the Month award High praise for the Reading Buses’ driver from the passengers he drives to work

Other Regional Press

• Getting rid of speed humps to improve air quality would be 'cynical'Road pressure group Brake hits out at plans for clean air zones

Rail Magazine

• Construction of Virgin Azumas beginsConstruction of Virgin Trains Azuma fleet begins.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail to start work on two railway stations in UK UK's Network Rail has announced that development work is set to commence at Tottenham Hale station later this month.
• Digital Railway: four steps forward Shortly before the general election was called, the Digital Railway team announced several major updates to its programme. RTM’s Luana Salles reports. On 13 April, Digital Railway took the rail sector by surprise by revealing a series of updates, including an announcement that the Early...
• Crossrail 2: a transformational projectMichèle Dix CBE, managing director of Crossrail 2, explains why the rail link is a scheme the whole country should support. Crossrail 2 is a critical rail project for London and the south east, and is needed by the 2030s. We have submitted a revised business case to the transport...
• Railway costs through the roof?Lord Berkeley, chairman of the Rail Freight Group, gives his thoughts on the National Audit Office’s (NAO’s) recent report into modernising Great Western Main Line (GWML) and the escalating costs of the project.
• The case for change for Greater Manchester stationsAs Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) awaits government approval on its proposal to take over all of the region’s rail stations, Amanda White, its head of rail, talks to RTM about the countless benefits this move would bring.
• iRail 2017: inspiring the rail workers of the futureRTM’s Josh Mines reports from this year’s edition of iRail. In mid-March, 12 teams of teenagers from schools around Derbyshire came together for this year’s iRail event, held at Pride Park stadium, the home of Derby County Football Club.  But this event, which has been...
• Hitachi gets to work on bodyshells for Virgin's Azuma Class 800s Hitachi has today started work on Virgin Trains’ new fleet of Azuma Class 800s that are due to enter service on the east coast in 2018. Engineers at Hitachi’s factory in Kasado, Japan, have begun building the bodyshells ahead of trains being shipped to the UK for construction by a...
• HS2 submits plans to convert disused Curzon Street station entranceHS2 has submitted planning permission to convert the disused Curzon Street station entrance building into a visitor space when the high-speed terminal comes into service. The company plan to turn the Grade-1 listed entrance building, one of the oldest surviving train terminals in the country...
• Virgin unveils new ticketing structure to save customers �7.1m a yearVirgin Trains has announced changes to its advanced ticketing prices that could lead to customers saving around £7.1m per year. Services on the East Coast will now allow customers to take advantage of cheaper advance fares on the day of travel, meaning that at the current rate of passenger...
• RSSB develop new guidance to improve NTS of rail staffNew staff training guidance has been announced this week to boost the skills of railway workers to create a safer train network in the UK. The RSSB has stated that it is developing guidance that was launched in 2012 to improve the non-technical skills (NTS) of staff and reduce risk for...

Railnews

• Work starts on building new East Coast IE trains Work has started in Japan building the body shells for Intercity Expresses destined for the East Coast Main Line. The 65 sets are due to come into service with Virgin Trains East Coast from next year, and the main assembly of the new trains will be carried out at Newton Aycliffe in County Durham. A prototype set was run into London King�s Cross in March last year, when it was announced that the East Coast IE fleet will be branded �Azuma�, which is Japanese for �east�.

Railway Gazette

• Railway supply industry news round-upVolkerRail has invested in heavy duty steel mast manipulators for its Colmar road-rail cranes to...
• Powers sought for privately-financed 420 km Chicago rail bypassUSA: Great Lakes Basin Transportation Inc filed a formal application with the Surface...
• Rail Alliance drives Midlands Engine UK: Supply industry cluster Rail Alliance is to host networking events at the forthcoming Railtex...

Aviation Industry

• What does the snap election mean for aviation?Well, a few things actually. To recap, the Government released its consultations on national airspace and the NPS for Heathrow at the beginning of February. Meanwhile, the Transport Committee of MPs was appointed to provide official parliamentary scrutiny of the …
• Weak government air quality plan remains silent on Heathrow third runwayThe Government has today published an updated air quality plan, with new figures suggesting London may not be compliant with legal limits even by 2030. But despite projections having shown Heathrow expansion would increase levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in …
• Canada, Bombardier counter Boeing’s complaints about CSeriesThe Canadian government, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is pushing back against allegations by Boeing that Bombardier has engaged in unfair “dumping” of aircraft in the US market. read more
• Air Canada posts $28 million 1Q net loss as fuel costs soarAir Canada incurred a 2017 first-quarter net loss of C$37 million ($27.8 million), reversed from a net profit of C$101 million in the 2016 March quarter, as rising fuel costs hit the bottom line. read more
• Norwegian evaluates long-haul flights from GermanyEuropean low-cost carrier (LCC) Norwegian is continuing its long-haul expansion by studying long-haul routes from Germany, although the LCC would not confirm specific routes. read more
• Airbus books $4.8 billion in April commercial aircraft ordersAirbus booked firm orders* for 25 commercial aircraft from six customers in April, valued at approximately $4.8 billion, more than doubling the April commercial aircraft sales total of Boeing. read more

Other News Sources

• Clean air policy could crush high street growth, says FTATrading conditions on British high streets could become increasingly difficult for businesses following today’s government plan on air quality, ...
• Record rail numbers highlight county's 'resilience'A RECORD number of visitors are making their way to Cumbria by rail, highlighting the 'resilience' of the flood affected region.