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

Friday, 02 June 2017

BBC News

• Edinburgh tram track safety warnings 'ignored', say lawyersLawyers say safety issues have been highlighted since the tracks were installed in Edinburgh.
• General election 2017: Labour says it would cut rail fare risesLabour promises a season ticket saving - but the Tories say the pledge is an
• Airport chaosBA's explanation for its systems' meltdown at the weekend has left many scratching their heads.
• Southern Rail users' misery into musical Southern FailSouthern Fail: The Musical is a new stage show, mocking the rail firm after more than a year of union disputes.
• School buses boost FirstGroup profitsThe transport giant was boosted by a strong performance from its school bus operations in North America.
• Walsh backs BA boss after computer chaosIAG chief executive Willie Walsh says the disruption was not British Airways boss Alex Cruz's fault.

Financial Times

• Firstgroup shares drop 10% despite beating forecasts
• FirstGroup’s cautious outlook unnerves investorsCompany warns of ‘mixed trading environment’ despite better than expected results
• Air India draws up privatisation plansPolicy advisory group backs sale of lossmaking national carrier
• British Airways pension warns of 6,000 deaths before row resolvedTrustees fear toll as legal dispute over 2013 payment heads to appeal
• FirstGroup investors travel in hope of a dividendCompetitors Stagecoach and Go Ahead offer decent payouts
• Stock market shrugs off British Airways passenger miseryWorld’s major airlines have powerful position in growing industry

The Guardian

• Willie Walsh praises British Airways bosses after IT meltdownBA parent company IAG’s chief executive says bosses did ‘everything possible’ following the computer crash that left 75,000 passengers stranded Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways parent company IAG, has praised BA bosses for “doing everything possible” after the IT meltdown that left 75,000 passengers stranded over the bank holiday weekend.Walsh’s comments came as British Airways’ board is reportedly demanding an external inquiry into the fiasco that caused almost all the airline’s flights out of London to be cancelled on Saturday and is expected to land BA with a compensatio...

The Herald

• Minister to meet safety campaigners after death of cyclist in EdinburghTransport Minister Humza Yousaf will meet safety campaigners following the death of a cyclist after her bike got stuck in tram tracks in Edinburgh.

The Scotsman

• Cycle safety to be reviewed after Edinburgh tram line deathRoad safety measures are set to be assessed after a cyclist lost her life in Scotland’s first tramline death.

Times Online

• BA power fiasco blamed on staff blunder [Subscription]A power supply unit at the centre of last weekend’s British Airways fiasco was in perfect working order but was deliberately shut down in a catastrophic blunder, The Times has learnt.
• Dover fears hard Brexit as election approaches [Subscription]Better infrastructure and flexible access to labour market are key issues in trade hotspot

Reuters News

• British Airways I.T. outage caused by contractor who switched off power - TimesLONDON (Reuters) - A contractor doing maintenance work at a British Airways data centre inadvertently switched off the power supply, knocking out the airline's computer systems and leaving 75,000 people stranded last weekend, the Times newspaper reported on Friday.

Birmingham Post

• New electric vehicle battery centre could create 10,000 jobs Ambitious plans outlined to house national centre to support development of batteries for electric vehicles of the future

London Evening Standard

• Jeremy Corbyn accused of £460 'con' over season ticket pledgeJeremy Corbyn was today accused of a £460 “con” on hundreds of thousands of commuters with his promise to slash the cost of season tickets.
• BA board members set to demand inquiry over IT meltdown that stranded 75,000 passengersThe firm was accused of greed after the GMB union suggested the disruption could have been prevented if the beleaguered airline had not cut "hundreds of dedicated and loyal" IT staff and contracted the work to India in 2016.
• Southern Rail: Drivers overtime ban suspended for two weeks to allow for peace talksA planned overtime ban by up to 1,000 Southern Rail drivers has been suspended for two weeks to allow time for peace talks.

Cambridge News

• Great Northern accused of carriage changes that pack people in even tighterThere have been some problems with the new trains running at Cambridge North

Other Regional Press

• Commuters claim they face a hike in fares - but rail bosses say changes will save them moneyRail passengers heading into London have had the cost of fares increased by up to 29 per cent, it was claimed this week.

Buying Business Travel

• BA owner plans expansion of budget long-haul airlineLevel launches inaugural flight to LA from Barcelona base

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• UPS opens driver training facility in Burton-upon-TrentUPS has opened a best-in-class UPS Integrad™ driver training facility in Burton-upon-Trent. Named after the bespoke UPS training method it will host, the facility is designed to up-skill about 1,000 drivers per year.   During its 110 year history, UPS has patented training methods for its drivers. The UPS Integrad training method was conceived in 2005 – following a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to study how young people learn in an increasingly digital world.   The facility in Burton-upon-Trent has been specifically designed to train UPS drivers on ...

Rail Technology Magazine

• TetraFlex for Rail and Metro Communications Simplifying advanced communications for Public Transport. Meet the increased demands on safety and operational efficiency within large public transport systems with the TetraFlex TETRA radio infrastructure.
• Modern Wheel Detection and Axle Counting Growing conurbations, increasing car park prices and not least rising fuel prices are pushing trams and underground railways increasingly to the forefront of urban and suburban rail transportation infrastructures.
• Metrolink offers free travel for One Love Manchester concertgoers Metrolink has today announced it will support the One Love Manchester aid concert taking place on Sunday by offering passengers free travel to Old Trafford. Following the terrorist attack that took place at Manchester Arena on Monday 22 May, pop star Ariana Grande has organised a charity concert...
• First publishes 'encouraging' results against backdrop of Croydon tragedyFirst Group has today published results that show a steady increase in its revenue over the past year, despite the negative effects of the Croydon tram accident. The company, who run a subsidiary that operates trams on behalf of TfL, saw revenue increase by 8.7% from 2016 to 2017, mainly driven...

Railway Gazette

• GE Transportation unveils Indian Railways Evolution locomotiveINDIA: The first of 1 000 Evolution Series diesel locomotives which...

Aviation Industry

• Airbus, China boosts aviation, aerospace cooperationAirbus and China have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to further strengthen their collaboration on aviation and aerospace. read more
• IATA proposes alternative solutions to carry-on electronics banAdditional security and screening measures at airports, including the use of sniffer dogs, are being proposed to US and UK authorities in an attempt to ward off a wider implementation of the laptop carry-on bans, IATA said Thursday. read more
• Emirates’ new 777 first-class product to offer fewer suitesEmirates Airline has confirmed its new Boeing 777-300ER first-class product will feature six private suites configured in a 1-1-1 layout, compared to the eight private suites in a 1-2-1 layout on its existing 777 fleet. read more
• United’s Munoz among speakers at IATA AGM next weekUnited Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz will be a panelist during sessions programmed for the IATA AGM that opens in Cancun Sunday. read more

Other News Sources

• Railway contractor takes space at Runcorn business parkLocal railway contractor Wentworth House Rail Systems Ltd has taken out commercial space at Wellfield Business Park in Runcorn.
• Rail growth at lowest level since recessionSeason ticket market share drops below 40% for first time   Overall, patronage increased 0.8% during the year   Patronage growth on Britain’s railways in 2016/17 fell to its lowest level since the recession seven years ago, figures released by the Office of Rail and Road show. Overall, patronage increased 0.8% during the year. On both the regional and long distance networks numbers continued to rise, by nearly 4% in both cases, but in London and the south east numbers fell 0.5%, including in each of the last three quarters of the year.
• A new bus for Switzerland  The first two of 19 Alexander Dennis Enviro500 buses will soon enter service with Swiss operator PostBus in the east of the country. They are the first British-built vehicles to enter service with PostBus and the first UK double deckers in Switzerland. With a total passenger capacity of 133 (80 of them seated) the 13-metre-long vehicles feature two staircases and three doors. The first vehicles will mainly be used on the Engelburg-St. Gallen-Heiden routes and then subsequently in the Obertoggenburg and the towns of Rorschach and Goldach.   This article appears�in the latest issue o...
• Southern Fail: New musical parodying strike action premiering at comedy festival The comedy musical tells a commuter love story amid Southern Rail chaos
• Proposed new European road transport rules raise concerns at FTAThe publication of a package of legislative proposals on road transport by the European Commission has been received with mixed feelings by the ...