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

Wednesday, 28 June 2017

BBC News

• In pictures: The empty railways of AmericaOne of photographer John Sanderson's earliest memories was family road trips to Pennsylvania from his home in Manhattan, New York.
• Volvo's driverless cars 'confused' by kangaroosThe way the marsupials move makes it hard for the computers to work out how to respond, Volvo says.
• A6 court challenge 'puts �8m on road cost' - claimOfficials claim delay to new road is pushing up costs, but litigant says claim 'exaggerated'.
• Belfast International flight delays 'second to Gatwick'Belfast International has some of the worst flight delays to popular destinations among UK airports.

ITV News

• Stagecoach in talks with Government over East Coast Main Line contractStagecoach is in talks with the Government over its contract to operate the East Coast Main Line after exceptional charges linked to the loss-making franchise saw profits at the company sink last year.

Department for Transport

• Lord Callanan’s keynote address to ABTA Travel Matters conferenceLord Callanan discusses Brexit and the future of aviation at the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) Travel Matters conference.

Financial Times

• Why airlines need a handle on social media to build their brandThe public’s emotions about air travel bring greater scrutiny of carriers

The Guardian

• Twisted tracks: watch metro maps transform to real-life geographyTransport maps distort a city’s true geography to strike a balance between readability and design. Scroll down to see how six metro maps compare to the real picture on the ground
• Boy, 11, electrocuted at rail freight depot in NorthamptonshireBritish Transport police say death at Daventry international rail freight depot is being treated as unexplainedAn 11-year-old boy has died after he sustained serious electrical burns at a rail depot, police said.The boy was found with severe injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene in Northamptonshire. Continue reading...
• Ocado's self-drive vehicle makes deliveries in first UK trialsRetailer tests plans for ‘Smart Platform’ online shopping business with driverless delivery vehicle developed by OxboticaOcado has sent a self-driving truck trundling through the backstreets of Woolwich, south-east London, as part of the UK’s first trial of autonomous grocery deliveries.The small vehicle, developed by Oxford-based Oxbotica, is spending 10 days shipping food and snacks to Ocado customers who live in the area, to test Ocado’s plans for its “Smart Platform” – a plug-and-play online shopping business that it wants to sell to grocery retailers around the world who hope to compete w...

The Herald

• Transport Police and Police Scotland to merge after Holyrood passes Bill despite oppositionHolyrood has passed legislation to merge transport policing in Scotland with the national force despite widespread opposition.

The Telegraph

• Boy, 11, dies after suffering electrical burns at a rail depot

Times Online

• Motorway rethink as drivers shun converted hard shoulders [Subscription]The government is to overhaul hundreds of miles of motorway where the hard shoulder has been stripped out because of concerns over safety.
• Southern cuts trains as drivers’ overtime ban begins [Subscription]Passengers on the Southern Rail network were facing more disruption this morning as a union called a ban on staff working overtime.
• Gatwick pleads again for new runway as passengers soar [Subscription]Gatwick made a new pitch for a second runway today after the airport said that it had carried more than 44 million passengers in a year.
• Stagecoach profits hit by losses on east coast line [Subscription]Stagecoach has become embroiled in a row with the government after being forced to shell out £84.1 million to prop up its loss-making east coast mainline rail service.

City AM

• British Airways merges Heathrow flights ahead of summer strikes by cabin crew starting on Saturday 1 JulyBritish Airways has said it will merge a "very small number of Heathrow services" during the upcoming 16-day walkout by cabin crew starting on Saturday.

The Mirror

• Chaos as commuters evacuate dark smoke-filled carriages after subway train derails in New York injuring 34 people The southbound train struck a tunnel wall near the 125th-street station in Harlem just before 10am on Tuesday

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus unveils 'Racer' helicopter with wings and 250mph cruise speed The aerospace giant said it was a 'bold vision for the future of high-speed rotorcraft'

London Evening Standard

• Stunning animation shows London Underground map transform to show city's real geographyTransit maps like the one for the London Underground are an essential part of living in any major city with public transport.

Wales Online

• Passengers going to Aberdare sometimes have to change at Mountain Ash and it's been called 'unacceptable'Train passengers have said it is “unacceptable” people travelling to Aberdare sometimes have to get off at Mountain Ash and wait for the next train to complete their journey.

Other Regional Press

• Frustration Over Southern Rail Doors IssueThere's frustration from rail passengers at Portslade station who've been trying to board their daily train.
• Reopening historic Devon branch line is 'possible', but significant investment would be needed Network Rail has said that 'significant investment' would be required before plans to reopen a disused railway line could come to fruition. No passenger trains have travelled on the Teign Valley line between Newton Abbot to Heathfield since 1959, and in recent years, use of the line has dwindled to just the occasional freight train.
• Somerset will not be getting new British-made trains when First MTR takes over the South Western franchise on August 20Somerset and Dorset are set to miss out on a new fleet of trains coming to the South Western franchise in the next three years. First MTR is set to take over the South Western rail franchise - which includes the line between Exeter and London Waterloo - from South West Trains on August 20.
• No trains in or out of Huddersfield on one of the biggest weekends of the yearMP Barry Sheerman has called for compensation to be paid as train station will be closed on weekend of food and drink festival

Buying Business Travel

• Liverpool airport plans long-haul flights with runway extensionAirport aims to grow passenger traffic by an extra 3 million over the next decade

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New combined ticket offers visitors three unique ways to get around London (IMAGE SOURCE: Visit London) A unique ticket will offer visitors to London three exciting ways to travel around the city, using the Emirates Air Line, MBNA Thames Clippers and Santander Cycles for less.  Visitors can now enjoy an all-day ticket that offers scenic trips on MBNA Thames Clippers’ high speed vessels along the River Thames, relaxing rides on Santander Cycles and a breath-taking flight on the Emirates Air Line cable car. Customers will save money by buying these combined offers as opposed to buying the tickets individually.  Visitors will be able to glide along t...
• Supplying the best talent to fill graduates gap in logistics sector Aston University is to build on its reputation for providing some of the world’s best supply chain talent with the introduction of a full NOVUS degree course in logistics and supply chain management.  The full NOVUS Business and Supply Chain Management BSc (Hons) course starts in September 2017 and is NOVUS’ first expansion of its scheme outside of the University of Huddersfield where it launched the programme four years ago.  Ed Sweeney, Professor of Logistics at Aston University and Director of the Aston Logistics and Systems Institute, said: “Aston University i...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Three rail schemes featured in NIC 'top 12' infrastructure prioritiesThree critical railway projects have been listed in the top four infrastructure priorities the government must focus on within the next year, with rapid progress on these said to be an “acid test” of Whitehall’s commitment to a so-called ‘jobs first Brexit’. In a...
• LU to monitor air pollution and deep clean 50 stations over summerA series of new measures will be rolled out to minimise dust levels on the Underground network while around 50 stations and five tunnel sections will be cleaned this summer with industrial vacuums and magnetic ‘wands’, all to ensure passengers travel in the cleanest environment...
• Elizabeth Line trains first to run without yellow front ends since steam eraThe new Elizabeth Line trains, the first of which was introduced on the London network last week, will be the first fleet to run on Britain’s mainline railways without a yellow front end in the post-steam era. Early last year, the RSSB announced that the colour of trains’ front ends...

Railway Gazette

• Airline veteran Richard Anderson to head AmtrakUSA: National passenger operator Amtrak named Richard Anderson as its next President & Chief...

Aviation Industry

• O’Leary: Ryanair Labs will ultimately dwarf RyanairIrish low-cost carrier (LCC) Ryanair’s airline operation will ultimately be just a small segment of a broader Amazon of travel-type business, according to CEO Michael O’Leary. read more
• American Airlines to migrate customer-facing applications to IBM CloudAmerican Airlines will begin migration of its website, customer mobile app and airport check-in kiosks to IBM’s cloud network in early July. read more
• BA considering wet leasing Qatar Airways aircraft as strike loomsBritish Airways (BA) is preparing for the longest strike yet in its dispute with some of its cabin crew as members of BA’s London-based “mixed fleet” group of flight attendants are planning to stop work from July 1-16. read more
• Mexican consumer protection office fines airlines for baggage feesMexico’s federal consumer attorney’s office Profeco has fined five airlines for charging fees on customers’ first checked bags on flights from Mexico City to the US and Canada. read more

Other News Sources

• Stagecoach in talks with Government after £84m "hit" on East Coast Main LineStagecoach is in talks with the UK government over its contract to operate the East Coast main line after the loss-making franchise saw profits sink last year.
• Heathrow raises annual profit forecastHeathrow today raised its annual profit projections upwards on the back of increased passenger numbers.
• Public to be given a say over potential Borders Railway extensionTHE vexed question of whether to extend the successful Borders Railway beyond Galashiels to Hawick and possibly Carlisle is being put out to an online public consultation.
• SPT awards contract to refurbish two Glasgow subway stationsGraham Construction has been awarded a contract from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) to refurbish two Glasgow subway stations.
• Stagecoach takes £84m hit on ‘onerous’ east coastStagecoach has taken an £84 million hit because of what it terms “onerous” conditions in the contract to run its east coast rail service.
• FTA delighted DUP deal seals investment for NI road improvementsYesterday’s announcement of an extra £400m infrastructure funding for Northern Ireland as part of the Government’s deal with the Democratic ...
• £700,000 to be spent on 24 cameras to help tackle illegal bus lanes driving MORE than 40 cameras could be installed around Brighton and Hove to get the city’s traffic moving more smoothly.