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

Tuesday, 04 July 2017

BBC News

• Sheffield-Rotherham tram-train scheme costs rise to £75mThe UK's first tram-train scheme will cost five times more than planned, the National Audit Office has said.
• Rail-y quietJust 150 passengers per year have boarded at the Powys station, Arriva Trains Wales says.
• Wales road crashes that caused injury down 11%The number of road accidents that inflicted personal injuries in Wales dropped by 11% last year, new figures show.
• Etihad flights to and from US avoid laptop banThorough checks on gadgets mean passengers can use laptops from Abu Dhabi to the US, the airline says.
• Tesla boosted ahead of Model 3 electric car launchThe electric car maker's founder Elon Musk says the lower cost Model 3 car will be ready this week.

ITV News

• South Yorkshire Tram Train service quadruples in priceA delayed rail project in South Yorkshire will now cost more than four times its original price.

Financial Times

• Tesla to deliver mass market Model 3 cars starting on July 28
• Stagecoach wins £2.5m compensation for overdue tram-train lineUK transport group is supplying vehicles for line that has quadrupled in cost

The Guardian

• Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train is five times over budget, says NAOScheme now slated to cost at least £75.1m instead of planned £15m, but ministers have refused to pull plug
• UK manufacturers say Brexit uncertainty will force them to make cutsBusiness leaders seek clarity over transitional arrangements as new figures point to slowdown for carmakersBritish manufacturers are fast approaching a “tipping point” where a lack of certainty over the direction of Brexit negotiations will force them to make painful cuts whatever the outcome, they say.The stark warning, due to be delivered on Tuesday by Engineering Employers’ Federation chief executive Terry Scuoler, comes as business leaders begin a week of crunch meetings with government ministers to try to force the pace of thinking over how to ensure economic stability when Britain leaves...

The Herald

• End of the line for ScotRail? SNP plans radical shake-up of Scottish railways TRANSPORT minister Humza Yousaf is to unveil the biggest shake-up to Scottish rail in decades.

The Huffington Post

• John Hayes, Transport Minister, Mocked For Refusing To Take Interventions From MPs Without TiesA Tory minister has been mocked for refusing to take questions from any MP too “sartorially challenged” to wear a tie.

The Scotsman

• ScotRail report reveals Scotland’s ‘worst’ train stationsFewer than half of ScotRail services arrive on time at around one-third of stations across Scotland, new figures have revealed.

Times Online

• Tram scheme is running late and £60m over budget [subscription]A scheme to run trains on tram tracks has gone five times over budget and is two and a half years behind schedule, the public spending watchdog says.

Belfast Telegraph

• Tram-train project rail modifications run five times over budgetModification of the rail network for the UK's first tram-train project has run five times over budget, a public spending watchdog has found.

Birmingham Post

• Greater Birmingham LEP launches hunt to find new chairman Steve Hollis will step down from the role in September to make way for new figurehead to drive economic growth in Greater Birmingham and Solihull

Derby Telegraph

• Derby rail firm Garrandale Group opens new base in Oz to work on multi-billion dollar project A Derby rail engineering and design specialist has expanded into Australia after winning a contract to work on the country's biggest ever public transport project.

London Evening Standard

• Night Tube services to be extended to cover Overground this yearThe capital's 24-hour transport network was expanded again today after it was announced the London Overground will run through the night from December.
• Londoners 'most accident prone when driving abroad'Londoners are more accident prone that motorists from anywhere else in the country when driving abroad, new statistics revealed.
• Southern Rail passengers face major disruption during drivers' overtime banMajor disruption for Southern Rail passengers continued today after the failure of fresh attempts to run more trains despite a drivers' overtime ban.
• Tottenham Court Road tube art will be seen by 150,000 a dayDaniel Buren's new works will jazz up many a sweaty tube journey
• TfL launches Siri-style 'TravelBot', but commuters say it's 'shirking its responsibilities'Transport for London has launched a Siri-style travel bot in a bid to make journey's on the Tube network easier, but commuters seem more intent on sending it silly messages.

North Wales Live

• These are the SEVENTEEN pothole-ridden roads being fixed in Liverpool this week The council has launched a new programme of works on the worst roads across the city - here is this week's plan

Buying Business Travel

• Pilots warn of ‘air disaster’ after Gatwick drone incidentDrone causes Gatwick to shut runway
• US lifts laptop ban on Abu Dhabi flightsEtihad passengers can now travel to the States with large electronic items in hand luggage

Rail Technology Magazine

• Reducing Repair and Maintenance Costs with On-Board Service The main objective of the on-board service is to increase the availability of the machinery thanks to a daily monitoring the machinery operations, the drawing up of service schedules dedicated to each piece of machinery and the continual verification…
• Crossrail unveils new pictures showing progress with tunnel fit-out workCrossrail has today released new images showing the progress being made on installing the overhead catenary system as part of the tunnel fit-out for the new service. Engineers are currently working around the clock to install the 2 x 25kV overhead traction power system to the tunnels. The...
• Night services to be rolled out on London Overground London Overground services will now run for 24-hours at weekends, mayor of the capital Sadiq Khan has today announced. The night services will start operating from December on Fridays and Saturdays in East London between New Cross Gate and Dalston Junction, before it is extended to Highbury...
• Watchdog sets out future lessons as GWR complaints soar after systems failureGreat Western Railway (GWR) has been criticised for its poor record of responding to complaints from customers by an influential passenger watchdog. In a document released today, Transport Focus stated that from 2015-16 to 2016-17, the number of complaints made by passengers to the watchdog due...

Railnews

• Franchising timetable slips again The Department for Transport�s franchising timetable is slipping again, possibly because of delays introduced by the snap General Election. The winner of the West Midlands franchise should have been announced in June, ready for the new contract to start in October. The present operator Govia is competing with a joint venture of Abellio, Mitsui and the East Japan Railway company.

Railway Gazette

• SNCF opens two high speed lines in one dayFRANCE: More than 500 km of new high speed line were officially opened on July 1, when SNCF...
• First Giruno runs through the Gotthard Base TunnelSWITZERLAND: A Stadler EC250 Giruno trainset ran through the Gotthard Base Tunnel for the first...

Aviation Industry

• Abu Dhabi removed from laptop ban listAbu Dhabi has been removed from the list of 10 airports from which US-bound passengers are required to check large personal electronic devices rather than carry the devices on board aircraft. read more
• Turkish Airlines CEO: IST to be taken off laptop ban list by July 5Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST) is expected to be removed from the list of airports from which US-bound passengers are required to check large personal electronic devices by July 5, according to Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi. read more

Other News Sources

• Go North East makes £1.6m contactless ticketing investmentBus operator Go North East is hoping to drive up passenger numbers across its Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, County Durham and Tees Valley services after investing over £1.6m in contactless ticketing.
• Are we doing enough to improve air quality in Scotland?Can we do more to stop the damaging impact of air pollution in Scotland? And how can we put an end to urban areas with traffic-choked streets, which repeatedly breach EU air quality laws?
• Venturing forth: Cycle.land offers a social bike-sharing platformA startup on the Cambridge Social Ventures programme aims to disrupt the bike-sharing market and encourage an innovative, eco-friendly way of travel.

News from Europe

• EurActiv: Drivers are the top consumers of palm oil in Europe