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

Tuesday, 22 August 2017

BBC News

• 'People will get killed' on polluted Hafodyrynys roadHomes could be demolished or a bypass built under plans to improve air quality in an area with one of the UK's highest pollution levels.
• London bus moves forward without driverThe driver wasn't behind the wheel as the bus moved onto a main road.
• Reduced Northern Isles ferry fare scheme to be rolled outRoad Equivalent Tariff will begin on Pentland Firth routes, with a variant for lines from Aberdeen.
• George Osborne urges 'HS3' rail for northern EnglandEx-Chancellor George Osborne leads the campaign for high-speed rail lines to link Liverpool and Hull.
• Cross-border train use 'cuts emissions'A shift from air to rail journeys between Scotland and London has led to a major cut in carbon emissions, a report says.
• Ford announces £2,000 scrappage scheme for pre-2010 carsThe car maker is offering £2,000 off a new car in a scheme it says will have

ITV News

• Rail passengers warned of further reduced serviceSouth West Trains passengers are being warned of a further reduction in services from Thursday.

Financial Times

• Maersk in big step towards break-up with $7bn sale of oil unitDanish group’s restructuring plans start to take shape in deal with Total of France
• Boost northern transport spending, business leaders tell GraylingEmployers say north-south divide in investment severely limits regional economy

The Guardian

• What is the most annoying thing you can do on public transport?If you like being liked, best avoid travelling on public transport. According to a new YouGov survey, no matter how you behave on the London Underground, at some point you’re likely to annoy someone.

The Telegraph

• Car makers 'cashing in' on diesel fears by offering drivers £2k off a new car 

Times Online

• Total buys Maersk’s oil business in $7.45bn deal [Subscription]Total, the French energy company, has strengthened its North Sea oil business with the $7.45 billion purchase of the oil arm of AP Moller-Maersk, the shipping company.
• Give elderly longer to cross the road, urges watchdog [Subscription]Pelican crossings should hold traffic for longer to allow elderly and disabled people more time to reach the other side of the road and to improve their enjoyment of the outdoors, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has said.
• O’Leary vows to fight German ‘stitch-up’ [Subscription]Ryanair will insist that Lufthansa is forced to sell assets and landing slots if it succeeds in its bid to take over most of Air Berlin, Michael O’Leary has said.
• Train residue is causing fatal road crashes, say locals [Subscription]Fatal crashes on a straight stretch of road may have been caused by a build-up of slippery residue from the exhausts of diesel trains that run near by, it emerged yesterday.
• City council faces claims that Edinburgh tram lines are dangerous for cyclists [Subscription]A nurse who dislocated her jaw after falling from a bike on a tramline is suing Edinburgh city council in a case that could result in hundreds of injured cyclists receiving damages.

Birmingham Post

• £4m investment into new Volvo service centre New depot will service and repair trucks and buses and create 15 new jobs

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Cruise ship passengers pump £2m into North Wales...but hopes new cash will attract even more people The money will pay to create 'new experiences' and develop cruise 'immersion' videos

London Evening Standard

• Revealed: Londoners' biggest gripes about travelling on the TubeBlocking passengers who are trying to get off and 'manspreading' are the worst faux pas
• Shocking footage captures moment London bus careers across main road without a driver behind the wheelTransport bosses are investigating footage which appears to show a runaway London bus careering across a main road with no-one at the controls.
• New operator South Western Railway's first day of operations as union warn of industrial disputeThe new operators of one of Britain's busiest commuter franchises today began its first full day of operations — as union leaders warned of a pending industrial dispute.
• Gatwick Airport: Hundreds of holidaymakers left without luggage after system failureHundreds of holidaymakers have been left without their luggage after a failure at Gatwick Airport saw them arrive at their destinations bagless.

Morning Star

• MTR, Keep Guard ‘Legends’ On Trains!SOUTH West Trains’ new Chinese state owners were urged yesterday to keep guard “legends” on every train.

Northern Echo

• Rail group finally calls it a day after raising cash for the North York Moors Railway since 1973A CHARITY that fundraises for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway has had to end operations as its current location is required for redevelopment.

Yorkshire Post

• Thousands sign petition calling for greater investment in Yorkshire transport linksAlmost 70,000 people have signed a petition demanding greater investment in northern transport links ahead of a meeting of the region’s political leaders this week.
• YP Letters: North left on the sidings as South gets all the railway cashAfter living in Sheffield and regularly taking trains to Manchester, Liverpool and Doncaster, I am often left disappointed by the slow running services which cost me an arm and a leg. The rolling stock is old and dilapidated (especially on the Sheffield to Doncaster route) but they also smell.
• YP Letters: Plea to Theresa May for ‘Crossrail in the North’THIS is an open letter that the region’s senior business leaders have written to Theresa May today about transport investment – and the case for a ‘Crossrail for the North’ scheme.
• Little-known road could be upgraded to ease M1 congestion in Yorkshire A little-known road between Sheffield and Rotherham could be upgraded to cut congestion on the M1.

Other Regional Press

• South Western Railway: See how passengers reacted to the first 24 hours of new Surrey rail operator's tenureSWR's first day saw technical difficulties but little change from the old service - here's what Surrey passengers had to say
• New era for cycling as 'Uber for bikes' scheme launches in OxfordA NEW era for cycling in the city began yesterday as a fleet of dockless yellow bikes appeared around Oxford.
• George Osborne seeks fast-track commitment to NorthThe former chancellor said a “northern powerhouse” rail network connecting Liverpool to Hull must be planned for as the Government presses on with the delivery of HS2.
• Neston MP demands improvements to unreliable rail serviceThe unreliable rail service through Neston has led to a renewed demand for improvements from Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Justin Madders (Lab).

Buying Business Travel

• Edinburgh airport starts work on £80 million extensionExpansion will add new gates and more facilities at Scotland's busiest airport
• More rail strikes called by RMT unionThree franchises set for industrial action next month
• UK business travellers reduce overseas tripsThe number of business trips abroad fell during first half of 2017

Rail Technology Magazine

• NR to offer new apprenticeships in cyber security and digital railwayNetwork Rail is to double the number of apprenticeship opportunities it offers young people, whilst also introducing new apprenticeships in cyber security and digital railway. A total of 600 opportunities will be offered nationwide by the company over the next 12 months, across a range of...
• Night Tube gives London £171m boost in first year The introduction of Night Tube to the capital has boosted the capital’s economy by £171m in its first year, City Hall has this week announced. Figures released as the service celebrated its one-year anniversary at the weekend showed that there have already been nearly eight million...
• Passengers brace for September chaos as RMT announces third triple strikeThe RMT’s ongoing saga with Southern, Merseyrail and Northern has marched on this week as strikes on all three TOCs were announced to take place at the start of September. On Southern and Northern, members of the union will strike for two days (Friday 1 September and Monday 4 September)...

Railnews

• Trains return after Ely freight derailment A line blocked by a freight derailment in the East of England has reopened today, after what Network Rail described as 'extensive repair work' to restore 400km of damaged track. It is not yet clear what caused the derailment, on 14 August at about 14.40, when 11 wagons of a 33- wagon container train were derailed just north of Ely on the line to Peterborough.
• First, MTR take charge on South Western Rush hour trains to London Waterloo are being operated by new franchise owners today for the first time in more than two decades. The South Western contract, which was won by FirstGroup and MTR, will now be operated with the brand South Western Railway for at least the next seven years. The new owners have displaced Stagecoach Group, which ran the first franchised train from Twickenham to Waterloo on 4 February 1996, and which has kept the South Western franchise until now.

Aviation Industry

• UK lessor Falko boosts E190 portfolioUK lessor Falko Regional Aircraft, which focuses on the regional aircraft sector, has added four Embraer E190 regional jets to its portfolio, the company said Aug. 21.
• CEO report: Airberlin should be sold by September Airberlin which filed for bankruptcy last week should be sold by September at the latest, CEO Thomas Winkelmann has told the German daily Bild am Sonntag.
• Report: 30% of Norway's aviation fuel could be sustainable by 2030Research commissioned by Norwegian airports operator Avinor has concluded that 30% of Norway's aviation fuel could be sustainable by 2030, but this depends on available funding.

Other News Sources

• Poor mobile reception and wi-fi security fears on UK trains stopping commuters shopping and workingDespite the daily commute becoming a prime mobile shopping time, more than half of UK train passengers say the mobile service they get on train is not good enough – and stops them using their devices.
• MTR Corp plans UK South Western rail service upgradeHong Kong's MTR Corp and its UK joint venture partner FirstGroup have promised improvements to the South Western rail service which runs trains between London Waterloo, Reading, Bristol, Exeter, Weymouth, and Portsmouth, as well as Island Line on the Isle of Wight.
• Railway open for business while upgrades carried outThe railway will remain open for business during the busiest times while the ScotRail Alliance carries out major improvement works starting next month.
• You want electrified train services? I promise they can be fundedBusiness leaders are demanding that the government boost infrastructure spending in the north after it scrapped or reviewed projects that were part of the Northern Powerhouse plan. Two lobby groups representing thousands of companies have each written letters to ministers calling for an end to the north-south divide in investment in rail and road networks.