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

Wednesday, 13 September 2017

Government

• Transport Select CommitteeLilian Greenwood MP was elected as Chair of the Transport Committee on Wednesday 12 July 2017. The remaining members of the Committee were formally appointed on Monday 11 September 2017.

BBC News

• Cardiff bus station plans 'called in' for more scrutinyA Plaid councillor raises concerns over a big increase in the number of student flats in the scheme.
• The history of Bombardier in Northern IrelandThe history of Bombardier in Northern Ireland
• Diesel emissions scandal still dogs VWGerman car manufacturer Volkswagen is still having to deal with the aftermath of the diesel emissions scandal.
• May phones Trump as Boeing dispute threatens BombardierThere are fears a major aircraft project that supports hundreds of Belfast jobs could be jeopardised.
• Tesla Autopilot 'partly to blame' for crashFederal investigators say Tesla's auto-driving system contributed to a fatal Model S crash in 2016.

ITV News

• Expansion backed for Borders RailwayThe head of Scotland's Economic Development Agency is backing an expansion of the Borders Railway.

Financial Times

• US agency criticises Tesla over fatal crashAutopilot was allowed to operate on non-highway road where vehicles could turn across
• Air Berlin warns pilot protest puts sale plans at riskMore than 100 flights cancelled after pilots call in sick at short notice

Times Online

• Greater Anglia workers vote to strike over role of train guards [Subscription]Hundreds of thousands of commuters are facing travel misery after it was announced that strikes over the role of guards on trains will spread to a fourth rail network.
• Queensferry Crossing speed limit to be raised to cut jamsThe speed limit on the new Queensferry Crossing is likely to be raised from 40mph to 50mph as soon as possible in an attempt to ease the congestion that has plagued it since it opened.
• Charity cycling event punctured as saboteurs take a different tack [Subscription]Police are investigating after hundreds of riders had their tyres punctured at Scotland’s biggest cycling event.
• Tesla Autopilot car death partly driver error [Subscription]Tesla’s Autopilot system was partly to blame for a crash that led to the death of a driver of its Model S car, US federal investigators have found.
• Jaguar has a change of Pace [Subscription]Jaguar Land Rover’s first foray into pure electric will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March — if not before.
• Frankfurt Motor Show: Thousands of Vauxhall jobs at risk amid Brexit concern [Subscription]The future of more than 3,000 Vauxhall workers remains in the balance after their new boss said that he was nowhere near making a decision on whether the plants would remain open.
• Beige is the new black as cab maker London Electric Vehicle Company makes motor show debut [Subscription]London’s new black cab maker went a shade of beige, the traditional colour of Germany’s taxis, as it made its international motor show debut in Frankfurt, with executives revealing that first trials of its hybrid would take place next month (Robert Lea writes).

City AM

• The battle over Southwark stationFrom Baker Street to Westminster, King’s Cross to Wood Green, London’s stations are unique and steeped in history – over 70 London underground stations are listed, and a further 50 lie within conservation areas.
• The electric vehicle revolution is coming sooner than expectedAfter years of incremental change, the electric vehicle revolution appears to be just on the horizon, according to Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM).

Conservative Party

• James Palmer: We need a new train station for South CambridgeJames Palmer is the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Birmingham Mail

• This is the future of public transport - with railway links for Moseley and Kings Heath£3.4 billion spending bonanza planned for next decade

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Get moving on transport to boost business growth, Fastest 50 organiser demands Newcastle law firm Ward Hadaway has warned that central government must action transport improvements across the region
• Could Heathrow expansion hurt the North East and Newcastle Airport? One campaign group say that a third runway and too much focus on the North East could hurt airports such as Newcastle

The York Press

• More bus lane cameras set to get go-ahead in York MORE traffic cameras could be on the way for York in a bid to stop drivers using lanes reserved for buses.

Cambridge News

• Greater Anglia chief says he is disappointed with vote for strike actionThe rail company are facing mass walk outs over safety concerns

Get West London

• Heathrow expansion: Independent adviser says government 'fell short of best practice' with third runway consultation leafletsThe leaflets distributed to a million Londoners failed to include the full addresses for consultation venues

Other Regional Press

• Blackpool Council swoops to protect airport in £4.25m buy-outBlackpool Council has bought the airport for £4.25m in a shock move to secure the future of aviation at the Squires Gate site.
• Appeal launched to help Newport Transporter Bridge fight for World Heritage Site status THE Friends of Newport Transporter Bridge (FONTB) are aiming to travel to the other side of the world to form part of a joint international bid to get World Heritage status for the iconic city structure – but they need help
• Midland Mainline electrification in and around Leicestershire cost £20m - before Government pulled the plugAround £20 million was spent elevating bridges in and around Leicestershire to prepare for electrification of the Midland Mainline before the Government abandoned the project.
• Greater Anglia announce more benefits for Essex rail passengers including a drop in the Delay Repay thresholdPARTNERING with Network Rail is hoped will solve major infrastructure problems which lead to delayed and cancelled trains.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• 100th mega ship of 2017 arrives at the Port of Felixstowe Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe will welcome its 100th 18,000+ TEU vessel of 2017 on Thursday this week (14th September) as the UK’s maritime industry celebrates London International Shipping Week (LISW). The 18,270 TEU Matz Maersk is operated by Maersk Line on the 2M Alliance’s AE10/NEU2 service between Europe and Asia. Commenting on the milestone, Clemence Cheng, Executive Director, Hutchison Ports and a member of the LISW Board of Advisors, said: “The Port of Felixstowe is firmly established as the port of choice for the largest mega-vessels. We were the first port i...
• Peel Ports to launch Liverpool rail container service Peel Ports is set to launch a new rail container service for its customers using the Port of Liverpool. The company is in advanced contract discussions with both a rail provider and shippers, with the aim of running the first services before the end of 2017. It is the first time Peel Ports has offered an integrated package, giving shippers a seamless route to market, from quayside to any UK destination served by major rail lines, or vice versa.  The service will be presented tonight (12 September) at a London International Shipping Week event hosted at the Lloyds Building by Peel Ports...

Rail Magazine

• Peak-time use for Crossrail's new trainsMore than two months after the first ’345’ carried passengers, TfL Rail has started using Aventras on peak-time trains between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield. The new EMUs had previously been restricted to an additional rostered duty in the morning on the Metro route to Shenfield.

Rail Technology Magazine

• West Midlands approves £3.4bn decade-long rail investment planMembers of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) have now formally stamped the 2026 Delivery Plan for Transport that will see £3.4bn invested into tram extensions, suburban rail lines and new stations over the next decade, as well as cycle routes and motorway improvements.

Railway Gazette

• Greater Anglia reveals interior of Aventra commuter train fleetBombardier is to supply 89 five-car and 22 ten-car 25 kV 50 Hz EMUs for Greater Anglia commuter services under a £900m deal financed by Angel Trains and Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The new units will have air-conditioning, plug and USB points and free wi-fi. They will be longer than the units they will replace, and the overall size of the fleet will also be increased.

Aviation Industry

• Bombardier: Small single-aisle, large regional fleet to double by 2036Bombardier is projecting global demand for aircraft in the 60- to 150-seat commercial aircraft market segment will nearly double over the next 20 years to 12,550 aircraft, according to the Canadian manufacturer’s 2017-2036 Market Forecast released Sept. 12. read more
• Bombardier to move Q400 production; launch new CRJ cabinBoosted by new orders for its Q400, Bombardier has dusted off plans to move production of the cockpit and wing for the regional turboprop from Toronto to lower-cost locations outside Canada. read more

Other News Sources

• Gatwick vows to build a second runwayThe boss of Gatwick today vowed to build a second runway instead of or in addition to a third runway at Heathrow.
• Ground broken on Sheffield Boeing manufacturing facilityWork has officially begun on aerospace giant Boeing's new manufacturing facility at Sheffield Business Park which will create new ties between the company's facilities in the UK and US.
• Balfour Beatty sells Blackpool Airport to Blackpool Council for £4.25mln Share Balfour Beatty had struggled to offload the loss-making airport for many years
• Peel Ports planning rail container servicePeel Ports is on the verge of launching a new rail container service for customers using the Port of Liverpool.
• New Transport Committee members namedThe members of the Transport Committee, which will serve under chairwoman Lillian Greenwood, have been announced. The select committee will comprise of a mixture of Labour, Conservative, SNP and DUP politicians.