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

Friday, 20 October 2017

BBC News

• Arriva North West bus strike: What you need to knowArriva bus services in Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire are affected.
• Youths set off fireworks in bus and shops in IslingtonTransport for London said it was
• New 'leaking' London to Cardiff trains taken out of serviceNew trains running from London to Cardiff were called
• 100 Women: Undercover in London, catching harassers on the TubeBBC 100 Women go undercover on the Tube with British Transport Police officers catching offenders.
• Union seeks assurances on Royal Navy ship ordersRepresentatives will seek to discuss future work with the defence secretary as he visits the Clyde.
• The end of Australia's car-making industryThe final vehicle left the production line on Friday, in what many consider a symbolic moment.
• Nissan halts domestic production after improper inspectionsThe firm recalled 1.2m cars in Japan because uncertified technicians performed final checks.

Financial Times

• UK competition watchdog launches action against car hire comparison sites
• Nissan suspends Japanese production over inspection failures
• Ryanair hire Peter Bellew flies into new challengeNew COO appointed from Malaysia Airlines to fix pilot staffing problems

The Guardian

• MH370: Malaysia in deal with private search firm to find missing plane‘No find, no fee’ search to be undertaken by US-based seabed exploration company Ocean InfinityMalaysia has entered into a “no find, no fee” arrangement with a private search company, Ocean Infinity, in a bid to recover the missing MH370 plane and discover the fate of the 239 people on board. Late on Thursday, Australia’s minister for infrastructure and transport, Darren Chester, acknowledged the agreement between the Malaysian government and the US-based seabed exploration company. Continue reading...
• British Airways apologises for bed bug infestationCanadian family is covered with bites after Vancouver to London flight – despite pointing out insects to attendantsBritish Airways has apologised to a Canadian family after they were bitten by bed bugs on a transatlantic flight between Vancouver and London. Heather Szilagyi, her seven-year-old daughter, Molly, and her fiance, Eric Neilson, were left covered with painful insect bites while travelling from Canada to Slovakia this month. Continue reading...
• Aslef asks members to bring Southern rail dispute to an endUnion recommends deal that will allow some trains to run without guards and give drivers 28.5% pay rise over next five yearsDrivers on Southern rail could be about to end their dispute after their union recommended a deal that would allow some trains to run without guards and give drivers a 28.5% pay rise over the next five years. Industrial action has been disrupting the railway since April 2016 but now Aslef, the drivers’ union, will ask its members to vote to end the row. Continue reading...
• Bombardier’s vulnerability is a bad omen for post-Brexit Britain | Dawn FosterAirbus, not Theresa May, rescued Belfast’s workers. So much for the claims that the UK is a big global player ready for life outside EuropeFor some, Monday’s weather felt like a depiction of a post-Brexit UK: a wind-battered, dystopian hell-scape lit by an eerie red sun, leaving confused citizens feeling for all the world as though they were trapped in a faded sepia photograph.The last few weeks in Belfast offer a less hyperbolic indication of what might befall the UK after Brexit. The announcement that Bombardier’s C-Series jets would be subject to a 300% import tax in the US (up from the eye...

The Herald

• Plane with just 12 people on board turns round after passenger's dispute with air hostessA man forced a pilot to divert a plane after he became abusive towards a flight attendant on a small aircraft.
• Scotland's potholed are impossible to fix at current funding levelsSCOTLAND’S potholed roads are impossible to fix at current levels of council funding, it has been warned.

The Scotsman

• ‘Impossible’ to fix roads due to cuts, say transport expertsIndependent transport experts have warned that funding cuts mean it is “not possible” to fix Scotland’s potholed and damaged roads.

The Telegraph

• Police to net an extra £12 million from speed awareness courses

Times Online

• Cuts leave £1.67bn pothole in road repairs [Subscription]Transport chiefs have said it is “not possible” to repair every Scottish road in need of maintenance with the declining road budget.
• Diesel fumes make British streets among most toxic in West [Subscription]Polluted air has made Britain one of the most toxic countries in the developed world, a global analysis has found.

Mail Online

• Southern Rail chiefs offer drivers £63k salaries Rail bosses said they are prepared to hand a bumper pay rise worth 28.5 per cent over five years to settle a bitter dispute that has caused misery for hundreds of thousands of commuters.

Birmingham Post

• Driverless cars to be tested on the roads of Birmingham 'within two years' The government has given the go ahead to researchers to trial the developing autonomous car technology

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Work progressing towards Keighley's new £7 million dual carriagewayWORK is scheduled to start late next year on a multi-million pound scheme to transform a notorious Keighley bottleneck into dual carriageway.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Council knocks back car park charges at Denbighshire retail park Motorists reacted angrily in July when pay machines were installed at Greenfield Place Retail Park
• Airbus says 'no jobs impact' on Broughton from Bombardier partnership The aerospace giant has told the Daily Post there are markets for the A319 and CS300 planes

London Evening Standard

• New 'leaking' high-speed trains into London taken out of serviceFour new trains have been taken out of service days after their launch after suffering a series of faults and delays.
• Southern Rail misery could soon be over as drivers vote on pay rise dealSouthern Rail commuters could soon see an end to their misery as drivers prepare to vote on a fresh deal which could resolve the long-running dispute.
• British Airways apologises after family bitten by bed bugs on Vancouver to London flightBritish Airways has apologised to a family after they were bitten by bed bugs on an overnight flight from Vancouver to London.
• Mother fined for running out of petrol on busy motorway leaving kids 'hysterical with fear'A mother has been fined by police after she ran out of petrol on a busy motorway.
• New technology could see hand luggage screened while passengers browse duty free shops - in bid to cut airport queuesMinisters investigating ways to cut airport queues have suggested hand luggage could be checked while passengers browse duty free shops.

Northern Echo

• Government announce funding to improve roads in Darlington and MiddlesbroughTHE Government has awarded millions of pounds to three North-East transport projects.

The York Press

• City centre bus stops to close for four weeks WORK will begin next week on improvements to bus stops in York city centre, closing them for up to a month.

Bucks Free Press

• Major £4 million project to improve congestion on London Road Better pedestrian crossings and

Crewe Chronicle

• Council want SEVEN high speed trains per hour at Crewe Station in bold HS2 bid Cross party consensus for Option Three which includes services to Manchester and Birmingham

East Anglian Daily Times

• Government backing for new road schemes across Suffolk and EssexThe Government is to contribute nearly £13m towards the cost of three new road schemes in Suffolk and Essex.
• Train delays and cancellations after signal fault between Norwich and StowmarketRail commuters face a morning of disruption due to a signalling fault between Norwich and Stowmarket.

North Wales Live

• Could we get DRIVERLESS BUSES on our new Lime Line public transport link?Heritage tram also being considered for route up Brownlow Hill

Reading Evening Post

• Plans to close Wokingham level crossing cause concernThe council wants to build a single carriageway road, which runs from Montague Park housing development to Waterloo Road, and a bridge over the Reading to Waterloo railway line

Other Regional Press

• 'CHAOS': Warning to parents as dangerous school-run parking on the rise RECKLESS parents are risking lives with their dangerous parking on the school run, headteachers are warning.
• An A66 'throughabout' and Swans Corner improvements: How £5m road funding will be spent The Department of Transport has handed out funding to two key Teesside projects
• On the right track: South Western Railway scoops not one but TWO prestigious awardsSouth Western Railway has scooped two prestigious awards.
• "It's a no brainer": Councillors back speed reductions for two accident hotspots Councillors back proposals for speed reduction on two Dorset roads
• “We need better road infrastructure”: Western relief road back on the agenda as key players prepare for discussions Proposals for a western relief road are firmly back on the agenda as key players prepare to come together for a conference to discuss the way forward.
• The £30m deal that will make us the leader for driverless cars The region is seeking to strengthen its position as a global leader developing connected and autonomous vehicle technology
• Talking point - a need for speed cameras on the M4THIS week we reported on Freedom of Information (FOI) request regarding the number of motorists speeding on the M4.

C.N.N.

• Holden's Australian era ends with last locally-made carThe last Holden car will drive off the production line in Adelaide, Australia, this week, ending the country's love affair with a car that was once a part of the national fabric.
• US company agrees to restart MH370 search in 'no find, no fee' dealA US marine exploration company has agreed to restart the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370, according to Australian's transport minister.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Government drives forward green transport revolutionMotorway services and large petrol retailers will be required to install chargepoints for electric cars, under plans announced in the House of Commons by Transport Minister John Hayes. The Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill will increase the access and availability of chargepoints for electric cars, while also giving the government powers to make it compulsory for chargepoints to be installed across the country and enabling drivers of automated cars to be insured on UK roads. Automated vehicles have the potential to greatly reduce road traffic accidents - in 2016 85.9% of collisions causin...
• £350 million investment to improve local roadsA £345.3 million funding package to improve local roads and public transport across the country has been announced by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling. 76 projects from across the country have been awarded funding totalling £244 million to bring key benefits to local road users - such as improving access to public transport sites, opening up more roads for cyclists, addressing key local traffic ’pinch points’ and supporting the development of new housing. An additional £101.3 million will pay for 2 new major roads in Middlewich, Cheshire, and Worcester in the M...

Rail Magazine

• New ScotRail Class 385 begins testing on Edinburgh-Glasgow routeFirst electric train reaches Linlithgow under own power.
• Old trains...new homes?Billions of pounds’ worth of new trains are on order, with many more in the pipeline. But what sort of future awaits the trains they are replacing?

Rail Technology Magazine

• University of Leeds to develop £10m high-speed rail centreThe University of Leeds is spending £10m on the UKs first high-speed rail technology and system integration centre. The Institute for High Speed Rail and System Integration will allow advanced planning, design, construction and manufacturing projects to be tested and carried out within the...
• Intercity Express trains taken out of service days after launchThe first two trains of GWR’s new Class 800 Intercity Express fleet have been removed from service following further technical difficulties. After the less than successful launch of the new stock on Monday, the operator has now taken the precaution of testing the new stock again, although...
• ASLEF to hold third ballot to bring Southern dispute to an endBallots will be opened to members of ASLEF on a proposed resolution to their longstanding industrial dispute. The disagreement between the union and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), the parent company of Southern Rail, has been ongoing since last April. The latest deal will give drivers a 28.5%...

Railnews

• Electric milestone for ScotRail Alliance A new electric train has run under power on part of the Edinburgh to Glasgow EGIP route for the first time. The pioneering journey was made by a Class 385 unit which has yet to be fitted out internally. The run was only between Edinburgh and Linlithgow, but it has been hailed as a ˜hugely important step™ which will now usher in a period of full scale tests on the route after final safety checks have been made.

Aviation Industry

• Thomas Cook Group to launch Balearics airlineUK-based tour operator Thomas Cook Group will launch a new airline in Spain’s Palma de Mallorca next year, the company said Oct. 18. read more

Other News Sources

• Carne plans female recruitment driveOnly 16% of Network Rail’s 40,000 staff are women, and boss Mark Carne has concluded that ‘it is clear that equality of opportunity is not enough’   Network Rail, Thameslink Programme and contractors celebrating Women in Engineering Day in 2015   Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne has told senior managers throughout the company to draw up plans to raise the proportion of women employed to a minimum of 20% in each area of the business. The decision was based on a Network Rail research project which showed teams with at least 20% of women work more safely, productively and collabo...
• Arriva leads record UK Bus Awards list108 shortlisted entries for the 2017 UK Bus Awards were revealed at a live ceremony at the Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester, last week   This year’s finalists pictured at last week’s event at the Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester   Arriva received the highest number of shortlisted entries for this year’s prestigious UK Bus Awards. The shortlist was announced last week at a live ceremony at the Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester. It contains a record 108 names – of people, projects and organisations – whittled down from over 250 nominations received by th...
• DfT backs £10bn rise in Network Rail spendingAnnounced by transport secretary Chris Grayling last week, the 2019-24 funding settlement provides for the company to spend up to £47.9bn   The funding is intended to allow Network Rail to carry out plans to increase infrastructure maintenance and renewals to improve train service performance   The government has announced a significant boost in funding for Network Rail, focused on projects to increase train service punctuality. The settlement for 2019-2024, announced by transport secretary Chris Grayling, provides for the company to spend up to £47.9bn during the period, a £10bn inc...
• New Blackburn town centre £2.9m road revamp gets government go-aheadA RADICAL £2.9million road scheme in a town centre to ease traffic flow has been given the government green light.
• Remember, remember... not to drive in November: Traffic jams on UK roads forecast to peak next month Traffic monitor INRIX has warned November could be the most congested month on Britain's roads... of all time