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

Wednesday, 29 November 2017

BBC News

• £70m cable car and zip wire plan for Swansea's Kilvey HillTalks are set to take place over building the tourist attraction which could open by 2020.
• Firms team up on hybrid electric plane technologyAirbus, Rolls Royce and Siemens join forces to develop hybrid electric plane technology.
• Uber and Waymo trial delayed after evidence 'withheld'Uber faces allegations that it stole secrets from Google's self-driving car firm.
• Airline group IAG opens Paris base for LevelAirline group IAG's low-cost long-haul carrier will have two aircraft based at Paris Orly.
• Some lost rail routes may be 'restored'More than 4,000 miles of rail routes were closed in the 1960s as part of major cost cuts.

ITV News

• Arriva Trains Wales services hit by points failureServices at a standstill on Arriva Trains Wales services between Treherbert and Pontypridd because of a points failure at Ystrad Rhondda.

Department for Transport

• Strategic vision for rail, 29 November 2017Setting out a vision for our railways, including a new way of operating train and track and changes to the franchising system.
• Strategic vision for rail, 29 November 2017Announcing a new strategic vision for rail, a consultation on the next Great Western franchise, and an invitation to tender for the South Eastern franchise.
• Better journeys for South Eastern rail passengersCompetition to run the South Eastern rail franchise announced.
• The future of the Great Western franchiseThe Great Western rail franchise could be split up to maintain the strongest possible focus on passengers under proposals unveiled today (29 November 2017).

Financial Times

• Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens to develop hybrid planeCollaboration aims to have a part-electric test aircraft in the air by 2020

The Guardian

• Rail services lost under 1960s Beeching cuts may reopenTransport secretary Chris Grayling could restore closed lines under plan to expand rail network and increase growthRail services lost under the Beeching cuts could be restored to increase jobs and growth, under plans drawn up by the transport secretary to expand the rail network. The government will invite proposals to reopen lines that were closed down following reports by Dr Richard Beeching in the 1960s, or under later British Rail cuts in the 1970s. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Softbank plays hard ball with offer to buy Uber shares [Subscription]The Japanese technology investor that controversially bought Arm Holdings, the British chip designer, last year has stepped forward with an offer to buy a big stake in Uber.
• Rail lines axed by Beeching will reopen to tackle overcrowding crisis [Subscription]Hundreds of miles of rail lines shut under the notorious Beeching cuts 50 years ago will be reopened as part of plans to tackle overcrowding and boost capacity on the network.

City AM

• IAG's low-cost airline Level is expanding across Europe as it sets up a new base in ParisIAG's low-cost, long-haul airline Level is spreading its wings with the launch of four new routes from Paris.
• Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens team up to get a hybrid-electric plane flying by 2020Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens have announced a partnership to develop a hybrid electric engine as the aviation industry ramps up efforts to reduce a reliance on fossil fuels.
• Government plans to restore lost rail services across Britain to expand network and boost housing developmentThe government plans to expand Britain's rail network, looking at restoring services that were lost to cuts in the 60s and 70s, to boost housing opportunities, and address the capacity pressures facing many train operators.
• Crossrail latest: Here's how the Paddington Elizabeth Line station is shaping upWork on the £14.8bn Crossrail project is drawing nearer to completion, while the 10 stations being built in central London for the Elizabeth Line are nearly finished.

Mail Online

• Rail lines axed by Dr Beeching in the 1960s may reopen Railway lines and stations lost during the Beeching cuts could be reopened to drive housebuilding, including routes in Bristol, Devon and the West Midlands.

Birmingham Mail

• This is exactly why Birmingham is being short-changed on transport West Midlands is way behind London, but also South East and North West regions

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus could be flying this electric powered commercial jet by 2020 The aerospace giant has formed a partnership with Rolls-Royce and Siemens to develop a near-term flight demonstrator

London Evening Standard

• Virgin Atlantic is offering inflight entertainment for visually impaired people for the first timeVirgin Atlantic has become the first airline to offer entertainment catered to visually impaired passengers.
• Sadiq Khan reveals plans to ban parking spaces from new London homesSadiq Khan has unveiled plans to ban car parking spaces from new London homes and office blocks in an attempt to cut car use in the capital.
• New west London townhouses have charging points for electic carsThe new must-have is a power point for your eco-friendly electric car, and each townhouse in this 44-strong scheme has one in the garage.

Northern Echo

• Bus company's cut-price fare offer on evenings into and out of Durham in DecemberA BUS company is to bring some early cheer for passengers and festive revellers, with news it is cutting evening fares into and out of a city centre.

Wales Online

• New images reveal how Swansea's proposed cable cars could offer stunning views of the city The project will also include a toboggan ride, zip wire and a restaurant on Kilvey Hill

Plymouth Herald

• Great Western rail franchise could be split up and new line linking Plymouth and London launchedThe Great Western rail franchise that operates Plymouth's train services could be split up in a major shake-up of the region's railways, it will be revealed today.

Other Regional Press

• Bus routes to Fenland towns saved after council steps inBus routes serving Fenland towns will be saved after Cambridgeshire County Council stepped in to fund replacements.
• New leisure centre, bus station, hotel and 400 homes: the £134m plan for PooleMULTI-MILLION pound plans to transform an area of Poole town centre have been unveiled.
• Claim communities in west Fife are being cut off by shortage of bus servicesConservative councillors Mino Manekshaw and Dave Dempsey have backed Stagecoach’s suggestion of a bus interchange at High Valleyfield, with connecting services to villages including Torryburn, Cairneyhill, Crossford and Charlestown.
• New bus services provide rural boost to the Ribble Valley, Burnley and PendleMAJOR improvements are to take place to bus services across the county after an extra £1million was made available to target rural links.
• Big rise in number of people caught riding on trains for freeTwo people a day are being caught fare dodging in West Yorkshire, as the number on trains without a ticket hits a six-year high.
• HS2 ‘could cause journey times between Nottingham and Derby to be 14 minutes longer’HS2 could make some journey times between Nottingham and Derby 14 minutes longer because the Toton stop will lengthen the route, according to a campaign group.
• Devon rail lines axed in 60s to be reopened, says GovernmentDevon rail lines closed during the notorious Beeching cuts of the 1960s could be reopened, the Transport Secretary has announced.
• North Yorkshire Moors Railway unveils plans for new carriage worksPLANS have been submitted by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) for a carriage workshop and storage facility in Pickering.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Nationalised ScotRail 'could lead to instant 6% fare cut'ScotRail could feasibly be nationalised by 2020, and doing so could give passengers an immediate 6% drop in fares, it has been claimed. Data provided by think tank Common Weal – commissioned by transport union TSSA – suggests that handing the company into public control would offer...

Railnews

• ˜Bold plan™ unveiled to expand rail network The government has revealed plans to expand the railway network with the aim of unlocking jobs and growth. It says restoring capacity lost in the British Rail era could boost growth around key towns and cities. The latest plans include the commitment to accelerate the restoration of the rail link between Oxford and Cambridge. Transport secretary Chris Grayling said he wants to identify new transport projects which could include rail services lost under the British Rail cuts of the 1960s and 1970s where these could aid housing developments or help create new economic opportunities.

Railway Gazette

• Rail market share falling in France, says regulatorFRANCE: In a report on rail passenger services covering 2015 and 2016, regulatory body Arafer found...

The Business Desk

• Midland Mainline franchise to be run by joint teamThe government has announced that a “joint team” will run the Midland Mainline service when the tender for the new franchise is published next year.

Aviation Industry

• IAG names Paris Orly as Level’s second baseInternational Airlines Group (IAG) has selected Paris Orly Airport as the second base for its low-cost, long-haul carrier Level. read more
• European majors look to electric futureThree major European manufacturing groups plan to take a significant step toward hybrid-electric propulsion for commercial aircraft, they announced Nov. 28. read more
• Rolls exec Schulz to succeed Leahy as top Airbus salesmanAirbus has named Rolls-Royce civil aerospace president Eric Schulz as EVP-chief of sales, marketing and contracts, to succeed John Leahy after 33 years at the company. read more
• Bmi regional looks for gaps in the marketUK-based bmi regional is likely to strike up some form of partnership with a European Union (EU) airline to allow it to continue to operate inside the EU after Brexit, CCO Jochen Schnadt said in London Nov. 28. read more

Other News Sources

• DfT To Extend FirstGroup's Great Western FranchiseFirstGroup welcomed a new strategic vision for the Great Western rail network from the Department for Transport on Wednesday, with the DfT confirming it would exercise its option to extend First’s franchise in the region by one year, to 1 April 2020.
• Work on Platform 0 at Redhill station 'visibly well underway' as Network Rail provides update on opening dateWork on the £50 million expansion of the station is "visibly well underway"
• Chris Grayling announces plan to overturn Beeching railway cuts Rail routes lost in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s could be restored to help increase house-building levels and boost the economy, the government has said.