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

Thursday, 25 January 2018

BBC News

• Degree in 'flying car' engineering offered onlineFormer head of Google self-drive car project Sebastian Thrun is the brains behind the unusual degree.
• Tesla and GM self-drive cars involved in road collisionsA Tesla Model S and a GM Chevy Bolt are involved in separate collisions on California's roads.
• London transport investment 'more than double north's'A think tank says the north is
• Glasgow-Edinburgh railway line closed for second dayA replacement bus service is in place after a landslip blocked the line in West Lothian.
• Carillion collapse: Insurers pay out £30m to suppliersSums of £5,000 upwards are being paid, but the vast majority of firms miss out as they have no cover.
• Carillion: Kier Group boss foresees new bid processKier Group's boss says other firms would be
• UK government criticised for role in Bombardier disputeThe government only provided four pages of legal argument to the US body ruling on a dispute with Boeing.

Department for Transport

• Community projects to benefit from £45 million of HS2 government fundingFirst recipients of the HS2 Phase One Community and Environment Fund and Business and Local Economy Fund are announced.
• Working together for a thriving aviation sectorHow government is working with partners on the future of aviation strategy, Heathrow expansion, Brexit and the independent airlines insolvency review.

Financial Times

• United Continental: Flyover countryOligopolies can still fall apart
• Airline stocks plunge on price war fearsInvestors alarmed by United’s plans to add seats and face down low-cost carriers

The Scotsman

• Hopes of reopening flagship ScotRail line after landslip Hopes of reopening flagship ScotRail line after landslip

Times Online

• Driving goes into reverse as Britain hits ‘peak car’ [Subscription]Britain may have reached “peak car” after government-backed research showed that the number of teenagers holding a driving licence has plummeted by almost 40 per cent in two decades.
• Contractor tried to delay tram project, inquiry toldContractors of Edinburgh’s troubled tram line used “whatever means they could” to delay the project, the inquiry into the scheme was told.
• Virgin’s cheap shot to deny rail mess [Subscription]Finally, a good thing to say about Chris Grayling’s “strategic vision” for the railways — the one built on letting Virgin Trains East Coast off £2 billion and plunging rail franchising into chaos. At least it’s produced a decent blame game.
• Gone to Potholes [subscription]Central and local government must make the repair of potholes a higher priority

City AM

• Carillion sub-contractor Van Elle facing bad debt hit of £1.6m and warns of pressure on previous full-year expectationsAim-listed Carillion sub-contractor Van Elle has reported that it expects to recognise an exceptional bad debt charge in its full-year results in the wake of the construction firm's collapse.
• Octopus Energy is rolling out the UK's first domestic vehicle-to-grid charging trialA UK challenger energy firm is hoping to kickstart a revolution in the energy industry with a new consortium aimed at trialling the first domestic vehicle-to-grid charging on a large scale.

The Mirror

• Four bikes 'stolen' in busy city centre by plain clothes police - but not one person reports it Tourists and shoppers turned a blind eye to the incident, which proved just how easy it is to get away with committing a crime

Birmingham Mail

• New Sprint rapid bus routes to be launched in city - thanks to Commonwealth Games The buses are more reliable and will be running in Birmingham by 2022

Bolton News

• Manchester Victoria station to close to trains during Easter weekendRAIL users in Bolton are set to be hit by more disruption when Manchester Victoria station closes to trains over the Easter Weekend.
• Bolton taxi drivers announce 24-hour strike next weekTAXI drivers will be staging a 24-hour strike on Monday after negotiations with operators over fare increases broke down.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• How Airbus is using sharks and albatrosses to inspire aircraft designs Aerospace engineers are looking to the natural world

London Evening Standard

• Train driver 'freewheels' broken down train 13 MILES to London Euston after a power cutA train driver managed to "freewheel" a broken down train for 13 miles into London Euston after a power cut.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Hand luggage rules for Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2, British Airways, Emirates and other major airlinesHere's what you can and can't take with you on major carriers after Ryanair brought in a host of changes to its hand luggage restrictions
• Carillion collapse has finally killed off Thatcherism for good, say MPsLiquidation of the construction giant shows that privatising and outsourcing just doesn't work, according to some North East MPs

Northern Echo

• Middlesbrough autism campaigner helps train offer better serviceAN autism campaigner has carried out work with a train company to help them provide a better service to those with the condition.

The York Press

• Bus driver’s Hero of the Year awardA BUS driver has won a “Hero of the Yearâ€� award for the actions that delayed his passengers’ journey but may have prevented an accident.
• York cyclists blast cycle lane removal CYCLISTS say they are ‘greatly dismayed’ by proposals to scrap a cycle lane in York city centre.
• Anger as Queen's 700 tree Jubilee wood faces the chop A WOOD made up of around 700 trees planted by a community could be removed to make way for a new road to ease congestion on York’s outer ring road.

Wales Online

• Welsh Tory leader says there cannot be a 'blank cheque' for M4 relief road as cost has 'spiralled' Plaid Cymru says the Welsh Government could be defeated

Yorkshire Post

• Chris Grayling: How I plan to get transport back on track in North YESTERDAY, The Yorkshire Post demanded an unprecedented financial commitment to the North. Today I am proud to confirm that we are delivering exactly that – in fact more investment in Northern transport than any government in history.
• ‘Stop arguing over the figures and give the North a fair deal on transport’Ministers must finally commit to “big, transformative” transport projects in the North instead of disputing claims about the decades of under-funding for infrastructure in the region, a leading think-tank said today.

Buying Business Travel

• Addison Lee launches global digital serviceGroup also investing in fleet

Aviation Industry

• Bombardier, Embraer debate E190-E2 range in trade disputeBombardier has made a last-ditch attempt to reopen the US investigation into pricing of the CSeries, but may have been misled by reporting on the increased range Embraer is now quoting for the E190-E2. read more
• Norwegian CFO: Major investment will bring rewardsLCC Norwegian remains confident of its future despite concerns in some quarters that its aggressive route expansion strategy may not be sustainable, the airline’s CFO said Jan. 24. read more

Other News Sources

• Future Transport Investment in the North: A briefing on the government’s new regional analysis of the National Infrastructure and Construction PipelineIPPR North commends the IPA for responding to our frequent calls to improve the available data on regional infrastructure and accepting the argument that it is important to disaggregate public spending on a regional, per capita basis.
• East West Rail will create north-south link to London, says allianceREALLOCATING capacity on the West Coast Mainline after HS2 opens is key to ensuring Northampton fully benefits from East West Rail services, says an alliance of local authorities.
• Guildford train station redevelopment 'will not benefit the everyday rail user' according to 'disappointed' council leader Disgruntled leader Paul Spooner said the council will be seeking legal advice
• Cambridge leads £11.9m research project to extend battery life for electric vehicles The University of Cambridge is leading one of four government-funded projects into battery research, in order to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and a low-carbon economy.