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

Wednesday, 31 January 2018

BBC News

• Carillion collapse sparks break up call for 'Big four'Accounting watchdog chief tells MPs that KPMG, PwC, Deloitte and EY need more competition.
• London hits annual air quality limit in one monthBrixton Road has exceeded hourly limits for nitrogen dioxide 18 times so far this year.
• Ryanair pilots win UK union recognitionPilots' association hails
• Can cars be used as mini power stations?A trial aims to determine the viability of electric vehicles feeding energy back into the grid.
• Drop in consumer demand hits UK car manufacturingThe SMMT remains concerned about the effects of falling business and consumer confidence.

Financial Times

• VW suspends chief lobbyist over monkey tests scandalCarmaker takes action in response to outrage over testing of toxic diesel fumes on primates

The Guardian

• Only a third of rail commuters think fares are value for moneyOnly one in three commuters believes their rail fare is value for money, according to the passenger watchdog’s national survey.
• UK car production falls for first time since 2009 as Brexit fears hit salesTotal production of 1.67m cars falls below forecast, fuelled by 10% drop in domestic buyersUK car production went into reverse last year for the first time since the depths of financial crisis in 2009, as Brexit fears took hold and consumers turned their backs on diesel vehicles.A total of 1.67m cars rolled off UK production lines in 2017, down 3% compared with 2016 as demand for British-made cars dropped both at home and abroad, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Continue reading...

The Herald

• Minister demands immediate action of ScotRail stop-skippingTHE transport minister has said he expects “immediate” action from ScotRail on the practice of ‘stop-skipping’ after MSPs of all parties complained about it Holyrood.

The Independent

• UK rail travel: Two thirds of commuters think train journeys are not good value for money, survey findsThe majority of commuters believe their journeys do not represent good value for money and are dissatisfied with the way delays are handled, according to a survey released today.

The Telegraph

• Transport minister ignored public vote and named boat Ferry McFerryFace

City AM

• Airbus reveals 20 per cent gender pay gap at its UK defence and space divisionAirbus has revealed its gender pay gap in the UK, reporting a 20.4 per cent difference between the pay for its male and female staff at Airbus Defence and Space.
• BP's invested in electric car charging startup FreeWireBP is turning to a tech startup, making an investment in the maker of mobile charging points for electric cars.
• There are economic lessons to learn from TfL’s hated bus announcement experimentThe Transport for London (TfL) bus experiment has proved to be overwhelmingly unpopular.
• A third of commuters are satisfied with the value for money of their train journeysA third of commuters think their train journeys are value for money, according to a bumper national rail survey, gauging the views of 27,000 passengers on their last journey for the autumn of 2017.

Daily Express

• Transport minister told to 'step up' as ScotRail customers voice opinionsThe National Rail Passenger Survey reveals ScotRail customers are increasingly fed up with delays, overcrowding, and prices.

Mail Online

• Volkswagen suspends executive who knew about monkey tests Thomas Steg has been suspended by the German carmaker after papers showed he knew about diesel exhaust tests on monkeys, though knew nothing about separate tests on humans.
• London train passengers unsatisfied with ticket prices Transport Focus surveyed 27,000 passengers last year on their train commute. Only one in three said the value was worth it. Many reported a lack of communication from rail companies.

Birmingham Mail

• Promises that HS2 would take us straight from Birmingham to Paris 'have been broken'MP Michael Fabricant claimed the £56 billion HS2 high speed rail line won't live up to promises, as he launched a last-ditch bid to block it.

Birmingham Post

• Biggest asset on Carillion's books was 'goodwill' MPs hear that the collapsed construction giant had £1.57 billion of "goodwill" on its books
• Former HS2 chief to lead Birmingham rail college Alison Munro appointed to improve diversity and increase skills in the rail sector

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Grand Central is named top rail operator in the country GRAND Central rail, which runs services between Bradford and London, has been named as the top train operator in the country in a survey of passenger satisfaction.

London Evening Standard

• Revealed: TfL facing £400m budget hole as passengers desert 'rowdy and crowded' London TubeTransport for London is facing a £400m hole in its budget as passengers desert increasingly rowdy and overcrowded Tube services.
• Mayor gives green light for 6 new bike routes across the capital in multi-million pound cycling scheme Sadiq Khan has given the green light for work to commence on six new bike routes across the capital as he pushes ahead with a multi-million pound scheme to encourage Londoners to cycle.

Northern Echo

• Train firm 'will tackle' customer complaints after satisfaction fallsA TRAIN company says it will develop plans to address customer complaints after travellers highlighted problems with punctuality, cleanliness and helpfulness of staff in a national survey.

The York Press

• York train operators hail survey resultsTWO York train operators which run services from the city to London have hailed the findings of the latest national passenger satisfaction survey.
• Watchdog probing Virgin rail franchise A GOVERNMENT spending watchdog is to probe the troubled Virgin Trains East Coast franchise.

Wales Online

• MP makes the case for second referendum after hearing of Brexit threat to Welsh ports Paul Flynn said it was time to 'sober up' and 'rethink this whole nonsense'

Plymouth Herald

• Plan to open helicopter base at Plymouth airport siteLeading firm is ready to invest £500,000 - if airport is allowed to reopen

Other Regional Press

• Train firm's performance rating near end of the lineWEYMOUTH-WATERLOO operator South Western Railway (SWR) has performed poorly in a passenger survey.

Buying Business Travel

• Ryanair reaches agreement with BALPAAll UK pilots win union recognition
• Growth in airlines offering in-flight wifi82 carriers offer wifi in some form

Construction Enquirer

• Ex-Mowlem chief’s firm takes over Carillion rail jobLondon trackwork specialist Cleshar Contract Services is in line to take over Carillion’s contract to deliver maintenance work on London Overground’s East London Line.

Global Rail News

• Future plans for railways in the Scottish HighlandsTransport Scotland’s Bill Reeve cannot think of a more exciting time for the railways of the Highlands. His comment was part of his presentation to the annual HITRANS (Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership) Rail Stakeholder Conference held at Inverness on 29th January. Other speakers illustrated why his comment was justified.

Rail Technology Magazine

• HS2 seeking contractors for £1.55bn M&E contractsHS2 Ltd has today opened the initial bidding on £1.55bn of mechanical and electrical (M&E) work on sections of line between London, Birmingham and Crewe. The contracts involve track and overhead catenary system works, as well as tunnel and lineside work, including tunnel...
• 'Much more to do' as only a third of commuters happy with rail value for moneyLess than half of total passengers travelling on the railway feel services offer value for money, while this number drops to just a third for commuters. The news comes from the release of today’s National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS), which also shows that most travellers (81%) are...
• A transformation for the MidlandsMaria Machancoses, director of Midlands Connect, outlines how the region has the potential to become a world leader if the industry and government play their cards right. In the 2017 Budget, the government announced billions of pounds of deals which will give responsibility for the planning and...
• Making the railway safer with big dataPeter Hughes, principal research fellow at the Institute for Railway Research, argues big data is revolutionising close call reporting on our railways. Close call reporting systems are an important part of the GB railways safety management process, as they allow any worker on the railway to...
• Grayling questioned over second extension of ORR chair's postThe transport secretary has faced questions following the second extension of Professor Stephen Glaister’s post as chair of the Office of Road and Rail (ORR), it has been revealed. Correspondence between Chris Grayling, Lilian Greenwood, transport committee chair, and Peter Riddell...

Aviation Industry

• Qantas 787 completes transpacific biofuel flight A Qantas Boeing 787-9 has flown a transpacific flight using a biofuel blend, landing in Melbourne Jan. 30 after a 15 hour flight from Los Angeles. The General Electric GEnx-powered flight used a 10% blend of biofuel made from carinata. read more
• Air France-KLM studying business models including low-cost long-haul Air France-KLM is examining low-cost long-haul among other business models as it responds to a fast-changing air transport environment, playing down reports that it was presenting more concrete plans for a low-cost long-haul carrier. read more
• Virgin Atlantic to lease ex-airberlin A330sVirgin Atlantic plans to supplement its fleet with four leased-in Airbus A330-200s to cope with unanticipated downtime for its Boeing 787-9 fleet. read more
• TUI Group CEO outlines Boeing 737 MAX delivery scheduleTUI Group plans to take delivery of four more Boeing 737 MAX 8s this year as it begins a major fleet renewal initiative. read more
• The Open Skies “big dealâ€� that isn’tAmerican, Delta and United still have little to show for the millions of dollars they’ve spent on publicity campaigns and legal work aimed at curtailing the growth of Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways. read more

Other News Sources

• Heathrow routes to China add £510 million per year to UKThe CEO of Heathrow has used a report that highlights the economic significance of its routes to China to bolster the case for a third runway, saying it is “an opportunity the UK cannot afford to miss”.
• 7 reasons why HS2 is bad news for Wales
• Devon MPs threaten to derail government plans for high speed rail unless investment is made in WestcountryThe transport secretary gave the go-ahead for scheduled train services from Okehampton to Exeter
• ScotRail under fire for station usage as MSP blames poor service for falling usePASSENGER numbers at some rail stations in Dumbarton and the Vale are down by more than 10 per cent, according to new figures.
• Dismay as rail minister says no train upgrades until December 2019Members of Cumbria Better Connected were contacted by Rail Minister Jo Johnson
• South Western Railway and Southern among nation's worst train operators for passenger satisfaction SWR said it was "disappointed but not surprised" by the outcome of the survey