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

Thursday, 23 August 2018

BBC News

• Protest at Perton school bus price hikeSome parents in Perton, near Wolverhampton, saw the bill for school bus travel treble to £625.
• Belfast International Airport flooded cars 'potential death trap'Customers say Belfast International Airport did not inform them their cars had flooded in a car park.
• Mobike 'could leave Manchester' over theftsManchester could be first to lose service due to crime, as Mobike reports 10% losses each month.
• Govia Thameslink: Expected 2019 fare rise branded 'unacceptable'Rail groups are calling on MPs to freeze fares on Govia Thameslink Railway services in 2019. In a letter to MPs, they brand expected fare rises in January "a poorly timed kick in the teeth".
• Qantas profits soar nearly 15% despite rising fuel costsAustralia's biggest airline says strong demand for domestic travel was a key driver of its rise in profits.
• Saudi Arabia insists it is 'committed' to Aramco float despite reportsSaudi Arabia denies reports that it cancelled its plan to sell shares in the state oil company.
• Container ship to break the ice on Russian Arctic routeA Danish ship sailing from Vladivostok is the first container ship to tackle the Arctic sea route.

The Scotsman

• Scenic Highland rail line hit by first train graffiti attacks Vandals have sprayed graffiti over trains on the world-famous West Highland Line in what is believed to be the first such incident on the route.

Times Online

• EU splits over post-Brexit North Sea shipping route [Subscription]The European Union has split over Brussels’ “preparedness” for Brexit after France attacked plans to create a shipping corridor from Ireland to mainland Europe after British withdrawal.
• Broader business pays off for Costain as profits rise [Subscription]The conversion of Costain from civil engineer to a company that both consults on and builds infrastructure is boosting profits.
• Call to spare taxpayers from £9m Garden Bridge bill [Subscription]Up to £9 million of taxpayer money earmarked to cover the costs of cancelling the Garden Bridge should be withheld from the charity behind the project, the shadow transport secretary has said.
• Traffic camera racks up £1m in nine weeks [Subscription]Motorists have been fined almost £1 million in nine weeks as a result of one new traffic enforcement camera.
• Drivers ignoring lane closures on smart motorways [Subscription]Up to a fifth of motorists ignore lane closures on the new generation of smart motorways and risk collisions with stranded vehicles, according to an official report.

The Mirror

• Wheelchair user furious as disabled seat on train is piled high with passenger bagsWhen she boarded the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) at York for the second half of her journey - she noticed that passengers had put their bags in her spot.

Belfast Telegraph

• Belfast International Airport car park flooding: Boss pledges 'no one will lose a penny'The managing director of Belfast International Airport has rejected claims that up to 1,000 vehicles in one of its car parks were flooded in last month's torrential rain.

London Evening Standard

• Elizabeth line news: how the £15 billion Crossrail project will change LondonA few years ago Prince Philip visited workers digging tunnels at one of the deep Crossrail stations. He spurned the safety gear officials tried to get him to wear and marched down the steep stairs unassisted — telling his hosts bluntly that he didn't expect to live long enough to travel on the first train. But afterwards, impressed with what he'd seen, he added that perhaps he just might be.
• Petrol and diesel cars are banned from east London roads to tackle toxic airPetrol and diesel cars will be banned from nine roads in east London in a bid to tackle toxic air.
• First-time buyer homes launched in west London Crossrail hotspotThe Queen of Suburbs in west London has something for everyone

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Scottish Government asked to give financial help to ‘fragile’ Wick airportThe future of commercial air connectivity in the far northeast of Scotland has been described as “fragile” with urgent government action needed now.

The York Press

• Bridlington bus route saved and improvedTWO villages in the East Riding are to get a five-day-a-week bus service.

Yorkshire Post

• Tom Richmond: Passengers pay price in third class while rail bosses enjoy first class gravy train courtesy of their bonuses AS THE trains are supposedly a public service, its leaders should be subjected to the standards expected of NHS, education and council supremos.

Sunderland Echo

• Call for new Sunderland rail services raised in Parliament Calls to introduce direct rail routes between Sunderland and the likes of Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter and Cornwall have been aired in Parliament.

Other Regional Press

• Angus rail line dualling “in the long grass”, claims MSPFresh concerns have emerged a multi-million pound plan to dual a crucial piece of the main east coast rail line running through Angus has hit the buffers.
• Power failure delays rail services to and from West NorfolkRail passengers in West Norfolk are being warned to expect disruption this morning following a power failure on the line between Lynn and Ely.
• Rail user groups call on MPs to freeze rail faresRail users groups representing commuters across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and South Cambridgeshire have joined forces to highlight anger towards proposed fare increases in a letter to various MPs, including Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.
• Oxfordshire's roads to be used as 'virtual driving tests' for driverless carsDRIVERLESS car companies are hoping to simulate Oxfordshire's roads in order to take their creations for a virtual test drive.
• CHILTERN RAILWAYS - 'We know it's been difficult and thanks for your patience'Last week the Oxford Mail published an article about the local railway. The paper has kindly allowed me the opportunity to put pen to paper and assure you that Chiltern Railways is committed to providing the city with the best possible rail service, writes Alan Riley, Customer Services Director at Chiltern Railways.
• Sign up to In Brief, the Welwyn Hatfield Times newsletter that is delivered straight to your emailIn Brief is the new and improved weekly newsletter brought to you by the Welwyn Hatfield Times brimming with all of your local news highlights.

Buying Business Travel

• Easyjet adopts solution to build reliable schedulesEasyjet has made the decision to use the Amadeus Skysym by Optym solution to improve the reliability of its flight schedules.
• Ryanair compensation cheques ‘bounced'A number of Ryanair customers have reported that compensation cheques they received from the airline have been rejected by their banks, with some incurring extra fees as a result.

New Civil Engineer

• Balfour preps Welsh rail tunnel for mega-cycleway revampThe 128-year-old abandoned Rhondda rail tunnel in Wales is set to be transformed into Europe’s longest cycleway.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Ex-minister calls for radical managerial devolution of ‘inertia-ridden behemoth’ Network RailA new report by a former transport minister has rejected the idea of renationalising Scotland’s railways and thrown support behind the current system.
• Hitachi: Bringing digital to life at InnoTransRolling stock may steal the spotlight at InnoTrans, but with soaring passenger demand and limited infrastructure, there is more to railways than just adding shiny new trains onto already-crowded networks. Nick Hughes, sales director at Hitachi Rail Europe, invites everyone at the event to see...
• Vivarail unveils new Class 230 livery as West Midlands Trains deal signedVivarail has unveiled a special new livery for the Class 230 trains set to run between Bedford and Bletchley as the contract for the London Northwestern Railway service deal is officially signed. The two-car units, which will start running on the line in December, have been produced at the...
• First upgraded ScotRail InterCity train arrives in Scotland, rollout completed by late 2019ScotRail’s first upgraded InterCity train has arrived in Scotland as part of the revamped High Speed Trains (HST) that will connect Scotland’s seven cities. Making its journey from Doncaster, the renovated set of 26 trains crossed the border on Friday evening ahead of its arrival at...
• £4bn deal up for grabs as Network Rail looks for civils work in west and WalesNetwork Rail is on the lookout for contractors to work on infrastructure in the west of England and Wales as part of a framework deal worth up to £4bn. Issuing the tender yesterday, the CP6 framework will look to contract work to cover buildings and civil engineering with provision for...
• Ex-minister calls for radical managerial devolution of 'inertia-ridden behemoth' Network RailA new report by a former transport minister has rejected the idea of renationalising Scotland’s railways and thrown support behind the current system. The report—commissioned by ScotRail operator Abellio and written by Tom Harris, Labour’s former transport minister—found...

The Business Desk

• Rail passengers warned to expect delays on busiest weekend of the yearRail passengers are being warned to expect delays and cancellations across the North West network on one of the busiest weekends of the year.

Aviation Industry

• Associations speak out on risk of EU ETS, CORSIA overlapAirline associations have jointly called on the European Commission to align the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) with ICAO’s CORSIA initiative. read more
• UK airlines defend customer service, react to CAA satisfaction surveyUK airlines are defending their customer-service performance, after a UK CAA survey found that satisfaction levels have gradually fallen over the past two years.

Other News Sources

• Passenger Rolling Stock Leasing Market 2018: Global Analysis By Key Players – Eversholt, Angel Trains, Beacon RailA Passenger Rolling Stock (known as a coach or carriage in the UK, and also known as a bogie in India) is a piece of railway rolling stock that is designed to carry passengers.
• Rural rail and road services 'being looked at'A consultation is underway into public transport across Somerset. The county council says its draft Passenger Transport Strategy sets out 'more ambitious aims for bus and rail travel'.