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

Friday, 31 August 2018

BBC News

• South Western Railway workers hold three-day strikeSouth Western Railway and the RMT union are in dispute over the future role of guards.
• Families warned not to park in the new Belfast bus-lanesThe department issued the warning after some people parked in a new Glider bus-lane near a school on the Falls Road.

Times Online

• Shipyard losing patience with ferry firm over costly delays [Subscription]The billionaire owner of a Clyde shipyard has blamed CalMac for delays and problems in getting two new ferries into service and said the state-run operator should foot the bill for the extra costs.
• City council hails a driverless bus [Subscription]Driverless buses could soon be a regular feature on Dublin roads, the city council’s chief executive has said.
• Cycling trips go downhill amid fears over potholes [subscription]Congested city streets appear packed with cyclists but figures suggest that the average person now makes fewer cycling trips than 15 years ago.
• Boris bikes don’t improve health or reduce pollution [Subscription]Bike hire schemes have given the freedom of two wheels to the masses, helping to tackle pollution in cities and providing a healthy mode of transport. Or so many people believe.

City AM

• Tory MPs call on Chris Grayling to freeze rail fare hikes until services improveTransport secretary Chris Grayling is facing calls from his own MPs to freeze rail fares for three months until services improve.
• TfL and Network Rail urged to stop 'passing the buck' over failures on Gospel Oak to Barking lineTransport for London (TfL) and Network Rail have been urged to stop "passing the buck" over continuing failures on the Gospel Oak to Barking line.

Mail Online

• Dyson invests in electric car market with £200million UK test track The firm, which is better know for its vacuum cleaners and hair driers but is set to create a new generation of electric vehicles, said the move would create ‘more high-skilled jobs for Britain’.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Grand Central denies claims it is recruiting 'slaves' to staff train stationsGRAND Central Rail has robustly denied claims it is aiming to recruit “slavesâ€� to staff train stations.
• Uber driver's car torched on his drive in 'targeted attack' SHOCKING footage has shown the moment a Bradford private hire driver’s car was torched on his drive, in what he believes was a targeted attack.

London Evening Standard

• M1 delays: Pothole sparks six mile queue as emergency works take placeA pothole on the M1 has sparked queues of six miles on the M1 northbound near Edgware.
• Revealed: The secret London Tube map used by TfL employeesA secret London Underground map used exclusively by Tube workers has been uncovered.
• South Western Railway strike: Train travellers face miserable weekend as walkout gets underwayTrain travellers face a weekend of misery with South Western Railway workers set to strike in the long-running dispute over the role of guards on trains.

Manchester Evening News

• Why are queues for passport checks so long at Manchester Airport?According to Manchester Airport , ‘many passengers have faced lengthy queues’ due to insufficient resources from the Home Office, which runs immigration.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• 24 hours after fanfare of £3.5m ringfenced ferry fund, Calmac to hand back £6m to Scottish Government – because last year went wellFerry firm CalMac is to return more than £6million of its subsidy to the Scottish Government – just as £3.5m extra funding was announced to help them recover from a summer of embarrassing setbacks on its lifeline services.

Other Regional Press

• ScotRail set to make improvements for 11 rail stations across local areaPlans to refurbish several train stations across Tayside – including improvements to waiting rooms and toilets – have been announced by ScotRail.
• Three Sleaford area projects shortlisted for the national Annual Community Rail Partnership Awards The partnership which promotes rail services along the Grantham to Skegness line through Sleaford has been short-listed for four community rail awards.
• CCTV around Weymouth railway station to be reviewed to clamp down on anti-social behaviour Civic chiefs are set to improve CCTV around the gateway to Weymouth in a bid to clamp down on anti-social behaviour.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Red Arrow goes 24/7trentbarton’s red arrow coach service is to start operating on a 24/7 basis from 2 September.

Coach and Bus Week

• Just the ticketContactless plastic and smartphones are taking over as bus passengers adopt new ways to pay for travel – but cash isn’t dead just yet. John Lewis reports
• Reinventing the networkWarrington’s Own Buses has been making a raft of changes to its business under the leadership of Ben Wakerley and Cathy Mitchell. James Day visits the municipal operator to hear about the progress it has made
• Ascendal Group website names Whippet as one of its businessesA website has been launched by a company called Ascendal Group, which names current Tower Transit Group CEO Adam Leishman as its Executive Chairman and Founder.
• Eight new Geminis for East CoastEast Coast Buses, a division of Lothian, has recently launched a fleet of eight brand-new Wrightbus Gemini 3-bodied Volvo B5TLs.
• Daimler introduces fourth-gen Active Brake Assist as standardFirst made available a decade ago as an optional extra, the technology was originally only capable of braking automatically for moving vehicles ahead, but with the third generation, emergency braking manoeuvres could be triggered by stationary obstacles.
• Stagecoach reveals £56m investment plans for electric buses in Greater ManchesterStagecoach has announced plans to invest £56m in electric buses and supporting infrastructure for Greater Manchester as part of the company’s partnership with the Mayor, Transport for Greater Manchester and other key organisations
• https://www.busandcoachbuyer.com/red-arrow-goes-247/The latest round of London bus tender results has seen gains for Arriva London North, CT Plus and London Central.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Crossrail will not open this year as launch delayed by at least 9 monthsElizabeth Line services through central London have been delayed by at least nine months as Crossrail pencils in extra time to complete final infrastructure and carry out extensive testing.
• Building resilience on the Brighton Main LineSPONSORED INTERVIEW Andrew Swanson, head of signal engineering at Kier Rail, talks about a key rail signalling project for his team. The Brighton Main Line (BML) is one of the most congested commuter lines on the UK railway network. It connects Gatwick Airport and the south coast with London...
• Network Rail: We have been listening Network Rail has heard you – and now, it is easier to work with. Mona Sihota, the organisation’s national professional head of asset protection and optimisation (ASPRO), a brand-new role within the company, talks about what’s in store. The most important message I want get...
• TOCs urged to conduct proper safety checks after trapped passenger is dragged by trainAn incident that saw a passenger dragged along by a train after getting trapped in the closing doors was caused by operational issues and a misunderstanding of safety instructions, the RAIB has found. On 26 March this year, a woman was dragged along the platform by a night-time train departing...
• Nexus lacked 'effective safe system of work' during near-miss on Metro line, RAIB findsProcedures from passenger transport executive Nexus “did not assist with the creation of an effective safe system of work,” the RAIB has said in an investigation released after two track workers narrowly avoided being struck by a Tyne and Wear Metro train in February. In its...
• Latest set of electric trains introduced by ScotRailScotRail’s latest trains have hit the tracks this week with the second introduction of its Hitachi Class 385 Express electric vehicle. As part of the £475m rolling stock investment from ScotRail, the extra two trains introduced on Monday meant that more than 25% of services on the...
• West Midlands freight depot to be considered by Planning InspectorateThe Planning Inspectorate will examine plans to create a rail freight depot on green belt land north of Wolverhampton. Four Ashes Ltd submitted a Development Consent Order (DCO) for examination for an order granting development consent for the West Midlands Interchange: a 282 hectare freight hub...

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Driver's panic button introduced by GreenRoadDriver performance monitor GreenRoad has introduced a ‘panic button’ for installation in coaches and buses.
• Yutong set to debut EV 'decker for UK in 2019Scope to deliver first production batch by the end of the year is already in sight for Chinese builder
• Berry is the new colour at ReadingReading Buses has chosen berry as the colour for its refurbished buses which will be phased in on their 23 and 24 routes in Caversham and Emmer Green over the next few weeks.
• Partick Bus Station to form ‘vital hub’artick Bus Station to form ‘vital hub’ After 11 months of construction, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT)’s redevelopment of Partick Bus Station is now complete and scheduled to open on 2 September.
• First West Yorkshire teams up with FCFirst West Yorkshire has partnered with Huddersfield Town FC to become an Official Partner to encourage people to travel by bus during match days.
• Mellor doubles output with new Rochdale facilityAdditional building at Miall Street takes output to over 500 small buses per year for innovative firm
• Mellor doubles output with new Rochdale facilityAdditional building at Miall Street takes output to over 500 small buses per year for innovative firm
• CPT Chairman new Chair of East Mids ChamberCPT Chairman, Ian Morgan OBE, will take over as Chair of the East Midlands Chamber next January having been appointed chair-elect at a board meeting last month. He succeeds current Chair Phil Stanyer.
• Oxford PickMeUp part of latest miniplus line-upLook at innovative service is among features in the latest issue of miniplus, specialising in small PCVs
• Europe’s biggest e- bus deal to come Stagecoach?Group proposes £56m investment to deliver 105 BYD ADL Enviro400EVs double-deckers in Manchester
• Does this mark a shift toward electric buses?Electric buses are nothing new in the UK. In their current form they have been around for many years, with one exception: A production double-decker.

Aviation Industry

• ANA’s first Airbus A380 rolls out of FALAirbus has rolled out the first A380 for All Nippon Airways (ANA) from the final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse. read more
• Qantas seeks to appoint former IATA director Tony Tyler to boardQantas Airways has announced its intent to appoint former IATA and Cathay Pacific head Tony Tyler to its board of directors. read more
• Aeroflot Group posts $82.9 million loss in 1H on higher fuel costsRussia’s Aeroflot Group reported RUB5.2 billion ($82.9 million) net loss in 1H 2018, reversed from a net profit of RUB2.9 billion in 1H 2017. read more
• Aer Lingus beefs up London services with CityJet wet leaseIrish regional carrier CityJet has taken a further significant step away from its previous business model as a scheduled carrier to a capacity provider for others. read more

Other News Sources

• Bombardier Announces Retirement of Senior Vice President and General Counsel Daniel Desjardins and appointment of Alain RondeauBombardier (BBD.B) today announced that Daniel Desjardins will retire as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Bombardier Inc., effective December 31, 2018. Mr. Desjardins will be succeeded by Alain Rondeau, who has been appointed Senior Vice President, Legal Services, effective immediately. Over the next four months, Mr. Desjardins will focus on a smooth transition of responsibilities to Mr. Rondeau, who will replace him as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary effective January 1 [st] 2019.
• Transport campaigners call for direct Edinburgh to Cardiff rail linkWith the UK Government’s call for evidence on the new franchise closing today, Transform Scotland urged ministers to create a 'Celtic Capitals connection'