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

Friday, 23 November 2018

BBC News

• Could these three changes save cyclists' lives?Cyclists, motorists and experts speak to the BBC about government proposals to protect bike users.
• First driverless Edinburgh to Fife bus trial announcedThe project between Edinburgh and Fife across the Forth Road Bridge aims to be operational in 2021.

ITV News

• South Lakes MP calls for plans to hike rail fares to be scrappedSouth Lakes MP Tim Farron will table a motion in the House of Commons this week, calling on the Government to shelve plans for a 3.2% rise in rail ticket prices in the New Year.
• Flights from Cornwall to Heathrow will start next yearA new direct flight from Newquay Cornwall Airport to Heathrow is being hailed as a major boost for tourism. The announcement was made by the Transport Minister Chris Grayling in the House of Commons this morning.
• Could these trains run on the HS2 rail link?Trains that could run on the HS2 rail link have been revealed in Italy. The company behind them is one of five being asked by the government to bid for the contract.

The Guardian

• Buses and taxis to lead UK self-driving public transport pushLondon and Edinburgh projects, sharing £25m state funds, to be operational by 2021

The Independent

• Rail chaos: train firms need to make proper payouts when things go wrong‘I am no fan of “compensation culture”. But in this context it just might help’

Times Online

• Inner-city 20mph zones fail to cut accident rates [subscription]The introduction of 20mph zones across Britain has had no effect on the number of accidents in inner cities, researchers have found.
• Timetable is set for the world’s first driverless bus route across the Forth Road Bridge [Subscription]Driverless buses will be tested on public roads for the first time as part of a large expansion of the technology in the UK, it was announced yesterday.

Daily Record

• Rail commuters face longer journeys with changes to Scotrail timetableCommuters hit out this week over changes to the Dunblane-Stirling-Edinburgh rail service, claiming journeys will generally take longer.

The Mirror

• Railway company plans to close station - then it discovers who only customer isRailway bosses wanted to shut the station as it was hardly being used, until they made an important discovery

Bolton News

• Take a peek inside the pub which doubles as a waiting room for train travellersA POPULAR former music venue will offer commuters a taste of New York and Las Vegas while they wait for their train.

London Evening Standard

• Could scanners like these solve Tube and train crowds?'Pay-by-face' system may end need for train station barriers
• Five suspended after 140mph St Pancras train is 'driven by unapproved person'Five drivers have been suspended following allegations an

Morning Star

• Transport secretary accused of suffering from ‘tin ear’ over rail in NorthBUNGLING Transport Secretary Chris Grayling was accused of suffering from “tin ear” and “memory loss” today when he told the Commons that rail services in northern England were improving.

Northern Echo

• Multi-million pound investment in Darlington and Middlesbrough stations is on track By Graeme Hetherington graemeecho Chief Reporter (Tees Valley) STATION INVESTMENT: Plans redevelop Darlington railway station moving forward STATION INVESTMENT: Plans rTees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen is looking to approve a request that will provide £25 million for Darlington station and £20 million to fully fund the redevelopment of Middlesbrough station.

Yorkshire Post

• The Yorkshire Post says: Rail fare increase should be put on hold as MPs lose patience with Chris Grayling over failuresNOT for the first time, Chris Grayling stands accused by Yorkshire MPs of having ‘a tin ear’ when it comes to the unacceptable state of the North’s railways after Wakefield’s Mary Creagh suggested that it would be quicker to cycle from her constituency to Scarborough than rely upon the trains.

Other Regional Press

• Welwyn Hatfield’s MP joins forces to demand rail fare freezeWelwyn Hatfield’s MP has joined a chorus of Conservative MPs aiming to stop a hike in rail fares next year.
• Hull to be centre of trial that could see big changes to north's rail networkThe scheme plans to replace traditional paper train tickets with smartcards, allowing passengers to buy season tickets on the new cards

Coach and Bus Week

• Go-Coach trials electric Solo – and receives recognition for route 8Sevenoaks-based independent operator Go-Coach has begun trialling an electric Optare Solo.
• Arriva’s Shropshire buses receive inside-and-out faceliftArriva Midlands’ is to invest £200,000 to update its fleet of buses in Shropshire. The extensive refurbishment programme, which is already underway at Arriva’s Telford, Shrewsbury and Oswestry depots, will see vehicles operating along a number of key corridors upgraded inside and out.
• Digital signatures now offered to transport managersTransport managers can now use GOV.UK Verify to sign applications digitally through the Vehicle Operator Licensing (VOL) service.
• Metrobus gains in latest TfL tender resultsTransport for London has announced the results of its latest bus tender round. 24-hour route 94 will remain with London United when the current contract expires on 7 December 2019. It will continue to use double-deckers, with precise vehicle details and PVR to be confirmed.
• UK Bus Awards winners announcedthe winners of this year’s UK Bus Awards have been announced, and are as follows.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Crossrail could need even more bailout cash as Khan lashes out at 'unfit' governanceThe capital’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has revealed that the delayed and financially troubled Crossrail project will need even more cash injections in a move the London Assembly claim could have “calamitous” consequences. In a letter sent to the head of the National Audit Office...
• Council voices several 'critical' objections to East West Rail Phase 2 plansA county council has expressed a number of issues deemed “unacceptable” and “critical” relating to Network Rail’s application for a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) to build East West Rail (EWR) Phase 2 – stretching from Bicester to Bedford. In a report...
• Transport spending in London double that of the north since launch of Northern PowerhouseGovernment spending on transport in London has risen to twice as much per person compared to the north since the launch of the Northern Powerhouse, new analysis has found. Statistics analysed by influential think tank IPPR North found that while the capital has seen a £326-per-person surge...

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• First autonomous full-size buses for UK service2019 will see work start on the first project to deliver autonomous passenger-carrying full-sized buses in the UK. Five such self-driving Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro200s will ultimately be operated by Stagecoach East Scotland.
• Anthony’s Travel to stick with MAN for 2019Neoplan Tourliner to be joined by fifth Barbi Galileo thanks to operator’s uncertainty over retrofit
• Midlands Bus and Coach Sales delivers first TurasBirmingham-based operator is the first to take Turas small coach from new British-based dealership

Aviation Industry

• Boeing to brief 737 MAX customers next weekBoeing will hold a set of regional meetings and conference calls next week with 737 MAX customers to address their questions and concerns about a new system that was introduced on the re-engined narrowbody. read more
• Airbus predicts Russian, CIS fleet to double by 2037 Traffic growth in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will generate demand for more than 1,200 new aircraft over the next two decades, more than doubling the size of the region's fleet by 2037, according to Airbus Global Market Forecast, unveiled at the Wings of Future conference in Moscow Nov. 20.