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

Saturday, 24 November 2018

BBC News

• Wales v South Africa: Train warning for Welsh rugby fansSupporters heading to and from Cardiff on Saturday are warned there will be fewer trains.
• 'Thieves' knocked off mopeds by police in LondonMet Police officers are ramming into suspected moped thieves to knock them off their bikes.
• Police officer stabbed outside London railway stationA man has been arrested, and the victim's injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
• Tube 'junk food' advert ban announced by London mayorAdverts for fatty, sugary foods will vanish from London's transport network next year, City Hall says.
• Crossrail: National Audit Office to investigate delay and rising costsA National Audit Office (NAO) has announced an investigation which is planned for early 2019.
• Met Police scooter crash video released as IOPC investigatesOfficers can use their vehicles to knock moped thieves off their bikes, the Met Police has said.
• ScotRail apology over ticket machine faultThe train company said a software issue had caused problems at self-service ticket machines.
• Fuel prices cut by Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury'sAsda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's cut petrol and diesel prices as wholesale prices fall.
• Virgin Atlantic in talks to rescue FlybeFlybe confirms reports that it is in talks with Virgin, after the regional airline put itself up for sale.
• Vauxhall: Ellesmere Port plant workers stage mass walk outPlan to cut 241 jobs is critical
• Volkswagen will recall 75,000 cars over seatbelt faultThe move follows a test that showed a rear seatbelt failing when cars turned sharply.

Times Online

• Vauxhall to cut 241 jobs at Ellesmere Port factory [Subscription]A third round of redundancies in only 13 months at the Vauxhall Astra car plant in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, will nearly halve the workforce at the factory, which since last year has been under the ownership of PSA, the French group behind Peugeot and Citroën.
• Minister Karen Bradley to consider plan for Scotland-Ireland bridge [Subscription]A UK minister has signalled that she is open to the idea of building a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
• Flybe takes off after it confirms Virgin takeover talks [Subscription]Shares in Flybe rose by more than 70 per cent yesterday after the airline said it was in talks with Virgin Atlantic about a potential takeover.
• Thousands of Volkswagen cars sold with seatbelt fault [Subscription]An estimated 55,000 cars have been sold with a potentially lethal seatbelt fault since the problem came to light six months ago, according to a new analysis.
• Roadside pollution barriers to protect homes [Subscription]A network of pollution barriers will be installed by the side of England’s busiest motorways under plans to shield homes from toxic exhaust gases.
• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6423341/Primary-school-just-3ft-busy-dual-carriageway-axes-playtime.html [Subscription]Cars knock suspects from bikes as new crackdown is launched

City AM

• Vauxhall cuts 241 more jobs at Ellesmere Port manufacturing plant in CheshireCar maker Vauxhall is to slash 241 jobs at its Ellesmere Port manufacturing plant by the end of 2019, in a move it claims is “critical” to the competitiveness of the site.
• Rail union set to cause disruption with fresh Northern and South Western train strikesTrains coming in and out of London Waterloo are expected to be disrupted tomorrow, as disputes between railway operators and drivers' unions continue to rage on.

Mail Online

• Primary school just 3ft from a busy dual carriageway axes playtime to stop children being poisoned by pollutionA primary school situated three feet from a busy dual carriageway has had to cancel outside playtimes to stop pupils being poisoned by car pollution.

London Evening Standard

• London Victoria delays: 'Severe disruption' hits frustrated commuters as two trains are stranded because of power failureCommuters were stranded on two Southeastern trains near Victoria after a power failure, causing most trains to come to a standstill in the area.
• Parliament to investigate Sadiq Khan's oversight of crisis-hit Crossrail schemeSadiq Khan's oversight of the crisis-hit Crossrail scheme as it soared £1 billion over budget is to be investigated by Parliament's public spending watchdog.
• Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall criticises South Western Railway after row over coffee cupsSouth Western Railway has changed its plastic policy after it came under fire for not allowing passengers to have hot drinks in reusable cups.
• TfL Tube strike: Fury at walkout 'timed to ruin final shopping weekend before Christmas' over driver sacked for failed drugs testUnion leaders were accused today of ordering a cynical
• Ilford stabbing: Police officer knifed in horrific scenes outside east London stationA police officer has been stabbed in horrific scenes outside an east London railway station.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Report sexual offences to help bring offenders to justice, urge TfL and the policeTransport for London and the police are marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women by reminding people to report any unwanted sexual behaviour they experience, so that action can be taken against offenders.
• Bold new measures to keep people safe on the roadsA number of ground-breaking initiatives have been announced as part of a 2 year action plan to improve road safety.
• Transport Secretary announces new flights between Cornwall and HeathrowSpeaking in the House of Commons, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that people across the South West will benefit from a new direct air route between Newquay and Heathrow Airport from April 2019.
• First driverless Edinburgh to Fife bus trial announcedScotland's first self-driving bus trial will run between Fife and Edinburgh next year.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Major overhaul of one of country's longest tunnels sees delays fall by a fifthA major refurbishment of Sevenoaks tunnel has seen a 20% reduction in delays and halved journey times for passengers, even as the £21m infrastructure renewal nears completion. One of the longest tunnels in southern England, Sevenoaks has been given a major overhaul which has included...
• Thameslink director appointed as East West Rail's first CEOEast West Rail has announced its first chief executive as Simon Blanchflower, the programme director for Thameslink. Blanchflower will lead the East West Railway Company through its next phase of development, delivering a new railway line between Oxford and Cambridge. He brings leadership...
• Transport for the North launches the first phase of smart ticketing across YorkshireTransport for the North (TfN) is set to launch the first phase of its Smart on Rail project, rolling out the smartcard scheme across Yorkshire lines. The initial phase of the project, a result of a partnership between Northern, TransPennine Express and TfN, will run on rail lines between Hull...
• Rail parliamentary roundup: Grayling denies 'tin ear' jibes on northern investment, investigation launched into SWR's 'Mayhem Monday'‘Not a question of having a tin ear’ The transport secretary has hit back against claims that the government has underinvested in transport in the north following new analysis from the IPPR this week. Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Chris Grayling said the thinktank...

Aviation Industry

• Lessor SMBC posts 7.5% interim profit growthIreland-based lessor SMBC Aviation Capital has posted a $168 million first-half pre-tax profit, up 7.5% on the prior year, and is preparing for a $1 billion capital boost over the coming weeks. read more
• Virgin Atlantic in possible takeover talks with Flybe ​UK long-haul carrier Virgin Atlantic has confirmed it is “reviewing its optionsâ€� over a possible bid for Exeter-based UK regional airline Flybe, which has also confirmed that discussions are underway. read more

Other News Sources

• Pension deficit clouds FirstGroup break-upOn his first day as the group’s new chief executive, Matthew Gregory says that £430m pension deficit would have to be accounted for in any disposals     FirstGroup’s new chief executive, Matthew Gregory, has indicated that breaking up the company remains a possibility. Presenting the group’s half year financial results on his first day in his new role, after being promoted from chief operating officer, Gregory said First was “continuing to review all of our optionsâ€�. With the share price significantly below an offer from private equity firm Apollo which First rejected in April, the c...
• How can we move buses up the agenda?Should CPT abandon its steady National Trust-style lobbying and move towards a more vigorous and confrontational approach?   The excellent work done by Claire Haigh for Greener Journeys has demonstrated very clearly the huge economic significance of the bus   All change. This version of the Confederation of Passenger Transport terminates here. At least, it will do if the ‘Big Five’ in the industry get their way. For after a decade or more of stability and quiet progress, significant changes are under way. Already chief executive Simon Posner and chairman Ian Morgan have departed, cle...