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

Friday, 21 December 2018

BBC News

• Gatwick airport: How countries counter the drone threatThere are different ways of tackling the threat of rogue devices - from bazookas to trained eagles.
• Aberdeen bypass will not fully open before ChristmasScotland's transport minister says the delayed £1bn Aberdeen road will now not be ready until the new year.
• HS2: Warrington Council want bridge to keep 'vital' link between villagesThe proposed rail line would close a
• London City Airport terminal plans revealed in new imagesThe £500m expansion includes new shops and restaurants and will accommodate two million more passengers a year.
• Gatwick chaos: Police 'could shoot down drone'Gatwick airport remains closed for a second night as sightings of drones above the airfield continue.
• Stagecoach pulls out of United StatesThe Perth-based transport company sells its North America division to a private equity firm.
• Gatwick Airport: Drones ground flightsTens of thousands of passengers are affected by
• UK car production tumbles in NovemberWeak demand in the UK and export markets sees car output fall 20% in November from a year earlier.

The Guardian

• 'Drone wolf': what the papers say about the Gatwick airport chaosNewspapers blame ‘lone-wolf’ and eco-warriors for Christmas holiday travel nightmare
• Gatwick drone chaos: operator not yet found but flights resume as airport reopens – liveAirport website tells passengers to check before travel but limited number of flights start arriving and departing

The Independent

• UK car production drops by 20% in November as spectre of no-deal Brexit loomsExports, which account or four in five vehicles made in Britain suffer a particularly marked decline, Society of Motor manufacturers and Traders finds

The Scotsman

• A train which ran out of fuel caps ScotRail’s passenger woes - Alastair DaltonThings must be bad at ScotRail when it’s what people want to talk about when they meet me for the first time.

Times Online

• Gatwick drone incident was inevitable [Subscription]Technology to keep airports safe needs to be co-ordinated and strengthened urgently
• Port creates capacity for no-deal Brexit [Subscription]Dublin Port is creating extra parking for hundreds of lorries from the UK awaiting inspection after Brexit.
• Public option is only way to stop ScotRail chaos, says Sturgeon [Subscription]Nicola Sturgeon has reaffirmed her commitment to renationalise the railways and condemned the “unacceptable” performance of the operators.
• Uncertainty puts brakes on carmakers [Subscription]The number of cars rolling off UK assembly lines slumped by nearly a fifth last month to a three-year low. The industry put the blame for the sharp decline firmly at the door of the prime minister and politicians in Westminster for failing to bring an end to the Brexit uncertainty.
• Gatwick Airport reopens after drone shuts down runway [Subscription]Gatwick reopened its runway this morning after a drone forced a near 36-hour closure of Britain’s second-biggest airport.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Gatwick Airport closure: Free rail travel for London to Edinburgh passengers Ten thousand passengers have suffered flight chaos after the runway at Gatwick Airport was closed due to drones being flown nearby.

London Evening Standard

• Virgin Atlantic wins High Court injunction to halt pilots' strike over ChristmasVirgin Atlantic has won a High Court injunction to halt a series of planned strikes by pilots over the festive season.
• Electric bike sales are soaring - could they help us clean up our air?As awareness of pollution in London grows, more and more people are looking to find out what they can do in a personal capacity to breathe in cleaner air and reduce their carbon footprint.
• Gatwick disruption latest: Runway reopens after drone brings airport to complete standstill, airlines sayGatwick Airport's runway has reopened and flights are expected to resume after days of drone chaos, airlines have said.

Manchester Evening News

• First Bus will increase fares in the new year - and passengers without a smart phone will have to pay moreSome fares will be frozen - but only if you use the app

Coach and Bus Week

• Megabus partners with easyBus and enhances its own Christmas servicesMegabus has entered into an agreement with easyBus to sell tickets for its London Park Royal, Fulham and West Brompton to Gatwick minibus service on its megabus.com website.
• Bus pass age set to rise in WalesThe Welsh Government has released new proposals for the nation’s bus services, including raising the age at which passengers can obtain a free bus pass. Currently, over-60s are eligible for free travel on buses under the publicly-funded concessionary pass scheme.

New Civil Engineer

• Three firms bag £7bn Network Rail contractsNetwork Rail has awarded Murphy, Bam Nuttall and Geoffrey Osbourne a total of £7bn worth of contracts covering the south of England for control period 6 (CP6).
• Perth airport rail link delayed by tunnelling issuesThe Government of Western Australia Public Transport Authority (PTA) has said that work to repair damage caused following a ground collapse on the tunnelling for the Forrestfield-Airport Link is well underway but will delay opening of the link.
• Khan to be grilled by ministers on Crossrail delayMayor of London Sadiq Khan will be grilled about the handling of Crossrail by the London Assembly’s Transport Committee, later today.

Rail Advent

• Train operators pull together following Gatwick Airport closureDrones have closed Gatwick Airport for a number of hours today (20th December 2018) and has lead to a number of cancellations on airlines. This has caused travel chaos for passengers getting to family and friends for Christmas. But fear not, a few operators have pulled together to help you get home for Christmas.
• Northern calls for independent inquiry over RMT Guard disputeNorthern has said it has written formally to ACAS – the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, asking for them to use their powers to launch an independent inquiry into the ongoing dispute between the operator and the RMT Union.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail announces winners of multibillion-pound CP6 contractsNetwork Rail has awarded one of its largest deals under CP6, with three companies winning multi-billion contracts for both renewals and enhancements for the south of England. The contracts, worth a collective £4.4bn, to deliver renewals and enhancements in Anglia, the south east, and...
• Cairngorm funicular report into UK's highest report delayed againThe publication of a report into the safety of the UK’s highest railway and its structural issues has been further delayed until 2019. The Cairngorms funicular railway, which carries tourists, skiers, and snowboarders at the CairnGorm Mountain snowsports centre near Aviemore in the...
• Rail Ombudsman interview: RTM sits down with CEO Kevin GrixIn November, the first ever Rail Ombudsman was established in a bid to give passengers a free independent service to allow passengers to claim compensation by appealing unresolved complaints. But how will one of the driving forces behind the new service, chief executive Kevin Grix, take his...

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Stagecoach completes contactless scheme roll-out All 7,400 vehicles operating within Stagecoach’s UK regional bus business can now accept contactless payments.
• Scheduler Optibus secures $40m investmentFinancing round is ‘set to drive future products and expansion into new and existing markets’, it says
• Don't forget about the importance of positive PRIf you run buses, your thoughts may be turning to a fares increase, if they haven’t already. It’s a thorny subject, but - just as for a bottle of milk or a loaf of bread - the charge made for travel must increase periodically.
• Bus operators kept informed on low-carbon vehicle marketThe Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) held its latest Low Emission Bus Workshop last Tuesday (11 December).
• CPT reports ‘overwhelming desire for change’Consultation is complete; establishment of external affairs team and recruitment of CEO to begin soon

Aviation Industry

• DOJ investigating Airbus over ‘middlemen’ jetliner salesShares in Airbus nosedived Dec. 20 after reports surfaced that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the company’s use of middlemen in jetliner sales. read more
• High Court bans Virgin Atlantic pilot strike UK long-haul specialist Virgin Atlantic (VA), facing a strike by one of its pilots’ unions in the run-up to Christmas, won a court injunction halting the industrial action Dec. 20. read more

Other News Sources

• No more through trains to London in 2018 for East Anglian passengersToday is the last day that passengers from Suffolk and Essex will be able to reach Liverpool Street station by train until the new year.