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

Wednesday, 13 February 2019

BBC News

• Dangerous levels of roadside pollution in Wales 'overlooked'Dangerous levels of vehicle-related pollution on 81 roads are being ignored, an expert says.
• Fears of A9 dualling impact on historic sitesCampaigners say dualling the road could affect the site of a battlefield in Perthshire and a wetland.
• 747: How the jumbo jet shaped 50 years of flightFifty years since the Boeing 747's first flight, BBC Rewind looks back on how the jumbo jet changed aviation and global travel.
• Nissan takes $83m charge related to Carlos GhosnThe carmaker says the charge relates to additional expenses linked to payments to its former chairman.

The Guardian

• Electric cars are already cheaper to own and run, says studyPetrol and diesel vehicles cost more over four years in UK and four other European nations
• MPs and peers press Treasury to abandon 'absurd' inflation measureMinisters urged to ditch RPI, which it is claimed penalises students and rail passengers

The Independent

• Brexit: EU unveils emergency plan to keep Channel Tunnel open for three months after no-dealThe European Commission has unveiled an emergency plan to keep trains running through the Channel Tunnel in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
• Cabinet minister Chris Grayling to face parliament over claims he 'misled MPs' about Brexit ferry dealLabour will raise a point of order in the Commons later on Tuesday

The Telegraph

• Chris Grayling under pressure to face MPs over claims he misled them about cost of no-deal Brexit ferry fiasco [Subscription]Chris Grayling is under pressure to face MPs over claims he misled them about the costs of a botched no-deal Brexit ferry contract awarded to a company with no ships.

Times Online

• Ian Blackford accuses ScotRail of modern‑day Highland clearanceThe SNP’s Westminster leader has accused ScotRail’s owners of a “modern-day Highland clearance” by moving 19 call-centre jobs from Fort William to Glasgow.
• Uber could help to solve rural transport issues, says minister [Ireland] subscriptionShane Ross hinted that Uber may be considered as a solution to transport problems in rural Ireland but warned that safety for passengers must be a priority.
• Rationing road use is the best way to tackle congestion [Subscription]It’s not just the money, though congestion costs this country £8 billion a year. It’s the time. According to a new congestion scorecard published by Inrix, a transport-data firm, London drivers lose 227 hours of their lives to congestion, the worst figure in Europe after Moscow. In Britain, London is followed by Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Sheffield and half a dozen more of this country’s great cities, whose roads at peak times are packed, uselessly, with fuming cars and people. Admittedly, some mind less than others. But congestion hits us all indiscriminately.

City AM

• Channel Tunnel operators threaten legal action over Brexit ferry contractsThe government is facing legal action from the operators of the Channel Tunnel over the way it awarded its ferry contracts, just days after one that was given to a firm with no ships collapsed.
• Sadiq Khan announces shakeup of severance pay for departing TfL staffSadiq Khan has announced a shakeup of Transport for London (TfL) pay agreements after £51m was paid out to departing staff last year.
• Chris Grayling accused of 'misleading' parliament over money spent on ferry contractsEmbattled transport secretary Chris Grayling faced another round of calls to resign yesterday over accusations he may have misled parliament in saying no taxpayer money was spent on the government's Brexit ferry contracts.
• General Motors takes stake in British car tracking startup as it looks to driverless futureUS car giant General Motors (GM) is taking a stake in a British technology startup as it prepares for a driverless future.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• 'Scrap it and spend the money in the North': Leeds reacts to Channel 4 HS2 DispatchesFurious viewers have called for HS2 to be scrapped and the money invested in the north - following a documentary on the multi-billion pound rail project.

Blackpool Gazette

• Blackpool's electric rail upgrade sparks increase in passengers for Virgin Virgin Trains has said journeys to Blackpool North have soared since the electrification of the line by Network Rail.

Other Regional Press

• More details emerge for mass transit system in LeedsProposals for three new transport lines linking Leeds with Dewsbury, Bradford and the Spen Valley have been drawn up
• Susan Aitken hits out at critics of decision to scrap Glasgow Airport rail linkGlasgow's SNP council leader has attacked critics of the decision to scrap the airport rail link for a second time accusing them of "playing political games".
• First electric passenger trains finally entering service in BoltonTHE FIRST electric passenger trains have debuted in Bolton after years of delays.

Construction Enquirer

• Network Rail unveils major operational shake-upNetwork Rail has unveiled plans to further decentralise its management structure in one of the biggest operational shake-ups for years

Rail Technology Magazine

• Decision due on Edinburgh tram extension as cost rises to £207mThe business case for extending Edinburgh’s tram network in a £196m project has entered its final stage, with councillors in the Scottish capital scrutinising the case ahead of a decision next month. Originally estimated to cost £165m, the final business case for the tram...
• 'Radical change is needed': Network Rail reveals major reorganisation centred around devolution Network Rail has announced a major structural reorganisation with devolution and regional responsibility at the front of its new operation model in recognition that “radical change is needed.” The new operating model will be formed of 13 routes and supported by five Network Rail...
• Stagecoach secures East Midlands Trains franchise extension with DfT until AugustStagecoach has reached a new agreement with the DfT to continue running East Midlands Trains for at least another five months. With the current East Midlands Trains franchise due to end at the beginning of March, Stagecoach will now run the franchise until at least August 2019, and its...

Aviation Industry

• European regulator approves Air France-KLM, Delta, Virgin JVThe European Commission (EC) has approved a transatlantic joint venture agreement among Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic that will see the Franco-Dutch airline group acquire a 31% stake in Virgin Atlantic. read more
• US legislators introduce bill to mandate secondary cockpit barriersA bipartisan group of US lawmakers have introduced a bill that would require all commercial aircraft operating in the US be retrofitted with secondary cockpit barriers to prevent terrorist attacks similar to 9/11. read more

Other News Sources

• Sheringham Station improvements: ‘a long time coming’?Sheringham Mayor Madeleine Ashcroft said the town council, which began campaigning for improvements to the station 18 months ago after Sheringham Dementia Friendly Community (SDFC) representatives expressed concerns about safety and accessibility, was delighted with the plans, which demonstrated the value Greater Anglia placed on the Bittern Line
• Brexit could delay upgrades to Island Line Trains – SWR growing increasingly concernedCllr Ward said people have “muttered things like the government won’t make a decision until Brexit is clear, but we don’t know”. South Western Railway is growing increasingly concerned about the delays.

News from Europe

• #Brexit preparedness: European Commission adopts ‘no-deal’ contingency measure for railway safety and connectivityGiven the increasing risk that the United Kingdom may leave the European Union on 30 March this year without a deal (a ‘no-deal’ scenario), the European Commission has today (12 February) adopted a proposal to help mitigate the significant impact that such a scenario would have on rail transport and connectivity between the EU and the UK.