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

Thursday, 14 February 2019

BBC News

• Traffic 'worse' at Newport M4 junction after £13m upgradeCommuters say work to ease congestion at an M4 junction has led to
• Ford exit reports 'deeply worrying' for Bridgend plantThe Bridgend plant is already coping with job losses - now there are fears for its future.
• Failed London Garden Bridge project cost £53mAround £43m came out of the public's pocket, Transport for London said.
• Ford warns no-deal Brexit would be 'catastrophic'The carmaker says it will do
• Airbus says A380 superjumbo production will endThe aircraft manufacturer will cease production of its giant jet after key buyer Emirates cuts orders.

Department for Transport

• Building a more liveable and sustainable world of transportSpeaking at the Smart Transport conference Jesse Norman MP discusses the future connected challenges of transport plus environmentally focused schemes.

The Guardian

• Anti-terror checks deliver fresh Brexit threat for UK hauliersTransport body warns security certificates would result in further chaos under no deal

The Independent

• Airbus to stop making A380 'superjumbo' aircraft after disappointing sales, putting 3,500 jobs at riskThe last A380 aircraft will be delivered in 2021
• Brexit: Government admits it has 'run out of time' to find ships to bring emergency supplies after no-deal'It would not be possible to compete procurement and make it operational for 29 March,' senior Department for Transport official tells MPs
• How has Chris Grayling left the UK's ports so poorly prepared for no-deal Brexit?Department for Transport under fresh scrutiny over botched plans to avert chaos at the border after 29 March

The Telegraph

• EasyJet teams up with Delta on potential bid for Alitalia [Subscription]EasyJet has announced that it is in talks with Italian state-controlled railways Ferrovie and Delta Air Lines to form a consortium in an attempt to rescue Italy’s troubled carrier Alitalia.

Network Rail

• Far North Line investment is on the right trackNetwork Rail has completed an £11m, two and a half-year project to renew and replace sections of track at 59 sites along the Far North Line in the north of Scotland.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Cuts to bus subsidies likely to 'inconvenience' passengersA TRANSPORT campaigner has accused transport bosses of failing to recognise the importance of buses - and called planned cuts to services a "disgrace."

London Evening Standard

• TfL Tube delays: Rush hour misery as severe disruption hits THREE London Underground linesSevere disruption has hit three London Underground lines this morning sparking rush hour misery for thousands of commuters.
• Union barons threaten industrial action on Tube in row over red vests for staffUnion barons today threatened industrial action on the Tube in a bizarre row about station staff being ordered to wear new red vests.
• Waterloo delays: 'Utter pandemonium' at major London station after trespasser on tracks blocks linesCommuters travelling from London Waterloo station have been facing

Wales Online

• Ford 'is taking real steps' to move production out of the UK if there's a no deal BrexitFord said: "Such a situation would be catastrophic for the UK auto industry and Ford's manufacturing operations in the country"

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Tube-style map shows how a mass transit system for Leeds could look These plans by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority show how a mass transit system for West Yorkshire could look.
• Tom Richmond: Just when will Chris Grayling’s failing career be sunk as ferry farce deepens?GIVEN that Chris Grayling – the Transport Secretary who doesn’t run the trains – will not resign after cancelling a Brexit freight contract awarded to a ferry firm with phantom ferries, it does beg this question: what can this Minister actually do?

Other Regional Press

• Extra evening buses 'not high priority' - transport chiefsInvesting in more evening buses on West Yorkshire's roads is not a high priority, the region's transport bosses have said.
• Shots fired at trains caused hours of disruption - as it happenedThere has been an incident at Mirfield which is affecting trains between Huddersfield and Dewsbury
• Familiar face unveiled as new Transport for Wales Director for North WalesTransport for Wales have appointed Lee Robinson as Development Director for North Wales, a position described as ‘a key role in transforming transport across the country’.

Airportwatch

• Failed Garden Bridge project to receive extra £5.5 million from public purseThe failed Garden Bridge project will receive an extra £5.5 million from the public purse, as wealthy donors complain that their contributions were "pissed down the drain by a bunch of incompetents".

New Civil Engineer

• Developer wanted for Wales transport planTransport for Wales (TfW) has launched its search for a partner to develop a £1.5M multi-modal transport plan across Wales and adjacent areas of England.
• DLR-style scheme to Heathrow enters new DfT competitionSpelthorne Borough Council’s DLR-style scheme to give southern rail access into Heathrow will also be entered into the government’s light rail initiative, New Civil Engineer can reveal.
• Gatwick railway station upgrade awaits green lightVital upgrades to Gatwick Airport’s railway station have yet to be fully approved by Crawley Borough Council planning committee despite its unanimous support for the improvements.

Railway Gazette

• ‘Battle plan’ to save France’s rural railwaysFRANCE: A report into the condition, usage and prospects of almost 9 000 route-km of secondary railway is to be handed to government before the end of March. According to Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne, the report will form part of a ‘battle plan’ to save a broad swathe of the French network.

Aviation Industry

• The Netherlands calls for EU-wide aviation fuel taxThe Dutch government is advocating for a European Union (EU)-wide levy on aviation fuel to address rising carbon dioxide emissions from the commercial air transport sector. read more
• FAA to require drones to display ID number on outside surfaceConcerned that explosives concealed inside a drone could pose a danger to someone trying to identify an unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV), the FAA will require owners to display their registration number on an outside surface. read more
• Former Virgin America CEO tapped for AirbnbAccommodation provider Airbnb has appointed former Virgin America CEO Fred Reid as global head of transportation, as part of the company’s push to make travel more tolerable. read more

Other News Sources

• New transport plan call for A64 duallingTHE north of England needs between £100 billion and £120 billion investment for better, faster train services and a dualling of the A64, the Ryedale MP has said.
• New railway could link town to major citiesThe proposed Cambridge to Oxford railway line could see a new station built to the south of St Neots.