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

Friday, 22 February 2019

BBC News

• City of Derry Airport: Loganair takes on London routeThe Scottish airline will take over the former Flybmi route from 27 February.
• Warrington Western Link plans delayed 'because of Brexit paralysis'The government is yet to decide whether to pay two-thirds of the Western Link road's £212m bill.

The Guardian

• No-deal Brexit 'could disrupt London commuter trains'Buildup of freight at Channel tunnel might affect services into capital, operator warns

The Telegraph

• Sadiq Khan criticised for claiming government has 'anti-London bias' [Subscription]adiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has been criticised for claiming the government has an “anti-London bias”.
• Nicola Sturgeon 'refuses to say if she backs work parking tax in her constituency' [Subscription]Nicola Sturgeon has refused to support a workplace parking tax in her constituency despite voting for it as part of her government's Budget.
• Heathrow boss backs Virgin Atlantic-led rescue of Flybe [Subscription]he boss of Heathrow has come out in support of the Virgin Atlantic-led rescue of Britain’s biggest regional airline Flybe as the airline completed the sale of its operating companies to the consortium.

Times Online

• Eurotunnel at ease with Brexit and confident of record year [Subscription]The operator of the Channel tunnel has said that months of preparations for Brexit will mean it can shrug off disruption from the UK’s scheduled withdrawal from the European Union and it expects profits this year to be in line with its 2018 record.
• Go-Ahead Group gets back on track [Subscription]Improvements in the performance of the ill-starred Thameslink and Southern Railway train services are helping Go-Ahead Group to rebound from the loss of its London Midland franchise.

London Evening Standard

• Dublin Airport drone: Flights suspended after 'confirmed sighting over airfield'Flights were temporarily suspended at Dublin Airport due to a

Nottingham Evening Post

• Chances of HS2 getting to Notts are now less than 50/50, says Nottingham City Council leaderThe current plan is for the line from London and Birmingham to stop at Toton, before heading further north to Sheffield and Leeds.

Wales Online

• Cardiff council is issuing fines from a bus lane again one month after a tribunal rejected a penalty noticeCardiff council has issued a bus lane penalty from the same location where a fine was rejected by a national tribunal.

Blackpool Gazette

• Preston to Blackpool railway reopens on Sundays after vital improvement workBlackpool North railway station will make a full comeback this weekend. The announcement will come as a relief to passengers who have had to endure a disrupted service for the last seven Sundays.

Carlisle News & Star

• Carlisle airport poised to clear final hurdle to release flight ticketsTickets for the first commercial flights from Carlisle airport in 20 years are due to go on sale soon.

Coach and Bus Week

• Second year of decline for coach and bus registrationsIn a report by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) it was found that the UK and coach and bus market had fallen by -5.6% in 2018, with annual registrations falling for a second consecutive year to 7,236 units.
• Giving diesel a boostDon’t believe the hype about the death of diesel, says Richard Simpson; there’s at least another two generations of diesel drivelines under development, and they will be cleaner and more efficient than ever
• DfT quizzed over bus policies by Transport Select CommitteeIn Nusrat Ghani’s first committee meeting since taking her post, the Transport Committee quizzed the DfT on its bus policies, in relation to guidance, funding and concessionary fare reimbursement. Madaline Dunn reports
• TfL announces on-demand service trial in SuttonTransport for London (TfL) has launched a four-week consultation on plans to trial an ‘on-demand’ bus service in Sutton.

London TravelWatch

• Baker Street changes this weekend are good news for bus passengers, cyclists and pedestriansThis weekend Westminster Council are to complete works to turn Baker Street and Gloucester Place / Portman Street (the A41) back to a two-way street.

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 bosses offer expertise to Eastern Europe rail lineHigh Speed 2 (HS2) has been shown off as an exemplar project as British rail experts look to offer their expertise to developers of the V4 High Speed Rail project connecting Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
• East West Rail makes case for extension to Ipswich and NorwichThe East West Rail Consortium has submitted its business case for an eastern extension of the Oxford to Cambrige route to Ipswich and Norwich.

Rail Technology Magazine

• CAF commences design and engineering on DMUs for Wales and Borders franchiseSpanish rail manufacturer CAF has announced it is beginning the design and engineering work for the highly-anticipated Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) for the Wales and Borders franchise. Being built at the company’s facility in Newport, South Wales, CAF is to supply 77 of DMUs, due to enter...
• New head of safety and environment for Hull Trains announcedA new head of safety and environment has been announced by Hull Trains, with Mark Shepherd due to replace Phil Green in the role. Bringing more than 25 years’ worth of experience to the industry, Shepherd will focus on all elements of health, safety, and environment for Hull Trains. He...

Railnews

• Performance is still falling backTHE punctuality of trains is continuing to worsen, according to new figures released by the Office of Rail and Road. Almost 1 in 20 trains were cancelled or ‘significantly late’ – which means between 30 and 119 minutes behind time at the final destination.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Volvo wins order for first electric bus in IrelandPlug-in , 12m 7900e set to be used on hotel shuttle service to Dublin Airport’s two passenger terminals
• Plan to ‘maximise the benefits’ for transport in new housingA new report by KPMG has identified an eight-point plan to help “overcome the barriers” to integrating sustainable transport with new housing.
• Arriva marks Midland Fox anniversaryArriva has marked the 35th anniversary of the formation of Midland Fox by launching a bus adorned with the yellow and red colours which made the brand famous back in the 1980s.
• Retrofit funding for 17 coach, seven bus modelsBaumot, Eminox and Proventia benefit as money will be used to support CVRAS accreditation process
• Xplore’s one year of mTicket appXplore Dundee is celebrating one year of its mTicket app by giving whoever buys the 150,000th ticket via the app a months’ worth of free bus travel.

Aviation Industry

• DOT urged to fully enforce bill on secondary cockpit barriersTwo US senators have called on the Department of Transportation (DOT) to fully enforce a law designed to thwart potential hijackings aboard commercial aircraft, arguing that airlines have deliberately misinterpreted the law to avoid the new requirements. read more
• Ryanair to open Toulouse base, add 50 French routesRyanair will open a new base at Toulouse as part of its winter 2019 schedule, stationing two Boeing 737-800s there and more than doubling the number of routes it operates from the southwestern French city. read more
• Heathrow reports record profit in 2018London Heathrow Airport has posted a £267 million ($348.5 million) adjusted pre-tax profit for 2018, 23% up on the prior year, based on a 2.7% increase in passenger numbers and higher retail spending. read more
• European Commission’s no-deal Brexit plan gets provisional approvalThe European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (EU) have reached provisional agreement on the European Commission’s proposal to ensure basic air services between the UK and the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit. read more

Other News Sources

• Council leader criticises Labour parliamentary candidate for saying bus drivers need to be more politeTHE leader of the city council has criticised a Labour parliamentary candidate for saying bus drivers need to be more polite.
• Malton railway station in line for improvementsMALTON railway station is set to get improvements, including a new ticket office, waiting room and accessible toilet.
• Disabled access: What can be done to power UK railways forward?Hilary Stephenson, Managing Director of Sigma explains what can be done to power UK railways forward when it comes to the issue of disabled access