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

Wednesday, 27 February 2019

BBC News

• Nottingham railway station fire 'caused £5.5m worth of damage'A major fire at Nottingham railway station caused £5.5m worth of damage, a court has heard.
• Rail passengers face another difficult year, warn MPsMore timetable changes are planned for May - a year after similar updates caused major disruption.
• Greater Manchester plans to fine polluting vehiclesPrivately owned cars would not be affected by the plan to fine high-polluting commercial vehicles.
• Eviction of Grow Heathrow squatters beginsThe group set up a community garden in 2010 in protest at the west London airport's expansion.
• What's missing from this bus?The district of Schaffhausen in Switzerland has integrated a driverless bus into its public transport system.
• Rail franchise model cannot continue, says review chiefThe man leading a review of Britain's rail system says franchising no longer delivers

The Guardian

• Britons face five-hour airport queues in Spain with no-deal BrexitAlicante airport is likely to be worst affected, says consumer group Which?
• Uber survives legal challenge brought by London cabbiesJudge says magistrate who awarded Uber’s 15-month permit was not biased
• Burnham criticised over exemption for private cars from clean air chargeGreater Manchester mayor says this part of levy would disproportionately affect poor
• Rail passengers and taxpayers 'paying price for DoT failures'Damning report by MPs says more problems lie ahead after 2018 ‘year from hell’

Times Online

• More rail chaos as passengers ‘pay price for Chris Grayling failings’ [Subscription]Passengers should expect more chaos on the railways this year because the government has failed to “get a grip” on problems with the network, MPs say.
• Cabbies lose bid to put break on Uber [Subscription]Black cab drivers have lost their attempt to strike down Uber’s licence to operate in London.
• TV experiment will show commuters it’s good to talk [Subscription]The BBC has a reputation for pushing the boundaries with provocative programming but encouraging commuters to talk to each other is surely taking things a step too far. It is planning a “day of experiments” across the train and bus network designed to promote conversations between passengers.

City AM

• Government told to publish Govia's profit cap amid concerns over taxpayers' moneyThe public spending watchdog has urged the government to publish details of Govia's profit cap, citing fears taxpayers' money is not being "adequately protected" after last year's rail chaos.

Network Rail

• Why does Network Rail close level crossings?We closed Britain’s busiest foot crossing a year ago in a milestone for a closure programme.

Sky News

• 'Another difficult year': Bleak outlook for rail passengersRail passengers have been warned they face "another difficult year" of timetable changes and engineering work in a damning report into the state of train services across Britain.

Derby Telegraph

• East Midlands Airport in talks with police after Gatwick and Heathrow drone chaosEast Midlands Airport bosses are in talks with the police and Government to mitigate the impact of irresponsible drone use, they have revealed.

London Evening Standard

• Rail passengers face 'another difficult year' with more timetable changes and engineering work, MPs warnRail passengers face

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Failing rail infrastructure is ‘holding back progress in Scotland’Failing rail infrastructure is “holding back progress in Scotland”, a senior MP has said after a report laid bare the performance of Network Rail.

Yorkshire Post

• New trains set to connect Yorkshire and London New trains set to be introduced on the East Coast Mainline by operator LNER will come on stream between Leeds and London first, its managing director has said.

Northern Transport Summit 2019

• Northern Transport Summit 2019 [Paid Inclusion] - Northern Transport Summit 2019With better transport the linchpin to growth across the Northern Powerhouse, we bring you the third annual summit on this topic, giving an in-depth view of the opportunities and challenges presented by investment in transport. [For an exclusive discount on tickets for TransportInfo readers, please click on the link]

Other Regional Press

• usiness owner: “I feel betrayed by David Lidington over HS2”As part of our #EnoughIsEnough campaign, we interview people whose local businesses have been affected negatively by HS2.
• 'I feel like a second class citizen' disabled rail passenger says over absence of wheelchair accessA disabled train passenger says he's been made to feel like a "second class citizen" as the wait for wheelchair-friendly access at his local station goes on.

Rail Advent

• ScotRail extends social media hoursPassengers travelling with ScotRail now have more access to its social media team as the train operator announces extended hours.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Introducing Alstom's Breeze trainsMike Muldoon, head of business development for Alstom UK & Ireland, introduces us to Alstom’s new hydrogen-powered Breeze trains, which could hit UK tracks as early as 2022. On 7 January this year, Alstom and our partners Eversholt Rail announced a new train design that has the...
• Building the North's new railways Mike Hulme and Justin Moss, co-chairs of Northern Rail Industry Leaders, look at how the supply chain is working with Transport for the North (TfN) to deliver benefits for the region in light of its recent White Paper. These are exciting times for the north of England. At the end of January, TfN...
• Horden Station project on trackHelen Golightly, chief executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), describes the benefits that the £10.6m Horden station will bring to the north east economy. The announcement that plans to create a new railway station at Horden, near Peterlee in east Durham, have taken...
• Scrapping of airport link 'lack of ambition' at the heart of governmentThe potential of a future rail link to Glasgow Airport and Glasgow city centre has been a contentious issue over recent years for residents. After originally mulling over plans in January to introduce a rail link to the airport, the Scottish Government decided to scrap the plans in favour of a...
• Crossrail bosses hope for new timetable estimate by April but Khan admits there is no confidence about opening dateCrossrail chiefs hope to have a new estimate for a timeline for the heavily delayed railway project by April, but London mayor Sadiq Khan has admitted there is no date its chief executive Mark Wild can give “with confidence.” The Elizabeth Line, which was originally due to open in...
• South Western Railway to become UK's first 5G railway as FirstGroup announces deal for superfast Wi-Fi on trainsFirstGroup has announced a deal to become the first UK’s first 5G railway network, bringing superfast Wi-Fi to the Southern Western Railway franchise. In partnership with Blu Wireless, Network Rail and the DfT, FirstGroup’s rail division has developed an ‘end-to-end 5G...
• Councillors push for three railway hubs to reopen in expansion of Lancashire rail network A cross-party call has been issued in Lancashire for major railway hubs in Chorley, Fleetwood, and Leyland to be reopened. The Lancashire County Council Labour Group had a motion to commission feasibility studies into the reopening of three train stations denied earlier this month, but the...
• RAIB launches investigation after pedestrian fatally struck at Tibberton footpath crossingThe Rail Accidents Investigation Branch (RAIB) has launched an investigation into the death of a pedestrian who was fatally struck by a train whilst crossing at Tibberton No. 8 footpath crossing near Worcester. The RAIB reports that on the morning of 6 February, a member of the public was struck...

Railnews

• Williams sets the stage for rail revolutionTHE railway industry structure is no longer fit for purpose and needs a ‘fundamental realignment’, according to Keith Williams, the author of the government’s Rail Review.

Aviation Industry

• Aeroflot Group traffic up 14.5% in JanuaryRussia’s Aeroflot Group carried 4.2 million passengers in January, up 14.5% year-over-year (YOY). read more
• ATR simulator earns EASA, FAA approval for stall recovery trainingAs the industry is assigning an increasing importance to manual piloting skills, regional turboprop manufacturer ATR has received a certification for the use of a full flight simulator in stall recovery training. read more
• Embraer shareholders approve Boeing buyout Boeing and Embraer expect to close their deal-making over commercial and defense aircraft joint ventures (JVs) by year’s end, the two manufacturers said Feb. 26, after Embraer shareholders approved the proposals. read more

Other News Sources

• £2.8million Investment To Upgrade Yorkshire Coast Train TracksNetwork Rail is urging passengers planning on travelling between Hull and Scarborough to check before they travel as a £2.8million investment into the railway takes place next month.
• Our comments on Williams Rail ReviewThe CBI commented on the Rail Review, carried out by Keith Williams.
• Rail 869: How to mess up a branch line‘This is the story of how to mess up a branch line’ said Alan Noble of the Lakes Line Rail User Group. Except he did not use the word ‘mess’. The Lakes Line branch that runs ten miles from Oxenholme to Windermere is one of those survivors of Beeching which has prospered and become an integral part of the rail network.
• Williams Rail ReviewAt 7pm tonight, Keith Williams, chair of the rail review ordered by Chris Grayling, will say: ‘I have heard a great deal about the franchising model….
• Our comments on Williams Rail ReviewThe CBI commented on the Rail Review, carried out by Keith Williams.