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

Thursday, 28 February 2019

BBC News

• Number of bus journeys in Scotland fall by 100 million over decadeLatest figures show a steep decline in bus usage across Scotland as car traffic increases.
• More security lanes to be installed at Belfast AirportIt follows passengers complaining about long security wait times in recent months.
• Old photos show Katrine aqueduct being builtGlass slides found in a skip show one of Scotland's most important public works being built.
• Air-France KLM: Dutch surprise France by taking airline stakeShares in the holding company slide, and France's government reacts angrily to the move.
• Airlines reroute to avoid PakistanThe closure of Pakistan's airspace has prompted several airlines to reroute or suspend services.
• UK car output driven down by plunging demand in ChinaThe motor industry has been hit by
• Inside Out Yorkshire and Lincolnshire [TV Programme]Investigating plans to regulate bus services.

ITV News

• North West has the highest rate of late and cancelled trains. The North West may have been the birthplace of British passenger rail but a new report says parts now have the highest rate of late and cancelled trains. The consumer group Which says stations in Manchester and Wigan saw the most disruption to services and those delays are continuing. One man has taken extreme measures to avoid the chaos.

The Guardian

• Citymapper to undercut TfL with London travel cardApp’s ‘Citymapper Pass’ will offer unlimited travel in zones one and two for £31 a week
• How to talk to your fellow commuters (if the BBC has its way)The BBC is launching a, erm, risky social experiment to try and unite our divided nation. Here are my tips, potential friend
• Bailiffs move in on Heathrow runway protest campMove to evict protesters who have squatted site since 2010 comes days before judicial review of third runway plans

The Independent

• UK car production collapses 18% as industry warns of 'clear and present danger' from no-deal BrexitCar companies paying additional and potentially pointless costs every day that leaving the EU with no deal remains on the table, says trade body

The Telegraph

• Cuts to electric vehicle grants set to scupper green car targets [Subscription]he decision to slash incentives on electric cars means the Government risks missing its own targets to radically increase the number of low-pollution vehicles on the roads, according to AutoTrader.
• Ferrovial slashes value of UK outsourcing arm Amey by £650m [Subscription]he Spanish giant that owns UK government contractor Amey has been forced to slash the value of the business by almost 90pc in the latest blow to the outsourcing sector.

Times Online

• Build new homes away from roads, health watchdog says [Subscription]New-build flats and houses should be kept away from the roadside, health advisers have said in guidance on town planning to cut exposure to dirty air.
• Uber ‘not answer’ to rural transport issue [Ireland] [Subscription]Introducing Uber-style taxis to rural Ireland would result in a “dumbing down” of the industry, TDs were told yesterday.
• Glasgow airport examines rail link to Paisley Gilmour Street [Subscription]A plan to link Glasgow airport with Paisley Gilmour Street will be explored after proposals for a direct route between the airport and Glasgow city centre were judged to have raised “significant challenges”.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh scientists develop robots to clean trains and inspect railway bridges Robots that can clean train carriages and drones to inspect railway bridge arches are being developed by scientists in two new research projects.

London Evening Standard

• Rail firms face £100m legal claim over 'making passengers pay double'EXCLUSIVE: Rail companies that run the Southeastern and South Western networks are alleged to have overcharged millions of customers with 'boundary fares'

Other Regional Press

• Mayor James Palmer says Soham rail station public information events are ‘another big step forward’Around 550 people attended two information public information events on plans to build a £20 million rail station in Soham - which is on track for completion by spring 2021.

Train Operators

• 'Blue Monday' flashmob by rail employees across London stationsDoing their bit to brighten up ‘Blue Monday’ (21st January), a group of singing rail employees are to stage a series of flashmobs across three London stations, highlighting the release of their song “Lean On Me” in aid of the charity Railway Children.

Aviation Industry

• Seeking more influence, Dutch state increases Air France-KLM stakeThe Dutch government has more than doubled its stake in Air France-KLM and announced its intention to match the French state’s interest in the group—a move that raised questions about whether greater public ownership will help or hinder plans for closer integration of the two national carriers. read more
• DOT bans passenger airlines from carrying lithium-ion batteriesThe US Department of Transportation (DOT) on Feb. 27 issued an interim final rule that prohibits passenger airlines from carrying rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells or batteries as cargo, noting their potential of causing uncontrollable fire in cargo holds. read more
• IAG removed from MSCI indices after placing limits on non-EU shareholdingInternational Airlines Group (IAG) will be removed from all global index provider MSCI’s indices that include Spain, as a result of its decision to place a limit on the number of shares that can be held by non-European Union (EU) citizens. read more

Other News Sources

• New c2c trains will connect Southend to London in just 44 minutesWEEKEND train passengers will be able to get from Southend to London in just 44 minutes when new fast trains are rolled out.
• Transport Secretary ‘concerned’ about fall in bus use by the publicTrain and car use in Scotland has increased but the number of bus journeys has fallen, new transport figures show.
• After a year of rail chaos in Lancashire, 2019 is set to be 'another difficult year' warn MPsRail passengers are set for “another difficult year” amid more timetable changes and increased levels of engineering work, a House of Commons report has warned.