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

Wednesday, 20 March 2019

BBC News

• No deal Brexit threatens Metro claims Welsh GovernmentPlans for the South Wales Metro could be threatened if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal, the Welsh Government has warned.
• UK oil and gas industry 'needs £200bn of investment' for future developmentIndustry body Oil and Gas UK says its Business Outlook Report 2019 shows cost and efficiencies are the
• All aboard the driverless bus in Greater ManchesterDevelopers hope driverless technology could be used in public transport within five years.
• London air pollution: Pupils' bags to monitor toxic air levelsSome 250 pupils from five primary schools across London will carry pollution sensors in backpacks.
• Boeing expects 737 Max software fix by end of MarchThe aviation giant tells airlines it will have new software to control the controversial MCAS system.
• Jet Airways grounds planes as crisis growsThe struggling Indian airline grounds a further six aircraft as its crisis deepens.
• Boeing: US orders review of 737 Max licence to flyThe transport secretary orders an independent assessment of the 737 Max certification process.

Department for Transport

• Keith Williams: a railway with today's and tomorrow's passengers at its heart is the futureMoving to a customer focused railway won’t be easy and trade-offs will be unavoidable.

The Independent

• Boeing jumbo jet tips backwards after airport workers mistakenly unload cargo from noseAircraft suffers damage after becoming unbalanced

The Telegraph

• Nationalising railways won't fix the problems, says review chief [subscription]Nationalisation is not the answer to Britain's train conundrum, the leader of the biggest railway review for a generation has signalled.
• Lost in translation: Osaka subway removes website after automated program produces garbled phrases [Subscription]Japanese transport officials in Osaka have shut down a foreign language website for the city’s subway system after a string of hilariously garbled lost in translation phrases went viral on social media.
• I can see why car drivers are sick of being lectured to by smug urbanites like me, but e-scooters are the futureIt takes something pretty special to make a journalist sympathise with a politician. But I do not envy Jesse Norman, the man at the Department for Transport given the task of tweaking the rules of the road to balance competing claims of everything from giant cement mixers to tiny electric scooters. He’s going to make some enemies.

Times Online

• HS2 ‘will deepen regional divide as north loses out’ [Subscription]The HS2 rail line will make the north-south divide worse by concentrating wealth in London, researchers say.
• Climate change is not taken seriously under Chris Grayling - Andy McDonald MP [Subscription]The Department for Transport is 100 years old this year. In 1919 both Lloyd George and Winston Churchill wanted to nationalise the railways but were thwarted by the motoring lobby who worried rail would dominate. A century on, debates between roads and rails endure while diesel versus electric is the new paradigm.

City AM

• EU aviation authority says it will not be swayed by US decision on Boeing's grounded jetThe EU's ban on the Boeing plane model that crashed in Ethiopia earthier this month will stay in place until it is satisfied with guarantees given by the manufacturer, the head of the bloc’s aviation regulator said today.
• UK airlines, lorries and bus operators to travel to EU as normal in event of a no-deal BrexitUK airlines, lorries and bus operators will be able to travel to the EU as normal in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
• Rail review head Keith Williams says government role in industry 'has to change'The government's role in the UK railways will "have to change" if the industry is to become more customer-focused, the former boss of British Airways has said.

Network Rail

• Upgrades at West Yorkshire station will make travelling easier for everyonePassengers and users of Hebden Bridge station will enjoy a much-improved experience following completion of a £2.2 million investment to upgrade access at the station.

Birmingham Mail

• 'Nothing short of vandalism' - Brummies fury over Moor Street Station plans for HS2Plans to revamp Moor Street to get it ready for HS2 have been met with opposition from BirminghamLive readers

Edinburgh Evening News

• The carriage was like the cell they held Dumbo’s mum:’ Commuters angered by ScotRail response to Haymarket disruptionAngry rail commuters have complained of being penned into a carriage like ‘livestock’ at Haymarket Station after several trains were cancelled or delayed.

London Evening Standard

• Tory MP Owen Paterson claims people approach him on the Tube to discuss BrexitTory MP Owen Paterson has claimed people approach him on the Tube to tell him to “just get on” with Brexit.
• Old Street faces traffic ban over cycle crashes in bid to improve safetyThree women who lost legs after being hit by lorries attack five-year delay

Wales Online

• Warning £738m South Wales Metro flagship rail project at risk from a no-deal BrexitTransport Minister Ken Skates warns that in a no-deal the UK Government could be too preoccupied to transfer the rail asset to Cardiff Bay on time

Northern Transport Summit 2019

• Northern Transport Summit 2019 [Paid Inclusion] With 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

• Lifeline bus service to stop going though Flintshire village due to "low passenger numbers"A "LIFELINE" bus service will not run through a Flintshire village because it is "no longer commercially viable" according to transport bosses.
• Rail journeys over 50 miles now cheapest ever as Transport for Wales launches pricing initiativeRAIL passengers can now save more money than ever on longer journeys in Wales and the borders.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Transport laws to be reviewed to improve everyday journeysThe biggest review into transport in a generation will pave the way for transforming the way people and goods move around our cities, the Government has announced in its Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy.
• Continued EU access for UK airlines, hauliers and bus and coach operators agreedEU Ministers have formally adopted laws which mean UK airlines, hauliers and passenger bus and coach operators will continue to be able to provide services to and from the EU in a ‘no deal’ scenario.

New Civil Engineer

• Anglesey wants £40M energy investment to soften Wylfa blowAnglesey Council is seeking £40M from the Welsh and UK governments to fund energy projects on the island.
• DfT sets up transport innovation fundFirms could receive up to £90M from the Department for Transport (DfT) for ideas on how to improve transport infrastructure in UK cities and towns.
• Government urged to implement 'pay-as-you-go' roads model by 2030The ICE has warned the government that it will run out of money for roads within 10 years unless it replaces fuel tax with a longer term method of raising money.
• Rival Heathrow expansion groups to lock horns at judicial reviewRival Heathrow expansion groups Arora Group and Heathrow Hub are set to clash over the government’s Aviation National Policy Statement (NPS), according to a legal document exclusively obtained by New Civil Engineer.

Rail Magazine

• Assessment criteria identified for Williams Review The Williams Review moved into its latest phase on March 19, with the launch of the criteria on which it will assess potential changes to the railway.

Rail Technology Magazine

• 26-30 Railcard: taking advantage of opportunities After a nine-month national trial, the rail industry launched its seventh National Railcard for 26-30-year-olds on 2 January 2019. Rail Delivery Group managing director of customer experience, Jacqueline Starr, reveals how the proposition came into fruition and how other industries utilise their...
• Caledonian Sleeper: a railway icon re-imagined The world-renowned Caledonian Sleeper, due to begin operations at the end of spring 2019, completed its first Scotland to London journey earlier this year. Ryan Flaherty, Serco’s managing director for Caledonian Sleeper, tells more about the project. Since taking over the Caledonian...
• RDG calls for new regulator to stop railway 'being used as a political football'The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has called for a new organisation to regulate the railway and replace the ORR in order to stop the railway “being used as a political football.” Responding to the government’s call for submissions to its Williams Review, the chief executive of the...
• Fast-charging technology for battery trains launched by VivarailVivarail has launched a new fast-charge system which can fully charge one of its Class 230 battery trains in seven minutes with a range of 60 miles between charges. The British rolling stock manager announced that it has successfully demonstrated the capabilities of its charge system to the DfT...

Transport Network

• Skates warns of no deal rail impact for WalesWelsh transport minister, Ken Skates, has written to Chris Grayling for a guarantee that a no-deal Brexit would not disrupt South Wales Metro plans or the planned transfer of rail assets to the Welsh Assembly.

Aviation Industry

• UK carrier Thomas Cook adopts ‘Sleeper Seat’ conceptUK charter operator Thomas Cook Airlines plans to introduce a new system whereby economy-class passengers can opt to reserve a complete row of three seats and convert them into a bed. read more
• Report: Urban air mobility market to reach $15.2 billion by 2030 The urban air mobility (UAM) market is forecast to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.33% through 2030, according to a new report. read more
• US senators want passenger surveillance data from airlinesUS Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) are asking US airlines to provide information about whether they use cameras to monitor passengers, following a report by CNN in March that raised questions about the tiny cameras passengers have spotted in IFE systems read more
• White House nominates former Delta exec for next FAA administrator The White House confirmed March 19 that US President Donald Trump will nominate former Delta Air Lines executive and pilot Stephen Dickson to head the FAA, ending a 15-month stretch for the agency without a permanent leader. read more

Other News Sources

• North must be at the front of transport investment queue - BurnhamThe North needs to come to the front of the queue for transport investment, according to Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who believes HS2 would be the catalyst for making that happen over the coming decades.
• ScotRail customers set for compensation boost with six-weekend offerScotRail have reminded customers that they will be able to claim an extra compensation offer for the first time this weekend.
• Commuters rocked by 'atrocious' three-hour delays to trains via Bristol Temple MeadsServices at Bath and Taunton were also affected by a broken down train

EIN News Subscription

• Warning £738m South Wales Metro flagship rail project at risk from a no-deal Brexit … European Union without a deal. The warning has come from Transport … matters to transfer the necessary rail infrastructure to the Welsh … needs to transfer the rail infrastructure asset over to … intensively used part of the railway in Wales. "Whilst …
• Siemens: Ingenuity For Your Portfolio … short- and long-distance rail transport for both passengers and … Presentation) Unlike many other European companies, including Swedish ones, … this verdict has landed EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager … frameworks unlike those in EU/NA Political …
• EU to keep Boeing 373 Max grounded for nowTHE European Union will not allow models of the Boeing aircraft that … Ky told the European Parliament transport committee. He added that EU decisions would … Max aeroplanes following the Ethiopian Airways crash. Ryanair has a large …