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

Thursday, 04 April 2019

BBC News

• Rail line not to reopen before summer due to Storm GarethSix miles of Conwy Valley's rail line need significant repair, according to Network Rail.
• Heads of the Valleys road widening increases by £54mWork to widen the A465 Heads of the Valleys road is also expected to miss its target completion date.
• Disabled access improvements at 73 railway stationsLifts and adjustable ticket counters will be among the upgrades at 73 stations across Britain.
• Flybe passengers left grounded at Belfast City AirportFlybe has blamed a number of factors after it cancelled 10 flights in and out of Belfast.
• Ghosn: Former Nissan chief arrested in Japan on new claimsThe former Nissan-Renault car chief was out on bail in Tokyo awaiting trial for financial misconduct.
• Passenger numbers up on Virgin trains between Glasgow and LondonThe number of people using trains between Glasgow and London increase by almost a third in six years.

Department for Transport

• Rail stations in line for £300 million funding boost to improve disabled accessNewly accessible stations will open up routes across the country.

The Guardian

• Don’t celebrate more domestic flights, Chris Grayling. Think of the planetRather than lauding Flybe’s new Cornwall-London service, the transport secretary must focus on trains to reduce emissions

The Independent

• Carlos Ghosn: Ex-Nissan boss taken in for questioning by Japanese prosecutors less than a month after he was released on bailTV footage shows officials entering apartment in Tokyo

The Telegraph

• Ethiopian air pilots followed Boeing emergency procedures but could not stop plane going down, report says [Subscription]ilots of an airliner that crashed last month in Ethiopia initially followed Boeing's emergency steps for dealing with a sudden downturn of the nose of their plane but could not regain control, according to a published report.

Times Online

• Delayed Crossrail set for £3bn bailout [Subscription]Chris Grayling’s department has a “laissez-faire attitude” to Crossrail and it is likely to open more than two years late and £3 billion over budget, according to a Commons report.
• Stagecoach on a roll as rail delays rumble onThe signal failure in government over the future of the railways has turned into good news for Stagecoach. Though the company has been one of the big losers in the rail industry in recent years, it emerged yesterday that a decision-making hiatus at the Department for Transport is set to boost its bottom line.
• Ethiopia pilots in Boeing 737 Max crash ‘followed right procedures’ [Subscription]The pilots of the crashed Ethiopian Airlines flight correctly followed the emergency procedures laid out by Boeing but were unable to prevent the disaster, according to a report.

City AM

• Tube delays: Commuters face disruption on key London Underground linesCommuters were facing havoc on London’s Tube this morning with three lines hit by delays and track suspensions.
• Tesla suffers huge quarterly drop in car deliveries, blaming overseas logistical challengesTesla suffered a record decline in car deliveries in the first quarter of 2019, raising fears that demand is waning for its electric vehicles.

Birmingham Mail

• 'There are anti social incidents on buses across the city' - councillor speaks out A Birmingham councillor has called for more by-laws to help curb antisocial behaviour on public transport after a schoolgirl was allegedly attacked by a gang on a bus.

Bristol Live

• This is when the new cycle path for South Bristol will be completedThe final section of a major cycling route for south Bristol is set to be completed this summer.

London Evening Standard

• Commuting by rail or bus takes twice as long as driving in parts of UK, figures showCommuting by public transport in some parts of Britain can take twice as long as driving, according to new statistics.
• £2.8bn Crossrail bailout 'may not be enough' - as MPs warn it may not be finished by 2020Crossrail faces further delays and may need an even bigger bailout, MPs warned today.

Cambridge News

• New bus route will serve 30,000 people at the biomedical campusIt is part of a wider shake-up of the Stagecoach timetable

Other Regional Press

• Luton Airport access road will ‘completely destroy’ wildlife siteControversial plans have been approved for an extended access road into Luton Airport and a new business park on the site.
• Bolton bus Stagecoach firm boasts 'elite' driversA BUS firm is boasting some of safest and most fuel-efficient drivers in the UK. Stagecoach, which runs many of Bolton's services, says 493 of its employees achieved Fleet Elite standard in a worldwide global performance measurement scheme.
• Fed up bus users plead with TfL to bring 277 back to Highbury CornerBus users have written to Sadiq Khan in an effort to get the 277 going back to Highbury Corner after growing sick of nightmare journeys since it was cut short.
• Jack Sargeant AM gathers cross-party support for Heathrow Logistics Hub bidAN ASSEMBLY Member is 'delighted' to hear his local town has been shortlisted host an offsite construction centre.
• South Western Railway bids to combat crime at stations including SouthamptonHAMPSHIRE’S train operator has launched a crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour at stations across the south.
• New Chester to Liverpool rail service - more details releasedInformation about launch date, journey times and fares is revealed

Rail Technology Magazine

• ORR approves action improvement plan from Network RailAn action plan from Network Rail to improve its performance in response to enforcement action taken against it in November last year has been given approval by the ORR. Network Rail has set out how it intends to improve its poor performance by working in collaboration with train operators to...
• Caledonian Sleeper unveil first look inside new £150m fleet Caledonian Sleeper has revealed the design and interiors of its new £150m fleet of trains as the service nears its launch at the end of May. The first images from inside the new trains built by CAF have been released, showing the interior design and layout of the rooms, double beds and...

Aviation Industry

• AIX Hamburg 2019: Flat-panel antenna could increase connectivity take-up Market-research firm NSR is predicting that aviation will be the largest customer for flat-panel antenna (FPA) technologies, which minimize drag, creating a more compelling business case for inflight connectivity. read more
• Cabins, Interiors & Connectivity-April 3, 2019Cabins, Interiors & Connectivity-April 3, 2019 read more
• AirBaltic 2018 net profit up 46% on revenue, traffic growthLatvian carrier airBaltic reported a 2018 net income of €5.4 million ($6.04 million), a 46% increase from €3.7 million in 2017. read more
• TSA urged to improve officer hiring, trainingThe US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) could boost retention and morale of its 34,200 entry-level officers by making key changes in hiring and training efforts, according to an audit by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (OIG). read more

Other News Sources

• Arriva under pressure to reinstate popular bus serviceThe 253 between Dewsbury and Bradford has been cut, bringing Arriva under fire
• New flights to take Exeter Airport over one million passenger markThree new Ryanair routes are set to start from Exeter this week, with the airport predicting the exra flights could take it beyond one million passengers per year.
• Councillors demand improvements to A34VAST improvements to the A34, the M40, railways and green transport must be made across Oxfordshire, the county council has said.
• This is why you might have seen a train barricaded on a tram platform at Meadowhall If you’ve taken a trip to Meadowhall in recent days, you might have been surprised to see a train locomotive barricaded in at the shopping centre’s tram stop.