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

Thursday, 18 April 2019

BBC News

• M4 relief road: Talks with builders over Newport dock upgradeMinisters plan talks with contractors for a part of a road scheme it has not yet decided to build.
• Barra's mainland ferry service resumes after breakdownA local councillor blames the disruption which has lasted since the weekend on CalMac's ageing fleet.
• HS2 buys residential properties and land worth £600mFigures show HS2 has bought over 900 properties that could be affected by the high-speed rail route.
• Glasgow City Council to limit number of new taxis and cabsThe council believes it is the first in Scotland to set upper and lower limits for cars on the road.
• EU proposes tariffs on £15bn of US products in Boeing rowThe EU makes it latest move in a long-running dispute with the US over aircraft subsidies.
• Helium balloons 'cause increasing number of train delays'Network Rail says helium balloons are causing delays by getting caught in overhead cables.
• Jet Airways temporarily suspends all flightsThe Indian airline suspends all of its domestic and international flights as it seeks further funding.
• Crossrail 'could be delayed until 2021'The start date for London's new Elizabeth Line, could be pushed back again, sources tell the BBC.

ITV News

• Rail passengers facing disruption as West Coast Main Line upgrade gets underwayNetwork Rail is warning passengers of major changes to train journeys in the North West over the Easter and early May bank holiday weekends.

The Guardian

• Helium balloons blamed for hundreds of train delaysNetwork Rail says balloons tangled in overhead wires cause £1m of disruption a year

The Independent

• Extinction Rebellion: Hundreds of arrests as protesters target London transport network and Jeremy Corbyn's homeActivists vow disruption in capital will continue for weeks

The Scotsman

• Climate protesters cause London chaos by climbing on trainsCampaigners who climbed on top of a train and glued themselves to the roof have been arrested as the third day of climate change protests, which have caused serious disruption in London, continued.

The Telegraph

• Crossrail opening 'might be delayed until spring 2021' [Subscription]Crossrail might not open to passengers until 2021, more than two years after services were originally due to commence, it has been reported.

Times Online

• Balloons on the line blamed for £1m worth of train delays [Subscription]Families have been told to stop bringing helium-filled balloons into railway stations after they were blamed for delays that cost the network £1 million a year.
• We have been too timid in trying to reduce carbon emissions [Subscription]Everyone is waking up to the fact that decisive, long-term action on carbon emissions is needed across all aspects of our economy and everyday life.
• London mayor Sadiq Khan ‘slow’ to replace dirty buses [Subscription]London’s mayor has been accused of moving at a “snail’s pace” in cleaning up the city’s dirty diesel buses despite health warnings over pollution.

City AM

• Jet Airways suspends all domestic and international flights amid financial meltdownJet Airways is to shut all domestic and international flights from tonight after it failed to win interim funding from lenders.
• Tube delays: Commuter misery as signal failure strikes Underground with severe delaysSevere delays and suspended lines affected the Circle Line, District Line, Metroplolitan Line and Hammersmith & City Line today following a signal failure at Aldgate.

Sky News

• London faces fourth day of disruption as roadblocks continueLondon faces a fourth day of disruption as environmental protesters vow to maintain roadblocks across the capital despite nearly 400 arrests.

London Evening Standard

• TfL Tube delays: London commuters face travel chaos after meltdown hits four linesCommuters were braced for rush hour chaos on Thursday morning after signal failures caused chaos across the London Underground.
• Drivers are four times more likely to crash when taking phone calls, study showsUsing a hands-free mobile phone while driving is as dangerous as calling on a hand-held device, researchers have claimed.

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

• Shuttle train comes to vital rail line over EasterPassengers will be able to travel on a specially-chartered shuttle train between Oxenholme and Windermere on the Lake District railway line this weekend.
• Great Central Railway unveils plans for major new Loughborough attractionAmbitious plans have been unveiled for a new, £950,000 visitor centre at one of Leicestershire’s best-known visitor attractions. The Great Central Railway (GCR) wants to demolish its 1970s locomotive shed at its Loughborough station, and replace it with a new building that will also serve as a education centre.
• Light at the end of the tunnel on Borders Railway, claims bossSCOTRAIL'S boss believes the end is in sight to the turmoil on the Borders Railway. Speaking at a public meeting in Galashiels yesterday, Alex Hynes admitted the service has not been good enough.
• Tory MSPs brand Fife Circle train service a “disgrace”Two Fife politicians have made a fresh call on the Scottish Government to step in and sort out Scotrail’s services on the circle line.

New Civil Engineer

• London airport calls for infrastructure changes to improve mental healthImproving designs at rail stations, airports and on roads could help tackle mental illness and save England billions each year, according to a London City Airport-commissioned study.
• Atkins lands five Heathrow expansion contractsAtkins has been awarded five contracts to support Heathrow Airport’s expansion programme. The firm, which is part of Heathrow’s integrated design team, will provide advisory services as the airport gears up for further public consultation in June, followed by the submission of a development consent order application in 2020.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Dawlish sea wall gets council planning approval with construction to begin in MayPlans for an £80m sea wall to protect the Dawlish coastal rail line from extreme weather have been by approved by Teignbridge District Council. Construction of the new sea wall will now begin at the end of May, and once completed will provide the railway between Plymouth and Exeter with...
• Helium balloons causing 'increasing number of train delays' at cost of £1mHelium-filled balloons are causing hundreds of train delays at a cost of £1m in taxpayer money every year, Network Rail has revealed. There have been 619 balloon-related incidents across England, Scotland and Wales in the past year – nearly two a day – and Network Rail said it...
• Rail industry launches new interactive accessibly map for UK rail stationsA new interactive map which lets passengers find out about accessibility at stations has been launched by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) to help boost their confidence in train travel. The ‘Access Map’ has information about all stations across the UK, allowing passengers to identify...

The Business Desk

• HS2 spends £600m on route propertiesProperties costing £600m have been acquired by HS2, according to a Freedom of Information request.

Aviation Industry

• OP-ED: Open Skies under attack againFor over four years American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines—the Big Three—have waged a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign to frustrate competition in the US-EU market where—together with foreign alliance and JV partners—they control nearly 90% of the seats.
• Virgin Atlantic sets sights on becoming second UK flag carrierUK long-haul operator Virgin Atlantic is planning to use its acquisition of UK regional Flybe and closer ties with new shareholder Air France-KLM to become a more comprehensive competitor to UK incumbent British Airways (BA).
• Europe begins public consultation on US sanctionsThe European Commission (EC) has launched a public consultation on a preliminary list of US exports that could be subject to tariffs in the latest stage of the Airbus-Boeing subsidies saga.
• EU bans Moldova in latest air safety list updateThe European Commission has blacklisted Moldova and put Belarus and the Dominican Republic under closer scrutiny in its latest European Union (EU) Air Safety List update, while also lifting bans on two Angolan airlines.

Other News Sources

• Smoother journeys could improve mental wellbeingUK business travellers have long complained about the stress of cancelled trains, security queues and overcrowding, and now a new study suggests that poor transport infrastructure has a negative impact on traveller wellbeing and mental health.

EIN News Subscription

• Paris region opens bus system to competitionParis region opens door to public transport competition * Tenders will be worth more than 12 bln euro in revenue * British, Spanish bus operators may take part in tenders