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

Friday, 24 May 2019

BBC News

• Stagecoach takes legal action over West Coast franchiseUK rail operator Stagecoach is to take the government to court over its disqualification from running the West Coast Partnership franchise from 2020.
• SpaceX puts up 60 internet satellitesThe California firm launches the first spacecraft in its multi-billion-dollar broadband project.
• Metrolink staff to strike over Parklife festival weekendMetrolink workers say they will walk out in a pay dispute while Manchester's Parklife festival is on.
• Boeing 737 Max: FAA says no fixed timetable for grounding to be liftedUS aviation regulator says he is
• US regulators defend 737 Max actionsThe Federal Aviation Administration tells the BBC it didn't have the information needed to ground the planes.

Department for Transport

• New Minister of State for Transport - Michael Ellis MPMichael Ellis was appointed as a Minister of State at the Department for Transport on 23 May 2019. He was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from January 2018 to May 2019.

The Guardian

• Traffic jams and rail closures to disrupt bank holiday travelRAC survey suggests 22m planned leisure trips will cause congestion and delays
• Uber to launch Jump bike hire scheme in Islington boroughRide-hailing company hopes to expand to other London boroughs if local trial goes well

The Independent

• easyJet leaves 88-year-old lady behind at Luton – but flies her luggage to BordeauxExclusive: Concern about apparent breach of aviation security procedures

The Scotsman

• The unexpected age of ScotRail’s toughest customers – Alastair DaltonThey are ScotRail’s hardest-to-please passengers. Young people are not just the most vociferous complainers on social media when things go wrong on their commute, they are also the train operator’s greatest critics, according to new research.
• 100 Edinburgh hire bikes trashed in two weeks of vandalism attacksVandals have damaged 100 of Edinburgh’s hire bikes amid reports of youths targeting them in a new spate of attacks.
• Scots flights to USA boosted despite lack of air tax cutDelta Airlines’ summer flights between Edinburgh and New York are to be extended year-round from this autumn.
• Edinburgh bus wars ‘not sustainable’ in long term as new tour service planned THE boss of First Bus has warned the cost of the bus wars which has broken out in Edinburgh is not sustainable in the long term.

Times Online

• Ministers ‘failing to cut illegal air pollution’ on 113 roads [subscription]Ministers face a High Court challenge over allegations that they failed to act over illegal levels of pollution on more than 100 roads.
• Jet set fuel busiest day in British skies [Subscription]Britain’s airspace will face its busiest 24 hours ever today as more than 9,000 aircraft take to the skies, with the number fuelled by private jets heading to the Monaco Grand Prix.
• Clean air for all: Tell patients to ditch diesel, doctors urged [Subscription]Doctors and nurses should persuade patients of the need to ditch dirty diesel vehicles, the head of the NHS has said.

City AM

• Stagecoach sues Department for Transport over West Coast rail franchiseStagecoach said today it had launched a legal claim against the Department for Transport (DFT) in connection with the competition for the West Coast rail franchise.
• Luton Airport appoints former Go Ahead boss as new chairmanFormer Go Ahead boss Keith Ludeman has been appointed the new chairman of Luton Airport as of today.
• Uber launches electric bike-sharing scheme Jump in LondonUber today launched an electric bike-sharing service in London in the firm's latest attempt to expand its transport offering beyond cars.

London Evening Standard

• Everything you need to know about charging an electric carWant to switch to an electric vehicle but worried about where to charge it? Find out where, here
• Uber's electric JUMP bikes are arriving in London to speed up your commuteYou can catch an electric JUMP bike in Islington from today

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottinghamshire is already benefiting from HS2, minister saysThe HS2 minister has emphasised there is no need for concern over the multi-billion pound rail project and said it is already boosting businesses within Nottinghamshire.

Blackpool Gazette

• Rail minister says Blackpool and Preston will benefit from new timetable and trains after lessons were learned from last year's chaosThe rail minister Andrew Jones has said lessons have been learned from last year’s May timetable chaos and that he had been closely monitoring performance after this year’s changes.

North Wales Live

• Bank Holiday weekend traffic will see extra eight million car journeys - here's how to avoid the jamsRoads expected to be very busy over extended break

Other Regional Press

• City's commuters squashed into smaller, older carriages after West Midlands Trains timetables changes intended to increase capacityCITY commuters have been squashed into smaller, older trains since a recent train timetable overhaul which was meant to improve train travel.
• Commuters back station chargesCOMMUTERS using Melksham railway station are backing plans to extend its car parking facility and provide a new café with toilets.

Coach and Bus Week

• UK coach and bus registrations continue to fallMinibuses suffer the most, with new registrations down 56.5% The number of new coaches and buses registered in the UK fell 32.8% in the first quarter of this year, according to newly-released figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
• Stagecoach orders more than 350 new buses to improve mobility and air qualityStagecoach Group has announced an £80m order for new vehicles across England, Scotland and Wales.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail unveils new regional managing directorsNetwork Rail has announced five new regional managing directors as part of its “evolution” towards a more passenger-focused approach. The appointments come as part of a major reorganisation at Network Rail which will see the company further devolved into 13 routes, supported by the...
• Meeting clients, suppliers and stepping forwardThe Midlands 30-year plan will deliver many economic benefits and will need a wide and diverse supply chain to deliver some of the key projects. We caught up with long running sponsors of TransCityRail, Bridgeway Consulting Limited, specialists in Site & Ground investigations, Geomatics and...
• WMCA on HS2 and supply chain opportunitiesIn the latest Q&A series ahead of TransCityRail Midlands, we caught up with Laura Shoaf, Managing Director for TfWM (the transport arm of the WMCA), for her insight on delivering the combined authority’s transport strategy.  We find out what HS2 means for the region and future...

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Arriva appoints new UK Bus Managing DirectorPaul O’Neil has been appointed UK Bus Managing Director of Arriva, with responsibility for leading the development of UK bus operations.
• New vehicles fall for ninth quarterCoach and bus registrations fell -32.8% in the first three months of 2019, as 1,205 joined the roads, according to the SMMT’s latest figures.
• New X-lines buses ‘is just the start’ for Go North EastGo North East launched a new standard of express buses on its X20 route on Monday (20 May). Around 25% faster than the normal bus service, it will now give customers a direct service between Durham and Sunderland under a new ‘X-lines’ brand.
• Tourliner becomes simpler to buy, simpler to runMAN’s philosophy for its Neoplan Tourliner range is to make it a simple coach to procure and also to operate. Leasing and R&M are part of that; so too is continuous product improvement, as it explains
• MPs call for government strategy to halt bus declineThe government must set out a bus strategy to halt the decline in bus use, says the House of Commons’ Transport Committee.

Aviation Industry

• FAA expands approval system for commercial drone flights near airportsFAA has expanded the number of air traffic control (ATC) facilities covered by its Low-Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC), an automated system that allows commercial drone operators to request and obtain authorization to fly in the vicinity of airports. read more
• FAA issues special conditions for Boeing 777-9 fuel tanks FAA, leveraging similar requirements issued more than a decade ago for the Boeing 787, has issued special conditions Boeing must follow to demonstrate the 777-9’s composite fuel tanks can withstand tire debris impact. read more
• European pilots call for overhaul of MAX certification processEuropean pilots are asking for clarity and an overhaul of a certification process they described as flawed, as regulators meet in the US to discuss a possible return to service for the grounded Boeing 737 MAX. read more
• Airlines must comply with EASA pilot mental fitness rules in 2020European airlines have until the third quarter of 2020 to comply with EASA’s aircrew mental fitness regulations, which were introduced in the wake of the 2015 Germanwings pilot-suicide crash. read more
• MAX return to service poses logistical challengesBoeing 737 MAX operators still do not know when they will be cleared to put their aircraft back in service, but one thing is certain: Getting the 370-aircraft fleet flying presents a significant logistical undertaking for the airlines, suppliers and the manufacturer. read more