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

Thursday, 30 May 2019

BBC News

• Northern rail: Mayors call for government takeoverAndy Burnham and Steve Rotheram urge a government takeover amid continuing passenger woe.
• Boeing 737 Max could be grounded for months, says airline bodyThe airline industry's trade body says the crisis-hit aircraft is unlikely to fly again before August.
• Brexit shutdown slashes UK car production by 45%Brexit factory shutdowns in April almost halved UK car production, latest figures reveal.

ITV News

• ScotRail launches BSL app to help deaf customersTrain operator ScotRail is introducing a new British Sign Language (BSL) app to help deaf customers communicate with staff.

The Guardian

• Turning Pacer trains into village halls? Send them down south insteadPlans to repurpose these rusty old trains isn’t even a bad joke. Where’s the focus on decent rail services in northern England?
• UK car production plunges amid 'untold damage' of Brexit chaosApril manufacturing fell 44.5% as factories shut down for an EU exit that never came
• Northern Fail app reveals full scale of passengers’ miseryWhen most passengers are faced with a delayed or cancelled train, they might roll their eyes or fire off an angry tweet. Not Nick Mitchell. When his complaints to Northern rail fell on deaf ears, the long-suffering commuter decided to take matters into his own hands.

Times Online

• Steering wheels to give drivers a nudge in the right direction [Subscription]Steering wheels could soon warm up or cool down when it is time for drivers to turn left or right during times of poor visibility.
• Cars driven out in plan for greener Edinburgh [Subscription]A greenway for cyclists through Edinburgh city centre and a ban on cars in a busy part of the Old Town form part of the vision for an environmentally friendly Edinburgh in a city council consultation document.
• Electric car sales are lacking spark [Subscription]Half of motorists will not consider buying a more environmentally friendly car, according to government research.
• Boeing 737 Max ‘may not fly until August’ [Subscription]The head of the International Air Transport Association has said that Boeing’s 737 Max is unlikely to return to service before August, adding that the final say on the timing rested with regulators.
• Trainline chief is on track for £43m with London listing the next destination [Subscription]Trainline could be valued at more than £1 billion when the online rail and bus ticket platform floats next month in one of the biggest initial public offerings in Britain this year .

City AM

• Exterion Media rolls out new digital screens across London UndergroundOut-of-home advertising firm Exterion Media has boosted its partnership with Transport for London, unveiling plans to launch new digital screens across the Tube network.
• Boeing 737 Max unlikely to return to service until 'at least August' after recent crashesBoeing will likely have to wait until at least August before its best-selling jet can return to the skies, after two deadly crashes forced regulators to ground the model across the globe.
• First Group to sell off Greyhound armFirst Group has announced plans to sell parts of its operations including its Greyhound buses.

Daily Express

• Hyundai unveils all-electric double decker bus with huge battery and fast chargingHYUNDAI has unveiled an all-new electric double-decker bus which produces 300km of range and can be recharged in 72 minutes.

London Evening Standard

• South Western Railway delays: London Waterloo passengers hit by second day of disruption in rowCommuters have been hit by a second successive day of disruption on South Western Railway services.

Northern Echo

• North-East MP joins calls for rail franchise to be scrappedA NORTH-EAST MP has joined North of England leaders in a renewed call for the government to strip a rail company of its franchise.
• What would you do with an old Pacer train?OLD Pacer trains that are being taken out of service by Northern Rail could find a new use - as cafes, community spaces or even village halls.

Yorkshire Post

• Kick out Northern Rail immediately, demand two mayorsThe pressure on Yorkshire’s biggest rail operator to be forced off the network intensified yesterday after two of the North’s elected mayors demanded it be stripped of its franchise.

North Wales Live

• This amazing anniversary fly-past by the Airbus 'family' makes an incredible sightA global campaign to celebrate the company's first 50 years was launched in Toulouse

Other Regional Press

• Restored rail service is a win for perseveranceIf there’s one thing that more than 30 years in politics has taught me it’s that persistence pays off, writes Sir Edward Leigh MP.

New Civil Engineer

• Heathrow and HS2 in firing line of many prime minister front runnersTheresa May is going. And while Brexit will no doubt be the decisive issue in the Conservative leadership race, the future of two of Britain’s biggest infrastructure projects could also be on their way out depending on who eventually walks into Number 10.

Aviation Industry

• IATA AGM 2019: Rising costs pose biggest challenge for airlines Facing up to rising costs amid worsening economic conditions is the biggest challenge airlines are facing in 2019, and more airline failures may lie ahead, the head of IATA said May 29. read more
• Gogo to build 5G cellular network for aviationInflight connectivity provider Gogo will build a 5G cellular network for aviation, with a plan to begin offering the broadband service in 2021. read more
• Airbus at 50: Looking forwardAt 50, Airbus is comfortable in its middle age. Led by a new, streamlined executive committee headed by a new CEO, the company has its own identity and the jabs at “our friends in Seattleâ€� have all but disappeared. read more
• Airbus-Siemens agreement redefined as E-Fan X progressesAirbus confirmed its exclusive collaboration agreement with Siemens to develop hybrid-electric propulsion systems for the experimental E-Fan X demonstrator and other vehicles is concluding a year ahead of schedule, but said the two companies will continue to partner on projects. read more

Other News Sources

• Could the London Borough of Havering really create a "Romford Tramlink"?There’s a thread of CityMetric content called “fantasy metro maps“, in which people, basically, draw mini-tube maps for their cities and send them to me. Why this is the sort of thing anyone would enjoy spending their spare time doing remains a mystery to me…