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

Wednesday, 26 June 2019

BBC News

• Edinburgh trams: Electric cargo bikes to help firms during construction workFree electric cargo bikes are to be offered to Leith Walk businesses to help traders with goods weave in and out of traffic during Edinburgh tram construction work.
• Cardiff Bus losses need tackling, Conservative group leader saysCardiff Bus losses need tackling, Conservative group leader says Action needs to be taken to stop Cardiff Bus losing money, an opposition councillor has said.
• £2bn rail upgrade proposal put forward for MidlandsThe Midlands Rail Hub said it wanted to create space for 24 extra passenger trains an hour by 2033.
• London Underground theft reports increase by 80%The Piccadilly and Central lines, which serve tourist hotspots, had the most reports of theft.
• Kapten tube poster: TfL sorry for 'sex assault joke' Tube adThe advert for a ride-hailing app broke the transport authority's own advertising policy.
• Bombardier sells aircraft project to Mitsubishi Heavy IndustriesThe trade union Unite calls for Belfast jobs connected to the project to be protected.
• RAF fighters escorted Jet2 flight after ‘miscommunication’The fighter jets were scrambled after an apparent mix-up between air traffic control and the pilots.

ITV News

• 'Go Slow' protest over lack of cycle lanes planned for Manchester City CentreA protest is to be held by those angry at the lack of cycle lanes in the plans for a huge revamp of Great Ancoats Street in Manchester City Centre. The £9.1m plan includes 12 new red-chip crossings designed to better link Ancoats with the Northern Quarter and will also see dozens of trees, planted along the central reservation.

The Guardian

• FirstGroup chairman to stand downThird of investors vote against Wolfhart Hauser’s re-election at emergency meeting

The Scotsman

• Caledonian Sleeper passengers locked out of Edinburgh Waverley StationCaledonian Sleeper passengers have been left locked out of Waverley Station in Edinburgh in the latest nightmare for the troubled service.

The Telegraph

• FirstGroup chairman quits despite seeing off activist coup [subscription]irstGroup’s chairman has fallen on his sword after almost a third of shareholders backed calls by US activist Coast Capital for him to be forced out of the transport giant.
• Ride-hailing firm Grab invests in London startup Splyt in bid to transform into a 'super app'South East Asian ride-hailing giant Grab has taken a stake in London start-up Splyt to help develop its “super app” technology and allow more users to access its services.
• Can Heathrow airport expansion ever be sustainable?The expansion of Heathrow is an emblematic issue in the battle to stop climate breakdown. Less than a week after the UK laid landmark legislation to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the country’s largest airport (also the largest single source of UK emissions) unveiled its plans for a third runway.

Times Online

• Engineers hold the key to our energy needs but politicians won’t listen [Subscription]After a two-year inquiry into Scotland’s future energy requirements, the Royal Society of Edinburgh has predictably concluded that “there are no easy answers” to how we continue to produce the energy we need while ensuring that our shared planet does not succumb to carbon-induced climate change.
• First Group chairman Wolfhart Hauser bows to activist pressure [Subscription]The chairman of First Group will stand down after an American activist shareholder won support for its proposals to remove more than half the board of the transport group, even though it was defeated in a crunch vote yesterday.

Reuters News

• Bombardier exits commercial aviation with sale of regional jet business to Mitsubishi(Reuters) - Bombardier Inc said on Tuesday it will sell its money-losing regional jet business to Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) for $550 million (£433 million) in cash, in a deal marking the Canadian plane and train maker’s exit from commercial aviation.

City AM

• Space X launches Falcon Heavy rocket in ‘most difficult’ mission yetSpace X last night launched its Falcon Heavy rocket carrying 24 experimental satellites in what boss Elon Musk said was the “most difficult” launch his firm has attempted.
• BMW to hit electric vehicles target two years earlyBMW is set to meet its target to create 25 electric vehicle models by 2025 two years ahead of schedule.
• Stagecoach profits rise despite UK rail franchise lossStagecoach’s profits rose as it slashed net debt in the year to the end of April, despite being stripped of a key UK rail franchise in the process.

The National

• Look to French cities to see the success of modern tram systemsIN his or her excellent letter, V MacKinlay makes it quite clear that a priority in urban transport planning must be to persuade motorists to reduce the use of their cars and that the only means of public transport that can do so is the modern tram (Letters, June 18).
• Not all ScotRail passengers see ‘better services’ON Monday, May 27, I travelled from Glasgow Queen St to Inverness, where I live. I had bought a first-class ticket. There were two carriages on the train. There was no first-class carriage. There were no seat reservations. The train was packed to overflowing, many people had luggage, lots of luggage. There was standing room only before we’d even left Glasgow.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Settle Station sign is back a year after it was knocked downA RAILWAY sign has finally been replaced at the entrance to Settle Railway Station after a lorry knocked it over more than a year ago.

London Evening Standard

• Shaun Bailey: Mayor should fix Hammersmith Bridge with cash from failed cycle crossingSadiq Khan should urgently divert funds from a failed cycle crossing to repair Hammersmith Bridge, his Tory rival said today.
• Cameras to warn bus drivers when cyclists ride into their blind spotsA camera system that uses artificial intelligence could help bus drivers avoid hitting cyclists and pedestrians in their blind spot.
• Jim Armitage: FirstGroup’s board has missed the bus. All change pleaseIt’s easy for City veterans to get misty-eyed over FirstGroup. A star in Margaret Thatcher’s privatisation firmament, it was among the first companies to take over council bus routes, before leading the pack on winning rail franchises.
• Train delays: Southern Rail, Thameslink and Gatwick Express commuters hit by disruption and cancellations after floodingCommuters travelling into London are facing travel misery after thunderstorms prompted floods in the south-east.
• Lightyear One: world's first solar powered long-range car revealedA Dutch start-up has unveiled what it claims is the world's first long-range solar car.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham's tram system most well used in the country as journeys soarNottingham's tram system is the most well used per head than any other in the country, according to new statistics which show an extra million journeys were made last year.

Carlisle News & Star

• Mayor lays on bus service for stranded residentsCOCKERMOUTH'S mayor has stepped in to ensure residents affected by the six-week closure of a main road in Cockermouth will not be left stranded.

Other Regional Press

• Cycle Without Age to receive new trishawCYCLE Without Age Wessex have been working in conjunction with Hope in the Community to help give elderly freedom and respite through cycle trips on their trishaw around the Bournemouth area.
• Work to begin on cycle shortcut between King George's Park and Garratt LaneCyclists will soon be able to bypass a major Southfields road thanks to a newly approved trial scheme.
• Local authority would bid for First Bus services if ‘financially viable’ to AberdeenAberdeen City Council would only make a bid to take over bus services in the city if it is “financially viable” to do so, it has been claimed.
• Brighton and Hove Bus manager awarded Queen's honourA BUS manager has told how grateful she is to her staff after she received an award at the Queen’s honours.

Airportwatch

• Better transport options are key to driving us out of our cars [Letters]Readers on the lack of viable alternatives to cars, especially outside London

Rail Technology Magazine

• Transport for Wales awards first ECI contracts for £700m South Wales MetroTransport for Wales (TfW) has awarded three companies to begin preparatory works on the £738m South Wales Metro, the organisation announced today. Balfour Beatty, Alun Griffiths and Siemens are being tasked with building the Metro’s control systems, stations and maintenance...
• Grand Central plans new rail route from Blackpool to London from spring 2020Grand Central will run a new route from Blackpool to London from spring 2020, the train operator announced today. The new InterCity services are expected to give a significant boost to the economy in the North West of England and London as the company expands across the north. Grand Central...

Aviation Industry

• Airlines learn to navigate the path to ancillary revenue growthAs ancillary revenue becomes increasingly important to their bottom lines, many airlines are finding that determining which products and services to offer is a learning process. read more
• US Big 3 glosses over UAE Open Skies outcomeReading the US Partnership for Open & Fair Skies’ press release on the US-UAE joint government policy statement on their Open Skies agreement, the expression

Other News Sources

• MSP asks people to take part in events on bus service changesWestern Isles MSP Alasdair Allan is encouraging Islanders to take part in the Community Conversation events being run by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar this week regarding a planned redesign of bus services.
• Last week’s poll: Heathrow airport expansion plansPlans to expand Heathrow Airport have been described as a ‘once-in-a-generation project that will connect Britain to global growth’, but with a price tag of £14bn, is it really value for money?
• Concerns raised over Folkestone housing plan sparks transport fearsPlans to build thousands of new homes near Folkestone could lead to overcrowding on London-bound trains, leaving Ebbsfleet commuters "unable to get on trains", according to Dartford Council.
• Virgin Trains breaks ground on Orlando extensionUSA: Virgin Trains USA held a ‘Red Spike’ groundbreaking ceremony at Orlando International Airport on June 24 to launch construction work on its 275 km Phase 2 extension from West Palm Beach.
• Caledonian Sleeper cancellations continueMany of you will have read our recent piece on the issues affecting the new Caledonian Sleeper carriages.
• Wrexham to Llangollen number 5 bus service to continue into 2020THE Welsh Government will continue to fund the important number 5 bus service from Wrexham to Llangollen in 2019-20. It means this regular service will continue for the next year and carry on taking in stops including in Johnstown and Ruabon Railway Station.