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

Thursday, 27 June 2019

BBC News

• Northern launches new £500m fleet of 101 trainsIn the past year, Northern has been affected by widespread rail timetable chaos affecting services.
• Caledonian Sleeper Highland service launch delayedNew carriages featuring double beds were due to be introduced, but will now be diverted to Glasgow and Edinburgh instead.
• Eurostar backtracks on train booze banCustomers can take unopened alcohol to their destination, the train service has clarified.
• Boeing suffers new 737 Max issue that could delay returnRegulators uncover a new issue with the doomed aircraft that could delay its return to service.
• How to get the best price when buying a carAs car sales plunge, desperate dealers are said to be offering huge discounts, so how can drivers benefit?

The Guardian

• Stagecoach happy to miss the train but it’s bad news for the puntersRail franchise bidding has become a contest to find which unsuitable bidder will limp over the line
• United extends ban on Boeing 737 Max after regulator finds new problemAmerican and Southwest airlines have also cancelled flights until September as planemaker scrambles to find a fix
• Caledonian Sleeper suffers setbacks with Highlands train delayLuxury trains will not appear until after summer season, says operator Serco

The Herald

• Transport giant Stagecoach signals end to UK rail bidsSHARES in Stagecoach closed up nearly three per cent after the transport giant revealed its intention to effectively withdraw from bidding for major rail contracts.

The Independent

• Boeing 737 Max: 'New risk identified' on plane involved in deadly crashesA new flaw that could result in the plane's nose pitching downwards has been found on the Boeing 737 Max, the airline manufacturer said. It is almost certain to further delay the plane's return to the skies after two deadly crashes.

The Telegraph

• Stagecoach boss says rail officials have deserted 'core principles' of a free market [Subscription]Stagecoach believes rail officials have abandoned the “core principles” of a free market as the transport giant, once one of the country's biggest train operators, prepares for life as UK-only bus company for the first time in three decades.

Times Online

• Playground tower sucks pollution from school air [subscription]An inner-city primary school will become the first in the country to install a “pollution tower” in the playground to tackle the threat posed by toxic air.
• Webuyanycar dealer BCA Marketplace agrees to go private in £1.9bn sale [Subscription]The owner of Webuyanycar.com has agreed to sell itself to a private equity group for £1.9 billion in cash. BCA Marketplace transports and customises new cars before sale and auctions old ones, with four million cars passing through its hands each year. It said that it was recommending a 243p-a-share offer from TDR Capital.
• Sticking to a 20mph limit is too much for 87% of drivers [subscription]Almost nine in ten motorists drive too fast on 20mph roads. A study by the Department for Transport found that 87 per cent of car drivers exceeded the limit last year.
• Stagecoach reaches end of line on railways after contract row [subscription]The heavy cost of its retreat from the rail industry has been spelt out by Stagecoach, which revealed a fall in revenues of almost £1 billion yesterday.
• Drone threat to airliners grossly underestimated, pilots tell MPs [Subscription]The threat to passenger aircraft from drones has been grossly underestimated, MPs have been told.

Reuters News

• EU court orders countries take hard line on air qualityBRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union’s top court ruled on Wednesday that cities needed to act if pollution levels were exceeded in a single black spot rather than based on an average across a region, taking a hard line in a case brought by Brussels residents.

City AM

• Eurostar chair set to take the reins at Go-Ahead GroupTransport giant Go-Ahead today said it has appointed Eurostar boss Clare Hollingsworth as its new chair following the retirement of Andrew Allner.

Daily Record

• ScotRail Glasgow to Edinburgh trains cancelled as commuters face huge disruptionsServices between Milngavie and Edinburgh and from Springburn to Dumbarton Central have been withdrawn.

Mail Online

• British Airline pilots threaten summer holidays with strikesBritish Airways pilots and London Underground staff start voting today over whether to take strike action this summer, potentially ruining holiday plans for thousands of people.

London Evening Standard

• Strike ballots by BA pilots and Tube union may bring double whammy of summer travel woeBritish Airways pilots and London Underground workers started voting today on whether to strike in separate disputes over jobs and pay which threatens travel disruption in the summer.
• London Underground thefts up by 80 per cent over last three yearsThe number of reported thefts on the London Underground has shot up by more than 80 per cent in the past three years.
• New software flaw found in Boeing 737 Max to further delay troubled plane's return to flyingA new software flaw has been found in the troubled Boeing 737 Max that will further delay the plane's return to flying after two deadly crashes, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

New Civil Engineer

• Network Rail repairs collapsed wall at Liverpool stationNetwork Rail has begun repair work to a retaining wall which collapsed onto the railway at Liverpool Lime Street, causing major disruption to the network.
• Plans for £2bn Midlands Rail Hub submittedTransport body Midlands Connect has submitted its plans for an overhaul of the Midlands rail network that would connect 6M extra passengers a year to HS2 via Birmingham.
• ‘Missing’ HS2-Heathrow link ‘typical’ of poor UK planningThe UK is “missing an opportunity” by not directly linking High Speed 2 (HS2) to Heathrow Airport, a leading academic who specialises in airport planning has warned.

Rail Magazine

• Charity launched to support retired BTP dogsA charity launched at Rail Live for a retired canine crime-fighter raised £1,700 across the two days.
• Stagecoach drops plans for rail franchise bidsStagecoach says it will not bid for any more rail franchises until the level of risk to operators reduces.
• EXCLUSIVE: Grayling: next PM will commit to “essential” HS2Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling has insisted that whoever becomes the next Prime Minister will commit to HS2, despite frontrunner Boris Johnson threatening to scrap the £56 billion project by the end of the year.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Midlands Rail Hub proposal document launches in BirminghamKey figures within the Midlands rail industry have gathered in Birmingham today to back the region's new investment proposal and launch the Midlands Rail Hub summary report.
• Malcolm Holmes: Midlands Rail Hub 'about connecting people'Malcolm Holmes, executive director of the West Midlands Rail Executive, about what impact the proposed £2bn Midlands Rail Hub would have to rail connectivity within the region.
• Major railway suppliers join forces to form 'Rail Innovation Family'The UK’s major rail suppliers have joined forces to form a ‘Rail Innovation Family’ that will help provide greater and clearer support for suppliers seeking to bring innovation into the rail industry. The Rail Innovation Family launched at the Digital Railway Conference hosted...

Aviation Industry

• Boeing CEO still hopes for MAX return by end of summerBoeing’s top executive remains hopeful that the Boeing 737 MAX will be cleared to fly before summer’s end and pledged to ensure affected operators are compensated regardless of how long the disruption lasts. read more
• FAA flags new computer issue in Boeing MAX testsFAA test pilots have flagged a new issue in the Boeing 737 MAX flight control system that must be addressed as part of changes being made to get the aircraft back into service, ATW has learned. read more

Green Miscellany

• Electric Vehicles could save four EU countries €4bn a year, study findsBut failure to integrate smart technology into EV charging infrastructure could lead to EV uptake having the opposite effect How important are emerging smart charging technologies to the electric vehicle (EV) revolution and the wider net zero transition? That is the question asked by two separate reports this week. And the answer from both appears to be, 'very'.

Other News Sources

• Heathrow says it will learn lessons from Crossrail delaysAirport also talking to other big infrastructure projects about procurement and construction of third runway
• Self-driving dolly to help solve Heathrow’s baggage challengesAn autonomous dolly that moves bags from planes to luggage halls has been developed and trialled at Heathrow Airport by Britain’s self-driving vehicle specialist Aurrigo.
• Heathrow must deliver ‘real emissions reductions’Councillors say that airports seeking to expand will have to deliver real reductions in carbon emissions if the UK is to achieve its target of net zero emissions by 2050.
• Eurostar CEO reveals 'frightening and embarrassing' statisticEurostar is to step up its marketing strategy after research found that 82% of its customers have travelled on its trains only once.
• Promotion for Balfour Beatty Crossrail managerBalfour Beatty has named Steve O’Sullivan head of aviation, heading up the company’s aviation projects across its UK Construction Services business.

EIN News Subscription

• European heat wave sees Germany put speed limits on highways BERLIN (AP) — Large parts of western and central Europe sweltered in scorching weather Wednesday, with German authorities imposing speed limits on highways amid fears of buckling road surfaces and some French schools staying closed as a precaution. …

News from Europe

• Will airline companies cause their own crash?Airline companies should embrace their changing industry if they ever want to come out on top again, said Bertrand Piccard, president of the Solar Impulse Foundation. The noose is tightening around the air transport industry and only airline companies can untie the knot