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

Friday, 12 July 2019

BBC News

• Innerleithen bike trail deal 'first of its kind'A group of mountain biking enthusiasts will take over management of the routes in the Tweed Valley.
• Bombardier wing makers win top engineering awardThe eco-friendly Bombardier wing reduces aircraft weight and is the first commercial wing of its type.
• Norwegian Air chief executive Bjørn Kjos steps downBjørn Kjos, one of the founders of the low-cost airline, stands down after 17 years in charge.
• Airports make 'significant' progress helping disabledFor the first time, no airports are given a

The Guardian

• Rail worker killed by train was fatigued and on zero-hours contractSafety chiefs call on Network Rail to review labour practices after warnings go unheeded

The Scotsman

• Why public transport is vital to ensure equality for all – Michael McEwanFor many people, even though public transport plays a big part in their daily lives, they may not give it much thought unless there’s a problem. But if you have a disability, it can be challenging to find accessible public transport across Scotland, writes Michael McEwan.

Times Online

• Rail worker hit by train ‘was fatigued’ - [Subscription]Network Rail has been criticised after a track worker employed on a zero-hours contract was killed on a main line while suffering from “fatigue”.
• Reduce speed limits to cut brake and tyre emissions, ministers told - [subscription]Lower speed limits should be imposed on urban roads under measures to cut pollution from brakes and tyres, ministers have been told.
• Home of Industrial Revolution atones for ‘original sin’ - Andy Street [Subscription]As the home of the Industrial Revolution, Birmingham and the wider West Midlands have a moral responsibility to tackle climate change. Powered by the Staffordshire Thick coal of the West Midlands coalfields, the furnaces, foundries, glass factories, steelworks of the region began the rapid increase in global carbon emissions.

City AM

• Heathrow cashes in on first month of holiday season as passenger numbers riseHeathrow Airport this morning said it has benefited from fuller planes at the start of the holiday season, pushing passenger numbers up in June.
• HS2 Birmingham: The £435m station nobody wants to buildHS2 has abandoned its initial hunt for a contractor to build its Birmingham station, after firms were unwilling to take on the risks associated with the £435m job.
• Jet2 owner Dart Group enjoys profits boost from package holiday businessDart Group, the owner of British airline and tour operator Jet2, posted a 36 per cent increase in pre-tax profits as it enjoyed a boost from its package holiday business.

London Evening Standard

• Tube strike threat escalates as eighth round of talks break upThe threat of a Tube shutdown in the escalating row over pay increased today after an eighth round of talks broke up without agreement.

Yorkshire Post

• Northern Powerhouse Minister urges rail bosses to re-think 'ill-timed' bank holiday shutdownNorthern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry has urged Network Rail to re-think a controversial shutdown of the East Coast Main Line on the forthcoming August Bank Holiday, The Yorkshire Post can reveal. Rail bosses have been heavily criticised over the plan which would impose disruptive line closures between King’s Cross and Peterborough for 48 hours on August 24 and 25.

Doncaster Free Press

• Retired Pacer trains should be turned into soft play for autistic learners, say Yorkshire schoolchildrenSchool pupils in Leeds have suggested that Pacers could be used as a soft play area for children on the autistic spectrum as a contest was officially launched to find new uses for the much-maligned train carriages.

Bus and Coach.com

• Eastbourne Coachways bus services replaced by Stagecoach South EastEast Sussex County Council (ESCC) has issued a statement regarding bus services in the Rother area which reads: “The Traffic Commissioner has made the decision to revoke Eastbourne Coachways’ PSV operator’s licence from 25 July 2019.

Coach and Bus Week

• Eastbourne Coachways bus services replaced by Stagecoach South EastEast Sussex County Council (ESCC) has issued a statement regarding bus services in the Rother area which reads: “The Traffic Commissioner has made the decision to revoke Eastbourne Coachways’ PSV operator’s licence from 25 July 2019.
• Management buyout at Yellow BusesRATP Dev has announced the sale of its subsidiary Bournemouth Transport Limited (trading as Yellow Buses and Yellow Coaches) to the management team led by David Squire (Managing Director) with Phil Pannell (Service Delivery Director) and Simon Newport (Commercial Director).

New Civil Engineer

• Failure to recognise Crossrail delay drove up cost, TfL boss admitsSpeaking to the London Assembly Budget and Performance Committee, TfL investment delivery planning director David Hughes admitted said that recognising issues with the Crossrail delivery timeline earlier on might have reduced cost impacts.

Railnews

• DfT concedes that franchising is reaching the end of the lineA NEW and much reduced rail franchising schedule published by the Department for Transport appears to concede that franchising in its present form is coming to an end.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Nottingham City Transport names gas bus after Henry NormalNottingham City Transport (NCT) has named one of its new biogas buses on the Pink Line 28 after local TV and film writer, producer and poet Henry Normal.
• Stagecoach takes over Preston’s P&RStagecoach Merseyside, Cheshire and South Lancashire is to take over operation of the Preston park-and-ride scheme.
• Positive workplace culture: Needed for successThe most successful operators exhibit one thing clearly. They have a top-to-bottom culture of doing things properly without needing to be told to.
• Yellow Buses adds to NatEx fleetYellow Buses in Bournemouth has taken delivery of five new buses to serve the south coast-to-London routes.

RMT

• RMT CALLS FOR AN ABSOLUTE BAN ON CONTRACTING OUTRMT calls for an absolute ban on contracting out after shocking report into track worker death near Purley

Aviation Industry

• ICAO urged to modernize pilot training standardsThe top Republicans overseeing aviation issues in the US House wrote to FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell, asking him to urge those participating in ICAO pilot licensing review meetings this week in Montreal on behalf of the US to “advocate to place particular emphasisâ€� on bringing airline training requirements into line with recent advances in automated cockpit technology. read more
• Ryanair COO Bellew resigns; MAX delays threaten growth planIrish LCC Ryanair is on the hunt for a new COO, after Peter Bellew announced his resignation, and is facing possible changes to its growth strategy because of the ongoing Boeing 737 MAX grounding. read more

Other News Sources

• Banbury MP weighs in on nimbyism claim for HS2 reviewDuring a terse exchange in the House of Commons debate on the merits of HS2, Victoria Prentis MP gave her support for a reevaluation of the worth to the tax payer of the high speed rail network.
• Founders of rail group honoured with new waiting roomA NEW waiting room has been erected at a train station in honour of two leading members of a rail campaign group.
• Aerial pictures show new trains housed in mid-NorfolkNew aerial pictures show some of the new Greater Anglia trains being housed in mid-Norfolk.

EIN News Subscription

• Ryanair's O'Leary says airlines are already paying 'penal' taxes for carbon emissions … of European carriers slumped Wednesday after France's transport … pressing the EU to take stiffer action against airlines and … the fractured nature of European airspace as a key area … executive said an integrated European air traffic control system would …