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

Saturday, 13 July 2019

BBC News

• Mark Drakeford 'prepared to spend £1bn on M4 relief road alternatives'Mark Drakeford has cancelled the M4 relief road but says he is prepared to spend £1bn on congestion.
• Port Talbot rail deaths: Train driver 'applied brake' before crashTwo men were struck and killed by a train while working on the tracks near Port Talbot on 3 July.
• Rail firm offers free trips to university open dayAll students are offered free train tickets to a university open day, after fears of excessive cost.
• Peak District cycle paths sabotaged with 'dangerous' trapsPopular trails have been blocked with rocks and had branches placed at head height.
• Volkswagen and Ford team up on self-driving and electric carsThe two car giants will work together on developing new technologies in an attempt to reduce costs.
• Heathrow strike threat to summer holiday travelThe Unite union says 4,000 staff will strike over pay, but the airport says it has plans to remain open.

Times Online

• Stobart boss faces fresh attack on pay [Subscription]The owner of Southend airport faces growing pressure over pay after a second shareholder advisory group told investors to oppose a bonus scheme.
• Cycle safety fears raised as traffic plan is rejected [Subscription]Cycling safety activists have raised concerns about a “hostile” stretch of road in Cork after a €4 million traffic plan that included new bike lanes was rejected by councillors.
• Indian Railways branches out with first privatised service [Subscription]Indian Railways, a 70,000-mile source of deep frustration and frequent deaths, but also of national pride, has taken what critics fear is its first step towards privatisation.
• Air turbulence flings dozens of Air Canada passengers from their seats [Subscription]Terrified passengers on a flight from Vancouver to Sydney have told how they were slammed against the ceiling of their plane and into luggage compartments by violent turbulence, with dozens of people injured, nine of them seriously.
• Thousands of staff to strike at Heathrow airport [Subscription]Union bosses are threatening to bring Britain’s biggest airport to a halt at the height of the summer in a row over huge payments to senior staff and shareholders.
• HS2 could miss 2026 target, MPs warn [Subscription]HS2 is at risk of missing its 2026 opening date because of government delays in signing off contracts for building work, according to MPs.

City AM

• Volkswagen and Ford strengthen ties by teaming up on electric and self-driving cars Two of the world’s biggest car makers, Volkswagen and Ford, have moved their existing commercial partnership up a gear this afternoon to collaborate on electric cars and self-driving cars.
• Shutdown: Heathrow Airport summer strikes threaten chaos for holidaymakers Holidaymakers planning to use Heathrow Airport this summer could be subjected to days of chaos, after Unite trade union warned its members are planning to go on strike.

Mail Online

• Chaos at Sydney airport after HUNDREDS of flights are cancelled as wild weather hits the east coastHundreds of flights at Sydney airport have been cancelled or delayed as wild winds batter New South Wales.

Sky News

• Heathrow strikes threaten summer travel chaosA series of planned strikes at Heathrow Airport in a dispute over pay is threatening to cause summer travel chaos.

London Evening Standard

• TfL Tube delays: London Underground delayed for 11 weeks a year by signal failuresSignal failures caused delays and disruption totalling almost 11 weeks across London's tube network last year.
• Crossrail at risk of being delayed even furtherCrossrail is at major risk of having its opening delayed by even longer than already feared and requiring even more public money, it emerged today.
• Market report: Boeing turbulence fuels fears over bumpy flight for supplier SeniorEngineering firm Senior has its results out next month and today brokers told investors to brace themselves for ugly figures.
• Heathrow strike 2019: Airport could be 'shut down' this summer as 4,000 workers to walk out, union warnsUnion chiefs have warned of summer travel chaos at Heathrow Airport due to strike action from thousands of workers.

Kent Online

• M2 in Kent set to close between Gillingham and FavershamA string of closures are planned for a motorway this month - which will see one stretch of the motorway shut over three full weekends from now.

Other Regional Press

• Work to widen A358 Toneway, Taunton, to commence soon WORKS to widen a busy road in Taunton as part of a multi-million pound project are set to begin soon.

Rail Technology Magazine

• RAIB calls for review of zero-hours contracts for rail workersThe Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) have released their findings into the fatal accident between London Victoria and Three Bridge in November 2018. The investigation found track worker was hit by a train in the earlier hours of the morning after they had placed equipment on the...
• TramForward calls for increased tram links to tackle non-exhaust emissionsTramForward has welcomed the Government’s call for action on non-exhaust emissions from tyres, brakes and road surfaces,  It follows a report published yesterday by the Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) calling for urgent action to address the problem which is predicted to account for...
• Let the drain take the strain, argues ORR inspector of railwaysChris Davies, principal inspector of railways at the ORR, debates the often-overlooked importance of drainage in the safe operation of the railway network. In February 1940, a passenger train on the approach to Watford tunnel struck a landslip containing 800 tonnes of earth then derailed. The...
• Competition opens to convert retiring Pacer trains in the NorthCommunity groups in the North of England can now submit their plans on how to renovate retiring Pacer train carriages. The Department for Transport (DfT) announced the scheme earlier this year, and argues that instead of scrapping the trains they could be converted into community assets. The...
• HSRIL warn scrapping HS2 could cost thousands of jobsA significant report published yesterday claims that completing HS2 is essential for “smashing the UK’s north-south divide” and warns that scrapping the project could cost thousands of jobs. High Speed Rail Industry Leaders (HSRIL) have launched the robust defence of HS2 in an...

Aviation Industry

• Task force urges regulators to speed up drone ID rulesA high-level task force is calling on North American regulatory authorities to expedite rules requiring that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) be able to provide identification information to others on the ground. read more
• United extends Boeing MAX schedule pull to early NovemberUnited Airlines has removed Boeing 737 MAXs from its schedule through Nov. 3, saying it expects to see 5,000 flight cancellations in September and October as a result. read more

EIN News Subscription

• Heathrow Airport strikes planned over summer - see the full list of dates … working alongside our airline partners to minimise disruption caused to passengers as they … ." (Image: Getty Images Europe) Wayne King, Unite regional coordinating … widening pay disparities leading to airport security guards employed after 2014 earning …
• European Airlines Continue to Face Fare-Price Pressure … – Airfares for some of the busiest routes in Europe declined … aggregator Skyscanner. Skyscanner cited data for European airlines flying from France, the … month to search airfares worldwide. The data provided by the … in terms of passengers and flights.
• Airbus aims to sell more than 1,000 planes over 15 years in Latin America, Caribbean … (Reuters) - European planemaker Airbus SE (PA:AIR) plans to sell … more than 1,000 new passenger … Reuters.     More than 700 Airbus planes already operate in … of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and …