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

Thursday, 25 July 2019

BBC News

• Free bus pass age to rise from 60 in WalesMinisters are concerned about rising costs, with 880,000 people set to be eligible by 2021.
• Wrightbus: Management apologises over media 'leak'On Tuesday the manufacturer confirmed it hoped a new investor would resolve its cashflow problems.
• Tougher penalties supported for drivers using mobile phonesMore than 60% of respondents to a consultation support a higher fine and increased penalty points.
• London minicab congestion charge 'not unlawfully discriminatory'Introducing a charge for minicabs was a
• Caledonian Sleeper staff vote for industrial action over 'stress'The RMT union claims members have suffered stress and mental health issues since a new fleet was introduced.
• New railway station for Ayr to replace historic hotel stopScotRail staff in Ayr have been working from portable cabins for months after Station Hotel was declared unsafe.
• Will Ford's new truck persuade people to go electricFord has released a video showing a mock up of its all electric version of the US's best-selling vehicle.
• Aston Martin: Shares dive as firm slashes sales forecastsThe luxury carmaker says it will sell fewer cars this year because of weaker demand in Europe.
• Nissan workers braced for job cutsThe Japanese car giant could announce more than 10,000 job losses on Thursday, reports say.

The Guardian

• Caledonian Sleeper staff vote for strike action over ‘stress’RMT union says workers have been ‘paying personal price’ for introduction of new fleet
• UK heatwave: commuters warned to avoid rail travel on ThursdayCommuters have been advised to avoid travelling on key rail routes in London and the south-east on Thursday as record temperatures threaten to cause tracks to buckle.

The Independent

• UK airport strikes: When are they and which flights will be affected?Aviation industrial relations threaten a summer of discontent

The Telegraph

• Is your car watching you? Why 'driver monitoring systems' are an inevitable necessity on Britain's roads [subscription]ost drivers can expect to see cameras monitoring their face and eyes as they drive in the near future. It’s a trend that appears unstoppable, given its proven safety benefits and the increasing production of semi-autonomous vehicles that require it.

Times Online

• Heatwave: Hundreds trapped in 40C as Eurostar breaks down [Subscription]Hundreds of passengers had to be led from a stranded Eurostar train after temperatures inside rose to more than 40C.
• Caledonian Sleeper train journey ‘turns into nightmare’ [subscription]It promises a “magical journey bringing a touch of the extraordinary” to travel between London and Scotland, with handcrafted mattresses enabling you to arrive at your destination as fresh as a Highland stream — that is, if you haven’t over-indulged in the club car on venison, haggis, neeps and tatties and nips of 12-year-old Auchentoshan the night before.
• Union to battle London mayor over minicab ruling [subscription]A trade union will appeal against the High Court’s ruling that imposing the congestion charge on minicab drivers is not unlawfully discriminatory.
• Heatwave: Britain set to swelter in 39C heat [Subscription]Commuters have been warned against travelling by train today, with widespread cancellations expected as rising temperatures in the southeast cause tracks to buckle. Southeastern, which operates across London, Kent and East Sussex, told passengers it would be forced to implement a “significantly reduced service” in anticipation of tracks buckling, advising commuters to avoid travelling altogether.
• Heatwave: Britain set to swelter in 39C heat [Subscription]Commuters have been warned against travelling by train today, with widespread cancellations expected as rising temperatures in the southeast cause tracks to buckle. Southeastern, which operates across London, Kent and East Sussex, told passengers it would be forced to implement a “significantly reduced service” in anticipation of tracks buckling, advising commuters to avoid travelling altogether.

City AM

• Tesla revenues fall short of expectations despite record cars builtElectric car company Tesla posted second-quarter revenue below analysts’ expectations, pushing its shares down 10 per cent to $239.24 in after-hours trading.
• Uber and rival Ola sniffing around London’s Addison LeeUber and Indian ride-hailing firm Ola are mulling bids for London-based taxi firm Addison Lee, which could create a powerful force in one of the world’s biggest private transport markets.

Birmingham Mail

• Solihull campaigners accuse HS2 of causing 'carnage and destruction'Villagers in Solihull are "up in arms" that HS2 works have seen trees hacked down during the bird nesting season.
• Ministers 'misled' Parliament over cost of HS2, furious peer saysLord Berkeley told the House of Lords it is "inconceivable" ministers did not know earlier about fears the high-speed rail project

Edinburgh Evening News

• 'Anti-family' Lothian Buses under fire for contactless payment restrictionsBUS bosses have been accused of "discriminating against families" after it emerged a long-delayed contactless payment method can only be used to buy adult tickets. Lothian Buses launched a new contactless payment service on Wednesday – but parents have been left fuming after it was confirmed that child and family tickets cannot be paid for with the contactless technology.

London Evening Standard

• Buckled rail risk could see a third of trains cancelled in UK heatwaveUp to a third of trains across the South and South-East could be cancelled tomorrow as the heatwave peaks.
• Heathrow Airport latest: Scores of holidaymakers still waiting for luggage day after baggage handling chaosDesperate air travellers are still waiting to be reunited with their luggage after technical issues at London Heathrow Airport forced them to fly without their bags.
• Eurostar passengers stranded beside tracks in searing heat as power fails in BelgiumHundreds of Eurostar passengers have been evacuated from a London-bound train in sweltering heat following a power failure.

Yorkshire Post

• Boris Johnson must learn from his Crossrail incompetence if he is to have any chance of staying on track – Tom RichmondGIVEN BORIS Johnson’s childhood ambition was to become ‘world king’, it is ironic that his days as Prime Minister could be numbered before he has even unpacked his bags in 10 Downing Street.

Other Regional Press

• MP hails Bury bus firm passengers riseA PUBLIC transport operator serving Bury has been heralded by the Northern Powerhouse Minister after securing huge passenger increase numbers.
• Pleas made to save Glasgow's St Rollox railyard site from closureBoth the Scottish and UK Governments have been urged to act in order to save the St Rollox “Caley” rail works in Glasgow from closure.
• Interviewed following his resignation: Aylesbury MP David Lidington on Boris, Brexit and the Bucks Herald's HS2 campaign...Following his cabinet resignation today David Lidington spoke to The Bucks Herald and confirmed that he would now be campaigning hard to end HS2.

New Civil Engineer

• £210M cost hike on Network Rail Crossrail works revealedTransport secretary Chris Grayling has revealed that Network Rail works on the Crossrail project have gone over budget. In a written statement delivered to the House of Commons, Grayling revealed costings for Network Rail’s programme are now forecast at around £2.8bn, a £210M increase since the last update in 2018.
• Grant Shapps is new transport secretaryGrant Shapps has been named as the new secretary of state for transport in Boris Johnson’s new Cabinet formed last night.
• Exclusive | HS2 reveals new Birmingham terminus strategyHigh Speed 2 has revealed its new procurement approach for its £435M Birmingham terminus station a week after it was forced to scrap its original plans due to low interest from contractors.

Rail Magazine

• Eight-car ‘385s’ on key ScotRail routeEight-car Class 385 trains were due to be introduced on the Edinburgh-Glasgow route from next week.
• Discussions on GWR extensionDiscussions are under way with FirstGroup regarding a franchise extension for Great Western Railway, Rail Minister Andrew Jones said in a Commons Written Reply on July 22.

Rail Technology Magazine

• New railway station to be built in Ayr to replace historic stopA new station is set to be built in Ayr town centre to replace the current railway stop, part of which had been housed in the historic Station Hotel.

Railway Gazette

• Chris Grayling reaches the end of the lineCHRIS Grayling has resigned from his position as transport secretary and has been replaced by Grant Shapps in Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair’s Irish pilot union conducts strike ballot over payRyanair pilots in Ireland are deciding whether to go on strike over pay, after the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA), a branch of the Forsa trade union, launched a strike ballot. read more
• EC transport chief warns on need to address aviation environment impactManaging its environmental footprint is the air transport industry’s “number one challengeâ€� in a world where people’s mindsets and expectations are changing fast, the head of Europe’s transport ministry told a Washington DC audience. read more
• US Senate confirms Steve Dickson as FAA administrator The US Senate voted along party lines on July 24 to confirm Steve Dickson as FAA administrator, providing the agency with a permanent administrator for the first time since January 2018. read more
• Boeing to speed up 777F production to offset 777X slowdownBoeing will accelerate assembly of 777 freighters in 2020 to offset the impact of a slowdown on the 777X after acknowledging longer-than-expected delays to the first flight of the 777-9. read more

Other News Sources

• Jim Allister: Speed up Translink bus orders to help WrightbusA Stormont department could play a “crucial role” in helping to secure the future of Ballymena-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus, an MLA has claimed.
• TRANSPORT SECRETARY CHRIS GRAYLING QUITS IN CABINET RESHUFFLEChris Grayling has quit as Transport Secretary as Boris Johnson stamped his authority in a cabinet revamp on his first day as Prime Minister.