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

Friday, 20 September 2019

BBC News

• South Wales Metro: Extending rail lines 'could boost valleys'Calls have been made to extend two railway lines in the south Wales valleys as part of the £738m South Wales Metro project.
• Tyne and Wear Metro: Halting contract talks 'illegal'Halting the bidding process for a £500m fleet of Metro trains to help a firm in the north-east of England would be illegal, transport bosses insist.
• Why doesn't the UK take monorails seriously?A proposal to build a monorail in Derby received a lukewarm reception. Does the technology have an image problem?
• Birmingham burial site excavated for HS2 stationArchaeologists excavate 6,500 skeletons from a 19th-Century burial ground in Birmingham.
• South Wales Metro: Lack of toilets tram-trains 'dehumanising'Passengers will be forced to wait to use facilities at stations on the new South Wales Metro.
• Hull Trains worst for punctuality, figures showHull Trains has the worst record in the country for punctuality, new figures show. Only 36.8% of the company's services arrived on time, followed by TransPennine Express (38.7%) and London North Eastern Railway (41%).
• Ryanair boss O'Leary's €99m pay sparks investor revoltMichael O'Leary's contract provoked a protest vote at the Irish airline's annual meeting.

Financial Times

• Why HS2 is way over budget and badly delayedUnexpected mix of soil conditions, miscalculated land values and poor governance are all to blame
• Half of Ryanair investors fail to back pay reportShareholders object to €99m potential bonus for chief Michael O'Leary
• Airlines look to arid Australia to store Boeing 737 Max planesFormer Deutsche Bank analyst starts company aimed at regional aircraft storage market

The Herald

• One in three British rail services run late under tightened standardsHull Trains has worst and c2c the best record under new measurements, data shows

The Scotsman

• Dockless cycle hire stations in Edinburgh closed after ‘wanton destruction’ of bikesThe operator of Edinburgh’s bike hire scheme is to shut all its dockless stations following thousands of pounds worth of damage from “wanton destruction” across the city, The Scotsman has learned.

The Telegraph

• Plans unveiled for UK's first 'car free community' where vehicles are parked underground lans to build the UK’s first “car-free community” have been unveiled, as one council proposes to build a 4,000 home neighbourhood accessible for just pedestrians or bikes.
• Trains are late three times as often as previously thought, Office of Rail and Road figures revealTrains are late three times as often as previously thought, Office of Rail and Road figures reveal, as a new method of measuring punctuality is introduced.

Times Online

• Twice as many planes in the sky by 2040 [subscription]The number of commercial aircraft flying worldwide is expected to more than double in the next two decades despite concerns about global warming.

City AM

• Crossrail could need an extra £400m and open behind schedule, bosses warnCrossrail could end up needing an extra £400m in a worst case scenario and open later in 2021, bosses have revealed.
• Grant Shapps says rail firms should be rewarded for running trains on timeTransport secretary Grant Shapps has suggested rail firms should be given financial rewards for running trains on time, admitting that they still get paid when services are late.
• Ryanair threatening to remove pilot perks over strikes, union claimsStriking Ryanair pilots have accused the airline of threatening to remove their perks if they take part in this month’s [...] The post Ryanair threatening to remove pilot perks over strikes, union claims appeared first on CityAM.
• British Airways and the pilot strike: Are shared profits schemes the answer?British Airways’ operations ground to a halt last week due to a pilots’ strike. The airline’s flight crews argued that [...] The post British Airways and the pilot strike: Are shared profits schemes the answer? appeared first on CityAM.

Network Rail

• Scotland’s Railway gets ready for autumnScotland’s Railway is more prepared than ever before to keep trains moving during autumn.

Sky News

• Millions across the world call for urgent action on climate changeMillions of people in 139 countries are expected to take to the streets to call for urgent measures to tackle climate change.

Birmingham Post

• Plymouth taxi firm buys rival to become biggest in cityNeed-A-Cab? swallows third competitor in two years and has plans to grow further

Bolton News

• Rail union boss hits out at Northern's improvement claimsA RAIL union general secretary has accused Northern bosses for 'glossing over' serious problems in the wake of last year's timetable chaos.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Why some Airbus planes have rear seats blocked off to passengersLufthansa are among the airlines taking the action over the 'centre of gravity issue'

London Evening Standard

• Crossrail 'could open even later and cost extra £400 million'Crossrail could cost an additional £400 million and open even later than already planned, it has emerged.
• Row over 60 per cent spike in number of 'mental health' sick days taken by TfL workersAn
• Rail firms should not be paid when trains run late, says Grant ShappsRail firms

Morning Star

• Shapps suggests companies that run trains on time should be rewardedTRANSPORT Secretary Grant Shapps was lambasted today after suggesting that train companies should be financially rewarded for running services on time.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• 'Fund it properly!' demands MP as the shocking scale of late LNER trains to Newcastle are revealedThe figures make grim reading for passengers on the East Coast Mainline

Northern Echo

• Progress for Dales cycle route planA NEW family friendly cycle route in Wensleydale is a step closer to becoming reality following an£8,000 cash injection from the district council.
• Nexus: Halting Metro contract process 'would be illegal'CALLING a halt on the £500m race to build a new Metro fleet to help a North East-based firm would be illegal and risk heavy delays in the upgraded trains arriving, transport bosses insist.
• Nexus: Halting Metro contract process 'would be illegal' CALLING a halt on the £500m race to build a new Metro fleet to help a North East-based firm would be illegal and risk heavy delays in the upgraded trains arriving, transport bosses insist.

Wales Online

• Buses stop going through one part of Newport after driver pelted with stones during vandalism attacksPolice have confirmed they are investigating

Yorkshire Post

• Hull Trains and TransPennine Express get fewer trains on time to stations than any other operator in the countryTwo of the region's rail operators have been revealed to be the worst-performing in the country for the number of trains arriving on time after a regulator unveiled tougher new measurements.

Other Regional Press

• Aberdeen cycle hire scheme moves step closerPlans for a public cycle hire scheme in Aberdeen are a step closer after councillors were advised to move forward with a private ownership model.
• Ancient woodland still being cut down by HS2 - despite supposed government 'halt', say campaignersCAMPAIGNERS claim ancient woodland continues to be cut down to make way for HS2 – just days after an announcement work was set to stop during a review into the high speed rail line.
• Scottish Government ready to take over ScotRail franchiseTHE Scottish Government has put plans in place to run the railways as an “operator of last resort” if ScotRail’s performance fails to improve, the Transport Secretary has confirmed.
• 'Live occupancy' shows available spaces at station car parksA TRAIN operator has made it easier for drivers to see if there are spaces available at its car parks.

Train Operators

• Scotland’s Railway flourishes at Beautiful Scotland AwardsCommunity projects across Scotland’s Railway flourished at the Beautiful Scotland Awards in Dumfries last week.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Virgin Atlantic plans for 84 new destinations when Heathrow gets third runwayVirgin Atlantic has announced plans to fly to 84 new destinations from Heathrow after a third runway is opened. The airline said the transformation of its route network depends on how many additional take-of and landing slots it obtains when the UK's busiest airport is expanded. Chief executive Shai Weiss claimed the west London hub has been dominated by British Airways' parent company IAG

Coach and Bus Week

• Local entrepreneur could rescue WrightbusThe future of Wrightbus has been uncertain since July this year, but a potential buyer could now be on the horizon
• Management buy-outs for FirstBus?The national press has reported that FirstGroup is set to sell some of its operations to its own management as speculation mounts about the future of the firm’s UK bus operations. The Telegraph has reported that management buy-outs are in the running for First’s bus operations in Bristol, Dorset, East Anglia and Devon & Cornwall, whilst parts of its Manchester operations have been sold to Go-Ahead Group and Rotala.
• Passengers get More with new buses on service 13Go-Ahead Group owned Morebus is continuing its investment in new transport by introducing five brand new double-decker buses to its route 13 Bournemouth to Wimborne service in Dorset.
• APPG relaunchOn Monday 10 September, figures from across the bus industry attended the relaunch of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Road Passenger Transport Industry. Jonathan Welch reports
• The Confederation of Passenger Transport launched its English bus strategy, ‘Moving Forward Together, the future’s better with bus’ last week in the presence of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, Baroness Vere of Norbiton whose responsibilities include buses. Andy Izatt listened to the presentation and the minister’s response
• Value is always the aimSomerset County Council has started operating its own PCV unit and is now running a handful of school contracts in-house. Richard Sharman visited the Bridgwater-based council unit during its first week of operation to find out why it made this decision
• New Irizar UK headquarters to be built in NottinghamshireIrizar is showing its continued commitment to the UK market with the development of a new site at Blyth, just off the A1 in Nottinghamshire.

Rail Advent

• Station cycle lockers donated to West Midlands schoolChildren at a primary school in Birmingham are enjoying the benefit of a West Midlands Railway scheme to install thousands of cycle spaces on its network.

Rail Technology Magazine

• New 'On-Time' train statistics welcomed by Transport SecretaryGood news for rail users today as a new way to measure train performance has been published (Thursday 19) by The Office of Rail and Road (ORR). New ‘On-Time’ statistics have been welcomed by the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, who has dubbed it “a step in the right direction...
• Plans for new £362m North East metro train fleetA £362m train fleet for the Tyne and Wear Metro was ordered yesterday by public transport body Nexus. A company for the designing and building of the fleet hasn’t been officially decided but there are three in the running – Hitachi Rail, Stadler and CAF. Although claims...
• Manchester Metrolink's greener futureTransport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) are to renew and upgrade Manchester Metrolink’s electrical infrastructure in a bid to support and maintain TfGM’s green transport strategy for the city. The Greater Manchester transport body has ambitions of a cleaner, greener and more...

Railway Gazette

• Keolis operating contract terminated because of driver shortageGERMANY: Rhein-Ruhr transport VRR has decided to terminate a contract for Keolis to operate two S-Bahn services from December, and will instead directly award incumbent DB Regio an emergency contract while it runs a new competitive tendering process.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Stagecoach makes senior appointmentsStagecoach has strengthened its UK Bus senior management structure with the appointment of two new Regional Directors. https://www.route-one.net/top-story/stagecoach-makes-senior-appointments/ Sunderland partnership delivers on new bus route A new bus service was introduced in Sunderland on Monday (16 September) by the Connect 700 Partnership. Route 702 serves the city’s National Glass Centre and is operated by Go North East.
• Asset Alliance Group funds BCT’s biogas busesAsset Alliance Group (AAG) has funded a fleet of 21 biogas-fuelled Scania Alexander Dennis Enviro400s. They have entered service with HCT Group’s Bristol Community Transport (BCT) operation.
• FlixBus begins project to deliver hydrogen coachesThe potential for hydrogen fuel cell power in coaches has been formalised by scheduled operator FlixBus – which recently applied for an O-Licence in the UK – and fellow German business Freudenberg Sealing Technologies.
• TfL Hopper fare sees 450,000 daily usersThe TfL Hopper fare is being used by more than 450,000 passengers per day, it has been revealed.
• Irizar UK starts development of new home at BlythIrizar UK has commenced the first phase of development of what will ultimately become a new head office at Blyth in Nottinghamshire for the supplier of DAF-engined integral coaches.
• Leeds CAZ: £1.79m will be awarded to coach and busLeeds City Council (LCC) has forecast that a total of £1.79m will be awarded to operators of non-scheduled coaches and buses to help them to comply with the city’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ). £64,000 of that has been paid so far, a report from LCC says.
• Bus patronage in England down by 6.9% in five yearsBus patronage in England fell by 317m passenger journeys, or 6.9%, in the five years between 2014/15 and 2018/19, research by the Local Government Association (LGA) shows.

Aviation Industry

• Air France, Groupe Dubreuil withdraw Aigle Azur joint offerAir France and Groupe Dubreuil, the parent company of Air Caraibes and French Bee, have withdrawn their joint offer for Aigle Azur, saying the French carrier’s social liabilities mean they could not envision an economically viable plan. read more
• Mitsubishi Aircraft to open SpaceJet office in MontrealMitsubishi Aircraft Corp. plans to establish a footprint in the Montreal area, with the goal of creating 100 jobs in the first year focused on certification and entry into service of the SpaceJet family of regional jets. read more

Other News Sources

• Jet2holidays gears up for Cycle Expo YorkshireTreating cyclists to a feast of entertainment, celebrity guests, demo zones, world class displays and exclusive shopping opportunities, Cycle Expo Yorkshire is the UK’s latest and most engaging celebration of everything cycling.
• Carnival Gets Approval to Expand Terminal F at PortMiamiThe expanded terminal will be capable of supporting the operations of Carnival's new Excel class ship.