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

Tuesday, 24 September 2019

BBC News

• Trains staff issued with badge-cams on Greater Anglia servicesCamera badges are being introduced for train conductors on routes where a train company says eight staff are assaulted every month.
• Clarity needed over public funds for airport says senior Tory AMA senior civil servant indicated that Cardiff Airport may always require public support.
• Manchester Airport train station evacuated over suspicious bagA man is detained and a controlled explosion takes place after reports of a suspicious bag.
• Repatriation begins for Scots passengers after Thomas Cook collapseThe first Thomas Cook passengers land at Glasgow airport as a huge repatriation operation gets under way.
• Boeing to pay bereaved 737 families $144,500 eachThe financial assistance fund Boeing set up after the crashes has started accepting claims.

Financial Times

• Nissan and Ghosn settle with SEC over pay disclosureCarmaker will pay $15m while its former boss will resolve case for $1m and 10-year ban
• Frequent flyer: allergies, anxieties and emergencies at 35,000ftDiversions are rare but the likelihood of encountering medical problems is an increasing concern
• Ryanair's clampdown on pilot sick leave draws criticismAirline sends letters threatening disciplinary action over repeated absenteeism
• UK begins 'hugely complex' effort to fly stranded tourists homeDozens of airlines join £100m operation to repatriate 150,000 Thomas Cook customers
• HS2 executive quits after just one yearDeparture of Richard Robinson comes as speculation mounts that project could be scrapped

The Guardian

• Frequent flyers could face extra tax under plans to cut emissionsMinisters offered a range of options to keep UK on track to hit carbon reduction targetsFlying will have to become more expensive, especially for frequent flyers, to avoid climate chaos and keep the UK within its carbon targets, the government has been warned, while going ahead with a new runway at Heathrow would all but rule out airport expansion in the rest of the country.Ministers are likely to have to choose among options including hikes to air passenger duty, new levies on frequent flyers and changes to air taxation relative to rail and road in order to limit burgeoning demand for cheap f...
• How secret plans saved customers of Thomas Cook from being strandedCivil servants spent millions creating a pop-up airline ready to fly back Brits abroadIn what turned out to be the last week of Thomas Cook's 178-year history, while banks and creditors were still attempting to thrash out a rescue deal, civil servants were placing a multimillion-pound bet of their own. And their money was on the airline collapsing.For the second time in the space of two years, the Civil Aviation Authority was secretly putting together its own pop-up airline, and this was even bigger than the last one, assembled to repatriate stranded Monarch passengers in 2017. Continue readin...

The Independent

• Uber to lose ability to operate in London this week unless Transport for London grants new licenceUber is set to lose its ability to operate in London this week unless regulators renew its licence in the UK capital. Transport for London (TfL) has not given an indication about its decision over the licence, which expires on Wednesday after a battle with the taxi app that began two years ago.

The Scotsman

• Scottish Labour to push for end to Abellio's Scotrail franchiseLabour is poised to force a vote “as early as next week” in the Scottish Parliament in a bid to end the Abellio franchise of ScotRail.

The Telegraph

• Drivers should talk to themselves to avoid car crashes, study by scientists finds atal crashes involving car and motorbikes may be caused by glitches in drivers' short-term memory, according to a new study.

Times Online

• Boeing Max 737 crash in Indonesia ‘caused by pilot error and faulty design’ [subscription]Investigators looking into the Boeing 737 Max crash in Indonesia — the first of two disasters that killed 346 people in total and led to the model being grounded worldwide — have blamed faulty design and lapses by American regulators.
• Reform could have kept Thomas Cook airline open [subscription]Ministers faced criticism over their role in the collapse of Thomas Cook yesterday as it emerged that the bankrupt company’s German sister airline was continuing to fly.
• Frequent flyers should pay tax on emissions [subscription]Frequent flyers should face higher taxes to help reduce aviation emissions, according to the government’s climate change advisers.

Reuters News

• UK should include aviation, shipping in net zero emission goal - advisersThe aviation and shipping sectors should formally be included in Britain's target to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, the government's climate advisers said on Tuesday.

Birmingham Mail

• Full list of rail services affected by Birmingham weather as city battered by 14 hour delugeThere is currently a yellow weather warning in place for much of the country, including Birmingham, from 4am to 11pm tonight

Birmingham Post

• Team behind super-safe cycle helmet firm Hedkayse don't regret turning down The DragonsSoft but rugged material said to be able to withstand 300 times more damage and recover better than a normal bicycle helmet
• Airport company sees profits soar to £65.4mRigby Group owns or runs seven regional airports including those in Exeter, Bournemouth, Coventry and Norwich

Bolton News

• Manchester Airport evacuation was caused by naked man A FORCED evacuation at Manchester Airport appears to have been caused by a naked man running around the transport interchange.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Future of bus services in Calderdale to be discussedCalderdale should work with partner councils to not only maintain bus services and explore how they might be subject to more public control, councillors agreed.
• Poor performance of Bradford train services highlighted by authority THE POOR experience of rail passengers in the North is today highlighted by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority as it makes the case for investment in the network in the short, medium and long term.
• Unmarked HGV 'supercab' to be used in month-long crackdown on illegal drivers on M62 AN unmarked HGV 'supercab' will patrol the M62 as part of a month-long crackdown to improve road safety on the accident-blighted motorway.

Bristol Live

• Virgin Atlantic advertises jobs for 'Thomas Cook cabin crew only'Thousands of Thomas Cook staff members are facing uncertain futures

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Virgin Atlantic offers jobs to Thomas Cook cabin crew after company's collapseA recruitment drive has been launched for those who have been left unemployed

London Evening Standard

• TfL Tube delays: District line commuters face rush-hour disruption after signal failure at Earl's CourtCommuters face rush-hour disruption on the District Line after a signal failure at Earl's Court. Services were suspended on the eastbound Ealing Broadway and Richmond branches for at least an hour this afternoon.
• Thomas Cook collapses: Boris Johnson attacks travel firm bosses over multi-million-pound payouts as thousands remain strandedBoris Johnson has attacked Thomas Cook bosses for receiving multi-million-pound payouts before the travel firm collapsed, leaving thousands of passengers stranded abroad.

Northern Echo

• Bus ticket discounts announced for young passengers THE North-East's largest bus company has pledged to support families, students, and young adults by extending the age range for young persons travel discounts.

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield-Manchester rail upgrade delay branded 'extraordinary'A long-awaited upgrade to the railway route linking Sheffield and Manchester is now not scheduled to begin until 2022, it has been confirmed.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• New trains inspired by famous Japanese ‘bullet’ model to serve north and north-eastModern trains inspired by the famous high-speed “bullet” models used in Japan will be introduced across the north and north-east.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• £6.6 million spent on roads in WalsalllMillions of pounds have been spent on maintaining Walsall's roads in just one year, figures have revealed.

Cambridge News

• Great Northern looking for new staff after Thomas Cook collapseThe train operator said it was 'saddened' by the news Thomas Cook collapsed and offered jobs to its staff

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.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Two homes plans face refusal over fears it would lead to dependency on carsTwo separate housing proposals in Whatfield have been recommended for refusal -over fears they would lead to a high level of car dependency from those living there.
• New cameras should help protect Greater Anglia rail conductorsRail staff working on Greater Anglia trains are being issued with badge cameras in a bid to deter assaults – and provide evidence for the police if necessary.

Leeds Live

• M621 closures planned for ground investigations - everything you need to knowHighways England is carrying out work between junctions one and six ahead of the major scheme planned for autumn 2020

Other Regional Press

• TRAIN journeys to London from Somerset could be set to get shorter.Great Western Railway (GWR) has unveiled a new timetable for lines through Bristol and says it offers faster journey times, more seats, and more frequent services to key locations.
• Cyclists blast 'embarrassing' new cycle track - which has trees in the middleA new cycle lane put in as part of a £2.75m Norwich city centre shake up has been branded as an "embarrassment" by a cycling group - because it has trees in the way.
• Community welcomes £129,000 of funding to keep bus service runningBath and North East Somerset Council has agreed to maintain its £5,000 subsidy for the 179’s single Saturday service for another 12 months after it faced the axe.
• Canada-style bike racks on buses to be considered by Herts County CouncilA councillor has asked Hertfordshire County Council to look in to the fitting of bike racks to the front of buses – after spotting them on holiday.
• Fears 'scary' rail crossing could end in tragedyResidents have called for warning lights at a rail crossing after several near misses.
• Transport expert calls for North Walls to return to two-way road A WINCHESTER transport expert and city architect are calling for more work on the Winchester Movement Strategy.
• Woking MP Jonathan Lord backs petition calling on Highways England to resurface bumpy M25 One resident described the road as "the worst bit of motorway I have ever driven on"
• Weymouth to Yeovil line to be disrupted by tunnel repairsRAIL passengers have been warned to expect some disruption as work is carried out on the Weymouth to Yeovil line.
• Letter to editor: Loss of Pier Roundabout could cause more CO2 for decadesWE WERE pleased to see the letter from Chris Todd of Friends of the Earth (Aquarium Roundabout must go and we must do more for cycling). His argument for removing the roundabout was nonsensical

C.N.N.

• Boeing to start paying compensation to families of victims killed in 737 Max crashesBoeing will begin to pay $50 million in financial assistance to the families of more than 300 victims of the two 737 Max crashes, the company announced Monday.

Rail Advent

• Liverpool Lime Street wins station of the yearNetwork Rail has announced that Liverpool Lime Street has been named as major station of the year at the 2019 National Rail Awards.

Rail Technology Magazine

• New open-access operator plans hourly service between Wales and LondonGrand Union Trains, a new open-access train operator, has announced that they are hoping to launch a train service between Wales and London in May 2021. Initially the trains will run every two hours, but plans are to make them hourly by May 2023. The announcement brings with it the potential of...
• Train companies support Thomas Cook customers by relaxing ticket rulesTrain companies under Network Rail have stepped in to help amid the Thomas Cook travel chaos, with the Rail Delivery Group has released a statement today saying that they will relax ticket rules for Thomas Cook customers who are affected by the collapse. Thomas Cook, the oldest travel company in...
• Get into Railway celebrates five years and £1.6m successThe formidable partnership between Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and The Prince’s Trust have announced today (23 September) that their Get into Railway training programme has generated £1.6m since it was set up in 2014. GTR, the UK’s largest rail operator, funded the project...

Railnews

• There has ˜never been a better time™ to invest in rail freight–report A new report published by the Rail Freight Group today is outlining how an ˜ambitious growth strategy™ for rail freight over the next ten years could be worth between £75 billion and £90 billion in environmental and economic benefits. The study calls for a ˜new approach™ from national and local government, as well as new investment from the industry. The conclusion is that this ˜could unlock growth significantly in excess of current projections™.

Aviation Industry

• Halve aviation growth plans to tackle climate change, government experts adviseThe Government should reassess its airport capacity strategy in the context of making aviation emissions net zero by 2050, the CCC has told the Transport Minister Grant Shapps in a letter to the Government today. The UK legislated in June …
• UK CAA wet-leases aircraft for Thomas Cook repatriation effortThe UK CAA has wet-leased aircraft from operators around the world to support a massive repatriation of Thomas Cook Airlines passengers stranded by the compulsory liquidation of UK leisure operator Thomas Cook. read more
• Thomas Cook’s Gatwick slots likely to generate interestThe grounding of UK leisure carrier Thomas Cook Airlines is likely to spark interest in the airline’s slot portfolio at London Gatwick Airport, although the slots are highly seasonal. read more
• FAA: Engine Alliance A380 operators face more stringent inspectionsSome operators of Engine Alliance GP7000-series powered Airbus A380s face more stringent engine fan hub assembly inspections after examination of the hub that separated during an uncontained failure two years ago pointed to higher risk of cracks. read more

Other News Sources

• HS2's chief operating officer quits postRichard Robinson is leaving the high-speed rail project for a new post in the private sector
• Rail operators offer free airport travel to holidaymakers stranded over Thomas Cook collapseTRAVEL operators West Midlands Trains and London Northwestern Railway have offered help to holiday makers affected by the demise of Thomas Cook.
• Arriva Rail launches deaf awareness training programme for London Overground staffArriva Rail London (ARL) has launched a deaf awareness training tool for London Overground employees to help ease travel for deaf passengers and those with a hearing loss, it announced today.
• Warwick and Leamington MP writes to Transport Secretary over concerns about HS2 work in CubbingtonWarwick and Leamington MP Matt Western has sent the Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps a letter seeking clarification on the Cubbington ancient woodland site and to get assurances that it will be protected during the Government’s ongoing review into the HS2 project.
• Heathrow launches trial to help improve recycling rates at UK airportsMinisters need to be clear whether Cardiff Airport will always need public funds, a Conservative AM has said. London Heathrow Airport is launching the trial to improve recycling rates across the UK’s busiest facility. In what it claims to be a first for the UK, the airport will bring in new technology that could turn unrecyclable passenger waste into furniture, uniforms and alternative fuels.
• Gatwick Airport campaign to tackle drunk and disruptive passengers results in 51 arrests There were 376 reports of problem passengers during the four-month campaign
• Stop riding bicycles so fast down the alleywayA MAN has raised concerns about cyclists hitting pedestrians as they ride down an alleyway and through a park.

News from Europe

• Faced with increasing heat waves frequency, European cities need to adapt“But when is it going to end?” a user was asking two months ago on Reddit, an informal forum-style social media platform. The “Heatwave in Europe” conversation had gained over 800 comments from people across the world, many appalled by the scorching June and July 2019 temperatures on the continent. “Although local temperatures may have been lower or higher than forecast, our data shows that the temperatures over south-western Europe in the last week of June were unusually high. Although this was exceptional, we are likely to see more of these events in the future due to climate change,'' says Jean-Noël Thépaut, Head of Copernicus Climate Service (C3S). Comparing recent C3S data with older records shows that this year’s June was on average 3°C warmer than the average for 1850-1900.