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

Wednesday, 09 October 2019

Government

• West Midlands 2017 rail franchise agreementFranchise agreement and ancillary legal documents for London & Birmingham Railway Limited.

BBC News

• Free bus pass age will not rise until 2022, minister saysPlans to the increase the eligibility age for the concessionary bus pass will not be implemented until April 2022, the Welsh Government has confirmed.
• Plan for Stranraer lorry park if no-deal Brexit happensA disused port could be used to hold up to 300 HGVs in the event of
• Ardrossan-Arran ferry route 'to be restored within 24 hours'Port operators say
• Fraudsters 'target Thomas Cook refund site'The Civil Aviation Authority says it has taken

Financial Times

• EasyJet upgrades profit forecastsBudget airline says it has benefited from strikes at rivals British Airways and Ryanair
• EasyJet takes pleasure from BA’s misfortuneBut investors ask how much the airline would have made without disruption to rivals

The Guardian

• Which city is the worst for sexual harassment on public transport?t’s 8am at Oxford Circus tube station and the Central line platforms are teeming with people. Stony-faced business types, rucksack-touting tourists and yawning schoolchildren jostle for space in the rush-hour crush.
• Manchester to consult on bringing buses under public controlPlans prompt warning from bus operator that local taxpayers face ‘massive bill’
• Closing railway lines has injured England [Letter]David Bricknell on the damage done by John Major’s rail privatisation and the setting up of Railtrack, and Alan Whitehouse points out that Scotland and Wales seem far better than England at reopening old lines

The Telegraph

• Uber warns that tax hikes could wreck its UK business [subscription]ber has warned its UK arm could be crippled by a tax probe which might trigger a 20pc VAT charge on all bookings.
• Boeing hands Virgin Galactic £16m for supersonic space flight [subscription]he world’s largest aerospace company has handed $20 million (£16m) in Virgin Galactic to further its mission to bring supersonic flight to passengers around the world.

Times Online

• Brazilians pay Uber more to be driven home in silence [subscription]Uncomfortable small talk in a taxi may soon be a thing of the past in Brazil.
• Use HS2 cash for main lines instead, ministers are told [subscription]The high-speed rail line HS2 should be scrapped and bottlenecks eliminated on the conventional network instead, ministers have been told.

City AM

• HS2 would drive rail price increase and shut out smaller northern cities: ASIHS2 (High Speed Rail 2) will lead to increased ticket prices and reduce train access for smaller Northern cities, according to a new study from a leading London think tank.
• Space race: Boeing invests $20m in Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic as it prepares public listingBoeing is to invest $20m in Sir Richard Branson’s space-tourism venture Virgin Galactic, meaning it will have more money to take on rivals such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos in the commercial space race.

Network Rail

• Leaves on the line is no joke but we’re on the case in Kent where jet-washing trains will travel the equivalent of 4 times around the Earth cleaning the railwayMillions of trees grow along the railway, dropping thousands of tonnes of leaves onto the tracks every autumn

Birmingham Mail

• HS2 'will not solve the problems facing Birmingham rail passengers today'A report by the Adam Smith Institute argues that alternatives to the high speed railway can deliver increased capacity and reduced journey times for less money
• The deteriorating Birmingham roads in urgent need of repair revealedThis means that when these roads were surveyed in 2018/19, they had a wide range of surface damage and deterioration - and were expected to need maintenance within the next 12 months

Birmingham Post

• Funding for 'unviable' HS2 should be spent on roads and railways in South West and Wales says expertThe project is looking "increasingly expensive and unviable" according to a global commercial property expert

Bolton News

• Vandals cause 'tens of thousands of pounds' of damage to Diamond buses in Bolton depotVandals have caused "tens of thousands of pounds" worth of damage to Diamond buses. The damage reportedly happened on Saturday night when youths entered the Weston Street depot in Great Lever.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• West Yorkshire Combined Authority to discuss buying First Bus and ArrivaWEST Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) is set to debate its stance on the region's transport after calls from senior councillors to bring bus services back into public hands.

Bristol Live

• ASA has say on Bristol Airport's ad for £227 flights to New York after complaintOne person complained they couldn't find flights at that price
• Traffic warning for M48 Severn Bridge ahead of bikers taking over the roadThe event is called 'Hoggin' The Bridge'

Edinburgh Evening News

• Free bus passes could be given to Edinburgh's poverty-stricken familiesCity leaders are investigating giving out free bus passes to people on low incomes in a bid to support 80,000 Capital residents who are living in poverty.
• Changes to West Lothian bus services will see better links and more direct journeys to EdinburghImprovements will be made to bus services between West Lothian and Edinburgh when Lothiancountry bring in a raft of network changes next month.

London Evening Standard

• Thomas Cook refund website 'hijacked by fraudsters' as aviation regulator takes 'urgent action'Customers trying to get a refund from Thomas Cook have been hit by fraudsters after they

Manchester Evening News

• It was wetter inside a Northern train than outside during the commute this morningRain was leaking in through the roof during a service from Cheadle Hulme to Manchester
• Greater Manchester set to become first in country to take public control over bus networkGreater Manchester will consult on bringing the region’s bus network back into public control – making it the first place in the country to use new powers over buses.

The York Press

• LETTER: Please, First, give us printed bus timetablesMy mother uses the bus service in and around York and always has a current timetable for all First York services, so on hearing there was a new timetable for the number 11 bus, she went to York Railway Station to collect one. However, she was told these are now only available online.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Taxi drivers slam poor station design Angry taxi drivers claim Wolverhampton railway station's

Bucks Free Press

• Some pupils finally given space on 'larger' school bus service amid transport debacle Some pupils have finally been provided with a space on a bus to and from school - after a disastrous start to the new academic year saw hundreds of pupils stranded.

Reading Evening Post

• Extra seats and timetable changes as Reading to Paddington trains see biggest shake up in 43 yearsPassengers are warned of big changes ahead of the arrival of Crossrail's Elizabeth Line

Other Regional Press

• The areas of West London that will be connected to Crossrail by new railway lineThe first phase of the line could be up and running by 2026
• Oxford's Royal Cars will put CCTV in all of its cabsA SAFETY conscious taxi firm has set out on a mission to be the first with CCTV in all of its cars.
• New routes, aviation college and a hotel by 2021: How Teesside Airport dream is shaping upBosses at Teesside Airport, recently returned into public hands, have spelled out their vision
• Bus company donates money to two-year -old from Rickmansworth with bone deformities A bus company has donated hundreds of pounds to help pay for the care of a two-year-old boy.
• The green spaces in Hounslow that could be lost to Heathrow expansionCampaigners say the area must be protected at all costs
• Romford's airport mini bus service The Gatwick Flyer shuts down thanks to 'extremely challenging trading conditions'Airport shuttle service The Gatwick Flyer ceased trading after 32 years following "a period of extremely challenging trading conditions".
• Call for review of notorious A45/Broad Lane junction"Why should our residents have to suffer this for even one more day?"

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• TfL sets out plans to make works on the capital’s busy road network safer and less disruptiveTransport for London (TfL) has set out plans to make works on the capital’s road network safer and less disruptive, by making changes to its pioneering Lane Rental scheme and introducing a new Roadworks Charter for utility companies. The Lane Rental scheme, which has saved £100 million of lost travel time since its introduction in 2012, allows TfL to charge utility companies a daily fee for digging up the busiest sections of London’s roads at the busiest times. This encourages companies to plan the works they need to carry out outside of the most sensitive times.  All mo...
• The importance of transport accessibility emphasised in latest CILT white paperCILT's Accessibility and Inclusion Forum has released its latest white paper: Joined-up Journeys: Integration and Interchange – making travel work for disabled and older people. Supported by The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation, this toolkit is intended for anyone who is working with or for a local authority, contractor or transport provider and is involved in the planning and implementation of the pedestrian environment, transport infrastructure or transport services. This paper was created after the Forum hosted a one-day seminar that explored the challenges face...

Construction News

• Network Rail’s contractor spend table revealedAmey Rail has risen to the top of Network Rail's supplier spend table for the 12 months to October 2019.

Rail Advent

• East Midlands Railway and partners win top awardsEast Midlands Railway has announced that it has won awards along with its community partners at the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) Community Rail Awards.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Jet-washing trains begin work in Kent and Sussex to remove leaves on the lineNetwork Rail have deployed jet-washing trains onto the lines in Kent and Sussex, where they will be travelling the equivalent of four times round the Earth in order to clean the railway. Thousands of tonnes of leaves are dropped onto the tracks every autumn as a result of the millions of trees...
• Passengers and freight will see improvement in Cumbria following major investmentFrom October 19, the Cumbrian Coast line will feel seven Sundays of disruption as Network Rail continue their major improvements. Just under two miles of worn out track will be removed and replaced between Drigg and Bootle as part of the £2.8m Great North Rail Project. This includes the...

Aviation Industry

• Airlines, environmental groups split on how to reduce carbon emissionsThe recent ICAO Assembly in Montreal revealed deep divisions between airlines and environmental groups over the path to reducing carbon emissions. read more
• EasyJet expects to boost full-year profit on Ryanair, BA strikesUK LCC easyJet expects its full-year profit to be at the top end of its previous estimates, helped partly by increased demand because of strikes at British Airways and Irish LCC Ryanair. read more
• KLM displays ultra-efficient long-haul concept at 100th anniversaryWith backing from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, a scale flying model of an unconventional fuel-efficient long-haul airliner concept has made its debut at the airline’s 100th anniversary celebrations. read more
• Analysts: Risks could affect Boeing’s 787 production targetBernstein analysts see risk ahead for Boeing’s ability to maintain 787 production at 14/month in coming years. read more
• SWAPA: Boeing ‘deliberately’ withheld MAX ‘safety critical’ detailsA lawsuit filed by the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) escalates the union’s already critical public views of Boeing and the 737 MAX, accusing the manufacturer of deliberately misrepresenting and withholding “safety criticalâ€� details about the new model for years. read more

Other News Sources

• Buses to replace trains as £2.8m rail project gets under wayBUSES are set to replace trains on the Cumbrian Coast line for seven consecutive Sundays as a £2.8 project to replace worn out track gets under way.
• MPs welcome Scotrail change over service to busy Fife stationsFife politicians have claimed success in getting Scotrail to re-instate a key peak time service to three busy stations.
• Call to back plans for new Northumberland to Newcastle rail linkRail campaigners are calling on the community to get behind the proposals to bring back passenger services between Ashington and Newcastle.
• Conference will question rail safetyAS THE rail industry continues to grow, a leading conference will ask whether enough focus is being placed on the prevention of accidents and ill health.
• MP shares 'grave concerns' about HS2 plans to widen roads in Great MissendenGrave concerns have been aired about HS2 plans to widen the roads in Frith Hill and the Link Road in Great Missenden.
• Electric Bus Fleet for Glasgow AirportGlasgow Airport introduced a fleet of zero-emission electric buses to its car park operation on October 8. The three-strong fleet of all-electric battery buses, which were built in Scotland by Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), will replace the current diesel fleet used to shuttle passengers between the terminal and the airport’s Long-Stay Car Park.
• Boroughs to stump up to support GM bus franchising costs Greater Manchester CA is to press ahead with the only bus franchising scheme outside London, at a forecast net cost of £134.5m. At a meeting of the CA on Monday mayor Andy Burnham (Lab) and his cabinet gave the go-ahead for a £660,000 public consultation…
• County council says rail link to Heathrow must be built before airport is expanded Council leader Tim Oliver said Surrey residents are 'meat in sandwich' between Heathrow and Gatwick airports