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

Friday, 18 October 2019

BBC News

• Dual nationality: Wales - same country but roads apartIn 21st Century Wales, there's no dual carriageway linking north and south - why?
• Tesla gets the go-ahead to build cars in ChinaThe electric carmaker started building its new Gigafactory 3 in Shangahi at the start of the year.
• BA passengers: Cabin fumes gave us breathing problemsA British Airways flight to Valencia in August was evacuated after the aircraft filled with smoke.

Financial Times

• Norwegian strikes deal on transatlantic connecting flightsLow-cost Nordic airline teams up with US carrier JetBlue to offer single bookings

The Guardian

• Fight against Heathrow expansion on verge of victory, says McDonnellThe campaign against the multibillion-pound expansion of Heathrow is on the verge of victory, John McDonnell has claimed, as three court of appeal judges considered fresh legal challenges against a third runway.
• CBI boss on wrong track if she can't say sorry about Labour’s rail plansIt is nonsensical for Carolyn Fairbairn to ‘stand by’ the CBI’s analysis, but Labour should publish its costings
• CBI calls on Labour to publish nationalisation plansGroup releases breakdown of its own £196bn-cost estimate and asks party to ‘fill in gaps’ if it disagrees
• 'Flight-shaming' could slow growth of airline industry, says IataClimate now top of the agenda for investors as airlines try to lower carbon emissions. Escalating pressure from investors is pushing airlines to address environmental concerns, according to the International Air Transport Association (Iata), which acknowledged that the trend toward 'flight-shaming' could weigh on the industry's future growth.

The Independent

• No clarity on Brexit or Heathrow as transport secretary fails to turn up at aviation conferenceThursday was a strange day at Westminster: not just in the House of Commons, where a Eurofudge of questionable appeal was being promoted, but also across Parliament Square at the QE2 Centre. It was the location for the Airlines 2050 conference, and the main attraction was to be the new transport secretary.

Times Online

• No-deal Brexit fees may bump up price of new car by £3,000The cost of a new car could increase by up to £3,000 after a no-deal Brexit.
• Green credentials keep Eurostar on track [subsciption]Eurostar had its busiest August, with more than a million passengers boosting sales in the third quarter as the company tries to capitalise on environmental concerns about air travel.

City AM

• British Airways boss says electric planes idea won't fly until 2050The boss of British Airways has thrown doubt over predictions electric planes could enter service over the coming decades.
• TfL boss Mike Brown to resign in MayTransport for London (TfL) boss Mike Brown is set to resign after four years in the post. TfL announced today the transport commissioner will be leaving the job after next year’s mayoral election in May.
• Wincanton pursues possible merger with Eddie StobartWincanton is considering a move for British logistics giant Eddie Stobart, the rival confirmed today.
• Tube delays: Jubilee Line disrupted for second day after Extinction Rebellion protestJubilee Line commuters faced a second day of Tube misery in a row as transport bosses warned the service was part suspended with severe delays.
• Virgin Atlantic in fresh broadside against British Airways owner over Heathrow slotsA war of words between two of Britain’s two biggest airlines over take-off and landing slots at Heathrow escalated further this morning, as Virgin Atlantic’s boss launched a fresh salvo against the dominance of British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) at the airport.
• Heathrow airport faces fresh calls to increase competition between airlinesHeathrow airport has come under fresh pressure to increase competition between airlines, amid concerns over a monopoly by British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG).

The Mirror

• How you could once get haircuts on trains - plus 9 more first class bits of railway triviaThere's always been something truly magical about seeing a steam train. That unmistakeable smell of hot oil and steam mixed with the chug of the engine and the shriek of the whistle always capture the imagination.

Birmingham Post

• How the Thomas Cook collapse has affected these Manchester travel firms“The travel market is still buoyant, people are still travelling, people are still booking holidays, both package holidays and tailor-made holidaysâ€�

Bolton News

• £12m project to repair roads gets underwayWork on a £12 million programme to repair hundreds of residential roads and fix pavements across the borough has started.
• Northern rail could be nationalised: ministerTHE government is considering the temporary renationalisation of the Northern rail franchise.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Rail revamp could bring two years of disruption to busy roadA key road near the notorious Cooper Bridge bottleneck could be disrupted for up to TWO YEARS as part of rail improvements.

Bristol Live

• Passengers left frustrated with bus service plagued with delays during morning rush hourSome passengers report waiting at bus stops for more than 25 minutes

London Evening Standard

• How ticket officers face barrage of abuse as they tackle London's £116m fare-dodging epidemicThe risks faced by ticket inspectors attempting to tackle London's fare-dodging epidemic are revealed in a shocking documentary.
• Mini Holland: Activists call on Sadiq Khan to do more as key safe cycle route opensA flagship safe cycling route in London’s first “mini Holland” borough was opened today as campaigners urged Sadiq Khan to take swifter action on dangerous junctions.
• Passengers on smoky BA flight struggling to breathe months laterPassengers on a British Airways flight that filled with smoke before landing say the traumatic experience is still affecting their health more than two months later.
• Jubilee line delays: Commuters hit with morning rush hour chaos due to 'unavailability of trains'Commuters have been hit with morning rush hour delays on the Tube as a large part of the Jubilee line was suspended completely.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Heathrow third runway will have ‘widespread environmental consequences’Campaigners trying to block the airport’s expansion are bringing a legal challenge over the Government’s approval of plans for the extra runway.

East Anglian Daily Times

• School transport review confirmed as public apology issued for problemsAn independent review led by Suffolk’s chief fire officer is set to take place over controversial school transport changes.

Other Regional Press

• No third runway campaigners confident in second bid to block Heathrow expansionThey say the plans are totally incompatible with government climate change commitments
• East West Rail appoints Arup for project’s first major support contractThe East West Railway Company (EWR Co) has appointed an Arup-led consortium to support early works so the project can continue its rapid progress once a decision is made on the preferred route for the Bedford to Cambridge section later this year.
• Campaigners vow to fight Gobowen train cutbacks planCampaigners have condemned a proposal to lose two train services that pass through Gobowen and Chirk.
• Readers react to plea for high speed transportTHE Mail readers have reacted to the CBI deputy regional director for Cumbria and the North East, Alistair Westwood, who made the argument for the county as part of a nationwide plea by the business organisation for the Government to back the controversial high-speed railway project.
• New trains on Bittern line within weeksNew longer trains with more seats will be operating on the Bittern Line that links Norwich to Sheringham within the next few weeks, rail bosses said.
• Key Huddersfield road facing two years of disruptionResidents, businesses and commuters will be affected

Coach and Bus Week

• Consultation on bus franchising scheme commences in ManchesterGreater Manchester will be the first city-region in the UK to hold a public consultation on the introduction of a bus franchising scheme, using powers available under the Bus Services Act 2017.
• Sowing the right seeds Reading the market is important to the success of any business, but at Nedging, Suffolk-based Three C’s Travel that’s a skill that goes far beyond coaching as Andy Izatt discovers
• CPT responds to no-deal tariff scheduleHaving previously written to the Government calling for tariff free access to be maintained, as the vast majority of coaches are imported from the EU, the CPT has responded to the recent publication of the UK’s revised no deal tariff schedule.
• The world is your oysterThe Young Bus Managers Network’s autumn conference took place last week in Croydon. Peter Jackson reports on the second day of the event
• More than just ticketingDespite being called Ticketer, the company’s products today offer so much more than just ticket sales. John Lewis investigates
• Stagecoach celebrates 100 years of Midland Red in BanburyA Centenary event was held in Banbury town centre on Sunday 13 October to celebrate 100 years of Midland Red operation in the Oxfordshire town.

Rail Technology Magazine

• RAIB releases new safety recommendations following recent fatal accident The RAIB has delivered a new set of safety recommendations after a passenger suffered fatal injuries after leaning out of a window of a moving train last year. The rail safety branch has made four recommendations and identified two learning points, including changes for the operator and...
• ScotRail's surge in train punctuality 'no fluke'  New research shows a huge ‘surge’ in ScotRail trains arriving on time, the biggest year-on-year increase in punctuality since 2015. Scotland’s Railways delivered 36,200 more trains on time since April 1 2019, compared with the same period last year. Throughout Scotland...
• Two Network Rail leaders internationally recognised among most influential women in engineeringThe Financial Times has selected two Network Rail leaders to appear on the most influential females in engineering list. Just 16.4% of the rail industry in made up of women, but today (17 Oct) has seen the international recognition of two of those women for their contribution to...
• North and Midlands must take control to deliver true benefits of HS2 and NPR, says review The North and Midlands must take control of their high-speed rail network, argues a report from the Northern Powerhouse Independent Review warning against cancelling the major infrastructure projects without viable alternatives. The review, established to inform the Government-commissioned...

Railnews

• Merseyrail strikes called off after new agreement A series of strikes on Merseyrail has been suspended by the RMT, after what the union described as a ˜breakthrough™ offer from management. The union said ˜the company tabled an offer that guarantees both a guard on the train and the safety-critical role of that guard in the despatch process™. The dispute has been one of several involving the RMT over the future of on-train staffing, and the Merseyrail negotiations have come close to being resolved before. Merseyrail managing director Andy Heath said: ˜We will now progress with the next phase of discussions to finalise an agreement.™

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Tariffs: The challenge of no dealShould the UK leave the EU with no deal, temporary tariffs on imported vehicles will be levied. How much will they be?
• CitySwift’s scheduling platform unveiled as Montgomery joinsArtificial intelligence and machine learning allow prediction of journey times and demand
• Wrights Group saved after last-minute deal with Jo BamfordAgreement reached on sale of factory and land after ‘pragmatic’ negotiations wrap up
• Nottingham City Transport’s app top rated in UKNottingham City Transport (NCT) has come out top in a survey by Passenger Transport magazine which scored 85 bus-based apps out of 5. The NCTX Buses app scored 4.8, from 6,000 reviews.
• Future energy shift could mean an annual loss of £40 billion in taxesGovernment wants talks on how road infrastructure will be paid for in a greener future
• Totalkare launches brake and light testers at Coach & Bus UKLifting specialist Totalkare, founded in 1952 by Walter Somers, is one of the UK’s leading providers of heavy-duty workshop solutions.

Aviation Industry

• Airbus offers to provide A350-1000 for Qantas ultra-LCC competition Airbus confirmed it is offering a version of the A350-1000 in the Qantas ultra-long-haul competition around its Project Sunrise initiative that would enable the airline to launch nonstop flights from Australia’s east coast to London and New York, among others. read more
• Aviation partners to form MRO Blockchain Alliance Over the coming month, a group of aviation stakeholders will announce a collaborative MRO blockchain project that will give greater visibility over the lifecycle of aircraft parts. read more
• Alitalia’s rescue plan still uncertain as latest deadline passesAlitalia’s future remains uncertain after a much-delayed Oct. 15 deadline passed without the Italian flag carrier’s rescue consortium, led by Italian railway company Ferrovie dello Stato, presenting an industrial plan for its relaunch. read more
• British airline industry carefully watching new Brexit agreementBritain’s aerospace industry is carefully examining the details of a revised withdrawal agreement for the country’s exit from the European Union (EU). read more

Other News Sources

• TfL commissioner Mike Brown quits to oversee Palace of Westminster restorationTransport for London (TfL) transport commissioner Mike Brown has quit his post to oversee the restoration of the Palace of Westminster.
• Work to cure rail bottleneck moves step closerLong awaited work to clear a major bottleneck on the region's railways has moved a step closer.
• Mayor James Palmer: I’ve urged No 10 to build Cambridge South railway station nowWe don’t just need a railway station at Cambridge South now, we needed it years ago. And people rightly get angry and worried when infrastructure doesn’t keep pace with growth. Cambridge Biomedical Campus is a clear case in point.