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

Tuesday, 22 October 2019

BBC News

• Cardiff Airport to be loaned more taxpayers' cashWales' only international airport is being loaned more taxpayers' money.
• 'The trains that refuse to die'The much-derided Pacer trains could be celebrated as a British engineering success story. Built in the 1980s - initially as a joint venture between British Rail and Leyland Motors - they were supposed to be a stop-gap solution with a lifetime of just 20 years.
• Wrexham rail users criticise 'unacceptable' cut to hourly train servicesRail users in the Wrexham area claim timetable changes in December mean they will lose their hourly train service.
• Pacer trains: What's the problem?Pacer trains were introduced in the 1980s as a "stopgap".
• Are electric cars as 'green' as you think?The lithium powering electric vehicles is found deep beneath the salt flats of Argentina
• Northern rail: Politicians call for Pacer trains compensationSenior politicians say rail firm Northern should reduce fares for passengers using Pacer trains.
• Green number plates planned for electric carsThe plan means it will be easier to offer incentives such as cheaper parking for zero-emission cars.

ITV News

• Southampton Airport due to submit their expansion plans for council approvalSouthampton Airport is due to submit its plans for expansion for approval. Planners at Eastleigh Borough Council will consider whether to give the scheme the go ahead.

Financial Times

• Oil tanker rates to stay high until year-end, says EuronavUS sanctions on Chinese shipowner and new emissions rules have led to tightening of supply
• Investors balk at green bond from oil tanker groupPoor market reception for Teekay issue throws spotlight on eco-friendly financing
• Maersk unexpectedly raises profit guidance despite trade tensionsDanish shipping group’s increased earnings estimate sparks jump in shares
• London station to be freight hub in green goods planService would help logistics companies avoid emissions and congestion charges

The Guardian

• Sadiq Khan to fight government attempt to water down green policiesExclusive: mayor to reject changes to his London Plan which aims to protect green belt and stop Heathrow expansionThe mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is on a collision course with the government over proposals to water down his green plan for the capital, which involves stopping the expansion of Heathrow and protecting the green belt.Planning inspectors want Khan to withdraw his objections to Heathrow’s expansion, permit fracking in London, and loosen his commitment to the green belt by allowing building in “very special circumstancesâ€�. Continue reading...
• Electric cars to get green number plates under government planPlates will mean perks such as free parking as part of scheme to push zero-emission vehiclesGreen coloured number plates will be issued for electric cars under government plans to encourage drivers to buy zero-emission vehicles.The government said the new licence plates would make the least polluting cars easily identifiable and help their drivers benefit from incentives such as free parking or access to clean air zones. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Number plates for eco-friendly cars go green [subscription]reen number plates could be fitted to energy-saving cars in the biggest shake up of vehicle registration rules in nearly 50 years, the Department for Transport has announced.
• The electric air taxi that could take you from London to Manchester in an hour starting in 2025 [subscription]According to the laws of physics, the electric aircraft made by German company Lilium looks like it shouldn’t be able to fly.

Times Online

• Back-street walk to school cuts pollution exposure [subscription]Children are exposed to almost twice as much air pollution walking to school on main roads than they are on back streets, a study has found.
• Back-street walk to school cuts pollution exposure [subscription]Children are exposed to almost twice as much air pollution walking to school on main roads than they are on back streets, a study has found.
• Sadiq Khan and Andy Street: Our cities lead way to zero-carbon future but we need help [subscription]As elected mayors for London and the West Midlands, we’re immensely proud of the regions we represent and the contribution that both make to the UK’s successes at home and abroad. But we also know that our cities are still too reliant on fossil fuels, with the consequences mounting.

Birmingham Mail

• Ban on air miles for Birmingham Airport's most frequent fliers rejected by governmentThe demand for action on frequent flyer schemes follows the recent publication of a report commissioned by the Government's climate change advisers, which said they should be banned because they "stimulate demand" for excessive flying

Birmingham Post

• Derby’s Rolls-Royce invests over £50m in new ‘flying’ aero engine test bedA former Qantas Boeing 747 aircraft will be used to test the firm’s future aero engines

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Skipton - Colne line ‘one step closer’ to reopeningPENDLE MP Andrew Stephenson MP has welcomed the announcement from the Department of Transport that the Skipton to Colne rail line is moving it one step closer to being reopened.
• Three big Bradford schemes set to slash city's CO2 emissions A PUSH by a Bradford academy chain to become more energy efficient will be used as an example of the work being done to make the area a greener place.

Bristol Live

• Clifton Suspension Bridge to close to trafficIt's so inspection work can take place

London Evening Standard

• Fare Dodgers: At War With The Law: A compelling but depressing look behind-the-scenes at TfLFare dodging is estimated to cost TfL £116 million a year
• TfL Tube driver discusses scorching Central line, secret loos and being scarred from mind the gap announcement in revealing Q&AA Tube driver has revealed what it's really like to work on the London Underground in a fascinating Q&A.
• TfL Tube status: Rush hour delays as District line suspended amid disruption on four other linesCommuters are facing rush-hour delays after the District line was suspended amid disruption on four other lines.

Bucks Free Press

• Great Missenden campaigners release 'emergency statement' ahead of expected HS2 work Campaigners have issued a 'emergency statement' ahead of the expected commencement of tree-felling in Great Missenden.

Doncaster Free Press

• Mayor Dan Jarvis calls on Northern Rail to give discounts to South Yorkshire passengers travelling on 'relic' Pacer trainsSouth Yorkshire metro mayor Dan Jarvis has called on Northern Rail to offer discounts to passengers who travel on their heavily-criticised Pacer trains.

Other Regional Press

• Last chance to have say on £1bn Huddersfield rail widening project
• Stagecoach drivers say someone could be killed due to tiredness and bus defects, but bosses say the fleet is safeFears over safety of drivers and passengers in Gloucestershire expressed by ‘under pressure’ drivers
• Pension campaigners call on council to issue women with bus passesCampaigners fighting changes to the women's state pension age have called on the council in their droves to issue them with passes for cheaper bus travel.
• Fast trains unable to stop at TwyfordFast trains will not be able to call at Twyford en route to Reading, GWR has tweeted.

New Civil Engineer

• Court to rule on Heathrow expansion appealHeathrow Hub is set to begin its appeal against the High Court decision to reject a legal challenge mounted against Heathrow Airport Ltd’s expansion plan.

Aviation Industry

• Boeing’s transparency questioned after new documents emergeBoeing is countering accusations that it hid key information about development of the 737 maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) from regulators, insisting that it kept officials in the loop as the design changed, and regulators were briefed on its final configuration “multipleâ€� times. read more
• Management acquires Nokia’s A2G connectivity assetsTelecommunications provider Nokia has sold its air-to-ground (A2G) aviation connectivity assets through a management buyout, leading to the creation of a new company called SkyFive that will play a key role in the worldwide roll-out of A2G. read more
• Virgin Connect may consider larger aircraft UK regional Virgin Connect, formerly known as Flybe, plans to ultimately consider larger aircraft once things have settled under its new ownership. read more
• Former administrator: FAA must ‘rethink’ pilot training assumptions Former FAA administrator Randy Babbitt said that the recently issued Joint Authorities Technical Review (JATR) of the Boeing 737 MAX certification highlights how the FAA must “rethink assumptionsâ€� held about the qualifications of foreign pilots who fly aircraft certified in the US. read more
• Analysts predict more 737 production cuts, Boeing cash strainThe prospects of Boeing cutting or halting 737 production have grown, financial analysts and others said Oct. 21 after an internal Boeing pilot conversation over the MAX and the maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) became public. read more
• Editorial: Preparing for the long, long-haulNew aircraft and engine technologies are making ultra-long-haul flights feasible with widebodies like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787. read more

Other News Sources

• Anger over calls for Bucks HS2 stationThe idea of a station for HS2 in Buckinghamshire is something those in the village nearby aren't impressed with.
• Railway line reopening a Government 'priority' with hopes of ending 'miserable' M5 congestionNorth Somerset MP Dr Liam Fox secured an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on October 16, with politicians discussing the importance of MetroWest Phase One - which will see Portishead connected to Bristol by rail for the first time in decades.
• Councillor fights to restore weekend bus as 'residents will be left isolated'A CONCERNED councillor is fighting to have a weekend bus service reinstated because of fears it will leave elderly residents isolated.
• Environmental concerns raised for London City Airport’s Draft Master PlanPossible environmental impacts of the Draft Master Plan have been brought to attention by the Mayor of Newham in an open letter to London City Airport.
• To bolster our fragile road and rail system we need to add a ‘micro-mobility’ networkWe all know the feeling. You’re on your way to an important appointment when disaster strikes. A glitch in the transport matrix leaves you waiting for a train that never arrives, or in bumper-to-bumper trafficwith little chance of making it to your destination on time. If you are like me, you may wonder: why are our transport systems so fragile, and how could we make them more resilient?
• Hydraulic Dampers Help Improve Railway Safety and StabilityTechnological developments in railway suspension sealing products and materials offer several operational advantages.