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

Friday, 01 November 2019

BBC News

• Entire drone fleet grounded by US government agencyThe 800 drones used to monitor endangered species and federal land are being investigated for security risks.
• Sir Ian Wood: Aberdeen must become 'energy city'Businessman Sir Ian Wood says his
• Bombardier NI operations sold to Spirit AeroSystemsThe aerospace firm's Belfast facility is sold to Kansas-based Spirit AeroSystems in a deal worth nearly £1bn.
• Vauxhall fears after car giants Fiat and PSA announce mergerFiat Chrysler and Vauxhall's owner, France's PSA, announce merger plans for a £40bn car giant.

ITV News

• NW rail users promised new trains and extra servicesRail users in the north west are being promised more trains and extra services. A report by rail companies sets out their spending plans for 2020. They say they'll be spending an estimated £20 billion in running and upgrading the system. In the north of England, new and upgraded trains will be delivered for passengers travelling with TransPennine Express, Merseyrail, and Northern among others.

Financial Times

• Long and winding road to marriage of Fiat and PeugeotHow deal was done over dinner on outskirts of Paris after months of negotiations
• Air France-KLM profits slide as uncertainty hurts passenger demandAirline group points to ‘softening’ economic conditions as it misses earnings expectations
• The ‘Uber of trucks’ shakes up freight transport across AfricaNairobi start-up aims to tackle notorious inefficiency in the sector

The Scotsman

• Revealed: The riskiest time to drive, walk and cycle – Alastair DaltonRoad injuries peak at different times, days and months depending on how you get about, according to a new Transport Scotland compendium of casualty statistics.

The Telegraph

• Electric car drivers abusing charging scheme to get free parking, council complains
• Pilots are unable to spot drones as they approach runways, study finds 
• Croydon tram crash driver will not face charges

Belfast Telegraph

• Bombardier: 'All-embracing' $1bn buyout is good news for Belfast plant and workforceSpirit AeroSystems Inc is a successful components contractor operating across the aerospace sector. It brings to Shorts-Bombardier a competitive reputation in advanced manufacturing.

Birmingham Mail

• Mobile phone driving laws to be tightened up - here's what you won't be able to doThe changes follow a man's successful appeal against a conviction- here's how the revised legislation affects exactly what motorists can do with a phone while on the road
• Birmingham Airport named one of most expensive for car parking in UKThe website reviewed each UK airport over the peak 2019 summer holiday period (1 June to 31 August) comparing prices with those for the same week in 2018

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• A dramatic twist in railway tunnel sagaIn the latest twist, Bradford Council has announced planning rules may have been breached by the Department for Transport (DfT).
• Details of new cycling and walking routes in Bradford District won't be revealed until next yearDETAILS of new cycling routes linking Bradford city centre to Birkenshaw and Laisterdyke to Low Moor will now not be revealed until 2020.
• School bus depot plan approved - despite concerns of neighbouring businessesA NEW depot for school buses can be created in Keighley, despite concerns from neighbouring businesses that it could cause major traffic issues.

London Evening Standard

• Croydon tram crash: Driver and company involved in fatal tragedy will not face chargesThe driver of the tram involved in a fatal crash in Croydon in 2016 will not face criminal charges, police have said.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• New trains worth over £1 billion promised to the North as rail companies pledge £20bn to improve journeysThe joint investment report published on Friday by Britain's rail companies promises to lead to more than 1,000 extra journeys a week by next year
• New trains worth over £1 billion promised to the North as rail companies pledge £20bn to improve journeysThe joint investment report published on Friday by Britain's rail companies promises to lead to more than 1,000 extra journeys a week by next year

The York Press

• York-based rail firm's £2.6m plan to upgrade stations YORK-BASED train operator Grand Central has announced details of a £2.6 million plan to upgrade stations along its routes, including Thirsk.
• First York bus boss says he's sorry for unreliable services YORK’S biggest bus operator has apologised for unreliable services on several key city routes - and pledged to tackle the problems.

Wales Online

• Police will soon be driving electric cars around neighbourhoods in mid and west WalesIt follows a trial of an electric car in Tenby over the summer

Yorkshire Post

• What Labour will do to get North’s railways back on track – Rachael MaskellWHEN it comes to the reopening of the Colne to Skipton line, we are talking about just 12 miles of railway. Investment in this piece of infrastructure could be transformative for the North; that is why Labour has committed to that as part of our rail enhancement programme.

Cambridge News

• Obscure UK driving laws you're probably breaking without knowing itYou could be risking a huge fine and penalty points if you don't follow them

Reading Evening Post

• Reading's main cycle path is so restricting even some cyclists can't use it properlyThe Department for Transport will fund improvements barriers along the National Cycle Network Route 4

Other Regional Press

• Transport Minister steps into row over axing of stopping train through ShropshireTransport Minister Grant Shapps stepped into the row over the axing of a stopping train through Shropshire before the announcement of a general election.
• Passenger takes budget airline to court over 'unfair' baggage policy - and winsFlybe was told to pay his court costs and the baggage fee
• Number of motorists caught speeding in West Yorkshire has doubled in just five yearsHuddersfield road safety charity slams "drivers who selfishly ignore speed limits"
• Rail company bans seat reservations over drunken Ale Trail behaviourPassengers can no longer book seats between Manchester and Hull

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Putting the green in coachBirmingham-based Big Green Coach is serious about promoting environmentally-friendly coach travel to events
• Durham’s new coach park opensNew facilities for coaches are now available at Belmont park and ride site, on the outskirts of Durham. The facility has 30 spaces for coaches; considerably more compared to the eleven at the site it has replaced in The Sands in the county town. The site is located on the A690, approximately 300m east of Junction 62 of the A1.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• DPD marks 70 years of children's charity with three new Sunshine CoachesThe UK's No.1 domestic parcels carrier DPD, has delivered three brand new, specially adapted and bespoke Sunshine Coaches as part of Variety, the Children's Charity's 70th anniversary. DPD has worked alongside Variety since 1994 and has funded a total of 73 Sunshine Coaches for schools up and down the UK in that time.  Variety was established in 1949 and has supported over one million disabled and disadvantaged children across the UK.  The Sunshine Coaches give young people with additional needs, the opportunity to experience active learning and develop life skills, outside the schoo...

Coach and Bus Week

• DfT launches £2m fund for audio-visual bus upgradesThe funding, which is aimed at smaller bus operators, is launched alongside a wider bus accessibility campaign
• Souter Investments reports continued strong performanceSouter Investments has issued its fourth triennial Investment Review covering the period from the formation of Souter Investments in December 2006 to March 2019.
• Report on the future of bus funding releasedThe Campaign for Better Transport’s report on the future of bus funding has been released, which states that annual bus funding is £400m lower than it was a decade ago.
• National Express West Midlands unleashes the zombie bus in BirminghamNational Express West Midlands will be haunting Birmingham city centre with a special zombie bus service this Halloween. The Ghoulsville 666 service via Hell and Back is free to board and will operate every 30 minutes on the evenings of Wednesday 30 October and Thursday 31 October.
• BAE Systems unveils next-generation electric bus propulsion systemNew battery electric system will help operators decrease emissions while increasing traveling distance before a charge

New Civil Engineer

• General election | Where parties stand on HS2, Heathrow and net zero goalAs the UK gears up for a December General E lection, New Civil Engineer looks at where each party stands on vital issues such as transport, infrastructure and the environment.
• London mayor rivals demand halt to Silvertown Tunnel plansThree London mayoral candidates have written to Mayor Sadiq Khan to request a delay to the Silvertown Tunnel project.
• Winners named on £30bn government frameworkThe government's crown commercial service has revealed the 128 firms picked for the £30bn framework.
• Winners named on £30bn government frameworkThe government's crown commercial service has revealed the 128 firms picked for the £30bn framework.
• Exclusive | HS2 eyes £1bn Euston over site development saleHigh Speed 2 Ltd (HS2 Ltd) is looking to claw back more than £1bn from the sale of the over site development (OSD) above its Euston terminus as a means of reducing the project's cost, New Civil Engineer can reveal.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Grand Central announces further details of £2.6m stations investmentGrand Central Railway Company has outlined further details of a collection of station investment schemes alone the North East and West Riding routes. The company has committed to the communities it serves by investing in improved customer experience on board, online and at stations. Renovations...
• London's Docklands Light Railway will receive New Thales technology 122 million passengers are set to have their journeys improved following Thales’ signing of a new contract to support DLR’s rolling stock replacement programme, which will help bring more regular and reliable journeys in East London from 2023. The first contract will be for the...
• Managing workforce - Julian Hendon, Network Rail Source: RTM Oct/Nov 2019   Fatigue in the rail industry   Workforce fatigue can have a similar effect to drugs or alcohol, making it a very serious worry in the rail industry. Julian Hendon, Network Rail’s programme manager, tells us of their updated Fatigue Improvement...
• No compromise for safety - Ian Walbeoff, BolleLife is normally full of compromises, but hopefully not anymore with a new range of high-tech lens developments from Bollé Safety for the Rail Industry. For any conditions, in any working environment, Bollé Safety has the lens for you, says general manager Ian...

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Presenting the case for biogasElectric continues to be pushed as a means of achieving Britain’s carbon zero goals – but alternatives still have their place
• UntitledAs councils, employers and employees strive to be more environmentally-friendly, is there potential for a commuter route near you? We ask operators about the secrets of their success
• Ultrafabrics launches its first biobased collection of performance fabricsCommitted to reducing dependency on finite resources, Ultraleather Volar Bio signifies a new direction for Ultrafabrics.
• West Yorkshire Transport meeting: Buses top agendaThe sale of First Bus, West Yorkshire Bus Alliance and extra government funding for socially necessary journeys will be up for discussion at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee meeting on 1 November.
• Second new bus route arrives in south east LondonSouth East London’s new route 335 was launched on Saturday (26 October) and has directly connected homes in Kidbrooke to the North Greenwich transport hub.
• LEZ explained for coach operatorsTransport for London (TfL) is holding an information session for coach operators to explain the changes that will be happening to the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) from 26 October 2020.
• Corethree and First Group trial new mobile ticketing solutionThe ITSO-compatible mobile ticketing solution for Android phones will soon be on offer
• Peterborough and Cambs bus network ‘not good enough’Reform needed as Mayor of Cambridgeshire decries local services as ‘frequently in decline’ The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is launching a survey to canvas public opinion with the intention of radically reforming its bus network.

Aviation Industry

• Istanbul Airport serves over 41 million passengers in first yearTurkey’s new Istanbul Airport has served more than 41 million passengers—an average of 210,000 per day—since opening one year ago. read more
• IAG 3Q profit down 10.6% on BA pilot strike International Airlines Group’s (IAG) third-quarter net profit fell 10.6% to €1 billion ($1.1 billion), impacted by a €155 million initial hit from the British Airways (BA) pilot strikes and higher fuel costs. read more
• IAG confirms interest in Thomas Cook slotsInternational Airlines Group (IAG) has expressed interest in some London Gatwick Airport slots previously operated by defunct UK leisure carrier Thomas Cook. read more
• Trans States cancels order for up to 100 SpaceJet aircraftTrans States Holdings has canceled an order for up to 100 Mitsubishi SpaceJet aircraft, in the latest setback facing the Japanese manufacturer’s long-delayed regional jet program. read more

Other News Sources

• MPs criticise lack of competition in Heathrow expansionCross-party group calls for more choice for passengers, while BTA welcomes Virgin Atlantic's bid to be second flag-carrying airline.
• Hammersmith and Fulham council say no to third runway proposal at Heathrow airportA town hall is continuing its campaign opposing the third runway proposal at Heathrow airport.
• Decarbonising Britain’s railways demands urgent action – here’s how it could be doneThe race is on to reach net-zero carbon emissions within the next few decades – and the road to the zero-carbon UK runs through its railways. Transport currently accounts for 26% of all carbon emissions in the UK, and only 1% of this comes from trains. Marcus Mayers and David Bamford from Manchester Metropolitan University discuss how this picture could change.
• Northern Apologise For New Train Teething Problems In Calder ValleyThe brand new units were introduced on some services through Bradford Interchange, Halifax and Hebden Bridge last week.
• New Scarborough Trains WithdrawnTransPennine Express has confirmed that its brand new Nova trains, which have been serving Scarborough, will have to be withdrawn.
• Is this the worst road for pavement parking in the city? READERS are calling for a ban on “inconsiderateâ€� pavement parking.