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

Friday, 06 December 2019

Government

• CMA accepts price caps on West Coast Rail linesTrain passengers travelling on certain routes between Preston and Scotland will benefit from capped fares following a CMA investigation.

BBC News

• Trains: Frustration over Carmarthen-Milford Haven rail cancellationsTrain passengers in west Wales say they feel their service is being treated as "dispensable" after a 40-mile section of line was closed for five weeks.
• New Bristol Portway railway station costs facing £1m shortfallThe cost of building a new railway station in Bristol is facing a shortfall of £1m.
• West Midlands Mayor Andy Street says HS2 needs a new name and trains from Birmingham to ParisStrike action on West Midlands Trains has been called off as staff consider a new offer.
• Northern: Commuter protest against 'unreliable' rail firmCommuters have held a rush-hour protest at a city centre railway station against the service provided by Northern.
• Margam rail workers' deaths: 'No formal lookout' appointedGareth Delbridge and Michael
• Lotus Evija: The £2.2m electric hypercarThe Lotus Evija goes into production next year and Click gets a look at what drivers can expect.
• River Almond polluted by de-icer from Edinburgh airportThe fluid leaks into the River Almond, affecting salmon, trout and eels, according to the Forth Rivers Trust.
• Harland and Wolff deal completed by new owner InfraStrataInfraStrata seals its Belfast shipyard purchase after a £3.3m payment to the administrators.
• Northern: Commuter protest against 'unreliable' rail firmCommuters gather outside a city centre railway station to protest against Northern's service.

Financial Times

• United says Scott Kirby to succeed Munoz as chief executiveUS carrier says CEO to transition to role of executive chairman in 2020
• Uber discloses almost 6,000 sexual assaults in USCar-booking service releases safety report covering trips between 2017 and 2018

The Guardian

• Passengers protest to demand Northern rail be stripped of franchiseCustomers of one of UK’s worst-performing train firms gather for Manchester demonstrationLong-suffering passengers using one of the UK’s worst-performing train companies have staged a rush-hour protest demanding it be stripped of its franchise.Commuters gathered outside Victoria station in Manchester to draw attention to the regular delays, cancellations and overcrowding on services run by Northern, calling upcoming new year price increases an insult to passengers who already pay over the odds for a “very poorâ€� service. Continue reading...
• Eddie Stobart transport firm teeters on brink of collapseUp to 6,500 jobs at risk as shareholders prepare to vote on company’s future The Eddie Stobart transport business, famed for its red and green lorries, is teetering on the brink of collapse with its future due to be decided at a key shareholder vote in London on Friday.The vote will pit William Stobart, the third son of the company’s founder, against his childhood friend and former brother-in-law, Andrew Tinkler. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Virgin Trains is a lesson in how to run a railway successfullyThe man who pays his way: Sir Richard Branson’s company is stripped of its franchise this weekend

The Scotsman

• Scotland’s railways is the story that keeps on giving but often not in a good way - Alastair DaltonTrain operators like ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper crave positive ... story that keeps on giving but often not in a good way

Times Online

• What the new Great Western Railway timetable could do to house prices [subscription]Shorter train rides to London from Bristol and Bath could boost house prices
• Up to 60% of trains arrive late on the worst networks [subscription]Up to 60 per cent of trains were delayed on the worst-performing railway networks over the past year. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) reported that the majority of services run by some companies reached stations more than a minute late in the 12 months to the end of September.

City AM

• Uber pushes back against Khan criticismsSadiq Khan has lashed out at Uber by criticising the firm’s response to its London ban, while also shaming the app for allowing a driver to operate after it was found he possessed “obscene photos of a child”.
• Former Ofcom boss to advise on Heathrow terminal monopoly probeA firm set up by the former boss of Ofcom has been appointed to advise the aviation regulator on whether [...] The post Former Ofcom boss to advise on Heathrow terminal monopoly probe appeared first on CityAM.

Sky News

• Ex-Ofcom boss to probe Heathrow terminal monopolyA firm headed by the former Ofcom chief Ed Richards is to advise the CAA on Heathrow's future, Sky News learns

Bristol Live

• Costs of new Bristol railway station go up £1 million in three yearsPortway station should be open this time next year

London Evening Standard

• French air and rail strikes: December 2019 dates and latest info on the industrial actionPublic sector workers in France are taking part in one of the biggest public sector strikes in the country for decades.

Manchester Evening News

• 'Cancel Northern rail, not our trains': Fed up commuters protest outside Manchester Victoria stationPassengers frustrated at the service offered by the rail firm franchise began direct action

Sheffield Star

• Take the train from Sheffield to station’s first Christmas shopping partyA railway station within easy reach of Sheffield is throwing its first-ever Christmas shopping party, promising free gifts and large discounts on designer items.

Yorkshire Post

• The Pacer graveyard: This is the Yorkshire scrap site where Northern trains end their livesNorthern have scrapped the first of their fleet of much-maligned Pacers - and this is where they've ended up.

Burnley Express

• Rawtenstall bus routes partially saved by new dealA DEAL between a bus operator and Lancashire County Council has saved part of five local routes facing the axe.
• Calls for Transdev to rethink Accrington-Manchester X41 bus axeA COUNCIL is set to ask a bus operator to reconsider its decision to axe the express service from its main town to Manchester.

Cambridge News

• Huge new section of A14 is ready to open - and it has three lanesThe existing A14, which is currently used by thousands of commuters every day, will be permanently closed between Godmanchester, J24, and Spittals, J23, once the new 12-mile bypass opens to traffic.

Other Regional Press

• Bus service in doubt after driver attackedA firm is said to have cut a bus service after one of its drivers was assaulted.
• Stratton petition will not stop Nythe Road junction widening plansCampaigners who live on a major route into the centre of Swindon are not happy at the borough council’s response to their pleas.
• WHAT YOU SAID: Bus shelter mistakenly placed in a cycle laneA bus shelter on Marlborough Road was mistakenly built on the cycle lane six months ago but has yet to be moved.
• Conservatives promise cash for transport system to connect Leeds and KirkleesLeeds third attempt at mass transit system was revealed a year ago – now the Tories claim they'll back it
• Electric vehicle charging point to be requested with car park alterationsAn electric vehicle charge point will be requested when changes are made to the car park outside Dorchester’s Vespasian House.
• New Coventry station link road plans revealedA second bid has been made

Bikebiz

• Ampler Bikes on what the UK can learn from mainland EuropeEurope’s growing affection for light mobility products and a desire for a cleaner environment is putting pressure on cities to start putting more focus on building better infrastructure and making city centres car-free. The UK can look towards mainland Europe for examples on how to create its own cycling-friendly policies. Safety and convenience are key to catching up.
• E-bike tech start-up launches in London with DeliverooMobility startup Bolt has launched in the UK with the “world’s first” platform to offer an accessible light electric vehicle solution for delivery couriers and businesses.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Port of Tyne launches vision for the futureMatt Beeton, Chief Executive Officer, Port of Tyne, has launched ‘Tyne 2050’, the Port’s new strategic plan. This is a long-term vision that will see the Tyne become a gateway to help transform both the region and the maritime industry. It is fully aligned to the Government’s Maritime 2050 strategy and to the North East Economic plan. Matt Beeton said: “The Tyne 2050 plan is an exciting new vision for the Port. The strategy is critical to sustaining the Port for the long-term and will help lead the way in key areas such as environment and technology as well a...

Coach and Bus Week

• TfL’s New Routemaster to be converted to front door entry onlyCBW has seen a Freedom of Information Act (FoI) request from Isaac Davis in regards to the proposal by Transport for London (TfL) to convert 1,000 Wrightbus New Routemasters (NRM) three-door double-deckers to front door entry only, to reduce fare evasion.
• Stagecoach North East to start DRT contract next monthTees Valley Combined Authority awarded Stagecoach North East with a contract to operate a demand responsive transport service for a three-year trial period, which will start in the New Year
• Stagecoach West’s Bristol expansionStagecoach West has seen its operations and operating area significantly increase over the last five years. The latest company to join the Stagecoach West fold is South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach. Richard Sharman visited the Patchway depot one week before the official takeover to see the preparations underway and what operations will be added to the division’s already diverse portfolio

Rail Technology Magazine

• TfL to install over 100 cycle docking points near major rail stations Before the year is over, Transport for London (TfL) will have installed 105 new Santander Cycles docking points close to Network Rail stations in Central London. It comes as part of an initiative to boost connectivity between different modes of transport, giving commuters and visitors in the...
• Virgin Trains lead the way with 5G onboard connectivity Virgin Trains has become the first train operator to trial onboard 5G Wi-Fi. The trial comes in partnership with McLauren Applied and Vodafone, as efforts to bring unrivalled broadband speeds onboard trains continue. Once rolled out, the 5G connectivity on the West Coast Mainline will offer...
• LNER to say goodbye to Intercity 125 High Speed Train More than four decades of service to be celebrated by London North Eastern Railway from the iconic High-Speed Train (HST) on the East Coast route with a special farewell tour in December. LNER will mark the occasion by operating a four-day special service taking in the majority of destinations...
• New Northern trains announced across their routesRail operator, Northern, announced yesterday (Dec 4) that more than 50 new northern trains will be in service from Dec 15, with a further 49 to be operational in 2020. Brand new trains will serve Lincoln, Gainsborough, Worksop, Nottingham for Lincoln and East Midlands and Leeds and...

Railnews

• Margam fatality report highlights lack of lookouts An interim report into the deaths of two track workers at Margam in south Wales on 3 July has found that the work team of three was not being protected. The third member of the team, which was maintaining a set of points, came ˜very close to being struck™, said the Rail Accident Investigation Branch. The RAIB said its preliminary conclusion was that the accident occurred because the three were working on a line that was open to traffic, without lookouts.
• Strikes suspended on West Midlands Trains Saturday™s strike on West Midlands Trains has been suspended by the RMT, after the union received a new offer. However, West Midlands Trains has warned that it is too late to restore a normal service, and that a limited timetable will still apply this Saturday. The dispute, which was to have triggered walkouts on every Saturday in December, was about the future responsibilities of guards, but a referendum of RMT members on WMT will now be carried out, to see if they wish to accept the revised deal.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• National Express increases capacity on routes affected by train strikeNational Express is coming to the rescue of travellers left stranded by the upcoming 27 days of strike action, which is being taken by RMT members on South Western Railway services during December.
• Sussex Coaches takes a Scania Irizar I-SkoolSteyning-based Sussex Coaches has taken delivery of a K 360 IB with 80-seat Irizar I-Skool bodywork, supplied by Scania Great Britain (01909 500822). It is the operator’s first new vehicle for several years.
• Ipswich Buses launches Ticketless smart platformIpswich Buses is the latest operator to launch UrbanThings’ smart ticketing platform, Ticketless.
• Community Transport Association underlines claimsThe Community Transport Association has underlined its longstanding claim that neither the operation of contestable contracts nor money changing hands for the operation of contracts automatically constitute commercial undertakings.
• Pailton Engineering debuts memory steering columnPailton Engineering has shown its new electric memory steering column, which is designed for coaches and buses.

Aviation Industry

• European ministers to revamp energy tax lawsEurope’s finance ministers agreed to revise current energy taxation laws at a Dec. 5 meeting of the economic and financial affairs council, in a move that could pave the way for an end to jet fuel’s exemption from tax. read more
• United CEO Oscar Munoz to step down in May 2020United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz will step down in May 2020 to become executive chairman of the board, the company announced Dec. 5. read more
• Report: Aviation industry is safer, but accidents more costlyAircraft collisions and crashes account for more than half the value of all aviation-related insurance claims (57%), equivalent to $9.3 billion and more than a quarter of claims by number (27%), according to a new report provided by major insurance provider Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. read more
• Emirates Airline orders two CAE 777X simulators CAE on Dec. 5 announced an order from Emirates Airline for two Boeing 777X full-flight simulators (FFS) and associated training suites. read more

Other News Sources

• Commuters stuck at Brighton Station as trains delayed TRAINS are being cancelled and delayed after a points failure on a busy railway line.