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Friday, 10 January 2020

BBC News

• Newton Aycliffe Hitachi rail plant to axe 250 jobsUp to 250 jobs are set to be axed at a factory making trains in County Durham. The Hitachi plant in Newton Aycliffe opened in 2015 and employs about 900 people, according to the union Unite.
• Wednesbury freight firm fined £1.2m over boy's electrocutionThe boy was badly burned after he and two friends climbed on top of a freight train in a depot.
• Transport for Wales: KeolisAmey fined £2.3m for poor performanceThe train company contracted to run Transport for Wales services, KeolisAmey, has been fined £2.3m by the Welsh Government for poor performance.Economy minister Ken Skates said the penalty notices were "vital", saying the company had not lived up to what was agreed.
• Electric buses launched in Glasgow in bid to cut emissionsBus operator First Glasgow says it is a
• Carlos Ghosn: Did ex-Nissan boss really escape Japan in a box?The BBC's John Simpson pushes Carlos Ghosn on how he managed to flee to Lebanon.
• Northern rail can continue only 'for months', transport secretary saysA decision is due on the future of the troubled rail firm, which could be stripped of its franchise.
• Airbus 'sees potential to expand' after BrexitThe company had warned it could move wing-building out of the UK in the event of no deal.
• British Airways owner's boss Willie Walsh to step downThe chief executive of British Airways owner International Airlines Group is set to retire.

Financial Times

• Luis Gallego, the Iberia chief set to lead IAG Spaniard oversaw turnround at flag carrier while becoming top lieutenant for Willie Walsh 
• Northern rail financial woes force minister to step inGovernment considers taking over franchise as owner Arriva runs out of funds
• Willie Walsh to step down as chief of British Airways parent IAGIrishman who led creation of group to be replaced by Iberia boss Luis Gallego
• IAG's new pilot must restore the identity of BACombative Willie Walsh built a global group but Britain's flag carrier now needs to regain its crown
• Clamour for rail revamp as Northern nears end of lineThird operator failure underlines problems of system not fit for purpose
• Iran missile caused Tehran plane crash, officials believeTrudeau says ‘unintentional’ act could have brought down Ukraine airliner with 176 on board

The Guardian

• HS2 destroyed trees in way of train line without permissionContractors removed potential habitats for bats and butterflies in Buckingham nature reserve to prepare for rail line
• Willie Walsh: the pilot who landed the BA top jobCombative and controversial figure who steered British Airways into a global aviation powerhouse
• Northern rail franchise could collapse within months, says ShappsTransport secretary to decide whether to renationalise service by end of January
• Rail operators pay 16% more compensation claims for latenessRail operators paid out more than 1.2m compensation claims over late trains last summer, a 16% increase compared to the previous year, as networks began paying for delays of 15 minutes or more.
• Northern nightmare on poor rail ‘service’ [Letter]Nils Pratley is right about Grant Shapps’ weasel words concerning Northern rail (Shapps sounds the whistle over Northern rail – but a plan for real action is long overdue, 3 January)

Times Online

• Northern Rail could be nationalised in weeks [subscription]Northern Rail is months away from financial collapse amid growing anger over poor performance on the busy commuter network.
• Drivers of petrol and diesel cars face £10 charge to tackle Oxford pollution [subscription]Owners of petrol and diesel vehicles face being charged at least £10 to drive in the very centre of Oxford under some of Britain’s toughest restrictions on air pollution.
• Willie Walsh ushers in new reign from Spain at British Airways owner [subscription]Mr Walsh was the architect of deals that united the carriers at International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG). They led to thousands of job losses but have delivered solid returns for investors, with shares in IAG up 123 per cent since the company was created in 2011 when BA and Iberia came together.

City AM

• Airbus "committed" to UK after no-deal fears assuagedAirbus’ chief executive has said that the aerospace company is still “committed” to the UK, in a turnaround from previous comments on Brexit.
• Hitachi Rail to slash 250 jobs at County Durham factoryHitachi Rail has announced that it will cut 250 jobs from its train factory in County Durham.
• Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic spaceship passes construction milestoneSir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has reached a major milestone in the construction of its next passenger spaceship, it said.

The National

• Nicola Sturgeon defends stance on Heathrow Airport expansionNICOLA Sturgeon has defended the Scottish Government's stance on the expansion of Heathrow Airport in the face of climate concerns.

London Evening Standard

• Crunch time for Boris Johnson with Heathrow third runway ruling this yearPrime Minister Boris Johnson faces “make your mind up time” on Heathrow’s third runway after the airport confirmed it will seek a final go-ahead later this year and is confident of meeting climate change targets in full.
• Zone 1 area getting total overhaul after campaigners lose court battleA new identity is being carved out for this Zone 1 spot, with jumbo new homes schemes, shops, a new park, entertainment and funky street food venues.

Northern Echo

• 'This is the real-life cost of making stupid decisions' claims Tees Valley mayor as Hitachi announces 250 redundanciesA NORTH-East transport operator has refuted claims that the decision to make up to 250 redundancies at a County Durham factory is related to its bid to build trains for metro services in Tyne and Wear.

Wales Online

• Train operator Keolis Amey fined £2.3m for poor performanceTrain operator Keolis Amey, which is responsible for running train services in Wales, has been fined £2.3m for poor performance. It has been running the £5bn Wales and Borders franchise since October 2018

Yorkshire Evening Post

• "There is light at the end of the tunnel": Transport Secretary will have final Northern Rail decision this monthA decision on whether troubled rail operator Northern will be taken into public ownership will be made before the end of the month, the Transport Secretary told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Yorkshire Post

• Dan Jarvis 'incredibly mindful' of financial concerns over First BusSouth Yorkshire metro mayor Dan Jarvis has said he is ‘incredibly mindful’ of the financial concerns around bus operator First.
• Northern rail action by Grant Shapps and Jake Berry is encouraging – The Yorkshire Post saysTHE MESSAGE from Cabinet ministers Grant Shapps and Jake Berry was clear following their joint visit to The Yorkshire Post – no rail operator will ever again get away with the poor performance that has blighted the North’s network for so long.

Hull Daily Mail

• Siemens' exciting £6m 'rail village' plans for East Yorkshire townThe centre would support the company's upcoming £200m rail manufacturing facility in Goole

Leeds Live

• Transport boss admits Northern passengers could wait years for 'full improvement'During a visit to Leeds, the transport secretary also said passengers "deserve a lot better" and there is "light at the end of the tunnel"

Other Regional Press

• Stewart Paterson: Glasgow Airport Rail Link rows must not derail Metro plansGlasgow has had many false dawns with big ticket transport projects, promised but not delivered. For example, how many times have we heard talk of extending the Subway to the east or north? Sounds great but not likely to happen given the cost.
• Slough's forgotten London Underground line which went all the way to Windsor19th-Century commuters had an easy time of it when travelling into London from Slough. Once upon a time London’s District Line extended all the way to Windsor and could take you directly to Mansion House - smack bang in the centre of London.

Train Operators

• 19 month-high for trains running on timeThe number of trains running on time across Scotland’s Railway has reached its highest level since June 2018, as customers reap the rewards of investment in infrastructure and £475 million on new and upgraded trains.

The Economist

• Not just HS2, but HS3HS2 may be wildly over-budget, but it is safe, and its successor may get funded too

Coach and Bus Week

• National Express West Midlands looks back at the end of a successful decadeAs a new decade arrives and the calendars flip over to 2020, Chris Gibbens, Commercial Director at National Express West Midlands, has been looking back at the previous decade with 20-20 hindsight:
• Built to serveBirmingham Coach Station celebrated its 10th anniversary on 14 December 2019. National Express Deputy Head of Coach Stations, Russell Jinks, gave Andy Izatt an insight into the facility’s history and what it offers passengers
• Plymouth City Bus gains Cornwall bus service contracts in a package bidBus service contracts operated for Cornwall Council are set to change hands this year as Go-Ahead Group-owned Plymouth City Bus wins a package bid

New Civil Engineer

• Winners named on £640M Network Rail design contractsNetwork Rail has announced the award of 82 framework contracts to deliver design services across the country. Aecom, Mott MacDonald, WSP and Jacobs are among the big winners, with Amey, Arcadis and Balfour Beatty also among the firms to pick up contracts (see full breakdown below).
• Network Rail to explore means of powering networkNetwork Rail has teamed up with the Energy Innovation Centre to ensure that the train network receives the power it needs to operate.
• Ex-HS2 technical director hits out at ‘factually wrong’ Berkeley reportFormer High Speed 2 (HS2) technical director Andrew McNaughton has hit out at Lord Tony Berkeley’s “dissenting report”, claiming that it is “completely and factually wrong”.
• Transport for Wales opens metro infrastructure hubTransport for Wales has announced the opening of the South Wales Metro Infrastructure Hub. It is the latest stage in a 170km long metro line development in Wales, worth £738M. The facility, based in Treforest, Pontypridd, will operate as the key material distribution centre for the next five years as the metro project goes underway.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• West Yorkshire bus franchising raised as a possibilityBus franchising in West Yorkshire has been raised by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), which has outlined its intention to “definitely consider” it in the region should its mayoral devolution deal be successful.
• Bus industry needs to be onboard with social changeWhat does 2020 hold for the bus industry? Much of it hinges on Boris Johnson. Can he deliver on promises he made last year? Currently, the PM has bigger fish to fry. But after the UK leaves the EU this month, politicians will be able to return their attention to other matters. Buses will likely be among them. New money will be found. But ideas for re-regulation will also be at the forefront of discussion.
• South Wales Transport sees success with TourismosSwansea operator South Wales Transport reports that two new Mercedes-Benz Tourismos, purchased in August 2019 as its first new vehicles, have delivered what it hoped for after over 10,000 miles in service.
• TfGM responds to Manchester bus franchising criticismI read with interest Mr Tim Gibson’s letter, published in routeone last year. I would, however, like to make a few corrections.
• Plaxton grows accessibility with side-mounted Panther liftPlaxton has launched a side-mounted wheelchair lift option for its 12.8m Panther body on the Volvo B8R chassis as part of its steps to further enhance its range of accessible coaches.