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

Thursday, 30 January 2020

BBC News

• West Midlands Trains to recruit more driversA train operator that has seen its passenger satisfaction levels plummet says it is recruiting more drivers to help improve services.
• 'Exciting future' for Dudley as tram works beginThe Midland Metro tram extension to Dudley is expected to open to passengers in 2023.
• TVR frustration over Ebbw Vale factory renovation delaysThe chairman says he is still
• Croydon tram crash: Date set for inquest into seven deathsIt was announced last year the tram driver would not face prosecution for manslaughter.
• HS2: Senior government figures meet to consider rail linkNo 10 says no final decision will be taken on Thursday, contrary to previous reports.
• Northern: Rail firm brought under government controlThe government is to take control of the troubled train operator after two years of passenger chaos.
• Boeing reports its first loss in two decadesThe bill for the 737 Max crisis helped push it to a $636m loss for 2019.
• Norton Motorcycles goes into administrationThe famous British motorbike brand was reportedly struggling to pay a £300,000 tax bill.
• Tumble in UK car output 'a grave concern', says trade bodyA 14% fall in output last year underlines the urgency of an EU trade deal, says the industry's trade body.
• Northern: Three things that went wrong at the rail firmWhy has the network been re-nationalised, and will this fix its problems?
• HS2: Chancellor Sajid Javid 'backs project' ahead of crucial meetingIt is understood the chancellor will tell Boris Johnson he supports the London to Birmingham rail link.

Financial Times

• UK car output at 10-year low as EU exit fears hit productionFalling sales to China and decline of diesel leaves exports down 14.7%
• Tesla shares jump again as Model Y production beginsElectric car maker’s fourth-quarter revenues surge to $7.4bn, well ahead of analyst expectations
• Wizz Air boss pledges to grow ‘even faster’ despite BrexitVaradi optimistic about UK and eyes expansion in eastern Europe and Middle East
• Javid support set to dispel doubts over HS2Chancellor concludes ahead of crunch meeting that other options failed to stack up
• Shapps goes full steam ahead with rail overhaul plan‘Fat Controller’ will be in charge with franchises replaced by management contracts
• Northern rail franchise to be nationalised, says UK governmentArriva’s contract halted early as state takes over second operator in 2 years

The Guardian

• Northern rail renationalisation: your questions answeredWhat went wrong with Northern rail, and what happens next?
• Reduction in passenger road deaths 'not matched by cyclists and pedestrians'Report says UK one of only three EU nations where pedestrian casualties rose in last decade
• Northern's Pacer passengers on rail franchise's demise‘Buses on rails’ have become embarrassing symbol of failed franchise and north-south gulf in transport provision
• Reduction in passenger road deaths 'not matched by cyclists and pedestrians'Report says UK one of only three EU nations where pedestrian casualties rose in last decadeSignificant reductions in road casualties for vehicle occupants across Europe in the last decade have not been matched by equivalent safety gains for pedestrians and cyclists, a report has shown, with the UK performing particularly badly in some areas.Road safety groups have called for more government action to protect vulnerable road users after the report showed that while deaths for people in vehicles have dropped by 24% since 2010, the number of cyclist fatalities has stayed virtually the same. Conti...
• Sajid Javid expected to back HS2 despite spiralling costsSajid Javid is expected to throw his weight behind the controversial HS2 rail project at a key meeting on Thursday, after the Treasury concluded it will still deliver economic benefits despite spiralling costs.

The Independent

• Chancellor set to back HS2 rail project despite push for cost cuttingJavid to 'broadly back' line from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds

The Telegraph

• HS2 should go ahead, Sajid Javid tells Boris Johnson [subscription]Sajid Javid will tell Boris Johnson that HS2 should go ahead in a move that significantly increases the likelihood of the £106 billion project being approved.

Times Online

• Boris Johnson set to back HS2 in defiance of Dominic Cummings [subscription]Boris Johnson is poised to approve HS2 as part of his attempt to “level up” Britain in a move that will put him at odds with his most senior adviser.

City AM

• Buzz will not be enough to put Northern Rail back on trackFollowing a year of cancellations and chaos across the network Northern Rail looks set to lose its franchise this week.

Mail Online

• Improving home insulation and encouraging cycling and walking could save the NHS £3.7billion a yearReducing energy demand in transport, buildings and industry - by insulating homes and getting people out of their cars - would reduce early deaths through pollution and pneumonia, they say.
• Smart motorways could be useless in a decade because they are not suitable for electric cars Smart motorways could be obsolete within a decade as they are not suitable for electric cars, according to AA boss Edmund King. The vehicles encounter problems where the hard shoulder is used.

Sky News

• Northern Rail to lose its operating franchiseNorthern Rail is expected to be stripped of its franchise, as over the last year just 56 percent of its trains arrived on time.

Belfast Telegraph

• New owner has big plans for Wrightbus after Translink dealThe owner of Ballymena manufacturer Wrightbus has said he hopes to win government funding to extend its technology for hydrogen-fuelled buses.

Birmingham Mail

• Norton Motorcycles collapses into administrationOn Wednesday it was announced that the Leicestershire company, which was founded in 1898, had appointed administrators
• HS2: Network Rail says there is 'no alternative' to a new rail line for west coast servicesIt's simply not possible to upgrade the West Coast Main Line to provide the number of trains needed, says body responsible for rail network

Birmingham Post

• Airfield scheme which would create hundreds of homes and jobs tipped for approvalAshbourne Airfield scheme ‘will deliver major benefits to the town’
• What decision to renationalise Northern Rail means for commuters and train usersHere we answer commuters' questions over what the government's decision to strip the failing franchise will mean

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Problems on Airedale railway line must be addressed says campaigner, as Government takes over Northern networkATTENTION must be given to improving day-to-day rail services on the Airedale line as the Government takes over the running of the Northern network, it is claimed.
• Proposed West Yorkshire mass transit scheme likely to be battery operated AN ambitious attempt at bringing a mass transit system to West Yorkshire is set to be discussed by regional authority leaders next week.

Bristol Live

• Bristol Airport expansion recommended for approval It comes after 5,400 objections and 2,200 letters of support

London Evening Standard

• British Airways suspends flights to and from mainland China amid coronavirus outbreak as killer infection spreadsBrits warned off travelling to China Death toll at 132 as more than 5,000 are infected Follow our live updates here
• Grant Shapps: I'll remove operators that fail to run trains on timeTransport Secretary Grant Shapps has warned London's rail firms that he
• Northern Rail to be handed into public ownership from MarchRail services on routes operated by Northern will be brought under public control, the Government has announced.
• Sajid Javid expected tell Boris Johnson HS2 should go ahead as they hold talks over project's futureSajid Javid is today expected to tell Boris Johnson that HS2 should go ahead as he throws his weight behind the project.

Manchester Evening News

• Train passengers should 'quickly' see improvements from Northern nationalisation, says Burnham - but rail services will still have to be cutThe mayor was speaking after the government confirmed Northern's franchise would be axed. But he said 'controversial' changes will also be needed, plus the green light for platforms 15 and 16 at Piccadilly

The York Press

• York- based train operator Northern to be taken into public ownership York-based train operator Northern will be taken into public ownership, the Secretary Of State for Transport has confirmed.

Wales Online

• Transport for Wales charges more for some long-distance tickets than other rail websitesPeople have complained the TfW website doesn't always show the cheapest fares on trips to London

Cambridge News

• College praises new Cambourne to Cambridge busway plans which will 'change students' lives'It will create opportunities for pupils who have previously been limited in their choices due to finical constraints
• Almost 50 people died in Cambridge in one year because of harmful air pollution levelsAir pollution continues to be deadly in cities across the UK

Carlisle News & Star

• DRS wins Golden Whistle for seventh year in a rowA rail freight operator has been named as the most reliable in the UK for the seventh year running. Direct Rail Services, based in Carlisle, was given the award for being the Best Performing Rail Freight Operator at the Golden Whistle Awards last week.

Leeds Live

• Northern will be renationalised - this is what it actually means for passengersThe new state-owned train operator has promised to deliver a range of improvements for long-suffering passengers
• Possible layout for new £150m Leeds Bradford Airport terminal revealed Airport bosses want to open the new four-floor terminal in 2023

Other Regional Press

• Rerouted bus services could be restored with council talks ongoingIn September, KonectBus altered the route of its 3 and 4 services via Newmarket Road, passing through the University of East Anglia and avoiding Earlham Road.
• Bracknell MP James Sunderland joins South Western Railway working groupBRACKNELL'S newly-elected Conservative MP James Sunderland has joined a cross-party group that will examine how South Western Rail (SWR) can improve its service.
• Local MP Calls For Nationalisation Of South Western RailwaysThe MP for Brentford & Isleworth, Ruth Cadbury, has joined the All-Party Parliamentary Group on South Western Rail to enable further scrutiny of South Western Rail and the wider rail network in Parliament.
• Ministers asked to back tunnel train link to GuernseyMINISTERS are to be asked to back ambitious proposals to create a tunnel train link between Jersey, Guernsey and France.
• British Airways suspends all flights to mainland China RITISH AIRWAYS has suspended all direct flights to mainland China in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Rail infrastructure investment essential to add much needed capacity to UK transport systemThe Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) has warned government that the UK will struggle to achieve its legal obligations of Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, if the country’s rail system does not have sufficient track capacity to allow the transfer of road freight onto rail as well as an increased number of passenger journeys. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Kevin Richardson, Chief Executive and Sue Terpilowski, Chair, Public Policy Committee, CILT, have encouraged the government to move forward with plans for HS2, suggesting that it “is likely to be t...
• Rail firm Northern to be nationalisedRail company Northern is to be brought under government control, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced. The decision, which will see the firm's franchise stripped from operator Arriva Rail North from 1 March, was taken following years of major disruption. The government previously described the delays and cancellations as

Rail Technology Magazine

• Northern to come under government control from MarchTransport secretary Grant Shapps has announced troubled train operating company will be brought under government control from March 1, 2020.

Railnews

• Scrapping HS2 ˜would cause 30 years of delays™ A leaked letter from Network Rail is said to be warning the Government that abandoning HS2 would mean expensive upgrades for existing classic lines, some of which could take almost 30 years to achieve. The letter from Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines adds that without HS2 planned improvements to the rail network in the north of England would cost another £15 billion, while the prospect of three decades of upgrades on existing routes means almost endless disruption at weekends, and even when they were complete only two-thirds of HS2™s capacity would have been gained.
• Northern franchise to be terminated by DfT Transport secretary Grant Shapps has decided to terminate Arriva's Northern franchise. The operation will be transferred to the DfT's Operator of Last Resort on 1 March. Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: ˜This is a new beginning for Northern, but it is only a beginning. Northern's network is huge and complex and some of the things which are wrong are not going to be quick or easy to put right. But I am determined that Northern passengers see real and tangible improvements across the network as soon as possible.™

Other News Sources

• Heathrow appoints culture curator London Heathrow Airport has revealed its first culture curator – UK writer, director and broadcaster Reggie Yates.
• Heathrow set to transform the assistance experienceDisability campaigner Helen Dolphin MBE and experienced equality and inclusion regulator Keith Richards have both been named as co-chairs of the Heathrow Access Advisory Group (HAAG).
• Council accused of 'letting residents down' over lack of park and ride plans COUNCIL chiefs have been accused of “letting our residents downâ€� as over £2.4million is expected to be spent improving car parks across the district - with no mention of a park ride to the north of the city.
• Northern Rail to be brought under government controlFollowing years of disruption, the troubled rail company Northern is to be brought under government control. The decision will see the firm’s franchise stripped from operator Arriva Rail North from March. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said passengers had “lost trust in the north’s rail networkâ€�. But with major infrastructure changes needed some argue there won’t…