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

Wednesday, 08 May 2024

BBC News

• P&O boss admits he couldn't live on £4.87 an hourThe boss of P&O Ferries has admitted that he couldn't live on the £4.87 an hour some of its crew are paid, he told MPs.
• Yellow bus rebrand cost more than £500kPainting a fleet of buses yellow as a part of public transport rebrand has cost local authorities in one county more than half a million pounds.
• Rail tech company wins top awardA Bristol company has won a top award for its pioneering rail technology.
• Mayor pledges to bring buses under public controlThe newly-elected mayor says he plans to make changes to buses to benefit people in the region.
• MP calls for tighter rules around new driversBatley and Spen MP Kim Leadbeater is proposing a graduated driving licence to cut UK road deaths.
• UK startup gets $1bn funding for self-driving car techThe funding being given to Wayve represents the biggest ever investment in a European AI firm.
• E-gates back online after delays at UK airportsLong queues built up at airports affected by a Border Force

ITV News

• Boss of P&O Ferries admits paying crew as little as £4.87 per hour“Are you basically a modern day pirate?” The opening question was combative and one the chief executive of P&O Ferries decided was probably best to side-step.

Financial Times

• P&O Ferries boss took six-figure bonus after sacking of UK-based crew Peter Hebblethwaite says shipping company regrets laying off 800 sailors in 2022 but that decision was legal
• Taxpayers set to fund HS2 tunnel under London despite Sunak pledge£1bn injection would end uncertainty over whether railway line will reach its planned central London terminus at Euston
• Train maker Alstom plans 1bn rights issue to trim debtFrench group in talks with UK government over salvaging Derby factory says its free cash flow is set to improve

The Guardian

• P&O Ferries boss asked if he is ’modern-day pirate’ for paying staff £4.87 an hourPeter Hebblethwaite appears in front of MPs two years after saying lowest-paid agency worker would earn £5.15 an hour
• E-gates back online after chaos at Heathrow and other UK airportsTravellers at Edinburgh and Manchester among those who faced delays; Home Office and Heathrow announce system back online for Wednesday. Passengers experienced delays at a number of UK airports on Tuesday due to a nationwide technical outage affecting UK Border Force e-gates.Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol airports all confirmed problems with passengers being processed through the border on Tuesday evening.

The Scotsman

• Inside Scotland's main line railway signal boxes still using Victorian-era technologyNetwork Rail needs historic equipment for spares when signal boxes close so it can’t go to museums

Times Online

• French air traffic staff take laissez-faire approach to punctuality [subscription]Facing a strike threat before the Paris Olympics, ministers have agreed a deal that allows controllers to turn up for work up to three hours late
• Train driver union blames ’ultra-deceitful’ government for strikes. [subscription]Aslef ’still willing to go back to the table’ as drivers at 16 rail companies stage fresh series of walkouts
• Passport e-gates fail at Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester airports. [subscription]Huge queues developed after the automatic scanners stopped working at all UK airports. The cause is not yet clear

The Mirror

• Border control 'e-gates down' sparking huge queues and nationwide chaos at UK airportsBritish airports have been thrown into turmoil tonight after Border Control's passport e-gates appeared to stop working, sparking huge queues at several airports, including Heathrow, Stansted and Manchester

The National

• Scottish Greens call for peak rail fares to be scrapped permanentlyPEAK rail fares should be permanently scrapped in Scotland, according to the Scottish Greens.

Network Rail

• Network Rail begins repairing the world-famous Glenfinnan viaductA £3.4m project to carry out repairs on the 123-year-old Glenfinnan viaduct is underway.

Sky News

• 'No indication of malicious activity' as e-gates back working at UK airports after travel chaosA "nationwide issue" with e-gates at airports has been resolved after causing travel chaos across the country, the Home Office has said.

Bristol Live

• Airport queues build amid 'nationwide issue' with passport e-gatesThe problem is said to be affecting UK Border Force’s systems at all airports across the country

Manchester Evening News

• The cost to make Greater Manchester's buses yellow as part of Bee NetworkTransport for Greater Manchester have spent thousands on their rebrand of the bus service
• Passengers 'stuck on planes' with 'crazy' queues at border control as 'technical issue' hits Manchester AirportThe Border Force eGates crashed causing major delays for passengers across the UK

The York Press

• LNER, Northern and TransPennine in push for innovationFour train operators, three with local links, have a Dragons' Den-style scheme to support innovation in the rail industry.

Other Regional Press

• Passengers ’left in the lurch’ over decision to axe long-distance services at Wakefield WestgateA train operator has been accused of leaving passengers ’in the lurch’ over its decision to withdraw services at Wakefield’s main railway station.

Train Operators

• All change at Northern as new managing director and chief operating officer take the helmA new managing director and chief operating officer have taken the helm at Northern this week.
• Train operators join forces on Dragons’ Den-style scheme for tech startups looking to shape the future of the rail industryFour train operators have joined forces on a Dragons’ Den-style scheme to support innovation in the rail industry.

Airportwatch

• P&O Ferries boss ’deeply sorry’ for replacing staff with foreign workers. [subscription]Peter Hebblethwaite promises to comply with new wage laws after backlash over dismissals

Railway Gazette

• Train operator obtains Communication Accessible accreditationUK: Communication Access UK has accredited East Midlands Railway as being Communication Accessible. This follows the train operator’s efforts to provide enhanced communication choices for customers, and to provide staff with the skills to utilise assistive technology effectively.

Other News Sources

• Bus firms claim Corporation Street bus gate will ’improve reliability’Bus firms have claimed the new Corporation Street bus gate will ’significantly improve’ the reliability of services in the city.
• IMO Plans Events for International Day for Women in MaritimeThe role women play in ensuring maritime safety will be celebrated worldwide by the IMO on this year's International Day for Women in Maritime. Observed globally each year on May 18, International Day for Women in Maritime aims to promote the recruitment