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

Monday, 25 June 2018

BBC News

• Uber to begin appeal over London licence denialA London court will consider later today if Uber is "fit and proper" to hold an operator licence in the capital.
• Airbus Brexit remarks criticised by senior Conservative MPGuto Bebb says responses to Airbus' jobs warnings are
• £100m rail test complex plans for Neath valleyThe complex would test new generation trains at high speeds on the site of an old opencast mine.
• Questions over Swansea Bay tidal lagoon decision delayEnergy minister Claire Perry will be asked by it is taking so long to decide on the £1.3bn project.
• SNP MPs 'may not back Heathrow expansion'A senior party source tells BBC Scotland the SNP has not been convinced by the case for a third runway.
• Campaigner urges Tube commuters to offer their seatsCorry Shaw was pushed to tears when people ignored her plea to be given a seat.
• Heathrow Airport: MPs gear up for crunch third runway voteBoris Johnson - an opponent of a third runway - will be out of the country for the Commons vote.

Department for Transport

• Five point pledge on Heathrow ahead of historic voteParliament’s vote on Heathrow expansion will be the biggest transport decision in a generation.
• £8 million of extra HS2 funding to benefit local communities and woodlands between Birmingham and CreweNew woodlands and safer local roads to be created through additional HS2 funding.

The Guardian

• Grayling accused of 'running scared' after pulling out of northern transport summitChris Grayling has been accused of “running scared” after he pulled out of a key transport summit in Manchester because it clashes with a House of Commons vote on Heathrow expansion.
• Len McCluskey at odds with Corbyn over Heathrow expansionLen McCluskey has written to all Labour MPs urging them to back Heathrow expansion on Monday, a move that puts the head of the Unite union directly at odds with Jeremy Corbyn.

The Herald

• Scotland's railways must be brought back into public hands, Labour demandsRAILWAYS must be brought back into public ownership to finally bring to an end the “gamble” of overcrowded, late-running trains, Labour has demanded on the week the East Coast Mainline was taken out of private hands.

The Scotsman

• Labour pushes for publicly owned railways after ScotRail ‘misses targets’Scottish Labour is to step up its campaign for public ownership of the railways after figures showed ScotRail missed performance targets throughout the last year.

Times Online

• Sex assaults and stalking in 2,500 Uber accusations [subscription]Uber has investigated more than 2,500 drivers in London for alleged offences including sex assaults, stalking and dangerous driving, documents handed to regulators show. The firm has also carried out medical and sight tests on at least 800 potential drivers using Skype.
• Failed Virgin Trains East Coast franchise back under public control [subscription]Rail services on the east coast main line between Scotland and London have been brought back under public control after the failure of the Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) franchise.
• Passengers deserve better than ScotRail, says Labour [subscription]There have been renewed calls for Scotland’s railway franchise to be nationalised after figures revealed that ScotRail missed performance targets throughout the past year.
• Airport privatisation ‘will drive up fares’ [subscription]International aviation chiefs have warned that President Macron’s plan to privatise the Paris airport operator will lead to price rises for travellers.
• Boris Johnson is mocked for ducking Heathrow vote [subscription]Boris Johnson was under more pressure over his position on Heathrow after he was mocked by Greg Hands, the minister who resigned to vote against a third runway.

City AM

• The SNP could refuse to back Heathrow expansion plans and sway crucial Commons vote todayThe SNP could prevent Heathrow's expansion plans from getting off the ground by refusing to back the third runway plans at a key Commons vote today.
• Former Stobart Group boss at heart of boardroom battle suggested reuniting groupFormer Stobart Group chief executive Andrew Tinkler drew up plans to merge Stobart Group with trucking business Eddie Stobart Logistics, which it span off in 2014.
• East Coast train line back under government control but hit by rocky start with cancellations and delaysRail services on the East Coast Main Line were back under government control yesterday but were hit by delays and cancellations on a difficult first day.

Daily Record

• Scottish Labour step up campaign to see trains nationalised after criticism of ScotRail recordRichard Leonard wants the SNP Scottish Government to bring trains into public ownership.

The Mirror

• Transport Secretary pays £2.3million for advice on how to run East Coast Main LineChris Grayling splurged £2.3million on private consultants as franchise comes back under public ownership

Conservative Party

• Chris Grayling: After so long a wait, let’s get on with it – and vote emphatically today for expansion at HeathrowChris Grayling is Secretary of State for Transport, and MP for Epsom and Ewell.

Labour Party

• Labour hold “Rail Mayhem” campaign day to hold Chris Grayling to accountLabour will hold a “Rail Mayhem” campaign day today (Monday) to mark the first working day that the running of the East Coast Mainline returns to public control following the collapse of the Virgin and Stagecoach franchise and to hold Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to account for his poor handling of the railways.

Sky News

• MPs set for crunch vote on Heathrow expansion without Boris JohnsonThe foreign secretary, who is abroad, once threatened to lie down in front of the bulldozers if a third runway was approved.
• First state-run East Coast line train arrives on timeThe first service operated by the new state-run franchise that runs trains on the East Coast Main Line has arrived on time.

Belfast Telegraph

• Rail boss David Horne insists his appointment at LNER is ‘right thing to do’David Horne was managing director of Virgin East Coast Trains and was handed the same title at nationalised operator London North Eastern Railway.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Aberdeen and Inverness airport bosses urge MPs to back Heathrow expansionAirport bosses in the north and north-east have united to urge every Scottish MP to vote in favour of contentious plans to expand Heathrow.

Wales Online

• New £100m 'global centre of rail excellence' set to be built in WalesIt would mean manufacturers would not have to send trains across Europe for testing

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Power station owners urged to reopen old railway lineA railway linking Ironbridge and Birmingham should be reopened as part of the work on the power station site, it has been claimed.

Yorkshire Post

• The Yorkshire Post says: Yorkshire’s future. Dan Jarvis leading from front on devolutionGIVEN the extent to which Chris Grayling, and his Cabinet colleagues, have totally mishandled transport policy in the North, it’s little surprise that 81 per cent of Yorkshire taxpayers now feel that they have little or no control over Government decision-making.
• Baroness Sugg: Heathrow expansion will benefit all of UKMPs will today face a landmark decision – whether to vote in favour of expansion at Heathrow or oppose it. This is a scheme which would bring more flights, more jobs and greater economic growth to the UK. And while this remarkable infrastructure project would take place in the South East of England, its benefits would be felt right across the country.

Cambridge News

• I've given up on trains entirely - they're always lateDiana Sawyer moved near Royston railway station to travel by train to work but she's been late for weeks

Plymouth Herald

• David Horne was managing director of Virgin East Coast Trains and was handed the same title at nationalised operator London North Eastern Railway.Passengers have been reporting chaos on the rail network today as GWR confirmed 15 trains between London Paddington and Penzance were cancelled, delayed or changed.

Other Regional Press

• Campaigners rally at Glasgow Central in bid for rail public ownershipLabour leader Richard Leonard insists the franchise model does not work as the East Coast Main Line returned to public control.
• Rail tunnel plans for HS2 line close to airport'Talking about developing that design with the airport'

Rail Magazine

• Welsh Government plans £100 million test trackA test track for the rail industry is being planned for Wales.

Other News Sources

• Deloitte survey reveals LNG is shipping companies’ preferred fuelLiquefied natural gas (LNG) is enjoying an increasing popularity in the shipping industry as companies’ preferred fuel solution, a survey by multinational professional services network Deloitte has found.