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

Saturday, 03 November 2018

BBC News

• Disabled man drags himself through airport using his handsJustin Levene says London Luton airport couldn't provide an adequate wheelchair.
• Wembley train line to shut on England v Croatia match dayWork for the new HS2 line will mean no Chiltern trains running south to Wembley when England play Croatia.
• SAA 'should be shut down', says Finance Minister Tito MboweniFinance Minister Tito Mboweni says the
• Ford in talks with Ineos over building new car in BridgendEarly discussions are held between the car giant and Ineos about building a new vehicle in Bridgend.

The Guardian

• Wheelchair user sues Luton airport after dragging himself through terminal Athlete Justin Levene’s custom-made wheelchair was left behind on a flight

Times Online

• Aer Lingus to double its fleet on routes across the Atlantic [Subscription]Aer Lingus is planning to nearly double the size of its North Atlantic fleet over the next five years as it looks to boost its transatlantic offering.
• Canadian pension fund circles Gatwick [Subscription]A deal that could value Gatwick at more than £7 billion may be completed by the end of the year (Robert Miller writes).
• Deals still on radar at British Airways group [Subscription]Shares in the owner of British Airways hit turbulence after it predicted a new bout of consolidation in Europe and stuck with most of its financial targets for the next four years.
• Pots of gold await those repairing the nation’s roads [Subscription]They are the curse of motorists but potholes have become a £1 billion business opportunity
• Bus crash kills 15 after woman fights driver [Subscription]Beijing A fight between a bus driver and a woman who missed her stop caused the vehicle to plunge 50 metres off a bridge and into Yangtze River in Chongqing, China, killing all 15 people on board.
• Here, boy . . . Tesla cars will follow owners like a pet [Subscription]Tesla owners will soon be able to get their cars to follow them down the street like a pet with the tap of a “summon” button.
• Chaos predicted as law-abiding robots join human drivers [Subscription]The introduction of driverless cars to busy city centre streets risks causing traffic chaos and more congestion because law-abiding “robo-vehicles” will refuse to take risks.
• Drop in the price of petrol not passed on at the pumps [Subscription]Drivers are being ripped off by almost £2 on a tank of petrol as retailers fail to pass on a drop in the wholesale price of fuel, according to research.
• Shutdown threatens rail and air chaos over Christmas holidays [Subscription]One of the biggest shutdowns on the railways is set to partially cut off Britain’s busiest airports over Christmas, with passengers given as little as six weeks’ notice of work on some routes.

Reuters News

• BMW expands car-sharing service DriveNow in LondonBMW is expanding its car-sharing service DriveNow into five more London boroughs as the carmaker overcomes some of the barriers to operating across the city where firms need to strike agreements with separate local authorities.
• London's 15 billion pound Crossrail link gets new CEO after delayWork on London's delayed 15 billion-pound flagship train link will be concluded under a new chief executive, Crossrail said on Friday.

City AM

• Tesla has received a subpoena from US regulators over company production estimates, the firm revealed today.The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is looking into claims that the electric carmarker has made over production of its Model 3 sedans last year.

Mail Online

• Children's football team is forced to hand over £400 as Ryanair introduces new baggage charges after they booked their flights to Dublin and furious holidaymakers complain of being 'ripped off'Passengers spoke of their anger at being 'ripped off' at Stansted Airport today over the new Ryanair baggage charge which came in after they had booked their flights.
• What a car crash! Complaints against AA and RAC double in one year as motorists hit out at poor serviceThe country’s biggest breakdown companies are leaving motorists who call for help stranded at the side of the road for up to 12 hours.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail platform closures to start on CHRISTMAS EVE across Liverpool and WirralIt's part of major work to prepare platforms for the arrival of a new fleet of trains

London Evening Standard

• UK weather travel news: Thousands of commuters stranded in London as Storm Emma sends train network into total meltdownThousands of people were left stranded in London tonight as Storm Emma sent the rail network into total meltdown.
• Footage shows man using Tesla app to move car remotely every two hours to avoid parking fines outside his officeA man has shown how he moves his Tesla using the mobile app every two hours to avoid parking fines outside his office – with the car company's founder Elon Musk calling the tactic
• London Underground closures this weekend: Four Tube lines affected as TfL tests 'vital' new signalling systemLondoners are set for a weekend of major Tube disruption with four lines hit by closures in order to carry out upgrade work.

Manchester Evening News

• Northern staff to strike every Saturday until end of December - hitting Christmas lights switch-on and Christmas marketsThe last two days of a 12-strike run on consecutive Saturdays will take place on November 3 and November 10 - in all the 34th and 35th days of action over the role of guards on trains

East Anglian Daily Times

• Rail passengers face 10 days of disrupted trips to London over ChristmasThere will be no through trains between East Anglia and London for 10 days over the Christmas and New Year period for the third year running.
• ‘Potholes over police’ - Damning statements from Essex and Suffolk police federationsPolice Federation chairmen in Essex and Suffolk have blasted the government’s budget as funding for domestic policing is overlooked in favour of road repairs.

C.N.N.

• China bus plunges off bridge killing 15 after woman attacks driverA woman who attacked a bus driver after she missed her stop was partially responsible for a dramatic crash in southwestern China that killed all 15 people on board, an investigation by Chinese authorities revealed Friday.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Transdev invests £3 million in Rosso’s North-built buses packed with customer-friendly featuresNorth of England bus group Transdev Blazefield has invested £3 million in a sparkling new fleet of 20 buses for Rosso’s 464 service, which links Accrington, Haslingden, Rawtenstall, Bacup and Rochdale.
• Network Rail seeks partners for improved passenger journeysNetwork Rail and the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) are seeking innovative solutions from UK based businesses which could help understand and improve passenger journeys through the rail network. The project, led by the TSC, is seeking to build live demonstrators of innovative technologies which could improve understanding of passenger flow through the network and stations, facilitate a smoother flow of trains and improve the customer experience.
• New study claims UK’s thriving component industry can drive Britain’s car plants through a no-deal BrexitUK automotive manufacturers needn’t fear being hit by unexpected delays or new tariffs imposed on EU-sourced components following a no-deal Brexit, argues B.G. Bullas’ Managing Director, Nathalie Wheeldon, in a new industry study. Britain’s automotive manufacturing industry is a vital part of UK PLC. And the bosses of British car manufacturers from Jaguar Land-Rover to Toyota are speaking out louder than ever before about their fears of a no-deal Brexit. They claim it would mean significant extra expense in terms of new tariffs on parts, and delays in manufacturing caused by vital components being held-up at Customs.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail urge businesses to join innovation project to improve passenger journeys   Network Rail has launched a project with Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) to build live demonstrators of innovative technologies which could improve passenger journeys, and are seeking partners to help. The TSC-led project aims to find technology to enable a smoother flow of trains and...
• Crossrail chief executive stands down as Underground boss takes up roleThe chief executive of Crossrail has stood down from his role. Transport for London announced today that Simon Wright, the chief executive of the £15.4bn project, will step down from the role “as planned,” and on 19 November will be replaced by Mark Wild, who is currently the...
• Network Rail warn of Christmas upgrade disruption to one of UK's busiest rail junctionsNetwork Rail has announced winter plans for an £8.2m upgrade to Battersea Pier, one of the UK’s busiest railway junctions, which will cause disruption to passengers across Sussex, Surrey and South London this Christmas. The plans will see a new track installed at the Battersea Pier...

Other News Sources

• Urban Transport Group sets out concerns over new Scottish buses legislation Wednesday, October 3, 2018   The Urban Transport Group has today welcomed the intent of new legislation to reform bus services in Scotland but has warned that changes need to be made if the legislation is to be workable in practice.  Topic:  Bus Governance

EIN News Subscription

• Lion Air Jet crash: Flight data recorder of ill-fated Boeing 737 MAX recovered … , which was recently removed from European Union and US blacklists. Navy … Irawan, an investigator with the transport safety committee, said it was … the investigation. He said their aircraft maintenance engineer licenses have been …
• British Airways owner IAG looks to short-haul for deals … 2 (Reuters) - British Airways owner IAG , which has … he expected to see airline consolidation in Europe and … continues to outperform European rivals Lufthansa and Air France-KLM. … 12 months ago, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says. …