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

Friday, 01 February 2019

BBC News

• The team riding buses to combat lonelinessVolunteers are riding on buses around the North East in a scheme to help tackle loneliness.
• Jeremy Corbyn forced to take car to bus cuts talkThe Labour leader planned to use a bus service reduced by funding, but it failed to show up.
• Drone plan to carry medicines in Highlands consideredThe NHS is considering using drones to deliver medication and other supplies across the Highlands.
• Tracking sanctions-busting 'ghost ships' on the high seasHow satellites and artificial intelligence are keeping tabs on global commodities trading.

The Guardian

• Plan to transform transport across north of England unveiledTransports chiefs claim £70bn 30-year road and rail upgrade will create 850,000 jobs

Times Online

• Plastic roads win new funding in bid to tackle pothole menace [subscription]Plastic roads will be introduced across Britain under plans to prevent potholes causing havoc for drivers and cyclists.

The Mirror

• Chris Grayling blames criticism he gets on Brexit - and 'left-wing' unionsThe Transport Secretary insists he gets attacked because he makes tough decisions

London Evening Standard

• Call for special fare on buses and Tube to boost London nightlifeA “night rider” fare that enables passengers to switch between Tubes, trains and buses at no extra cost should be introduced to boost London’s 24-hour economy, the Mayor was told today.
• Campaigners battle transport chiefs over £350m plan to move Victoria Coach Station Transport bosses are facing a ­furious backlash over a £350 million proposal to relocate Victoria Coach Station to a residential area near Paddington.
• Rail passengers left shivering in dark for two hours after power cable 'explodes'Commuters shivered in cold, dark carriages for up to two hours after an overhead power line
• Crossrail latest: Transport boss reveals new line has no chance of opening this year and he has no idea when it will beTransport chiefs have revealed the crisis-hit Crossrail line has no chance of opening this year — and they have no idea when it will.
• Black cab drivers block Tottenham Court Road on ninth day of protest against proposed taxi banBlack cab drivers have blocked Tottenham Court Road in the ninth day of a protest over plans to close the road to cars, lorries and taxis.

Yorkshire Post

• Plan for faster internet on rails is abandonedThe Government was accused last night of derailing the “digital revolution” by scrapping part of a £35m scheme to upgrade internet connectivity on trains through Yorkshire.

Other Regional Press

• Transport bosses have not explained why Seaborne Freight were offered Ramsgate contract under 'urgent conditions'The decision making process for offering the contract to Seaborne Freight was carried out in private
• Lerwick harbour reaps benefits of growing tourism and fishingPassenger numbers were up by more than 25 per cent
• Chaos on Glasgow trains as ScotRail bosses scramble to put on replacement busesA FAULT with the signalling system between Bathgate and Airdrie is causing chaos to journeys between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Bathgate.
• Glasgow Airport rail link to be ditched for rapid shuttle pod to PaisleyTHE rail link to Glasgow Airport is likely to be ditched in favour of a shuttle system to Paisley.
• Q&A with Louise Cheeseman as a new era begins for troubled Hull TrainsHull Live spoke to Hull Trains managing director Louise Cheeseman
• HS2 stop at Carlisle most compelling for Cumbria, says Northern Powerhouse Partnership chiefCumbria should concentrate its efforts on securing a HS2 stop at Carlisle, the director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership has argued.

Coach and Bus Week

• Step off the gas: Alternative fuelCompressed natural gas and electric power are making inroads into the bus market, but what is there in the way of alternative fuel for coaches? Richard Simpson finds out
• Thames Travel expands Great Western Park serviceThames Travel has launched a new off-peak service between Didcot town centre and the southern neighbourhood of Great Western Park.
• Leeds Clean Air Charging Zone approved by the GovernmentLeeds City Council has been given final approval and more than £29m in funding from the Government to implement a Clean Air Charging Zone in the city and to support businesses affected
• Questions raised over FACT financesFenland Association for Community Transport (FACT), along with sister organisations Huntingdonshire ACT and Ely & Soham ACT, may be in breach of Charity Commission law and HMRC regulations according to an audit report seen by Cambridgeshire County Council.
• £100m Greater Manchester bus partnership unveiledGreater Manchester’s bus operators have unveiled a £100m partnership ‘blueprint,’ intended to revolutionise the region’s bus network.

New Civil Engineer

• Transport for the North reveals £70bn plan to overhaul roads and rail Transport for the North (TfN) has published its final £70bn strategic transport plan (STP) and investment programme in which it sets out its “ambitious vision” to transform the north’s economy for the next 30 years.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Heavy delays to new trains forces TfL to bring in temporary replacements on London OvergroundModified electric trains have been launched by TfL on the London Overground as a temporary replacement for the delayed delivery of new Class 710 electric trains. Earlier this month, the planned rollout of electric trains on the troubled Gospel Oak to Barking line was delayed indefinitely by...
• TfN unveils £70bn transport masterplan for the northTransport for the North (TfN) has launched its £70bn blueprints to overhaul northern transport infrastructure over the next 30 years, connecting the major cities and moving forward with its flagship project Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). TfN’s 30-year road and rail upgrade project...
• Glasgow Airport rail link plans could be ditched for rapid shuttle pod systemA long-awaited rail link to Glasgow Airport could be ditched in favour of a shuttle pod system between the airport and Paisley. Instead of a full tram-train rail link, a ‘personal rapid transit’ shuttle pod system such as the one used at Heathrow Airport has been proposed from...
• Rail passenger satisfaction lowest for 10 years amid delays, strikes and timetable chaosPassenger satisfaction with the UK’s railway services has fallen to a 10-year low with more than one in five passengers dissatisfied, according to the independent watchdog Transport Focus. In the latest National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS), overall satisfaction with rail services last...

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• ‘Tap on, tap off’ technology from TicketerTicketer’s latest innovation is a ‘tap on, tap off’ concept for contactless fare transactions, enabling operators to offer the most convenient and flexible fares.
• £50 charge for non-Euro 6 PCVs in Leeds CAZExemptions for buses to state schools, and £2m of retrofit money for operators based within the zone
• Stagecoach SW strengthens senior teamStagecoach South West has appointed Karen Hodder as its new Commercial Director.
• Metroline rebuts fraudulent crash for cash claimLondon bus operator Metroline has successfully defended a fraudulent ‘crash for cash’ claim for damages and personal injury made against it.

Aviation Industry

• Airbus launches investigation into cyberattackAirbus is investigating a cyberattack on its commercial aircraft business, where the attackers gained unauthorized access to employee contact information. read more
• Bloomberg sees Airbus, Boeing book-to-bill decline in 2019 Continued deceleration of economic growth in China coupled with sluggish environments in the US and Europe will take their toll on new-aircraft demand, likely leaving Airbus and Boeing with fewer orders than deliveries this year, a Bloomberg analyst has warned. read more
• Four MROs form aircraft-modification allianceFour aircraft retrofit specialists—EAD Aerospace, Envoy Aerospace, Etihad Airways Engineering and Lufthansa Technik—have signed an MOU to form the Independent Aircraft Modifier Alliance (IAMA). read more
• Airbus, Emirates in ‘commercial discussions’ about A380 orderAirbus said in a regulatory filing released Jan. 31 that it is in “commercial discussions with Emirates Airline in relation to its A380 contractâ€� following two reports that the airline may ditch all or part of a follow-up order for the aircraft. read more

Other News Sources

• Making a Difference: Interferry acts on industry’s major issuesInterferry CEO Mike Corrigan reflects on the global trade association’s hectic year of involvement in three key areas of concern.
• How AI & Automation Has Overhauled The Shipping IndustryGlobal cyber threats alongside sustained pressures over environmental regulations have always been a challenge for the shipping industry which made digitisation an indispensable alternative for the maritime industry. All over the world, major shipping industries have been keen on improvising systems to nurture and innovation and find solutions to these concerns.
• Shipping Firms Reviewing UK-Registered Ships Ahead of BrexitFerry giant, Stena based in Sweden and tanker firm Stolt-Nielsen which is Bermuda registered, are reviewing their UK-registered ships ahead of Britain’s departure from the EU, the two leading transport companies told Reuters separately on Wednesday (yesterday).
• Grayling claims 'no risk' in £14m Brexit ferry contract The transport secretary was widely criticised for awarding Seaborne Freight the contract in December having never run shipping services or operating any commercial vessels.
• DfT funds solar technology trials to help decarbonise Britain’s railwaysThursday, the Department for Transport (DfT) published plans to fund trials of two distinct and innovative solar technologies which could help decarbonise Britain’s railways and future-proof its roads.
• Crossrail won't open this year, new boss admitsCrossrail chief executive Mark Wild has told the TfL board that he does not know when the line will be finished
• Transport Secretary Chris Grayling Explains Why He Thinks People Want Him To ResignThe much-beleaguered transport secretary Chris Grayling – who oversaw huge disruptions on the railways last summer and drone chaos at Gatwick Airport over Christmas – thinks people want him to step down from his post because of his attempts to modernise the railway industry.