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

Thursday, 01 August 2019

BBC News

• Fixing Cairngorms funicular railway 'cheaper' optionRepairing the Cairngorms' funicular will cost less than removing and scrapping it, its owner Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has said.
• Merseyrail boss 'struggling' to understand fresh RMT strikeA rail chief says he is "struggling to comprehend" plans for more strikes after a long-running staffing row had apparently been resolved.
• Harland and Wolff shipyard workers hand letter to PMHarland and Wolff workers say a commitment was made it would be given to Boris Johnson's aides.
• Ministers reject Ferguson shipyard share ownership bidThe Scottish government seems increasingly likely to take the Ferguson yard in Port Glasgow into public ownership.
• Former Audi boss charged in VW dieselgate scandalGermany has charged Rupert Stadler with fraud over the VW emissions cheating scandal.
• British Airways pilots set for summer strikePilots win court battle in dispute over pay, paving the way for possible industrial action.
• Ryanair boss warns as many as 900 jobs could be at riskMichael O’Leary tells staff the Irish airline has too many pilots and flight attendants.

The Guardian

• Severn Bridge services named as worst on England’s motorwaysA motorway service station overlooking the Severn Bridge has been named the worst in England after visitors criticised its unwelcoming 1960s exterior and “grim and dismal” toilets.

The Herald

• Why does Scotland continue to accept a second-class rail service? [letters]WHEN Marianne Taylor exposed the appalling quality of our long-distance trains, she didn’t miss the target ("Greatest journey? West Highland trains are embarrassing", The Herald, July 29). I never tire of pointing out that not only is this the 30th year of local suburban trains being employed on what should be premier routes, but that Scotland owns the shameful record of operating the poorest-quality long-distance trains in Europe.

The Independent

• Ryanair to cut hundreds of jobs as Brexit dampens demandAirline boss admits: 'We have too many staff'

The Scotsman

• Cyclists and walkers get more space on Scottish roads under £60m boostRadical plans to reclaim roads for cyclists and walkers including creating the “most accessible community in Scotland” have won £60 million of Scottish Government funding.

The Telegraph

• FirstGroup's longest-serving board member quits [subscription]FirstGroup's longest-serving board member has agreed to step down in the latest chapter of the rail and bus company's spat with its largest investor.

Times Online

• Outdated HS2 is a first-class ticket to ecological ruin - Chris Packham [subscription]It is not my usual topic but because there is a huge environmental impact afoot, let’s start with money. HS2 is going to cost at least £100 billion. Let me spell that out for absolute clarity ... one hundred billion pounds. Wow!
• Service stations are rip-off for food and fuel, drivers complain [Subscription]Transport Focus said that motorists complained of paying too much for food and fuel at the rest areas. Its study, based on analysis of 111 sites, identified Severn View services, on the M48, as the worst. Overall, only 72 per cent of people surveyed about the site expressed satisfaction.
• British Airways pilots to strike at peak of summer holidaysStriking pilots are set to cause misery for British Airways passengers at the height of the holidays after they rejected pay increases of up to £20,000.

City AM

• Airbus warns Europe to gear up for a no-deal BrexitAirbus has called on European governments to hasten their planning for a no-deal Brexit and bury the hatchet on a long-running subsidy spat with the US.
• New £300m no-deal Brexit freight plan risks legal delays, experts warnA new £300m plan to acquire additional freight services in the event of a no-deal Brexit risks descending into chaos because of the government’s pledge to leave the EU on 31 October, experts have warned.
• Boris Johnson must change his mind on Heathrow expansion – just like we did [Virendra Sharma and Stephen Pound.]Boris Johnson has had a busy first week, jetting off around different parts of the country. But closer to his home seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, people in our constituencies in west London are hoping that the new Prime Minister will change his mind and listen when it comes to one controversial issue: his opposition to Heathrow expansion.

Sky News

• Ryanair to cut hundreds of jobs because it has 'more staff than needed'The airline is likely to face a backlash from unions as it continues to fight pay rows with pilots in both the UK and Ireland.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• North Wales rail commuters disrupted following landslideDebris is being cleared on the line between Chester and Crewe but trains are expected to be affected throughout the day

London Evening Standard

• Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary warns 900 jobs at risk at airlineRyanair boss Michael O'Leary has told staff the airline has 500 more pilots and 400 more cabin crew than required and job losses will be announced in coming weeks.
• Passengers on Southwestern Airlines flight left bemused as attendant hides in overhead compartmentPassengers were left bemused when they boarded a plane only to discover one of the flight attendants was hiding in the overhead luggage compartment.

Other Regional Press

• Overcrowding on Leeds peak times trains described as "frightening" - and things might get worse this autumnA Yorkshire council leader has described the levels of overcrowding on peak time trains in the North as "frightening", amid warnings that rail services in the region could get even worse over the autumn months.
• Campaign for two new train stations in CoventryThe call is to reopen Coundon Road station and another new one in the east
• Highland Labour MSP sends out warning over rail travel prices after being alerted to issue in NairnA PROBE has been launched into whether ticket machines are over-charging rail travellers by directing them to more expensive fares. Regional Labour MSP David Stewart wants answers from ScotRail after he was made aware of travellers from Nairn offered peak-time tickets on the main display despite travelling on the 9.17am off-peak service.
• Powerhouse minister Jake backs Skipton-Colne rail linkNORTHERN Powerhouse minister Jake Berry has underlined the government's commitment to extending the East Lancashire railway line from Colne to Skipton.

Train Operators

• New information screens boost transport integrationTourists and commuters in Oban are now benefitting from improved customer information following the installations of new screens at the station.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Multi-million-pound Metro Station opens in South Tyneside£21 million facility in South Shields, which incorporates a relocated Metro station will open this weekend.

Railway Gazette

• Nine recommendations for rail in northern England UK: Nine recommendations are set out in a review of the Rail North Partnership between the Department for Transport and Transport for the North which manages the Northern and TransPennine Express passenger franchises.

Aviation Industry

• Air France-KLM 2Q operating profit up as growth plans take shapeAir France-KLM posted a second-quarter operating profit of €400 million ($446 million), a nearly 16% increase from €346 million a year ago, as revenue gains and lower unit costs offset a higher fuel bill. read more
• Airbus 1H net profit soars on higher delivery, exchange rates Airbus reported a considerable jump in first-half net profit, which more than doubled to almost €1.2 billion ($1.36 billion), compared to €496 million a year ago. read more
• FAA to US Congress: Boeing MAX certification was ‘fundamentally sound’Senior officials from the FAA defended the US agency’s certification of the Boeing 737 MAX as “fundamentally soundâ€� during a US Senate Appropriations Committee hearing July 31. read more

Other News Sources

• FEATURES There is a far better option than HS2 – and it already existsReopening the Great Central line would save billions
• Hitachi says County Durham jobs are not fully safe despite winning £400m contractHitachi Rail UK has said that the long term future of its workers has still not been secured despite the company winning a £400m contract. The engineering firm employs around 700 people at its factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, where the company has made trains for the likes of LNER and ScotRail.
• Cycle lanes planned as £60m ploughed into travel projectsMore cycle lanes are part of £60m plans announced by the Transport Secretary to improve active travel infrastructure in four areas.