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

Thursday, 08 August 2019

Government

• Ministers visit Dover to ensure UK ports are ready for BrexitChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Home Secretary and Transport Secretary visit port to see Brexit preparations.
• Air quality plan: letter requesting progress updateLetters from the Environment Minister to City Councils on the progress of plans to improve air quality.

BBC News

• Drivers fined £4.2m for using Belfast bus lanesOne Belfast city centre camera raised £1.5m in fines in the past four years, official figures show.
• British Airways passengers stranded after IT failuresAn IT glitch that caused more than 100 flights to be cancelled and 200 delays has been fixed, BA says.
• Paddington station: Commuter gets £27k for 'possible pigeon poo slip'Figures reveal details of nearly £1m worth of compensation payouts by Network Rail over five years.
• Fresh food traders brace for BrexitAt one of the UK's biggest wholesale markets the potential for delays at ports are the biggest concern.
• Ryanair pilots vote for strike actionThe row is over pay and conditions, with the pilots' union announcing plans for two walkouts.
• UK pushed out of Interrail scheme after disputeThe move is not related to Brexit, but means UK rail journeys will no longer be covered by Interrail passes.
• New cars can be broken into in 10 secondsWhat Car? magazine experts say the latest models with keyless entry systems can easily be hijacked.

The Guardian

• UK train operators to pull out of InterrailIndustry will also leave Eurail scheme for non-EU visitors in move described as shocking
• Mass disruption expected after Ryanair pilots vote for strikesHolidaymakers face the prospect of mass disruption at multiple airports in August after Ryanair pilots voted for strikes that could coincide with walkouts by their counterparts at British Airways and by Heathrow ground staff.

The Herald

• Lack of drivers causes cancellation chaos for Stevenage bus usersCustomers have been describing the bus services in Stevenage as "inept" following a series of recent cancellations due to driver shortages.

The Independent

• UK to leave European Interrail scheme at the end of 2019'This is not linked to our membership of the EU'
• British Airways: Services set to resume after 25,000 passengers hit by mass cancellationsCost to BA of another IT failure is at least £10m
• Air pollution gives hundreds of thousands of European children asthma, study findsResearchers say huge numbers of cases could be prevented with stricter guidelines on emissions

The Telegraph

• Scrapping bids for Southeastern rail franchise costs train companies £50m [subscription]rain companies are facing a near-£50m bill after the Government ripped up the bidding process for one of the UK's biggest rail franchises, amid suggestions that the “ghost of Grayling” continues to loom over the beleaguered sector.
• Ryanair pilots vote to strike as British Airways computer meltdown leaves passengers stranded [subscription]yanair pilots have piled fresh misery onto British holidaymakers by announcing industrial action as the public returns from their summer break.

Times Online

• Old tyres wheeled out for resurfacing motorways [subscription]Old tyres will be used to resurface motorways under plans designed to stop them being sent to landfill sites overseas. A new asphalt has been created using waste rubber as part of a trial funded by state-owned Highways England.
• The Times view on the privatised rail network: National Fail [subscription]A contest to run a busy rail service has been axed. The new government must prove to sceptical passengers why a privatised network still makes sense
• ScotRail accused of failing elderly passengers by charging for toilets [subscription]A pensioners’ charity has criticised rail bosses for backtracking on plans to stop charging the public to use station lavatories.
• Railway changes signalled after minister scraps Southeastern franchise contest [subscription]The future of the privatised rail system has been thrown into doubt after the government scrapped a competition to run one of the busiest commuter lines.
• UK pulls out of Interrail scheme in dispute over money [subscription]Passengers with a European-wide Interrail ticket will be barred from using it in the UK after British rail companies pulled out of the 47-year-old scheme.

City AM

• Lyft off: Ride-hailing app makes inroads as it beats expectationsUber rival Lyft came in ahead of analyst estimates yesterday, and predicted lower losses for the year.
• Rail firms could seek costs after government scraps franchise bidding The Department for Transport (DfT) insists there is no recourse for the rail firms as they enter into the bidding process at their own risk.

Labour Party

• Shapps continues Grayling’s disastrous rail policy: DfT cancels Southeastern franchise competition – Rachael Maskell respondsRachael Maskell MP, Labour’s Shadow Rail Minister, commenting on the DfT cancelling the Southeastern franchise competition and directly awarding the franchise to incumbent operator Govia, said:

Bristol Live

• How council plan to make 'public transport travel easier' with £700K"We need to be innovative to tackle the challenges of congestion and air quality"

London Evening Standard

• Interrail latest: Britain to withdraw from train scheme which lets tourists traverse Europe with one ticketBritish train companies will no longer be part of the Interrail and Eurail ticket schemes which let tourists traverse Europe with just one pass.
• Ryanair strikes: Brit holidaymakers hit with further chaos as pilots vote for five days of strike action in dispute over payPilots have voted in favour of walkouts on August 22 and 23 and September 2, 3, and 4
• British Airways warns of 'knock-on' disruption after IT meltdown left passengers strandedBritish Airways passengers have been warned of

Sheffield Star

• Platform announcement mix-up means rail users get incorrect warning when fast trains zoom through Meadowhall station in Sheffield: ‘It’s not safe for passengers’Rail passengers in Sheffield say their safety is at risk – because of incorrect loudspeaker announcements at Meadowhall station.

Hull Daily Mail

• Man hits out at Hull Paragon's broken bus screens after year of complaining gets him nowhereA frustrated City of Culture volunteer has hit out at faulty bus timetable boards in Hull Paragon Interchange which he says are leaving people “stood around like idiots”. On Wednesday, just two out of six boards in the station seemed to be fully operating by showing departure times for buses leaving Hull Paragon.

North Wales Live

• The UK's being kicked out of the Interrail scheme - but they say it's nothing to do with BrexitThe decision comes following a dispute between the Rail Delivery Group, who represent UK train operations, and the Eurail Group

Other Regional Press

• Depressing figures show Yorkshire people use public transport for less than one in 10 tripsNew figures have revealed Yorkshire people use public transport for less than one in 10 trips per year - with just over 62 per cent of journeys involving a car.
• Comhairle outlines the way ahead for Islands’ ferry servicesComhairle nan Eilean Siar has urged Transport Scotland to support as many of the short-term improvements identified in a network plan for Outer Hebrides ferry services as soon as possible and have these in place for summer 2020.
• MP wants answers over Sandbanks Ferry fiasco that's a "serious blow" to areaSOUTH Dorset MP Richard Drax says he has twice written to the manager of the Sandbanks chain ferry, in a bid for answers to the current breakdown which angered customers.
• Dundee’s new Blether Bus blasted as ‘real community’ service is axedDundee City Council has been accused of foisting a “pale imitation” bus service on pensioners in the West End. The local authority voted to axe the 204 service earlier this year, despite fierce opposition from residents.
• T fL announce improved services on four Croydon bus routesFour bus routes serving Croydon and south London are to get improved frequencies on their routes from the end of this month.
• Stagecoach boosts Banbury bus servicesSTAGECOACH in Oxfordshire has announced timetable changes in Banbury following customer feedback and consultation with Oxfordshire County Council.
• Full steam ahead for Luton Station Action Group as campaign to save train services steps up its gameMomentum is building around a campaign group aiming to stop train services being pulled from Luton station in favour of Harpenden. Luton Borough Council’s deputy leader Cllr Sian Timoney set up the group after Govia Thameslink (GTR) launched a consultation to increase services at Harpenden Station by removing stops at Luton.
• Renton is 'least safe station' in Dumbarton and the ValeAccording to statistics obtained by the Reporter through a Freedom of Information request, by the end of June seven violent crimes and two sexual assaults had been recorded at the station during 2018/19.
• Plans for new rail station back on trackA new planning application for a railway station at Marsh Barton will be submitted at the start of 2020, Devon County Council has announced.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair UK pilots vote to strike in August, SeptemberMembers of the union representing Ryanair’s UK-based pilots voted to conduct two strikes in late August and early September. read more
• Boeing still eyes MAX return to service in early 4QBoeing’s final package of 737 MAX changes remains on track for handover to FAA in about a month, keeping the company hopeful that the model will be cleared to fly again this year, CEO Dennis Muilenburg said Aug. 7. read more

Other News Sources

• Bus satisfaction is determined by the driver, says new reportIf we are to improve the effectiveness of our public transport systems we must ensure that people want to use it; a new report suggests that satisfaction is derived from the driver.
• Controversial plans for the Great Baddow bus gate have been scrappedPlans for a controversial Chelmsford bus gate have been scrapped in light of serious damage to the Army and Navy flyover. Essex County Council's Baddow Bus Gate proposal, which would have stopped cars travelling westbound between Meadgate Avenue and the Army and Navy roundabout, had been heralded as a solution to congestion on the roundabout.