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

Saturday, 19 October 2019

BBC News

• Driving in Wales: Why the north-south road is so slowIn 21st Century Wales, there's no dual carriageway linking north and south - why?
• Ferry services in Argyll and Bute Council savings plansArgyll and Bute Council is considering trying to move the responsibility for the ferries to Transport Scotland.
• 'Round-the-clock' revamp of West Highland Line completedBridges and the drainage system on a stretch of the railway between Crianlarich and Fort William have been refurbished.
• Boeing staff texted about 737 Max issue in 2016A pilot allegedly wrote that he had

Financial Times

• Boeing pilot warned of 737 Max troubles during testingFAA rebukes aircraft maker for not disclosing texts sent during certification process

The Independent

• ‘No third runway at Heathrow before 2035,’ predicts Emirates boss Sir Tim Clark says other UK airports will benefit from any delay of the expansions at Britain’s busiest airport
• Captain Sully outraged at fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes being blamed onCaptain of the Miracle on the Hudson plane deplores 'a pernicious and deadly design'
• How Volvo is helping to electrify the car marketA car that is pretty much perfect for the eco-friendly cruiser, finds Sean O'Grady. From its sleek design to its conscious energy use, it's a vehicle that will electrify its driver
• Senior Boeing pilot warned of system failing blamed for 737 MAX crashes three years agoFAA furious that messages were not passed on by planemaker

Times Online

• Private jet firm sues former employee for ‘taking client data’ [Subscription]A private jet company is suing a former employee for allegedly using confidential information to poach its VIP clients.
• Boeing ‘knew of 737 Max flaws’ before crash [Subscription]Max jet test pilot ‘lied to regulators’ about safety
• Bad drivers to blame for crashes on smart motorways, says roads chief [Subscription]Highways officials will push ahead with the extension of smart motorways despite concerns that their lack of a hard shoulder puts lives at risk.

Mail Online

• The accounts worker who was dragged off roof Tube train by furious commutersJames Mee, 35, was part of a gang including a Buddhist teacher, a grandfather and a vicar who brought chaos to three stations east of the capital: Canning Town, Shadwell and Stratford.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Northern Rail's new 'state-of-the-art' train rolls into Bradford Interchange THE FUTURE of the region's railway system was unveiled at Bradford Interchange when a
• HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail with a central Bradford stop are 'crucial' to the North LEADERS in the North's business and political sphere are standing together to demand HS2 be delivered in full - alongside Northern Powerhouse Rail with a station in central Bradford.
• Two Yorkshire roads named among 'most haunted highways' in UK Superstitious drivers seeking a scare this spooky season have been told about 12 of the most haunted roads across the UK.

Bristol Live

• 'We are not rabbits': British Airways flyer slams 'pathetic' meal on flight from Heathrow Airport The airline promised the complaint would be 'fed back' to caterers
• Road closures for 'urgent' work to remove boulder from cliff above A4 PortwayThese routes in Clifton will be shut this weekend
• You could get a £2.5k fine and invalidate your insurance by having a dog in the carDon't get caught out

Daily Post (North Wales)

• The unusual looking ship at Bangor's Porth Penrhyn and why it was thereThe Deo Gloria has visited the port several times in the past few days
• RECAP: Plane declares emergency over AngleseyThe Boeing 737 flying from Stansted to Dublin issued a distress squawk
• Tesco cuts petrol and diesel prices for driversThe supermarket giant has followed Asda and Sainsbury's in reducing fuel prices
• Airbus remains cautious after Boris Johnson's new Brexit deal revealedThe aerospace giant has spoken after the deal was agreed between the UK Government and EU negotiating team

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Are Northumberland bus passengers getting a 'raw deal'? This angry councillor thinks soBlyth councillor Kath Nisbet believes buses in Northumberland are going from bad to worse and are becoming unaffordable

The York Press

• York-based rail firm Northern could be renationalised A TRAIN operator - with headquarters in York city centre - could be renationalised.

Wales Online

• Lane closures set to cause five months of disruption in Whitchurch, CardiffOne Whitchurch business owner said he lost £10,000 last year and can't afford to have another bad year

Other Regional Press

• The Middlesbrough Station 'rejig' that will allow London-bound train services10 carriage LNER trains are too big for Middlesbrough Station's platform's, but leaders hope an 'interim solution' has been found

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• HS2 to streamline procurement process for civils sub-contractorsFour of HS2 Ltd’s biggest contractors will introduce a standardized pre-qualification (PQ) system for subcontractors in a bid to streamline the process, reduce costs and boost productivity. The new Common Assessment Standard will ensure that bidders looking for work with the high speed rail company’s four main civils contractors – Align, BBV, EK and SCS Railways – will go through identical pre-qualification processes. Developed as part of HS2’s ‘Collaboration Hub’ initiative, the contractors worked with two of the sector’s biggest representativ...
• Tesla gets the go-ahead to build cars in ChinaTesla has been given the green light to start manufacturing its cars in China. The electric carmaker, which is run by billionaire Elon Musk, is building a $2bn (£1.5bn) factory in the eastern city of Shanghai. Tesla plans to build at least 1,000 of its Model 3s each week in the Chinese factory, which could be up and running within weeks. The new factory will give Tesla access to China, which is the world's biggest car market. It would also help the company avoid higher import tariffs that are imposed on cars made in the US. The new factory, known as the Gigafactory 3, is the first f...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Arup and Network Rail publish innovative report on 'Tomorrow's Living Station' Arup, in partnership with Network Rail, have published their ‘Tomorrow’s Living Station’ report, exploring the exciting part that stations will play in our towns and cities. The report outlines the importance of evolution with society and stations keeping up with the pace of...

Railnews

• RMT ballots for Overground strike over ticket office reductions The RMT is stepping up its campaign to prevent the opening hours of many London Overground ticket offices being reduced, by balloting its members for strikes and other industrial action. The current plans would mean many Overground ticket offices would only be open between 07.30 and 10.30, and closed all day at weekends. The union™s general secretary Mick Cash said: ˜Having failed to close the London Overground ticket offices completely due to a union and public campaign that convinced London Travel Watch to keep them open ARL [Arriva Rail London] and TfL are now trying to achieve the same re...

Aviation Industry

• FAA demands answers from Boeing on MAX instant message exchangeFAA administrator Steve Dickson is seeking answers from Boeing related to an instant message exchange between two Boeing employees that suggests the company may have misled regulators about the safety of the 737 MAX’s flight-control system. read more
• FAA: Strategy to prevent drone disruption soon to be releasedThe National Security Council (NSC) will soon release a strategy for preventing drone disruptions at major US metropolitan airports, according to the FAA. read more

Other News Sources

• Reigate traffic could get much worse as level crossing set for 50% increase in trainsGreat Western Railway has extra trains lined up to improve services on the line but there are fears having the level crossing down more often will cause traffic chaos