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

Tuesday, 05 November 2019

BBC News

• Behind the wheel of a hydrogen-powered carHydrogen cars are green, quick to refuel and have range, so why are battery cars way ahead of them?
• UK drone pilots have 25 days to register their craftOwners must pass a quiz but will get access to a scheme that seeks to match lost drones with owners.

ITV News

• Jersey bus pass scheme for islanders with disabilities rolled out indefinitely A scheme that provides free bus travel for people with disabilities in Jersey is set to continue indefinitely.

Financial Times

• Decline of motor industry drives global economic slowdownCar production shrank for first time in decade, accounting for a quarter of GDP fall
• IAG/Air Europa: suave Latin coverDeal makes good sense, assuming the buyer can squeeze out costs
• London Underground: the dirtiest place in the cityAn FT Investigation shows that air pollution on the tube is as much as 10 times above health guidelines

The Guardian

• I applaud Bristol for banning diesel vehicles. But why not ban all private cars?est Country asthmatics breathed a deep sigh of relief last week, as Bristol city council unveiled long-awaited plans for a clean air zone in the city. The proposals would see a total daytime ban (from 7am to 3pm) on diesel vehicles entering a small central zone – a first in the UK, though increasingly common across the continent – plus a new charge for entering a wider area.

Times Online

• Boeing 737 Max delays force job cuts at Ryanair [subscription]Ryanair is to close bases and cut jobs because of the continuing delay in delivering the grounded Boeing 737 Max.
• British Airways owner IAG buys Air Europa in €1bn deal [subscription]International Airlines Group has swooped on Air Europa, Spain’s third largest airline, in a €1 billion deal designed to extend its reach across Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Drivers spend £500 to cheat minicab testHundreds of minicab drivers may be working fraudulently after buying qualifications for as little as £500.
• Andrea Leadsom lacked interest in Thomas Cook, allege MPs [subscription]MPs have accused Andrea Leadsom of showing a “lack of interest” in the run-up to Thomas Cook’s collapse, while also failing to make progress on reforms to the audit profession, executive pay and corporate governance.
• Electric cars can beat petrol for value after less than two years [subscription]Some of the most popular electric cars are cheaper than their petrol equivalents after less than two years because of lower running costs, analysis has found.

City AM

• Sheffield Council is bidding for £85 million to improve public transport and active travel.British Airways’ parent company, IAG, has reached a €1bn deal to acquire rival Air Europa in a bid to bolster its presence in the South Atlantic.
• TfL adds more trains to Victoria line at peak timesThe Victoria line has increased its capacity by 275,000 passengers each weekday after more trains have been added at peak times.
• TfL is investigating thousands of potentially illegal minicab driversTransport for London is investigating almost 2,000 London minicab drivers that may have illegally gained their driving qualifications.
• Ryanair will ask for IAG divestments in €1bn Air Europa dealRyanair boss Michael O’Leary is ready to ask competition regulators to intervene in British Airways owner IAG’s purchase of Air Europa, he said today.

Birmingham Mail

• MP's anger over reports that HS2 high speed rail inquiry is delayedEvery delay to HS2 is a delay bringing jobs and investment to Birmingham, says MP Liam Byrne

Birmingham Post

• HS2 review panel stood down but report is delayedPanel investigating the future of the high-speed rail project will not present their findings until after the General Election however a date is yet to be announced
• Hull ticketing firm Paragon ID acquires Thames Card TechnologyParagon ID last year won a contract to supply Oyster Cards to Transport for London
• Cardiff Capital Region appoints its first chief operating officerRhys Thomas will help deliver the region's £1.3bn City Deal

London Evening Standard

• Central line cuts: Uproar at plans to axe peak servicesThousands of commuters are urging Transport for London to scrap an

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield Council bid for £85 million for public transport and cyclingSheffield Council is bidding for £85 million to improve public transport and active travel.

Wales Online

• Double number of people in Wales favour M4 relief road than oppose it — new pollFirst Minister Mark Drakeford decided the M4 relief road would not be built — it would seem people in Wales disagree with that choice

Other Regional Press

• MP calls for urgent action as 'chaos' continues on Chase Line MP Amanda Milling says passengers shouldn't have to face any more unreliability
• Transport bosses urge politicians to back ambitious rail projects for north of EnglandTransport bosses have urged politicians and parties campaigning for votes in the general election to back a number of radical infrastructure projects for the north of England.
• New charity GoTrak aims to reuse former railway lines in NorthumberlandA PLAN to revitalise disused railway lines throughout the Tyne Valley has been launched.
• Council in deadlock over HS2 supportThere was deadlock in the council chamber last week as councillors were unable to decide whether or not to support the Government’s controversial HS2 rail project.

Rail Advent

• Think In Threes – Network Rail urges rail passengers to plan ahead if heading to Birmingham Christmas MarketsBirmingham’s famous Frankfurt Christmas market returns this week and Network Rail is urging passengers to ‘think in threes’ when planning their journeys with record numbers expected to travel in and out of the city by train.

Aviation Industry

• Eurocontrol: MAX grounding impeding traffic growthThe grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX is having a modest but “not insignificantâ€� impact on air traffic in Europe, according to Eurocontrol. read more
• Ryanair 1H net income flat; warns of slower growth on MAX delaysRyanair posted a flat net profit of €1.15 billion ($1.28 billion) for the first half of its 2020 fiscal year and lowered its 2021 growth outlook because of the delayed deliveries of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. read more
• US senators object to new US-Cuba flight restrictions A group of 11 Democratic senators is urging the Trump administration to reverse new restrictions that ban US commercial flights to all Cuban destinations except Havana. read more
• Hong Kong Airlines reduces capacity on tough market conditionsHong Kong Airlines is further reducing its network and suspending a long-haul route in response to increasingly tough market conditions. read more
• European body launches counter-drone work groupThe European Organization for Civil Aviation Equipment (Eurocae) has established a working group to develop standards for counter-drone systems that can be used by airports and air traffic control authorities. read more
• United Airlines, Uplift offer fly now, pay later optionUnited Airlines customers now have the option to pay over time for flights through the carrier’s partnership with point-of-sale financing company Uplift. read more

Other News Sources

• Surrey's cycling blackspots: The 20 most dangerous roadsAn analysis of hundreds of thousands of traffic accident records from January 2017 to December 2018 has uncovered the county's most treacherous roads for cyclists
• Continental rail passes: what can we learn from the twists and turns of Eurail?In August this year, Britain’s Rail Delivery Group announced it would no longer sell Eurail passes in favour of its own BritRail. However, subsequent heavy criticism from the industry led it to revoke its decision the next day. But was it wrong to say the two passes were confusing, and who gets to decide which passes offer what to whom? In August this year, British operators saw no benefit in issuing Eurail passes and decided to stop selling them in favour of Britain's own BritRail passes. Credit: George Hodan.
• UK to get improved rail services, new investment report revealsThe UK rail industry has pledged to introduce 8,000 new carriages and over 11,300 extra services per week from 2020 as part of a new investment programme launched by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) last week.
• Heathrow Express wins ‘friendly Wi-Fi’ safe certificationHeathrow Express has won certification for ensuring its Wi-Fi keeps passengers safe by filtering out inappropriate content during the train company’s 15-minute journey.
• TfL has decorated these tube roundels with poppiesIt’s Remembrance Day on Monday and Transport for London has decorated some of its Underground roundels with poppies to mark the anniversary.
• Electric ferry as bridge alternativeA commuter ferry powered by a pair of 8kW electric motors could provide a carbon neutral alternative to building an expensive new bridge writes Dag Pike.

News from Europe

• Carbon-neutral flying already technically feasible, says German transport expertIn an interview with EURACTIV Germany, Matthias von Randow, the Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Association of the German Transport Industry, spoke about carbon-neutral aviation fuels and the difficulties of rolling them out on a mass scale.