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

Friday, 08 November 2019

BBC News

• City of Derry Airport needs almost £6m to keep it openCouncillors hear almost £6m is required to ensure the airport can operate beyond 31 March 2021.
• TfL announces 'urgent review' of London minicab driversThe move follows a BBC investigation which exposed colleges cheating the tests required for drivers.
• Lufthansa scraps 1,300 flights in 48-hour strikeAbout 180,000 passengers face travel disruption after the airline failed to halt the two-day action.
• West Coast Rail prices could rise, warns watchdogThe UK's competition regulator says franchise winner FirstGroup is the sole operator on several routes.

Financial Times

• Rolls-Royce woes intensify after engine setbackFTSE 100 group announces extra £800m hit to cash due to turbine blade snags
• Watchdog raises fares fears over West Coast rail awardCMA says passengers’ limited options could also see fewer cheap tickets

The Guardian

• UK railways cannot cope with climate crisis, says rail bossHead of Scotland’s railway calls for vastly increased investment in future-proofing network
• Hundreds trapped in shopping mall as severe floods hit north of EnglandShoppers at Meadowhall in Sheffield told not to leave by police and many trains cancelled after heavy rain
• Our Manifesto for the North is the message of positive change this election needsNever before has an entire English region united to call for change. We’re asking for the power to do more for ourselves

Times Online

• Who’s in charge of the clattering trains? [subscription] Save Whitehall has woken up to the fact that giving First Group the contract to run the west coast main line means that many train users in Lancashire will have a choice of First Group or, er, First Group, the operator of the local Trans Pennine Express
• Graphene road being trialled in Oxfordshire paves way for end of potholesSuper-tough roads built using graphene will be laid in Britain for the first time under plans to eradicate potholes.

Birmingham Post

• Fuel cards and telematics firm Radius Payment Solutions acquires West Midlands-based Sure-TrackIt is the second acquisition in a week for Radius Payment Solutions

Bolton News

• Rain crippling Northern travel routes Huge downpours are causing chaos across the region, as flooding and rain has grounded train routes to a halt.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• £2.6 million grant to support shopping centre rail stationPLANS to create a new rail station at the White Rose Centre have moved a step forward after regional decision-makers agreed to pump a further £2.6m into supporting the scheme.
• 'Do not travel', says Northern amid floods across Bradford NORTHERN has urged people not to travel as severe weather and flooding caused chaos across West Yorkshire.
• Bradford stalling on electric car infrastructureBradford is stalling on introducing electric car charging points, according to a new government league table exposing gaps in the UK's electric infrastructure.

Liverpool Echo

• Revealed: first area of Merseyside to get a new railway stationPlans to bring two new stations to the Merseyrail network have taken another step forward today - with an exciting announcement about which station will be built first.

London Evening Standard

• British Airways passengers 'held in isolation' at Heathrow after 'incident' on flight from BudapestBritish Airways passengers have told how they were put in

Manchester Evening News

• Could the Tories be poised to promise a new £39bn intercity rail network for the north?Sajid Javid says the Conservatives could 'comfortably' afford to pay for the full Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme

Sheffield Star

• Northern Rail issues 'do not travel' warning as flood travel chaos deepensRail operator Northern has issued a ‘do not travel’ warning tonight as flood chaos deepens across Yorkshire.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Massive disruption at Leeds Station as 'idiots' play on the tracksTrespassers on the railway at Leeds have stopped all trains leaving the station.

Yorkshire Post

• Why the delay to HS2 could strike a double blow to rail in the NorthAs the campaign for the General Election on December 12 starts in earnest, Yorkshire is set to be a key battle ground.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• BEAR continues to deliverThe Bus Emission Abatement Retrofit Fund (BEAR) is making £8.85 million available in 2019/20. The money is to support the Scottish Government’s commitment to introduce Low Emission Zones into Scotland’s four biggest cities by 2020. The money is to be used to upgrade vehicles to Euro VI. Transport Scotland will be monitoring air quality performance from the buses fitted with the funded technology.

Coach and Bus Week

• McGill’s Buses to improve punctuality after £75,000 fineScotland bus operator McGill’s Buses will ‘strive further’ to further improve punctuality on its routes, the firm said.
• Government issues practical guidance for operators and drivers after BrexitThe government has issued guidance for operators and drivers on what steps they need to take to continue to operate in the EU after Brexit, which can be found on the gov.uk website.
• Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses now under one roofThe Daimler Group has launched a new corporate structure: The spin-off of the business divisions for cars and vans as well as trucks and buses into subsidiaries became effective at the end of October.
• New e-busway fleet takes over in NantesThe city of Nantes has introduced the first of its fleet of new electric bi-articulated buses. Based on an existing 7 km right-of-way line, the first bi-articulated electric bus, made by HESS and re-charged with ABB TOSA technology started operating on 20 August 2019, with the remainder of the 22 new electric buses due in service to replace the existing bus fleet by the end of autumn 2019.

Construction News

• HS2 procurement plans continue despite uncertaintyHS2 has launched a consultation on pre-procurement for components to be used within station buildings, despite continued uncertainty about the project's future.

Rail Magazine

• Cascaded LNER HSTs to plug the gap in East Midlands fleet The three-year saga over how to replace non-compliant High Speed Trains on East Midlands Railway has been resolved… by using cascaded HSTs.
• “Infrastructure in years, not decades” urges TfN chiefNorthern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 would create a rail revolution for the North, according to Transport for the North Chief Executive Barry White.
• EXCLUSIVE: Labour’s railway visionWith a General Election looking increasingly likely, Britain’s transport policy could soon be in the hands of a “railway nerd who reads RAILmagazine” - as Jeremy Cobyn described himself in a Parliamentary debate back in 2006.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Edwards Coaches wins award for Red Dragon liveryEdwards Coaches was recognised at the inaugural Wales Transport Awards, winning the Livery of the Year category at the inaugural event which was held on 2 November. 2019.
• Cardiff Bus: Former DHL Supply Chain CEO takes the helmCardiff Bus has appointed its new Managing Director (MD), Paul Dyer, the former UK and Ireland CEO of contract logistics provider DHL Supply Chain.
• Stagecoach MCSL: New Engineering Director strengthens teamStagecoach Merseyside, Cheshire and South Lancashire (Stagecoach MCSL) has appointed Steve Swires as its new Engineering Director.
• Traffic Commissioners open door to revised punctuality measureTechnology developments mean that six-minute window may no longer be suitable The Traffic Commissioners (TCs) have indicated that they will “review and modernise” the approach to measuring bus punctuality, opening the door to changes to the current six-minute window of tolerance.
• Proposed immigration policy shift ‘may hurt driver recruitment’: CPTTrade organisation calls for coach and bus drivers to be on a shortage occupation list Proposed changes to immigration policy risk creating a further staff shortage in the coach and bus industry, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has warned.
• Transdev pioneers new Commuter Club initiativeTransdev is offering a money-saving scheme to encourage more people to travel to work by bus and help the environment.
• Regulation funding is key, say Traffic CommissionersTraffic Commissioners are continuing to see pressure on funding, and that could come to impact the ability of them to regulate effectively, they say
• Matheson: LEZ rollout in four largest Scottish cities ‘critical’Doing so is ‘critical’, says minister, as further £8.85m of BEAR money unveiled

Aviation Industry

• UK’s tourism strategy must support net zero target, AEF recommendsIn July this year, the Environmental Audit Committee launched an inquiry into the environmental impacts of travel and tourism, and how these can be reduced. AEF submitted written evidence to the inquiry, highlighting that a significant proportion of tourism’s environmental …
• Lufthansa makes fleet, cost-cutting plans on declining profit marginsFaced with declining profit margins, Lufthansa Group is making cuts to fleet investments, and accelerating aircraft retirements and cost reduction measures. read more
• Rolls-Royce: Fix for Trent 1000 TEN delayed Rolls-Royce said its timetable to fix problems found in the TEN version of the Trent 1000 engine will be delayed after evaluations revealed that proposed modifications would not deliver a “sufficient levelâ€� of enhanced durability. read more
• Spirit AeroSystems: Bombardier deal provides aftermarket boost Spirit AeroSystems’ deal to buy certain Bombardier commercial aviation assets significantly broadens the aerostructures specialist’s aftermarket presence beyond traditional spare-parts sales, largely through principal customer Boeing. read more
• Jazeera Airways 9-month net profit up 90% on network expansionJazeera Airways increased its net profit for the first nine months of 2019, as the hybrid carrier said it continues to expand its network based on “solidâ€� operations. read more

Other News Sources

• TfSE looks to balance economy and environmentThe sub-national transport body (STB) for the South East has launched a 30-year strategy document that warns indulging continued traffic growth is ‘no longer sustainable’.
• Survey reveals rail businesses expect industry to stagnate in 2020Several UK rail companies are concerned about the industry’s growth in 2020, a survey conducted by polling company ComRes on behalf of the Railway Industry Association (RIA) has revealed.
• New bus interchange proposed for MiddletonPlans have been unveiled to make changes to bus stops at Middleton Park Circus creating a new bus only ‘interchange’ on a quieter section of Middleton Park Road close to the Aldi store. The scheme is being developed by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.