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

Friday, 07 February 2020

BBC News

• Birmingham Clean Air Zone vehicle check service launchedMany diesel cars and some older petrol ones will be charged for driving into central Birmingham.
• M4 congestion: Call for public transport boost to ease M4 jamsThe man seeking alternatives to a ditched relief road says commuters need alternatives to cars.
• Ex-Thomas Cook staff adapting to railway life with GWRAbout 30 staff from the holiday company that collapsed last year are now employed by rail firm GWR.
• Self-driving delivery van ditches 'human controls'Robotics firm Nuro has been given a first of its kind exemption to test the vehicle on US roads.
• Thameslink disruption: London train lines re-open after wire repairedTwo lines between St Pancras and Bedford were closed because of damaged power lines.
• Two roads around George Square to be pedestrianisedThe east and west sides of the Glasgow square will be closed to traffic and all parking spaces removed.
• Fiat warns of coronavirus risk to Europe car plantThe car maker says supply chain problems in China could close a European factory within four weeks.
• Millions unclaimed in rail compensation watchdog claimsA rail watchdog claims millions of pounds are being left unclaimed by people hit by train delays.
• Boeing: US regulator says 'no timescale' for 737 returnThe Boeing plane has been grounded since March 2019 after two separate crashes killed 346 people.
• Uber sees path to profit despite $1.1bn lossSpending to expand its Uber Eats food delivery business impacted the firm's bottom line.

Financial Times

• Musk pits an army of Tesla fans against Wall StreetThe electric car maker’s chief stokes retail investors’ ardour and levitates share price
• Boeing 737 set for certification flight within weeksFAA chief suggests grounded aircraft could return to the skies despite new software glitch
• The only way to hit net zero by 2050 is to stop flyingDreaming of electric planes and planting trees will not save our planet
• Car-booking app Ola aims to overtake Uber in LondonTwo SoftBank-backed services go head-to-head in capital from Monday

The Guardian

• £170m boost for buses dismissed as 'drop in the ocean' of cutsLabour dismisses plans for all-electric bus town and on-demand buses as gimmicks
• A £15bn transport network for the West Midlands is a pipe dream. Or is it?The Tory mayor’s baffling plan is blatant electioneering, but by banging the drum for the region he might attract investment
• Capacity, cost and CO2 – the HS2 arguments roll on [Letters]Readers share their views on the controversial high-speed rail line

The Scotsman

• Scottish Government face public inquiry over failure to include Aviemore-Carrbridge cycle path in A9 duallingScottish Government transport officials are due to defend their refusal to build a cycle route as part of dualling the A9 at a public inquiry on the same day environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham addresses a climate change conference in Aviemore.

Times Online

• Mobile phone coverage on trains stuck ‘in dark ages’ [subscription]Britain’s railways are stuck in the “digital dark ages” because of poor mobile phone coverage on trains, according to government advisers.
• Rail operators failing to tell passengers of cash for delays [subscription]Rail companies have been accused of leaving passengers “in the dark” over their rights to compensation for delays.
• Cars will be driven out of new-look city square [subscription]The centre of Glasgow will be pedestrianised after councillors approved multimillion-pound improvement plans for the city centre.
• Budget 2020: Spending on electric cars leads charge against climate change [subscription]The introduction of low-carbon heating networks and investment to support the adoption of electric vehicles are part of a £1.8 billion pledge towards tackling climate change.

Mail Online

• Heathrow passengers fume as thick fog grounds flightsBritish Airways said the fog shrouding West London meant air traffic control had imposed a reduction in the number of flights that could take off and land at Heathrow.

Birmingham Mail

• New rail and metro lines planned for Sutton Coldfield in West Midlands Mayor Andy Street's 20-year transport vision"The changes I have outlined for Sutton Coldfield’s transport network will bring huge investment into the Royal Town," said Andy Street

Birmingham Post

• Derby rail firm awarded contract to test Stadler’s new Merseyrail fleetSerco Rail Technical Services selected to put new trains through their paces
• Jaguar Land Rover reduces production at West Midlands factoriesLuxury car makers is cutting shifts at two of its plants in response to fluctuating global demand for its cars

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Electric vehicle charging points at under construction Starbucks approvedPLANS to install two electric vehicle charging points at a soon to open Starbucks cafe have been approved.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Final Airbus A380 wing will leave Broughton todayIt will be taken by barge down the River Dee before being shipped to France this morning

Northern Echo

• Taxi driver fined for flouting licensing laws DRIVING a taxi without the appropriate licence and overcharging on a fare has cost a motorist more than £1,500.

Wales Online

• Everything you need to know about changes to Newport's bus timetableThe changes come into effect this month

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Anger over train plansresidents have vowed to fight plans for an electric train depot in Wednesbury, declaring:

Yorkshire Post

• Rail firms ‘stay silent on payouts for journey hold-ups’TRAIN Operators fail to tell most passengers they can claim compensation when their journeys are delayed, a survey suggests.

Cambridge News

• A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon upgrade opening date announcedThe A14 improvement scheme will open half a year ahead of schedule

Reading Evening Post

• Calls for more to be done to improve 'plagued' A34 in West BerkshireBarton Willmore is leading the fight to improve the road, which has seen a number of horrific crashes

Other Regional Press

• Government cash could save the PickMeUp busesOXFORD Bus Company is investigating the possibility of getting government cash to support its app-based PickMeUp service.
• Bus giants Stagecoach to take on 600 apprentices this yearBus and coach firm Stagecoach, which operates services across Derbyshire, is to recruit 600 extra apprentices during 2020.
• Bus lane cameras could be used to fine drivers Motorists who sneak in to bus lanes could soon face automatic fines – as Hertfordshire highways chiefs consider plans for a network of road-side cameras.
• First glimpse of 'Uber-style' on-demand buses for Teesside as fares are revealedPassengers will be able to order a bus on their smartphone, online or over the phone
• Rail chiefs warn of disruption at these Huddersfield train stationsThe Network Rail improvement project is continuing and passengers will be affected

The Economist

• How HS2 will transform a forlorn part of LondonEuston, we have a solution

Coach and Bus Week

• Continuing to ExcelFirst Eastern Counties has relaunched its long-distance Excel route between Norwich and Peterborough, utilising a fleet of the first ADL Enviro400 City-bodied Scanias with diesel drives. James Day reports
• CPT responds to Westminster coach parking space removalFollowing the news that Westminster City Council is to remove a number of parking spaces for coaches following complaints from residents as reported in CBW last week, the CPT’s Keith McNally made the following statement:
• Bus services to be ‘transformed’ as Open Data service goes liveBus passengers across England will now benefit from being able able to plan their journeys down to the minute as the Open Data project to share bus data goes live. Information on timetables will be available from this year, followed by location and fares data during 2021. Operators are required to make available their schedule data available via the TransXchange platform. Information can be found at www.gov.uk/guidance/publish-bus-open-data.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Northern on the hunt for new apprenticesArriva Rail North (Northern) has announced it is looking for apprentice applicants to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week. The scheme will enable 16 of these apprentices to train as engineering technicians and five to focus more specifically on train planning and station operations. The...

Railnews

• Train delay compensation needs ˜shake-up™, says watchdog Passenger watchdog Transport Focus says passengers often find it too difficult to claim compensation if their train is late or cancelled. It is launching a publicity campaign today using cinema advertisements, station billboards and social media to explain that compensation is available, often after a delay of just 15 minutes, although this is not yet universal. The watchdog is calling for a new website, ˜quicker and easier™ claim processes, and more automated compensation.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Warrington’s Own installs Omnibus driver appWarrington’s Own Buses has installed myDAS from Omnibus to improve communication with its 160 drivers.
• Huw Merriman announced as Chair of Transport Select CommitteeThe Conservative MP has highlighted some ‘specific’ proposals for the bus industry A couple of weeks ago I suggested that Stephen Hammond, the Conservative MP for Wimbledon, would make a great Chair of the Transport Select Committee. Well, he didn’t even apply for the job. Instead, it’s gone to Huw Merriman, the Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle since 2015.
• ‘Bringing the coach industry into the modern day’In the age of data driven technology, the coach industry has had a hard time finding its feet with its traditional toolkits and ways of working, and more importantly, may have struggled to identify potential opportunities for coaches.
• Bus Open Data service launches with legal mandate for sharingOperators required to provide timetable data by December and other aspects during 2021 DfT has formally launched its flagship Bus Open Data project, which it says will “digitally transform the delivery of bus passenger information across England.”
• Plymouth Citybus granted IIP platinum accreditationAward-winning operator receives top accolade for its efforts at putting people first
• Stagecoach SE adds two members to senior teamStagecoach South East (SE) has added Mark Wallis as Engineering Director and Grahame Patterson as Fleet Engineer to its senior team.
• Young coach and bus drivers: A fresh approach?How to attract young people as coach and bus drivers has long been a thorny topic.
• Tap-on, tap-off hits one million usesAfter introduction on Brighton and Hove Buses and Metrobus in September 2019, tap-on, tap-off contactless has hit one million transactions.

Other News Sources

• Alstom signs first contract for battery-electric regional trains in Germany Alstom will manufacture, deliver and maintain until 2032 eleven Coradia Continental battery-electric trains for regional traffic on the Leipzig-Chemnitz route on behalf of VMS (Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen) and with the support of ZVNL (Zweckverband für den Nahverkehrsraum Leipzig), the two authorities responsible for this line. The contract is worth approximately €100 million. Following this order, Alstom offers all types of traction systems on the market as well as the full range of emission-free drives, from efficient electric motors to hydrogen fuel cells and advanced battery traction.In...
• Container handling volumes stable, goods handling declines in 2019 In 2019, container handling volumes at Duisburger Hafen AG (duisport), which reached approximately 4.0 million TEU, remained at the level of 2018 (4.1 million TEU). With a share of around 60 percent, container handling is duisport's most important business segment. Total goods handling is expected to decline from 65.3 million tonnes to approximately 61.1 million tonnes (-4.2 million tonnes).The drop in total goods handling is due to weakening industry demand and Germany's move away from coal-based electricity, which led to another significant decrease in bulk cargo. With 20%, the coal and ste...
• Emirates and Olympique Lyonnais announce new partnership Emirates and Olympique Lyonnais (OL), one of France's top football clubs, announced a five year sponsorship deal. Under the agreement, Emirates will become the club's Official Main Sponsor from the start of the 2020/2021 season.The iconic Emirates