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

Friday, 14 February 2020

Government

• £2 million new funding allocated to support local airfieldsAirfield development fund launches in spring to increase support for airfield owners, operators, local councils and associated businesses.

BBC News

• Bombardier: Nigerian airline orders 50 Airbus A220 jetsWings for the A220 jet project are made at Bombardier's plant in Belfast.
• Alok Sharma to be president of UN climate conferenceThe UK government's new business secretary will also lead this year's big UN climate meeting.

Financial Times

• Airbus slows output to focus on greener jetsCrisis at rival Boeing creates opportunity to modernise volatile manufacturing system
• Global shipping market reels from coronavirusChina shutdown leaves crews stuck at sea, shipyards deserted and shipowners hunting for work
• Uber reinvents itself as taxi company‘Innovation’ will see call centres take bookings on the phone
• Norwegian Air: Schram jetThe bigger question hangs over whether long-haul and low-cost air travel has a future
• Two-thirds of Chinese airlines’ planes grounded over coronavirusPassenger numbers tumble due to travel restrictions and fear sparked by outbreak

Times Online

• Northern’s new train breaks down with Grant Shapps on board [Subscrption]A new Northern Rail train broke down while carrying the transport secretary, providing further embarrassment for the troubled railway system.
• Times letters: Ban on petrol car sales and a net-zero future [subscription]Sir, The government proposal to bring forward the mandatory date for phasing out vehicles that rely on fossil fuels to 2032 is a welcome first step towards reducing air pollution and mitigating climate change (“Ban on sale of petrol cars could come in ten years”, Feb 13)
• Troop carrier lands Airbus deeper in red [subscription]Airbus has dropped into the red with a €1.36 billion loss as it counted the cost of paying fines for a decade of global multibillion-dollar bribery and corruption scandals and the financial black hole of its A400M military transporter.

The National

• Judge projects on their merits, not on who proposes themIAN Blackford was right to point out that the High-Speed Railway 2 project did not cover Scotland, any more than our subsidy bill for London Crossrail, Jubilee Line, sewage etc did. By the time it gets to Leeds we’ll all be deid and by the time it gets to Scotland – well, forget it.

Birmingham Post

• Airbus slumps to £1.2bn loss - but there is good news for aerospace workersThe giant settlement with authorities in the United States, France and Britain saw the firm post annual losses
• Rolls-Royce marks 25 years of aero engine family which propelled it into the big timeThe Trent helped turned the firm into a global force

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford taxis to be rated from 1 to 5 under new policy BRADFORD taxis and private hire vehicles will soon be given a rating out of five - similar to the

Bristol Live

• Busy Bristol commuter route to close for eight months for metrobus worksA brand new railway bridge will be maneuvered into place over the road

Daily Post (North Wales)

• New Airbus A330 plane will enter service this year after backing from safety chiefsThe wings of the newly certified A330-800 will be made at the Broughton site

London Evening Standard

• Early warning of 10-day shutdown on rail for EasterCommuters and families planning Easter holidays were today given an early warning of a 10-day shutdown over a major part of the London network.

Manchester Evening News

• Transport Secretary hints controversial HS2 link through Wigan could be divertedGrant Shapps has indicated the Golborne Spur could be redirected away from Lowton
• Northern Rail's Sunday cancellations problem solved - just as Arriva loses franchiseBosses have finally reached an agreement with drivers' union - just weeks before the firm is moved to public ownership

Northern Echo

• Keir Starmer slams Tees Valley Tory metro transport cutsLABOUR Party leadership candidate Keir Starmer will today slam the Tory government for what he describes as a "decade of failure" on Tees Valley transport infrastructure.
• Exactly 200 years later, the railway pioneers meet once again in YarmTHOMAS MEYNELL and Benjamin Flounders came back to life on Tuesday evening in the pub where 200 years earlier they had convened a crucial railway meeting.

The York Press

• HS2: a 'transport revolution' - or a colossal waste of money? Think what you will about Boris Johnson, he's certainly got a way with words.
• York NRM Central Hall display opensTHE chair of a jury which will decide on the design of a £16.5 million new Central Hall at York's National Railway Museum visited a display of the five shortlisted entries yesterday - and urged residents and visitors to do the same.

Wales Online

• Charges could return for drivers on both sides of the Severn bridgesThe scrapped Severn bridge tolls could be replaced with congestion charges on both sides of the river.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• MP welcomes action on train companyAn MP has welcomed a Government order for a train operator to spend and extra £20 million on improving services.

Burnley Express

• 9-day rail closure on East Lancashire line starts this weekendTRAVELLERS will face disruption for nine days with rail replacement buses in service as the planned closure of the East Lancashire line starts this weekend.

Carlisle News & Star

• More trouble for Northern Rail after transport secretary Grant Shapps is left strandedTroubled train operator Northern Rail was left red-faced when one of its new trains broke down with the secretary of state for transport on board.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglian rail line blocked after trees come down in high windsRail services between East Anglia and London were thrown into chaos on Thursday after high winds brought down a tree on overhead lines just north of Colchester.

Other Regional Press

• Norfolk MP George Freeman sackedMr Freeman was one of the early victims of the Prime Minister's reshuffle, losing his job as transport minister.
• Nus Ghani out as transport minister in Cabinet reshuffleAN MP has lost her job as transport minister in a ruthless Cabinet reshuffle. Wealden MP Nus Ghani will no longer be Under-secretary of State for Transport after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a Government shake-up.
• Hertfordshire bus and cycle routes set to benefit from £5bn government pledgeHertfordshire’s bus services and cycle routes will benefit from a new £5 billion funding pot announced in parliament on Tuesday.
• Andrew Jones MP talks about rail and HS2The UK has seen rail journeys increase to 1.8 billion a year, from 760 million journeys in 1995.
• Councillor says party has got it wrong on rail linkANDY Boddington has ruffled feathers in the Liberal Democrat establishment.
• Chirk: Simon Baynes MP among those to back HS2 rail plansThe seven Conservative MPs across North Wales, including Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes, have welcomed the government’s confirmation that the HS2 project will proceed.
• 'We're sorry': Train operator c2c launches new campaign to help reduce station queues after 'frustrating' six monthsThe managing director of c2c has apologised to the train operators' customers after six months of problems saw the company unveil a new "reduce the queues" campaign to make buying tickets easier.

The Economist

• The paradox of Britain’s busesEverybody wants buses. They just don’t want to use them

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• £2 million new funding allocated to support local airfieldsAviation Minister, Paul Maynard launched the Airfield Development Fund, which will increase support for airfield owners, operators, local councils and associated businesses, helping them upskill, thrive and grow. Airfields are an integral part of the £3 billion general aviation sector and considered the grassroots of the entire aviation sector, however many have often struggled with business development and financial sustainability. This new funding aims to ensure airfield businesses receive access to advisors, offering help on a range of legal and business-related topics to support th...

Coach and Bus Week

• DfT announces funding for first electric bus townDetails of how a £170m is to be spent also include funding for ‘Superbus networks,’ demand-responsive service trials and the support and restoration of existing networks
• Government commits £5bn to bus and cycling investmentThe funding, which will be delivered over five years, promises higher frequency services, lower and simpler fares, new priority schemes and at least 4,000 zero emission buses
• Harrogate’s free Sunday buses power onHarrogate’s Sunday economy has seen a significant boost as customer numbers on its free Sunday buses continue to rise, The Harrogate Bus Company has announced. The services are now set to continue thanks to local businesses.
• Scotland’s Bus industry sets out Vision for 2030Bus companies across Scotland are getting together to set out a vision for buses for 2030, highlighting the importance of buses in tackling the climate emergency, in a project led by Transform Scotland (TS), the national body for sustainable transport.
• Bus use in North East grows for first time in a decadeTyne and Wear growth highest in Northern England, only surpassed nationally by areas with successful bus partnerships
• Gender diversity conference aims to get more women on the busesNorth East has hosted a ‘Women in Bus’ conference at Newcastle’s Vermont Hotel as part of the group’s Women in Bus initiative to increase gender diversity in the bus roles. 80% of the conference attendees were female, with nearly 50 representatives from Go-Ahead’s bus operations across the UK, including Sophie Moorby who is the chair of the national network as it is based in the North East where she works as Operations Manager for Go North East’s Gateshead Riverside depot.
• First silent Solaris buses for Beethoven’s BonnPolish manufacturer Solaris has won a tender for the delivery of three articulated electric buses for SWB in Bonn. It will be the first time the manufacturer has supplied SWB. The buses will be Urbino 18 electrics featuring the new generation of Solaris High Energy+ batteries, and are expected to hit the streets of Bonn in 2020.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail install new Dawlish sea wall Network Rail’s plan to protect the vital rail line to the south west from rising sea levels and extreme weather has taken a big step forward despite challenging storm conditions. A large sea wall is being installed in Dawlish, Devon to defend the costal railway line and the iconic footpath...
• TransPennine Express receives 'public target' from Transport for the North Agreed by Transport for the North leaders in back in January, the ‘public target’ follows a period at the end of last year when TransPennine Express returned the worst performance figures in the country, with sometimes less than half their services meeting basic performance...

Railnews

• TransPennine Express under pressure, as performance targets are set Transport for the North has given TransPennine Express new and strict public performance targets, after months of cancellations and other problems. The decision comes only a few days since rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris warned that the Department for Transport was prepared to take action against TPE unless performance improved. Transport for the North™s strategic rail director David Hoggarth said: ˜Passengers in the North of England must have a rail service they can rely on. In the run-up to Christmas last year TPE simply failed to provide what was needed.™

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• The decade of the bus starts by tackling congestionCongestion is eclipsing the benefits of buses – and the National Bus Strategy needs to tackle it
• Leeds CAZ: £528,000 paid for coach and bus upgradesLeeds City Council (LCC) has so far paid approximately £528,000 to nine non-scheduled coach and bus operators to help them upgrade 33 vehicles in preparation for the city’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ)
• The decade of the bus starts by tackling congestionCongestion is eclipsing the benefits of buses – and the National Bus Strategy needs to tackle it Last week I was delighted to make my first appearance at the UK Bus Summit.
• Enhanced bus partnership plans in Hertfordshire are approvedServices and infrastructure will be improved through deal, which builds on existing work
• UK Bus Summit 2020: A new ‘golden age’ for bus?Focus was on investment, green growth and a long-term strategy for the industry at this year’s UK Bus Summit.
• Tees Valley Flex minibus DRT pilot launchesThe demand-responsive Tees Valley Flex minibus pilot launched last week in Hartlepool. It is operated by Stagecoach using nine low-floor Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, including seven new examples with EVM Cityline conversions.
• Stagecoach to double apprenticeships in 2020To mark National Apprenticeship Week (3-7 February), Stagecoach has pledged to recruit 600 extra apprentices in 2020 with an aim to have 1,200 apprentices employed by the end of the year.

Transport Network

• Transport secretary Grant Shapps has survived but ministers George Freeman and Nusrat Ghani, who made history as the first female Muslim minister to speak from the House of Commons despatch box, have both been axed in the cabinet reshuffle.Mr Freeman, who was only appointed minister of state at the Department for Transport (DfT) in July 2019, expressed his disappointment on Twitter, while Ms Ghani struck a more understated tone.

Other News Sources

• Reduced rail services planned as Storm Dennis approachesSPEED restrictions and reduced services are expected on the railways this weekend.
• Crisis hit HS2 college hires lawyers to gag OfstedThe crisis hit National College for HS2 has hired a team of lawyers to stop Ofsted publishing a highly critical report, FE Week can reveal.