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

Wednesday, 10 February 2016

BBC News

• 'Crisis' in bus services after collapse of Tates Travel says MPThe collapse of some bus services in South and West Yorkshire after a company ceased trading shows a "crisis" in provision, according to an MP.
• 'Accept deal' to end train disputeLeaders of the train drivers' union are urging acceptance of a deal which would end a dispute over pay and conditions at Arriva Trains Wales.
• Hundreds more Tube workers join strikeHundreds more London Underground workers are planning to strike later this week.

Department for Transport

• Community rail plan for line between Swindon and WestburyConsultation to give passengers and community groups more say over how local Wiltshire rail services are run.

Financial Times

• Ethiopian Airlines soars with state helpAfrican carrier has benefited from rivals’ struggles and a generous backer
• Uber in app offer to London’s black cabs‘Olive branch’ offer to drivers by adding option to app to allow booking of traditional cabs
• EasyJet founder demands higher dividendSir Stelios Haji-Ioannou increases pressure on airline

The Guardian

• Black boxes recovered from site of German train crash that killed 10Investigation into head-on collision that killed at least 10 people and injured scores more to focus on cab signalling systemRescue workers at the site of a head-on collision between two commuter trains in southern Germany have uncovered two black boxes and are searching for a third.The transport minister, Alexander Dobrindt, said the black boxes would likely hold the key to the cause of the accident, which has killed at least 10 people and injured scores more, at least nine of whom are in a critical condition. Continue reading...
• Report calling for abolition of Network Rail increases fears of privatisationThinktank review says railways are inefficient and government should ease burden on taxpayer but Labour says fares would rise and safety would be at riskFears the government could privatise Network Rail have been heightened after a report from an influential thinktank called for its abolition and endorsed closing lines and deregulating fares.The free-market Institute of Economic Affairs said full privatisation of the UK’s railways would improve services and ease the burden on the taxpayer. It claims that strict regulation, price controls on fares and the structure separating train and track ha...

Times Online

• Every family is paying £180 a year to keep Britain’s trains on track [Subscription]Every family is paying £180 to keep Britain’s railways running even if they never use the train, according to research. The amount of taxpayer funding injected into the rail industry is now running at about two to three times higher than under British Rail in the late 1980s.

City AM

• London mayoral election 2016: Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin says government won't pay for Labour candidate Sadiq Khan's fare freezeA Cabinet minister has rejected Labour mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan's proposals for freezing Transport for London (TfL) fares until at least 2020, saying central government will not pick up the bill for any unfunded City Hall schemes.

Mail Online

• 2,000 London Undeground Tube workers plan Friday strike in row over safety The RMT union announced today that 500 track patrol staff on the London Underground would walk out of their jobs for 24 hours starting on Friday morning.

The Mirror

• Germany train crash: 'Human error responsible' for causing high-speed Bavaria tragedy that killed 10 and injured 81 Sources close to the investigation have seen preliminary reports which indicate one of the drivers may have been at fault

Birmingham Mail

• Huge £250m investment to get Birmingham's busiest commuter routes movingStechford, Aston Expressway and Dudley Road among those being targeted for improvements and repairs
• Electric car that can drive for 600 miles nears production NanoFlowcell electric car will be at Geneva

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Nearly 200 motorists caught in first week of police crackdown on Bradford's danger driving hotspots NEARLY 200 motorists were caught by police during the first seven days of a crackdown on dangerous driving hotspots in Bradford.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland locomotives travelled more than 2.5 times round the world in 2015Top performer on the Ffestiniog Railway was Myrddin Emrys with 8,785 miles - not bad for a loco built in 1879
• Conwy Valley line had 1,200 tonnes of material removed from railway during repair work The track between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog was shut last year after rain and floods damaged it in more than 100 separate locations

Liverpool Echo

• Electric car that can drive for 600 miles nears production NanoFlowcell electric car will be at Geneva
• Liverpool John Lennon Airport seeks young firefighting cadets Programme is offering three 12-month placements to young people from South Liverpool aged 18 to 24

London Evening Standard

• Walthamstow station evacuated at rush hour sparking Victoria line delaysA faulty fire alarm shut Walthamstow Central station during the morning rush hour, leaving hundreds of commuters waiting outside.
• Uber in fresh row with black cabs after free app offer for taxi driversA fresh row erupted today after Uber offered black taxi drivers in London a year's commission-free use of one of its app services to attract customers.
• Tube strike February 12 2016: What time will it start and will it go ahead?Everything you need to know about the planned disruptions on the London Underground
• British Airways to fly from Stansted for the first time British Airways is to fly from four London airports for the first time.
• Commuters paying £9,000 a year for seat in 'phantom' train carriage on Virgin Trains East Coast serviceCommuters forking out £9,000 a year for season tickets have been left furious after discovering their reserved seat is in a "phantom" train carriage.
• High Court due to rule on taxi drivers' cycle superhighway challengeTaxi drivers are today set to find out if they've succeeded in a court challenge which could disrupt the completion of the �47million east-west cycle superhighway.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Taxi drivers in Durham trained to spot evidence of child exploitation Report says abuse is associated with different ethnicities from across the North East including White men, Asian men and Iraqi Kurds

Sheffield Star

• Emergency buses to run after collapse of Barnsley firm Tates TravelEmergency bus services have been set up after the collapse of a South Yorkshire transport company.

Wales Online

• Rail union suspends Arriva Trains Wales industrial action over pay and conditions Rail union ASLEF said it is recommending that members accept the revised package offered by Arriva Trains Wales

Yorkshire Evening Post

• ‘Travelling by bus is great value for money for Leeds passengers’ insists network bossA senior manager at West Yorkshire’s biggest bus firm insists the current system IS working - and it is driving up passenger numbers with “fair and reasonable” pricing and simpler ticketing.
• ‘We don’t care who runs Leeds and West Yorkshire buses, as long as they run them well’In the latest in a series of articles examining bus services West Yorkshire - and growing calls for a major overhaul of the network - Aisha Iqbal speaks to public transport campaigners in Leeds.

Doncaster Free Press

• Buses unable to pick up at Doncaster park and ride after crashEmergency services are on the scene after two cars collided at the Park and Ride North in Doncaster..

East Anglian Daily Times

• Days Gone By - When trolley buses ruled the roads in Ipswich town centreIt is more than 50 years since the last trolley bus service ran on the streets of Ipswich, writes David Kindred.

The Shields Gazette

• Transport group calls for Metro to be run by Nexus once againA public transport group says German firm DB Regio's contract to run the Tyne and Wear Metro system should not be renewed.

Other Regional Press

• Heathrow yet to 'engage' with government on night flights banThe airport's CEO John Holland-Kaye says it needs to work with the government and airlines before making any commitment
• The end of traffic jams? �150m road fund for Kirklees' worst bottlenecks to be widened Road widening and new parking restrictions planned for major roads

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New funding announced for improvements to south-west railwayFunding has been given to support a new study to make improvements to the railway links between London and Devon and Cornwall. Announced by the Department for Transport and Great Western Railway (GWR), the study is set to be carried out by Network Rail, with the funding coming from GWR itself. The study will determine what changes can be made to the existing track, its signalling and other aspects of infrastructure to improve the speed on the train line. The study will hope to ensure that new trains will be able to be added to the network. This study will form part of a report that the governm...

Rail Magazine

• VIDEO: Transport Focus passenger surveyPassengers were asked what they think of railway staff services and how they add to journey experience

Rail Technology Magazine

• Follo High-Speed Railway Line, Oslo Follo Line is a planned 22.5km (14 miles) high-speed railway line between Norway's capital city Oslo and the suburban town of Ski. The double-track line will run parallel to the Østfold Line.

Aviation Industry

• SAS launches ‘cheaper’ hand-luggage only fareSAS says ‘Go Light’ option around £10 less expensive
• Heathrow: 'No discussions yet' with government on environmental issuesHolland-Kaye says he hasn't had a conversation around concerns such as night flights and noise
• British Airways to start Stansted flightsCarrier will fly from Essex airport for the first time this summer
• Private jet firm Victor joins GTMCLondon-based aviation firm becomes industry partner
• Ryanair to launch Manchester-Nuremberg routeCarrier will also increase frequency between Stansted and German city

Other News Sources

• Boris’s transport deputy to quit City Hall for ArupBoris Johnson’s chief transport advisor, Isabel Dedring, is leaving City Hall to take up a new role with design and engineering group Arup.
• British Airways launches Stansted flightsBritish Airways is to start flying from Stansted Airport this summer to the popular holiday sunspots of Faro, Malaga, Palma and Ibiza.
• Uber makes offer to black cab driversTaxi app temporarily axes service fee for traditional London cabs