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

Thursday, 05 May 2016

BBC News

• Fiat and Google in driverless cars dealFiat Chrysler Automobiles announces a deal with Google to double the size of the tech giant's fleet of self-driving cars.
• Vandals 'could have derailed' trainA vandalised rail line in County Down could have derailed a train carrying passengers on a May Day trip, a railway organisation says.
• Rail conductors cut strike action planTwo planned 24-hour strikes by Southern rail conductors in a dispute over role changes and driver-only trains are replaced with one walkout.
• Tesla boosts mass market car productionElectric carmaker Tesla Motors says it is on track to produce 500,000 vehicles in 2018, two years earlier than expected.

Financial Times

• Eurostar sale takes taxpayers for a rideDeal was dictated by political expediency and made no financial common sense
• Air France-KLM warns of difficult marketShares in Franco-Dutch airline group fall on concerns about risk of falling ticket prices
• Airlines will keep flying for no moneyAir travel is far from being a pleasant experience but it has become a cheap and flexible one
• Maersk profits hit by low freight ratesShipping line bears brunt but shares rise as group maintains full-year guidance
• Air France: the hair shirtThe group’s capital structure makes cost cuts the priority

The Guardian

• Privatised, nationalised, electrified? A guide to the UK's railwaysWhile tracks are owned by state-controlled Network Rail, most services are provided by private companies.
• HS2 should be run by the FrenchHas Jeremy Heywood been given a poisoned chalice to review HS2 (HS2 budget scrutinised by head of civil service, 3 May)? It has almost become an article of religious railway faith that HS2 must be good for Britain, whatever the cost.

The Independent

• In pictures: 70 years of Heathrow AirportA new book, Heathrow in Photographs, commemorates seven decades of Europe's busiest airport

The Mirror

• Fire on Vauxhall train station causes huge delays on London Underground and South West TrainsCommuters this morning are being left to deal with travel chaos as many trains are cancelled

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bingley bypass 'racetrack' fears as two drivers caught doing more than 100mph TWO drivers have been caught by police travelling at more than 100mph on the Bingley bypass - amid concerns the dual carriage is being used as a racetrack.

London Evening Standard

• Vauxhall station fire: Blaze on rail tracks set to cause Waterloo commuter chaos on South West TrainsA fire on the tracks at Vauxhall station was set to cause major disruption on one of London's busiest commuter lines today.

Manchester Evening News

• China Southern Airlines selects EDM to provide simulatorsOnce completed at EDM’s headquarters in the UK, the equipment will be shipped and installed at China Southern’s cabin crew training centre in Guangzhou, China.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Rail campaigners hit out after service between Edinburgh and Morpeth is axed Virgin Trains has introduced changes to its timetable, meaning the 6.30pm service from Edinburgh no longer stops at Morpeth

Nottingham Evening Post

• Rail supply firms urged to exportA group representing the East Midlands rail supply industry has joined forces with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to inspire more companies to export their products and services overseas.

The York Press

• Parents urged to speak out over changes to bus services Parents concerned about cuts to bus services which could leave children unable to get to school are being urged to register their views.

Wales Online

• Why Cardiff will again be served by famous old 'pick an orange' buses The livery has been reintroduced to mark the 30th anniversary of the Cardiff Bus company

Get West London

• Heathrow wins Star Wars Day with brilliant picture of Millennium Falcon on the runwayAlas, the Millennium Falcon isn't really preparing to take off from the airport...

North Wales Live

• Mersey bus wars! Stagecoach cuts cost of journeys after Arriva slashed fares Bus passengers benefiting from competition

Other Regional Press

• Rail passengers step up fight for better train services in CalderdaleThey want service improvements on the line through Brighouse

Rail Magazine

• 5,000 visitors salute the High Speed Train at St Philips Marsh open daySt Philips Marsh open day attracts 5,000 visitors and raises �20,000 for charity.
• Anglia's Class 37/4 ‘EACH Express’ raises £20,000 for charityA charity charter train organised by Abellio Greater Anglia raised more than £20,000 for the Each Anglia Children’s Hospice (EACH) on April 30.
• GWR's repainted 'Flying Banana' power car enters trafficGWR's repainted 43002 enters traffic following unveiling and naming at St Philips Marsh open day.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Southern conductor strike postponed until 20 MayStrikes by Southern conductors over the introduction of driver-operated only (DOO) trains have been postponed until 20 May. Talks between RMT and Southern to try to resolve the dispute following an initial strike fell apart last week. However, RMT announced today that it is now instructing...
• Network Rail completes �14.5m Crossrail preparations over bank holidayNetwork Rail completed a £14.5m programme of works at 21 locations over the May bank holiday weekend to prepare tracks, infrastructure and stations for Crossrail. With 1,800 people working round the clock, the work included track remodelling, electrification and signalling commission at...

Railnews

• Strike ballot starts over Night Tube offer The delayed Night Tube project still hangs fire as fitters and engineers employed by the TfL maintenance subsidiary Tube Lines vote whether to strike over their prospective pay and conditions. The RMT has called for further talks. The RMT accepted an offer for train operators and station staff earlier this year, but at the time was critical of the Tube Lines deal. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said his members in Tube Lines were 'furious' at the 'inferior' offer they had received. Underground chief operating officer Steve Griffiths said:

Railway Gazette

• Keolis joint venture to operate Shanghai peoplemoverCHINA: Shentong Metro Group has selected the Shenkai joint venture of its subsidiary Shanghai...

Aviation Industry

• Air France-KLM narrows loss in 1QAir France-KLM Group has reported a first-quarter net loss of €155 million ($175.3 million), narrowed from a €559 million net loss in the year-ago period. read more
• Aeroflot subsidiary Aurora Airline 1Q traffic up 22% Aeroflot subsidiary Aurora Airline—which serves Russia’s Far East—carried 276,827 passengers in the first quarter, up 22% year-over-year (YOY), as a result of network and fleet growth. read more
• ITM 2016: the trends driving changeDemographics, mobile payments, sharing communities and tech are influencing business travel
• Lufthansa cuts growth plans as pricing pressure bitesDespite rising passenger numbers airline posts a loss for 2016 Q1
• Alitalia adds fifth daily Milan-London City serviceAlitalia has added a fifth daily service between London and Milan.

Other News Sources

• Lithuanian Government appoints consultant to assist in airport tendersThe Lithuanian government has appointed InterVISTAS Consulting Group to assist it in overseeing thereunder to operate, invest and develop Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga airports.
• Farnham to Alton railway line reopens after landslip repairs Network Rail engineers worked over the bank holiday weekend to fix the embankment following the full line closure last month
• One year on - Transport Committee call for airport decision echoes FTADirector of Global & European PolicyThe Transport Committee’s call for Government to stop putting off the
• Passengers call for "disaster plan" to put an end to train delays after half west coast services cancelled PASSENGERS have called for a