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

Friday, 24 June 2016

BBC News

• Swansea businesses 'want fixed date' over electrificationUncertainty over the date when electrified trains will start running to Swansea is affecting potential investment, it has been claimed.
• ScotRail talks offer amid strike dismissed as 'stunt'An offer by ScotRail to hold fresh talks with union leaders as a series of one-day strikes continues is dismissed as a
• Electric car sets world acceleration recordAn electric racing car built by Swiss student engineers has broken the world record for acceleration by battery-powered vehicles.
• Volkswagen 'to pay $10bn' for US emissions scandalVolkswagen agrees to pay $10.2bn (�6.9bn) to settle some claims in the US from its emissions cheating scandal, according to reports.

The Guardian

• Volkswagen to settle emissions cheating scandal for more than $10.2bnSources say agreement would compensate 482,000 owners but automaker still has to settle foreign suits as US justice department conducts separate inquiryVolkswagen has agreed to pay US vehicle owners an average of about $5,000 apiece to settle claims from its diesel emissions cheating scandal, two people briefed on the matter said on Thursday. The total price tag for the repayments and other fines is said to exceed $10.2bn.The company will still have to settle foreign suits over allegations that it lied about its emissions standards, in addition to claims brought by other US agencies. The US ju...
• Will your driverless car be willing to kill you to save the lives of others?Survey reveals the moral dilemma of programming autonomous vehicles: should they hit pedestrians or avoid and risk the lives of occupants?There’s a chance it could bring the mood down. Having chosen your shiny new driverless car, only one question remains on the order form: whether your spangly, futuristic vehicle be willing to kill you?To buyers more accustomed to talking models and colours, the query might sound untoward. But for manufacturers of autonomous vehicles (AVs), the dilemma it poses is real. If a driverless car is about to hit a pedestrian, should it swerve and risk killing its oc...

Times Online

• Growth steams ahead on Irish rail networks [Subscription]It is not just the economy that is back on track as new figures revealed strong growth in the numbers travelling by rail last year.
• Stand-in train conductor gave all-clear at red light [Subscription]Union leaders yesterday accused ScotRail of “gambling with passenger and staff safety” after an incident in which a manager gave the all-clear for a train to travel through a red stop signal.

Mail Online

• Heathrow airport third runway plans are a 'rip off' says BA boss Willie Walsh, chief executive of the firm that owns British Airways, suggested that it would be more efficient to extend one of the existing runways instead.
• Passengers will 'tap in and out' with their bank cards or smartphones to save money The train industry wants paper tickets, which have an orange border, phased out by 2022. They are considered out-dated and costly and, it is claimed, the ink runs and the print is too small.

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow Airport presses expansion case as passengers pour inThe number of passengers passing through Heathrow's terminals this year is set to climb 0.7% to 75.5 million, the London airport has said, strengthening its case for expansion.
• Circle line to be closed during weekend disruption on Tube networkLondoners face major disruption on the Tube this weekend with four Underground lines hit by closures.
• London train delays: Thousands of commuters battle to get home after flash floods spark rail chaosThousands of rush hour commuters crammed into stations across London today as they battled to get home after flash flood's wreaked chaos on the capital's rail network.

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield to remain on the wrong trackLord Blunkett (May 13) made a call for Sheffield to show ambition while his former cabinet colleague, Richard Caborn, has entered the fray over the HS2 station location.

The York Press

• Loco on light railway named after York Normandy veteran A LOCO on a York light railway has been named Ken Cooke in honour of one of the city's Normandy veterans.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Flooding continues to cause delays on road and rail network into the evening across Suffolk and EssexCommuters across Suffolk and Essex are continuing to face severe disruption to their journeys this evening as a result of severe weather conditions, which has seen Essex fire crews attend more than 300 flood-related incidents.

Other Regional Press

• Abellio Greater Anglia point St Margarets commuters the wrong wayCommuters arriving at St Margarets railway station have been left scratching their heads.
• SPT receives four awards for services to transportStrathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has clinched four major accolades celebrating the best in Scotland’s transport industry.
• Eighty Newport Transport workers could take industrial action over pay EIGHTY Newport Transport workers could go on strike if a better pay deal is not offered, according to the regional officer for Unite the Union.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• BAE Systems selects software from AEB to enhance export controlsBAE Systems – one of the leading aerospace, defence, and security companies in the world – has launched a major IT transformation project in its UK Military Air & Information (MAI) division and selected software solution provider AEB as its partner to standardise and optimise global trade management systems. In 2012, the MAI division of BAE Systems at the Warton and Samlesbury sites in Lancashire, United Kingdom, kicked-off a major project to enhance its existing global trade management system and thus the efficiency of its export controls compliance. The MAI’s export o...
• Metrodecker starts real world operation with First BusYesterday, Optare celebrated the handover of the pre production 11.1m Metrodecker demonstrator vehicle to UK Operator First Bus, for a series of extensive trails which will see Optare’s new double deck put through its paces operating on route X78 from Sheffield to Doncaster.  The X78 route is a service route used by First Bus for extensive testing of all the major bus manufacturers’ vehicles. Mark Munday, Technical Director at First Bus, commented: “We are pleased to be working with Optare to put the Metrodecker through its paces in South Yorkshire.    &ldquo...
• Southern Railways boss apologises for The service on Southern Railways has been “totally unacceptable”, so says the very man tasked with running them. In a full-page newspaper advert, Charles Horton, chief executive of Southern Railways, apologised to commuters who face “significant disruption” as a result of its ongoing dispute with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) over conductors. The RMT union is protesting Southern’s plans to introduce new trains with driver-operated doors, arguing that these trains would compromise passenger safety. Southern claims that the practice is already in effect on 40 p...

Rail Magazine

• Task Force delays publication of demands for South WestPublication of the Peninsula Rail Task Force’s 20-year plan on the needs for the South West has been postponed until after the summer.
• MTR withdraws from race for West Midlands franchiseMTR has withdrawn from bidding for the new West Midlands franchise.

Rail Technology Magazine

• West Midlands franchise bid down to two companies as MTR withdrawsMTR Corporation West Midlands has unexpectedly withdrawn its bid to take over the West Midlands rail franchise. The company, a subsidiary of the Hong-Kong based MTR, was among three shortlisted bidders announced in April. Its decision to withdraw it now means the bidding competition is down to...
• Metrolink expands free travel offer for service personnelIn-uniform service men and women will be able to travel for free on Metrolink, the Manchester tram network announced to mark Armed Forces Day. Metrolink has traditionally offered free travel to personnel on Armed Forces Day, which takes place each year on 25 June, but it is now offering it full...

Railway Gazette

• Railway supply industry news in briefCaptain Train is to be rebranded to Trainline later this year, reflecting its acquisition in March....
• Themed tours of InnoTrans 2016INNOTRANS: Visitors to InnoTrans 2016 will be able to discover the latest products, innovations and...

Aviation Industry

• Airlines cancel flights as French air traffic controllers strikeBA, Easyjet and Ryanair warn of a day of disruption

Other News Sources

• ScotRail faces summer of industrial actionConductors’ strikes over extension of driver controlled operation spread to ScotRail in echo of dispute between RMT and Govia Thameslink Railway   Visualisation of ScotRail’s new AT200 trains ScotRail is facing a summer of industrial action after the RMT union called conductors’ strikes on seven days from June 21 to July 17 over the company’s plans to extend driver controlled operation to new electric services in the Central Belt. The strike days called included the day of the EU referendum and four Sundays including the final day of the Open golf championship. The union said further stri...
• BA boss threatens to pull flights from Gatwick if expansion is approved THE boss of the firm which owns British Airways has threatened to reduce its flights at Gatwick if the airport is given permission to expand.