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

Thursday, 30 June 2016

BBC News

• Stagecoach warn of 'challenging' market as profits fallPerth-based transport firm Stagecoach has warned of "challenging" market conditions after a fall in profit.
• Birmingham's infamous Spaghetti Junction set for six months of delaysMotorists using one of the best known motorway junctions in the UK face six months of roadworks - including total weekend closures.
• Contactless travel payment en route for West Midlands commutersCommuters in the West Midlands will be able to pay for their journeys using contactless cards and smartphones, bus operators announce.
• Scrap dangerous motorway hard shoulder plans, MPs warnPlans to convert more motorway hard shoulders in England into permanent driving lanes to ease congestion should be scrapped, a Commons committee says.
• Translink posts losses and fall in passenger journeysTranslink posts an increased trading loss and reports a fall in passenger journeys on its buses and trains.
• Facebook boasts snare Glasgow Airport stun gun smugglerA man who was seized smuggling stun guns disguised as mobile phones is caught after boasting on social media about his plans.
• Car industry 'uncertain' after Brexit The vote to leave the European Union will cause instability and uncertainty that will challenge the UK car industry, its trade body said, as it reported record turnover in 2015.

Financial Times

• Stagecoach: train painTransport group must be careful not to overbid for UK rail franchise renewal
• Stagecoach warns of post-vote uncertainty

The Guardian

• Could intercity cycle highways revolutionise the daily commute?Germany is building the world’s biggest ‘bicycle autobahn’ to connect 10 cities and remove 50,000 cars from the road every day. With the popularity of e-bikes growing too, is Europe about to see a new era of long-distance cycle commuting?

The Telegraph

• High speed rail service HS2 will suffer the railways' usual delays, expert warns�

Times Online

• Reduce speed by 65mph to save ‘crazy’ HS2 project, says former government adviser [Subscription]Train speeds on HS2 should be cut by a quarter to save money, according to the government’s former adviser on rail.
• Stagecoach suffers east coast delays [Subscription]Virgin Trains East Coast is significantly behind on its revenue projections 15 months into its operation of the ill-starred intercity network between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.
• Train crime may rise with police merger [Subscription]Crime on trains could rise, it was claimed yesterday after the Scottish government put its controversial plans to merge the British Transport Police (BTP) with the national force out to public consultation.
• Removing hard shoulders is too risky, insist MPs [Subscription]A policy to remove the hard shoulder from 400 miles of motorway should be abandoned over “significant” safety fears, MPs have said.
• Heathrow loses out as decision on runway is left to next leader [Subscription]David Cameron will announce today that the decision on airport capacity will be left to his successor in a move that effectively spells the end of plans to build a third runway at Heathrow.

London Evening Standard

• UK transport group Stagecoach to steer away from Euro MegabusTransport giant Stagecoach pulled off its own partial Brexit today, selling its megabus Europe business to a German rival.
• David Cameron accused of 'misleading' Commons over Southern Railway strikesThe Prime Minister has been accused of "misleading" the Commons after he criticised unions for disrupting rail services.

Northern Echo

• Stagecoach vows to drive forward operation - but issues caution on Governments bus plan

The York Press

• Have your say on bus proposal RESIDENTS are being urged to share their views on plans for subsidised bus services, which could see them cut or scaled back.

Wales Online

• Work on two railway bridges overruns so council decides to fine Network Rail almost �3,000 a day Newport council said the fine relating to work on the Cardiff Road and Somerton bridges in the city will be issued for every working day until the job is done

Blackpool Gazette

• £22m tramway expansion is approved despite taxi drivers’ objectionsA £22m expansion of the Blackpool tramway has secured town hall approval - despite a last-ditch plea from taxi drivers for a re-think.

Bucks Free Press

• New relief road will 'improve quality of life' A series of improvements to a major road have been given business case approval in a bid to cut congestion and improve connectivity.
• Calls to scrap HS2 after delay reports Protestors are calling for the controversial HS2 high-speed rail project to be scrapped following a report by the National Audit Office suggesting it may not be delivered on time and to budget.

C.N.N.

• What you need to know about the Turkey airport attackThe latest on the Ataturk airport attack in Turkey.

Rail Magazine

• Darwin system evolves passenger informationPassenger information screens across the UK are now all using the central Darwin system, in a bid to improve the clarity of train running.
• Infrastructure investment must continue after Brexit voteQuestions have been raised over whether investment in large projects can continue, and how to ensure that international freight services do not suffer.
• UntitledChief Executive Mark Carne said it is too early to predict whether the referendum decision will change the longer-term funding of railway enhancements
• RSSB: Brexit will have no immediate effect on standardsRSSB Interim Managing Director Mark Phillips tells RAIL it’s too early to say what the longer-term implications of Brexit will be on safety and standards.
• Freight must be a priority in Brexit negotiationsNew costs, restrictions and bureaucratic requirements are all risks following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, according to the FTA.
• Train builders remain “committed” to the UKHitachi, Siemens and Bombardier have all stated their commitment to UK operations, following the result of the referendum on June 23.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Digitally Gauging the Future Railway Dr David Johnson, technical director of DGauge, evaluates recent developments in gauging and explains his concept of digital gauging, which is now being applied to a range of gauging problems.
• Mechan-Railway Depot and Workshop Equipment Using traditional engineering skills, innovative design and advanced technology, Sheffield manufacturer, Mechan, supplies specialist heavy-lifting, handling and control equipment for rail depots and workshops.
• West Coast Railway fined �200,000 over Wootton Bassett SPADWest Coast Railway Company Limited (WCRC) has been fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £64,000 after being found guilty of health and safety breaches which led to a train passing a signal at danger near Wootton Bassett last year. The prosecution was brought by the ORR after...
• BAE Systems helps deliver first industry architecture for Digital RailwayThe Digital Railway team has worked with BAE Systems to develop the first iteration of an Industry Architecture that will underpin the digital transformation of the rail network.  BAE Systems, the multinational defence, security and aerospace company, has helped to define the approach to...
• Darwin expanded to replace TOC and NR customer information systemsThe rail industry’s central train running information engine, Darwin, has now replaced 66 separate customer information systems (CIS), operated by train operators and Network Rail, with one single system delivering consistency to the information provided to customers. The Darwin CIS...

Railway Gazette

• Alstom and Hitachi selected for Trenitalia regional train orderITALY: Trenitalia announced on June 28 that it had selected Alstom and Hitachi for two of the three...

Aviation Industry

• Airline execs call for 21 days strike noticePwC research shows air traffic strikes cost EU GDP €9.5 billion
• Government still ‘committed’ to airport expansion despite BrexitTransport secretary allays fears that projects will be scrapped or delayed

Other News Sources

• WOW airline Gatwick Airport to New York flights will start at JUST �119 one wayThe airline will offer daily cheap flights from Gatwick to the Big Apple - via Iceland - from November 25
• Sabre gives preview of upgraded agency platformTravel tech firm to upgrade agents in EMEA early 2017