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

Friday, 22 July 2016

BBC News

• Virgin Trains East Coast to axe up to 46 jobs, union claimsA rail company is planning to axe up to 46 jobs at travel centres and train stations along the East Coast Main Line route, a union claims.
• Southern rail dispute: Passengers pile pressure on bossesAngry rail passengers pile pressure on the boss of Southern's parent company at a
• Opel head says 'Brexit decision not a good omen'General Motors announced it would cut costs in Europe even as the US carmaker announced a second quarter profit that doubled a post-bankruptcy record.

Financial Times

• Airline records Kenya’s worst ever lossCarrier highlights the scale of the turnround task, after recording four successive years of losses
• Terror, Brexit weigh on airlines’ profitsEU carriers also being affected by falling ticket prices linked to excessive capacity growth
• Italy eyes €750m air traffic control saleKey plank of Renzi’s privatisation programme prices close to top of range

The Guardian

• How to get our railway network back on track [letter, Frank Field MP]There are two clear lessons from Aditya Chakrabortty’s survey of the battlefield upon which the Southern Rail dispute is playing out (This is a story of rail failure. But the real agenda is to crush the unions, 19 July). First, in order to overcome the problem of capacity shortages, Britain needs to move to double-decker trains. They work on the continent and they should work here.
• Southern passengers confront rail boss over service problemsCommuters meet chief executive Charles Horton at London Victoria station to voice their frustration at delays and cancellations
• Uber using doublespeak over job creation claims, tribunal toldLawyer accuses taxi-app company of hiding behind language to claim drivers are not employees
• Brexit could force multibillion-pound projects to be scrapped, says NAO chiefHinkley Point C, Heathrow expansion and HS2 must be reassessed because of pressures arising from leaving EU, head of Whitehall’s spending watchdog says

The Independent

• Rail companies ‘plan to track your movements to make packed trains pricier’The Trainline said it is developing technology that monitors how busy the train is and, in the event of overcrowding, reduces the price of later trains to try and get people to wait

The Scotsman

• Glasgow Subway shutdown extended for two weeksThe Glasgow Subway is expected to remain shut for an extra two weeks because of work delays, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) announced today.

Times Online

• End of paper tax discs costs DVLA £93m in lost revenue [Subscription]Revenue from vehicle excise duty fell by £93 million in the year after the abolition of the paper tax disc, official figures show.
• Uber is good for everyone. Unions must leave it alone [Subscription]The GMB seems to be living in the past
• Nine in ten trains are late but it’s not our fault, says Southern [Subscription]Almost nine out of ten trains on Britain’s worst railway network ran late over a 24-hour period this week amid fresh calls for the “embarrassing” service to be renationalised.

Reuters News

• Japan PM's maglev decision reflects political calculus over economicsFew doubt Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's decision to invest public funds in a $90 billion dollar (68 billion pounds) high-tech "maglev" railway makes political sense. Whether it makes equally good economic sense is less clear.

Daily Record

• Glasgow subway to be closed for extra two weeks after contractors fail to finish work on time THE underground was due to reopen on August 1 but commuters now face another two weeks of misery after modernisation work overruns.

Mail Online

• Just get a move on with airport expansion, Chancellor is warned: Hammond told to end '40 years of talk and no action' on whether to increase Heathrow or Gatwick� The Treasury Select Committee has called on the Government to speed up the decision about airport expansion in the South East - forcing it to choose between Gatwick and Heathrow.

Network Rail

• Dover to Folkestone railway will reopen this autumnA �39.8m project to rebuild the line between Folkestone and Dover will be completed by autumn, Network Rail has confirmed.

Birmingham Mail

• Aston Expressway could stay open on weekends in terrible weather Highways England says weather gods will dictate whether repair and waterproofing work can go ahead of one of Birmingham's busiest roads

Derby Telegraph

• Plans revealed for 10-minute rail link from Derby to HS2 line A direct rail link from Derby city centre to the expected new HS2 station at Toton would get commuters there in 10 minutes or less, if council proposals come to fruition.
• Derby rail industry hailed by new Transport Secretary Chris Grayling Mr Grayling, who recently took over the post from Patrick McLoughlin following the cabinet shake-up by new Prime Minister Theresa May, made his comments during a visit to the city this afternoon to witness the launch of a strategy aimed at speeding up rail and road schemes in the region.

London Evening Standard

• Revealed: the hottest platforms on the TubeThe hottest platforms on the Tube network were revealed today as Londoners battled through a week of sweltering conditions underground.
• Crossrail 2 will hit affordable housing in Chelsea, claim campaignersA row has broken out between campaigners fighting to keep Crossrail 2 out of Chelsea and council bosses over plans for new homes.
• Police haul away angry Southern Rail commuter in 'meet the manager' event at VictoriaAn angry commuter was hauled away by police for shouting at the boss of crisis hit Southern rail on the concourse at London's Victoria station.
• 'This is ludicrous': Heathrow Airport passengers' fury as they are told to leave luggage behindHeathrow passengers were left furious after a fault meant they could only take hand luggage on flights and had to leave their suitcases behind.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• HS2 high speed rail link could bring �450million boost to North EastAmbitious plans for Newcastle central station unveiled as Government urged to press on bringing HS2 to Newcastle

Nottingham Evening Post

• What has D2N2 been involved with in the past year? A quick look at just some of the news and high points since the last D2N2 Annual Conference in July 2015
• Plans for more trains from Nottingham and less bottlenecks on roads revealed Read more at http://www.nottinghampost.com/plans-for-more-trains-from-nottingham-and-less-bottlenecks-on-roads-revealed/story-29538116-detail/story.html?#yBTXEKdm7VVbrq4A.99Providing faster and more frequent rail services between Nottingham and other cities across the Midlands is a priority for a regional transport group.

Sheffield Star

• Former Labour Leader Ed Miliband calls for HS2 route through Doncaster housing estate to be axedA Doncaster MP is calling for plans which involve demolishing a housing estate to make way for the HS2 line to be scrapped.

The York Press

• Police patrols to be stepped up at York Station NEW patrols will aim to crack down on antisocial behaviour at York railway station.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• HS2: Stafford council bosses seek greater say on projectCouncil bosses in Stafford will discuss proposals that would allow them to have a greater say over the design and structure of HS2.

Yorkshire Post

• HS2: How would you feel if your house could be bulldozed?Proposals for an alternative HS2 route in South Yorkshire could involve a new housing estate in Mexborough being bulldozed. Chris Bond spoke to some of its residents.

Crewe Chronicle

• HS2 Chairman: High Speed Rail will transform Crewe Sir David Higgins gives assurances that plans for hub station and rail track on target for 2027

Peterborough Telegraph

• Peterborough commuters to face delays if Virgin Trains staff strike over cutsVirgin Trains is planning to cut its travel centre staff by 15%, affecting stations between London and Scotland, it has been claimed.

Other Regional Press

• Elderly residents across Oxfordshire could be left "stranded" this morning as bus cuts kick in ELDERLY residents fear they will be left
• Don't risk it, commuters playing Pokemon GO at rail station warned Pok�fans�negotiating Oxford Rail Station have been warned to keep their wits about them�while trying to catch 'em all.
• Bus users' views made public - five months after decision to axe 'lifeline' routes CAMPAIGNERS are concerned that a consultation report into rural bus services has only just been made public – months after the decision was taken to axe routes.
• Abusive passenger given lifetime ban after causing a flight to be diverted Passenger was travelling from East Midlands Airport to Gran Canaria with Jet2.com

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• TfL underlines zero tolerance to hate crimeHate crime will not be tolerated on London’s transport system; that’s the message from Transport for London (TfL) as it launched the #WeStandTogether campaign this week. With one million foreign nationals living in London, the campaign aims to celebrate the capital’s diversity and reassure passengers that its transport network is a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service, British Transport Police and TfL were on hand in King's Cross St Pancras train station on Wednesday to speak with members of the public about hate crimes and how to combat th...
• Dover to Folkestone railway line to reopen ahead of scheduleTrains between Dover and Folkestone will resume by the autumn, according to Network Rail. Almost £40 million has been spent to rebuild and repair the line following the partial collapse of the sea wall severed the track around Christmas. Engineers have been working around the clock to build a new 235 metre-long viaduct, supported by 134 concrete columns. Network Rail’s area director Paul Rutter said it was too soon to give a firm date just yet but an autumn reopening would be much sooner than the December date originally predicted. “We are much further ahead than we had expected and have seen ...

London TravelWatch

• Southern Rail’s passengers have had enough: time for urgent action London TravelWatch has expressed great concern about the continuing poor performance and unreliability that Southern Rail passengers are facing, and has called for an independent review of the franchise.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Polyamp-Secure DC/DC converters in Train and Track Side Polyamp has continuously supplied switch mode DC/DC converters to the international railway industry since 1973. The company now has the capability to meet performance requirements of worldwide applications and to accommodate the extreme environmenta…
• Digital signalling: the biggest game changer since conversion from steam to dieselPeter Wilkinson, managing director, Passenger Services, DfT, Rail Executive, writes for RTM about the digital future of the railway and how it will contribute to the sustainability of the sector.
• Digital railway is already underwayMartin Arter, Digital Railway development director, explains the future opportunities digital railway will offer the sector and supply chain.
• Getting Great Western electrification back on trackAndy Haynes, project director, West of England, the Greater West Programme, talks about hitting a major milestone on the Great Western Route Modernisation scheme, and how the team has renewed confidence to hit the revised timetables.
• New rail minister can't give date for restoration of Southern servicesThe newly appointed minister for rail said yesterday that his aim is to restore the normal level of service on the Southern network, but couldn’t give a date for when he expected that to be achieved by. Paul Maynard, the MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys, was appointed as a...
• Anti-hate crime campaign launched at King's Cross St PancrasPassengers in London are being urged to report hate crimes on the capital’s transport network as part of a new Transport for London (TfL) campaign. The #WeStandTogether campaign, which aims to reassure passengers that the transport network is safe and welcoming for everyone, was launched...
• Dover to Folkestone line to reopen in autumnServices will be able to run on the Dover to Folkestone line again from this autumn as Network Rail builds a new viaduct as part of a programme of repairs. The line, operated by Southeastern, has been closed since the Dover sea wall partially collapsed because of storm damage in December...
• Rail projects likely to lose staff and investment following Brexit - Balfour BeattyThe EU referendum result is likely to lead to a prolonged period of uncertainty for UK infrastructure projects, Balfour Beatty has warned. A new paper from the company, ‘Infrastructure 2050: Future Infrastructure Need’, says that uncertainty around the movement of free labour as the...

Aviation Industry

• Boeing to take $2.1 billion 2Q hit across 787, 747-8 & KC-46 programsBoeing will report after-tax charges totaling $2.1 billion across three aircraft programs—the 787, 747-8 and KC-46 aerial refueler—in its July 27 second-quarter earnings release, the company has revealed. read more
• Lufthansa cuts profit forecast as terror attacks hit bookingsAirline has seen advance bookings to Europe ‘significantly reduce’
• Easyjet counts cost of Brexit, weak pound and terrorismCEO Carolyn McCall says current trading conditions for airlines are ‘extremely tough’
• Frequent flyers call for more ‘seamless digital experience’Priority Pass study shows rise of ‘digital flyer’

Other News Sources

• Why communities secretary refused rail freight depot planThe decision by former communities secretary Greg Clark to refuse permission for a major rail freight depot in Berkshire suggests that such projects may have a greater prospect of success under the fast-track process for major infrastructure schemes, according to experts.
• Infrastructure Improvement will Power Midlands EngineMidlands Connect, an initiative to improve infrastructure across the region, has outlined how new road and rail schemes will be the driving force behind the Midlands Engine in a new report.
• Alternative rail routes announced as London to Oxford line gets key upgradeGreat Western Railway is reminding passengers to plan their journeys for the first half of August in advance as Network Rail undertake flood protection work between Oxford and Didcot Parkway.
• Northamptonshire MP Leadsom barred from taking part in HS2 InquiryNorthamptonshire South MP Andrea Leadsom has been blocked from speaking on the HS2 rail scheme in the House of Lords - even though her constituents would be among the most affected by the line.
• ‘Data will be at heart of transport’s future’How Ipswich-based ITO World is using its expertise in data management and visualisation to help make cities smarter and transport more intelligent   ITO World’s award-winning visualisation capabilities allow transport professionals to see and intuitively explore complex data from multiple sources   There’s been an explosion of big data and open data in transport and across our cities. An ever-increasing number of sensors, services and systems across the globe are collecting vast amounts of data about movement through transport networks. This growth in data, provided by what is often ...
• Debut for Daimler’s autonomous city busDaimler Buses unveiled its ground-breaking ‘Future Bus’ vehicle in Amsterdam. Doug Jack reports   The ‘Future Bus’ is based on a standard Mercedes-Benz Citaro structure   Daimler Buses this week launched what is believed to be the world’s first full size semi-autonomous city bus. The ‘Future Bus’ premiere was held in Amsterdam, on a 20km route running between Schiphol Airport and the city of Haarlem. The concept vehicle features a standard Citaro structure which has been heavily modified and fitted with all the necessary equipment for autonomous driving. The German manufacturer haile...
• George Muir: Passengers face a grim summerNeither the RMT nor the government seems likely to back down in this shoot out. My advice is to focus on the guards themselves     “Oh, and while you are at it, dear chap, change the role of the guard will you. I know you have a lot of other things to sort out, London Bridge and all that, but with lots of shiny new trains coming in, it shouldn’t be a problem.” With words like these, the Department for Transport made Driver Only Operation (DOO) a franchise obligation for Govia Thameslink Railway and lit the fuse which set off the conflagration on Southern Railway. Who is going to back...
• Khan seeks immediate control over SouthernLondon mayor calls for a Transport for London management team to be put in charge of the ‘failing’ Southern service, until problems are resolved   Sadiq Khan: ‘There is no doubt that the franchise must now be in default’   London mayor Sadiq Khan this week called for a Transport for London management team to take immediate control of the Govia Thameslink Railway’s “failing” Southern operation. Khan said the TfL team would run Southern Rail until the government is able to resolve the longer term problems that have led to widespread disruption for thousands of commuters ...
• FTA helping motorists to avoid Black Friday jamsFTA is advising motorists to plan ahead for Black Friday – the day thousands of schools break up for the summer - which is expected to be a ...
• Uncertainty over J41 of the M4 is killing Port Talbot trade A WELSH AM has warned that further doubts about the closure of Junction 41 is killing trade in Port Talbot.
• A green electric futureThe Scientific Alliance discusses the obstacles to electrification of the economy.
• View sought on council's new taxi policyViews are being sought on Cambridge City Council’s hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy.
• Rail chief comes face to face with angry Southern passengers Commuters have confronted the beleaguered boss of embattled operator Southern Railway to vent their frustrations with the service
• ‘Appalling’ rail firm has not breached contract COMMUTERS have said they are “sickened and gobsmacked” to learn that a rail company responsible for bringing misery to the lives of thousands of commuters has not breached its contract.
• Uber and Lyft dominating US ground transportRide-hailing apps make up half of the overall ground transport category