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

Wednesday, 17 August 2016

BBC News

• Govia Thameslink station staff are latest to vote to strikeRailway station staff across Govia Thameslink are the latest to vote for strike action
• Audi cars 'will talk to traffic lights', firm saysVehicles will soon be able to communicate with traffic lights and tell drivers when they are about to change, Audi says.
• Virgin Trains East Coast August strikes suspendedVirgin East Coast train workers suspend plans for strikes due to start this week.

Financial Times

• Ford plans self-driving car by 2021Carmaker sets up deals to develop model with no pedals or steering wheel
• Regulated UK rail fares to rise 1.9%Labour and unions step up campaign to take network back into public ownership

The Guardian

• Corbyn joins seatless commuters on floor for three-hour train journeyLabour leader is filmed during trip from London to Newcastle, on his way to meet Owen Smith for leadership hustings
• Is the lateness of Southern Rail's Brighton train a mathematical certainty?The other day, the Guardian live blog’s coverage of the Southern Rail strike included the news that a certain bookmaker was offering odds of 7/2 that the 07:29 Southern Rail Brighton to London Victoria train would leave late every day next year. That struck me as remarkable. If those odds are correct that means there is a 22% chance that train will never leave on time next year.
• Southern and Thameslink station staff vote in favour of strikesRMT union confirmed a 70% vote in favour of a strike in response to proposed ticket office closures by Govia Thameslink RailwayFurther strikes loom on Southern after station staff across the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise voted for industrial action over ticket office closures.The RMT union confirmed a 70% vote in favour of a strike, while it said almost 80% of staff who voted backed industrial action short of a strike. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Protests held as regulated rail fares set to increase by 1.9 per cent next yearA series of protests were held at railway stations across the country by trade unions on Tuesday morning.
• Virgin Trains East Coast strike suspended pending further discussionsA planned strike by workers on Virgin Trains East Coast has been suspended, the company said.

The Huffington Post

• Electric Cars Could Replace 90% Of The Vehicles On The Road, MIT Study FindsElectric cars could replace 90% of existing vehicles and lead to a 30% reduction in transport emissions, an MIT study has found.  Researchers spent four years analysing millions of trips across America, concluding that electric cars could satisfy owners’ needs in nearly every instance, despite their limited range.  The study also found that the estimated 87% adoption rate would more than meet near-term US climate targets for personal vehicle travel. Emissions cuts would be even greater if power plants decarbonise over time.  Jessica Trancik, associate professor in ene...

The Independent

• Rail boss claims £200m payout to shareholders is ‘small profits’ that gives customers ‘best possible value’Paul Plummer’s comments coincide with a new report that suggests rail prices have increased at twice the speed of wages

The Telegraph

• Ministers consider exempting long-suffering commuters from rail fare hikes after backlash from Tory MPsinisters are considering plans to exempt commuters routinely facing by poor levels of service and industrial action from rail fare hikes after a backlash from Conservative MPs, The Telegraph has learned.
• Commuters deserve a better rail serviceSummer is not a favourite time of the year for the train operating companies. July’s inflation figures are used to set next year’s fare rises, which invites a fresh wave of indignation at the perceived poor service they provide. They get it in the neck again in the new year when tickets go up. Regulated fares – those paid by commuters – will rise by 1.9 per cent following the announcement yesterday of last month’s Retail Price Index. Over the past six years, fares and season tickets have increased twice as fast as average wages.

Times Online

• Rail deal signals US strength of Beatty [subscription]The UK’s largest contractor is betting that a £524 million contract to upgrade the high-speed rail line that connects San Francisco to some of the biggest companies in Silicon Valley can help to turn around its fortunes.

City AM

• Economists blast “anachronistic system” system of setting rail fares as ticket prices set to riseMore misery was piled on to beleaguered commuters yesterday as a hike in rail fares was unveiled.

Belfast Telegraph

• Balfour Beatty wins £524m contract to electrify California rail corridorBritish building giant Balfour Beatty is celebrating its biggest US contract to date after securing a £524 million deal to electrify 52 miles of California's railway.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Former bosses of collapsed GHA Coaches in bid to run their old bus routes The Wrexham firm went into administration last month with a tax bill of £700,000 and the loss of 320 jobs

London Evening Standard

• Night Tube launch: 200,000 passengers will use 24-hour service every weekend, TfL saysAbout 200,000 passengers are expected to use the Night Tube every weekend, the new boss of London Underground has revealed.
• Make Mayor's walking and cycling czar full-time job, Sadiq Khan urgedSadiq Khan faced calls today to maintain the focus on cycling by making his “walking and cycling commissioner” a full-time job.
• Night Tube: Black cab drivers call for more taxi ranks outside stations served by 24-hour serviceLondon's black cab drivers today called for more taxi ranks to be installed outside Underground stations ahead of the launch of the Night Tube.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Stafford railway station parking fees set for 50 per cent riseParking charges at Stafford railway station are set to be rise by almost 50 per cent, raising concerns that cars will be left on surrounding roads.

Yorkshire Post

• YP Letters: May must put brakes on �63bn HS2 disasterFrom: Ralph Sutcliffe, Mirfield.

East Anglian Daily Times

• New Abellio trains will be much longer than existing rail stockThe new InterCity trains to be introduced on the main line to London in three years time will have 12 carriages of seats compared with eight on most current trains.

Other Regional Press

• MP praises bus fightAN MP has praised residents who fought to protect children after cuts to a bus service threatened to prevent them getting to school in Oldham.
• Renewed calls for action after another weekend of Fife rail problemsMid Scotland and Fife MSP Claire Baker has called for measures to be put in place during the Edinburgh Festival season after receiving a flurry of complaints regarding ScotRail services.

Rail Magazine

• DfT backs user interests in Periodic Review responseDfT says it “strongly supports” the ORR’s overall objective for its 2018 Periodic Review (PR18), particularly the focus on users’ interests.
• New �50 million Cambridge North station taking shapeConstruction work has begun on the main building at the new Cambridge North station, ahead of its planned opening in May 2017.
• Network Rail tight-lipped over Glasgow tram-train plansNetwork Rail rejects a Freedom of Information request to disclose details of discussions over a possible tram-train link at Glasgow Airport.
• Eurostar signs KBH Digital dealEurostar signs contract with KBH Digital to provide advertising on its e320 trains.
• £1 million Harrogate upgrade completeThe £1 million upgrade of Northern Rail’s Harrogate station has been completed.
• Custom House closure plannedCustom House station on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is to close for 11 months from January 2017, in preparation for Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) services.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Artesyn Announces SIL4 Certification for ControlSafe™ COTS Rail Safety Platform Artesyn Embedded Technologies today announced Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL4) certification for the Artesyn Embedded Computing ControlSafe™ Platform (CSP) with ControlSafe™ Computer (CSC) and ControlSafe™ Software, one of the first embedded computing…
• For Your Safety: Durel Polymer Spring Systems The DUREL brand name stands for excellence in high-performance polymer spring systems. We manufacture proven and reliable springs for draw gears, buffers, draft gears and coupling systems that are used in rail cars, engineering and industrial applica…
• Route devolution can help spur transformative rail technology, says RSSBDevolving Network Rail’s routes could help speed up the deployment of transformative technology in both the short and longer terms, the RSSB has said in response to the ORR’s CP6 consultation. Responding to the consultation – which invited companies to write their views on...
• Government under fire as rail fares set to rise by 1.9% next yearRail fares have increased at double the speed of wages since 2010, trade unions have warned as the Office of National Statistics (ONS) confirmed next year’s regulated rail fares will go up by 1.9% – significantly above this year’s 1% increase. Analysis by the TUC and rail...
• Industry in talks to roll out self-powered wireless sensors at level crossingsResearchers at the University of Huddersfield’s Institute of Railway Research (IRR) will hold talks with industry partners to help bring its DfT-backed rail crossings project into fruition after demonstrating the feasibility of using wireless sensors. The IRR had won funding from the DfT...
• Corbyn's ambitious Transport TuesdayJust as the Office of National Statistics sparked national outrage as it revealed the RPI figure will hike regulated rail fares by 1.9% next year, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined unions outside London Bridge to call for the renationalisation of the railways. The pledge is nothing new –...

Railnews

• New strike threat on 'meltdown' Govia Thameslink More than two-thirds of RMT members balloted at Govia Thameslink Railway have voted in favour of strikes or other industrial action over proposed changes to ticket office hours, the RMT said. The union reported that 70 per cent had been in favour of a strike, and almost 80 per cent supported other industrial action short of a strike. GTR wants to close some offices entirely, bringing staff on to station concourses from where they could still sell tickets, while although other offices would remain their opening hours would be cut. The union fears that at least 130 jobs could be lost.

Aviation Industry

• Germanwings crash prompts new medical rulesEASA has proposed a strengthening of pilot medical requirements following the crash of Germanwings flight 9525 in March 2015. read more

Other News Sources

• JOBS GO AT RAIL ENGINEERING COMPANYA company which provided engineering services to the rail industry has entered administration with the loss of about 70 jobs.
• Is Abellio train deal just the ticket for commuters?
• Southern ticket office staff vote in favour of industrial action MORE industrial action could be on the way by workers of Southern Railway - this time from ticket office staff.