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

Saturday, 15 October 2016

BBC News

• Police Scotland cars 'held together by duct tape'Police Scotland using cars held together by duct tape and cable ties after years of under-investment, claims Scottish Police Federation.
• Electric cars set to get road priority in clean air zonesElectric cars could be given priority at traffic lights and exempted from one-way systems, a government consultation suggests.
• Parking charges rise at 'one in three hospitals'A third of hospital trusts in England have increased their car parking charges in the last year, it is being reported.
• ITV 'disappointed' after trams cleared to run past Coronation StreetITV says it is
• MPs urge ministers to 'get a grip' in midst of Southern strike woesThe government's handling of rail franchises is attacked in a report by MPs that cites Southern passengers' woes as a three-day staff strike ends.
• Expand Heathrow Airport for global trade says OsborneBritain must expand Heathrow, a
• London mayor bids for more control of suburban rail servicesLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan is to lobby the government for more powers for Transport for London over rail services into the capital.
• 'We have no future'As the fleet of bankrupt Hanjin Shipping makes its way back home, the crew members know they face being set adrift into an uncertain future.
• VW sales lifted by strong deliveries in ChinaSales at Volkswagen shows signs of recovering from the emissions crisis as it reports a strong September, thanks mainly to China.
• Brexit: Nissan boss meets PM over Sunderland plant fearsPrime Minister Theresa May meets the boss of Japanese car giant Nissan amid fears over the future of its production plant in Sunderland.

Financial Times

• HS2 bidders tested for best behaviourEngineering consortiums must prove they can work together before being awarded contracts
• London Bridge chaos highlights franchise woeMPs say miscalculation of delays reveals error in Thameslink, Great Northern and Southern grouping

The Guardian

• Airport expansion: the experts' viewGuardian writers examine the pros and cons of extra runways at Heathrow and Gatwick from three different perspectivesHeathrow airport is full to bursting. The same will soon be true of Gatwick. There has been no full-length runway built in the south-east since the 1940s. The UK’s attempts to break into the big and fast-growing markets of the emerging world such as India and China will be thwarted unless it follows the lead of other European countries and upgrades its aviation infrastructure. Jobs, trade and inward investment all depend on the go-ahead for new capacity. Continue reading...
• Sadiq Khan submits takeover plan to end London's rail commuter 'nightmare'London mayor presents business case for devolution of suburban rail services to TfL from franchise owners such as SouthernPlans to improve rail services for millions of passengers at London’s busiest stations have been submitted to the government in an effort to end the “nightmare” of delays and overcrowding.The city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, said commuters had been enduring a bad service for too long. He presented a business case for devolving suburban rail services to Transport for London (TfL), saying it would help create thousands of houses and jobs in outer London while remaining cost-neutral ...
• Stansted promises fight if Gatwick and Heathrow both get new runwaysManchester Airports Group, which owns Stansted, says it will launch legal challenge if runways are approved at both rivalsThe owner of Stansted and Manchester airports is prepared to mount a legal challenge against the government if Theresa May approves the building of new runways at Gatwick and Heathrow next week.There has been speculation that ministers could take a surprise decision to give the green light to expansion at both airports on Tuesday, prompting Manchester Airports Group (MAG) to say it would fight the government in court. Continue reading...

The Herald

• ScotRail boss tells of battle to juggle live services with improvement worksImplementing ScotRail's improvement programme is like performing open heart surgery while doing a marathon, the boss of the train company has said.
• Theresa May to meet Nissan boss amid fears over firm's UK future following Brexit votePrime Minister Theresa May is meeting the boss of car giant Nissan amid fears over the Japanese company's future in Britain following the Brexit vote.
• Plans for proposed �80m rail link to Glasgow Airport revealedAN �80million rail link could take travellers from a new station in Paisley to Glasgow Airport.
• Police cars 'held together with duct tape' and officers using 'mouldy interview rooms' due to lack of moneyPOLICE facilities are “at a precipice”, with victims of sex crimes being interviewed in mouldy rooms with leaking roofs and vehicles held together with “duct tape and cable ties”, the body representing rank and file officers has warned Justice Secretary Michael Matheson.
• Ex-chancellor backs expanding Heathrow to help make UK GEORGE Osborne has urged Theresa May and her government to back the expansion of Heathrow Airport.

The Huffington Post

• United Airlines Flight Delays Caused By Major Computer System Meltdown function onPlayerReadyVidible(e){'undefined'!=typeof HPTrack&&HPTrack.Vid.Vidible_track(e)}!function(e,i){if(e.vdb_Player){if('object'==typeof commercial_video){var a='',o='m.fwsitesection='+commercial_video.site_and_category;if(a+=o,commercial_video['package']){var c='&m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3D'+commercial_video['package'];a+=c}e.setAttribute('vdb_params',a)}i(e.vdb_Player)}else{var t=arguments.callee;setTimeout(function(){t(e,i)},0)}}(document.getElementById('vidible_1'),onPlayerReadyVidible); United Airlines suffered a major “systems issue” this week which caused a hug...

The Telegraph

• Here's how a new royal yacht�Britannia could sail again
• 'Posturing' Russians to send aircraft carrier and fleet along the English Channel

Times Online

• Army set to buy £3bn fleet from German firms [Subscription]The army is poised to buy a fleet of armoured vehicles from Germany for £3 billion in a deal that risks costing Britain an extra £1 billion and hundreds of jobs, The Times has learnt.
• Cost of filling up at the pumps leaps as sterling tanks [Subscription]Drivers are facing misery at the pumps as the falling pound has helped to push a family’s petrol bill up by at least £14 a month.
• Electric car network stalls as chargers fail [Subscription]A government attempt to make Ireland a world leader in electric car use is in tatters amid sluggish sales and infrastructure deficits.

Daily Record

• Police cars 'held together with duct tape and cable ties' and officers using 'mouldy' interview rooms due to cash shortageSHOCKING photos show damp and mouldy conditions as the Scottish Police Federation blast boards for making a 'pig's ear' of overseeing the force merger.

Mail Online

• Hospital trusts now charging up to �4 an hour in car parking fees Campaigners say they hit cancer sufferers and other very sick patients receiving life-saving treatment particularly hard.

This is Money

• Airlines braced for transatlantic price skirmish as fall in the pound pushes up the cost of fuel and other charges The fall in the pound since the Brexit vote has pushed up the cost of fuel and other charges for carriers such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and EasyJet – blowing a hole in their profits.
• Driving home an investment: Women are fuelling a classic car sales boom, says RAY MASSEY The classic car market is now attracting younger, financially savvy women defying falling savings rates and plummeting annuity rates on their pension pots.

London Evening Standard

• Tube strike looms 'because of rise in attacks on staff'Tube staff are set to vote on strike action in after they reported an increase in attacks in the wake of the closure of ticket offices.
• Tube strike: London Undergound ticket staff join threat for walkout in run-up to ChristmasThe threat of Christmas strike chaos on the Tube increased today as 1,600 ticket staff prepared to ballot for industrial action in protest over assaults by passengers.
• Heathrow passengers stuggle through delays due to computer meltdownHundreds of passengers at Heathrow suffered delays of up to 90 minutes today after a computer meltdown grounded United Airlines flights worldwide.
• Evening Standard comment: TfL bids to take over suburban rail servicesLondon's economy has been reliant on railways since Victorian times. We take the complex network of Tube lines and overground services for granted — it is only when things go wrong that we come to see how essential trains are to keeping London on the move. Unfortunately, this year has seen ever greater, more frequent problems.

Manchester Evening News

• New figures reveal the shocking scale of violence and abuse on Manchester's trams 'We get no back up from our bosses' says one driver. 'We need guards on the tram'
• The Leigh Guided Busway is a success, say transport chiefs - so services are being extendedSome buses on the route will link up with the Oxford Road corridor in Manchester next year

Northern Echo

• Swedish fighter jets behind window-rattling Darlington flyover A PAIR of Swedish military jets were behind a window-rattling fly past yesterday evening.

Sheffield Star

• MP joins parents to demand crossing on hazardous Sheffield roadA Sheffield MP has backed calls for a crossing on a stretch of road where a schoolgirl was seriously injured.

The York Press

• Park & Ride extension agreed CITY of York Council’s ruling executive has agreed to a year-long extension to the authority’s current contract with First Bus to run York’s Park & Ride Service.

Wales Online

• Major road will close to allow for repair work after thousands of litres of oil spilled from a leaking pipe The A48 in Carmarthen will be closed in both directions with diversions in place until Monday morning

Blackpool Gazette

• Rail firm reveals weekend shutdown plansRail passengers travelling between Blackpool and Preston are set to suffer more disruption with Network Rail planning months of weekend closures.

Daventry Express

• Parking costs at Northampton General Hospital in top 10 of the countryParking charges at Northampton General Hospital are among the highest in the country, new data has shown.

Sunderland Echo

• Sunderland Stagecoach drivers cancel four planned strikes in cityStrikes planned by bus drivers in Sunderland over a pay row have now been cancelled.

West Sussex Gazette

• Southern passengers ‘badly let down’ by Government failures - MPsSouthern passengers have been ‘badly let down’ by the Government’s failure to properly structure and enforce rail franchise agreements, according to a damning report from backbench MPs.

Other Regional Press

• New controlled parking zone will solve 'enormous' scale of parking problem supporters claim New controlled parking zone will solve 'enormous' scale of parking problem supporters claim
• 'Children's safety at risk' after free bus service scrapped in favour of three-mile walk PARENTS have said they fear for their children's safety after they were told to walk to school along unlit paths, a field and a road with 'limited visibility' for pedestrians.
• Warning to plan ahead over fears major traffic scheme could cause traffic chaos MOTORISTS are being warned to plan ahead as residents warn a major road project could cause traffic chaos.
• Dangerous zebra crossing being moved - two years lateOAP run down on notorious village crossing spot in Carr Lane, Slaithwaite
• Subsidies for buses to be cut as council seeks to save �500k WILTSHIRE Council is to cut �500,000 of bus subsidies and is about to consult people on services which face the axe.
• New controlled parking zone will solve 'enormous' scale of parking problem supporters claim New controlled parking zone will solve 'enormous' scale of parking problem supporters claim
• 'Close the bridge' say campaigners AN ENVIRONMENTAL campaigner is urging council leaders to trial the closure of Wallingford Bridge to improve air quality in the town.
• Warning to plan ahead over fears major traffic scheme could cause traffic chaos MOTORISTS are being warned to plan ahead as residents warn a major road project could cause traffic chaos.
• Traders horrified as ‘nightmare’ of bridge closure is back in BiggleswadeTraders in Biggleswade High Street are less than impressed that more work is to be carried out on the railway bridge after they say its closure for more than six months last year disrupted their business.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• �35 million boost for ultra low emission vehiclesA major £35 million package to boost the uptake of ultra-low emission cars and scooters was unveiled by Transport Minister John Hayes. The fresh funding commitment will see thousands more electric vehicle chargepoints installed on streets and at workplaces across the UK – after the number of new ultra low emission vehicles registered rose by 250% in just 2 years. The government is also buying 2 brand new Nissan LEAF electric cars for the Government Car Service – on top of 4 that are already in use. The vehicles are built at the Nissan motor manufacturing plant in Sunderland ...
• Green light for new Trafford Park Metrolink line Greater Manchester’s Metrolink network is set to expand even further after plans for a new £350 million tram line through Trafford Park were given the green light. Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport, has granted Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) legal powers to build the new 3.4mile (5.5km) line under a Transport and Works Act order. That means work could start on the line this winter – and be operational by 2020/2021. TfGM, which owns the Metrolink network, has developed plans for the Trafford Park line and will shortly appoint a contractor.  The del...
• Volvo and ABB inaugurate charging station for electric buses based on OppChargeVolvo Buses and ABB have inaugurated a charging station for electric buses based on the open OppCharge interface. With OppCharge, electrified buses and charging stations from different manufacturers can be used together. The aim is to facilitate the introduction of electric bus systems in cities the world over.  Together with ABB, Volvo Buses yesterday inaugurated a charging station for electric buses based on the open OppCharge interface. This is ABB’s first charging station for electric buses in Sweden.  It is installed outside Volvo’s electric bus terminal in Arendal...

Rail Magazine

• Mark Carne to give keynote speech at RAIL’s National Rail ConferenceNetwork Rail’s Chief Executive will speak at the NRC in Manchester on November 1

Rail Technology Magazine

• Pre-electrification work at West Calder suffers delaysElectrification of the Edinburgh-Glasgow line will be subject to delays after Network Rail withdrew an application for planning permission to build a temporary road. Network Rail applied to West Lothian Council for planning permission to build a 360m diversion to the A71 near Parkhead Primary...
• MPs condemn government for 'woeful' franchise monitoring The government’s handling of its contract with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to operate the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise since it was introduced last year has been sharply criticised in a new report by the Transport Select Committee. GTR had the lowest performance and...
• Khan submits plan to take more control of suburban rail services More of London’s suburban rail services should be transferred to TfL, London mayor Sadiq Khan has said in a new business case. The principle of further devolution had been agreed by the government in a joint DfT/TfL prospectus in January 2016. In the new plans, presented to the transport...
• Shortlist for Wales and Borders franchise revealedA shortlist of four foreign-owned companies to operate the Wales and Borders franchise, as well taking forward key aspects of the £600m South Wales Metro, has been revealed. The four operational and development partner bidders are Abellio Rail Cymru, Arriva Rail Wales/Rheilffyrdd Arriva...

Railnews

• Rail passengers have been �badly let down�, say MPs The House of Commons Transport Committee has published a highly critical report of the state of rail franchising, which considers whether Govia Thameslink Railway is in default of its contractual obligations and also makes a number of key recommendations about franchising in general. It claims rail passengers have been 'badly let down by Government failure to structure, monitor and enforce franchise agreements and the planning and management of major rail infrastructure projects'.

Other News Sources

• Southern Rail passengers will now be able to claim compensation for 15-minute delays The scheme was announced earlier this week and will be launched on Southern Rail lines in the coming months
• Damning report slams Southern Railway management for poor performance TRAINS are in such a bad state on the Southern network that the contract would normally be pulled at this stage, MPs have recognised.
• Rail report slams government, unions, and operator CALLS have been made for the Mayor of London to take control after a scathing report heaped criticism on the Government, the operator and the rail union for our shambolic rail service.