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

Saturday, 19 November 2016

BBC News

• Rail passengers 'squashed in like animals going to market'Rail passengers say overcrowding on services running through the heart of England is getting worse.
• Croydon trams: 'Sleeping' driver footage probedAn investigation is launched into footage appearing to show a tram driver nodding off at the controls.
• Croydon tram line services resumeServices on the Croydon tramline reopen 10 days after a tram derailed killing seven people and injuring more than 50.
• Mayor confirms London transport fares freeze until 2020London mayor Sadiq Khan confirms fares across the Transport for London (TfL) network will be frozen from January 2017 until 2020.
• Humza Yousaf rejects calls to quit as transport ministerTransport Minister Humza Yousaf refuses to stand down amid growing criticism of Scotland's rail service.
• Delays expected as M74 section closed for bridge demolitionA busy section of the M74 motorway is closed with
• MPs call on government to cut air travel tax by 50%Air passenger duty should be halved in the Autumn Statement to boost post-Brexit trade, MPs say.
• Volkswagen plans 30,000 job cuts worldwideCar giant Volkswagen announces plans to cut 30,000 jobs worldwide, with the brunt of the cuts borne by Germany.

The Guardian

• Rise of the drones: from policing the streets to painting your housef technology companies have their way, the buzz of a drone will soon be as ubiquitous as the glint of a smartphone screen. Facebook aims to deliver internet access from drones high in the stratosphere, Google wants to drop piping hot food at your door via quadcopter, and Amazon has just patented a shoulder-mounted drone to help police officers.
• Daily commute of two hours – reality for 3.7m UK workersNumbers spending more than 120 minutes on move up by a third as stalled wages and costly housing stretch commute, says TUC
• Heathrow braces for protests by climate campaigners and localsActivists will march on airport on Saturday in protest over third runway, with some planning action that could delay flights

The Independent

• Is it the end of the line for Interrail?Special rail deals make the value of the unlimited travel pass look questionable

City AM

• Crystal ball time: What's lined up in the Autumn Statement for transport and infrastructure?Infrastructure has become a bit of a theme ahead of Philip Hammond's first Autumn Statement.

Liverpool Echo

• Is your Liverpool bus route at risk of being scrapped?Bus routes in Liverpool could be set for a major shake-up as Merseytravel continue to review its bus network.

Manchester Evening News

• Northern Powerhouse plans bolstered by economist and transport expertLord Jim O’Neill and John Cridland, former director general of the CBI and current chair of Transport for the North (TfN), join a host of senior business and civic leaders from across the north already on the board

Nottingham Evening Post

• How Toton Sidings became a huge railway hub - in Victorian days The Government has now confirmed that Toton Sidings, one of the largest rail depots in the UK, will be the site for a new station serving Nottingham and Derby as part of the the new HS2 high-speed rail network. DAVID LOWE charts the depot's history

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Sturgeon challenged on “wrong-headed” islands transport decisionA northern isles MSP has challenged Nicola Sturgeon to restore the Air Discount Scheme (ADS) for business travellers.

Get West London

• Another blow for Southern railway passengers as planned engineering work to effect Victoria servicesIf you are planning on travelling this weekend, engineering works will 'close most lines' between London Victoria and Clapham Junction

Plymouth Herald

• Securing and enhancing vital transport links to Westcountry The Government is making big investment in South West transport, says minister Paul Maynard.

Other Regional Press

• TRANSPORT MINISTER VOWS TO STAY IN POST AMID CLAIMS OF RAIL CRISISHumza Yousaf has insisted he is committed to his role as Transport Minister following calls for him to be removed from the post.
• Fears bus law will impact on county's service A COUNCILLOR has hit back at a decision to prevent local authorities from running bus services.

Rail Magazine

• Croydon Tram speeding at 43.5mph in 12.5mph zoneInitial investigation shows tram that crashed killing seven people was more than three times over speed limit

Rail Technology Magazine

• Jobs and skills boost in London - courtesy of ThameslinkOver 250 jobseekers in London have gained new jobs or skills after getting involved in the Thameslink Programme, the multi-billion pound London railway upgrade which includes the complete rebuilding of London Bridge station by Network Rail. The programme has helped 91 jobseekers from the...
• Minister warns of 'very, very serious consequences' if ScotRail doesn't improveThere will be “some very, very serious consequences” if ScotRail’s performance doesn’t improve quickly, Scottish transport minister Humza Yousaf has warned,  revealing that he will track the TOC’s performance “not just weekly, but daily”. The...

Aviation Industry

• Alaska Airlines, British Airways to codeshareSeattle-based Alaska Airlines and British Airways (BA) have established a codeshare partnership, opening up seven US west coast cities and three Hawaiian airports for BA passengers. read more

Other News Sources

• ‘Great British investment plan’ needed to improve infrastructureThe UK is one of the lowest ranked countries for investment in vital infrastructure according to analysis of OECD countries by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) published today.
• Northern business coalition calls for transport fundingA coalition of northern businesses is urging the government to make a revolutionary funding commitment in the upcoming Autumn Statement and devolve northern transport powers without delay.
• HS2 steel will be at least 95% British-made, indicates Transport SecretaryAt least 95% of the steel used in the construction of HS2 will be British-made, the transport secretary has signalled.
• Give Investment a Chance: U.K. Firms Make Brexit Plea to HammondAs Britain’s businesses submit their wish list for Philip Hammond’s budget statement, one clear theme is emerging -- investment.
• A rail link between Oxford and Cambridge could help create a massive tech hub in the UK"The corridor connecting Cambridge, Milton Keynes, and Oxford could be the UK's Silicon Valley," the Infrastructure Commission said in a report published this week.
• Robot bus successfully transports commuters...400 metersA Japanese company has brought us a step closer to autonomous public transport with its Robot Shuttle.
• Transport tops wishlist for Autumn StatementWith less than a week until the new Chancellor of the Exchequer’s first Autumn Statement, a coalition of Manchester businesses has made an ambitious call for the Government to spend more on transport in the North per head than in London over the next decade.
• Shipping Shares Drop after Seanergy Maritime OfferShares of many shipping companies dropped in volatile trading, retracing more of their post-U.S. election gains after Seanergy Maritime Holdings on Friday became the latest shipper this week to announce a direct share offer pricing. Seanergy…