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

Friday, 25 November 2016

BBC News

• Oxford transport boss says buses should return to Queen StreetA transport boss is recommending Queen Street in Oxford be reopened to buses and taxis despite safety concerns.
• Sturgeon 'will consider' ScotRail fare freezeScotland's first minister has said she will consider freezing the country's train fares next year amid concern over the reliability of ScotRail services.
• Sturgeon 'will consider' ScotRail fare freezeScotland's first minister says she will consider freezing the country's train fares next year amid concern over the reliability of ScotRail services.
• Belfast Airport boss criticises Tourism IrelandThe head of Belfast International Airport tells the Irish Prime Minister Belfast should become the gateway to Ireland, The View learns.
• Plans for direct tram-train link between Glasgow Airport and cityPlans to create a
• Southern rail service hits national punctuality figuresPersistent problems on train services at Southern are dragging down national punctuality levels, the rail regulator says.
• Heathrow third runway 'to breach climate change laws'Plans to expand Heathrow Airport are set to breach the government’s climate change laws, advisers warn.

Financial Times

• Heathrow runway hit by carbon limits warningClimate change advisers says project could blow hole in binding emissions goals
• Transfer of suburban train control to London in doubtReorganisation risks making commuter services worse, says minister
• Kenya Airways chief executive steps downChairman had recently said Mbuvi Ngunze was vital to restructuring efforts

The Guardian

• Fuel rationing at Melbourne airport disrupts flightsSome international departures make fuel stops at other airports after shortages triggered ‘immediate and deep’ rationing
• Scotland's rail network vulnerable as problems mount, regulator warnsOffice of Rail and Road says bad winter weather could lead to further difficulties on beleaguered ScotRail services
• Transport cash won't fill the potholes in local government financeThe chancellor’s pledge of £3.72bn for road and rail is a drop in the ocean and a missed chance to transform UK public services

The Herald

• ScotRail to publish action plan as Nicola Sturgeon pressed on network 'shambles'Nicola Sturgeon has ordered ScotRail bosses to publish in full almost 250 steps being taken to improve the network, as the Scottish Government again came under fire for a rail service
• Sturgeon considers fare freeze after ScotRail failuresNICOLA Sturgeon is considering a freeze on rail fares next year after being pressed to “give passengers a break” amid continued delays and poor service by ScotRail.

The Telegraph

• Nicola Sturgeon promises to consider rail fare freeze as Transport Minister's 'Scotfail' tweets emerge

Times Online

• Third runway ‘may breach targets’ [subscription]The case for building a third runway at Heathrow has been called into question by the government’s advisers.
• ScotRail could face fare freeze as watchdog warns of winter delays [subscription]Nicola Sturgeon has said she will consider a Labour plan to freeze fares for rail commuters who have been at the mercy of delays and cancellations. The first minister said she would look at the proposals, which have been costed at about £2 million and could save some travellers £71 a year.

Daily Record

• Andrew Jarvis joins First Bus as managing director for ScotlandJarvis, who stepped down as Stagecoach East Coast managing director last month, joins First Group in April 2017 as managing director for Glasgow and Scotland
• 'Tram-train' network proposed to link Glasgow Airport to city centre The link would offer a 16.5-minute direct journey between the city centre and the front door of the airport, developers say.
• Nicola Sturgeon orders ScotRail chiefs to publish action plan after being pressed on network 'shambles' Ms Sturgeon announced on Thursday that ScotRail will publish the action plan, which contains 246 separate measures, within days.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• World's newest jet Airbus A350-1000 launches this morning The longest plane in the A350 collection launched at Toulouse this morning

London Evening Standard

• Zac Goldsmith claims his election as MP halted third runway at Heathrow AirportZac Goldsmith has said Heathrow’s third runway would already be under construction if he had not been elected to Parliament in 2010.
• Night Tube: Just 67 crimes reported on 24-hour service in 1.5m journeys since launchJust 67 crimes have been reported in almost 1.5 million journeys since the launch of the Night Tube, figures show.
• MPs urged to end delays to emergency service 4G system on TubeA senior MP today warned of a delay in the introduction of a new emergency communications system on the Underground.
• Residents say 'chaos' of Lancaster Gate cycle superhighway building work is making their lives a miseryAngry residents say the extension of London's flagship cycle superhighway is making life "unbearable".
• Tube strike: RMT union announces 24-hour strike to coincide with Southern Rail walkout Hundreds of Tube drivers are to stage a 24-hour walk-out at the same time as a Southern Rail strike.
• Piccadilly line delays: Tube commuters hit by rush hour disruption after 'shortage of trains'Commuters today faced rush hour misery on the Piccadilly line after "a shortage of trains".
• Thameslink delays: Rail operator has worst performance for six yearsRail operator Thameslink had its worst period for punctuality in at least six years over the past month, new figures show.

Manchester Evening News

• Tram user sets up hilarious website tracking every time Metrolink apologises on Twitter Omid Kashan set up Sorry For The Inconvenience as a reaction to the social media account's somewhat frequent use of the term

Sheffield Star

• New mobile ticketingStagecoach bus passengers across South Yorkshire and Chesterfield can now instantly buy and download day tickets to their smartphone, using the latest technology.

Other Regional Press

• M11 orbital bus journey scheme backed by residents after public consultation - despite 'waste of time and money' claimsThe new scheme, hoping to provide ‘fast and reliable’ trips north to south of Cambridge which avoid the city centre, forms part of a wider programme to develop a sustainable transport network
• Buses could remain on Queen Street after council U-turn on pedestrianisation plan THE PEDESTRIANISATION of Queen Street has been thrown into doubt after transport bosses recommended the city centre road be kept open for buses despite safety concerns.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Transport for the North welcomes Government’s commitment to Northern PowerhouseTransport for the North (TfN) welcomes the Chancellor’s announcement of a Northern Powerhouse Strategy, which recognises the role of transport connectivity alongside investment in skills development, enterprise and innovation and trade and investment in boosting economic growth in the North.    John Cridland, Chair of Transport for the North and former Director-General of the CBI, said, “We know the North currently lags behind the rest of England in terms of productivity but has huge potential. The new Northern Powerhouse Strategy highlights evidence from our Northern Pow...
• First Bus appoints new Managing Directors for Greater Manchester and GlasgowFirst Bus has announced the appointment of industry leaders, Phil Medlicott and Andrew Jarvis, as the company’s new Managing Directors in Greater Manchester and Glasgow. Phil will join the business on 1st January 2017 from Stagecoach North East, where he held the position of Managing Director, and will take over from current First Manchester Managing Director, Teresa Broxton, who has been promoted to Director of Business Change within the division. Andrew also joins from Stagecoach, where he was Managing Director of its East Scotland operations.  He will join the business on April...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Service Solutions for the Rail Industry Sulzer is recognised worldwide for its experience servicing AC and DC traction motors, braking systems, bogies, gearboxes, generators, and other transportation equipment and parts.
• State of the Art in Axle Counting Axle counting systems are used in many countries around the world as a replacement for track vacancy detection systems. They are also used in signalling equipment systems to build a more complete picture of what is happening on a particular stretch o…
• Maynard cannot confirm CP6 completion for GWML deferralsPaul Maynard, the rail minister, was unable to confirm that deferred aspects of the Great Western Main Line electrification project will be complete in CP6 during a Westminster Hall debate this week. Maynard announced earlier this month that he was indefinitely deferring electrification of the...
• ORR: Shrunken NR renewals will have 'adverse effect' on assetsThe ORR is predicting a greater reliance on a greater range of safety controls in order to maintain asset safety as a result of Network Rail’s (NR’s) shrunken renewals portfolio, with “some adverse effect” currently expected on asset condition and performance across the...
• First options revealed for new performance measures in CP6A series of new performance measures designed to replace the existing system in CP6 have already been identified by the industry, the ORR has revealed, with further ideas expected. In its half-year assessment of Network Rail, the regulator backed the industry-wide view that the current measures...

Railway Gazette

• First order for Omneo Premium inter-city EMUs FRANCE: SNCF has placed the first order for the Premium inter-city version of Bombardier...

Aviation Industry

• ATW Photo Gallery: Airbus A350-1000 completes first flightThe first Airbus A350-1000 test aircraft made its first flight at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport France Nov. 24. The first flight lasted four hours and 18 minutes. 

Other News Sources

• Government to invest £2.6bn on ‘fit for the future’ local transportThe government will be spending an extra £2.6bn on tackling congestion and ensuring that the UK’s transport networks are fit for the future, the chancellor Phillip Hammond announced in yesterday’s Autumn Statement.
• Major plans to shake up bus lane hours in Glasgow cityDETAILS have been revealed of major changes planned for the operating hours of bus lanes across the city. ...
• Brexit Dominates London Vote That Was Meant to Be About HeathrowA special election in southwest London triggered by a dispute over airport expansion has become the first electoral test of Prime Minister Theresa May’s handling of Britain’s divorce from the European Union.
• FTA disappointed in another delay to vital NI road schemeThe Freight Transport Association is bitterly disappointed in yet another delay in upgrading the vital A6 road between Belfast & L’Derry ...
• Albion offer to be peace makers in rail dispute BRIGHTON and Hove Albion hope to succeed where government officials and trained mediators have failed and find a solution to Sussex’s rail crisis.