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

Wednesday, 11 January 2017

BBC News

• New Cardiff Airport terminal plan as passenger numbers riseA new terminal could be built at Cardiff Airport over the next 10 years to replace the current building.
• Southern rail: Train drivers' strike enters second dayA strike by Southern train drivers enters second day with no peace talks planned.
• Lancashire MP Mark Menzies to fight 'barmy' rail fares to LondonAn MP vows to fight a rail firm's
• Southern rail: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn backs striking driversLabour leader Jeremy Corbyn backs striking Southern train drivers, saying he would join a picket line.
• Southern rail strike: Commuter confronts rail bosses and RMT unionSara Beare, a commuter, confronts Southern Rail and RMT bosses.
• VW set to pay $4.3bn for emissions cheatVolkswagen is expected to plead guilty and be fined $4.3bn by US authorities to settle

Financial Times

• VW close to $4.3bn emissions settlement in USCarmaker set to plead guilty over scheme to install software to cheat emissions tests
• Strike disrupts Southern trains and Gatwick ExpressUnions and management deadlocked in dispute over who closes train doors at stations
• UK rail network still a long way from fully automated trainsHuge variety of signalling and operating systems make human role crucial

The Guardian

• Volkswagen confirms $4.3bn payment over diesel emissionsThe group is also planning to plead guilty to criminal misconduct as part of a deal with the US Justice Department The Volkswagen group confirmed on Tuesday that it has negotiated a $4.3bn (£3.53bn) draft settlement with US regulators to resolve its diesel emissions troubles, alongside plans to plead guilty to criminal misconduct charges. The guilty plea is part of the deal to settle the scandal, as the carmaker looks to restore its tarnished global brand. Volkswagen (VW) said that, with the addition of the fine, its diesel scandal costs will exceed the nearly €18.2bn (£15.76bn) it set aside t...
• Dutch trains become 100% powered by wind energyThe national railway company, NS, said that its renewables target had been met a year earlier than planned. All Dutch trains have become 100% powered by electricity generated by wind energy, the national railway company NS has said . “Since 1 January, 100% of our trains are running on wind energy,” said NS spokesman, Ton Boon.
• Rail franchise mandarin's board gave Southern contract to client of his companyPeter Wilkinson held role at Department for Transport while owning stake in FCP, a consultancy that had been advising GoviaThe civil servant who awarded Southern rail its franchise made the decision to do so while owning a large share in a consultancy that had been advising the troubled operator’s parent company.Peter Wilkinson, who had been hired by the Department for Transport (DfT) to act as its franchising director, was involved in awarding the Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern franchises to Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) in May 2014.

The Herald

• Volkswagen close to agreeing US emissions scandal settlementCar giant Volkswagen has said it is in
• Scots flights cancelled with more at risk over 48-hour BA strikeBRITISH Airways warned of further flight cancellations as around 40 bit the dust on Monday including journeys from Scotland as hundreds of the airline's cabin crew embarked on a 48-hour strike over pay.

The Independent

• Transport Secretary Chris Grayling didn't give cyclist his details after knocking him off bike because 'no one asked'Tory minister knocked down man on bike after opening a car door into his path last October

The Scotsman

• North Sea transport helicopters grounded over safety fearsAll Sikorsky S92 helicopters have been grounded amid concerns over safety, causing disruption to North Sea flights.

Reuters News

• Economy Minister Gabriel says Bombardier won't close German plantsGermany's Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Monday that no Bombardier (BBDb.TO) plants in Germany will be closed after a newspaper reported the Canadian company was considering closing plants and cutting a quarter of its workforce of 8,500.

Mail Online

• London Heathrow cancels flights as British Airways staff launch 48-hour strike A total of 22 flights out of 800 at Heathrow have been cancelled due to the disruption. Affected destinations include Hamburg, Dusseldorf, San Jose, Oslo and Aberdeen. Pictured is the picket line.
• Fed-up commuters who hired minibus to survive rail strike: Travellers snub free coaches and declare 'enough is enough' after months of misery Commuters in Surrey (pictured) snubbed the free coaches laid on by striking Southern rail and instead paid for a guaranteed seat on a private one, which cost �10 each way.

The Mirror

• Transport boss reveals his radical vision for underground roads to tackle congestion on city streetsStagecoach East managing director Andy Campbell had outlined his radical vision for electric cars to use highways built beneath the surface

Birmingham Post

• Work to start on Merry Hill bus station revamp Start date announced as shopping centre's owner looks to inject new life into Black Country retail hub
• Record year for Birmingham Airport Transport hub recorded busiest year and December in its history in 2016

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Bus driver 'dumps schoolkids in the rain' and drives away after broken down vehicle fixedDozens of workers and school children faced 45 minute wait in the rain for another bus after the one they had been travelling on was fixed ... and drove off without them

London Evening Standard

• Transport secretary Chris Grayling pictured battling to get to work at Clapham Junction during strikeTransport Secretary Chris Grayling was pictured at Clapham Junction station among thousands of commuters battling to get to work during Monday's crippling Tube strike.
• A quarter of all traffic in London was at a complete halt during Tube strikeAround a quarter of rush hour traffic in London was at a standstill during the Tube strike yesterday, double the level of a normal working day, according to new data.
• Southern rail strike: peace deal is a 'universe away'Thousands of Southern passengers suffered more strike misery today as a union warned of more stoppages to come and said a peace deal was a "universe away".
• Tube strike: 'Meditation bus' launched in London to de-stress commuters after Underground chaosA "meditation bus" will be driving around London from today offering commuters a more relaxing journey to work.
• Southern Rail strike: Chaos on London Overground as stations closed amid rush hour overcrowdingFed-up commuters suffered again after London Overground stations were closed due to overcrowding as a result of the Southern Rail strike.
• The key London regeneration zones and transport upgrades to watchFrom the Crossrail hotspots of Abbey Wood and Southall, to the good-value riverscapes of Royal Docks and Silvertown, tour London's "rediscovered" hotspots with exciting transport links and new homes developments on the horizon...
• Letters to the editor: Rail strikes are just pure blackmailYet again we have suffered a day of misery, financial loss, anger and personal distress for thousands. This demonstrates that we should be highly suspicious of Sadiq Khan's claim to be able to deal with Southern rail since he cannot manage the unions on the Tube.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Transport infrastructure is holding the North East backToday's top story is that the North East England Chamber of Commerce has claimed that the transport infrastructure must be improved if the region is to reach its economic potential.

The York Press

• Roads bosses vow no second fiasco, as Coppergate ban resumes COUNCIL lawyers have followed rules “to the letter” to make sure the Coppergate car ban does not fall foul of the law.

Other Regional Press

• Bus lanes to be scrapped NEXT WEEK in new congestion-busting trialNext Monday will see the start of the introduction of a number of bus lanes being suspended
• Passengers and bosses praise new rail line as 'healthy' numbers get on board BICESTER is open for business, according to council bosses who joined passengers in praising the first few weeks of the town's new rail link to Oxford.

Buying Business Travel

• British Airways owner tops 100 million passengers for 2016Traffic for Aer Lingus, BA, Iberia and Vueling jumped 14% on 2015
• Lufthansa to start wifi access on short-haul flightsEntire A320 fleet will be fitted with Internet by 2018
• BMI Regional offers discounted flights with government ‘export’ campaignAirline partners with the Department for International Trade

Rail Technology Magazine

• Triomf-Rail Signalling Design Engineering and Project Management Services Triomf specialises in supplying rail signalling design services, engineering professionals and project management capabilities to the rail industry.Signalling design engineering for rail applications...
• D-Train project derailed as partners pull out of trialThe future of the D-Train on the Coventry to Nuneaton (NUCKLE) line is in doubt after local partners pulled out of the project. The three-car Class 230 train, built by Vivarail from upcycled parts of London Underground trains, was originally promised as an innovative solution to pressure on...
• NR demolishes two key bridges as part of Scottish electrification workNetwork Rail has demolished two railway bridges on the Shotts line this past weekend as part of a Scottish government investment to electrify the route by 2019. The bridges, over Station Road in Shotts and the A71 in West Calder, were demolished over a 54-hour period between Friday night and...
• GLA members attack Khan in wake of LU 'zero strikes' failureMembers of the Greater London Authority (GLA) have criticised the city’s mayor Sadiq Khan for his failure to avert yesterday’s London Underground (LU) strike, accusing him of backing down on his pre-election pledge to bring ‘zero strikes’ during his term as mayor. The...

Railnews

• National Express to sell c2c to Italian railwaysNATIONAL EXPRESS is set to sell its last British rail franchise to the Italian state operator FS.

Railway Gazette

• NS completes green energy transitionNETHERLANDS: National passenger operator NS is now operating all of its electric trains using...

Aviation Industry

• Aviation Capital Group orders 35 A320 family aircraftUS lessor Aviation Capital Group (ACG) placed a follow-on firm order Jan. 10 for 35 Airbus A320 family aircraft, with purchase options for 10 additional aircraft. read more
• Lufthansa begins trialing broadband on short- and medium-haul flightsLufthansa Group said it plans to become the “most digital aviation group” in 2017, chairman and CEO Carsten Spohr said at the company’s digital aviation forum Jan. 10. read more
• British Airways braces for two-day cabin crew strikeBritish Airways (BA) said it canceled 11 flights out of London Heathrow Jan. 10 as a two-day strike by some cabin crew began. read more
• Southwest restructures leadership; CEO Kelly cedes president’s roleSouthwest Airlines has promoted EVP-strategy and innovation Tom Nealon to the role of president and expanded COO Mike Van de Ven’s responsibilities. read more
• Boeing defines 737 MAX ‘extra stretch’Boeing has defined the size of the proposed additional -10X stretch variant of the 737 MAX narrowbody to compete more aggressively against the Airbus A321neo. read more

Green Miscellany

• A bicycle whistle to cut through urban dinThe Bookman bicycle whistle might be based on nineteenth century technology, but its benefits for urban cyclists has never been more useful. Established in Birmingham in 1870, Acme Whistles recently teamed up with bicycle accessory manufacturer, Bookman, to create a new design of whistle for today’s rider. The bicycle whistle produces a loud high-pitched sound without the need for any moving parts… The post A bicycle whistle to cut through urban din appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Acquisition of c2c franchise by TrenitaliaNational Express Group PLC ("National Express") has reached an in principle agreement for Trenitalia, the passenger rail transportation company part of FS Italiane Group, to acquire the c2c franchise.
• Southern Rail strike: Frustrated commuter wants industrial action on railways to be illegal Commuters have been affected by industrial action on Southern Rail lines for nearly SIX months
• Rail and airline staff take industrial actionIt's been another day of industrial action affecting transport services.