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

Thursday, 12 January 2017

BBC News

• Stonehenge tunnel plans finalised by governmentLong-awaited plans for a road tunnel past Stonehenge have been finalised by the government.
• Deal agreed over Northern Isles freight boat low pay wrangleAn agreement has been reached to ensure foreign workers on freight boats serving Orkney and Shetland are paid at least the minimum wage.
• Southern rail strike: GTR taking legal case to Supreme CourtSouthern rail bosses say they want to take legal action to avoid more strikes.
• Crossrail dig unearths 13,000 Victorian jam jarsMore than 13,000 pots for pickles and jam are found under the former Crosse and Blackwell factory.
• Merseyrail driver-only trains: RMT sets guards decision deadlineA train operator has two weeks to give "cast-iron" assurances that guards will be retained or risk dispute, rail union RMT has said.
• VW pleads guilty to emissions cheatingThe German carmaker will pay $4.3bn in fines after admitting three criminal charges in the US.

Department for Transport

• Next step in major investment for south-west as A303 Stonehenge plans publishedPlans for tunnel under Stonehenge, part of roads package to cut congestion in the south-west.

Financial Times

• VW cannot speed up the half-life of its scandalBP’s shaming teaches some tough lessons to the German carmaker, writes Andrew Hill
• National Express quits UK rail through c2c saleGroup turns focus to international operations and bus business
• RMT widens dispute over role of train guardsUnion demands assurances on new trains from Arriva Rail North and Merseyrail

The Guardian

• Southern: Labour calls for inquiry into 'murky world' of rail franchisingDemand follows disclosure by Guardian that rail franchise mandarin’s board gave Southern contract to client of his companyThe Labour party has called for an investigation into disclosures that the civil servant who awarded Southern its rail franchise did so while owning a large share in a consultancy that had been advising the troubled operator’s parent company.Andy McDonald, the shadow transport secretary, said the disclosures by the Guardian exposed “the murky world of rail franchising” and he pressed for an investigation by the head of the civil service. Continue reading...
• Southern rail operator appeals to supreme court to block drivers' strikesGovia Thameslink Railway, which lost court case and appeal against strikes last year, says action by drivers’ union Aslef is unlawful under EU lawGovia Thameslink Railway is taking a legal case against drivers’ union Aslef to the supreme court over its industrial action on Southern rail.The move came on the second day of strike action by the union in a dispute over driver-only trains. A further strike will be held on Friday, with three more walkouts due at the end of the month. Continue reading...
• Chris Grayling gives go-ahead to road tunnel under StonehengeTransport secretary takes ‘big decision’ to transform A303 in move experts say could irreparably damage world heritage siteA tunnel is to be built under Stonehenge under plans announced by ministers, in a move that will reignite the controversy over improving major roads around the ancient site.Chris Grayling said he was taking a “big decision” to transform the A303, one of the main arteries to the south-west and a notorious bottleneck for lorries and holidaymakers, as part of a £2bn investment. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Volkswagen to pay �3.5 billion fine after admitting charges in emissions scandalCar giant Volkswagen has pleaded guilty to three criminal charges in the US in connection with the emissions scandal and will pay a 4.3 billion US dollar (�3.5 billion) penalty.

The Independent

• Arctic weather warning prompts dozens of flight cancellationsMore than 80 flights grounded to and from Heathrow during Thursday afternoon and evening

The Telegraph

• Rail strike chaos could spread across the country in weeks
• 'Clarkson parking' trend fuelled by fat cars and fat drivers, AA boss says

Reuters News

• UK rail union to ballot for more London Underground strikesLONDON (Reuters) - A major rail union raised the prospect of more travel chaos in London when it said on Wednesday it would hold a strike ballot among train maintenance workers on the London Underground, just two days after a walkout caused havoc for commuters.

Daily Record

• Forth Road Bridge fully reopens ahead of schedule after lorry crash Transport Minister Humza Yousaf praised the repair team for their efforts in getting traffic moving across the bridge after the lorry overturned in high winds.

Mail Online

• London Tube staff ballot for NEW action and Southern Rail commuters face walkouts Govia Thameslink Railway announced today that it would be taking legal action after 300,000 commuters were left stranded by industrial action.
• Controversial tunnel under Stonehenge gets the go-ahead after ministers approve plan as part of �2bn transport scheme� New plans for the World Heritage Site in Wiltshire announced by the Department for Transport include burying the A303 in a 1.8mile dual carriageway tunnel.
• Will anyone in government have sense to reverse decision to ditch paper road tax discs? Of all the counter-productive measures brought in by governments in recent years, the abolition of the paper tax disc in 2014 should surely be put at the very top of a shameful list.

Birmingham Mail

• Volkswagen 'approves �3.5bn settlement' over emissions scandal The penalty, which will be paid to the US government, is the largest against a car maker in American history

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Busy railway station could get 159 extra car parking spaces YOU wait years for extra parking at a busy railway station, then two schemes come along at once.

Liverpool Echo

• Union sets deadline for first step towards Merseyside rail strikesRMT asks for Merseyrail assurances by January 26 over protecting jobs

London Evening Standard

• Sadiq Khan’s £10 pollution charge 'will cost Londoners £23 million a year but hardly improve air quality at all'Sadiq Khan’s “toxicity charge” will cost Londoners £23 million a year despite having only a “negligible” impact on air pollution, it was claimed today.
• EasyJet tops list of most complained about airlinesEasyJet has topped a list of the most complained about airlines, according to a flight compensation company.
• Fresh blow to Sadiq Khan's plan to run suburban rail servicesSadiq Khan's campaign to run suburban railways suffered a major blow today when the leader of Kent council withdrew support and accused him of giving mixed messages.
• Southern Rail to take Aslef union to Supreme Court over strikesSouthern Rail's parent company has announced it is taking the Aslef union to the Supreme Court in a bid to stop further strikes.
• Garden Bridge trust 'determined' to press ahead with project despite warnings in their own reportThe Garden Bridge trustees today insisted they were "determined" to press ahead with the controversial project despite their own annual report warning its future was in doubt.
• Boris bike lights snapped up by New York schemeThe London tech start-up behind the new green laser lights on Boris bikes, has clinched a contract in New York.
• Crossrail dig unearths thousands of Victorian jam and marmalade jarsA hidden vault filled with Victorian jam jars has been unearthed during the construction of Crossrail , it has emerged.
• Late-night London black cab fares to be slashed under TfL plan London's black cab drivers have lashed out at plans to slash fares for longer journeys late at night.
• Southern Rail strikes 2017: Commuters face more travel misery after walkout endsCommuters using Southern Rail faced more travel misery on Thursday despite there being no strike action.

Manchester Evening News

• Here's lookin' at you our kid...new direct flight to Casablanca announced Of all the airports in all the world, you had to fly into mine...

The Shields Gazette

• Steven ties up at Port of Tyne againThe Port of Tyne has welcomed back a former crew member.

Other Regional Press

• Residents advised to bin surveyCampaign group Stop Heathrow Expansion is telling residents to bin a “cold call” request for information from homeowners in the area by the airport.
• Schools urged to get on their bike as part of cycling scheme SCHOOLS across Gwent are being invited to get involved in a new national scheme being launched by cycling charity Sustrans.
• ‘No stones will be left unturned’ in A34 review A TRANSPORT minister has vowed to leave ‘no stone unturned’ in a safety review of the A34.
• Bus lane about-turn sends drivers around the bendTHE Fishergate bus lane saga has split opinion after the story took another bizarre turn this week – a U-turn.
• Book soon out on Felix the Huddersfield railway cat No news on any film deal ... yet

Buying Business Travel

• London City airport: 30 years in picturesAirport publishes archived photos as part of its 30 year anniversary celebrations

Rail Magazine

• Italian operator to buy c2cTrenitalia, the passenger rail transportation company part of FS Italiane Group, to acquire the c2c franchise
• Vivarail D-Train trial cancelled after fireVivarail trial with London Midland cancelled following fire

Rail Technology Magazine

• Imperial College and 10:10 partner on project for solar panels on trains The UK's Imperial College London and charity 10:10 have collaborated on the Renewable Traction Power project to investigate using track-side solar panels to run trains.
• RAIB investigates fatal Sheffield tram accidentThe Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has decided to investigate a fatal accident just before Christmas in which a Sheffield man was killed by a tram. At around 10am on 22 December 2016 a pedestrian, who had just stepped off an inbound tram, was killed by an out-bound tram while using...
• GTR apologises after Southern passengers wrongly denied compensationSouthern passengers’ compensation applications for widespread delays on the network have been held back by computer errors, the operator’s parent company has admitted. Passengers told the Guardian that the company had rejected their compensation applications, submitted in November...
• National Express to sell c2c franchise to Trenitalia, quitting UK railNational Express has reached a provisional agreement with Trenitalia for the Italian rail company to acquire the c2c franchise, while not ruling out its return to bid for future UK rail franchises. The acquisition, expected to cost Trenitalia in the region of £70m, is dependent upon the...
• RMT to ballot LU fleet staff over further strikesThe RMT has confirmed that it will be balloting its London Underground (LU) fleet staff over potential industrial action, threatening further chaos to the Tube network. The union has accused LU’s management of numerous breaches of previous agreements, including a failure to consult RMT...

Railnews

• National Express to sell c2c to Italian railways National Express is set to sell its last British rail franchise to the Italian state operator FS. Trenitalia, part of FS Italiane Group, will acquire the c2c franchise for some �70 million, yielding a 'small net profit' for the Group. The deal is subject to the consent of the Department for Transport, and existing c2c management and staff are to be retained. It will also mark the exit of National Express from the franchised rail sector in Britain, although it still has the concession to operate Midland Metro trams.

Railway Gazette

• SNCF awards €3·75bn Paris RER fleet renewal contractFRANCE: The SNCF board has formally selected a consortium of Alstom and Bombardier Transportation...
• Trenitalia buys c2c to enter UK rail market UK: An agreement in principle for National Express Group to sell its c2c passenger franchisee to...

Aviation Industry

• Airbus achieves 731 net orders and 688 deliveries in 2016Airbus secured net orders for 731 aircraft in 2016, while deliveries were up 8% at 688 aircraft, exceeding its full-year target. By comparison, Boeing logged net orders for 668 aircraft and delivered 728. read more
• Airbus to help develop China Airlines’ support activitiesAirbus has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Taiwan’s China Airlines (CAL) to support the development of the carrier’s maintenance, engineering and technical training capabilities. read more
• Aeroflot cancels eight A350-800sAeroflot Airline has canceled an order for eight Airbus A350-800s, Airbus revealed in a presentation at an annual press briefing Jan. 11. read more
• Iran Air takes delivery of first Airbus A321Iran Air has taken delivery of its first new aircraft, an A321, from a historic 100-aircraft Airbus order. read more

Other News Sources

• Record-breaking Christmas getaway completes record year at London StanstedLondon Stansted Airport completed a record-breaking 2016 with its busiest ever December as the great Christmas getaway and record high aircraft load factors boosted passenger numbers during the month.