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

Wednesday, 08 February 2017

BBC News

• Uber hires 'flying car engineer' from NasaAn ex-Nasa engineer is Uber's latest hire as it explores the possibilities of flying cars.
• Rail firms mull iris scan train faresTechnology such as biometric scanning and smarter trains could improve rail travel for UK customers.

Financial Times

• Parcel plan offers new life for 125mph trainsFreight group plans to use old Intercity 125s for Yorkshire to London service
• Tube strikes are a spur to change the way we workWhy did Londoners brave the recent chaos to try to clock in at 9am?

The Herald

• Plans for M8 roof park to begin by summerWORK on the blueprint to ‘heal the wound’ of Scotland’s busiest stretch of road will begin within weeks, with one of country’s most prestigious architectural firms involved in early designs.

The Scotsman

• Chris Marshall: We need clarity on rendition flight links to ScotlandIn 2013, an academic study presented fresh evidence Scottish airports were used in the extraordinary rendition of terror suspects by the CIA in the years after 9/11.

This is Money

• Rail repairs and falling demand for buses hurt First Group First Group runs the Great Western Railway and TransPennine Express franchises under its UK First Rail business, and some 6,400 buses outside of London under its First Bus service.

London Evening Standard

• Taxi and minicab drivers face �1,000 fines for refusing wheelchair users, Government announcesTaxi and minicab drivers who refuse to pick up wheelchair users could be fined up to �1,000, the Government has announced.
• Heathrow Airport workers could be handed �2,000 to ditch diesel carsWorkers at Heathrow may be offered around �2,000 to replace their diesel cars with less polluting models.
• Southern Rail staff told to accept deal to end months of strike miserySouthern Rail train drivers today attended a mass meeting as Aslef union leaders sought to sell them a deal to end the bitter dispute on one of London's busiest commuter networks.

Northern Echo

• MP Phil Wilson calls for tariff free, impediment free agreement with the EU to protect Hitachi's exports

Blackpool Gazette

• The great Virgin Rail rip-off row rumbles onVirgin Rail representatives will today meet with a Fylde coast MP amid a growing row over the cost of some journeys.

Other Regional Press

• Tory West Midlands Mayoral hopeful wants to reopen Black Country Rail line
• Rival bus companies will meet to discuss 'unsustainable' route clash TWO new bus routes face an uncertain future due to competition between Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach.
• Talk on what happened when the railway lines closed COLIN Divall, emeritus professor of Railway Studies at the University of York, will be giving a talk at the Dorset History Centre on Bridport Road on Thursday, February 9.

Buying Business Travel

• Wow Air to introduce business classIcelandic airline to launch a ‘three-tiered ticketing system'

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Law change demands equal treatment for disabled taxi users
• Hermes to launch unique Amazon Echo tracking solutionHermes has become the first parcel company in the UK to fully integrate its end-to-end tracking solution with Amazon’s line of Echo smart speakers. Consumers will be able use voice commands via Alexa-enabled devices, such as an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, to hear updates on where their parcel is. This unique functionality is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to providing retailers with an increasingly innovative portfolio of services and solutions, as well as further enhancing the overall delivery experience provided to the UK’s growing number of online shoppers. Owners ...
• Another strong year for air travel demand in 2016The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced full-year global passenger traffic results for 2016, showing demand (revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 6.3% compared to 2015 (or 6.0% if adjusted for the leap year). This strong performance was well ahead of the ten-year average annual growth rate of 5.5%. Capacity rose 6.2% (unadjusted) compared to 2015, pushing the load factor up 0.1 percentage points to a record full-year average high of 80.5%. A particularly strong performance was reported for December with an 8.8% rise in demand outstripping 6.6% capacity growth. &ldquo...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Sydney Metro: connecting Australia’s biggest city The Sydney Metro is Australia’s biggest public transport development, almost doubling the capacity of the current suburban network. How will this change travel in the country’s most populace metropolis?
• Interserve wins facilities management contract with Network Rail International support services and construction group Interserve has won a £65m facilities management contract with UK Network Rail.
• RDG: Biometric technology may soon improve passenger flowThe rail industry may soon use biometric technology such as eye scans or fingerprinting to charge passengers for journeys, according to the industry’s plan for coping with growing demand for rail travel. The railway Capability Delivery Plan, published ahead of the Rail Delivery...
• HS2 Sheffield Meadowhall station 'still on the table'Transport minister Andrew Jones has confirmed that the proposed high-speed South Yorkshire station at Sheffield Meadowhall is “still on the table”, despite recommendations made by the chair of HS2 Ltd Sir David Higgins. The confirmation came during a Parliamentary debate raised by...
• Wolverhampton reveals contractor for new �132m railway stationThe Wolverhampton Interchange Partnership (WIP) has announced its preferred contractor to deliver the city’s new £132m railway station. Galliford Try – the leading UK construction group responsible for Wimbledon Centre Court’s retractable roof and the Forth Road Bridge...

Railway Gazette

• Technically complex tank wagon certified RUSSIA: Following testing, TikhvinChemMash has obtained federal certification for what it says is...
• Lineside connectivity company TeleRail launchedA company which aims to provide purpose-built trackside communications networks for on-train...

Aviation Industry

• White House confirms Trump to meet airline CEOs, defends NorwegianUS President Donald Trump is planning to meet with a number of US airline CEOs Feb. 9, the White House confirmed Tuesday. read more
• Canadian government gives Bombardier $282 million in repayable supportCanada’s federal government is to provide Bombardier with $372.5 million ($282.4 million) in repayable support for its Global 7000 business-jet and CSeries airliner programs. read more

Green Miscellany

• Electric cars will leave oil industry strandedIncumbent technologies are prone to underestimate the threat posed by smaller, disruptive alternatives. Europe’s five major utilities lost £85 bn in the five years to 2013 because they did not prepare for an 8 per cent increase in renewables. A 10% loss of market share was enough to cause the collapse of the coal mining industry in America. The same… The post Electric cars will leave oil industry stranded appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Better bus service just the ticket for travellers BRIGHTON and Hove Buses has announced a multi- million pound investment which will see more buses travelling between the city and Eastbourne.