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

Tuesday, 14 February 2017

BBC News

• Brexit 'danger' to Welsh ferry ports if border hardensWales could lose ferry freight traffic if Brexit results in a hard border with Ireland, a Labour AM claims.
• Southern rail dispute: RMT meets operator for talksThe RMT and Southern rail will meet for the first time since a deal was struck with Aslef.
• Settle-Carlisle line: Tornado powers 12 scheduled servicesThe return to steam power is part of the celebrations to mark the full re-opening of the line after landslip damage.
• ScotRail's performance 'improves further'ScotRail's service performance has improved further but is still short of a key target, according to new figures.
• 'Record' January for Glasgow and Edinburgh airportsScotland's two busiest airports report their best January on record, following a marked increase in demand for international travel.
• Car prices 'up by 5%' since June as inflation threatensCar prices in the UK are up sharply since June 2016 as inflation threatens to reach a two-year high.

Financial Times

• Uber’s Indian drivers strike for fourth day on payRide-hailing app accused of misleading individuals over what they could make

The Herald

• Islanders deal blow to Troon hopes of pinching Arran ferry link'CONTROVERSIAL plans to relocate one of Scotland’s busiest ferry crossings have suffered a blow with islanders coming down in favour of the traditional route.

Times Online

• Diesel Disease [subscription]The government is being put to shame by the mayor of London in its failure to act on the main cause of worsening air quality in Britain’s cities
• Commuters warned of new air pollution risk [subscription]Public transport worse than driving for exposure to harmful particles

Mail Online

• Public transport users exposed to more pollutants Commuters on the London Underground experienced the worst air quality levels. After the Tube, the next highest was the bus. Poor air quality is estimated to cost Britain’s economy £3.7billion a year.

The Mirror

• Travelling on public transport exposes you to EIGHT times more pollution than driving While motorists produce the most pollution, they are least exposed to it as they are sealed off from the outside, researchers found

Birmingham Post

• West Midlands mayor urged to get traffic off the roads Cutting car use and improving public transport is a top priority for the West Midlands mayor according to a major think tank
• West Midlands 'bicycle licence' plan to stop cyclists being a menace on the roads Asking voters what a West Midlands mayor should do led to some surprising answers.

Bolton News

• 1,000 jobs up for grabs at Manchester Airport MORE than 1,000 jobs are being created at Manchester Airport as it gears up for its busiest summer ever.

London Evening Standard

• Foreign owners in £90m windfall from UK railItalian state rail operator Trenitalia received the keys to the c2c train franchise earlier, as a Standard investigation showed foreign governments, including the French, German and Dutch states, are pocketing almost £90 million a year in dividends for running UK railways.
• Tube Strikes 2017: Threat of further action ends as unions reach deal with TfLThe threat of further crippling Tube strikes caused by a row over jobs has ended after union bosses accepted a deal from Transport for London.
• Number of people using Boris bikes hits new recordOlympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill has been credited with helping to set a new record for the number of people riding Boris bikes.
• Lambeth North Tube station reopens after seven-month closure to replace liftsA busy south London Tube station reopened today after a seven-month closure to replace two faulty lifts.

Manchester Evening News

• No trams between Bury and Manchester Victoria following points failure as Bury bus station is also closed - latest updates Bury bus station is also closed this morning due to ‘health and safety issues’

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Staffordshire link road would hit ancient Moseley Old Hall say National TrustThe National Trust has objected to controversial plans for a link road in South Staffordshire.
• £28m Dudley light rail plan ‘not affected by Brexit’The Chancellor has reassured leaders at Dudley Council that plans to build a new light rail will not be affected by Brexit.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Greater Anglia trains at Ipswich to London and Norwich cancelled after freight train breaks downMorning commuter trains in Suffolk have been cancelled because of a break down on the line towards Manningtree.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Safety fear over loss of bridgeA proposal to demolish Rhubarb Bridge and make cyclist and pedestrians share the road with motorists has been described as a “safety concern” by sustainable transport charity Sustrans.

Forbes

• Ford Makes $1 Billion Bet On Artificial Intelligence Startup As Recruiting ToolOver the past 4 years, Ford has made a concerted effort to move from also-ran status to vying for the lead in the race to produce automated vehicles. The latest move by the company is a 5-year, $1 billion investment in Pittsburgh-based Argo AI.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Record-breaking January for Santander CyclesLondon’s cycle hire scheme has enjoyed a record-breaking start to 2017 with more than 600,000 journeys made in January. The 638,491 hires last month beats last year’s January record of 586,325, and follows a record-breaking 2016. Last year an unprecedented 10.3m hires were made using Santander Cycles – a 4.4 per cent increase on 2015. In total since the scheme was launched in July 2010, there have been more than 56m journeys. Among the improvements made to the popular scheme last year were the introduction of safety Blaze Laserlights to all 11,500 bikes, a new Santander Cy...

Rail Magazine

• GA commits to delivering new �70m depot in time for new trainsThere is no Plan B regarding the delivery and commissioning of new trains for Greater Anglia, Managing Director Jamie Burles revealed on February 10.

Rail Technology Magazine

• TBOGI-HD: Bogie Condition Monitoring and Hunting Detector The patented TBOGI-HD technology developed by WID inspects rolling stock in motion to monitor the in-service condition of the bogies and their wheelsets.
• High-Performance Milling Factory in the Netherlands Extends Network Lifespan As of today, milling is part of voestalpine Railpro' value-added rail services, performed in our Rail Service Centre in the Netherlands. We now contribute decisively to the sustainability of the Dutch railway infrastructure since this process extends…
• Trenitalia completes �72m deal to acquire c2c The Italian passenger rail company Trenitalia, a part of FS Italiane Group, has completed the acquisition of London and Essex train operator c2c from National Express Group. While a provisional arrangement was reached for the take-over at the start of January, the DfT has officially approved the...
• NTAR showcases VR tech training to rail ministerNew virtual reality technology currently being used to train the next generation of engineers was put on show for the rail minister, Paul Maynard, when he visited NTAR’s Northampton base last week. NTAR provides up to 20,000 man days of training per year and is at the forefront of closing...
• HS2 names phase 2b development partner in string of contract awardsPlans to bring HS2 to Manchester and Leeds have made significant progress as contracts for a phase 2b development partner and engineering and environmental consultants were finally awarded. HS2 Ltd confirmed that CH2M will become its phase 2b development partner, whilst teams from Arup, an...

Railnews

• Italian purchase of c2c franchise confirmed The state-owned Italian train operator Trenitalia has completed its �72.6 million purchase of the c2c franchise from National Express. Trenitalia is part of the FS Italiane Group, and will operate in Britain through a local subsidiary, Trenitalia UK. The purchase was announced in January, but had been awaiting formal approval from the Department for Transport. RMT general secretary Mick Cash has condemned the sale as a �national scandal�.

Railway Gazette

• Trenitalia completes c2c acquisitionUK: Italian national railway FS Group has completed the first step in its plan to establish a major...
• Berner Oberland-Bahn EMU enters serviceSWITZERLAND: The first of six Stadler ABDeh 8/8 electric multiple-units ordered by Berner...
• Algarve electrification timetablePORTUGAL: Infraestruturas de Portugal has announced the timetable for electrifying at 25 kV 50 Hz...

Aviation Industry

• Air France awaits union go-ahead for new subsidiaryAir France’s new, lower-cost long- and medium-haul airline will initially use Airbus A340s on its long-distance routes. read more
• WestJet to boost Quebec servicesCanadian low-cost carrier WestJet will go head-to-head with Air Canada in Quebec when it rolls out capacity increases in the eastern Canadian province this year. read more

Other News Sources

• FTA launches new carbon reduction leadership awardThe Freight Transport Association, the leading membership association for the freight and logistics industry, has extended its commitment to ...
• Abu Dhabi Ship Building aiming bigAbu Dhabi Ship Building plans to more than double commercial revenues by 2021 to put them on par with military turnover.
• Maersk unit cleared of anti-trust charges at India's JN PortThe Competition Commission of India, the country’s anti-trust watchdog, has cleared APM Terminals and its units in India of allegations that the AP Moller-Maersk-owned entity was abusing its dominant position at Jawaharlal Nehru Port near Mumbai.
• Busiest ever January at London Stansted as new route announcements boost flying start to 2017London Stansted made a flying start to 2017 by recording the Airport’s busiest ever January.