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

Thursday, 16 February 2017

BBC News

• More electric cars means more charge points neededCalls are being made for the Welsh Government to help introduce a network of rapid charging points for electric cars throughout rural Wales.
• Distracted to deathDrivers using mobile phones on the road are four times more likely to have an accident - but can apps also make us safer?
• Can modern incarnation of C5 succeed?Sir Clive Sinclair's nephew develops a successor to the C5 trike, which he hopes can find a market.
• Lufthansa agrees pay deal with pilot unionLufthansa strikes a deal to solve a five-year-long dispute with pilots that cost it millions of euros.
• Peugeot-Vauxhall: UK and Germany raise concerns on deal talksUK and Germany seek to safeguard jobs in the potential merger of carmakers Vauxhall and Peugeot.

The Guardian

• 10 ways to beat air pollution: how effective are they?From particle-zapping bus stops to compact ‘smart’ air filters, we examine the methods that tackle the symptoms of air pollutionTackling the causes of air pollution has been on of the themes of our special focus this week, The Air We Breathe. But in the short term, what about the symptoms? We examined some of the most common solutions to see if the claims they make are anything more than hot air. Continue reading...
• British Airways tries to break strike by threatening to cut staff perksUnite union accuses airline of bullying after it said in staff email that those continuing to strike would lose bonuses and benefits for up to two yearsBritish Airways has threatened to increase the penalties for cabin crew who continue to strike while halving the punishments for those who return to work, according to a staff email seen by the Guardian. The airline said workers who continued to strike would lose bonuses and staff perks for up to two years.About 2,900 crew members in BA’s mixed fleet who belong to the Unite union are embroiled in an industrial dispute with the airline, which it...

The Herald

• What are the options for tackling air pollution? With tens of thousands of early deaths a year across the UK and London breaching its annual pollution limits in less than a week this year, there is no doubt that air quality is a problem.
• Stagecoach exits New York venture after lossesSTAGECOACH has sold its interest in Twin America, the sightseeing bus service in New York City that was previously embroiled in anti-competition legislation.

Birmingham Mail

• 500 old taxis to be forced off Birmingham streets - and drivers are not happyDrivers demand more time and financial help to replace old diesel taxis under anti-pollution measures being considered by city council licensing chiefs

Birmingham Post

• Peugeot Citroen looks to take over GM Europe? Professor David Bailey on PSA Group holding advanced talks with General Motors about buying its European division
• Birmingham's air is so bad the European Union has waded in Birmingham one of 16 UK cities told to clean up its act
• Monarch launches new routes from Birmingham Low-cost airline will be flying to quartet of popular European destinations this summer

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Ryanair launches new routes from Leeds-Bradford Airport RYANAIR is flying high after announcing an expansion of its routes through Leeds Bradford Airport to deliver 1.3million passengers through the site.

Derby Telegraph

• Plans to add extra platform at Derby railway station move a step closer Plans to expand Derby railway station's capacity by adding an extra platform have moved a step closer.

London Evening Standard

• More fully electric buses to run in London in drive to clean up air Transport for London today announced two more bus routes will run exclusively electric buses as part of its plans to tackle the capital's toxic air pollution.
• Southern rail guards to stage fresh 24 hour strike after talks collapseSouthern rail conductors have announced a fresh 24 hour strike following the collapse of talks.

Wales Online

• The numbers fined for using Cardiff’s bus lanes is the equivalent of half of the city's residents The scheme has raised more than £5m for the city council

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• MP: Increase capacity on Wolverhampton and Birmingham trains to improve overcrowding Gavin Williamson has called on London Midland and the Department for Transport to greatly increase capacity on its its peak-time trains in a bid to improve services.
• Bus ticket fares cut by a third in Sandwell and DudleyBus fares are being cut in parts of the Black Country by more than a third, while children’s fares have dropped by more than a half.

Reading Evening Post

• University of Reading urged to get involved in ReadyBike scheme as council pulls fundingThe council has no choice but to pull the funding but is working with two "serious operators" over taking over the scheme

Buying Business Travel

• Lufthansa strikes pay deal with pilotsThousands of pilots to receive 8.7% pay rise and one-off payment

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Arriva calls on Corethree to roll out mobile ticketing appArriva has chosen Corethree to develop its latest mobile ticketing application in response to customer demand and to create a quicker, safer and easier method of payment when purchasing bus tickets.  With new payment solutions such as Apple Pay, Android Pay and PayPal, the technology was developed by leading mobile ticketing solutions provider, Corethree and allows passengers to select from a wide range of ticket options including Day, Weekly, 4-Weekly and Annual Saver tickets and pay through the application, eradicating the need for cash and loose change. The app also includes a ‘g...
• Heathrow lands best January on record• Heathrow welcomed a record 5.74 million passengers in January (+4.2%) alongside a 4.4% growth in cargo volumes. • Heathrow has seen growth accelerate in recent months, suggesting economic resilience as the UK adapts to Brexit. December (+4.4%) and January (+4.2%) saw the fastest year-on-year passenger growth for those months in 6 years. The rate of growth for passengers and cargo more than doubled in the second half of 2016 over the first half of the year. Furthermore, since the referendum vote, passenger flows outside the EU (+2.3%) have been growing more than twice as fast as gro...
• CalMac passenger numbers up as fares fallCheaper fares are being credited with attracting more than five million passengers to the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network last year. Caledonian MacBrayne said 5,055,827 passengers and 1,356,396 cars travelled on its vessels in 2016. The figures mark the first full year of the road equivalent tariff (RET) on the network, which aimed to equate ticket prices with the cost of road journeys. The busiest route was Ardrossan to Brodick on the Isle of Arran. The route carried 828,262 people and 202,843 cars in 2016 - an annual rise of 8.7% and 6.84% respectively. The Largs to Isle of Cumbrae route w...

Rail Magazine

• HS2 awards design contractsDesign contracts for Phase 2b of High Speed 2 were awarded on February 9.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Kitcher Risk Solutions Extends Systems Review and Assurance Services After three years of service provision to the Australian, European and North American rail market Kitcher Risk Solutions is extending its service offering to rail operator and engineering services provider customers.
• NetModule Delivers Cost-Effective Scalable Wi-Fi Solutions for Transport Company in Stuttgart Passengers on two suburban railway ('S-Bahn') lines in the Stuttgart region can now enjoy free WLAN and a dedicated S-Bahn portal. This testing phase was launched in January for a period of six months, after which a decision will be taken as to wheth…
• Chela-Cleaning Products for Rolling Stock, Stations and Depots Chela manufactures specialist cleaning and maintenance detergents for the UK rail transport industry.The company's products enhance the presentation of client's equipment across rolling stock, depot ...
• Network Rail starts work on North Wales Railway Upgrade Project UK Network Rail has started work on the £50m North Wales Railway Upgrade Project in a bid to strengthen and increase reliability of the region's train services.
• Metrolink's Second City Crossing set to open later this monthMetrolink’s new Second City Crossing tram line is due to open in Manchester later this month, TfGM announced to the public today, marking the completion of the £1.5bn “big bang” expansion programme. The first passenger services on the new track are due to run on Sunday 26...
• Waterloo commuters take virtual reality tour around new stationLondon commuters have today been given a chance to look around the new International Terminal at Waterloo station – despite the fact it hasn’t been built yet. With the use of virtual reality headsets, passengers at Waterloo were given a 360-degree snapshot of what the £800m...

Railnews

• New Southern walkout next week A new strike has been called on Southern for 22 February, following the breakdown of talks over DOO between the RMT and Govia Thameslink Railway yesterday (Tuesday). Both sides blamed the other, with Southern's owner GTR calling the RMT �obstinate� while the RMT accused the company of having a �pig-headed attitude�. The walkout will involve former conductors, who are now mostly on-board supervisors, and around a dozen drivers who are members of the RMT. The controversial driver-only operation deal, which was agreed with ASLEF in principle on 2 February, is currently being voted on by more tha...
• DOO peace talks were �a mockery� says RMT New talks at ACAS between Govia Thameslink Railway and the RMT in the long-running DOO dispute broke down last night, and no date has been set for discussions to restart. The RMT was angered by the failure to make progress, while GTR accused the union of obstinacy, saying that its attitude is 'increasingly destructive'. The outcome raises the possibility of more industrial unrest on Southern, although ASLEF reached an agreement with GTR as far as its driver members are concerned at the start of this month. ASLEF members are now voting on the proposed settlement, and the result should be known...
• Network Rail on track to save £14m a year THE first formation flying engineering trains in the world have been deployed successfully by Network Rail, and it is hoped that the technique will save the company at least £250,000 a week in compensation payments.

Railway Gazette

• Production of Devon and Cornwall trainsets begins in ItalyUK: Hitachi announced a 'milestone' in the production of electro-diesel inter-city trainsets for...
• Bluetooth-enabled ticket gates demonstratedUK: Railway Gazette attended a demonstration of Bluetooth Low Energy fare validation technology at Thales UK’s Crawley offices on February 9. Organised by rail standards body RSSB, this showed how Bluetooth could be used to improve the throughput of passengers through a ticket gateline at busy stations.
• Knorr-Bremse to supply brakes for Alstom’s Indian locomotivesINDIA: Alstom has awarded Knorr-Bremse a contract to supply the complete braking systems for the...

Aviation Industry

• British Airways Unite cabin crew to strike again Feb. 22-25British Airways (BA) cabin crew, represented by the Unite union, will strike again Feb. 22-25 in a long-running dispute over pay levels. read more
• Finnair profit slips in 2016, but prospects hopefulFinnair recorded an annual profit for 2016 of €85.1 million ($90 million), down from the 2015 figure of €89.7 million. read more
• Lufthansa, pilot union negotiators accept recommended settlementLufthansa and the negotiating committee of pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) have accepted a mediator’s recommendations to end a pay dispute that has resulted in repeated flight deck crew strikes. read more

Other News Sources

• New train strike announced THE RMT is to stage another one-day strike after talks aimed at resolving a long running dispute over driver-only trains collapsed.