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

Tuesday, 14 March 2017

BBC News

• California mulls driver-free car testsCurrently autonomous vehicles tested on the roads must have a human driver ready to take control.
• Deal secures Dundee-London Stansted air link for next two yearsA new deal to secure the air link between Dundee City Airport and London Stansted for another two years has been announced.
• London coroner urges 'slippery' cycle superhighway reviewBlue paint could be making cycle super highways less skid resistant than normal road surfaces.
• Intel buys driverless car technology firm MobileyeThe US chipmaker is taking over its Israeli-based driverless technology partner Mobileye.

Financial Times

• Finnair urges airline alliance to raise game in AsiaCarrier critical of OneWorld’s failure to find partners in China and India
• UK rail operators cancel trains amid strikesDrivers refuse to cross picket lines on day of co-ordinated walkouts by conductors
• Shipping giants trial use of wind-power on tankersMaersk and Shell to test out use of ‘rotor sails’ on vessels

The Guardian

• 'Spinning sail' rebooted to cut fuel and make ocean tankers greenerCentury-old rotating columns fixed to ship’s deck interact with wind to provide forward thrust and could make 10% fuel savingAn ocean-going tanker is to be fitted with a type of “spinning sail” invented almost a century ago in a step that could lead to more environmentally friendly tankers worldwide.The unusual sails are rotating columns fixed to the deck of the ship, whose interaction with the wind provides forward thrust. The trial is backed by Maersk, one of the world’s biggest shipping companies and Shell’s shipping arm. Continue reading...

The Herald

• £3.7m funding secures Dundee-Stansted air link for two more yearsA

The Scotsman

• Passenger numbers break 600,000 mark at Glasgow AirportGlasgow Airport has made a “strong start” to 2017 after passenger numbers for February passed the 600,000 mark, travel chiefs said.

The Telegraph

• Rail strikes spread across UK: Train chaos worsens as drivers refuse to cross picket lines

Mail Online

• British Airways runs out of food mid-flight Customers have hit out at British Airways after the airline ran out of food and didn't stock enough loo roll during a flight. BA also scrapped food on short-haul trips recently, fuelling discontent.

Birmingham Mail

• An accordion, a guillotine and HAY have sparked bomb scares at West Midland train stations, police revealPolice say they need passengers to continue reporting suspicious items on public transport

London Evening Standard

• Coroner calls for 'urgent' review of blue paint on cycle superhighways after motorcyclist skids in rain and diesA coroner has demanded an "urgent" safety review of the blue paint used on cycle superhighways after a motorcyclist skidded into a bollard in the rain and suffered fatal injuries.
• Revealed: Crossrail to open on tracks beset by 50,000 hours of delaysCrossrail will run on tracks beset with major disruption problems when it begins operation in May between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, new statistics reveal.
• Blow to written English test for minicab driversSadiq Khan's plan to bring in a written English test for minicab drivers has suffered a blow after the London Assembly voted against the move.
• Revealed: Almost 6,000 TfL staff receive counselling for problems including stress and anxietyAlmost 6,000 Transport for London (TfL) staff have received counselling for issues including stress, anxiety and the witnessing of suicide attempts since 2010, it has been revealed.
• 'Vital' London Stansted to Dundee flight route extended for two yearsA "vital" air link between Dundee and Stansted Airport has been secured for another two years with the announcement of more funding.
• Cannon Street flooding: Southeastern commuters face rush hour misery after huge leak causes havocRail passengers are facing travel misery after a a busy commuter station in central London was partially flooded.

Northern Echo

• RMT told to resume talks over 'guards' disputeTHE RMT rail union has been told to resume talks after a day of disruption caused by strike action at the region’s biggest train operator.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Rail companies insist there was 'solid support' for strike action Rail passengers were been hit by one of the biggest days of industrial action since services were privatised as up to 2,000 workers at three companies went on strike yesterday.

Get West London

• First glimpse of Elizabeth line train with air con and wi-fi carriages at trial run ahead of May launchThe line features nine walk-through carriages, air conditioning, CCTV and live travel information

Peterborough Telegraph

• Belt up and stay safe on Peterborough roadsMotorists are being urged to buckle up and stay safe on roads in Peterborough in a new campaign.

Other Regional Press

• Councillors express hope that Heathrow could fund a new Colnbrook surgeryParish councillors working exhaustively to bring a surgery back to Colnbrook say that Heathrow Airport has expressed interest in stepping in to provide funding.
• Councillors express hope that Heathrow could fund a new Colnbrook surgeryParish councillors working exhaustively to bring a surgery back to Colnbrook say that Heathrow Airport has expressed interest in stepping in to provide funding.

Buying Business Travel

• Eastern Airways steps in to save Isle of Man routeAirline to begin daily service between island and Belfast
• Warning issued over summer ATC strikesAirline lobby group wants action to minimise impact of air traffic control disruption
• Hailo relaunches as Mytaxi in LondonRebranded black cab app is unveiled following last year’s merger

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Award winning training centre to teach tunnelling and construction skillsCrossrail’s legacy of tunnelling and underground construction will continue after Transport for London (TfL) signed a contract with Prospects College of Advanced Technology (PROCAT) to run the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) in Ilford. TUCA, established by Crossrail Limited in 2011, was set up to support the training needs of the Crossrail project as well as the wider underground construction and tunnelling industries. Over 15,000 contractors and apprentices have trained at the academy. As the Crossrail programme is now over 80 per cent complete, the training faci...

Global Rail News

• Preston-Blackpool line upgrade underwayNetwork Rail and its contractors have begun the main construction phase of a scheme to electrify the Preston and Blackpool line.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Ordsall chord: history being madeRTM speaks to the many partners involved in the Ordsall Chord scheme after the team successfully completed a major 16-day blockade over Christmas and put in place the iconic 600-tonne network arch.
• Using virtual reality to improve safetyMatthew Long, driver trainer and VR project manager at Arriva Trains Wales, discusses how the industry’s first-ever virtual reality (VR) simulator for platform train interface (PTI) training has developed and what this could mean for customer safety going forward.
• £6m Newcastle Central Metro station refurbishment completeThe £6m project to revamp Newcastle Central Metro station has been completed, adding improvements to facilities for passengers at one of the north east’s major metro stations.
• Regional Trains in Germany to Receive Wi-Fi German train operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) has begun rolling out passenger Wi-Fi services on its regional train network. This year's Wi-Fi on Trains Conference hosted by BWCS in London in June, will feature presentations on the launch of Wi-Fi on both …
• AAR / TTCI Research Publications This white paper contains a list of Technology Digests research publications (available in PDF form only) written and published by Transportation Technology Center, Inc, a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads.

Railnews

• Three operators hit by DOO strikes Train services are being disrupted by strikes in several parts of England today. RMT members have walked out at Merseyrail, Northern and Southern in protest at plans to extend driver-only operation. Rail Delivery Group chief executive Paul Plummer said: �Passengers have every right to be angry and confused.� The RMT has also warned that it is considering taking legal action against the Office of Rail and Road, which is allegedly not protecting the rights of disabled passengers on DOO trains.

Aviation Industry

• Berlin airports cancel flights as ground staff continues strikeGerman trade union Verdi has called for around 2,000 ground staff at Berlin’s Tegel and Schönefeld airports to strike from Monday, March 13, to Wednesday, March 15, in a continuation of the strike called last week for Friday, March 10. read more
• Emirates still mulling premium-economy classEmirates Airline, which is considering introducing a premium-economy class, wants to be “absolutely sure it is the way to go,” Emirates president Tim Clark told ATW in Berlin. read more
• British Airways brings business class to domestic UK flights British Airways (BA) will introduce a business-class service on domestic UK flights for the first time, as it faces increased competition. read more
• Russia to spend $49 million for Far East subsidy program in 2017Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, has set a budget of RUB2.9 billion ($49 million) for 10 carriers to take part in a government-subsidized program on flights between Russia’s Far East and other parts of the country this year. read more

Other News Sources

• New railway station will transform town with 1.3m passengers a yearA new railway station in Skelmersdale could attract as many as 1.3million passengers a year.
• Tony Lodge: Completing the rail renaissance would kill the flawed case for renationalisationUntil quite recently, the post war history of Britain’s railways was peppered with stories of decline and doom. If the press was not reporting on comically poor sandwiches, consistently falling passenger numbers and rising subsidies then it was confident that another chronic safety failure was looming.
• Nexus appoints new Metro services director from SunderlandNexus has appointed a new Metro Services Director with more than 20 years of experience in the UK railway industry.
• Parliamentary Committee to examine introduction of seat belts on school transport The Scottish Parliament’s Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee is encouraging individuals, the bus industry and other organisations to share their views on the Seat Belts on School Transport (Scotland) Bill, recently introduced by Gillian Martin MSP.
• Commuters hit as rail workers strikeFor rail travellers, those dreaded three words: bus replacement service. That’s been the story for thousands of rail travellers today as staff at Merseyrail, Northern Rail and Southern Rail walked out in a dispute over driver-operated trains.
• Revealed: The 49 parking sites across the city where you can hire a bike CYCLISTS will be able to get to the Amex, the County Ground and even the Royal Sussex on a new �1.5 million bike scheme.