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Thursday, 06 April 2017

BBC News

• Marshall Aviation Services' Broughton workers offered supportThe Welsh Government is set to offer support to workers hit by an aviation firm's plans to close its Flintshire branch where over 120 jobs are at risk.
• Iolo Williams brands M4 relief road plan 'a joke'The naturalist and TV presenter said species such as otters and water voles would be affected by the relief road.
• Cardiff Airport 'central' to Flybe's five-year planThe airline's new chief executive says there is the prospect of new charter flights at the airport.
• Scottish new car registrations rise by 8.6%Motor traders say sales in March were boosted by the new number plate and planned tax changes.
• Underground stations shut daily over staff shortageTemple was the most commonly closed station, being shut 25 times over 2016.
• Southern rail strike by RMT to go ahead despite talksSaturday's strike will be the 31st day of action in the dispute over driver-only operated trains.
• Record UK car registrations in MarchA change in the number plate and tax changes boost registrations to a monthly record.
• Stansted Airport announces new £130m arrivals terminalThe site will take three years to build and will include bigger immigration and baggage reclaim areas.

Financial Times

• Air India future in doubt after auditor concernsCostly loans spark worries for national carrier that was bailed out
• Deliveroo pedals new language of gig economySay ‘invoice’ not pay and ‘log in’ not start shift, ‘self-employed’ couriers told

The Guardian

• Network Rail’s knotweed policy is undermining my house saleI have had two sales fall through because it would not provide details of how it planned to eradicate nearby weed enough to satisfy mortgage lenders
• Night owls: portraits of life on the night bus – in picturesIn an ongoing project, Guardian photographer Sarah Lee immerses herself in the world of London’s buses, capturing candid portraits of people during their night-time journeys
• Is London's new cycling tsar too nice to face down the bike-haters?Sadiq Khan made big promises to make London bike-friendly, and now it’s up to Will Norman to deliver. In a rare interview, the walking and cycling commissioner defends his plansThere have been some tense moments in the battle to bring protected cycle lanes to London, but one of the most volatile took place one crisp Saturday morning last October, when protesters faced off beside a huge road junction in Swiss Cottage, north London.
• Talks fail to avert rail strikes in Liverpool on Grand National dayBreakdown in negotiations means walkout will hit Northern, Merseyrail and Southern networks on SaturdayTalks between the RMT union and train companies to head off industrial action have broken down, with strike action now confirmed for Saturday across Southern, Northern and Merseyrail networks. The 24-hour walkout will mean many services being cancelled in the north, including on Merseyrail on Grand National Day. The action is linked to disputes about the roles and responsibilities of conductors. Continue reading...
• UK new car sales speed to record highBuyers seize chance to buy cars before new tax rates come into force, but analysts warn demand is likely to slowNew car sales in the UK hit an all-time high last month, with more than half a million vehicles registered, including a record number of diesel models.A total of 562,337 new cars took to the roads in March as sales of new cars rose 8.4% from a year earlier. It was the biggest month since the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders started collecting data in 1976.

London Evening Standard

• Map apps like Waze 'turning quiet London streets into polluted rat runs'Drivers who use super-accurate smartphone apps to avoid traffic are turning quiet streets into polluted rat runs, residents claim.
• One London Underground station closed every day due to lack of staffAn average of one London Underground station had to close every day last year because of a lack of staff.
• Evening Standard comment: The flight from diesel and the new economyIt hasn't taken London drivers long to respond to the punitive new measures to curb diesel use. Official figures showed the number of new diesel cars registered in the capital in March plummeting by nearly nine per cent compared with a year ago, contradicting a national rise.
• Disabled rail passengers march on London Bridge in protest against Southern RailDisability rights campaigners have marched through London Bridge station in protest at Southern Rail for scrapping "turn up and go" assistance at 33 stations.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Plans to cut rail journey times between north and the central belt take step forwardRailway bosses are drawing up proposals for the next stage of a revamp of the Highland Main Line between Inverness and Perth.

Wales Online

• World's biggest electric car manufacturers to showcase wares in Swansea Tesla, BMW and Mitsubishi are all coming to the city later this month
• How electrification will reduce journey times between South Wales and LondonNew services from South Wales to Paddington will miss out stopping at Swindon and Reading train stations

East Anglian Daily Times

• �130million new Stansted Airport arrivals building gets the go-aheadStansted Airport has been given the green light for a new £130million three-level arrivals building which will cater for future passenger growth over the next decade.

Other Regional Press

• TV presenter Iolo Williams criticises proposed M4 relief road WILDLIFE expert Iolo Williams has slammed the proposed M4 relief road for potentially
• Driverless cars could soon hit the streets of Oxford DRIVERLESS cars could be zooming around the streets of Oxford by the end of this year.
• Major plans announced for 'transport interchange' at Flitwick train station PLANS to create a 'transport interchange' with improved bus and cycle facilities on land next to Flitwick train station have taken a step forward.
• ‘The remaining pieces of the South Bristol transport jigsaw’The Arena comes back to the Bristol Cabinet on Tuesday April 4. Leaving aside the build costs, transport and parking are high up the list of challenges.
• Cracking the challenge of Bristol’s transport problemsMayor Marvin Rees vowed to crack the substantial challenge of solving Bristol’s transport problems as he prepares to take control of the city’s infrastructure.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Account-based ticketing: a model for the future As public transport adoption across the globe continues to grow, the need to overhaul the transport ticketing process has become more pressing than ever, as David Jacobs, global head of solutions at Vix Technology, explains.
• Bombardier and Vlexx Sign Contract to Provide 21 TALENT 3 Trains for Operation in Saarland, Germany Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation and emerging transport company vlexx GmbH have signed a contract to provide 21 three-car BOMBARDIER TALENT 3 electric multiple units. The new trains are scheduled to begin operation on the Saar region'…
• NR earmarks West Midlands site for sleeper construction facility Network Rail has identified a site in Sandwell to build a new factory that will produce concrete sleepers for the network in the future. The railway sidings at Bescot have been selected for the potential project, and will create 100 jobs in the West Midlands whilst ensuring that Bescot is a key...

Railnews

• Merseyrail urges RMT to cancel strike Merseyrail has urged the RMT to cancel Saturday�s strike over DOO, which is set to disrupt the Liverpool region�s rail network on Grand National Day. The appeal has followed publication today of a set of safety principles from the Office of Rail and Road covering driver controlled operation, which say that platforms and trains must be compatible, that the nature of the operation needs to be assessed alongside the needs of passengers and their behaviour, and that staff should be trained and competent.

Aviation Industry

• EASA issues fire safety warning on personal electronics in cargo holdIn a bulletin that seems to directly question the wisdom of the new US and UK bans on large electronic devices in carry-on luggage, Europe’s aviation safety authority today warns that such devices are “dangerous goods” in the cargo hold. read more
• AIX 2017: Airbus creates cabin upgrades subsidiary Airbus has created Airbus Interiors Services (AIS) to perform commercial aircraft cabin upgrade work, as a revamp of its former Airbus Corporate Jet Center (ACJC) business. read more

Other News Sources

• London Stansted Airport receives planning permission for new £130 million arrivals buildingLondon Stansted Airport has received planning permission from Uttlesford District Council for a new £130 million arrivals building that will enhance the passenger experience and provide capacity for growth over the next decade.