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

Friday, 12 May 2017

BBC News

• Greater Manchester congestion charge: Mayor Andy Burnham rejects planGreater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham says he has
• Museum of London plans for see-through rail tunnelThameslink trains currently run beneath the site where the Museum of London plans to move to.
• Scottish airports report record AprilGlasgow and Aberdeen attribute their strong performances to a sharp rise in international traffic.
• European court aide rules Uber is a transport companyThe adviser's ruling has implications for the way the ride-sharing company operates across Europe.

Financial Times

• Emirates airline’s profits plunge after ‘destabilising events’Results point to serious economic and political headwinds faced by Gulf carriers
• Maersk says global trade growth spiked in first quarterConglomerate records revenue growth for first time in more than 2 years
• Uber faces regulation in Europe as transport companyRideshare app is not a purely digital service outside rules, says top EU lawyer
• Is Uber a transport company or internet service?ECJ adviser’s opinion could have far-reaching implications on the sharing economy
• Bombardier chairman forced out of executive roleFounding family member Pierre Beaudoin gives up management of transport group
• US considers extending laptop ban to flights from EuropeBrussels demands explanation as airline executives say move is ‘foregone conclusion’

The Guardian

• New Uber blow as European legal adviser says service should be licensed like taxisUS ride-hailing app argued it is digital service, but ECJ advocate general says it should be regulated as transport companyUber could be forced to adhere to local licensing laws in European cities, after a top legal adviser to Europe’s highest court said the US ride-hailing app should be regulated as a transport company.The European court of justice’s advocate general Maciej Szpunar said Uber provides a transport service, rather than a digital service as it has argued. Continue reading...
• Uber's alleged theft of Waymo trade secrets referred to federal prosecutorsWaymo sued Uber in February, claiming that the ride-sharing company had orchestrated the ‘calculated theft’ of its technologyThe federal judge overseeing a trade secret dispute between Uber and the Google spin-off Waymo has recommended that federal prosecutors begin a criminal investigation into the alleged theft of Waymo’s self-driving car technology. Judge William Alsup’s referral of the case to the US attorney came amid a flurry of orders in the contentious lawsuit between two Silicon Valley giants. Alsup also denied Uber’s attempt to force the case into arbitration and partially granted Wa...

The Herald

• Passenger numbers reach record April high at Scottish airportsScotland's airports have recorded their busiest passenger numbers for the month of April.

Times Online

• Bus operator to meet Street [Subscription]One of the country’s biggest transport groups is to meet Andy Street, the former boss of John Lewis and newly elected mayor of the West Midlands, as it seeks to ease the strain on its profits caused by congestion.
• Stobart chief quits to hunt for investments [Subscription]Andrew Tinkler, one of the stock market’s more colourful chief executives, is to step down after ten years as the head of Stobart Group to focus on finding small businesses for the company to invest in.
• Jeremy Corbyn’s plans for transport, Royal Mail and energy fail to move markets [subscription]The City shrugged off Labour’s plans to bring the railways, buses, Royal Mail and parts of the energy industry back under public ownership this morning as London’s leading stock market opened flat.
• Just one driverless car eases traffic flow [subscription]Even a few driverless cars could greatly ease congestion, a study suggests.
• City trams put house prices on the fast track [Subscription]House prices close to the Edinburgh Trams route have been boosted since transport links were improved two years ago.
• Rail reforms will make firms pay for poor service [Subscription]Theresa May is expected to take action against train companies that fail to compensate passengers for delays and cancellations in reforms to be included in the Conservative manifesto.

Mail Online

• Swansea drivers fined for going on diversion in bus lane Seventy people were handed �35 fines after being snapped by traffic cameras switching into the bus lane in Neath Road, Swansea. Wayne Morgan (pictured) said he is prepared to go to court.

Birmingham Post

• Mayor could bring in toxin tax on private diesel cars to combat lethal pollution Currently measures to combat Birmingham's dangerous pollution levels may not go far enough says Andy Street.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• West Yorkshire needs to trial 'innovative ideas' to get people onto bikes, international conference hearsTRANSPORT chiefs should be “more experimental” when it comes to encouraging people onto bikes, an international cycling conference has been told.

London Evening Standard

• Labour to hand control of London rail lines to TfL if it wins General ElectionLabour will hand over control of the capital's commuter rail lines to Transport for London if it wins the general election.

Wales Online

• Arriva Trains Wales made a record £28.2m profit last yearPoliticians and a passengers’ group have expressed concern after it emerged that Arriva Trains Wales’ pre-tax profits rose by 18.6% last year to an all-time high of £28.2m.

East Anglian Daily Times

• New routes help drive record April passenger numbers at Stansted AirportStansted has reported its busiest-ever April, with more than 2.1m passengers using the airport last month.

Other Regional Press

• New look for First Bus driversFirst Bus has issued new uniforms to its drivers after employees who wanted a uniform to suit both men and women
• 'Taxi drivers think they own the roads' - your reaction to heart-stopping dashcam footage Your reaction to who you think is at fault after we released the footage

Buying Business Travel

• Uber judged to be acting as a transport companyApp will have to obtain taxi licences to operate in EU cities

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New Far East services begin calling at DP World's UK terminals DP World's UK terminals will welcome the first services from the Far East following a global shake-up of the world’s shipping lines. Inaugural calls of Asia/Europe services by THE Alliance, a shipping consortium made up of Mitsui O.S.K Line, Yang Ming, NYK, K-Line and Hapag Lloyd/UASC, will see the largest vessel to ever call at a UK port berth at DP World Southampton, Thursday, May 11. DP World London Gateway, meanwhile, will see the first ever weekly Far East service arrive in the capital when the NYK Lloyd Don Pascuale, berths on Saturday, May 13. The 20,170 teu capacity MOL Triumph ...
• Peel Ports appoints new Port Director for container business (IMAGE SOURCE: American Journal of Transportation) Peel Ports, owner and developer of the £400 million Liverpool2 deep-water container terminal, has appointed APM Terminals’ Jouke Schaap to head up its entire container operations. The position has been created to drive commercial opportunities focussed on the company’s network of terminals and port-centric logistics facilities. Most recently Head of Commercial for Maasvlakte 2 container terminal in Rotterdam, Jouke has overall responsibility for Peel Ports’ container businesses in Liverpool, Dublin and the Manchester...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Rail’s ‘adaptable carriage’: heading for trials In 2015, British firm 42 Technology was selected as one of three winners in the international ‘Tomorrow’s Train Design Today’ competition. The idea, of an adaptable carriage that can be used to transport passengers and freight, is now ready for indus…
• Supply chain raises concerns of Industrial Strategy delaySenior members of the supply chain have raised concerns this week at Railtex that there could be delays to the Industrial Strategy, and that changing government priorities could force the important issue down the political agenda. Answering an audience question at a panel session, Gordon...
• Limited cash means EWR-style alliance models 'have to work'There is no doubt that delivering projects using deep alliances between contractors and suppliers, similar to what will be trialled with East West Rail, produces better results, rail bosses have resoundingly argued. Chris Curtis, head of Crossrail 2 at Network Rail, said that in the schemes...
• McNaughton hits back at reports of HS2 going over budgetHS2’s technical director has stated that despite recent trouble with procurement and reports of mounting costs, the opening date of the project and its budget have not changed from original estimates. Talking at Railtex 2017, Professor Andrew McNaughton hit back at recent reports that...

Railnews

• Labour manifesto includes slow fade-out for franchises Labour would start a rolling programme of bringing private sector rail franchises back into public hands, according to a leaked version of the party's general election manifesto which has been circulating today. If Labour gained power next month it would gradually renationalise passenger operations by simply not renewing franchises when they expire. Other measures would include a fares freeze, universal WiFi and an end to driver-only operation.

Railway Gazette

• DB launches integrated consultancy service in 'important' UK marketUK: Deutsche Bahn launched an integrated engineering and consultancy service for the UK rail...
• Siemens Mobility hit by competition and industry overcapacitySIEMENS: Plans for a restructuring of various activities in Germany were announced by Siemens on...

Aviation Industry

• Emirates Airline sees full-year profits slump on external factorsA combination of geo-political and macroeconomic factors brought about a sharp reduction in earnings at Emirates Airline in the 2016-17 financial year, the Dubai-based carrier reported May 11. read more
• Boeing breaks ground on China’s 737 completion and delivery center Boeing has broken ground on a 737 completion and delivery center in Zhoushan, China, which is in the Zhejiang Province, as the US manufacturer seeks to expand its global footprint and strategic partnership with China. read more
• A320neo delays disrupt Hong Kong Express fleet replacement plansHNA Group subsidiary Hong Kong Express (HK Express) aims to upgauge its fleet through new deliveries of Airbus narrowbody aircraft, although its plans have been disrupted by production problems. read more

Other News Sources

• Gatwick Airport timelapse: See a day in the life of the world's busiest single-use runway 3.8 million passengers passed through Gatwick Airport in April 2017
• Ambitious plans for UK’s first on-site airport college submittedLondon Stansted and Harlow College have submitted a planning application to build a new technical skills college at the airport – the first of its kind at any airport in the country.
• London Stansted Airport sets new passenger record for AprilLondon Stansted welcomed over 2.1 million passengers to the airport during its busiest ever April, an increase of 11% over the same month in 2016 and passing the previous high for the month set in 2006.