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Tuesday, 16 May 2017

BBC News

• Southern Rail: Latest talks with RMT adjournedThe rail firm and the RMT union are to
• Oil price rises as Russia and Saudi Arabia back supply cutLeading oil exporters say production limits introduced last year should continue until March 2018.
• Uber must return 'pilfered' Waymo filesUS judge tells Uber to sideline an engineer but says the firm can continue work on self-driving cars.

Financial Times

• Labour mayors demand high-speed rail in northern EnglandBurnham and Rotheram say ‘Crossrail for north’ greater priority than London’s Crossrail 2
• AirAsia plans state tie-up to bring low-cost model to ChinaMalaysia-based airline will face opposition from Chinese flag carriers
• Uber engineer barred from work on key self-driving car technologyJudge notes ‘compelling’ case that Levandowski ‘pilfered over 14,000 files’ from Waymo

The Guardian

• Talks due on US flight laptop ban amid EU travel chaos concernsHigh-level meeting to discuss proposed Trump ban as industry says measure will lead to delays and confusion across EuropeA proposed Trump administration ban on passengers from Europe taking laptops and tablets into cabins on US-bound flights will be discussed at a “high-level” meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, amid concerns about a summer of travel chaos.The US authorities are considering extending the cabin restriction, which is already applicable to flights originating from 10 airports including in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, because of alleged concerns that bombs could be hidde...
• Uber allowed to continue self-driving car project but must return files to WaymoPartial victory for Uber after judge declines Waymo’s request for full injunctionBut star engineer Anthony Levandowski barred from working on lidar projectA judge has granted a partial reprieve to Uber in its high-profile intellectual property lawsuit with Google’s self-driving car operation, allowing the ride-hailing company to continue developing its autonomous vehicle technology. Related: Uber's alleged theft of Waymo trade secrets referred to federal prosecutors Continue reading...

The Herald

• Icelandair's 'coolest' plane set to land in UKA hand-painted, glacier-themed plane is making its first visit to the UK after joining the Icelandair fleet.

Belfast Telegraph

• New Northern Ireland bus link to challenge Translink servicesTranslink's monopoly on public transport in Northern Ireland is being challenged as a new bus firm plans to compete head to head, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.
• A rail plan that we can all agree makes senseThe annual Usdaw conference, held in Blackpool last week, overwhelmingly supported a proposition calling for a major expansion of UK-wide rail infrastructure, including a North Channel rail tunnel link.

Birmingham Mail

• Traffic gridlock in Birmingham as commuters faced massive delays due to road closures after bomb discoveryThe A38 Aston Expressway remains closed in both directions -  and is expected to be closed until tomorrow morning, West Midlands Police have confirmed

London Evening Standard

• Bank holiday travel chaos in August as Waterloo and London Bridge shutA major clash of engineering works will cause one of the biggest ever closures of London rail services over a bank holiday weekend.
• Thousands of diesel deaths from toxic air 'are going unreported', scientists claimThousands of deaths from diesel fumes and toxic air are going unreported, scientists have said.
• Circle, Metropolitan, Piccadilly and Hammersmith and City lines: Tube commuters hit with delays as four lines disrupted in rush hourCommuters were tonight hit with major rush hour delays after trains on part of three Tube lines were shut down.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Cancellation of bus service between Aberdeen Airport and railway station leaves commuters “strandedA bus service which connected Aberdeen Airport to the railway station has been axed – leaving commuters with no option but to walk or take a taxi between the two.
• Flights boost raises hopes for new rail stationBusiness leaders hope the launch of extra flights between the Highlands and Amsterdam will help fast-track the construction of a rail station to link Inverness Airport and the city centre.

Wales Online

• How you can save more than £100 in seconds on a train journey to LondonIt seems barmy but with one simple step you can cut your train fare to London in half

Other Regional Press

• Yobs put cheap bus tickets for children at risk Children could have their cheap bus tickets taken away this summer after a spate of vandalism and anti-social behaviour on the city’s buses....
• Hybrid buses launch on routes 20 and 21Minister for Transport and the Islands, Humza Yousaf, was in Forfar last Friday to mark the recent launch of seven brand new electric hybrid buses....
• Rail firm now on track to star for new charityA GENEROUS rail operator has played fairy godmother to a unique charity - thanks to one of its staff.
• Metro mayors seek party leader support for North West rail investmentNewly elected metro mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram want to improve rail links in the North West
• 'Pothole-ridden road 'an accident waiting to happen' says councillor frustrated at own councilA CITY councillor has criticised his own council for not doing enough to fix a pothole ‘blackspot’.

Rail Technology Magazine

• More than a train: India invests in Japanese high-speed rail Construction of a highly ambitious bullet train in western India is slated to begin in 2018. With a loan from Japan, the $14.5bn project aims to replicate the world-famous Japanese Shinkansen technology and dramatically slash journey times across Ind…
• Rail Technical Strategy requires scale and ambition 'never seen before'The Rail Technical Strategy (RTS) is of a scale and ambition that the industry has not seen before, but ultimately is not a massive ask and still doesn’t compare to other sectors, such as aerospace and automotive, in terms of the funding required, the RSSB’s Guy Woodroffe has...
• Southern and RMT return to negotiating tableTalks between Southern and RMT are set to resume today in the latest attempt to resolve the bitter and long-lasting dispute between the operator and the union, which has already resulted in 31 days’ worth of strikes. Both parties met in April but, after talks broke down, the RMT confirmed...
• Cancelled or delayed trains hit national 14-year record highThe proportion of trains cancelled or significantly late (CaSL) in the last quarter of 2016-17 was the highest-ever nationally since 2002-03 and the highest in London and the south-east sector (LSE) for over 15 years, ORR figures have revealed. In Q4, almost 4% of services were either cancelled...

Railnews

• Metrolink outage �not cyber attack� A control room failure which brought the Manchester Metrolink system to a standstill on Sunday was not connected with the cyber attacks which have damaged National Health Service systems, according to Transport for Greater Manchester.The fault is now thought to have been identified and tram services are running normally today.

Railway Gazette

• DHL opens centre to manage Germany – Far East rail freightGERMANY: DHL Global Forwarding has opened a central China Rail Competence Centre in Stuttgart to...

Aviation Industry

• Boeing resumes 737 MAX flying with unaffected enginesBoeing is operating 737 MAX flights using CFM International LEAP-1B engines unaffected by the issue that prompted a May 10 suspension of all MAX flying. read more
• UK pilot union speaks out on laptop ban riskThe British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA), which represents UK flight crew, has warned that banning laptops in the cabin creates “catastrophic fire” potential. read more
• Airbus A350-1000 performs early long flightThe Airbus A350-1000 has completed its so-called “early long flight,” testing the new twinjet’s cabin comfort, processes and systems during a 12-hour flight under airline operating conditions. read more
• Bombardier narrows 1Q net loss to $31 millionBombardier reported a consolidated net loss of $31 million for the first quarter of 2017, narrowed from a consolidated $138 million net loss in 1Q 2016. read more
• China Airlines launches first A350 XWB flights to the US Taipei-based China Airlines launched its first Airbus A350 XWB route to the US May 14, from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport to San Francisco, California. read more
• Delta tests first biometric-based self-service bag drop Delta Air Lines is introducing four self-service bag drop machines at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport this summer. read more

Other News Sources

• Claims of 'accident blackspot' after 1,700 crashes reported on M25 smart motorway in three years1,772 accidents have been recorded between junctions 9 and 16 on the M25 in the past three years