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

Tuesday, 30 May 2017

BBC News

• BA boss 'won't resign' over flight chaosChief executive Alex Cruz says flight disruption at Heathrow and Gatwick had nothing to do with cost cutting.
• BA - what are my rights? There are EU regulations governing compensation for cancelled flights leaving from EU airports.
• BA to operate all flights from TuesdayBritish Airways is now operating a full flight schedule after an IT failure saw the airline cancel thousands of flights over the bank holiday weekend.

ITV News

• British Transport Police will be at Manchester Victoria as it reopensAs Manchester Victoria train station reopens on Tuesday, British Transport Police have confirmed that they will be there to stand alongside rail staff who supported the emergency service on the night of the attack.

Financial Times

• Hyundai faces rocky road after latest recallRenewed quality concerns add to deepening woes confronting South Korean carmaker
• British Airways chief will not resign over IT failure chaosCruz apologises to 75,000 passengers stranded by outage as services resume
• IAG/British Airways: high flyer, high wireMargin improvements will be hard to extract without damaging competitiveness
• Cost cutting fuels concerns over damage to BA brandQuestions grow over outsourcing IT systems and response to weekend chaos
• DP World hitches lift on the new Silk RoadPorts operator aims to co-ordinate expansion with China’s plans for One Belt, One Road

The Guardian

• Crossrail 2 hits buffers as uncertainties over Brexit and election take holdFears over City firms leaving and wariness about appearing too London-centric are undermining consensus on £32bn project A year ago, the progress of Crossrail 2 seemed assured. A political consensus was forming that a second mass-transit line across London should be built from north to south, its urgency underpinned by the verdict of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) that this was the most important single project for Britain and work needed to start now. The then chancellor George Osborne duly doled out £80m to get the ball rolling, expecting a hybrid bill in the same parliament.
• BA computer meltdown: 'Heathrow was the angriest place I’ve ever been’Collapse of British Airways computer system leaves passengers facing disruption and frustration at Heathrow airportFor British Airways passengers, the disruption caused by the weekend’s computer system outages endured even when flights had resumed. Rose Drury, a childcare assistant from Leeds, said she had been attempting to contact the airline about reclaiming her luggage since Saturday. Drury and her sister Olivia had been scheduled to travel from Heathrow to New York on Saturday afternoon, but after they had checked in their bags and cleared security, they waited at the gate for three hours...

The Herald

• Car insurance premiums to hit £800 a yearCAR insurance premiums will top an average of £800 a year next month, according to one of Britain’s biggest comparison websites.

The Telegraph

• BA customers still without their luggage after 'catastrophic' IT failure
• British Airways boss refuses to resign as Heathrow endures third day of disruption

Times Online

• Strict border controls could force cruise ships to steer clear [subscription]Cruise operators could avoid UK ports if more stringent border controls are introduced when Britain leaves the European Union, the chairman of Carnival UK has warned.
• BA accused of profiting from trapped passengers [subscription]British Airways was accused of exploiting passengers’ misery yesterday amid claims that travellers affected by the global IT crash at the weekend were made to pay for expensive upgrades to reach their destinations.
• Give us back the airline that won my trustIt is becoming ever harder to love the BA whose crews helped me overcome my fear of flying

Reuters News

• BA vows 'never again' after costly IT collapseLONDON (Reuters) - British Airways (BA) said it would take steps to ensure there was no repeat of a computer system failure that stranded 75,000 passengers over a holiday weekend and turned into a public relations disaster.

City AM

• Number of Tube accidents soar over 440 per cent since 2003 as more passengers fall in gaps between trains and platformsIncidents recorded of passengers falling in gaps between the train and the platform at London Underground stations have increased over 440 per cent between 2003 and 2016.

Daily Record

• British Airways boss denies 'catastrophic' IT failure was down to outsourcing jobs to India BA's chief executive Alex Cruz apologised profusely for the hardship caused to customers and promised an 'exhausted investigation' into the failure.

Mail Online

• Thousands missing luggage after computer meltdown at BA The IT meltdown that grounded hundreds of British Airways flights has become a lost luggage crisis. as thousands who checked in bags before flights were cancelled are still trying to find them.

The Mirror

• British Airways 'expects full flight schedule at Heathrow on Tuesday' after IT catastrophe left 75,000 passengers stranded Heathrow Airport also promised it will get delayed bags to passengers "as soon as possible"

Birmingham Mail

• New baggage handler moves into Birmingham Airport Around 40 jobs have been saved or created after Azzurra Premiere Handling takes contracts at the airport

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New book shows defunct railway lines in colour for first timeA NEWLY-published book featuring rare photographs of Bradford, Keighley and surrounding areas portrays the historic impact of the now defunct Halifax, Thornton and Keighley Railway.

London Evening Standard

• British Airways boss apologises for 'catastrophic' IT failure that caused havoc for 75,000 peopleThe boss of British Airways has apologised for a "catastrophic" IT failure which caused chaos for thousands of travellers, but insisted it was down to a "power surge" rather than outsourcing of jobs.
• Passengers tell of 'palpable indifference' of British Airways after weekend of hell caused by computer meltdownPassengers told of a weekend of hell after being stranded in the British Airways computer meltdown that left thousands stranded over the Bank Holiday.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester Victoria Station to reopen on Tuesday morningThe station has been closed since the terror attack in the foyer between Manchester Arena and the station last Monday night

Wales Online

• Cardiff braced for its 'busiest ever' weekend with 1,250 coaches, 60,000 rail passengers, 400 flights, 4,000 extra parking spaces and 170,000 fans24,000 fans are expected to fly in for the match

Bucks Free Press

• PICTURES: Train enthusiasts bid farewell to iconic Bubble CarsResidents and train enthusiasts flocked to a railway station last week to bid farewell to the iconic Bubble Cars as they went into retirement.

Peterborough Telegraph

• LETTER: Long awaited crackdown on Peterborough city centre cycling very welcomeYour report on the very long awaited crackdown on cyclists in Bridge Street will undoubtedly be welcomed by many citizens, particularly those who have been ‘near victims’ from cyclists who blatantly have ignored the large NO CYCLING notices sited at each end of this complex.

Other Regional Press

• Rail users group urges MP candidates to support Pershore upgradeALL candidates standing in West Worcestershire are being urged before next week's General Election to pledge their support for upgrading rail services through Pershore.
• Anger after bus driver caught allegedly 'doing admin' at the wheelA COACH driver has been suspended by Oxford Bus Company after being filmed ‘doing admin’ with both hands off the wheel while on the motorway.
• High hopes for plan to cross river Thames between Kent and Essex by tram A �600m scheme to build an underground tram linking Kent with Essex has gained cross-party support.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Rebuilding Riga for Rail Baltica After a long deliberation process, two architecture firms have won an international competition to design the new Central Station in Riga, a key link in the Rail Baltica project, which ultimately hopes to link the Baltic States and central Europe. So…

Aviation Industry

• BA gradually restores service; cites “exceptional power surge”British Airways (BA) has promised “an exhaustive investigation” into what caused the collapse of its IT systems over the weekend, causing widespread cancelations and chaos. read more

Other News Sources

• British Airways IT systems failure: 'Good progress' on restoring flights at Heathrow and GatwickA "major IT systems failure severely affected operations worldwide" for British Airways at the weekend
• British Airways boss: ‘Cost cutting not to blame’ for mass delaysThe boss of British Airways has insisted that outsourcing jobs and cost cutting was not to blame for the ‘catastrophic’ computer system failure which left tens of thousands of passengers stranded. He has insisted he would be staying in his job.