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

Wednesday, 12 July 2017

BBC News

• Hi, Eddie here!A 15-year-old work experience student took over troubled Southern Rail's Twitter account, with hilarious results.
• Labour's Rebecca Long-Bailey 'won't use morally wrong Uber'Shadow business secretary says drivers are

Financial Times

• UK watchdog raises rail competition concerns about FirstGroupTransport company is involved in two franchises offering train services to Exeter
• Iberia drops mandatory pregnancy testing for new employeesSpanish airline defends policy after being fined for discrimination
• Ukraine urges Ryanair to resume flight talksDiscussions end a month after Ukrainians were offered visa-free travel to EU
• Lombard: Last word on FirstGroupWhat would John Betjeman have made of today’s services into Exeter

The Guardian

• Council ready to ditch Bath park-and-ride plan after local outrageBath and North East Somerset council says it now intends to scrap scheme that could have put city’s world heritage status at risk
• The slow lane: Dutch app allows elderly to 'hack' pedestrian crossingsWith sensors and smartphones to make roads more flexible, Tilburg is addressing the question: how can a city become safer for less able residents?
• 'A race to the bottom': readers on Uber and the Taylor reviewRebecca Long-Bailey has said using Uber is not ‘morally acceptable’. Guardian readers share their thoughts on the gig-economyShadow business spokeswoman Rebecca Long-Bailey sparked a debate on the gig economy by revealing she doesn’t user Uber because she thinks its treatment of its workers is not “morally acceptable”. Related: Theresa May gives first major post-election speech at launch of Taylor report - Politics live Continue reading...
• Black cab turns green as all-new electric London taxi launchesCab maker ditches diesel to produce a petrol and electric-powered taxi that will be rolled out in NovemberThe maker of the London black cab has unveiled the new, electric design of the car, which will hit the capital’s roads in November and which it hopes to sell to pollution-blighted cities worldwide.

The Herald

• £90 million Clyde Waterfront regeneration to create 12,400 jobs and new bridgeMORE than 12,000 jobs are expected to be created under two huge Glasgow projects that aim to regenerate the Clyde Waterfront by building another road bridge, business developments and hundreds of homes.

The Huffington Post

• Eddie The Southern Rail Work Experience Kid Is The Best Thing On The InternetAt times it seems like running a corporate social media account is the hardest game in the world. Just ask British Gas and HMV. But a teenager seems to have taken it in his stride.  Meet Eddie. Hi, Eddie here! Here on Work Experience and ready to answer your questions! — Southern (@SouthernRailUK) July 11, 2017 It was a high-wire act, putting an enthusiastic kid in charge of a railway firm’s Twitter output during rush-hour, but Southern Rail’s trust in youth seems to have paid off. It started with an internet classic ... Hi Eddie! Would you rather fight 1 ...

The Mirror

• Volkswagen owners claim their 'dieselgate' cars have developed 'life-threatening faults' Owners told Wednesday's BBC One Watchdog programme how their vehicles have suddenly gone into “limp mode” after having a software upgrade

London Evening Standard

• London black cabs to appear on Amsterdam's streetsHundreds of electric-powered versions of London's iconic black cabs are set to appear on the roads of Amsterdam.
• Heathrow sees record figures as cloud hangs over expansionHeathrow on Tuesday posted record numbers for June, strengthening its plans for a third runway even as new proposals threaten to delay the project.
• London black cabs to appear on Amsterdam's streetsHundreds of electric-powered versions of London's iconic black cabs are set to appear on the roads of Amsterdam.
• Iberia airline fined for demanding female candidates take pregnancy testsA Spanish airline which asked potential female employees to take pregnancy tests before hiring them has been fined €25,000.
• Commuters warned over biggest ever halt to rail services next monthNetwork Rail chief Mark Carne today warned London train passengers about the impact of the biggest ever closure of major parts of the network next month.
• Work experience boy Eddie takes over Southern Rail's Twitter feed with hilarious and sweet resultsAn enthusiastic work experience student was put in temporary charge of Southern Rail's Twitter account, with sweet and hilarious results.

Manchester Evening News

• This is how Wigan's huge new £16 MILLION bus station will look Buses will stop using the current station on Hallgate on July 30 so work can start

Morning Star

• Watchdog Warns Of More Rail Misery With First GroupRAIL passengers could be charged higher fares for a worse service now that First Group has been awarded the South West Trains franchise, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) warned yesterday.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• What was the milestone event at Newcastle Airport on this day 80 years ago?The first foreign service - to and from Stavanger in Norway - began at Newcastle Airport on July 12, 1937

The York Press

• Courier boss warns of big congestion delays THE owner of a York-based courier firm says congestion on York Outer Ring Road and the A64 regularly causes huge delays for his team of drivers.

Wales Online

• Drivers in Cardiff spend average of 44 hours a year searching for a parking spaceIt costs the typical motorist £733 in wasted time, fuel and emissions, the study by traffic information supplier Inrix found

Yorkshire Post

• YP Letters: Vanity of HS2 cannot be justifiedWHAT a brilliant article by Jayne Dowle (Years of blight are too high a price for faster rail link, The Yorkshire Post, July 7).

Other Regional Press

• Consultation opens on plans for new Aylesbury rail linkAylesbury Vale residents are being encouraged to take part in a series of consultations across the area on plans for a rail link which will connect Aylesbury, Berryfields and Princes Risborough with Milton Keynes.
• 40 new bicycle bays created at railway stationCOMMUTERS are being encouraged to bike to Pitsea train after after 40 designated storage bays were created for cyclists.
• Road widening plans in Shropshire for HS2 traffic Roads in a Shropshire village could be widened to accommodate construction traffic for HS2.

Buying Business Travel

• Airlines hit back at Heathrow £15 congestion charge planGovernment wants to introduce a fee to encourage more use of public transport
• Egencia study: travellers demand better techCalls for ‘cross-device integration’
• Kuwait Airways and Royal Jordanian lift laptop banAirlines tighten security checks on US-bound flights

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Transformation of White Hart Lane station moves a step closer The major transformation of White Hart Lane station to make it more accessible and improve journeys for customers moved closer as Transport for London (TfL) announced Taylor Woodrow, part of VINCI Construction UK, as the successful bidder to design and rebuild the station by spring 2019.

Rail Magazine

• Electric Railway Museum to close in OctoberHome to largest collection of surviving preserved EMUs to close.
• Concern over suggestion of electrification delaysPossible electrification delays criticised

Rail Technology Magazine

• Residents invited to give views on East West Rail link plansPassengers have been invited to give their views on plans for a new rail link connecting Milton Keynes, Winslow and Bedford. The project, East West Rail, is also planned to eventually connect Oxford with Cambridge, creating a ‘corridor’ running across the south of England. It is...
• Pilot launched to help Midlands SMEs tender HS2 contractsBusinesses in the Midlands will benefit from a free pilot programme designed to teach them how to capitalise on contracts with HS2. The free initiative, ‘Get On Track’,  is run by the West Midlands Manufacturing Club (WMMC), a wing of the University of Wolverhampton’s...
• CMA raises competition concerns over SW franchise award to First MTRThe government market regulator has today raised concern about the award of the South Western franchise to First MTR. In March, the franchise was awarded to the company, which is a joint venture between First Group and Hong Kong based firm MTR. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has...

Railnews

• August rail upgrade programme will be biggest yet The amount being invested in railway improvements over the August bank holiday weekend will be the biggest yet at this time of year, said Network Rail, as plans for work costing �133 million were being finalised. As well as many projects affecting existing lines, they also include early enabling works for HS2. Several routes into London are featured in the plans, including the Great Western and West Coast main lines. London Waterloo station is being enlarged during a major blockade between 5 and 28 August, work on Crossrail will continue and the Thameslink Programme will also make further pr...

Railway Gazette

• SNCF selects Alstom traffic management systemFRANCE: SNCF R�seau announced on July 10 that, following a call for tenders, it had selected Alstom...

The Business Desk

• Universities and rail industry consortium secures £92m to fund research opportunitiesA partnership between the rail supply industry and a consortium of eight universities has secured £92m to fund research aimed at establishing the UK as a centre of global railway excellence.

Aviation Industry

• Air Transat to lease 10 Airbus A321neo LRsCanadian leisure carrier Air Transat is to take 10 Airbus A321neo LRs on 12-year lease from Dublin-based lessor AerCap, making it the North American launch operator for the LR variant. read more
• Russia’s UEC-Saturn posts $10.2 million profit in 2016Russian engine manufacturer UEC-Saturn, a member of United Engine Corp., reported a 2016 net profit of RUB618 million ($10.2 million) reversed from a RUB2.3 billion net loss in 2015. read more
• Europe backs EU ETS international-flight exemption until 2020The European Parliament’s Environmental Committee (ENVI) has agreed a proposal to keep the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) restricted to flights within the European Economic Area (EEA) until 2020, but after that international flights could be included. read more

Other News Sources

• Master plan for Oxford railway stationA master-plan for a £125 million redevelopment of Oxford railway station has been unveiled. Developed by the city council, the county council and Network Rail, the design for the new station includes a multi-storey car park, a bus interchange, a hotel, housing and an improved Botley Road bridge.
• Landscaping gains Network Rail infrastructure project excellent ratingExtensive landscaping, including 765sqm of green walls, wildflower planting and a community centre garden were part of a recent railway infrastructure project.
• MP calls for HS2 Phase 1 reviewMP Cheryl Gillan is back on the HS2 case again.
• Now you can go under the sea in VR while travelling on the EurostarEurostar has launched a virtual reality experience to enhance high-speed train journeys for families.
• Primesight retains £125m Network Rail advertising contractPrimesight has retained the Network Rail contract for roadside advertising in a deal worth £125 million.
• South West Trains improvements: Passengers warned of 'very difficult' journeys ahead of London Waterloo work Network Rail boss Mark Carne said there will be "challenging days" and days "when the service is very difficult for people" over the three-week period
• Services run by Southern Rail operator more than twice as likely to be late or cancelled as South West trainsSouthern Rail's operator Govia Thameslink Railway had 9.2% of trains cancelled or more than 30 minutes late in 2016/17
• Southern Rail: Industrial action and infrastructure problems blamed for service failingsTrains run by brand's operator, Govia Thameslink Railway, were more likely to be more than 30 minutes late or cancelled in 2016/17 than those run by any other operator
• Arriva wins northern rail concession in the Netherlands worth 1.6 billion euros Arriva, a leading pan-European passenger transport company, announced today that it will operate the regional rail transport in the north of the Netherlands for another 15 years.