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

Thursday, 27 July 2017

BBC News

• Passengers warned of Waterloo Station rail delaysTen platforms are set to close while they are extended to allow longer trains.
• VW and Daimler face cartel accusationsSupervisory boards at the carmakers call emergency meetings after being accused of breaching EU rules.
• Diesel and petrol car ban: Clean air strategy 'not enough'The clean air strategy should include a scrappage scheme and clean air zones, campaigners say.
• Car production falls almost 14% as UK sales dipThe number of cars rolling off UK production lines fell 13.7% in June, the third monthly dip in a row.

Financial Times

• Northern English leaders demand rise in transport investmentMinisters accused of favouring South East by backing £30bn London rail line
• Trains from China laden with hype and subsidiesCargo link marks dawn of old age and often stops short of European destination

The Guardian

• If this is the end of the car as we know it, we have the EU to thank | Jonathan FreedlandDon't be fooled. The Tories plan to ban diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2040 is driven not by a love of clean air, but by European environmental standards Jonathan Freedland is Guardian columnistMight today's date live on in the history books as the official end of the industrial revolution, which began more than a century and a half ago? That's probably a stretch, but the UK government's announcement that all petrol and diesel cars and vans are to be banned by 2040 sounds like the beginning of the end for the internal combustion engine, the invention that changed human life for ever.Foll...
• Phasing out diesel and petrol cars is a woefully tiny step towards cleaner air | Caroline LucasEven if the ban came in sooner, it would still fall short. Rather than tinkering with the transport system, we need to completely rethink how we travel Caroline Lucas is co-leader of the Green partyTodays air pollution announcement from the Tories is the latest in a string of green-sounding policies from a government that had previously gone quiet on the environment. Sadly, like so many of their plans, scratch beneath the surface and the green all but disappears.The ban on new diesel and petrol cars by 2040 is a step forward, but it really is a tiny one. By then hundreds of thousands of peop...

Times Online

• Diesel drivers face council charges to clean up streets [Subscription]Drivers of polluting diesel vehicles could face charges or restrictions in up to 29 towns and cities under the governments final air quality plan.
• Facial recognition technology signals the end of train tickets [Subscription]Technology that identifies faces by recognising the smallest blemish could spell the end of railway ticket barriers and their associated queues.
• Luxury brands condemn ban on petrol and diesel as absurd [Subscription]The head of one of Britains leading luxury car brands has attacked the governments plan to ban the sale of diesel and petrol cars within a generation, branding it absurd.
• Diesel cars to be hit with higher taxes [Subscription]New diesel cars are about to be hit with higher taxes to fund pollution-cutting measures in dozens of towns and cities.
• Mondeo Man will become a distant memory on roads [Subscription]The year 2040 seems way off but it is actually only as far forward as 1994 is back and few people, older ones at least, will think that was long ago.
• Heathrow to freeze passenger costs after runway expansion [Subscription]Heathrow will guarantee to effectively freeze passenger landing charges when a third runway is built by scrapping plans for a new terminal, The Times has learnt.

The Mirror

• Should I sell my diesel car and is there a scrappage scheme? The government's Clean Air Plan explainedTown halls could slap new taxes on polluting cars as diesel and petrol vehicles are banned by 2040. So what does it mean for you? Here's the policy explained

Birmingham Post

• This is how many drivers plan to buy fully electric vehicles A further 10% of motorists say they will buy a hybrid vehicle, which combines a combustion engine with an additional power source such as an electric battery

Bristol Live

• Bristol region bidding to become partner in Heathrow Airport expansionIf secured, the hub status could bring hundreds of jobs to the West of England. The Bristol region is vying to become a key partner in the expansion of Heathrow Airport which could bring hundreds of jobs and millions of pounds to the local economy.

London Evening Standard

• Revealed: First glimpse inside the new Crossrail stations taking shape across LondonThis is the first glimpse inside the new Elizabeth line stations taking shape across London.
• An airline you've never heard of is selling 121 flights to New YorkIf you can deal with the cramped conditions
• Businessmen sue United Airlines over death of giant rabbit SimonThe owners of a giant rabbit that died after a flight from London Heathrow to Chicago are suing United Airlines.

Manchester Evening News

• 'Urgent action needed' to tackle air pollution on M60 Defra says the the A5103, A57M, A56 and M56 in Manchester, the A635 in Tameside and the A34 in Stockport also contain high levels of pollution

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Electric vehicles set to play a key role in future household systems As Government announces the phasing out of petrol and diesel cars, electric vehicles could have a role beyond transport
• One-off chance to see a stretch of the oldest wooden railway in the world discovered in WalkerThe late 18th century waggonway, whose rails would have carried horse-drawn coal carts, was unearthed in 2013 during a dig in Newcastle

Northern Echo

• Newton Aycliffe trainbuilder says Class 800s have been approved by Department for Transport to run digital technology on UK linesA TRAINBUILDER says rolling stock made in the North-East has passed another industry test ahead of its operational debut.

Nottingham Evening Post

• East Midlands Airport offers £2.5m to improve rail linksEast Midlands Airport has called for improved railway links to its nearest station - and has pledged to put £2.5m towards the changes it wants to see.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• SNP pledges to consider reopening of north-east railway at party conferenceProposals to reintroduce the Buchan railway from Aberdeen to Peterhead and Fraserburgh have been given a boost with the SNP pledging to debate the idea at its party conference.

Wales Online

• Calls for the Welsh Government to find £500m funding for the electrification of the Swansea line Swansea councillors are at the beginning of a campaign to reverse the UK Government's controversial decision
• We tested an electric car - and it was surprisingly goodPeople living in the UK are going to have to get used to driving plug-in vehicles so we thought we'd get a head start

Yorkshire Post

• YP Comment: North must get back on track - Grayling pledges rail support Ministers have not only been accused of backtracking over broken pledges to electrify a key rail route between Yorkshire and London, they stand accused of failing to provide the infrastructure spending crucial to the future success of the North's economy, in favour of a new £30bn Crossrail scheme in the capital.
• Chris Grayling: Government will not let North down on transport On Monday, The Yorkshire Post questioned the Governments commitment to improving transport in the North. The paper also suggested that investment has been dropped in favour of a new Crossrail 2 project for London.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Parents anger as free travel promise at Haverhill Samuel Ward Academy is scrapped to cut £1million defectParents face paying daunting� travel costs at a Suffolk secondary school after an academy trust breached an agreement to subsidise free transport for pupils in surrounding villages, it has been claimed.

Other Regional Press

• Politicians signal continued support for rail link plans, despite lack of fundingFailure to provide cash for the longed-for Levenmouth rail link and to extend the Stirling to Alloa passenger line into Fife has been described as a missed opportunity to create vital infrastructure.
• HS2: Public meeting called over lorry plans for Shropshire village A public meeting about the building plans for HS2 is to be held next month in a village that is set to see 500 lorries pass through it each day.
• Another famous locomotive announced to join Flying Scotsman on county visitA SECOND famous steam engine will join the arguably world's most famous locomotive at Didcot Railway Centre.
• Banning diesel and petrol by 2040 'is not soon enough'BANNING the sale of all diesel and petrol vehicles by 2040 is not soon enough for those already suffering in Oxford , a city councillor has warned.
• Confusion reigns over trans-Pennine rail electrificationHas Government pulled the plug in 'betrayal of the North?'
• Huddersfield motorists could be charged a pollution tax on dirtiest roadsLeeds and Manchester routes on government's hit list
• Flights delayed at Birmingham Airport - because ground handlers call in sickThe problems are down to ground handler Swissport experiencing staff issues which the airport admitted were severely� impacting on passengers
• Planned new Birmingham Airport route SCRAPPEDAer Southeast was due to commence flights on July 24 with three weekly services to Birmingham

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Schiphol Cargo puts focus on pharma and e-commerce (Image Source: I Am In Amsterdam) Cargo volumes at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol grew 8.7 per cent to 866,713 tonnes between January and June 2017, up from 797,069 tonnes during the same period in 2016. Europes third busiest hub welcomed an additional 153 full freighter flights in the first half of the year, making a total number of 8,954 freight ATMs, and handled a record 148,765 tonnes in June, up 9.8 per cent on June 2016 figures of 135,528 tonnes. Volumes to the Far East grew to 27,706 tonnes in June 2017, up 15 per cent on June 2016 figures of 24,091 tonnes, with inbound Far ...
• Plan for roadside NO2 concentrations publishedThe Government confirmed that it will end the sale of all new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040, as it unveiled new plans to tackle air pollution. The UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations produced by Defra and the Department for Transport outlines how councils with the worst levels of air pollution at busy road junctions and hotspots must take robust action. The announcement is focused on delivering nitrogen dioxide (NO2) compliance at the roadside in the shortest amount of time. This is one part of our programme to deliver clean air next ye...

Coach and Bus Week

• National Express launches new London Luton Airport serviceNational Express is rolling out a new airport route to boost capacity and frequency for flyers.
• MAN grows South Korea line-upMAN winning breakthrough South Korean business for gas and double-deck products

Rail Magazine

• January switch on for GOBLIN wiresNetwork Rail confirms revised delivery schedule for completing electrification of the Gospel Oak-Barking Line.
• Freight potential on East West RailRFG releases paper detailing how freight can be a catalyst for economic development on Oxford-Cambridge corridor
• ORR backs introduction of Rail OmbudsmanRegulator says complaints handling must improve and supports introduction of a Rail Ombudsman to provide a better service to passengers and resolve disputes.
• Network Rail warns of August engineering worksNetwork Rail confirms August Bank Holiday engineering plans.

Rail Technology Magazine

• No time to waste: third-generation trains in the spotlight It has been argued that while the UK rail industry is now introducing rolling stock that is more advanced than ever, the time has come to focus on pushing the envelope even further with pioneering designs. But what defines third-generation railway ca

Transport Network

• Regulator backs rail ombudsman plan as complaints surgeThe rail regulator has backed ministers plans to introduce a passenger ombudsman, after revealing a rising number of complaints coupled with unsatisfactory complaint handling.

Aviation Industry

• UK aviation emissions: whats the plan?While governments may come and go, our legal climate change commitments remain unchanged. In this context, the Committee on Climate Change had been hoping that its latest annual progress report would be an opportunity to assess the Governments long-awaited Emissions
• New Flybe CEO working on unit costsUK regional airline Flybe has posted improvements to its first-quarter load factor and yield, but new CEO Christine Ourmieres-Widener said further work is still needed. read more
• US House transportation chair defends legality of ATC proposalA proposal by US House Republicans to privatize the US air traffic control (ATC) system appears to be mostly constitutional, although there could be causes for legal challenges, according to a new report from nonpartisan congressional researchers. read more

Other News Sources

• REVEALED: 83 per cent of rail passengers happy with Northern trains, according to Transport Focus surveySATISFACTION among Northern rail passengers is up to 83 per cent, according to a new survey.
• Hunmanby & Bempton To Get Hourly Train ServiceRail campaigners in Hunmanby and Bempton are celebrating after a u-turn by train operator Northern.
• Uncertainty over Clean Air Zones could cripple local businessesClarity is urgently needed to identify which vehicles will be affected in each of the Clean Air Zones, the Freight Transport Association has said ...
• Bombardier Transportation wins major contractRail technology specialist Bombardier Transportation (www.bombardier.com) has received an order for 83 Regio 2N trains from the French National Railway Corporation (SNCF) on behalf of the Paris public transport authority (STIF).
• Bus company on road to success at National Transport AwardsBRIGHTON and Hove Buses has made it to the finals in two categories at the National Transport Awards.