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

Friday, 28 July 2017

BBC News

• Traffic congestion increases costs, says Cardiff Bus bossTraffic congestion means 20% more vehicles to cover the same routes as 18 years ago, says Cardiff Bus boss.
• East Lancashire Railway attacked by vandalsAbout 40 East Lancashire Railway carriage windows were smashed in Bury.
• Most overcrowded trains revealedThe data showed on the most crowded train 1,366 people typically crammed into carriages designed for 640.
• London's underground post train back on trackA hundred years after it was first built, trains are running again on the underground railway designed to transport London's letters.
• Airbus cuts superjumbo A380 production againAirbus cuts production of its superjumbo for the second time in a year as new orders dry up.
• Porsche to recall 22,000 cars over emissions softwareGermany's transport minister orders move to remove what he says is illegal emissions-controlling software.
• Air France-KLM is buying 31% of Virgin AtlanticSir Richard Branson says he will remain involved, but Virgin Group will no longer control the airline.

Department for Transport

• Changes will allow drivers to drive heavier vans if powered by low emission technology.Changes to driver licensing rules will make it easier for van drivers to switch to electric vehicles, the government has announced today (28 July 2017).
• New station boost for passengers thanks to £16 million government investmentFive new stations to be built across England and Wales.

Financial Times

• The electric car revolution will leave many behindIn the future, the auto industry will need far fewer people to make vehicles
• IAG shrugs off power failure to soar to double-digit profit rise
• Etihad swings to $1.9bn loss as revenues and yields fall
• Nearly 1,400 crowd daily on to UK’s most packed trainEast Grinstead to London Bridge service carried almost double available seats
• Branson gives up control of Virgin Atlantic in alliance rejigFar-reaching deal brings new investors into his UK carrier and Air France-KLM

The Guardian

• Southern rail tops list of most overcrowded trainsSome services carried twice as many people as trains were designed for, Department for Transport figures show

The Scotsman

• Martin Flanagan: Petrol and diesel ban could use some helpWhere President Macron in France has led, the UK is following.

Times Online

• 170,000 peak commuters can’t get seats on the train [Subscription]Four out of ten rail passengers cannot get a seat on the busiest rush-hour commuter trains as overcrowding on the network reaches crisis point.
• Nation at a standstill with millions never taking a long walk [Subscription]England is turning into a nation of couch potatoes with the number of adults going for a long stroll plummeting by almost a fifth in just over a decade.

City AM

• Heathrow's confident of keeping airport charges 'close to current levels' during expansion as first-half earnings flyHeathrow said today it is making "good progress" towards meeting the task set by the government to deliver expansion without bumping up airport charges as it unveiled solid first-half results.
• Here are the 10 most overcrowded peak train services for spring and autumn 2016The Department for Transport (DfT) has released new statistics revealing the most overcrowded train services in England and Wales last year.
• Richard Branson sells slice of Virgin Atlantic to Air France-KLM for £220m, meaning Virgin is no longer a majority shareholderSir Richard Branson's Virgin Group today relinquished control of Virgin Atlantic, selling a 31 per cent stake in the airline to Air France-KLM for £220m.
• Transport for London has delayed English language tests for Uber and minicab drivers againTransport for London has pushed back plans to introduce English language tests for Uber drivers again.

The Mirror

• Secret world of London's underground railway: Forgotten tunnels where Royal Mail's postmen laboured for decades are opening to public The Mirror takes a trip below the bustling metropolis to take a look at the incredible six-mile, subterranean freight line from Paddington to the East End as it gets set to become a key attraction

Network Rail

• South Wales Railway Upgrade UpdateNetwork Rail is reminding residents between Monmouthshire and Cardiff that modernisation work is taking place along the South Wales Mainline as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

Birmingham Mail

• This abandoned underground line is opening to the public this summer Launching on September 4, the Mail Rail will take visitors to the Postal Museum on 1km journeys that will last 20 minutes

Bolton News

• Angry residents back campaign to save 2 vital bus services from axeA DECISION to scrap two bus services has provoked outrage from hundreds of passengers.

Liverpool Echo

• Removing Merseyrail guards could increase risk of sex assaults, warns former transport bossRemoving guards from Merseyrail trains could increase the risk of on-board sex assaults, according to a former regional travel boss. Former train driver Mark Dowd, who was the chairman of Merseytravel from 1992-2002, said the “strange decision” to “cull” guards could impact on passengers who are in distress.

London Evening Standard

• Sir Richard Branson sells majority stake in Virgin Atlantic in Air France-KLM dealSir Richard Branson is to sell his majority stake in Virgin Atlantic, the airline has announced.
• Tube delays: Piccadilly and Victoria line hit by chaos after warning of 'weeks of delays'Commuters faced rush hour chaos on the Tube as union bosses warned a shortage of trains could spark a "crisis" on some lines.
• Mayor's £10 'T-charge' to tackle London's toxic air will begin in three months timeSadiq Khan today put Londoners on three-month notice that the T-charge is coming in for the most polluting vehicles to drive into the city centre.
• Revealed: Eight in 10 busiest train routes are London commuter linesThe 7.16am East Grinstead to London Bridge was today named Britain's most overcrowded commuter train.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• The Government's rail priorities show that London will always trump the NorthAccording to the Conservative manifesto, closing the gap between London and the other cities of the UK is “the biggest prize in Britain today”.

Wales Online

• 'Let's get on with the job' Cabinet members throw support behind Cardiff bus station plans Members expressed support just days after the plans were thrown into disarray
• Ministers plan to ban diesel cars but electrification u-turn means the fuel will still power trainsFriends of the Earth have described the move as 'hugely disappointing'
• The Cynon Valley's poor Sunday train service is costing the area jobs, it is claimedThere's just one train every two hours, and it's costing people in Aberdare and the surrounding areas job opportunities
• A £5.6m new transport hub for trains, buses, cyclists, and taxis is almost completeThe multi-million pound transport hub in Port Talbot is entering the final stage of development, according to the council.

Yorkshire Post

• YP Letters: Northern economy has been put in a siding Chris Grayling’s announcement on Northern Powerhouse rail is the latest U-turn by this Tory government and abandons the commitment given by George Osborne and previous Tory administration to significantly upgrade and electrify the Transpennine link from Manchester to York.
• Chris Burn: From crisis to opportunity for North’s electric dream In every crisis, there is an opportunity. And from a week of bad news for Yorkshire’s transport infrastructure comes a golden chance for the region to flex its political muscles rather than bowing to the seemingly inevitable.
• Heathrow confident over landing charges freeze despite expansion costsHeathrow’s landing fees are likely to be frozen despite the building of a third runway, the airport has announced.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Jet2.com adds 200,000 more seats to Stansted schedule for summer 2018Leisure airline Jet2.com has added further to its Stansted schedule for summer 2018, with three new routes and extra flights to nine other destinations.

Peterborough Telegraph

• LETTER: Essential to build the bridge to Peterborough’s Fletton QuaysThe tremendous news that the Arts Council has awarded Peterborough City Council £490,000 to help transform Whitworth Mill on Fletton Quays merely reinforces the need for a pedestrian/cycle bridge to be built spanning the areas between this exciting new development and the Key Theatre embankment.

Other Regional Press

• TRAINS, HERE? Commuters baffled by obvious warning sign at station COMMUTERS were left baffled by a sign displaying an obvious warning at Charlbury railway station.
• Customers are happier with train services than they were last yearRail firms pledge more investment in new trains and carriages in the coming years
• Morebus brings back ‘vital’ bus service after it was scrappedA BUS service has been granted a reprieve thanks to local campaigners.

Buying Business Travel

• Funding secured for five UK rail stationsThe government has announced that it will partially fund five new rail stations to be built in the England and Wales over the next three years.
• Heathrow makes vow on airport chargesAirport says it will try to keep charges “close to current levelsâ€�
• Air France-KLM to buy stake in Virgin AtlanticEuropean carrier will purchase 31 per cent shareholding in UK carrier

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Citybus launches new busesFrom a Flash to a Spark, Plymouth Citybus’ recent £3.5 million fleet investment takes to the roads this Sunday 30th July. Sixteen new Envio 400 City vehicles will bring new standards of passenger comfort, capacity and performanceto Plymouth’s bus network on top of a bold new identity. The new brand, ‘Spark’ is a step up in passenger transport, boasting free Wi-Fi, executive leather seats and for the first time in the Citybus fleet, USB charging points throughout.  Not only are the new buses comfortable and look great, but they are good for the environment t...

Rail Magazine

• Shooter hails prospects of battery-powered variantsVivarail Chairman Adrian Shooter welcomes comments that battery-powered trains present a viable alternative to electrification
• North underfunded by £6 billion per yearThink tank says northern England is underfunded compared with London by almost £6 billion per year.
• Class 50s lined up for Old Oak Common open dayFour Class 50s to attend Old Oak Common open day on September 2.
• New-look refurbished TransPennine Express Class 185 launchedRefurbished TPE Class 185 enters traffic

Rail Technology Magazine

• Free Public WiFi at Cardiff Central Railway Station Travellers expect Wi-Fi connection at every stage of their journey. Arriva Trains wanted to further improve what Cardiff Station offered by installing a free Wi-Fi service so that travellers could easily check e-mails, catch up with friends and famil…
• New Hitachi intercity trains pass UK DfT digital tests Japanese company Hitachi's new intercity trains have passed the UK Department for Transport (DfT) tests for integration with its digital technology.
• Southern runs five out of UK's top 10 overcrowded trainsFive of the top 10 most overcrowded services were run by Southern in spring last year, new statistics released by DfT today have revealed. On one of those services, from East Grinstead to London Bridge arriving at 8.20, capacity was at very cramped 1,366 passengers, more than double the max...

Railway Gazette

• Location technology to be incorporated into National Rail Enquiries appUK: Proxama plc’s mobile location data technology is to be embedded into the National Rail...
• Seattle welcomes BiLevel cab carUSA: The first of nine Bombardier BiLevel cab cars ordered by Sound Transit in 2014 arrived in...

Aviation Industry

• Air France-KLM, Delta and Virgin plan transatlantic JVAir France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic are moving to create a new transatlantic joint venture (JV) triad that includes Air France-KLM acquiring a 31% stake in Virgin and Delta taking a 10% stake in Air France-KLM. read more
• Airbus delivery target faces supplier challenges in 1HAirbus Commercial Aircraft recorded an EBIT (adjusted) of €954 million ($1.11 billion) in the 2017 first half compared to €1.27 billion for the year-ago half. read more

Green Miscellany

• Bicycle pump paint bomb vs bike thiefThieves might be becoming evermore brazen, but the last thing they will ever expect to confront is this bicycle paint bomb. Secreted within the tubing of the bike rack is a  compressed canister of  brightly coloured criminal identifier – a spray gel that is sold legally in Britain. While the bicycle is in place, its weight prevents the marker gel… The post Bicycle pump paint bomb vs bike thief appeared first on ETA.
• British government to ban new petrol and diesel carsThe British government has bowed to legal pressure and announced  a ban on all new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040. Not only has the British government faced legal action over the poor quality of our air – a judge had said its original plans to tackle air pollution were so poor as to be unlawful, but they… The post British government to ban new petrol and diesel cars appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Welsh minister calls for rail infrastructure powersProposals for powers over rail infrastructure to be devolved to Welsh ministers should be expedited, economy secretary Ken Skates has insisted. His call came in the wake of the decision by the UK Government to pull funding for rail electrification between Cardiff and Swansea.
• Daniel Zeichner MP hosts inaugural meeting of Cambridge Bus ForumCambridge MP Daniel Zeichner is to host the inaugural meeting of Cambridge Bus Forum tomorrow at the Cambridge Central Library.