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

Friday, 18 August 2017

BBC News

• SHAREDAmazon 'adopts' railway stationsOnline retailer Amazon has "adopted" two railway stations in Staffordshire.
• Platform shoes: Couple's bid to step out on all Britain's railway stationsVicki Pipe and Geoff Marshall are nearing the end of their attempt to document all Britain's railway stations.
• M6 reopens after Thelwall Viaduct defect repairedThe M6 northbound reopens after repairs to several grid plates that had become loose on the road.
• London MidlandLondon Midland has lost its rail franchise - here are the things you wanted to know.
• Eight millionth journey expected on Night Tube anniversaryAbout 300,000 journeys are being made every weekend on London's Night Tube service, analysis reveals.
• Hyundai vows to produce longer-range electric carThe Korean carmaker is promising an electric car that can go 500 kilometres for each charge.

Financial Times

• Analysts warm to Cathay Pacific

The Scotsman

• Alastair Dalton: New sleeper trains could lure families onto tracks The highlight of my summer holidays in the Highlands as a child was the sleeper train north.

Times Online

• Commuters’ hope of cheaper rail fares derailed by Treasury [Subscription]Ministers will only be able to cut rail fares if they make savings elsewhere in the transport budget.
• Lufthansa in hurry to get Air Berlin deal off ground [Subscription]Lufthansa is the frontrunner to buy the bulk of its stricken rival Air Berlin as the German government pushes for a quick deal.
• The government’s inflation trickery is ripping us all off [Subscription]Nobody likes being ripped off. And there is something particularly distasteful about being fleeced by your own government.
• My electric car perks are shockingly generous [Subscription]Subsidies aimed at cutting emissions are helping the better-off and risk creating new problems

City AM

• FirstGroup and MTR given go-ahead for South Western franchise after tackling London-Exeter competition concerns with price capPrice cap proposals by First Group and MTR to tackle competition concerns on their takeover of the South Western franchise this month, have been accepted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
• Crossrail funding contributions from developers forecast to hit £600m target a year ahead of scheduleThe funding target for contributions from developers for the £14.8bn Crossrail project will be reached a year ahead of schedule, according to the latest forecast from Transport for London (TfL).

Network Rail

• Edinburgh-Glasgow electrification goes live for testingThe public are being warned that overhead power cables on the main Edinburgh-Glasgow line will be live for testing from Saturday, September 2.

Birmingham Mail

• Baggage misery as plane lands at Birmingham Airport without 215 suitcases - left in Canada Out of the 300 passengers on Air Transat Flight only 85 were met by their luggage when they touched down

London Evening Standard

• Bendy buses should be brought back into use to improve journey times in London, Sadiq Khan toldExperts have called for bendy buses to be reintroduced in London to cut journey times and improve disabled access on certain routes.
• Incoming South West Trains boss tries to stop fresh strike threatsA crisis meeting between rail and union chiefs was taking place today to prevent the threat of Southern Rail-style strike action spreading to other busy London commuter routes.
• Tube pervert caught by undercover police as he sexually assaulted woman on Central lineA Tube pervert was busted by undercover police officers who caught him sexually assaulting a woman on a London Underground train.

Morning Star

• Investment Giants Pocketed £200m From Train FaresCITY speculators have secretly creamed off £200 million from passengers, rail union RMT claimed yesterday.

The York Press

• Harrogate station up for awardA RAIL company that runs services around York has received five nominations for the prestigious National Rail Awards.
• Magnificent men in their flying machines: Yorkshire aviation pioneers in the spotlight at air museum open dayA special 'pioneers of aviation' day at the Yorkshire Air Museum on Sunday offers a rare chance to see two beautiful early aircraft up close. STEPHEN LEWIS reports

Other Regional Press

• Big train shake-up on trackRAIL passengers will find themselves in unchartered waters from Sunday when FirstGroup and MTR take over the franchise for operating the South Western Railway.
• South West Trains price cap agreed to keep ticket prices ‘in line with market’A price cap will be put in place on the South West Trains rail franchise as part of measures to spare passengers potentially higher fares and a worse service.
• CMA Accepts FirstGroup, MTR Price Cap Changes For FranchiseThe UK competition regulator has accepted proposed changes from FirstGroup PLC and MTR Corp for the South Western rail franchise that include a price cap to protect passengers.
• Consultation on rail depot plans extends to additional Northamptonshire town A planning committee has recommended that an additional public exhibition on the proposals for the strategic rail freight interchange (SRFI) be held in a Northamptonshire town.
• Watch: Inside abandoned tunnel that could become Europe's longest cycle trackCampaigners are trying to save the tunnel from being filled in

Buying Business Travel

• BA and Loganair announce codeshare dealNew arrangements will be introduced from start of next month

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Transport apprenticeships celebrated ahead of A-level results day Transport Minister John Hayes met with apprentices at Heathrow Employment & Skills Academy to mark A-level results day and to discuss the rewards of choosing a transport apprenticeship. The minister met apprentices employed at the Heathrow Academy to find out about their work and what inspired them to choose apprenticeships.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Virgin Azuma crosses Scottish border for first time in test runVirgin’s Class 800 Azuma trains have this week made the journey beyond the Scottish border for the first time. The inaugural run north of the border between London and Edinburgh was done as part of a testing programme by Hitachi, who are delivering the new rolling stock in preparation for...
• NR recovery operation after Ely derailment set to cause more disruptionNetwork Rail has today been working to lift a derailed train off the track in Ely, which has been causing serious disruption over the last few days. Eleven carriages of a freight train came off the tracks at Queen Adelaide near the Ely North junction on Monday, and has since blocked the line and...
• Crossrail reaches halfway point of Elizabeth Line escalator fit-out Over half of the escalators have now been installed at Elizabeth Line stations, Crossrail has this week revealed. New pictures have shown how the construction is progressing as the company reaches the halfway point of its programme installing the new escalators. A total of 17 escalators have...
• NR states ambition to keep Liverpool moving during major Lime Street workLiverpool Lime Street will remain “open for business” whilst it undergoes major work this autumn, Network Rail has today reassured passengers in the region. The latest stage of work will take place between 30 September and 22 October in what is one of the biggest upgrades the station...

Railway Gazette

• UK railway news round-upGovia Thameslink Railway has offered jobs to 10 young people from Luton, Cambridge, Stevenage, Brixton and Bedford after they completed the Prince's Trust‘s four-week Get into Railways course. This included including first-hand experience working as customer service assistants.

Aviation Industry

• Lufthansa, airberlin to begin asset-transfer negotiationsFollowing airberlin's Aug. 15 bankruptcy filing, Lufthansa will start negotiations with the company's newly appointed administrator Lucas FlÃ
• Korean Air sees steep drop in China traffic in 2QAfter receiving its third Boeing 787-9 in July, Korean Air launched 3X-weekly service between Incheon-Madrid and 4X-weekly service between Incheon-Beijing in early August. read more

Other News Sources

• CMA accepts fare cap for Exeter to London rail serviceThe Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has accepted a proposed cap on fares on rail services between London and Exeter, designed to address concerns over reduced competition on the route.
• Graham appoints road and rail directorsJonathan Kerr has been named director of rail, with Dave Brown promoted to contracts director for highways.
• UK rail passengers don’t trust on-board Wi-FiYouGov survey commissioned by Cobham Wireless finds UK commuters are increasingly frustrated with connectivity standards on the rail network
• Speed camera catches same vehicle 14 times AN ABSENT-minded speeding driver has been caught out more than a dozen times by new speed cameras.