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

Thursday, 28 September 2017

BBC News

• Railway powers 'may not be devolved until 2018'A senior Welsh Government official tells AMs that powers over rail may not be devolved until 2018.
• Ryanair grounds Belfast flights for four monthsRyanair confirms its Belfast-to-Gatwick service is one of 34 being suspended from November.
• Uber is not part of the gig economy, firm arguesThe taxi-hailing firm tells a tribunal it operates a similar business model to local taxi firms.
• Ryanair cancels Scottish flights to London Stansted over the winterThe routes from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Stansted will not operate between November and March.
• Boeing UK contracts 'jeopardised' over Bombardier rowBoeing's trade dispute with Bombardier could jeopardise its defence contracts, says UK defence secretary.
• Ryanair threatened with legal action by UK regulatorThe Civil Aviation Authority says the airline has failed to make clear its obligations to passengers.

Financial Times

• Transport for London board member raised questions on Uber and taxCompany books all UK rides through Dutch subsidiary, allowing it to avoid paying VAT
• EasyJet to help develop a battery powered planeUK budget airline partners with US designer Wright Electric
• Putin lashes out at cabinet over Russian airline collapse
• CAA accuses Ryanair of misleading passengers as more flights axedUK regulator cites breaches of consumer protection law
• Uber to close lossmaking car leasing businessGroup to shut Xchange Leasing unit as it seeks less capital-intensive strategy
• How Uber and London ended up in a taxi warRelations soured as black cabbies protested and congestion grew

The Guardian

• EasyJet says it could be flying electric planes within a decadeUK-based airline has linked up with US firm Wright Electric to build battery-powered aircraft for flights under two hoursEasyJet could be flying planes powered by batteries rather than petroleum to destinations including Paris and Amsterdam within a decade.The UK carrier has formed a partnership with US firm Wright Electric, which is developing a battery-propelled aircraft for flights under two hours. Continue reading...
• Sadiq Khan triggers alert for high air pollution in LondonCapital is given emergency warning as polluted air from the continent combines with toxic air at homeThe mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has triggered the capital’s emergency air quality alert as polluted air from the continent combines with toxic air in London to create dangerous levels of pollution.The alerts will see warnings displayed at bus stops, road signs and on the underground. Khan has also asked TV and radio stations across the capital to warn their viewers and listeners in news bulletins. Continue reading...
• UK warns Boeing it could lose contracts over Bombardier disputeUS decision to slap tariffs on Canadian-owned aircraft maker threatens to sour relations between London and WashingtonThe government has warned aircraft manufacturer Boeing it could lose UK defence contracts over its part in a US decision to slap punitive tariffs of 219% on rival Bombardier, in a dispute that threatens to sour trade relations between London and Washington.Theresa May said she was “bitterly disappointedâ€� by the move to impose a tariff on sales of Bombardier’s C-Series passenger jet, which threatens at least 1,000 manufacturing jobs in Northern Ireland. Continue reading...
• Bully Boeing shows Donald Trump's 'America first' policy in action | Nils PratleyBrexit brigade should tell us why they think Britain will have any clout in US-UK trade negotiationsIf the Bombardier affair wasn’t so serious for the company’s workers in Belfast and Canada, Boeing’s hypocrisy would be a bad joke. The US company is a $150bn (£112bn) titan whose business is underpinned by a cosy relationship with the country’s Department of Defense and a near-duopoly with Airbus in the market for large commercial aircraft. It is grumbling about state-aid for a firm a fraction of its size. It is behaving like a bully.As Delta Air Lines, the US customer for the order at the cent...
• Ryanair may face legal action over flight cancellationsCivil Aviation Authority intervenes after 34 routes suspended and firm announces second wave of cancellations, affecting 400,000 passengersHow have you been affected by Ryanair’s flight cancellations? Ryanair is facing enforcement action from the Civil Aviation Authority for “persistently misleading passengersâ€� about their rights, piling more woe on the no-frills carrier as it announced a second wave of flight cancellations that will affect 400,000 people.In a letter to the Dublin-based airline, the CAA said chief executive Michael O’Leary was wrong to tell passengers last week that it did not...

The Herald

• PM vows to fight for Bombardier jobs after disappointment over tariff decisionThe Prime Minister has vowed to work to protect jobs at Bombardier in Northern Ireland after expressing bitter disappointment at a US decision to impose a potentially crippling tariff on the import of its passenger jets.
• Edinburgh tram inquiry: Ministers abandoned right to veto botched projectSCOTLAND'S transport body “abandonedâ€� its right to veto decisions over Holyrood's £500m grant to Edinburgh trams shortly after Alex Salmond's first government had a move to quit the botched project defeated by parliament.
• Airline CUSTOMERS have vented their anger as the crisis engulfing Ryanair deepened with nearly 2000 Scottish flights cancelled over nearly five months.
• Video: Transport firm will take legal action to stop polluting bus ban in Scots city centreONE of Scotland biggest bus operators has said it will take legal action if Glasgow goes ahead with plans to address harmful levels of toxic air that will mean the most polluting buses will be banned from the city centre.

The Scotsman

• Leader comment: Ryanair’s winging it againRyanair’s latest decision to cancel 50 flights a week from Glasgow and Edinburgh is a fiasco for travellers and an illustration of the budget airline’s disregard for its customers.

The Telegraph

• US action in Bombardier dispute 'could jeopardise' future Boeing defence contracts, Sir Michael Fallon says

Times Online

• Boeing has power to turn off planes say British military chiefs [Subscription]A trade row with Boeing could result in the US aerospace company “turning off” Britain’s attack helicopters, military transport aircraft and a planned fleet of submarine-detecting planes, sources said last night.
• Lorry maker Scania fined €880m for price fixing [Subscription]Scania has been fined €880 million as the European Commission closed its file on a cartel of lorry makers told to pay €3.8 billion for rigging prices on more than nine out of ten vehicles they sold in Europe over 14 years.
• DUP leader will use power over May to save Bombardier jobs [Subscription]Arlene Foster has said that she will use her influence over the British government to secure jobs in Belfast in a dispute at Bombardier.
• Legal storm hits Ryanair over chaos of axed flights [Subscription]Ryanair faces prosecution for misleading passengers after 400,000 more travellers were dragged into the chaos over cancelled flights.
• Easyjet promises electric planes ready for take-off by 2027 [Subscription]Britain’s busiest airline is aiming to operate electric planes within a decade under ambitious plans to cut noise and pollution from aircraft.

Daily Record

• 'Ryanair have effectively cancelled christmas' Airline heap more misery on Scots after cancelling winter holiday flightsAs well as Scots heading abroad, Ryanair’s decision could also hit expats who wanted to come home for the festive season.

Mail Online

• VW lorry firm is fined £771m for price-fixing The EU handed a Volkswagen-owned truck-making firm a £771million fine yesterday for taking part in a price-fixing cartel that saw thousands of British customers ripped off.

The Mirror

• Ryanair pilot blasts firm as an 'incompetent shambles' after 18,000 winter trips cancelled Over 400,000 passengers will be left without flights - but budget airline boss Michael O'Leary declared the the latest cancellations 'sensible'

Birmingham Post

• Almost 60 bus stops to be AXED in Birmingham in bid to speed up journey timesTransport for West Midlands announces six month trial to scrap 59 bus stops along five major routes

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Investigations planned to look at condition of Queensbury Tunnel as campaigners fight to safeguard its futureTHE group fighting to save a disused railway tunnel and transform it into a cycle route say fresh investigations should reveal a “sharper picture” of the repairs and costs needed to revive it.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Passengers flying from Anglesey to Cardiff have been hit with baggage charge...but there is good news Eastern Airways passengers booking in recent days have been hit with a fee

London Evening Standard

• Ryanair to cancel 18,000 more flights as chaos set to last all winterCrisis-struck airline Ryanair is cancelling another 18,000 flights between November and March.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Drivers are shunning the Tyne Tunnel due to Silverlink roadworks - but could this be costly?A document discussed by the North East Combined Authority (NECA) acknowledged the drop in usage of the tunnels

Wales Online

• Ryanair cancels another 400,000 bookings as pilot shortage fallout continues Flights will be cancelled until March next year as part of the cancellation crisis

East Anglian Daily Times

• Ryanair to cancel 18,000 more flights, including routes from Stansted to Edinburgh and GlasgowRyanair is to cancel an extra 18,000 flights in a move that will hit 400,000 customers as the fallout from the airline’s mismanagement of pilot leave intensifies.
• Higher parking charges, loss of free parking and permit schemes possible in east SuffolkPeople in east Suffolk are being asked for their views on the future of parking – amid fears that free car parks could be axed.

Londonist

• Is Crossrail Going To Obliterate The Heathrow Express?As it unfurls across London over the next couple of years, Crossrail is expected to improve train travel within the city in a way many haven't seen in their lifetime.

North Wales Live

• This is exactly what Ryanair is saying about refunds after cancelling 18,000 flights If you're affected by the news of the suspensions, the airline has put together a Q&A which tells you what your options are

Reading Evening Post

• Next phase of cross Berkshire cycle route approved at Reading council meeting Cycle lanes and paths will connect West Reading to the centre of town and out towards Ascot

Other Regional Press

• Glasgow Airport needs better travel links to serve travellersHe said: "The airport is crucial in supporting inward investment and tourism and the preference among our members is for more direct flights.”

Buying Business Travel

• Silverrail partners with Rail EuropeTransaction interface connects with operators
• Ryanair to cancel more flights through winterAirline will fly 25 less aircraft through March

Rail Technology Magazine

• Stagecoach takes action following fatal Sheffield collision probeThe RAIB has issued a report following an investigation into a fatal collision with a pedestrian in December 2016.
• De-politicise rail control period funding, Labour tells RIAAndy McDonald, the shadow transport secretary, has told the Railway Industry Association (RIA) that rail project funding should be ‘de-politicised’. Speaking in an interview at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, he said that a collaborative approach is needed in order to find...
• Siemens and Alstom join forces in major mergerSiemens and Alstom have announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine the two businesses in Europe. Siemens will receive 50% of Alstom’s share capital on a fully diluted basis. The Franco-German merger is expected to benefit from a revenue of €15.3bn, and...

Railnews

• Alstom and Siemens announce merger French train-builder Alstom is to merge its rail business with German-based Siemens Mobility. The new company is intended to be a ˜European champion™, competing more effectively with the Chinese state-owned rolling stock builder CRRC. Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser said: œThis Franco-German merger of equals sends a strong signal.�

Aviation Industry

• Lufthansa, Eurowings to take over several airberlin long-haul routes Lufthansa will expand its long-haul network from Berlin and Dusseldorf from Nov. 8, as insolvent airberlin ceases long-haul flight operations by Oct. 15, as leasing companies gradually withdraw their A330 fleet. read more
• Ryanair cuts growth because of pilot leave pressureIrish LCC Ryanair is cutting winter capacity growth by 25 aircraft and its planned summer 2018 fleet by 10 aircraft because of a pilot-leave scheduling failure, although the airline’s profit forecast remains unchanged. read more
• EasyJet joins electric aircraft project UK LCC easyJet has formed a partnership with US-based Wright Electric, which aims to develop an 180-seat electric aircraft for commercial aviation use within 10 years. read more

Other News Sources

• Radlett MP urges against controversial Rail Freight proposalHertsmere MP Oliver Dowden, whose constituency covers Radlett, is urging the district council to reconsider the proposals for the Radlett Rail Freight Terminal.
• London Waterloo upgrade one month on: 'Usual bungled incompetence' or 'excellent job warning of disruption'?Read some of the comments from our survey asking commuters about their experience of the London Waterloo improvement works during August
• MP backs new rail scheme AN MP has shown her support for a rail scheme which would see direct services running to London Paddington via Heathrow.
• MSPs demand action on Fife rail link as campaigners dispute £91m costSystra used “wholly inappropriate” methodology to come to their £91m estimate for delivering the Leven to Thornton rail link, according to the Levenmouth Rail Campaign (LMRC).