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

Friday, 29 September 2017

BBC News

• Could wood pulp make cars lighter and more efficient?Car parts of the future could be made out of a surprising material. Wood.
• Wales rail franchise 'expected to have more staff'Trains could have more staff under the next rail franchise, the first minster has announced.
• Edinburgh set for first all-electric busesLothian Buses is to introduce the first batch of fully-electric vehicles in Edinburgh this weekend.
• Tram markings plan to help cyclists in EdinburghThe measures are the first in an ongoing project to help cyclists negotiate city tram tracks.
• Boeing's Bombardier row undermines its UK ties, says MayThe prime minister says Boeing's stance towards Bombardier is not that of a long-term UK partner.
• Glasgow Airport to provide free sanitary productsThe move is in response to Labour MSP Monica Lennon's campaign to end
• Uber ruling puts jobs at risk, says Theresa MayThe prime minister says a decision to stop the taxi-hailing company operating in London is
• Brompton recalls folding bikes over faulty bracket axleThe London-based company says 144,000 cycles made between April 2014 and May 2017 are being recalled.
• Ryanair given deadline to obey compensation rulesThe regulator lists measures the airline must take to meet the law protecting passengers' rights.
• Plans for driverless £6m Coventry light railway unveiledPlans for a driverless £6m light railway project for Coventry have been revealed.

Financial Times

• Brompton issues voluntary recall of 144,000 bikesUK group says axles had been failing more than expected
• A London Uber driver's day on the road mapped outMark Cairns shares data on his shifts since the company was threatened with a ban in the UK capital
• Etihad taps Tony Douglas as new chief executive
• How Uber and London ended up in a taxi warRelations soured as black cabbies protested and congestion grew
• India's rail minister seeks to reassure GE over plan to electrify railways

The Guardian

• Theresa May hints at Boeing boycott in Bombardier US tariff rowPM strongly suggests government will stop ordering planes from US firm as she hits out at ‘creeping protectionism’Theresa May has dropped a strong hint that the government will stop ordering planes from the US aerospace giant Boeing following the decision to slap punitive tariffs on planes part-made in Belfast by the Canadian company Bombardier.Angered by the threat to 4,000 jobs in one of the poorest parts of the UK, the prime minister said Boeing’s action was not the sort of behaviour Britain expected from a long-term partner but was part of a “creeping protectionismâ€� around the world. Conti...
• Uber licence withdrawal disproportionate, says Theresa MayPrime minister accuses London mayor of damaging lives of users, but acknowledges ride-hailing firm must address safety issues. Theresa May has said the decision not to renew Uber's London licence is disproportionate, and accused the mayor, Sadiq Khan, of putting thousands of jobs at risk.

The Herald

• Glasgow Airport passengers given better access to sanitary products after trial launchedGlasgow Airport is to provide free sanitary products for female passengers.

The Huffington Post

• We Asked People At Stansted If They Still Trust RyanairIt’s Europe’s busiest airline famed for a unique approach to cost-cutting and improbably low fares.

Times Online

• Theresa May attacks Sadiq Khan for putting jobs of Uber drivers in danger [Subscription]Theresa May has criticised the “disproportionate” decision to refuse to renew the London licence of Uber, saying that the move puts thousands of jobs at risk.
• Tram extension will put Leith on the right track [Subscription]You may struggle to find a more divisive subject in Edinburgh than the trams. However, if done properly, plans to extend the tram service to Leith could be good news for the area and the city as a whole. The council has approved the outline business case for the extension and, if it happens, it could unlock Leith’s potential as a business destination.
• Red safety lanes for cyclists in Edinburgh get the green light after Zhi Min Soh death [Subscription]Cycle lanes are to be installed at key points along the tram route in Edinburgh after the death of a cyclist.
• Ryanair cancels more flights as regulator threatens legal action [Subscription]Ryanair has cancelled more than 450 flights out of Dublin between November and March.

Mail Online

• Airport check-in systems crash was caused by single switch The system was sent into meltdown today when the firm accidentally triggered a computer crash, causing long lines of upset passengers to form at airports across the globe.
• Women drivers will CUT car crashes, says Saudi Prince Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, who heads Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry, made the claim in a tweet, saying security services are 'ready' to introduce female driving licences from next year.

Bolton News

• New giant funnel bins to help keep our motorways cleanA BOLTON motorway worker is backing giant funnel bins set to be installed at the region's service stations to help keep road cleans and people safe.

Journal Live

• Welsh Government: New Train Operator To Retain Safety Critical GuardThe new operators of trains in Wales will keep a safety critical guard on services, ministers have announced.

London Evening Standard

• Tube strike: All you need to know about next Thursday's London Underground walkoutThe majority of train drivers on the London Underground are set to stage industrial action next Thursday in a row over demands for a four-day week.
• Passengers face chaos due to airport check-in system failureAirline customers have been hit with major disruption after computer check-in systems failed across the globe.
• Ryanair given deadline to fix compensation policy for cancelled flightsRyanair has been ordered to correct its compensation policy for hundreds of thousands of people who had flights cancelled - by tomorrow.
• Revealed: TfL could make £322 million by monitoring mobile phone use on the TubeTransport for London could stand to make more than £320 million by monitoring passengers' mobile phone use on the Tube, it has emerged.
• Furious Ryanair customers slam airline as 'complete joke' for axing more flightsFurious Ryanair customers affected by the latest batch of flight cancellations have bombarded the firm with complaints.
• 'It's damaging lives': Theresa May hits out at 'disproportionate' Uber London banTheresa May has hit out at the "disproportionate" decision to strip Uber of its London licence – which she says has put thousands of jobs at risk.
• Thousands of Brompton folding bikes recalled over safety fearsThousands of Brompton folding bikes are being recalled over safety concerns about a component.

East Anglian Daily Times

• More rail action planned but what is the dispute on Greater Anglia about?Conductor/guards on Greater Anglia are to introduce an overtime ban for a month from October 10 as they step up their dispute over changing their role. But what is the dispute all about?

Peterborough Telegraph

• Rail workers to stage fresh wave off industrial actionRail workers in Peterboorugh involved in one of the bitter disputes raging over the role of guards are to stage a fresh wave of industrial action.

Other Regional Press

• Welsh Government show commitment to Wales and Borders staffA SERIES of commitments for the next Wales and Borders franchise have been made by the Welsh Government, the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones has announced.
• Underground 'bus tunnels' across city to be paid for by tax on parking spaces BUSINESSES could be forced to fund Oxford's 'ambitious' transport vision as plans to introduce a workplace parking levy take a step closer.
• 'We need to do all we can to provide safe routes': Crossings upgrade for schoolchildrenTwo crossing patrol sites along a main road in Weymouth are to be given an upgrade to improve safety for schoolchildren and other pedestrians.

C.N.N.

• Elon Musk is aiming to land 2 cargo ships on Mars in 2022Elon Musk just unveiled the next phase of his grand plans for colonizing Mars.

Buying Business Travel

• United to have passengers bid for compensationNew programme to deal with overbooked flights

Rail Technology Magazine

• ORR invites views on TOC access charges reformThe Office of Road and Rail (ORR) has released details about the consultation into the charges that operators pay to access the rail network as part of Network Rail’s 2018 periodic review.
• RMT escalates row with Greater Anglia with overtime banRMT has escalated its action on Greater Anglia by imposing an overtime ban for all of its members who work with the TOC. Conductors and senior conductor members have been instructed not to undertake any overtime or rest day working between 10 October and 6 November. This comes in addition to a...
• NR moves forward on £46m Southend Victoria Line wire replacement schemeSignificant steps forward have been taken to install new overhead wires on the Southend Victoria branch line this weekend as part of a £46m programme of works. Network Rail has installed over 1km of new wire between Shenfield and Billericay, which will mean fewer delays and improved...
• Construction begins on Kirkdale depot to maintain new Merseyrail fleetWork has started on a new state-of-the-art depot at Kirkdale that will accommodate for Merseyrail’s new fleet. The rolling stock, which is due to be introduced by the TOC in 2020, will be fixed and maintained at the depot. BAM Nuttall is currently undertaking enabling works at Kirkdale...

Aviation Industry

• Mexico's Interjet inks Wi-Fi deal with Panasonic Mexico City-based LCC Interjet will install Wi-Fi on its new Airbus family aircraft deliveries, supplier Panasonic Avionics announced during the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Expo in Long Beach, California. read more
• American nears A350 decision; no interest in 100-seater American Airlines expects to make a final decision on its order for 22 Airbus A350-900s within six months and possibly by the end of 2017. read more

Other News Sources

• Final tenders invited for Wales and Borders franchiseFinal tenders have been invited for the next Wales and Borders rail franchise, with the winner also set to run the new South Wales Metro.
• Wales’ Travel Infrastructure Plans for the FutureKen Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure has pledged over £1 billion to travel and infrastructure in Wales over the next five years.