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

Thursday, 19 October 2017

BBC News

• Row over replacing Belfast's Boyne BridgeBelfast City Council has backed a proposal for a new transport hub that would see the bridge demolished.
• Arriva North West bus strike: What you need to knowArriva bus services in Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire are affected.

Department for Transport

• Government invests £350 million improving local roadsFunding will bring benefits to local road users around the country and support the development of new housing.
• High Speed Rail (Preparation) Act 2013, Annual Expenditure Report for 2016-17HS2 expenditure between April 2016 and March 2017.
• Boost for electric and driverless car industry as government drives forward green transport revolutionAutomated and Electric Vehicles Bill will mean more electric car chargepoints and enable insurance for driverless cars.

Financial Times

• Rivals fear Uber effect as London licence bids stallTfL delays hit Via and Taxify, leaving UK capital with no app-based car-hailing service
• Flybe shares tumble on second profit warningAirline blames higher than expected costs of maintaining fleet in crowded European market
• Wizz Air applies for UK licence on Brexit worries

The Herald

• Government has 'betrayed' Clyde yards as BAE systems signs deal over frigatesCONFIRMATION that five type 31e warships ordered by the Ministry of Defence will not be built on the Clyde was described as a betrayal by opposition MPs and unions last night.

The Telegraph

• Air Berlin pilots suspended after saying 'dignified goodbye' with fly-by stunt at Düsseldorf Airport

Times Online

• French radiator road scheme spells the end for black ice [Subscription]France is seeking to develop a new generation of roads with far more sophisticated ambitions than simply enabling drivers to get from A to B.
• Drone registration must take off soon [Subscription]News this week of a “near miss” between a drone and an aircraft carrying 130 people at Gatwick has brought the issues surrounding how drones are used into the spotlight once again.
• RMT union calls for Northern Isles ferry service to be nationalised [Subscription]Scotland’s ferry services need substantial investment in new harbours but the government agency that funds them appears to be unaware of how much it needs to spend, auditors have warned.
• Utility pipes caused delays to Edinburgh trams project [Subscription]A surveyor on the Edinburgh trams project has told a public inquiry that delays were down to unforeseen problems with underground pipes.

Mail Online

• Ryanair begs ex-pilots who deserted the airline to return The budget airline has repeatedly denied that a shortage of pilots has prompted it to cancel around 700,000 flight bookings and more than 20,000 flights over this winter.

This is Money

• Shell to open its first electric car charge points in UK Shell is opening charging points at its petrol stations in Holloway (London), Whyteleafe (Surrey) and Derby. A further seven more will open in London and Reading by the end of the year.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Jet wash trains to blast leaves off North Wales rail network to keep lines clear in autumn Railhead treatment trains will use high pressured water jets on the Cambrian and North Wales coast lines

London Evening Standard

• Southeastern commuters face disruption because of 'leaves on the line'Commuters are set to face days of rail disruption amid warnings of "leaves on the line" due to heavy rain and wind.
• Commuters hail innovative new technology trial showing how busy London Overground trains will beCommuters today hailed an innovative new scheme designed to show London Overground passengers how busy their trains will be.
• Hard-hitting air pollution posters to go on display on London's Tube networkA hard-hitting poster campaign highlighting the health risks posed by London's dangerous air pollution levels is to go on display across the Tube network.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Newcastle Airport's part owner buys Leeds Bradford Airport Deal by Australian group AMP Capital raises possibility of competition probe

North Wales Live

• This is what Arriva says its customers should do during the strikeMore than 2,000 drivers and engineers will walk out on Thursday
• Arriva bus strike LIVE updates as travel disruption hits Merseyside No Arriva services will run on Thursday as drivers strike after pay talks break down

Other Regional Press

• Plans set out to improve road safety in Wales Although we have some of the safest roads in the world, every death or serious injury is one too many, economy secretary Ken Skates has said today.
• Depth of Kent's pothole problem revealedA survey has laid bare the number of potholes on Kent's roads - the combined depth of which equates to 10 times the height of Canterbury Cathedral.
• Key transport decisions for Kirklees are now going to be made by Leeds City Council leader Transport for the North 'already making decisions' and Kirklees Clr says 'we know the deals are already being struck'
• Dominic Raab - why tougher penalties for those who bring death and destruction to our roads are neededIn a split second, someone’s life can be changed forever.

Buying Business Travel

• Grayling calls on Greybull for Monarch billTransport secretary says owner has 'moral obligation'

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Heathrow hits new heights in September with a strong end to the summer season• Heathrow experienced a surge in passenger numbers as nearly 7 million passengers travelled through the UK’s busiest airport in September (up 2.0% on last year), leading to a record 77.43 million total passengers in the last year. • Latin American destinations increased in popularity, with a 9.3% growth in traffic compared to last year, following British Airways launch of a new route to Santiago, Chile at the beginning of the year. South Asian locations also grew strongly as Air India saw passenger numbers aboard their aircraft go up by 21%.  Regional airline FlyBe added ...
• Pedal power revolution for the West Midlands as bikeshare scheme gets set to rollA bike-sharing hire scheme is to be launched across the West Midlands. West Midlands bikeshare could be up and running as early as next year, with between 3,000 and 5,000 bikes available for hire in cities and towns across the region. The scheme was approved by members pf the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) at its meeting in Birmingham today (Friday Oct 13). The WMCA is now looking for suppliers to bid for a five year contract to provide the bikes and run the scheme, with commercial sponsors being sought to contribute to the running costs. The sponsorship deal could be worth between...
• 'We can reduce freight emissions and still increase our cargo capacity,' Heathrow ChairmanSpeaking at the BCC International Trade Summit, Heathrow’s Non-Executive Chairman Lord Deighton announced a new ten step Blueprint for Sustainable Freight plan to reduce the impact of freight vehicles around Heathrow. Lord Deighton’s speech is the first time the airport has publicly addressed the challenge of the environmental impacts of cargo and set out its plans to ensure that even as Heathrow and freight volumes grow with expansion, overall airport-related traffic on the road does not increase in number compared to today. 

Rail Magazine

• Easter target for Eurostar to AmsterdamEaster 2018 the target for Eurostar's Dutch service as company reports rise in passenger numbers and sales revenue
• Deltics up for saleMain line-certified Deltic one of two Class 55s for sale

Rail Technology Magazine

• UK should 'look abroad' for station advancementsThe UK should take the lead from other countries on maximising the benefits of railway stations, argues a new report released today. The Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) has used the study to highlight the versatility of areas surrounding stations. It looked at case studies from locations in...
• Industry-wide update on platform safetyNew guidance on platform safety standards have been released by the RSSB. Industry-wide measures have been updated and collectively agreements have been reached on platform safety in order to stop passengers getting hurt. The RSSB issued its ‘Rail Industry Standard: Passenger Train...
• No reason why schemes can't be funded with more private cash, says SiemensSiemens has signalled its willingness to work on future electrification and resignalling programmes following the government’s announcement of £48bn available for CP6. The hints build on Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne’s pledge to increase private railway investment...

Railway Gazette

• UK railway news round-upScotRail services began calling at the relocated Forres station between Inverness and Elgin on...

The Business Desk

• Australian investment firm swoops for Leeds Bradford AirportPrivate equity firm Bridgepoint has sold Leeds Bradford Airport to an Australian investment firm.
• University invests £10m in centre for high speed rail technologyThe University of Leeds is investing £10m to develop the UK’s first dedicated centre for high speed rail technologies.

Aviation Industry

• Flybe gives profit warning on increased maintenance costsUK-based regional airline Flybe has warned that its interim profits will be lower than expected, following an unexpected rise in maintenance costs in the first half of its financial year. read more
• Airbus, Boeing in heated competition for big Delta narrowbody order Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the airline will likely make a decision within the next 6-12 months on a “significant orderâ€� for either the Airbus A320neo or Boeing 737 MAX. read more

Other News Sources

• Aerospace Integration Research Centre officially opened at CranfieldThe £35m Aerospace Integration Research Centre (AIRC) has been officially opened at Cranfield University. The new facility has been co-funded by Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Cranfield University, plus the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). According to Cranfield, the Centre will conduct research into ways of integrating advanced technologies to reduce the time from academic […] The post Aerospace Integration Research Centre officially opened at Cranfield appeared first on The Engineer.
• Has new link road made this brook run dry? A CONSERVATIONIST has raised serious concerns that the development of the new City Link Road has resulted in the Eign Brook running dry.
• These are the specially designed trains which will travel 'twice around the world' to clear leaves and debris from the South Western Railway network this autumn The special leaf and debris busting trains will be in use day and night for the next three months to clean SWR routes in and around Surrey