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

Friday, 02 March 2018

BBC News

• Siemens train factory plant planned in GoolePlans for a £200m rail factory creating 700 jobs in East Yorkshire have been announced.
• Southeastern rail commuters cramped as services cancelledPassengers faced delays after Southeastern closed up to 50 stations as bad weather was forecast.

Financial Times

• Carillion papers reveal ‘pervasive failings’EY board presentation highlighted a lack of professionalism and expertise
• Brazil’s lawmakers back looser rules for UberEarlier proposals would have upended car-booking apps in region’s largest country

The Guardian

• Private equity firms among bidders for Network Rail property businessBlackstone and Terra Firma understood to be tabling bids in sale that campaigners claim will leave ‘gaping hole’ in infrastructure budget

The Herald

• Rise in air travel 'makes mockery' of Ryanair's tax cut claims FIGURES showing a boom in air travel “make a mockeryâ€� of Ryanair’s claim it was forced to close its Glasgow Airport base due to high taxes, critics have said.
• Bus usage falls as ‘price rises and route cuts force Scots on to roads’Buses are a big part of the solution to pollution crisis

Times Online

• Relief for passengers as train station toilet charges are scrapped [Subscription]Charges of up to 50p to use toilets in mainline rail terminals will be scrapped next year. Passengers have expressed anger at the fees, which yielded £20.3million for Network Rail between 2013/14 and 2016/17. Last year the infrastructure company made £4.8 million from its toilets, with London Victoria station generating £911,528.
• Sturgeon: Lorries stranded on M80 defied weather warnings [Subscription]Nicola Sturgeon has partly blamed hauliers and heavy goods drivers for the overnight logjam on the M80 that trapped hundreds of motorists in sub-zero temperatures.
• Siemens vow to build UK rail factory [subscription]Siemens is to open Britain’s third train manufacturing plant — if it wins multibillion-pound rolling stock orders for either HS2 or London Undergound.

City AM

• Guy Hands' Terra Firma is set to battle with buyout behemoths for Network Rail propertiesGuy Hands, one of the UK's most well-known buyout firm bosses, is set to make a £1bn swoop for Network Rail's commercial property portfolio.

Daily Record

• Stranded passengers face second night stay at Glasgow Airport as travel whiteout continues Treacherous conditions closed the airport on Wednesday and all flights have been cancelled until Friday morning at the earliest.

Mail Online

• Airports, train stations and motorways grind to a halt As freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall continue to blight Britain, commuters face another day of disruption. Here are some of the latest reported issues.
• Rrailways chief scraps station toilet charges across the UK Passengers have been forced to pay between 30p and 50p for using the toilet in a number of the UK's main stations in recent years but as of next year toilets will be free to use in mainline rail terminals.

The Mirror

• Freezing passengers sleep in luggage racks OVERNIGHT on train stranded in snow that set off 15 hours ago Around 100 travellers are said to be trapped on a South Western Railway service, which left Waterloo at 5.35pm yesterday to Bournemouth

Belfast Telegraph

• Plan for Siemens train factory could mean 700 new skilled jobsThe German firm says it has secured a site in Goole and plans to establish a major new plant to manufacture and commission trains in a move which “has the potential to have a tremendous impact on the Yorkshire economy and the North of England as a whole”.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New trains for Bradford planned under doomed East Coast franchise 'will be delivered', Transport Secretary says A BOOST in the number of direct trains between Bradford and London will still go ahead, despite the collapse of the East Coast franchise, Parliament has been told.
• Frozen brakes causes train delay for commuters A BROKEN down train caused commuter problems in the district this afternoon. A spokesman for train operator Northern said the 16.38 train from Leeds to Bradford Forster Square terminated at Shipley because the brakes had stuck.

London Evening Standard

• First glimpse inside 'biggest and best' Elizabeth line station at Canary Wharf as it nears completionThese pictures deliver a first glimpse inside the Elizabeth Line station at Canary Wharf, described as the "biggest and best" in the vast London infrastructure project.
• Train passengers near Bournemouth stranded ALL NIGHT as freezing weather causes travel chaosAround 100 people were stranded all night in freezing temperatures on board a train heading to Bournemouth from Waterloo as services to the south west were crippled by the UK's big freeze.
• Storm Emma UK latest: Thousands trapped on frozen roads as snow blizzards trigger major rescue operationsRescue operations have been launched across the UK after thousands of drivers became stranded on frozen roads in the middle of Storm Emma.

Manchester Evening News

• Video shows skilled pilots landing in 77mph winds at Manchester Airport as Storm Emma gripped region It gave passengers a rocky ride - on the flights that weren't cancelled

Wales Online

• Arriva Trains Wales cancels all services in southern part of the network Trains are expected not to be running until at least lunchtime on Friday

Yorkshire Post

• Siemens unveils plans for £200m Yorkshire factory that could create 1,700 new jobsA £200m state-of-the-art train factory is to be built in Yorkshire in a move which is anticipated to create 1,700 jobs.

Other Regional Press

• Oxford Bus Company driver wins award for top customer serviceCOACH driver Geoff High was stunned when his name was called out at Oxford Bus Company’s awards night.
• M62 remains closed as drivers trapped in HGVs for more than 19 hours The motorway is closed in both directions between junctions junction 20-22 Eastbound and junction 21-24 Westbound
• Siemens plans new £200m rail factory creating up to 700 jobs near HullThe industry giant has agreed to develop a 67-acre site for train manufacturing just 35 minutes from Hull

Train Operators

• Passengers advised to plan ahead as next phase of multi-million pound upgrade to railway in Leicestershire beginsThe Market Harborough Line Speed Improvement Programme is a key part of a wider upgrade to the Midland Main Line, which runs from St Pancras to Sheffield and the work taking place at the station will see new track and ballast installed, as well as work to the signalling.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Down by the seasideWhile most coach operators take their customers into seaside towns, Weymouth-based Bluebird Coaches has built a business taking them elsewhere. Mark Williams pays them a visit, and finds out how they’ve developed
• Government responds to Section 19/22 reportUK government has stated its support of community transport in its response to the Transport Select Committee’s report into the area. In the response to the report, the government said that within the existing legal framework, the government wants as many community transport providers as possible to continue to operate, and retain, service provision for vulnerable community transport passengers.

Coach and Bus Week

• Bus18 highlights achievements as it reaches first birthdayThe West Yorkshire partnership between First, Transdev, Arriva and WYCA is stated to be a great success, introducing a successful multi-operator smartcard, new measures to tackle congestion and £23.5m of new buses
• First look at Harrogate’s electricsIn this sneak preview one of eight new Volvo 7900E electric buses for Harrogate is seen at the manufacturer’s Wroclaw plant in Poland.
• FirstGroup to lead consortium delivering first autonomous trial on public roadsThe first use of fully Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) on public roads is set to take place in Oxfordshire, following the announcement of government funding into a trial project.
• Uno orders new MCV Volvo single-decker fleet for HertfordshireUno Bus has purchased six new MCV eVoRa-bodied Volvo B8RLE single-decker buses as a part of a planned fleet upgrade on its Hertfordshire bus network.
• TfGM could gain powers to ban anti-social passengers from networkA request to give Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) greater powers to prevent anti-social behaviour on the region’s transport network through civil injunctions has been made.
• First Luxembourg electric CiteasVDL delivers inaugural electric Citeas for one of Europe’s smallest countries
• Dublin coach & bus show 2018 launchedIreland’s Coach Tourism & Transport Council (CTTC) last week launched its 10th bi-annual Coach and Bus Show. Sponsored by Campion Insurance, An Taoiseach and Leo Varadkar announced the event at Government Buildings in Dublin.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Vivarail to supply three D-Trains to West Midlands TrainsVivarail has today announced that it has entered an agreement with West Midlands trains to build three new Class 230 D-Trains for the Marston Vale Line between Bedford and Bletchley. West Midlands Trains is the first franchise to have made an order for the rolling stock, which are expected to...
• Khan asserts commitment to West London Overground extension in transport strategyMayor of London Sadiq Khan has this week reasserted his commitment to a West London Orbital rail line as he announced his transport strategy for the next 25 years. The announcement follows a draft plan being submitted in June this year, and after 6,500 responses to the public, the mayor has...
• UK Government takes major step towards Welsh rail devolutionThe Welsh Government has taken a huge step towards devolved control over the railways after a new bill was put in front of Whitehall ministers this week. The process would see the National Assembly given new powers to oversee the Wales and Borders franchise. These plans also include provisions...

Railway Gazette

• Railway supply industry news round-upRolls-Royce’s MTU business has announced an agreement for it to be the exclusive supplier of diesel...
• Electrification envisaged in Ireland's 10-year transport plan IRELAND: Suburban electrification, main line upgrading and new rolling stock are among the...
• D-Trains ordered for Bedford – Bletchley UK: Vivarail has reached an agreement to supply three two-car Class 230 D-Train diesel-electric...

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• New £7.2m fleet of 41 for south coastGo-Ahead owned Morebus has unveiled its £7.2m fleet of 41 Alexander Dennis E200 MMC buses for its 24-hour M1 and M2 services between Bournemouth and Poole.

Aviation Industry

• Higher fuel prices contribute to Aeroflot Group’s 41% net profit loss in 2017Aeroflot Group reported a 2017 net income of RUB23 billion ($399 million), down 40.6% from RUB38.8 billion for 2016, which the Russian flag carrier attributed to higher oil prices and foreign exchange losses. read more

Other News Sources

• South Western Railway commuter launches petition asking government to revoke company's franchiseSouth Western Railway has been criticised for poor performance since taking over the franchise in August 2017
• Brighton MP Caroline Lucas calls for refunds and free travel during rail worksAN MP has demanded that commuters be compensated for serious disruptions they will face as part of a £300 million railway improvements scheme.