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

Wednesday, 14 March 2018

BBC News

• No decision taken on electric trains for Ebbw Vale and MaestegBut Carwyn Jones says Ebbw Vale and Maesteg will enjoy better services under Metro plan.
• London app-based bus service 'poorly thought through'Chariot is a new bus company that picks up passengers from
• Millennial railcards sold out despite technical problemsDemand for the new millennial railcard crashed the website on the first day of nationwide sales.
• Cathay Pacific in its first back-to-back loss in 71 yearsThe airline is facing tough competition from low-cost Chinese carriers and was hurt by higher fuel prices.

Financial Times

• Uber effect: technology opens road to navigating São Paulo gridlockRide-hailing apps say they have increased mobility

The Guardian

• Third Heathrow runway would be bad for the whole UKTaxpayers everywhere – including those living hundreds of miles away from the south-east – will all pay for the expansion, write local MPs, lords and council leaders
• Dog dies on United Airlines flight after being forced into overhead lockerAirline has apologised after puppy perished when flight attendant insisted it be kept in overhead storage for three-and-a-half hoursA dog has died on a United Airlines flight after an attendant forced the animal’s owner to put the pet in the cabin’s overhead bin. The airline said it was taking full responsibility. On United Flight 1284 from Houston to New York on Monday, a woman who was flying with children and a small dog was pressured by a flight attendant to put her dog in overhead storage during the three-and-a-half-hour flight. Continue reading...
• UK holiday firms urged to warn about risk of post-Brexit disruptionFlights to EU after March 2019 at risk if no aviation deal in place, says consumer group Which?Holidaymakers are not being adequately informed of the risks that Brexit could pose to their plans when booking, the consumer group Which? has warned.With several of the UK's biggest tour operators selling holidays for 2019, Which? said customers should be told of the possibility of flight disruption, and what compensation could be paid.

The Telegraph

• Rail company pays hundreds over 'continual' delays as others could follow suit
• Millennial railcard chaos as site crashes and only 10,000 available 

Times Online

• Buying millennial railcard ‘harder than getting Glastonbury tickets’ [Subscription]The launch of a new millennial railcard was branded a “shambles” today after the website selling the tickets crashed due to high demand.
• Tram boss ‘paid out huge bonuses years before deals were fulfilled’ [Subscription]The former head of Edinburgh’s tram company devised an unusual bonus scheme based on results that paid out huge rewards years before the new transport system was completed, a public inquiry has been told.

City AM

• Volkswagen's CEO Matthias Müller took home €10.14m in 2017 despite boardroom pay curbsVolkswagen's (VW) CEO Matthias Müller took home €10.14m in 2017, a near 40 per cent increase in what he was paid the previous year.
• TfL's fares income from the Tube is down £89m so far this year due to fewer passenger journeys than expectedTransport for London (TfL) is continuing to battle the impact of an unexpected dip in passenger numbers, with both rail and London Underground fare income lower than expected for the year so far.
• The number of electric vehicles on the UK's roads could power 300,000 homesThe number of electric vehicles currently on the streets in the UK could produce enough energy to power more than 300,000 homes, according to new research.
• Balfour Beatty reports steep rise in profits to stay "on track" for industry-standard marginsEngineering firm Balfour Beatty has reported a surge in profits for 2017, noting a boost from selling two stakes in the company that operates the M25.

Network Rail

• New alliances to be formed as £5bn railway track work tender issuedThe infrastructure company, which owns, manages and develops Britain’s railway, has begun the process to let the next generation of track infrastructure contracts.

Birmingham Post

• Major rail disruption at Easter as trains between Birmingham New Street and London Euston cancelled Rail bosses warn travel will be 'particularly difficult' on Easter Sunday

Liverpool Echo

• Have Merseyrail just threatened to remove striking guards' jobs guarantee?On the anniversary of the union dispute - Merseyrail have been accused of 'veiled threats' and 'bullying'

London Evening Standard

• TfL fares income 'to fall by £89m' as number of Tube passengers dropsThe number of passengers using the Tube has continued to fall behind predictions, Transport for London admitted today.
• Tube flasher banned from London Underground network after exposing himself to women on the Central LineA sex attacker has been banned from the London Underground and DLR network after admitting to flashing and rubbing himself against women on the Tube.
• Dog dies on United Airlines flight after owner forced to put it in overhead compartmentA family's dog died on a plane after a flight attendant demanded they put it in the overhead locker for the entire three-hour journey.
• Millennials left baffled by Virgin Trains bizarre avocado offer Virgin Trains has been bombarded with questions over its one-week offer to millennials to have a third of their rail fares slashed - if they "present an avocado".

Northern Echo

• Mothballed railway lines at Leamside and Stillington on the agenda at campaign group meetingTHE possibility of the mothballed Stillington and Leamside lines being re-instated for passenger use will be on the agenda at a public meeting of Railfuture North-East.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• North-east bus routes face the axe as Aberdeenshire Council cuts funding
• North-east bus routes face the axe as Aberdeenshire Council cuts funding

The York Press

• Grand Central’s plan for additional servicesYORK headquartered train operator Grand Central is in talks to operate additional daily services in a move that will see 1,600 extra daily seats to or from London.

Wales Online

• Trains, buses, bikes, taxis and people: This is Port Talbot's new £5.6m transport hub It's the future of transport in Port Talbot, now

Crewe Chronicle

• Council leader hails Crewe HS2 Hub as "whole new chapter" for the region Cllr Rachel Bailey says that clarity from the Government on their support for a Crewe HS2 Hub has given a "real boost" to the Constellation Partnership - a 25 year regeneration programme for the region

Get West London

• Labour MPs attend pro-Heathrow expansion reception as opposition party likely to side with Tories on expansionA pro- Heathrow expansion reception attended by 30 Labour MPs in Parliament has sparked fears the third runway would pass if MPs were given a vote.

Kent Online

• Kent County Council u-turn on bus cutsKent County Council has performed a u-turn on plans to cut dozens of bus routes that would have saved the council £4m over two years.

Other Regional Press

• Crack job: Last-minute repairs to pothole-hit Portsmouth bus hub ahead of minister visit Read more at: https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/travel/crack-job-last-minute-repairs-to-pothole-hit-portsmouth-bus-hub-ahead-of-minister-visit-1-8414346LAST-MINUTE repairs were yesterday being made to a multimillion-pound transport hub – just days before a top minister officially opens it....
• ScotRail’s cut in stop-skipping in Fife still not good enough, says MSPHowever, the organisation revealed 138 scheduled station stops were still missed in the four-week period to March 3, a situation branded frustrating by Labour MSP Claire Baker.
• Detested Pacer trains set to be axed from the Huddersfield-Sheffield lineThose detested Pacer trains may be on the way out – but what’s going to replace them on the Huddersfield-Sheffield line?
• You'll never guess which West Yorkshire area is one of Europe's best for roads We'll give you a clue ... it's not Leeds
• 'Cuts to roads policing will put public at risk' PEOPLE across the Thames Valley will be put at risk if roads police funding is cut, it has been warned.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• TfL budget shows progress to achieving operating surplus by 2021/22Transport for London (TfL) has published its draft budget for 2018/19, which describes the transport improvements that will be delivered for London in the first year of its latest five- year Business Plan.  The Business Plan, published in December last year, set out a fully funded plan for delivering the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, including investing record amounts in public transport and prioritising safer and less polluted streets, with an unprecedented focus on walking and cycling over the next five years. The 2018/19 budget being published today details how TfL will work to ach...

Construction News

• Network Rail to trigger £525m framework extensionsNetwork Rail has revealed plans to extend 16 of its long-term construction deals by an extra two years, with the extensions set to be worth up to £525m.

The Business Desk

• Crewe hub announcement will see Constellation surgeThe leader of Cheshire East Council and member of the Constellation Partnership has said that clarity from Government over plans for the Crewe HS2 hub has given the 25-year regeneration programme a real boost.
• £15bn boost for Northern economy if Bradford secures Northern Powerhouse Rail stationThe North’s economy could benefit by up to £15bn in additional GVA by 2060 through a Northern Powerhouse Rail station in Bradford city centre, it has been revealed.

Aviation Industry

• Austrian Airlines completes premium economy roll-outLufthansa Group subsidiary Austrian Airlines has finished installing premium economy seats on its 11 long-haul aircraft, as part of a €15 million ($18.5 million) investment. read more
• British Airways expands biometric boarding technology British Airways (BA) is trialing biometric technology to speed up boarding and arrivals processes in US airports at Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. read more

Other News Sources

• Is Heathrow’s Third Runway The Right Option?London is one of the busiest cities in the world. With a population of almost 9 million and an annual tourist influx of almost 32 million, it’s safe to say that the Big Smoke’s airports, which include Heathrow, Luton, Stansted and Gatwick, are a never ending hive of activity.
• BRADFORD NPR STATION COULD PROVIDE £15BN BOOST - RESEARCHA new Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) station in Bradford city centre could provide a £15bn boost to the economy, according to new research.
• Preston to Blackpool line set to be ‘energised’ next month with new overhead wire system Lancashire’s railway is all set to be “energised” around April 14 as upgrades to the Preston to Blackpool line remain on track.