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

Friday, 16 March 2018

BBC News

• Bus drivers in Aberdeen begin strike action over payAn overtime ban and several days of walkouts are planned by First Aberdeen bus drivers who are members of Unite.
• Chris Grayling: No post-Brexit lorry checks at DoverThe transport secretary says the UK will not
• Liverpool Lime Street station to stay open during refurbishmentNetwork Rail now says some train services will run
• MPs warn of 'poisonous air' emergency costing £20bn a yearPetrol and diesel cars must be phased out earlier than the 2040 target, Commons committees say.
• Airbus warns over GKN takeover bidThe planemaker says a takeover would make it almost

Financial Times

• Lufthansa boss cautious as he delivers best resultsAirline warns earnings likely to slip this year as higher fuel costs weigh on group
• Virgin Atlantic makes first loss in 4 yearsAirline hit by problems with Rolls-Royce engines and weak pound

The Guardian

• London tourism flatlined in 2017 due to terror fears, rail issues and costNorthern Ireland and Scotland saw big increases, according to figures from Association of Leading Visitor Attractions

The Herald

• Will tram track revamp save lives - you decideNEW traffic signals which give cyclists a head-start ahead of other traffic are planned under the latest moves to tackle safety on Edinburgh's tram route.

The Telegraph

• Macron faces fury of French pensioners as rail unions threaten 'weeks of strikes' over reforms
• Miami bridge collapse: Four dead as new pedestrian crossing at Florida university crushes cars below

Times Online

• Uber releases passenger travel information to soft soap TfL [Subscription]Journeys made by millions of Uber passengers in Britain will be published online for the first time under plans to cut congestion on city streets.
• Oxford by cable car to tackle traffic [Subscription]It is known for its dreaming spires but Oxford may be about to get a new addition to its famous skyline.

City AM

• Mitie boss says Carillion collapse raises "fundamental questions" about the outsourcing industryMitie's boss said today the liquidation of Carillion raised "fundamental questions about the outsourcing industry".
• London mayor and TfL have just confirmed fares for the Elizabeth Line ahead of December launchTransport for London (TfL) and mayor Sadiq Khan have confirmed the fares for the highly anticipated Elizabeth Line ahead of the £14.8bn project's launch in December.

Daily Record

• Glasgow Prestwick Airport one small step closer to becoming Europe's first spaceport The Scottish airbase could the first UK launch pad for companies heading for the final frontier after the Space Industry Bill was given Royal Assent today.

London Evening Standard

• Mayor launches new interactive tool to reveal the capital's busiest Tube line and how many others share your commuteThe busiest Tube journeys in London have been revealed, with new data showing that more than 20,000 commuters make the same journey to work every day.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Nomad Digital makes £11.4m loss after being hit by takeover costsTrain wi-fi firm Nomad Digital has seen its losses grow to £11.4m after the company was hit by huge restructuring costs relating to its takeover.

Yorkshire Post

• Halifax railway station could undergo multi-million pound regeneration A multi-million pound transformation of Halifax Railway Station could get the green light by Calderdale Council on Monday.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Clacton rail line shut until Monday after landslip severs routeThe railway line from Colchester to Clacton and Walton-on-the-Naze will be closed until the start of next week as Network Rail engineers struggle to repair a landslip.

Other Regional Press

• Multi-billion pound investment plans for railway route through South DorsetBillions of pounds are set to be invested to enhance the region’s rail network.
• First glimpse of a radical new look for Halifax railway stationIf all goes to plan work will start in just three years as the station sees more and more people using it 

Buying Business Travel

• Newcastle airport to install ePassport gatesNew arrivals area to open this summer

Coach and Bus Week

• DfT commits to improving wheelchair access to busesStakeholder group calls on Government to give drivers powers to remove a passenger from the bus if they refuse to vacate a wheelchair space

New Civil Engineer

• Network Rail fined £733,000 for derailment after 'failure to remedy ongoing fault'It was also ordered to pay costs of £70,000 at Bristol Crown Court for failing to undertake adequate maintenance to prevent the derailment near Gloucester in October 2013.

Rail Technology Magazine

• RAIB to investigate after train stranded in sub-zero conditionsThe Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has announced its intention to investigate incidents earlier this month which saw trains stranded in freezing conditions in London. One such incident occurred on 2 March when a Southeastern train was stranded in Lewisham, with some passengers...
• Multimillion pound Alloa line electrification works beginMajor upgrade work on the Sterling-Alloa route is set to begin this weekend. Hundreds of engineers will work over 16,000 hours during the four-week works to deliver a multimillion pound upgrade to prepare the Alloa line for electrification. The work forms part of the Scottish government-funded...
• Lime Street services to make temporary comeback this summerNetwork Rail has confirmed that it will continue to run a number of train services in and out of Liverpool Lime Street station during this summer’s upgrade works. The majority of services will start and end at Liverpool South Parkway so that passengers can travel into the centre of...
• NR warns suppliers not to get left behindNetwork Rail is warning suppliers to act now or risk being locked out of the rail market. With less than 50 days until the enhanced Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) goes live, the infrastructure manager has told its supply train to sign in to the new RISQS portal and check...
• Network Rail sees more than £200m in retail sales in Q4 2017Retail sales at Network Rail managed stations grew by 3.5% in the final quarter of 2017, it was revealed today. Between April and December 2017 over 630 million people travelled through or visited Network Rail managed stations, spending more than £594m in its retail stores. The...

Railnews

• ˜Stark reminder™ after HGV bridge bash closed line The Whitby branch is expected to reopen tomorrow (Friday) after a bridge on the line was damaged by a high goods vehicle. A skip wagon struck the bridge at the bottom of Langburn™s Bank, close to Castleton Moor, on Monday. Network Rail said the structure was struck ˜with such force™ that the girders were deflected and the track itself was dislodged.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Widespread coach electrification still a way off?Neither Daimler nor MAN looking at e-coaches, but short-distance zero-emission capability more likely

Aviation Industry

• European airports align to support safety improvement programsA dozen European airports joined forces to support surface movement safety improvement pro-grams under the European Union’s project in air traffic management modernization, SESAR. read more
• Virgin Atlantic Cargo revenue up 9% on online shopping, pharmaceuticalsVirgin Atlantic Cargo said its 2017 volumes reached a five-year high and revenues rose 9% to £199.6 million ($279 million), driven by strong growth in shipments of pharmaceuticals and e-commerce goods. read more
• Air France-KLM CEO: Group must adapt to fast-changing environmentAir France-KLM CEO Jean-Marc Janaillac said the group must respond further to a fast-changing air transport environment to be more competitive. read more
• Airbus expresses concerns over possible GKN takeover Airbus, the largest single customer for Tier One aerostructures company GKN, has said it would be “practically impossibleâ€� for it to give new work to the UK company if the latter’s ownership model was to change. read more

Green Miscellany

• HGVs in bus lanesBus lanes can get pretty crowded these days. As well as buses of all sizes, they can now find themselves home to taxis, motorcycles, mopeds, scooters and tricycles (non-motorised and motorised). Oh, and in amongst all that lot, bicycles are permitted to use them as a refuge of sorts. With all this in mind, news comes that HGVs in Wales… The post HGVs in bus lanes appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Heathrow pays shareholders more than it invests in the last four yearsHeathrow pays £3.1bn of dividends to investors in the last 4 years, more than it invested in the airport
• Scotrail boost cycle spaces at Falkirk HighMore bike spaces are being made available at Falkirk High rail station, as part of a nation-wide programme.
• Bombardier secures contract extension to maintain trains for London OvergroundBombardier Transportation has been awarded a seven year contract extension by TfL to service Electrostar trains operating on the London Overground network.