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

Friday, 15 November 2019

BBC News

• HS2: Five other giant projects facing big delaysThe rail scheme faces huge cost overruns, but it's not the only big project behind schedule and over budget.
• West Midlands Railway changes aim to simplify timetableA new train timetable set to be introduced next month should reduce delays and cancellations, a train operator has said.
• LNER delays after trains crash at Leeds depotCommuters faced delays when a train derailed in Leeds following a crash. An investigation is under way into what caused the "very low-speed" crash at the Neville Hill depot on Wednesday night.
• Northern: Under half of train services run on timeFewer than half of Northern rail services ran on time over the last month, the firm's latest figures have shown.
• Cashless payments overtake cash on FirstGroup busesMore passengers paid with contactless and mobile apps rather than cash on local bus routes for the first time in FirstGroup's history, the company has said.

Financial Times

• Tories pledge £500m towards reversing Beeching rail cutsFund to help reopen lines in ‘left behind’ areas in north and Midlands
• £400m unclaimed on Transport for London Oyster cardsAmount left on cards soars after the launch of contactless payments

The Independent

• McLaren Elva: New car has no roof or windscreen and uses air insteadCar creates a 'bubble of calm' by shaping air around it, manufacturers say
• Eurostar pledges to plant a tree for every train from next yearEurostar is marking 25 years since it started running passenger trains from London via the Channel Tunnel to Paris by strengthening its environmental commitments.

Times Online

• Congestion increases daily commuting times [subscription]The daily commute has got five minutes longer over the past decade because there are more cars on the road and trains are overcrowded.
• First Group is hobbled by £124m charge at Greyhound buses [subscription]Losses at First Group have widened after it booked a £124 million charge on the struggling American coach service that it is seeking to offload.
• Train companies handed £400m of taxpayers’ cash [subscription]Taxpayers had to fork out more than £400 million to prop up loss-making train companies last year, renewing calls to renationalise the railways.
• Boris Johnson vows new life for high streets and axed rail lines [subscription]Boris Johnson is promising to revitalise “left behind” high streets through tax cuts for pubs and shops and reversing some of the Beeching rail cuts to branch lines.

City AM

• First Group shares sink as losses widen after Greyhound chargeFirst Group’s share price sank today as it fell to a £187m half-year loss as transport charges hobbled the firm while doubts weigh over the future of its West Coast Rail franchise.
• Daimler to cut thousands of managers to pay for electric carsDaimler, the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars, will cut a tenth of all its manager-level workers across the globe, in a bid to slash €1.4bn worth of personnel costs.

i News

• General election 2019: Towns stranded by 1960s railway cuts 'will be reconnected' under a £500m planCommuters in the North, however, might suggest that the money would be better spent improving the creaking Northern Rail system

The Mirror

• Qantas' London to Sydney flight sets record for world's longest non-stop journeyPassengers saw two sunrises - one in Europe and one in Asia - as the Qantas Dreamliner flew non-stop from London Heathrow to Sydney with just 50 people on board the test flight

Labour Party

• Tories to reverse Beeching cuts to reinstate local railway lines – Andy McDonald respondsAndy McDonald, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, responding to the news that the Tories will reverse Beeching cuts to reinstate local railway lines, said:

Belfast Telegraph

• Wrightbus hiring 200 staff as rebuilding drive kicks into actionThe new owner of Wrightbus has confirmed it is hiring 200 staff but admitted it would not reach former workforce numbers in the near future.

Birmingham Mail

• Qantas jet arrives in Sydney after non-stop 19-hour flight from LondonThe Australian airline's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is believed to have set a long-distance record for a passenger jet after leaving Heathrow at 6am on Thursday

London Evening Standard

• Qantas flight lands after non-stop journey from London to SydneyA non-stop flight from London to Sydney has landed, 19 hours and 19 minutes after take-off.
• TfL Tube strikes: Union bosses order 24-hour strike on the Victoria line and warn more walkouts possible over ChristmasTube union leaders today ordered a 24-hour strike on the Victoria line and threatened more to come in the run-up to Christmas.

Manchester Evening News

• Chaotic rush hour scenes at jam-packed Manchester Victoria station... one person's 30-minute commute took 'three hours'There was rush-hour chaos at one of Manchester's main train stations tonight after signalling issues caused widespread delays.

Yorkshire Post

• Organic growth and acquisitions drive profits at TracsisTracsis, the software company that works to ensure trains run on time, announced a big jump in annual revenue and said it has seen good organic growth and growth from its latest acquisitions.

Plymouth Herald

• Tamar Bridge and the Torpoint Ferry toll prices to riseThe new prices will be implemented this month

Sunderland Echo

• Metro drivers reject 15% pay rise offer from Nexus to give them £46,000 a year and threaten industrial action as unions call for pay equality with mainline train driversThe organisation which owns and manages the Metro system has said it is “astonished” drivers in two unions have decided to shun a 15% pay rise offer.

Other Regional Press

• Leeds Bradford Airport has this amazing work experience opportunity for teenagersSee what goes on in air traffic control, next to the runway and in other parts of the airport
• CalMac tackling ferry issues on the West CoastStaff are working round the clock to get Scotland’s West Coast ferry service back to normal, according to CalMac boss Robbie Drummond.
• Is Donington on track to have a railway station? Hundreds of new homes and boosted tourism from the homecoming of Matthew Flinders were suggested as reasons to support a railway station opening in Donington.

Coach and Bus Week

• Volvo to launch double-decker coachVolvo Buses has announced that it will launch a new express coach to supplement its latest 9000 range. The new arrival will be a double-decker with a body built by Carrus Delta OY of Finland.
• CPT and bus operators set out priorities for the next government“We want to hear parties talking about their plans for buses and the millions of people who use them each day,” Graham Vidler comments
• Sampling Oxford bus services with SmartzoneOxford’s bus network is extensive and is operated by Stagecoach in Oxfordshire and Oxford Bus Company, along with subsidiary Thames Travel. One ticket option that makes it easy to around the city is the multi-operator Smartzone product. Richard Sharman visited Oxford to see just how flexible Smartzone is
• Wrightbus begins recruitment driveWrightbus has announced it has begun recruiting staff again, following the acquisition by Bamford Bus Company last month. Local recruitment agencies Grafton and Industrial Temps have been appointed to assist in the speed of the process, moving to a comprehensive recruitment campaign for permanent contracts.

Rail Technology Magazine

• RIA launch RAIL 2050 Manifesto ahead of general election Railway Industry Association (RIA) has launched the Rail 2050 Manifesto, informing parties in the upcoming election of what the rail industry needs to thrive and develop long term. The report outlines the next 30 years in the rail industry and calls on any future government to provide a number...
• Eurostar celebrates 25th birthday with first plastics-free trainToday (14 Nov) is the 25th anniversary of the Eurostar train, the high-speed service linking the south of England with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The service has carried over 200 million passengers since its launch in 1994. To celebrate the quarter of a century, Eurostar has committed...
• Maximising efficiency requires investment in data, but it's rewards for rail could be extensiveRail Technology Magazine's Matt Roberts explains the significant role data can play within the future development of the rail industry.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Bristol City Council approves CAZ plansBristol City Council’s Cabinet has approved a plan for a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) which has now been submitted to government.
• Purple Tuesday supported by Go-Ahead companiesBrighton and Hove and Metrobus supported the international Purple Tuesday on 12 November by offering disabled concessionary card holders free travel for a ‘plus one’ of their choice.
• Stagecoach environmental impact continues to dropStagecoach has announced a major reduction in its corporate environmental impact as it works to develop a sustainability strategy for 2020 and beyond in partnership with the Carbon Trust.
• First Cymru receives £20,600 penaltyFailures to operate several local services in accordance with timetables has resulted in First Cymru Buses being ordered to pay a penalty of £20,600 by Deputy Traffic Commissioner (DTC) Anthony Seculer at a Swansea Public Inquiry (PI).

Aviation Industry

• Eurocontrol tests wake turbulence separation planA smarter way to address wake turbulence separation can increase runway capacity, tests conducted by Eurocontrol—the Brussels-based organization in charge of air traffic management (ATM) in Europe—and Lufthansa Aviation Training have shown. read more
• CAE creates white-tail MAX simulators for training demandPilot training specialist CAE sees enough pent-up demand for Boeing 737 MAX training that the Canadian company has created an unspecified number of unsold “white tailâ€� simulators, executives revealed Nov. 13. read more

Other News Sources

• Columbia Threadneedle and Brittany buy Channel Islands ferry companyColumbia Threadneedle Investments has partnered with French ferry operator Brittany Ferries to buy a Channel Islands ferry company from a Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets fund.
• New plan to complete Elizabeth LineA new plan to complete the outstanding works and bring the Elizabeth Line into passenger service at the earliest possible date has been developed by the new Crossrail team.