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

Thursday, 10 July 2014

BBC News

• Threat to over 60s' free transportFunding towards free public transport for people over 60 is under threat, according to Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy.
• Device check advice for any UK flightAll passengers flying into or out of the UK are advised to make sure electronic and electrical devices carried as hand luggage are charged before they travel.
• Plans unveiled for London junctionFirst plans are revealed for changes to a road junction in south London branded
• Bentley set for record sales in 2014Luxury carmaker Bentley says it is on course for record sales in 2014 after a 23% increase in deliveries in the first half of the year.

Financial Times

• Lufthansa eyes low-cost long-haul serviceGerman carrier considering an intercontinental service as part of an overhaul to head off competition from low-cost and Middle Eastern airlines
• Stagecoach warns on Labour rail reformTransport companies will be deterred from bidding for rail franchises if a future Labour government part-nationalises the network, the industry says

The Guardian

• Electric Boris cars are coming to London how do they work in Paris?When the electric car-sharing scheme Autolib launched in the French capital, staff were advised to expect a complete disaster. Three years and 30m miles later, the biggest concern is pigeons

The Herald

• Car use flat despite drop in fuel priceFALLING petrol prices are failing to kick-start more car use, according to an AA/Populus survey.
• Factfile Hiring a bikeMORE than 3000 people have signed up to use Glasgow's Mass Automated Cycle Hire scheme since its launch last month.
• City cycle scheme overtakes Boris bikes in first fortnightGLASGOW'S new hire cycles are being used more frequently than London's famous Boris bikes, according to figures from the company behind the scheme.
• Anti-terror warning to flyers on mobile phone useHolidaymakers could be forced to ditch electronic devices or pay to have them posted on separately under anti-terror ­measures at airports.
• West Coast rail line miseryPASSENGERS using the West Coast Main Line faced hours of delays last night after significant damage to ­overhead power cables near the ­­ Border led to the cancellation of all services north of Carlisle.

The Independent

• Uncharged electronic devices Q&A: How UK airport security changes to smartphones and tablets will affect you As the summer holiday rush gets under way, aviation security is tightening. Just as transatlantic travellers from Britain were getting used to new rules on electronic equipment for flights to the US, the Department for Transport has announced that passengers flying to and from the UK must be ready to power up devices, from mobile phones to laptop computers – or see them banned from the cabin.
• Two people killed by freight train near Lincoln Two people have been killed by a freight train at a level crossing outside Lincoln city centre.

The Scotsman

• Airlines to pay for return of phones surrenderedTHE UK’S two major trans-atlantic carriers British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will foot the bill for sending on any uncharged mobiles or laptops as air security is ramped up amid fears of a terror attack.

The Telegraph

• Elderly couple die after 'deliberately' stepping in front of freight trainA man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s, both from Lincoln, killed after stepping onto the tracks at an unmanned level crossing
• Airport security: budget airlines 'not imposing new checks'Confusion reigns over new security checks on electrical items as budget carriers say their vast array of destinations is not affected

Daily Express

• Elderly couple killed by Lincolnshire train ‘may have had suicide pact’AN elderly couple died yesterday after being struck by a 60mph freight train in an apparent suicide pact.

Mail Online

• More than 260 aircraft have been involved in near misses above Britain in the past 18 months In the wake of the terrifying near miss at Barcelona Airport this week, new figures show there were 260 aircraft involved in near misses over Britain recently.
• China flattens mountain for £80m Hechi airport with nail-bitingly terrifying runway Engineers managed to slice off the mountain tops in Hechi to create a 1.4-mile runway that will provide a spectacular panorama for arriving passengers.
• Two people dead after being struck by freight train at level crossing in Lincolnshire The incident happened just before midday at the footpath near a level crossing in the village of Cherry Willingham in Lincolnshire.
• Applying for a bus pass? Why not agree to be an organ donor: Minister's plan to get more to sign up The government plans to extend the initiative, which asks drivers if they want to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register to people applying for bus passes or paying council tax.
• Bentley on course for record year after sales soar in China The luxury car maker based in Crewe, Cheshire has had its most successful year in its 95-year history thanks to soaring sales in the Far East.

Network Rail

• Work to repair and resurface Bolton’s Trinity Street bridge to start this monthMotorists and residents are being advised that Trinity Street bridge in Bolton will be repaired and resurfaced later this month.

Birmingham Mail

• New cycle routes opened in north Birmingham Cycling network improved around Sutton Coldfield and Walmley.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham Sports Awards: Virgin staff explain reasons for supporting community through awards Virgin Trains – Community Award – Zoe Hodgins, Retail & Contracts Manager at Birmingham New

London Evening Standard

• BA: We'll pay to send your uncharged phone to you British Airways will foot the bill for sending on any uncharged electronic device to passengers prevented from flying with them under new regulations.
• Thames airport 'would be £2bn disaster for the environment' Boris Johnson's dream of a Thames Estuary airport was today branded a “costly environmental disasterâ€� in the wake of a major report into the plan.
• TfL spent £1,000 on posters put up in tribute to Bob Crow Transport for London spent more than £1,000 putting up pictures of the late trade union leader Bob Crow in Tube stations.
• New cycle routes to beat Vauxhall’s ‘nastiest’ gyratory Cyclists will no longer have to negotiate a notorious gyratory system at which a rider was killed.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Cakes away.. Jet2 bound for Madeira from Newcastle International AirportThe new Jet2.com route to Madeira is the airline's 30th from Newcastle International Airport

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Rail passenger boost fuels case for new stationAn Aberdeen MSP claims new figures showing a boom in rail travel in the north-east make the case for a new train station in the city

The York Press

• Train company searches for community heroes YORK-BASED train company Grand Central has launched a search for people along its routes who have made a difference to their local communities.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• HS2 salaries 'obscene' says MEP'Obscene' salaries for officials working on the controversial HS2 rail scheme have been condemned by a West Midlands MEP.

Yorkshire Post

• Doncaster rail college bid attracts supportTHE Deputy Prime Minister and economic bodies from across Yorkshire and the North East have backed the bid to put the UK’s high speed rail college in Doncaster.

Blackpool Gazette

• Better road links ‘vital for growth’The “tortuous” road link between the M55 Kirkham junction and Fleetwood needs to be sorted out to stop jobs and business going elsewhere.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Update: Services at Ipswich rail station return to normal service after signalling problems cause cancellationsRail commuters in Ipswich faced disruption earlier this evening due to signalling problems.

Plymouth Herald

• New railway link plan starts to pick up speed A TRAIN line connecting Tavistock to Plymouth is a step closer after councillors backed the idea of developing the line.

Other Regional Press

• Passenger numbers continue to rise at Inverurie StationA monitoring report published by Nestrans, the transport partnership for Aberdeen City and Shire has highlighted the continued growth in passengers using Inverurie Railway Station.
• London transport boss Sir Peter gives support to Bath park and ride plans The boss of London transport has said Bath needs to press ahead with plans for a park and ride site east of the city. Sir Peter Hendy, commissioner of Transport for London, has said a park and ride scheme, which would serve traffic coming into the city from the east, is the missing link in the city’s transport strategy.
• MP: Busway soundproofing has failedWork to soundproof the £90m Luton and Dunstable Busway has made “!ittle or difference at all”, according to South West Beds MP Andrew Selous.

Aviation Industry

• Border Force workers strike expected to cause day of disruption Strikes part of large-scale public sector industrial action on July 10
• Opinion: Confusion for travellers over airport device rulingACTE director criticises authorities for lack of information for business travellers

Other News Sources

• Smartcards to arrive at Huddersfield StationDepartment will invest £153,000 to upgrade ticket gates so passengers can use smartcards to travel on trains. Passengers in Huddersfield will benefit from the ease and convenience of using smartcards to travel on trains after the government announced funding to upgrade ticket gates at the town’s railway station.
• DfT says transport a big winner of the multi-billion Local Growth Fund dealsAround half of the agreed £6bn Local Growth Deals will be spent on new local transport schemes, which the DfT has highlighted as "the largest investment of its kind for more than a decade".