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

Wednesday, 30 July 2014

BBC News

• £600k cycle hub opens at Leicester railway stationA £600,000 cycle hub with spaces for more than 300 bicycles has opened at Leicester railway station.
• MP calls for end to flight path testConservative MP Caroline Spelman has called for the transport secretary to stop flight path trials being carried out from Birmingham Airport.
• VIDEO: Tunnel closure delays 'expected'Congestion following the closure of Birmingham's two main city centre road tunnels has been
• VIDEO: What price for free wi-fi?How businesses hope to learn more about us by offering free wi-fi.
• UK to allow driverless cars on roadsThe government is to outline measures that will allow driverless cars on public roads in the UK by 2015.
• Appeal over mass brawl on trainBritish Transport Police appeal for witnesses over a mass brawl on a train at Blantyre station in South Lanarkshire.
• Diesels face £10 pollution chargePlans to charge drivers of diesel cars about £10 to drive into central London to tackle high levels of air pollution, are being considered.
• Car firms sued over CD 'rip' systemA group representing musicians in the US is suing Ford and General Motors over in-car CD players which allow tracks to be stored on a hard drive.

Financial Times

• Military drills halt China civil flightsMany flights into some of the country’s busiest airports are cancelled, adding to weeks of chronic flight delays caused by PLA drills
• UN reviews rules on conflict zone flightsInternational Civil Aviation Organisation says the downing of Malaysian airliner MH17 over Ukraine highlighted ‘gaps’ in regulations
• Airbus suffers superjumbo setbackDeal with Japan’s Skymark Airlines for six A380s terminated, highlighting the European manufacturer’s difficulties in selling the big passenger jet
• UPS cuts forecast as it boosts spendingThe US parcel delivery service hopes to avoid a repeat of Christmas delays by increasing capital spending in the face of an increase in volumes

The Guardian

• Increase diesel taxes to fight pollution, say Boris Johnson and green groupsMayor and environmentalists call for reconsideration of fuel tax given health problems associated with lower-taxed dieselGreen campaigners, pollution experts and the mayor of London have called on government to increase taxes on diesel fuel to tackle dirty air in UK cities.They say a change is needed to the system of taxation because it currently favours diesel vehicles despite their having a much more severe air pollution impact than petrol cars. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Driverless cars heading onto British roads in 2015Government desire to change the rules to allow companies to start running trials of cars that do not need human driver will require change to Highway Code, industry sources say

Mail Online

• Eurostar launches direct train service to London to Marseille The train will stop at Lyon and Avignon before continuing to France's oldest city, which was named European Capital of Culture just last year.
• Mother walked her two young children across a busy railway line in Pitsea, Essex The woman pushes one child in a pram along the live tracks while a toddler follows behind her - just feet away from where trains pass at a busy junction in Pitsea, Essex.
• Let's purge the parking ticket pirates Such was the public fury at the scandalous behaviour of these heavies that, two years ago, the Government outlawed the use of clamps on cars on private land, writes NEIL HERRON.

The Mirror

• Watch shocking moment train runs over two women on railway bridge The video, shot from the train driver's cab, shows the pair desperately running to get out of the way before lying flat between the rails

This is Money

• Driverless cars on British roads within a year as ministers change law to allow trials of Google-style vehiclesThe Government will allow the first trials of computer-controlled cars to start in January, as part of a move to update the law to allow driverless cars on UK roads.

Birmingham Post

• New lightweight Jaguar XE set to deliver 75mpg economyThe latest announcement is part of a drip-feed of detail on the compact saloon in the run-up to its official unveiling in London on September 8
• London buses in GKN F1 fuel useIndustrial giant is using the technology to help drive fuel savings on buses in the capital
• Sprint buses down Hagley Road by 2016 under £15m plansThe Midlands’ first bus-based rapid transit system could be running in two years

London Evening Standard

• Boris Johnson plans £10 hike in diesel car congestion charge Boris Johnson wants to raise the congestion charge for diesel cars by £10 in a move to cut air pollution.

Northern Echo

• Work starts on new Thornaby bridge WORK to construct a new footbridge at Thornaby Railway Station is underway.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Fifteen bus services to be axed from Monday CUTS to supported bus services which come into force at the end of the week have been labelled “unacceptable”.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Take-off for Leeds Bradford Airport improvementsMajor new improvements have been unveiled at Leeds Bradford Airport.

North Wales Live

• Liverpool must be part of High Speed 2 rail network if it's to reach its goal High Speed Rail - Linking Liverpool campaign warns that city will be left to its fate on a withered arm of traditional track technology

Other Regional Press

• New gates boost security at Perth Railway StationPerth has become the latest ScotRail station to receive ticket gates in a bid to improve security and discourage anti-social behaviour.
• Have your say on the future of the Greyfriars bus depot in NorthamptonPeople in Northampton are being asked for their ideas for what should happen to the former Greyfriars bus station site in the town centre.

Airportwatch

• £600k cycle hub opens at Leicester railway stationA £600,000 cycle hub with spaces for more than 300 bicycles has opened at Leicester railway station.

Railway Gazette

• Transportation not affected by Bombardier Inc reorganisationBOMBARDIER: A corporate reorganisation of Bombardier Inc which is scheduled for completion by January 1 2015 will not directly affect the Transportation business segment, where implementation of the...
• Cubic wins London ticketing system maintenance contractUK: Cubic Transportation Systems has beat rival bids by LG CNS and Scheidt & Bachmann to win Transport for London’s ‘Electra’ contract to maintain its ticketing and fare collection equipment....
• SNCF orders more Francilien EMUsFRANCE: SNCF has exercised an option for 22 additional eight-car Francilien electric multiple-units for use on Transilien suburban routes H and K around Paris, Bombardier Transportation announced on...
• Alstom-TMH freight loco certified for operationRUSSIA: Alstom and Transmashholding have obtained certification for the operation of their jointly-developed 2ES5 twin-section 25 kV AC freight locomotives, ahead of the planned entry into...
• Washington metro paperless ticket contract USA: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has awarded Cubic Transportation Systems an $8m contract to convert more than 500 vending machines selling magnetic stripe ‘farecard’ tickets to...

Aviation Industry

• Air France, Virgin among airlines avoiding Iraqi airspaceMajor airlines are taking differing stances to flying over Iraq, reflecting the piecemeal approach airlines currently take to flying over conflict zones and ahead of an international meeting of industry representatives to discuss the issue.
• WestJet firms five more Bombardier Q400 optionsCalgary-based WestJet, which originally had 20 Bombardier Q400s on firm order, has converted an additional five of its 25 options into firm orders, in a deal valued at approximately $167 million based on current list prices. read more
• Task force to examine airspace safety in wake of MH17ICAO, IATA and other major global aviation organizations are forming a high-level international task force of state and industry experts to look at airspace security issues raised by the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 earlier this month. read more

Other News Sources

• Construcction of worlds tallest railway bridge begins in ManipurGUWAHATI: Northeast Frontier Railwa (NRF) has started construction of a bridge with height of pillars upto 141 metres near Noney in Manipur. This bridge will be tallest in the world surpassing the existing tallest of Mala-Rijeka viaduct on Belgrade-Bar railway line in Europe where the height of pillars is 139 meter.