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

Wednesday, 06 August 2014

BBC News

• CCTV delays hamper Henley-in-Arden station revampA new footbridge at a Warwickshire railway station remains closed, after delays in fitting CCTV cameras.
• Why so many shipowners find Panama's flag convenientPanama, a small nation of just three million, has the largest shipping fleet in the world, greater than those of the US and China combined. Aliyya Swaby investigates how this tiny Central American country came to rule the waves.
• How easy is public transport access for disabled users? Getting around on public transport is something many of us take for granted, but how easy is it if you are disabled?
• Thousands of motorists caught in Swindon bus lanesMore than 5,000 motorists have been caught driving in bus lanes or through bus gates in Swindon in the past five weeks.
• Five cities outline £15bn One North transport plan [video]Representatives from five cities in the North of England are calling for a £15bn 15-year plan to be adopted to improve transport.
• Metro transport plan should be backed, says CBI WalesBusiness leaders are urging ministers to stick to plans for a metro transport system in south Wales and settle the row over rail electrification.
• Call to back metro transport planBusiness leaders urge ministers to stick to plans for a metro transport system in south Wales and settle the row over which government should pay to electrify the Valleys rail lines.
• Will cycling ever work in England?As a Department for Transport study claims cycling remains largely confined to men, BBC News Online asks whether two-wheeled transport will ever be
• Free WiFi trialled on London busesA trial of free WiFi begins on two buses operating in London.
• BA suspends flights amid Ebola alertBritish Airways suspends flights to and from Liberia and Sierra Leone until the end of August amid concerns over the Ebola outbreak.
• July car sales 'highest since 2007'More than 170,000 cars were sold in the UK last month, the highest figure for July since 2007, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

Financial Times

• Osborne vows to revitalise northChancellor concedes governments ‘of all colours’ have neglected the region and says it is wrong to assume there has to be a choice between north and south
• Li Ka-shing turns focus to aircraftAircraft leasing may not be an obvious fit but analysts say its long-term nature could well suit the Hong Kong billionaire’s patient dealmaking
• Russia eyes ban on EU using airspaceMoscow considers tearing up agreement that saves airlines 4,000km on each trip – and earns Aeroflot $300m a year in fees
• Funding doubts over £15bn northern revivalOne North report receives cross-party support but experts say it raises questions over the balance of spending between Whitehall and the regions

The Guardian

• Trans-Pennine rail tunnel key to £15bn transport plan for northern England125mph line modelled on Eurotunnel would link Manchester to Leeds and Sheffield, which currently suffer severe overcrowding
• Is the Central line really as long as Manchester to Leeds?This morning chancellor George Osborne said that if the Central line was laid across the Pennines it would connect Manchester and Leeds. Is that right and how useful is the point?
• Passengers on Qatar Airways plane found out about jet escort on TwitterA suspected bomb hoax threat and escort into Manchester airport played out on on Twitter – where passengers themselves read about the incident
• Why the ‘One North’ transport proposals make my heart sinkEngland’s northern cities don’t need to copy the worst habits of the south-east to become an economic powerhouse
• George Osborne backs £15bn investment in five northern citiesChancellor meets leaders of Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield over 'northern powerhouse' plans

The Herald

• Pilot's family hire engineering expert for Clutha crash probeA VETERAN air accident investigator who led the probe into the Mull of Kintyre helicopter crash has been hired by lawyers involved in the Clutha disaster.
• 4000 caught in A9 speed trap in one year MORE than 4000 road users have been caught by mobile police speed cameras in a crackdown on a section on the country's main route to the Highlands and the north-east.
• Union in fight to stop rail franchise moveA transport union is stepping up its fight to stop a key London to Scotland rail franchise being re-privatised after revealing the public sector company currently running it is paying "massive sums" back to taxpayers.

The Independent

• Manchester airport bomb scare: Qatar Airways passenger arrested over suspected hoax sectioned under Mental Health Act A man arrested in connection with an alleged bomb threat on a Qatar Airways plane that had to be escorted into Manchester Airport by the RAF yesterday has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Mail Online

• George Osborne backs £15bn 'Crossrail of North' The Chancellor, pictured, yesterday pledged billions to fund a ‘Crossrail of the North’ to prevent cities such as Manchester and Leeds from lagging behind London and the south.

The Mirror

• Government unveils £15billion plan to boost transport links to five northern cities But the scheme to improve rail, road and sea transport connections could come at the cost of further benefit cuts, according to Chancellor George Osborne
• Commuters push train off man whose leg became trapped between carriage and platformThe man was boarding a rush hour train at Stirling station near Perth, Western Australia when he slipped and one leg became wedged in the gap

Sky News

• Greyhound Bus: American Icon Marks 100 Years Sky News takes a ride aboard the bus that has carried passengers along the backbone of America for the past century.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford train-tram link proposed as part of £15bn transport plan for the northA NEW tram-train link across the district could be constructed as part of a plan to turn the north into an 'economic powerhouse' to rival London, it has been revealed

London Evening Standard

• London drivers spent £200m on the congestion charge last year The congestion charge cost London's motorists a staggering £200million last year alone, the Evening Standard reveals today.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Crossing failure in Bulwell bars bus routes for third timeCOMMUTERS were left stranded for the third time in two weeks as level crossing barriers failed in Bulwell.

This Is Local London Network

• Borough MPs call for HS2 Heathrow Spur plan to be scrappedBOROUGH MPs Nick Hurd (Ruislip) and John Randall (Uxbridge), together with neighbouring Beaconsfield MP Dominic Grieve, have written another joint letter to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

Other Regional Press

• MPs join forces to ask Government to drop HS2 Heathrow spurNick Hurd, John Randall and Dominic Grieve have written to the transport secretary asking him to drop a spur connecting HS2 to Heathrow Airport
• Villager voices concerns over temporary railway crossing closure at Antingham HillA villager has raised concerns about the amount of time a rural railway crossing has been shut because of safety improvements.

Global Rail News

• Chinese investors keen to build and finance Moscow-Kazan HSRChinese investors have shown an interest in funding and constructing a Russian gauge high-speed rail link between Moscow and Kazan.
• Class 700 Thameslink rail carriages to be unveiled at Innotrans 2014Three complete Thameslink Desiro City carriages will make their world premiere next month at Innotrans 2014.
• Nottingham’s Citadis trams enter serviceNottingham’s new Citadis trams have transported passengers around the city for the first time in preparation of a major timetable change later in the summer.

Aviation Industry

• Military jets escort Qatar Airways flight to Manchester airportInformation received about ‘possible device on board’
• Ryanair and Easyjet report rise in passenger numbersAirlines enjoy strong passenger number growth for July

Other News Sources

• Hitachi on-board ETCS - Network Rail Contract AwardHitachi Rail Europe Ltd today announced that it had signed a contract with Network Rail for implementation of the European Train Control System (ETCS) on two Class 37 locomotives.
• New map links cycle routes with Wales' sacred heritageA new map of the National Cycle Network in Wales has been produced, identifying how 49 of Wales’ most historic sites can be accessed on bike – as cycling increase in popularity for a family day out at the weekend or during the school holidays
• Visit Britain readies £1m OOH Heathrow Airport campaign promoting the North EastVisitBritain is set to launch a campaign across Heathrow Airport to promote the North East of England after the region won £1m worth of advertising in a Facebook competiton.
• EE launches contactless bus tickets in LondonU.K. mobile operator to extend Cash on Tap service to London Underground by mid-September.
• Public noisy over airport runway planCape Town - Concerns about noise pollution, destruction of the environment, and the consultation process have been raised in public comments about proposals to realign the runway at Cape Town International Airport.