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

Monday, 20 October 2014

BBC News

• Largest ship to sail Thames arrivesA 397m-long ship capable of carrying 15,500 containers arrives on the River Thames.
• Germany faces more transport strikesPilots at Germany's Lufthansa airline are set to walk out again, just as train drivers end their weekend of strike action.

Financial Times

• Railways get on track for the digital eraTechnology aims to improve passengers’ journeys and ease train companies’ operations
• Japan eyes commercial jet renaissanceAviation touted to again become an engine of country’s industry alongside electronics and cars

The Herald

• Prestwick Airport given £10m loanAN additional £10 million of taxpayers' money is to be given to a struggling airport that the Scottish Government bought last year for £1.

Times Online

• Calming blue platform lights may stop rise in rail suicides [subscription]MORE people are killing themselves on Britain’s railways than ever before. Official figures show there were 279 suicides or suspected suicides on the rail network in 2013-14, the highest number on record and up from 246 the previous year. Over the past five years the average number of suicides and suspected suicides has been 244. In an attempt to prevent suicides, Network Rail is installing blue lights — said to be calming — on platforms.
• Northern star [subscription]Last Sunday afternoon a train pulled out of Leeds station with a jerk and trundled eastwards towards Hull. It was standing room only — passengers wedged into the aisles, grimacing at the thought of the uncomfortable journey ahead.
• Glasgow Prestwick airport hopes for take-off with £10m government loan [subscription]An additional £10 million is being injected into Prestwick airport, which was bought for £1 by the Scottish government last year after its then owner had earmarked it for closure.
• Cashback reward for rail passengers who avoid rush hour [subscription]Overcrowding on commuter trains will be reduced by offering discounts on season tickets to people willing to travel at off-peak times after the introduction of a new smart ticketing system. Commuters who catch less congested trains or work from home on certain days will have part of the price of their season ticket automatically refunded, under a scheme starting in 2016 from C2C, which operates trains between London and south Essex.
• Signals of decline mount for rail route [subscription]The TransPennine Express is a microcosm of the British railway industry, at once enjoying unprecedented growth but with old, overcrowded trains that create a bar to economic progress.

Mail Online

• Soothing blue platform lights in railway stations to tackle rise in suicides Network Rail is undertaking a series of trials, including the blue lights and sensors which are triggered when people reach the end of the platform.
• Captain asks passengers to volunteer to get off easyJet plane that was 'too HEAVY to fly' The captain of the flight from Southend to Malaga said wind conditions meant the weight of the 156-passenger Airbus 319 made it dangerous to take off.
• Biggest ship ever to navigate the Thames leaves British waters bound for Singapore operated by a crew of just 13 It’s the world's second biggest ship and largest to sail up the Thames and it docked at London Gateway. Edith Mærsk arrived carrying 13,500 20ft containers before heading to Singapore.

This is Money

• Jaguar Land Rover in talks to build US factory to sell directly to world's second biggest car market The West Midlands-based car maker is understood to be negotiating in several southern states - a move which would enable it to avoid hefty import tariffs and ease the headache of fluctuating currency rates.

Birmingham Mail

• MOT testing and car maintenance fees: How important is price anyway?We all love a bargain - but on our motors too? Comparison site whocanfixmycar.com uncovers exactly how important cost is when it comes to fixing our cars
• Broad Street bosses furious as road shut down for Great Birmingham Run FOUR HOURS too earlyTaxis unable to get access to nightlife centre after shutdown at 1am

Wales Online

• Cardiff Queen Street railway station to stay closed on international rugby match daysWork to expand the Cardiff station is due to be completed next month
• Shabby, neglected bus stops will never help get more people on to public transportCouncils have already cut back on the amount they spend on bus networks and the Welsh Government is cutting their funding

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Angry residents blast transport officials over bus routeAngry residents were given the chance to voice their concerns to transport officials at a public meeting about the axing of an important bus route.

Yorkshire Post

• Investment in Yorkshire rail links could earn billions for economyINVESTING in transpennine rail services could add billions to the economy and should be a national priority, a new Government-backed report says today.

Doncaster Free Press

• CCTV appeal to track Doncaster bike thiefTransport police are appealing for more information on the theft of a bike from Doncaster train station.

Other Regional Press

• Bus services facing cuts across Hampshire - but threat to future of Hythe ferry liftedA THREAT to a centuries old Hampshire ferry link has been lifted after county bosses stepped back from axing a vital subsidy.
• Bus charge plan row goes to GovernmentRibble Valley MP Nigel Evans has complained to Schools Minister David Laws about changes to Lancashire County Council’s funding policy for school transport.

Other News Sources

• Ambitions for multi-million pound revamp of Halifax railway stationHalifax train station could be on track for a £10 million revamp including the opening of a third railway platform
• Have your say on the town’s new railway stationKenilworth residents are being invited to a public exhibition next week (October 23, 24 and 25) so they can find out more about plans for the town’s new rail station – and have their say on the design.
• Council consultation leads to bus re-thinkCentral Beds Council has acted on feedback from a consultation in Sandy about changes to the route of the 73 bus service, and is looking how Engayne Avenue can continue to be served safely.
• Councillor backs call to rip out bus lane on A30 100 residents have already signed a petition to have the under-used bus land removed in Camberley