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

Saturday, 08 November 2014

BBC News

• Trams inquiry given increased powersThe inquiry into the Edinburgh trams fiasco is given increased powers, after some of those involved with the project refused to co-operate.
• Safety probe as bus stuck at bridgeA safety investigation is under way after a double decker struck a railway bridge in a County Down village and became stuck.
• New Tube and bus journey record setA new record for the highest number of London bus and Tube passenger journeys taken in a week is set.
• Glasgow Central Station tours beginBehind-the-scenes tours of Scotland's busiest train station, 135-year-old Glasgow Central, are launched.

Financial Times

• Mexico cancels China-led rail contractPeña Nieto’s decision comes only days before he visits Beijing for Apec summit
• Uber looks to pick up another $1bn fareThe car-hailing service is talking to investors just five months after its last fundraising valued it at $17bn

The Guardian

• Disaster at the speed of sound: the tragedy of SpaceShipTwos final flightCo-pilot appears to have pulled lever at wrong time on board Virgin Galactics space ship as it approached Mach 1.2Seconds after firing its engine, Virgin Galactics spaceship was breaking through the sound barrier. As the craft made its ascent, the pilots were pinned against their seats, gasping for breath. G-forces crushed their eyes into their sockets, trapping the supply of blood and fading their vision from colour to black and white.It was at this point, in the three disorientating seconds it took for the craft to climb from Mach 0.94 to Mach 1.02, that co-pilot Mike Alsbury made what many ...

The Herald

• Scotland's first cyclist-friendly bin lorries introducedCYCLIST-friendly council bin lorries are being brought onto Scotland's roads for the first time.
• Rat run speeders 'will be caught'SPEEDING motorists using side roads as
• Call for checks on elderly drivers after cyclist killedSAFETY campaigners have called for elderly motorists to undergo much more rigorous statutory competency checks amid fears failing health will result in avoidable tragedies on Scotland's roads.

The Telegraph

• Plundered at the pumpTelegraph View: Someone - be it the Treasury or the petrol giants - should find a way to let the motorist share in what is likely to be a temporary oil price bonanza
• Plea for elderly driving tests after woman, 93, kills cyclistA 93-year-old driver accused of causing a fatal road crash claims she was unconscious at the time due to a medical condition
• Virgin Galactic crash: worried passengers ask for refundsAround 24 Virgin Galactic passengers have asked for refunds following the death of pilot Michael Alsbury

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New trains but fares will rise, Prime Minister tells Bradford rail commuters DAVID Cameron today pledged to rid the district of its decrepit Pacer trains in a new deal for passengers, vowing: Those trains are going.
• VIDEO: Taxi drivers are given something to shout about with tourism scheme CABBIES have been trained as tourism ambassadors so they can shout about all the district has to offer.

London Evening Standard

• Extra carriages added to London Overground trains Longer London Overground trains hit the rails for the first time today as part of an upgrade to create 25 per cent more capacity on the capital’s orbital line. 
• Record number of people using Tubes and buses in London The number of people travelling on the Tube and buses in the capital hit a record high this year, Transport for London has revealed.
• TfL plans weekly cap on pay-as-you-go Oyster cards in contactless fare dispute Transport bosses are looking at introducing weekly caps on Oyster cards after it emerged commuters using contactless payment save up to £100 a week on the same journeys.
• New Dartford Crossing online payment system 'could see millions of motorists hit with fines' Motorists were today warned they could be hit by £100 fines as the busy Dartford Crossing scraps its traditional toll booths.

Northern Echo

• "North-East rail fares are high enough," campaigners tell Prime Minister CAMPAIGNERS have pointed out that rail tickets near the Prime Minister's own constituency are cheaper that those in the North-East.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Train struck object thrown onto railway by vandalsTrains delayed because of vandalism on South Yorkshire railway

Wales Online

• Frustrated commuter's 'Arriva Trains Fails' blog makes an impact - and gets him a meeting with train firm's top brassLisvane resident Steve Fletcher started the blog after he became fed up with constant cancellations and overcrowding on his morning train

Doncaster Free Press

• MPs warned of higher ticket prices and job cuts on northern railwaysRail campaigners have warned MPs of potential job losses, cuts to services and higher ticket prices facing rail services in the North.

Sleaford Standard

• Footbridge plans go under close scrutinyPlans for a pedestrian footbridge spanning the town’s railway near Southgate level crossing have proved controversial in the past and are now up for public scrutiny by the planning authority.

Other Regional Press

• Parents' anger at 'unfair' school bus pass policy NEWPORT parents have expressed their anger at an
• Elderly and disabled Thornaby residents say loss of bus service has left them strandedBus service was council-subsidised service which was discontinued when £300,000 of funding was cut in April, announced in 2013
• Cyclists lighting up after ‘dimwit’ alert CYCLING safety campaigners have renewed their calls for people to use lights on their bikes, after an Oxford Mail survey showed almost one in five were still breaking the law.
• Kirkburton councillors roll their sleeves up to tackle road resurfacing job themselvesUnadopted road in Kirkburton is a little smoother thanks to community effort
• Peak District group against Lib Dem calls for Woodhead Pass improvements They say a raft of measures currently being investigated by the Highways Agency and the Department for Transport (DfT) would cause significant damage to the landscape

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Wrightbus to supply 200 new RoutemastersCounty Antrim-based Wrightbus has won a contract to supply Transport for London (TfL) with 200 new Routemaster buses. The new order will secure jobs at the company's Ballymena and Antrim plants, the company stated. The buses are to be delivered by June 2016. Wrightbus chair Mark Nodder said: "The order will secure jobs in Ballymena and Antrim, underpin our programme of continuous innovation and benefit our local supply base in Northern Ireland." According to Leon Daniels of TfL, the new vehicles will cut vehicle noise and emissions while improving passengers' ...

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow warns of losing top airport statusCEO says expansion needed to offer more flights to emerging markets

Other News Sources

• Speed up payouts, MP tells rail firms RAIL companies have been ordered to speed up compensation payments to customers for poor service after complaints from a commuter.