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

Thursday, 04 December 2014

BBC News

• Plan to dig out and re-open Wales' longest railway tunnelThe longest railway tunnel in Wales could be dug out and re-opened to become a tourist attraction.
• Plans for new M42 services unveiledPlans are unveiled for a £65m service station along the M42 motorway in the West Midlands.
• Driverless car UK test cities namedBristol, London, Coventry and Milton Keynes are selected as the hosts of driverless car tests set to begin in 2015.
• Sleeper injury halts rail route workConstruction at a site on the Borders to Edinburgh rail route was halted after a worker was seriously hurt while unloading sleepers.
• Investment for roads and railwaysThe prime minister says
• Fuel duty to remain frozen until 2015Fuel duty is to remain frozen, Chancellor George Osborne confirms in his Autumn Statement.
• New trains for northern rail routesInvestment in new rolling stock for rail franchises in the north of England has been announced by the government in the Autumn Statement.
• Lufthansa strike hits more flightsGerman airline Lufthansa cancels about half of its long-haul flights, as its pilots strike for the second time in a week over retirement benefits.

The Guardian

• Gatwick airport claims Heathrow set up fake support group for new runwayBack Heathrow, which gets funding from west London airport, says it represents local businesses and residents
• Boris Johnson tries to calm ‘drunk’ passenger on London-bound flightLondon mayor and his entourage spoke to passenger who was causing disruption on flight from Kuala Lumpur to HeathrowBoris Johnson tried to calm a passenger who became disruptive on a flight to England.The London mayor and his entourage are said to have spoken to the passenger on their 13-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur. Cabin crew on board the Malaysia Airlines flight later restrained the man after Johnson’s pleas for him to calm down were ignored. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Campaigners seek legal advice in ferry rowCampaigners fighting to secure a free ferry service for remote Highland communities are seeking legal advice over claims European regulations prevent their local council helping.

The Scotsman

• Iain Gray lobbies for more bus regulatory powersFORMER Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray will today seek powers for greater control over the country’s buses in a proposed law to be introduced at Holyrood.

The Telegraph

• What the roads of the future could look likeA new report lays out the innovations we could see on our roads in the future
• Denmark Hill fire: London commuter films flames under train he is travelling inDave Dalrymple-Pryde captures footage of sparks flying and smoke billowing from underneath the train he was travelling in as it pulled into the Denmark Hill station

Daily Express

• Gritters at the ready to battle icy roads caused by arctic blastGRITTER fleets went into action yesterday using satellite technology for the first time to help tackle icy roads.

Mail Online

• Revealed: Plan to double size of Heathrow Airport runway to more than FOUR MILES as alternative to third landing strip scheme Plans to make one of Heathrow Airport's runways more than four miles long in a move campaigners say will cut night-time noise over London have gone on show to the public.
• Malaysia Air passenger restrained after scuffle on flight with Boris Johnson on board Mr Johnson, who was on the 13 hour Malaysia Air flight home from his Far East tour, joined efforts to restrain the man who was described as 'off his head' by one of his delegation.
• Air tax is axed for children under 12 and for all under 16s within two years  Going abroad will save up to £71 per child depending on the distance, with a family of five flying to Florida saving £213 while a family of four travelling to Europe saves £26.

The Mirror

• Labour needs help to stop the East Coast rail route sell-off - and they need YOUR helpPlans are currently in place to re-privatise the London to Edinburgh line, but an online petition has been launched in a last-ditch effort to stop that from happening

Birmingham Mail

• Huge new motorway service station planned for M42 in Solihull - creating 300 jobsStation will be the first opened in region since Hopwood services in 1999

Birmingham Post

• Passenger fury at almost 6,400 minutes of Snow Hill rail route delays Failures on a busy commuter route causes misery for passengers after signalling problems lead to full shut down of some tracks
• £65m roads plan on M42 to create 300 jobs New motorway service station mooted for site close to Birmingham Airport, the first in the region since 1999

Bristol Live

• GavinThompson commented Driverless cars could be on Bristol streets next year: Autumn...Driverless cars could soon be travelling around the streets of Bristol after the city won £5 million to develop and test the technology.The funding for a consortium called Venturer, which includes engineering firm Atkins, Bristol City and South Gloucestershire councils, Bristol Robotics Laboratory and insurance firm Axa, was announced in the Autumn Statement.It is believed the cars could be similar to pods used at Heathrow Airport to ferry passengers to and from the terminals but without...

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow accused of 'faking support' in airport expansion battle The gloves came off in the airport expansion battle today when Gatwick made an official complaint about Heathrow allegedly “fakingâ€� grassroots support.
• Uber hitches a ride into Mexico with Carlos Slim Uber has signed a deal with the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim, as the taxi-booking app firm with a likely $40 billion (£25 billion) valuation keeps up its aggressive expansion plans with a move into Latin America.
• Commuters face almost a year of disruption at Tottenham Court Road station Commuters are facing months of disruption at one of London's busiest stations as it undergoes a £1billion renovation as part of the capital's Crossrail project.
• Denmark Hill train fire: passengers forced to flee as carriage fills up with smoke Passengers were forced to flee from a train after it caught fire in south London.

Manchester Evening News

• Residents say 'glaring' lights from new Manchester Airport car park give them '24-hour daylight'The car park in Wythenshawe cannot open its doors to the public until final planning sign-off next year but it is already causing headaches for bedazzled neighbours.

The York Press

• York ring road plans at PMQs YORK MP Julian Sturdy has taken the campaign for improvements on the city's outer ring road to the House of Commons.

Yorkshire Post

• Pacer trains hated by Yorkshire commuters move closer to scrap heapYorkshire commuters were offered the hope of an end to the use of “buses on rails” in the Autumn Statement but train operators look set to have the final say.
• Airline ticket tax abolished for childrenThe cost of taking a family holidy will be reduced with cuts in the tax charged on airline tickets.

Carlisle News & Star

• Catering staff to strike on Settle-Carlisle rail line Workers on an historic railway line are to take strike action in a compulsory redundancy row.

Other Regional Press

• Heathrow Airport boss apologises for ruling out Third Runway in 1990s, saying: 'We got it wrong'John Holland-Kaye said Heathrow should never have ruled out building a third runway.
• Gatwick accuses Back Heathrow of scaremongering and faking supportGatwick chairman Sir Roy McNulty made the attack in a letter to the Airports Commission as it held one of two public consultations today.
• University of Northampton could be running the county’s bus services by 2016Bus services could soon be run in partnership with the University of Northampton if the county council’s proposals to reduce its transport budget by £1m are approved.
• Demonstrations at stationsRail union RMT has launched its “12 Days of Christmas” initiative against the Northern and Trans-Pennine Express franchise carve up.
• Preston Bus Station campaign wins top heritage heroes awardThe campaign to save Preston’s bus station from demolition has scooped a national award.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Government agrees to Norwich rail updatesTransport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced that the government will implement the recommendations made by the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) task force to improve rail services to East Anglia. The task force was set up to look at improving journey times between London and Norwich. It was named Norwich in 90, as a reference to the target time for the journey, which is an hour and a half. The Department for Transport (DfT) plans to implement the recommendations as part of the next GEML franchise, which is due to be awarded in 2016. Present operator Abellio is already refurbishing its t...

Aviation Industry

• Lufthansa supervisory board approves new LCC conceptLufthansa’s supervisory board has formally approved the “Wingsâ€� long-haul, low-cost (LCC) concept and the lease of up to seven Airbus A330-200 aircraft for the new low-cost carrier’s intercontinental routes. read more
• Travel industry calls for cuts to APD to go furtherGeorge Osborne scraps duty for under 12s
• Gatwick train station to receive £120m upgradePassenger numbers expected to hit 20 million by 2025

Other News Sources

• Revamp of Gatwick's railway station and funding for Shoreham flood defences highlighs for Sussex in Autumn statement A REDESIGN of Gatwick Airport train station, more money for flood defences and more funding for Sussex’s air ambulance was announced in yesterday’s Autumn Statement.

News from Europe

• Bulc tells MEPs that transport can benefit from Juncker investment planCommissioner Bulc discusses transport policy priorities at Parliament's Transport Committee