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

Tuesday, 20 January 2015

BBC News

• Gatwick expansion: Second council makes runway U-turnA second county council has withdrawn its support for another runway at Gatwick airport because of the high level of local opposition.
• British Transport Police data claims 'disturbing' - Keith VazAn urgent inquiry is needed into the way in which British Transport Police (BTP) handles data, according to the Home Affairs Select Committee chairman.
• New M4 50mph speed cameras go liveNew average 50mph speed enforcement cameras on the M4 through Port Talbot go live.
• Hare headcount at airport runwayBelfast International Airport's runway is being used to conduct a headcount of Irish hares for a conservation study.
• Plane skids off airport taxiwayAn aircraft with 48 passengers and four crew onboard comes off the taxiway after landing at Inverness Airport.
• VIDEO: Rail company faces delays 'pressure'MPs have put pressure on Network Rail to resolve problems at London Bridge after commuters faced overcrowding, cancellations and delays.
• Eurostar resumes after disruptionCross-Channel rail firm Eurostar says it has resumed a full service after a weekend of delays and cancellations.
• Car insurance costs 'to rise by 10%'The cost of car insurance could rise by up to 10% in the coming year, and home insurance premiums are unlikely to go any lower, according to the AA.

Department for Transport

• £27 million for next stage of Bristol rapid bus networkA pioneering bus scheme in Bristol will be more than doubled thanks to a huge £27 million grant from the government, Transport Minister Baroness Kramer announced today (20 January 2015).

The Guardian

• Men and women's cycle clothing for 2015, tried and testedHow do cycle-influenced clothes from Ted Baker and Marks & Spencer measure up against those from more bike-oriented firms Vulpine and Rapha? It might have escaped your notice if your main exposure to cycling is packs of dayglo-bright road riders and anorak-ed commuters, but bikes and fashion are currently enjoying something of a love-in.Away from the specialist bike clothing, this means that the fashion world has decided cycling is trendy, even aspirational. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Girl, 6, writes 'heartbreaking' letter to rail bosses begging them to stop making her father lateElla Porter says her father Neil is 'constantly' late home to tuck her into bed because failures on Southern's rail network
• Rail chaos will happen again unless we fix the systemThis Christmas, London's trains were paralysed by engineering works which slipped behind schedule. But Network Rail's report ignored deep, systemic problems

Daily Express

• Phones4u billionaire John Caudwell building his own railway lineONE of Britain’s richest men has got the green light to build his own railway around his £10million country home and grounds.

Daily Record

• Passenger plane careers off runway and onto grass verge at Inverness Airport amid sub zero temperaturesTHE Flybe flight, carrying 47 passengers and two crew, came to rest on grass after landing shortly after 10am.

Mail Online

• No check-in queues, automated security and just seven minutes from boarding to take-off... Gatwick unveils plans to become 'world's most efficient two-runway airport'Gatwick Airport have unveiled plans which they say will 'elimate' airport queues and speed up boarding times.
• Owen Thomas films 'grimy conditions on board first class British Airways flight TV news presenter Owen Thomas was flying with BA to St Lucia for the 'trip of a lifetime' when the conditions prompted him to film the dirty area near his seat in the first class cabin, dubbing it 'filth class'
• Jaguar unveils Bike Sense system that alerts drivers to oncoming cyclists Jaguar has embraced the traditional ‘ring ring’ of the bicycle bell to warn drivers of unseen cyclists at risk of injury or death in a collision.
• Ella Porter writes to Southern Rail about bringing her daddy back home on time Southern Railway has apologised after a six-year-old girl Ella Porter wrote to bosses asking them to stop delaying her father's train between his home Uckfield, East Sussex, and London Bridge.

Network Rail

• Collision protection beams to be installed on railway bridge in StokeNetwork Rail is to install collision protection beams on a railway bridge on Stoke Road to reduce the risk of damage if the bridge is hit by vehicles.

Belfast Telegraph

• Get my daddy home before bedtime!A six-year-old girl tugged on the heartstrings of rail bosses when she wrote a letter begging them to get her father home on time so he could tuck her in at bedtime.

North Wales Live

• Bus firm Stagecoach shakes up management team across Merseyside and Lancashire Five of the businesses’ operations managers will move to new depots in the region

The Shields Gazette

• Hitachi training carriage arrives at Port of TyneTHE train now arriving is from Japan – and it’s come by boat!

Other Regional Press

• East Surrey MP Sam Gyimah accuses Gatwick of trying to kick flightpath issue 'into the long grass'EAST Surrey MP Sam Gyimah has called on Gatwick to come clean over controversial flight path changes – accusing airport bosses of trying to "kick [the issue] into the long grass".
• Next gear for Lincoln Transport Hub after £1.3m City Council commitmentPlans for a £25 million Central Lincoln Transport Hub have reached the next stage as work is now underway to develop a planning application by April.
• Consultation launches on latest Hertfordshire bus cuts proposalsA consultation on the future of the bus service launches today as Herts County Council tries to save almost £1.5 million from its budget.
• 'Are you taking the pee?': Bus station users react to 20p charge proposalReaders took to Facebook to share their thoughts on plans to improve the toilets in Middlesbrough Bus Station
• UPDATED WITH VIDEO: Bus campaigners fail in bid to increase funding COUNCILLORS have thrown out a motion to increase funding for the county’s buses.
• Anger as Weymouth transport cash transferred to Dorchester A DECISION to leave the ‘last leg’ of Weymouth’s cycle scheme incomplete, and instead pump funding into Dorchester, has been criticised.

Airportwatch

• Transport Secretary congratulates 400th Crossrail apprenticeTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin today (19 January 2015) visited Crossrail’s Bond Street site to congratulate the 400th apprentice appointed to work on the project.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Derby bus smart card to make travel smootherA new smart card to be used on buses in Derby is set to make travelling in the region much simpler. The Spectrum Smart Card can be used to buy up to ten separate days of travel in one go, which can be used whenever a passenger chooses. If the three-month trial is successful, it is hoped the card will be rolled out with seven-day and 28-day options. Adult tickets cost £5.50 and children’s are £3.50, and they can be purchased from Derby bus station information office - where the card can also be topped up. The information office is open Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm...

Railnews

• Calls for Aberystwyth line to reopen A public meeting in Aberystwyth has heard a proposal to reopen a line from the town which lost its passenger trains almost 50 years ago. The first step is to obtain funding for a feasibility study, although it is thought that full reinstatement could cost £650 million.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair in Twitter spat after Aer Lingus photobombs adRyanair has engaged in a social media spat after Aer Lingus
• Birmingham airport posts record passengers numbers for 2014Annual traffic up 6.5% at midlands airport

Other News Sources

• Eurostar turns to cloud for file sharing and collaboration Box deployment will centralise the management and security of Eurostar’s collaboration in the cloud - See more at:
• Transport secretary congratulates 400th Crossrail apprenticeTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin visited Crossrail’s Bond Street site to congratulate the 400th apprentice appointed to work on the project.
• Notonthehighstreet.com sponsors London Underground 'baby on board' badgeThe free badge is aimed at pregnant women using the public transport. The sponsorship will raise awareness of the badge and to make the experience of travelling on the London Underground easier for women expecting a child.
• Transport Secretary in Colchester to hear your views on roads and railGOVERNMENT transport minister Patrick McLoughlin will be answering public questions at a Colchester pub.
• Anger as Blackburn pupils’ daily bus fares could rise to £4.50 DARWEN MP Jake Berry is to meet borough education bosses over plans to scrap subsidies for pupils’ bus fares to faith schools outside the town.
• Caroline Lucas MP fears effects of rail cuts on Brighton station IT IS FEARED that changes to train timetables could play havoc with journeys to work and school.