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

Saturday, 28 February 2015

BBC News

• VIDEO: 'Positive outlook for A380 jumbo'Airbus chief executive Tom Enders tells the BBC's Aaron Heslehurst there is a ''positive outlook'' for the A380 superjumbo, claiming ''airlines love it, customers love it''.
• Airbus reports big rise in profitsFrench aviation firm Airbus reports a big jump in full-year profits despite setting aside €551m (£401m) for delays on its A400M military aircraft.
• BA owner reports soaring profitsInternational Airlines Group (IAG) reports a big jump in annual profits and raises its forecast for 2015 after a
• VW faces challenges as profits jumpVolkswagen reports a sharp jump in annual profits as revenue hits €200bn, but warns of tough market conditions this year.
• VIDEO: 'No free school bus' angers parentsA group of parents in Lurgan say they feel they are being bullied into sending their children to a new all-ability school in the town.
• Transport NI impacted by budget cutsRegional Development Minister Danny Kennedy is expected to announce cuts to his budget next week which will impact on Transport NI, which looks after the roads network.
• Roadworks force food off shelvesA store in Birmingham city centre says it has been forced to remove all food from display because of pollution from nearby roadworks.
• VIDEO: Wheel gives cyclists an extra pushA power assistance device turns push bikes into electric hybrid bicycles
• Passport website sues its customersAn unofficial passport website has sued more than 150 of its own customers after they tried to cancel or refused to pay believing they had been misled.
• Airport security staff ballotedSecurity staff working at Scotland's regional airports are to be balloted on industrial action over their terms and conditions, including pay.
• Flight diverted 'because of debris'A flight from Belfast to Inverness is diverted to Aberdeen and the passengers bussed back to Inverness.
• New bridge closes M56 for weekendThe M56 motorway will be shut between junctions five and six around Manchester Airport this weekend.
• New rail bidders 'must scrap Pacers'Companies wanting to run rail franchises in the north of England must scrap Pacer trains, the Department of Transport confirms.
• Stray Tube cat gets island habitatA stray cat found wandering in a London Underground station gets a new home on the Isle of Wight.
• Boris Bikes' new sponsor namedSantander is chosen to take over the sponsorship of London's cycle hire scheme.
• Tube worker 'sacked over epilepsy'A London Underground worker was sacked for having epilepsy, Labour MP Kate Hoey says.

Financial Times

• Brompton looks to F1 for electric bicycleMaker of folding bikes to launch into growing pedal-assisted market
• IAG chief to meet Irish officials after rebuff on Aer Lingus takeoverWalsh to respond to Dublin’s demand for guarantees on growth, jobs and landing slots

The Herald

• Motorist fined £60 after returning late to car-park by 27 secondsARRRIVING late back from a council meeting by a mere 27 seconds appears to have cost an elderly motorist a hefty parking fine.
• New East Coast livery to be unveiled in Edinburgh as Stagecoach-Virgin group take over rail franchisePASSENGERS travelling on the East Coast Main Line will get their first glimpse of the franchise's new livery on Monday when a Virgin branded train completes its inaugural journey from London to Scotland.

The Independent

• British Airways spying scandal: New logo, new routes, new bosses – but the stench remains The use of computer information to gain an upper hand and a commercial advantage is not new to British Airways (BA). And even when it has been caught engaging in  what the rest of industry calls “dirty tricksâ€�, the world’s favourite airline has preferred to describe its discovered errors as “disreputable business practicesâ€�.

The Telegraph

• Motorists to be given chance to enter plea to minor driving offences onlineRoll out of trial paperless justice scheme Make A Plea scheme from next month

Mail Online

• Cat at Manchester Airport survives 30 mile motorway journey trapped in engine of a car Lucky the cat, pictured, survived a 30-mile motorway journey after he got wedged in the engine bay of a Mazda at Manchester Airport while he was looking for somewhere warm to sleep.
• SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Harriet Harman's pink Barbie Bus breaks the law Harriet Harman's women-only Barbie battle bus has already been derided as 'sexist' and 'patronising' to female voters but now the hapless van is the source of fresh controversy, writes Sebastian Shakespeare.

Network Rail

• Transparency update – February 2015Network Rail has today published new and updated information on its online transparency portal, including spend on procurement, staff salaries breakdown, and a list of suppliers. It has also published a series of infographics detailing the investment during 2013/14 on areas such as track and bridge renewals, telecoms units and level crossings.
• Passengers in Machynlleth set to get easier accessGlyn Davies, MP for Montgomeryshire, visited Machynlleth station to see how Network Rail is increasing accessibility to give passengers a better travelling experience.
• Road changes to support development of new High Street rail bridgePeople in Lincoln are being advised to double-check their journey plans as new traffic restrictions come into place from 9 March.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Decrepit Pacer trains to be axed - but not for another five years RAIL passengers are celebrating after plans for big fare hikes across the district were dropped - and they were promised the decrepit ‘Pacer’ trains will finally go.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• More than 600 vehicles a week run red lights at Rhyl accident hotspotCameras have now been installed to combat careless drivers flouting the rules

London Evening Standard

• Unveiled: New RED Boris bikes (but you'll have to call them Santander Cycles instead) The Mayor today unveiled a £51 million sponsorship deal with Santander for the Boris bike scheme - with “cash backâ€� for cyclists.

Northern Echo

• End of East Coast Main Line in public hands to be marked by protests UNION bosses have organised a series of protests along the East Coast Main Line to mark the final day of its operation in the public sector.
• Scrapping 'cattle truck' trains will be “poor value for moneyâ€� and bring “relatively few benefitsâ€� THE warning from the department of transport’s top civil servant could not be more explicit, as he urges ministers to keep those awful Pacer trains.
• 'Government has listened' say rail users as announcement spells end of hated Pacers THE North-East is to get new trains after ministers
• Concerns raised over police helicopter rapid response cover THE National Police Air Service (Npas) has been accused of misleading the public over its ability to provide rapid response cover for much of the region, following the proposed closure of its Tees Valley base.

Sheffield Star

• Thugs scale wall to steal doors from Sheffield charity’s minibusThugs scaled a wall to smash up a well-known Sheffield charity’s minibus and steal its sliding doors in a bizarre theft.

The York Press

• Robbie Savage feared being accosted on public transport if he lost licence for 99mph speeding offence in North Yorkshire TV PUNDIT Robbie Savage was anxious to keep his licence after being clocked at 99mph in North Yorkshire because he might be accosted on public transport, a court heard.

This Is Local London Network

• Long-running road works and no car parking damaging business say traders Shopkeepers said disruption caused by UK Power Networks digging up the road is causing problems for their businesses

Wales Online

• MP lambasts under-fire ambulance service for claiming they are 'too busy' to respond to complaintsThe Welsh Ambulance Service said it was working so hard on improving ambulance response times that they were unable to 'fully investigate concerns'

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Third set of delays for £2.9m Cannock roadworks schemeA £2.9m road improvement scheme in Cannock has been delayed for the third time.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds rail passengers promised better trains and new servicesLEEDS rail passengers were today promised a fleet of new trains as the Government asked companies to bid for the right to run services across the North.

Carlisle News & Star

• Changes proposed for junctions on main road in west Cumbria Changes could be on the cards for two junctions on the A595.

Daventry Express

• Clearing the way for traffic jams?Changes to rules banning parking on some of Daventry’s key arterial roads could put public safety at risk, according to the town council.

Doncaster Free Press

• Bus fares to rise againBus users in Doncaster face fare increases next month – despite falling fuel prices.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Woodbridge Road in Ipswich to be closed for SEVEN days near Cauldwell Avenue junction to fix collapsed sewerMotorists in Ipswich face more travel chaos after it emerged a section of Woodbridge Road will be closed in both directions for at least a week because of a collapsed sewer.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Peterborough City Council leader joins resident on the roads after Twitter cycling argumentNo issue in Peterborough seems to raise such anger and passion as the cycling ban in Bridge Street.

Sunderland Echo

• More seats, more services and new trains - the way ahead for our railwaysPLANS to give rail passengers in the North of England more seats, more services and a new fleet of modern trains were unveiled today.
• Chancellor unveils £2.8million Nissan training boost as part of North East plansNISSAN is to plough almost £3million into staff training as the Sunderland plant gears up to begin production of its first model for the car giant’s luxury Infiniti marque.

The Shields Gazette

• Hedworth and Fellgate estates targeted by police in crackdown on nuisance bikersNUISANCE bikers plaguing streets in a part of South Tyneside are being targeted by police.

Other Regional Press

• Road users beware as £3m cut from the repair budget MOTORISTS and cyclists will face bone-shaking journeys on county roads after cuts of nearly £3m in the road maintenance budget were approved.
• Uber boss says taxi firm is excited about expanding into PortsmouthA TOP boss from controversial taxi firm Uber said the company was ‘excited’ by the prospect of expanding into Portsmouth.
• What a big fat mess lurking undergroundTHIS is the monster “fatberg” which lurked beneath one of Wigan’s busiest roads.
• Towns are on the move again, says MP Richard FullerA new town centre bridge. The Bedford to Oxford railway. A proper interchange to replace the Black Cat roundabout. Completion of the Bedford bypass.
• Warning after M1 breakdownFollowing the recent spate of accidents on the Bedfordshire section of the M1 a T&C reader has warned of the potential dangers of using the hard shoulder as a regular motorway lane.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New plans made for north England’s rail franchisesAs part of a move spearheaded by deputy prime minister and Sheffield MP Nick Clegg, the government has laid out goals for companies that hope to run the Northern Rail and Transpennine franchises when the current contracts expire. The requirements include replacing the old and outdated Pacer trains on Northern Rail services, as well as providing a plan to tackle overcrowding across the region’s trains. Mr Clegg said: “Today’s plans include a new fleet of trains and improved services that will better connect our great northern towns and cities. Modernising rail in t...

Railway Gazette

• Invitations to tender issued for Northern and TransPennine franchisesUK: The invitations to tender for the next Northern and TransPennine Express passenger franchises...
• Hands-free mobile ticketing demonstrationTICKETING: A proof-of-concept smartphone rail ticketing app which would not require passengers take...

EIN News Subscription

• Airbus commits to a British future … choose to stay in the EU, and continue this mutually beneficial … director, Harald Wilhelm, hinted that Airbus might discontinue the planes because … aircraft due to production problems. So far, 174 of the military transport … added. “We delivered more commercial aircraft than ever before, including the …