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

Wednesday, 18 March 2015

BBC News

• 'Artwork on wheels' promotes railwayA massive
• MPs raise rail chaos with governmentThe transport secretary is to be challenged over the delays and overcrowding at London Bridge station.
• Calmac reports rise in passengersThe UK's largest ferry network operator marked a four-year high in passenger numbers and carried the highest number of cars since 2009 last year.
• Lufthansa pilots call for new strikeLufthansa pilots have called for a new, second strike on Thursday, following a planned action on Wednesday, potentially disrupting thousands of passengers.

Department for Transport

• £6m rail innovation competition open for bidsRail Minister Claire Perry launched an industry-wide competition to spur innovation among train operators to meet the challenges of growing demand for rail travel and drive up standards.
• Transport Minister Baroness Kramer announces winner in competition to improve bus journeys for people with sight and hearing impairments.Transport Minister Baroness Kramer unveiled the winning entry – a vibrating wrist band - in a competition challenging tech-savvy students to improve travel for disabled bus passengers (13 March 2015).

Financial Times

• Malaysian carrier eyes Bombardier dealCanadian aircraft maker to sell 20 jets to flymojo, a new carrier in the region
• Passport checks threaten travel chaosEurotunnel and ferry operators attack decision to introduce checks on travellers leaving the country
• Talks urged in US-Gulf airlines’ disputeEtihad chief calls for negotiations after American rival carriers complain of ‘hidden subsidies’

The Herald

• CalMac records increased traffic last yearScotland's main ferry operator CalMac has announced a four-year high in the number of passengers using its services last year.
• Driving campaigners call for two-year moratorium on 20mph citiesNO new 20mph speed limits should be allowed until a Department for Transport study is published in 2017, motoring campaigners have said.
• Line-up revealed for ORGANISERS of the Scottish Airshow have revealed an expanded line-up as the spectacle returns to Prestwick Airport this year.

The Independent

• Fast-track sackings? Network Rail under Coalition scrutinyExclusive: Move comes after its chief executive made a high-profile speech last month which was at times scathing of his own organisation. Richard Parry-Jones’ position as chairman of Network Rail is believed to be under government scrutiny following a disastrous Christmas for the state-backed operator of Britain’s most important track and stations.

The Scotsman

• ScotRail chief to keep job after Abellio takeoverSCOTRAIL chief Steve Montgomery will keep his job when Abellio take over the franchise in two weeks time, the Dutch firm announced today.

The Telegraph

• Leave early for your holidays, immigration minister suggests ahead of border check changesJames Brokenshire says it is 'advisable' to leave early for ferry trips on busy days after Telegraph reveals concerns new exit checks at ports will create long queues

Mail Online

• 'Coachloads of little old ladies' will bear brunt of passport checks at Eurotunnel P&O Ferries has slammed new measures to tighten national security, set to be introduced in April, which will require Eurotunnel and ferry companies to check the passports of those leaving the UK.

Birmingham Mail

• Erdington bus fire: Double decker in blazeSchool children shocked as bus catches fire on Erdington High Street

London Evening Standard

• 'Out of control' bus demolishes brick wall in crash with 'several vehicles' near Clapham Junction A bus driver was in hospital last night after a double-decker ploughed into a wall near Clapham Junction.
• 'One in three Londoners to live on streets with 20mph speed limits by summer' Almost one in three London residents will be living on streets with a 20mph speed limit by the summer, new figures reveal.
• London Bridge travel chaos: Government and rail bosses warned that on-going situation could spiral into 'major disaster' Commuters face dire consequences at London Bridge if more is not done to quell the rush hour chaos plaguing the station, the government was warned today.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester Airport hits out at report claiming Heathrow expansion is good for the regionsCharlie Cornish says "it is just plain wrong to say that only Heathrow can connect the UK to global growth"
• Remembering one of Rochdale's worst railway disasters 100 years on Four died when express train was  ‘smashed to splinters’ in blizzard conditions at Smithy Bridge station on March 18, 1915

Bucks Free Press

• Station closes for resurfacing work A railway station in Bucks is to close for the next three months to allow work to take place.
• Direct rail link to Watford moves step closer after plans approved Plans to run direct train services into Watford from Amersham and Chesham took a step closer to becoming a reality after a £200million rail project was signed off by the government today.

Doncaster Free Press

• Road safety charity calls for driving test overhaulAs the driving test turns 80 this week, a leading road safety charity has said it should be give a complete overhaul.
• Doncaster airport staff on alert for traffickingBorder Agency staff at Doncaster’s Robin Hood Airport have been ordered to be on high alert for the signs of child trafficking.

North Wales Live

• Peel Ports wins top accolade at the first Mersey Maritime Industry AwardsBlack-tie ceremony at Wallasey Town Hall sees nine awards given out

Other Regional Press

• Airport chiefs welcome independent national report backing Teesside Heathrow linkNational Connectivity Task Force claims a third Heathrow runway is the best option for regional airports such as Durham Tees Valley
• Heathrow Airport finally provides an answer for increase in aircraft noise across Ascot and Bracknell A change was made to one route by the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) in June 2014 and led to a greater concentration of aircraft, and more noise, over areas to the south-west of the airport
• New Scotrail team unveiledIt follows industry speculation that a new managing director was being lined up for the ten-year contract from April 1.

Bus and Coach.com

• First and other operators step in after Western Greyhound collapse

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• £6m rail innovation competition open for bidsRail Minister Claire Perry on 17 March 2015 launched an industry-wide competition to spur innovation among train operators to meet the challenges of growing demand for rail travel and drive up standards.
• TfL is Europe’s fastest-growing company for contactless paymentTransport for London (TfL) has been named as the fastest-growing contactless payment merchant in Europe for the last six months, and the fastest-growing in the UK by Mastercard and American Express.
• Innovation developed for vision and hearing-impaired bus passengersA student from Nottingham has won a competition to design a way to make using buses easier for people with vision and hearing problems.
• Concerns raised about Stonehenge tunnelA number of prominent historians have joined forces to oppose plans to build a road tunnel under Stonehenge. Dan Snow, Ruth Scurr and Tom Holland have lent their support to the Stonehenge Alliance, which is also against the plans to use a tunnel to widen the A303. Mr Snow said: "We have recently started to realise that the standing stones are just a beginning, they sit at the heart of the world's most significant and best-preserved Stone Age landscape. The Government's plans endanger this unique site." However, the government hopes that the proposals will prov...

Construction Enquirer

• Kier bags £130m brace of King’s Cross jobsArgent development has named Kier preferred bidder for two contracts worth £130m at the King’s Cross Goods Yard development in London.
• HS2 starts consultant race for £450m work dealsHS2 has started the search for a main engineering delivery partner for phase one of the high-speed link from London to Birmingham.
• French win Northern Line extension TBM dealLondon Underground has placed its order for two tunnel boring machines to be used on the Northern Line extension with French engineering firm NFM Technologies.

Rail Magazine

• Portishead station site agreedPreferred site for new Portishead station selected by ORR.
• Network Rail's Easter engineering plansLondon Bridge, Great Eastern Main Line, Reading and Watford set for major improvements.
• D-train conversions progressing20 vehicles on-site at Long Marston.
• Rail freight contributes £1.6 billion to economy says reportBenefits of rail freight to Britain are growing, says RDG.
• TV advert launched to promote family rail travelCampaign designed to encourage families to travel by train this spring.
• Rail industry innovation competition seeks submissions£6 million available to bidders that are successful.

Railnews

• Railfreight 'contributes £1.6bn to British economy' A new report says that railfreight is now contributing some £1.6 billion to the British economy every year. The figure is an estimate of the benefits, which include reduced road congestion and favourable environmental factors. Two years ago these benefits were valued at £1.5 billion, but the sector has continued to grow since then. The report comes from the Rail Delivery Group, which says the five major railfreight operators between them move goods worth more than £30 billion each year.

Aviation Industry

• Regional airport access must be priority in runway decisionTask force calls for Airports Commission to prioritise UK regional access
• Malaysia to launch new airline ‘Flymojo’Government unveils $1.5bn deal with Bombadier for 20 aircraft
• Lufthansa pilots to stage 24hr strikePilots to walkout on Wednesday in long-running dispute over benefits
• Etihad warns US carriers against restricting Open Skies agreementCEO James Hogan refutes ‘unfair’ subsidies claims

Other News Sources

• Flybe touch down to expand the UK gateway at StanstedFlybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, touched down at Stansted Airport for the first time this week to expand Stansted’s UK connections and launch the first of three new services direct to the Isle of Man, Newcastle and Newquay.
• Hundreds more cycle spaces coming to Sussex in £1.5 million project HUNDREDS of cyclists are set to benefit from improved bicycle facilities at the county’s railway stations after £1.5 million of new funding was announced.
• London Bridge is falling down A PACKED commuter train arrived on time on only 25% of its journeys for a whole year.