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

Friday, 27 March 2015

BBC News

• Airport hours boost 'is needed'A small London airport needs to extend its hours to avoid being forced to take on holidaymakers and more commercial airlines, its boss claims.
• Driver saw woman dragged under trainA train driver saw a woman being dragged along the platform by a Tube train and fall down the gap, it has emerged.
• Mayor rejects airport expansion planBoris Johnson turns down a £220 million project to expand London City Airport.
• Airports keen to host UK spaceportTwo Scottish airports are bidding to host the UK's first spaceport, according to Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown.
• Airlines change cockpit proceduresAirlines across the world have begun requiring two crew members to always be present in the cockpit, in the wake of the French Alps crash.

Financial Times

• Lufthansa chief shaken by crash findingsIf suspicions are confirmed, airline group will need to defend hiring and safety procedures
• Airlines toughen up cockpit rulesMarseille prosecutor says copilot wanted to ‘destroy the plane’ when left alone on the flightdeck
• Black cab makers hail next generationNew taxi will be electric, made of aluminium and built in Coventry
• Alps crash prompts cockpit access debateSince 9/11 flight crews have been locked behind bulletproof doors with an access code known to crew
• City airport slams Johnson bar to growthMayor’s rejection on noise grounds unjustified and ‘perplexing’

The Guardian

• A quiet word about Heathrow expansion - Letter Stewart Wingate Chief executive officer, Gatwick AirportIt is true that aircraft are getting quieter and more efficient
• Investigation launched after woman dragged along by tube trainRail accident investigators to look into incident where rush-hour passenger received serious injuries when coat got caught in tube doorAn incident in which a rush-hour passenger was dragged along a London Underground platform after getting her coat caught in a train door is being examined by accident investigators.The woman ended up falling into the gap between two carriages of the Northern line train and was taken to hospital with serious arm and head injuries. Continue reading...
• Taxis! Black cabs jobs boost for CoventryAround 1,000 extra jobs planned at new London Taxi Company factory as Chinese owner embarks on ambitious plan to export new low-emission cabsUp to a thousand new jobs are planned at a new black cab plant in Coventry following a £250m investment by the London Taxi Company’s Chinese owner, Geely.It will be home to the company’s research, development and assembly operations, including the development of electric and ultra-low emission black cabs. Continue reading...
• Germanwings crash: report that co-pilot Lubitz had suffered 'personal life crisis' - rolling updatesMore details emerge about Andreas Lubitz, the 27-year-old German co-pilotFrench prosecutor says co-pilot crashed plane deliberatelyAirlines adopt two-person cockpit ruleInteractive: the last minutes of Germanwings flight 4U9525 5.56pm AEST Here’s what we currently know about the investigation into the Germanwings crash and Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who deliberately steered the plane into the Alps, killing all 150 people on board: 5.11pm AEST The Guardian’s Luke Harding, our former Berlin correspondent, reports a potentially alarming development coming out of the German newspaper Bild Zeitun...

The Telegraph

• Lincolnshire has the most dangerous roads in BritainPeople living in rural communities are the most likely to be 'killed or seriously injured' on the roads, according to findings published today
• Police find 'clue' at home of Germanwings' co-pilot Andreas LubitzOfficers testing items from his house near Dusseldorf they say could be a 'significant' discovery

Mail Online

• Airlines announce new cockpit changes in wake of Germanwings tragedy EasyJet (pictured) will implement the new rule from tomorrow in the wake of the Germanwings air disaster where the co-pilot locked the pilot out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the plane.
• Germanwings passengers didn't realise co-pilot was deliberately flying them into mountain The final moments of the Germanwings Airbus A320 flight, which was deliberately flown into the French alps killing 150 people, have been described by prosecutor Brice Robin (pictured).
• Pictured: Mangled wreckage of train collision in Thailand that injured at least 22 and 'killed many' in country's latest transport disaster At least 22 people were injured when one train crashed into the back of another near Thailand's capital Bangkok. A local police officer said a train driver and mechanic are in a critical condition.

The Mirror

• Germanwings plane crash: Live updates as investigation under way into French Alps pilotInvestigators continue to try to figure out what possessed Andreas Lubits, the doomed Germanwings passenger jet co-pilot, to intentionally bring the plane down

Birmingham Mail

• Taxi app Uber launches new 6-8 seater fleet in Birmingham Controversial cab company's Uber XL targets students and holidaymakers five weeks after initial launch

Birmingham Post

• David Cameron: Labour's high speed rail rethink is a "slap in the face" to Midlands Prime Minister condemns Labour Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls for saying new east-west rail line should come before completing HS2
• Revealed: How Jaguar Land Rover now supports more than 250,000 UK workers New data shows Jaguar Land Rover now employs 34,000 people in the UK – up by 18,000 in the past four years

London Evening Standard

• London black taxis to go electric as Chinese firm invests £250 million into 'next generation' of iconic taxi London's roads will soon carry a new fleet of electric-powered black taxis with ultra low emissions, after a Chinese motoring giant invested £250 million into a new manufacturing plant.
• London Bridge: Rail boss insists station 'might feel uncomfortable' but is 'not unsafe' A rail chief today admitted commuters waiting for delayed services at one of London’s busiest stations might feel “uncomfortableâ€� - but insisted the crowded concourse was not “unsafeâ€�.
• Woman was dragged 60 metres along platform and under Northern Line train, report finds A woman was dragged 60 metres under a Tube train as she fell underneath it in a horrifying rush hour accident, an official report has found.
• French Alps crash: Germanwings flight co-pilot 'locked cabin door and deliberately crashed plane' The co-pilot of ill-fated Germanwings flight 4u9525 locked the cabin door before deliberately crashing the plane, killing everyone on board.
• Driverless cars to boost UK economy by £51bn Self-driving cars will give the UK economy a £51 billion boost while cutting road congestion and accidents in London, according to a major study.
• Boris Johnson ditches £200m London City Airport expansion plans Boris Johnson today pulled the plug on plans to double the capacity of London City Airport, saying expansion would blight the lives of thousands of people

Manchester Evening News

• EasyJet flights from Manchester airport will be among first to change cockpit rules after Germanwings tragedyThe operator will now ensure two crew members are in the cockpit at all times after Alps tragedy claims lives of Manchester mum and infant

Wales Online

• Plans reveal Cardiff's long-awaited bus station will not serve passengers wanting to travel within the cityA report produced for Cardiff council and Cardiff Bus suggests the new bus station won't be a traditional one where city passengers board and get off buses
• Could the Mumbles Railway make a come back?Columnist Robin Turner wonders if a revival of the Mumbles train could be considered as part of multi-million pound seafront development plans

Yorkshire Evening Post

• New train station in Leeds due to open in OctoberAfter five years of waiting, a brand new train station in Leeds will finally open in October.

Yorkshire Post

• Dividing lines emerge over high speed railThe Prime Minister has accused Ed Balls of failing the north after the shadow chancellor revealed he wants to halt High Speed 2 and fix east west trains instead.

Blackpool Gazette

• Airport equipment to go under the hammerA raft of equipment from Blackpool Airport is to be sold at auction.

Bucks Free Press

• Bucks leader: HS2 report vindicates everything we have said The leader of Buckinghamshire County Council said today's release of a scathing report into HS2

Doncaster Free Press

• Building HS2 link in Sheffield city centre ‘would cost £1bn more than Meadowhall’Building Sheffield’s HS2 station in the city centre instead of Meadowhall would cost ‘at least’ an extra £1 billion, project boss Sir David Higgins has revealed.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Transport Secretary sees problems with A12 through four villages at first handTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin got a first-hand look at the problems facing villagers on the A12 in Suffolk as he travelled from Ipswich to Lowestoft.
• Rail delays in region after emergency tunnel work near Ipswich train stationRail services in Suffolk were delayed on Thursday night due to emergency engineering work.

North Wales Live

• Mersey to Belfast ferry operator close to completing £6m upgrade on Irish Sea fleet Six vessels, including the Stena Mersey and the Stena Lagan, have undergone work at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Community minibus fund awardedThe Department for Transport (DfT) has chosen over 300 communities that will receive a share of its £25 million minibus fund. This money is aimed at helping the elderly and those with limited movement by providing accessible transport, particularly in areas without a commercial bus service. The buses can help people access a variety of services, such as social events, medical care or local shops. Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “I know first-hand how important transport providers like these can be to keep rural areas alive and protect the independence of local ...

Aviation Industry

• CAPA conference: airline marketing technology 'needs shake-up'Ryanair's chief marketing officer labels the industry 'old-fashioned'
• Etihad could sell Aer Lingus stake if IAG bid is acceptedJames Hogan says deal would deliver 'great return'
• Germanwings crash: Norwegian first airline to changes cockpit proceduresNorwegian announces new protocol mandating that two crew members are always present in the cockpit during a flight

Other News Sources

• Boris bikes scheme coming to Brighton and Hove A BORIS bikes scheme is set to come to Brighton and Hove after news of a £1 million government award.
• Actresses to be immortalized on city buses Two of Britain’s best-loved performers have received another accolade with their names now set to adorn Brighton and Hove buses.