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

Friday, 24 April 2015

BBC News

• Election 2015: Is transport a priority issue for Londoners?Recently, I saw a list of issues pertinent to voters in this election and transport came down the list at eighth or ninth.
• Election 2015: Should we increase airport capacity?As the 2015 general election approaches, the BBC is looking in detail at some of the big challenges the next government will face.
• Driver caught speeding at 136mphFour people were caught driving at speeds of over 120mph on roads in Wales last year - with one topping 136mph, a road safety charity reveals.
• VIDEO: Could a train revive Stoke-on-Trent?Officials in Stoke-on-Trent are fighting to get the HS2 route through their city. So does the transport infrastructure affect people's politics?
• Election 2015: Is transport a priority issue for Londoners?Looking at fares, airports and HS2
• Airport police to begin using dronesPolice guarding London airports will start using drones for surveillance following a review by counter-terrorism officers.
• Rail upgrade 'raises hack risks'A government adviser warns that a new hi-tech rail signalling system could be hacked by terrorists to cause train crashes.

Financial Times

• Union Pacific held back by weaker volumesRail operator hit by labour disruption at ports on US West Coast

The Guardian

• Transport for London chief: commuter trains into capital are 'shit'Sir Peter Hendy, commissioner of Transport for London, criticises rail franchises that run London’s suburban services – particularly Southeastern
• London Underground agrees first tube station sponsorship on marathon dayCanada Water, which is near start of race, will be rebranded for 24 hours as Buxton Water after deal with Nestlé, drawing criticism from RMT union

The Herald

• GP attracts support on Facebook after rant over CalMacA WOMAN'S internet rant at the state-owned ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne after she claimed it has let her down over a lifetime has attracted the backing of thousands of people.

The Independent

• 'People hate the suburban rail service': Transport for London czar attacks capital's train operators The man running Transport for London on the move has savaged the train operators who run the capital’s commuter services.
• Transport for London czar attacks capital's 's***' commuter trains with 'Gestapo' staff The man running Transport for London on the move has savaged the train operators who run the capital’s commuter services.

The Scotsman

• Alastair Dalton: SNP MPs in transport driving seat?COULD Nationalist MPs soon be in the driving seat on UK rail and airport policy, asks Alastair Dalton

The Telegraph

• Travelling by train is s**t, says transport bossTransport Commissioner Sir Peter Hendy says travelling on Southeastern's network is 'like the Wild West' and London's commuters 'hate it'

Daily Record

• Three new routes from Scotland to Germany and Spain added to budget airline Ryanair's winter schedule EDINBURGH to Frankfurt and Santander flights will be twice weekly while four flights will leave from Glasgow to Berlin every week.

Mail Online

• Living near busy roads 'can raise dementia risk': Exposure to sooty particles alters structure of the brain  Exposure to small, sooty particles, mostly caused by traffic fumes and factory emissions, alters the structure of the brain according to US researchers who examined more than 900 people.
• Judges open the door for even higher parking fines: Court rules private firm's £85 charge is 'not excessively high'  In a landmark ruling Barry Beavis from Chelmsford, Essex, has lost his High Court challenge over 'unfair, unlawful and disproportionate' parking charges on private land.

This is Money

• Transport for London boss says commuter trains are 's***' In a Management Today interview, Sir Peter Hendy picked out Southeastern and South West Trains for special treatment in a rant that will be music to many commuters' ears.
• How drivers see their insurance costs soar after no-fault accidents even if they don't claim The policy, adopted by the majority of car insurers, means that cautious drivers end up paying for the mistakes of other more careless drivers through their car premiums.

London Evening Standard

• London Marathon 2015: Canada Water Tube station to be renamed 'Buxton Water' in marathon sponsorship deal A Tube station is to be renamed after a commercial sponsor for the first time in a deal that will generate £110,000 for Transport for London.
• TfL boss in four-letter rant at London commuter train services London Transport Commissioner Sir Peter Hendy has blasted commuter train services running into the capital as “s***â€� and “like the wild westâ€�.
• Man dead after motorbike crash near south London's 'mad mile' A motorcyclist has died following a rush-hour crash in south London.

Newcastle Journal

• Carbon dioxide could be turned into a huge underground batteryStoring excess energy with carbon dioxide compressed underground could help even out our energy flow and clean up the atmosphere

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Newcastle to New York flights - final preparations underway as flights just a month awayThe new United Airline's direct service from Newcastle International Airport to Newark airport in the Big Apple will take off on May 23

Northern Echo

• National Railway Museum theatre taking shape WORK has started on putting up the 1,000-seat purpose-built theatre at the National Railway Museum, in York.

Nottingham Evening Post

• DanRobinson commented Election 2015: Politicians quizzed on improving transport links...Better transport links are key to economic growth in Nottingham, according to politicians speaking at a debate.Prospective parliamentary candidates from five parties were quizzed on a range of issues by city business leaders at a hustings event yesterday.Among the ideas given for improving infrastructure included speeding up decisions and construction work, removing some 20mph speed limits and preventing speed cameras from being used as a "cash cow". John Townsend, of telecoms business...

Sheffield Telegraph

• Mass cycle ride in Sheffield to demand safer road conditionsHundreds of bicycle riders will pedal through the centre of Sheffield as part of a campaign to push cycling further up the political agenda.

Doncaster Free Press

• Cyclists go Dutch for anniversary challengeAn Isle work team is employing pedal power across the channel to celebrate 10 years in business and support deserving charities.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Cameron due to focus on transport in a bid to woo the region’s votersA major study into the dualling of the A120 and the promise of a decision on an Ipswich link road and third Lowestoft crossing by 2016 will be among the pledges made by David Cameron as he attempts to woo voters in East Anglia today.

Other Regional Press

• New Knebworth parking zones will ‘kill the village’, say businessesBusinesses in Knebworth have branded new parking permit zones as short-sighted, with one warning they will kill the village.
• Road in Northampton where large hole appeared will be closed until next weekA road in Northampton where a large section of the road surface has collapsed is likely to remain closed until at least next week, an Anglian Water spokesman said.
• Transport for London boss Sir Peter Hendy blasts Southeastern TrainsTransport for London Boss Sir Peter Hendy has branded Southeastern trains
• Huddersfield’s Narrow Canal gets starring role on Blue PeterTV slot for repairs on Marsden lock
• Bus shake-up sees more trips added A SHAKE-UP of a rural bus route from Dorchester which will see extra journeys added has been welcomed.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Air Partner's Financial Year results ahead of forecastsThe results for the year to January 2015 were better than forecasts, albeit estimates that were cut sharply in July last year.  This brings to an end a tough year for Air Partner, with a weak performance in the traditionally stronger H1 period (PBT down 36% YoY) only partially compensated by a stronger H2 outturn (PBT +6% YoY).  Compared with forecasts, Commercial Jet and Freight broking were better than expected, but Private Jet broking was worse than forecast. The Commercial Jet performance was boosted by record results in Italy and Germany, providing some mitigation for the weaker...
• Yodel delivers a quarter of a million books for World Book NightOver 250,000 books have been delivered to every corner of the UK and Ireland by parcel carrier Yodel, to help ignite the nation’s love for reading as part of World Book Night, (Thursday 23 April).  Yodel was chosen as the official delivery partner of World Book Night for the third consecutive year by national charity, The Reading Agency, which runs the annual celebration. World Book Night aims to inspire those who don’t regularly read to pick up a book. Since 2011, it has given books away to over 2.25 million people, supported by an extraordinary group of 56,000 volunteers. ...
• APC overnight appoints its first external Chief ExecutiveCourier industry heavyweight Jonathan Smith has today been announced as the new Chief Executive Officer of APC Overnight. The move marks the first time in the company’s 20 year history that someone from outside the business has taken the top position. As Managing Director of DHL Domestic (UK), Jonathan led the separation of the business from its global parent, as well as its integration with the Home Delivery Network. He was subsequently appointed as the new company’s CEO, a position he held until 2012. Jonathan has also held other CEO roles both within and outside of the logist...
• First Scotland East tipped for success at prestigious industry awardsLocal bus operator First Scotland East has been shortlisted for three much coveted Scottish Transport Awards, it confirmed today (Thursday). In the Central Belt, where it operates as First Midland Bluebird, its high profile X38 service has been nominated for Scotland’s ‘Best Bus Service’ after efforts to improve the service for customers resulted in a 12% rise in patronage. Travelling through some of the most beautiful, historic parts of Scotland, First aimed to improve the quality of journeys for passengers travelling between Stirling, Falkirk, Linlithgow, Edinburgh and co...
• Hammersmith Flyover carriageway resurfacing completed ahead of scheduleExcellent progress with work over the last two weekends means that the closure of the westbound Hammersmith Flyover originally planned for this coming weekend (24-27 April) is no longer necessary. As part of Transport for London’s (TfL’s) continuing £4bn Road Modernisation Plan, the Hammersmith Flyover strengthening scheme required a closure in the westbound direction for three weekends during April to allow the final repairs to the concrete deck, waterproofing and resurfacing to be completed. The repairs were carefully designed to be carried out in the shortest timeframe po...
• Norbert Dentressangle launches time critical servicesThe Air and Sea division of Norbert Dentressangle has launched a complete range of time critical services, offering tailor-made solutions for urgent and specialist deliveries to companies in a wide range of sectors, including oil and gas, automotive, manufacturing, fashion and life sciences. To head up the new business unit, Norbert Dentressangle has recruited time critical expert, Stacy Rouillon, along with a dedicated team of specialists to deliver and develop Norbert Dentressangle’s time critical services. These currently include secure critical services, including on-board courier,...

Rail Magazine

• IEP Class 800 moves under its own power in testsFirst pre-series Intercity Express Programme (IEP) Class 800 has moved under its own power at Old Dalby (Network Rail test centre).
• SNP calls for HS2 construction to start from ScotlandCurrent plans for High Speed 2 could be renegotiated if the Scottish National Party holds the balance of power after the General Election
• GB Railfreight names Class 66 after Northampton SaintsFirst time a train has been named after a rugby team

Aviation Industry

• ITM 2015: O'Leary calls airlines use of biofuels 'PR stunt'Ryanair chief says aviation contribution to climate change is 'unproven'
• Gatwick to double rail capacityPlans outlined for a train to depart airport every three minutes

Other News Sources

• ‘Beware the Big Ship Hype’ says TT Club TT Club’s Phillip Emmanuel has put into perspective some of the sensationalism surrounding the recent growth trend in container ships. Speaking during a plenary session of the TOC Asia Conference in Singapore on Tuesday, he advised ports and terminals to take a measured approach to the risk management of their operations, looking carefully at the ramifications to their own facilities of potential larger ship calls.TT Club is well-positioned as a leading insurer of risks for container lines and cargo handling facilities to advise on the type and extent of exposure.  Outlining the Club’s p...
• Siemens' new traffic technology makes road crossing easier Siemens has introduced a new traffic solution that provides pedestrian countdown at traffic signals (PCaTS).
• Arriva expands UK bus apprenticeship schemeArriva has significantly expanded its UK bus apprenticeship scheme to train tomorrow’s engineers   In 2014 Arriva employed 26 engineering apprentices across its UK bus division The general election campaign has seen all of the major political parties pledge to support, encourage and grow the number of apprenticeships available to young people. Indeed, prime minister David Cameron recently said that he was keen for them to be “level peggingâ€� with university degrees. Recent years have seen growing interest in the opportunities offered by this alternative career path to university and many t...
• We need experience, not culture changeForget culture change, look for underlying causes. Lack of rail experience at the top is a serious handicap for Network Rail   It is no surprise, I suppose, that faced with the problems Mark Carne has at Network Rail and being at a loss at to what to do about them, he should decide to give the new boy’s speech. You will all be familiar with it. He delivered it twice, once in February and once last Monday at the Railway Study Association dinner. They were slightly different but if you put them together, this is how they went. He started with comparisons of safety with his previous industry...
• Lib Dems make bus fare pledge to young peopleParty’s manifesto promises to work towards two-thirds discount for those aged 16-21   Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg pictured in June 2013 with teenagers on board a bus in London   The Liberal Democrats would work to introduce a new Young Person’s Discount Card, offering young people aged 16-21 a two-thirds discount on bus travel. The pledge, which is contained in the party’s 2015 manifesto would be fulfilled “as resources allowâ€�. It is intended to prevent bus service cuts as well as benefit young people. “This will assist all bus users by helping maintain the viability of existing bus ro...
• Parties promise action on rail value for moneyLabour and Conservative manifestos outline new consumer protection policies and pledge fares freezes to make rail travel more affordable     New measures to improve passengers’ perceptions of the value for money of rail travel are set to be introduced by the new government with both the Labour and Conservative parties pledging reforms in addition to freezing fares. The Conservative Party manifesto states that the Tories will “require train companies to improve compensation arrangements for passengers when trains are more than a few minutes lateâ€�. The change would mean significant ame...
• Invest now in fuel cell vehicles? There is divided opinion on the future of traction fuel cells in electric vehicles, though few argue any more that they will power the majority of electric vehicles. Nonetheless some manufacturers are very enthusiastic and now could be the beginning of the end of the trough of disillusionment, indeed the time to invest, as analysed in the IDTechEx report Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles 2015-2030: Land, Water, Air.
• Study reveals why and how people will travel by 2030Amadeus report identifies six ‘traveller tribes’

EIN News Subscription

• European rail route upgrade to boost trade … various European wine, industrial parts and pharmaceutical suppliers and producers to transport … already offers flexible transport options to both domestic and European clients. Services … . Supported by international rail and air transport facilities and a number of …

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• Crewe 2,000 tonne rail bridge installed over weekend Contractor Morgan Sindall has installed a new railway bridge as part of the Crewe Green Link Road project. Weighing 2,000 tonnes, the 30 metre bridge on the Crewe to Derby railway line was...
• SWT commits to National Training Academy for Rail South West Trains has become the first train operating company to sign up to use the new National Training Academy for Rail, due to open later this year.Under a rolling contract that starts in...
• Kier to restructure Network Rail property tie-up Construction firm Kier looks set to sell off its stake in Solum Regeneration, the property joint venture it established with Network Rail in 2008.Kier is to hive off its interest in the business to...
• Mole freight and PIE Map eligible for Catapult cash The government-backed Transport Systems Catapult has announced it plans to create the world's first 'intelligent mobility investment fund' to pump 50-100m into small technology companies and...
• Network Rail prepares for 50m May Day programme The May Day bank holiday weekend will allow Network Rail teams to deliver upgrade work valued at nearly 50m.New station facilities, new platforms, new junctions and hundreds of pieces of new,...