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

Tuesday, 28 April 2015

BBC News

• Caledonian Canal to fully reopenThe Caledonian Canal is expected to reopen fully on Thursday following repairs to damage caused by flooding in March.
• Translink appoints new chairmanThe transport minister Danny Kennedy has appointed a new chairman of transport firm Translink.
• DLR staff balloted over strikesWorkers on the Docklands Light Railway are balloted for strike action over two separate disputes.
• Taming Africa's deadly transport chaosThe start-ups taming Africa's deadly transport chaos
• VIDEO: 'Super-jumbo' A380 marks 10 yearsThe 'super-jumbo' Airbus A380 celebrates its 10th anniversary
• Motorists warned on car hire abroadMotorists going abroad after 8 June are being warned they may need to take a code with them if they want to hire a car.

The Guardian

• 'It doesn't even smell': a ride on the Bristol bus powered by human pooIs Bristol’s biomethane-powered city bus a bold new move towards sustainable transport, or just hot air? Ajit Niranjan catches the No 2 (really) to find out“It’s a fantastic idea, I say – powering a bus with poo, who’d have thought?â€� The soft West Country burr belongs to Maisie, a 30-year-old nurse travelling with her toddler, Josh, and three bags of shopping. Squirming out of his mother’s grasp, Josh presses his face to the window as we pass rows of Georgian terraces and graffiti-speckled tower blocks. Continue reading...
• How we made the Brompton folding bikeAndrew Ritchie, inventor: ‘I set out to make a magic carpet you can keep in your pocket. It’s been a perilous journey’It’s the same old thing lots of people have dreamed of having – a magic carpet you can keep in your pocket. Of course, what I achieved was rather chunkier, but it was still pretty manageable compared with other fold-up bikes out there. Before the Brompton, most portable bikes were fold-in-half things, not something you’d want to carry around. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Motorists admit breaking traffic laws because they HALF of drivers in the UK admit flouting traffic laws, according to a new survey published today.
• Public sector ferry giant worth £270m a year to Scotland's economy, study findsFERRY giant CalMac is worth £270 million to the Scottish economy according to a major new study highlighting its value to rural and island communities.
• Funding boost for walking and cycling in GlasgowWALKING and cycling in Glasgow is being given a £1.2 million boost which will see some of the city's busiest street redesigned.

The Telegraph

• London cabbies are fighting a losing battle against UberUber is a public transport game-changer, and London's traditional cabbies need to stop fighting it and learn to co-exist, says Alex Proud
• London plagued by travel chaos as thousands of commuters are left strandedTwo fatalities on London train lines and a broken down bring rush hour chaos in the capital
• How is your driving? Half of drivers admit breaking traffic lawsA new report has highlighted widespread disregard for traffic laws among UK drivers

Belfast Telegraph

• Belfast Bikes: The highs and lows of day one of the bike-share scheme launchAfter weeks of behind the scenes pedal work - Belfast's bike share scheme has finally launched. Almost 1,500 have signed up to the scheme which got underway today but it wasn't all free-wheeling fun as by 10am a docking station it had been reported that a terminal was out of order due to vandalism.

Birmingham Post

• 200,000 families reaping the benefits of Jaguar Land Rover's successThe Midland car-maker’s growth - which shows no sign of slowing - has seen its workforce doubled since 2008 and thousands of further jobs created in the UK supply chain

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Cyclist who survived head-on collision with 4x4 promotes life-saving app A CYCLIST from the district who survived serious injuries after a head-on crash with a 4x4 vehicle will be back out on the roads with a special message ahead of the Tour de Yorkshire.
• Anger among Bradford bus passengers as strike action enters second day A SECOND day of strike action by Bradford bus drivers was set to cause

Liverpool Echo

• Budget carrier easyJet takes delivery of 250th Airbus plane Airline says order symbolises long term partnership with plane maker
• Land Rover to fit new efficient engine into Halewood-built Discovery Sport model Ingenium engine produces less CO2 emissions and gives almost 60 miles to the gallon

London Evening Standard

• General Election 2015: Taxi app Hailo offers free trips to polling stations on May 7 London taxi app Hailo is hoping to boost voter turnout at the general election by offering free trips to polling stations.

Daventry Express

• George Osborne defends HS2 and unveils new Corby Enterprise Zone plan on visit to Northampton todayChancellor George Osborne said building a high speed railway line through Northamptonshire will stop county commuters facing ‘completely overcrowded’ trains within five years.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Rail delays between Norwich and Diss due to signal faultRail services between Norwich and Diss are having to run at a reduced speed on some lines due to a fault with the signalling system.

Other Regional Press

• General election 2015 - how Cambridge candidates would solve the city's transport crisisCity gridlock and other transport problems are perhaps the biggest bugbear of those who live and work in Cambridge.
• George Osborne defends HS2 and unveils new Corby Enterprise Zone plan on visit to Northampton todayChancellor George Osborne said building a high speed railway line through Northamptonshire will stop county commuters facing ‘completely overcrowded’ trains within five years.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Adrian Jones appointed operations director at First Bus First Bus has announced the appointment of Adrian Jones as Operations Director, with responsibility for driving improvements in operational and safety performance across its portfolio of bus businesses.  Adrian has extensive operational experience having formerly been Managing Director of First’s London business for six years between 2007 and 2013 and more recently Managing Director of First Essex.  He will continue to report to Regional Managing Director, Neil Barker, who said:  'I’m delighted Adrian has accepted this new role which underpins our commitment to eff...
• SEStran launches Real-Time digital signage initiativeSEStran has launched the latest phase of its drive to provide live bus times information to travellers throughout South East Scotland. Thousands of people already have access to Real Time bus passenger information through BustrackerSEStran, which  uses advanced computer technology to provide updated information on buses as they proceed along their routes. The system, which is accessible via the internet and a free smartphone app ('SEStranbus', available from the I-Phone App store & Google Play store), is fully compatible with Edinburgh’s existing RTPI system and provides passen...
• Cycle safety 'Near Miss Project' scoops awards for University of Westminster Transport LecturerThe award-winning 'Near Miss Project' led by Dr Rachel Aldred, Leader of the University of Westminster’s Transport Planning and Management MSc, is using over 1500 one-day cycling diaries to help make cycling safer.  ‘Near misses are important, both as an early warning signal to help prevent more serious incidents, and because of the impact they have on the cycling experience,’ says Dr Aldred.  ‘This is the first UK-wide study to look at how frequently near misses happen, their effects, and what could be done to reduce them. We’re finding near misses ar...
• Increasing rail and water freight will cut road congestion, says new researchGetting more freight onto rail and water could significantly reduce road traffic, improve congestion and be better for the environment, according to new research carried out for Campaign for Better Transport.   Government research has played down the potential benefits of the transfer from road to sustainable methods by only looking at national averages across all strategic roads.   But this new research also looked at specific routes which typically tend to be more congested because of more long-distance HGV traffic, particularly to ports. HGV traffic overall could fall by 21 per ce...
• Volvo hybrid buses – more than 2000 soldSales of Volvo hybrid buses passed yet another important milestone in the second quarter of this year. Volvo Buses has now sold more than 2000 hybrid buses in about twenty countries since their introduction in 2010. Fewer exhaust emissions, low energy consumption and quieter operation are appreciated by increasing numbers of cities the world over. 'With this ongoing success we are reinforcing our global lead in hybrid buses. Cities all over the world now regard electrified bus traffic as a cost-efficient way of reducing the problems of poor air quality and noise. Our solution makes travel mor...
• New AEB software for greater efficiency in freight tender managementPurchasing transport services is a critical factor when it comes to saving costs, increasing supply chain efficiency, and delivering better service. To take the headache out of requesting and managing transport and freight tenders, AEB has added new features to its ASSIST4 Transport & Freight Management solution. At the core of the software are comprehensive simulation features that simplify the comparison of competing forwarder tenders, making the process of selecting the right transport partner faster, more transparent, and highly convenient. How can transport and freight tenders be man...
• Dachser celebrates 40 years in the UKFrom small beginnings in a rented warehouse and with just 5 employees, Dachser has steadily grown. Now, 40 years later, the Head Office of Dachser UK and the Northampton branch office are still located in Northampton in a brand new logistics centre and, together with the branch offices in Dartford and Rochdale, the Company now employs a total of 325 people. Whilst focussing in the early years on its core activity of freight forwarding, over the last four decades Dachser UK has successfully broadened its range of services to cover contract logistics and value-added services, as well as air and...
• Transport Planning Society bursary award winnersThe Transport Planning Society offers £500 bursaries to young transport planners to produce some original thinking on a topic of current relevance to transport planning. The topic for the 2014 competition was 'What should an incoming government do for transport planning?'.  The Society is delighted to announce four winners : Ward Alsafi (JMP Consultants) – who advised government to reconnect spatial and transport planning John Bradburn (Atkins) – who advised government to introduce a national spatial strategy Stuart Northall (Mott MacDonald) – who advised gover...

Rail Magazine

• Three Bridges depot energised in readiness for GTR ‘700s’Britain’s newest train depot, at Three Bridges in West Sussex, has been partially energised ahead of its planned completion in July.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Step change: Network Rail’s Neal Lawson talks platform safety In the past five years 18 people have died and 7,000 have been injured on the UK rail network as a result of falls from the station platform or accidents while boarding trains. Julian Turner talks to Neal Lawson, director of maintenance and operation…

Aviation Industry

• Virgin Australia names Elizabeth Bryan as new chairman, succeeding Neil ChatfieldVirgin Australia has selected Caltex Australia chairman and Westpac director Elizabeth Bryan as the successor to long-serving chairman Neil Chatfield. Australia's second-largest airline has been searching for a new chairman since Mr Chatfield declared his intention in October to relinquish the reins after seven years in the role.
• Spain’s Air Europa details Boeing 787 plansSpanish carrier Air Europa has launched scheduled flights between Madrid and Miami with its first Boeing 787 as it prepares to take 22 of the new twinjets. read more
• Airberlin reorganizes management positions Oneworld member airberlin has announced several management changes in the first phase of the German carrier’s turnaround program, and paving the way to be a more international multi-hub carrier. read more
• Etihad stresses importance of cross-Atlantic routes; rules out US-EuropeEtihad Airways will continue to expand its cross-Atlantic routes between North America, the Middle East and the sub-Indian continent, but has no plans to fly between Europe and the US a senior executive said Monday. read more
• British Airways, Iberia switch allegiance to ELFAAThe European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) has accepted International Airlines Group (IAG) carriers British Airways, Iberia and Iberia Express as members, effective immediately. read more
• Ryanair fares could drop 15% by 2016O’Leary says benefits from low oil prices will be passed onto passengers

Other News Sources

• Heathrow promises to address HGV and parking issues but won’t rule out appealing a Gatwick runwayHeathrow has agreed to investigate the possibility of providing on-airport facilities for HGV drivers but refused to rule out appealing a Gatwick runway decision.
• Transport Minister at Exeter Airport: We are seeing a rail revolution in this countryInfrastructure was at the heart of a visit to Exeter Airport made by the Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin this week.
• Gatwick Airport accused of using 'scare tactics' against rivals Heathrow Leaflets distributed by Gatwick Airport claimed 683,000 people would be affected if Heathrow expanded compared to 36,000 if they were to expand
• Aeroflot adds Apple Watch support to mobile app Aeroflot (Moscow Exchange ticker: AFLT) has released annbsp;updated version ofnbsp;its app for iPhone and iPad that includes support for Apple Watch among anbsp;number ofnbsp;new additions...