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

Thursday, 30 April 2015

BBC News

• Nasa unveils shape-changing plane wingNasa jointly develops a plane wing that can change shape during flight, reducing drag and improving fuel efficiency.
• Planes grounded by iPad app errorAmerican Airlines delays dozens of flights after an iPad app used by its pilots stops working.
• Rail workers strike on Bank HolidayWorkers at Virgin Trains East Coast in Edinburgh are to strike on Bank Holiday Monday in a dispute over the sacking of a colleague.
• Borders rail works at 'final phase'The final phase of earthworks gets under way ahead of the return of rail services between the Borders and Edinburgh.
• Delivery changes 'could cut traffic'The time of business deliveries in London could be changed in order to ease congestion, Transport for London says.
• TfL boss sorry for rail firm insultsThe head of Transport for London (TfL) has apologised for making "unjustified and excessive" comments about Southeastern trains.

Financial Times

• Lufthansa offers olive branch to pilotsChief executive says airline will be scarred forever by loss of Germanwings passenger jet
• ISS backs National Express US union voteShareholder group to raise long-running dispute over workers’ rights at annual meeting

The Guardian

• App fail on iPad grounds 'a few dozen' American Airlines flightsApp used by pilots as ‘electronic kit bag’ since 2013 crashes, leaving planes unable to take offAmerican Airlines was forced to delay multiple flights on Tuesday night after the iPad app used by pilots crashed.Introduced in 2013, the cockpit iPads are used as an “electronic flight bagâ€�, replacing 16kg (35lb) of paper manuals which pilots are typically required to carry on flights. They are used to distribute information such as flight plans throughout the airline’s fleet.Find myself on a 737/800, lets see Box-IFE-ICE-SATCOM, ? Shall we start playing with EICAS messages? "PASS OXYGEN O...

The Herald

• AIR PASSENGER DUTY CUTS 'GOOD NEWS'FAMILY holidays will cost less from tomorrow when the Air Passenger Duty (APD) airport departure tax is scrapped for under-12s.

The Independent

• Heathrow expansion: Major blow for plans after court rules incoming government must make cutting air pollution top priorityHeathrow Airport’s expansion plans were dealt a significant blow after the UK’s Supreme Court ruled that the new government must make cutting air pollution one of its top priorities.

The Telegraph

• Transport for London boss apologises for saying travelling by train is 's***'Sir Peter Hendy writes to rail managers to apologise to all employees for 'excessive' remarks that described commuting as 'like stepping into the Wild West'
• 'We have underwear models shoved down our throats': Life as a female Tube driverThe London Underground is a heavily male-dominated workplace. But there are a few young female Tube drivers. Radhika Sanghani finds out how 'body-shaming' ads affect them, and why the Northern Line needs more loos
• Nick and Margaret: the Trouble with Our Trains, BBC Two, review: 'frustrating'While presenters Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford were engaging company, this programme's investigation into the value of the British rail network proved inconclusive, says Michael Hogan
• Diesel cars could be banished as Britain ordered to cut air pollutionTransport experts have predicted that diesel cars will be phased out as part of government plans to cut air pollution

The Mirror

• Diesel drivers could face higher taxes as pollution targets are missed Diesel cars and trucks - which emit the largest amount of nitrogen dioxide - are likely to be hit hardest

Birmingham Post

• Cameron: Chinese rip-offs are top of my list if elected Far Eastern copycat of Range Rover's Evoque is 'just not acceptable' says PM during visit to Longbridge

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Summer bike training set to be rolled out across district A SCHEME to teach vital road safety skills to Bradford's young cyclists is set to expand this summer with a new initiative for out-of-school lessons hot on the heels of the Tour de Yorkshire.
• Bradford bus drivers warn of possible further strike action UNION chiefs did not rule out further strike action in Bradford last night as a 48-hour walk-out by bus drivers came to a close.
• Cycling mania set to return to Bradford district for Tour de Yorkshire THE BRADFORD district is all geared up to welcome the Tour de Yorkshire this Sunday, with thousands of cheering spectators expected to line the route.

Derby Telegraph

• Arriva: 'Derby City Council right to tackle bus firm over problems' ARRIVA has defended its punctuality record after again coming under fire from angry travellers – and has also been asked by Derby City Council to explain delays.
• Derby rail firm secures £25m for expansion plansA COMPANY which specialises in the design and construction of foundations for the rail sector has secured £25 million to support its future growth.Aspin Group, which has an office on Pride Park, has received the cash from private equity firm LDC.The company provides piled foundations, which are primarily used for supporting overhead line equipment and signalling structures.The firm is benefiting from continued investment in the rail sector

Liverpool Echo

• General Election 2015: Ed Balls pledge on better rail links for LiverpoolShadow Chancellor promises Liverpool new power on transport investment and business rates

London Evening Standard

• TfL boss Sir Peter Hendy apologises for saying Southeastern train services were 's***' London transport boss Sir Peter Hendy has apologised for describing services on a major London commuter route as "s***".
• Underground Film Club: disused Charing Cross station will be home to film festival A disused tube station is being transformed into a cinema for a unique weekend festival of underground film.
• Take the 24-hour Tube to London's new homes hotspots  
• Crossrail: 40 essential facts you need to know  
• Down Street Tube station video reveals secrets of disused Underground stop This amazing footage gives a glimpse into an abandoned Tube station in the heart of Mayfair.
• Wheelchair-bound Lib Dem peer barred from boarding near-empty bus by father with a pram A Lib Dem peer who is wheelchair-bound today told how she was made to feel like a nuisance “inanimate objectâ€� after she was barred from boarding an almost empty bus.
• East London bus driver throws off 10-year-old girl and lets her walk home alone An east London bus driver threw a 10-year-old girl off his bus and left her to walk home alone because she did not have an Oyster card.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Tyneside's QEII Metro Bridge - vital for the region's transport since 1980With the Metro bridge due to close for work for the next two weekends, we look at the story of the Tyne's sixth bridge

Northern Echo

• Ed Balls: Faster trains across the North are a priority FASTER train links across the North must be an “early priorityâ€�, Ed Balls has said – and built at the same time as huge planned rail improvements in London.

Blackpool Gazette

• Liverpool trek for Blackpool airport passengersPassengers hoping to fly to the Isle of Man from Blackpool Airport are being bussed to Liverpool for take-off.

Bucks Free Press

• New double yellows at traffic blackspots a blessing and a curse, says affected resident Painting double yellow lines in busy areas of Marlow could be both a blessing and a curse according to a resident who has previously encountered problems with inconsiderate parking in town.

Doncaster Free Press

• Calls to return bronze duck to statue of Doncaster rail pioneer Sir Nigel GresleyIt night sound quackers - but a petition to return a bronze duck to a planned statue of Doncaster rail pioneer Sir Nigel Gresley is gathering steam.
• VIDEO: Anniversary celebrations at Doncaster airportIt was celebrations all round as Doncaster airport celebrated 10 years of flying passengers to leisure and business destinations.

North Wales Live

• Peel Ports looks to take on apprentices ahead of opening of Liverpool2 Port of Liverpool owner advertise for an initial five trainees for its Mersey operation

Other Regional Press

• More than 2,500 west London students get the 'Heathrow Challenge'During the half-day event, Heathrow engineering apprentices helped students build their own version of the Terminal 5 Track Transit System
• Plans for new low emission zone around HeathrowAirport bosses want to ban all but the cleanest buses and coaches from serving the airport
• Rolls-Royce marks centre progress with visit of luxury carIT’S A building site at the moment – but soon this area will be full of top of the range Rolls-Royces.
• Transport boss Sir Peter Hendy of TfL apologises after criticising 'sh**' Southeastern and its 'Gestapo' ticket inspectorsA transport boss has apologised to the boss of Southeastern, after he claimed the firm was 'sh**', and compared ticket inspectors to the Gestapo.

C.N.N.

• FAA questioned mental health of Germanwings pilot

Rail Magazine

• TfL signs agreement to adopt Network Rail Sentinel card systemChange took place from April 1.
• Southeastern rolls out new information displays to 13 stations Ramsgate, Hither Green and 11 other stations to benefit from investment

Rail Technology Magazine

• TfL to extend use of Sentinel identification system to London Underground UK rail infrastructure operator Network Rail and Transport for London (TfL) have signed an agreement to extend the use of Sentinel identification system to London Underground and its supply chain.
• Train and Bus Operators Lowering their Distribution Costs Like changes in the airline industry in the early nineties, and the rise of low cost airlines, the Rail and Bus industry is also changing rapidly.
• Dulles Corridor Metrorail Extension Project The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Extension Project, also known as the Silver Line, is a 23-mile extension of the existing 106-mile Metrorail system, which serves Washington DC and parts of Maryland and Virginia, US.

Railnews

• May Day weekend – Network Rail warns ˜check before you travel™ Passengers are being advised to check before they travel over the May Day bank holiday period as Network Rail carries out upgrades to improve many parts of the railway. An army of 14,000 track workers will be deployed around the country undertaking projects costing some £50 million. Major worksites include Glasgow, Crewe, Stafford and several locations in Greater London – but Network Rail says 95 per cent of the rail system will be unaffected.

Railway Gazette

• Second-generation depot personnel protection system launchedDEPOTS: Zonegreen has launched a second generation of its SMART Depot Personnel Protection System,...
• Siemens opens signalling research centreSPAIN: On April 27 King Felipe VI officially opened a signalling research and development centre at...

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair hit for millions of euro in international Chinese banking scamRyanair has been targeted in an international scam that siphoned millions of euro from its bank accounts, the Irish Independent understands. It is believed that thieves managed to initiate a single fraudulent transaction using a Chinese bank when stealing the money from the airline, Europe's biggest low-cost carrier and Ireland's second biggest company.
• Aer Lingus reports Q1 revenue riseCEO reiterates support for IAG deal

Other News Sources

• Gatwick pips Heathrow in pricing analysisThe average short-haul flight from Gatwick is 19% cheaper than a flight departing from Heathrow, a new study shows.
• New sensing technology opens the door to hassle-free car hireNovel technology from product design and development firm Cambridge Consultants is set to transform the world of car hire. It could spell the end of disputes over liability if a car is damaged. And, if no damage is detected, the technology means zero-hassle returns – drivers will be able to just drop off their car and go.