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

Wednesday, 06 May 2015

BBC News

• Welshpool station car park extendedWork to extend Welshpool railway station car park is to be carried out to cope with expected growth in usage when extra train services start.
• Airport staff vote for pay dealProspect union members working for Highlands and Islands Airports Limited vote to accept an offer on their terms and conditions.
• VW car chief pledges 'calmer' futureVolkswagen boss Martin Winterkorn says the company is back in

Financial Times

• Transport for London seeks media partner for £1bn contractTransport for London is inviting media companies to pitch for a £1bn contract to oversee advertising across the capital’s Underground system and to deliver “more imaginative” experiences for passengers.

The Guardian

• What are the world's most cycle-friendly cities?From safe networks of cycle paths to innovative policy, share your examples and experiences of progressive cycling cities with GuardianWitnessAs cities increasingly seek to reduce car use and encourage more sustainable forms of transport, so cycling will surely play an ever-more important role in urban life.Following a swath of activism in the 1970s, Dutch cities began to introduce measures for safer cycling. Now Amsterdam, Utrecht and Groningen – not to mention cities such as Copenhagen, Münster and Seville – have become pioneers for a pro-cycling urban culture with extensive network...
• How Amsterdam became the bicycle capital of the worldIn the 1960s, Dutch cities were increasingly in thrall to motorists, with the car seen as the transport of the future. It took the intolerable toll of child traffic deaths – and fierce activism – to turn Amsterdam into the cycling nirvana of todayAnyone who has ever tried to make their way through the centre of Amsterdam in a car knows it: the city is owned by cyclists. They hurry in swarms through the streets, unbothered by traffic rules, taking precedence whenever they want, rendering motorists powerless by their sheer numbers.Cyclists rule in Amsterdam and great pains have been taken to acc...
• Germanwings co-pilot practised his crash on another flight – reportAndreas Lubitz unexpectedly reduced flight altitude on outbound flight from Dusseldorf to Barcelona the same day as fatal crash, says Bild newspaperThe Germanwings co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing a plane in the French Alps in March, killing all 150 people on board, practised a descent on the previous flight, German newspaper Bild said on Tuesday. Prosecutors believe 27-year-old German co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit and veered the plane into an early descent on a flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf on 24 March. Continue reading...

City AM

• UK Oil & Gas Investments share price dips after issuing second clarification on Horse Hill Gatwick "100bn barrels" oil discovery claimUK Oil & Gas Investments (UKOG), the firm behind a potentially huge oil discovery at Horse Hill near Gatwick, has issued a second statement clarifying the size of the find following comments made by the company's chairman.
• Gatwick claims Londoners back its growth plansGATWICK Airport yesterday ramped up the competition with Heathrow over where to build a new runway, with the release of another poll showing Londoners’ preference for expansion at the Sussex hub.

Network Rail

• Better journeys for passengers following bank holiday rail upgrade workHundreds of thousands of passengers and freight users are benefitting today after more than £50m of investment and improvement work was completed successfully across Britain’s railway over the May Day bank holiday weekend.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham Airport cabbies in toilets rowThey claim there is only one lavatory for 300 drivers

Bolton News

• VIDEO: Bolton commuters prepare for months of misery as reduced train services begin COMMUTERS faced delays and disruption this morning as major changes to train services in Bolton were introduced.

London Evening Standard

• Ryanair cuts airport fees as it presses on with its customer service overhaul Ryanair has slashed some airport fees as part of the latest phase of its charm offensive.
• World's biggest 'bike bus' with 900 cyclists heads for east London The world's biggest "bike bus" is set to descend on east London next month, with 900 cyclists taking to the streets in an attempt to make their name in the record books.
• British men arrested at Gatwick airport after 'security hoax' on Thomas Cook plane Four British men were arrested on return to the UK over a security hoax on board a plane which was set to fly to Gatwick after they were refused entry to Turkey.

Manchester Evening News

• Could new DVLA driving licence changes leave you stranded at an airport abroad?The answer is 'yes' warn motoring experts who claim the changes could have a huge impact on your summer holiday
• Manchester Airport to get direct flights to Los Angeles and Boston with Thomas CookThomas Cook Airlines, Manchester’s biggest long haul carrier, has announced the two new routes to launch in 2016

Wales Online

• Where do the parties stand on the key transport issues for Wales in the General Election?From a devolving of air passenger duty to tolls on the Severn Bridges Professor Stuart Cole on the political parties' transport pledges for Wales

Bucks Free Press

• Bucks' HS2 site visits announced An influential group of MPs will visit Buckinghamshire later this month to see where HS2 will go, it has been confirmed.

Doncaster Free Press

• Firm announces cheaper travel for South Yorkshire pensionersTates Travel has become the latest South Yorkshire bus company to offer pensioners a £1 flat rate fare outside the hours when they can travel free with their bus passes.

Other Regional Press

• Prime minister David Cameron aims to re-open Manston Airport with Conservatives' five-point planThe fate of Manston airport triggered an eve-of-election row today after David Cameron said he supported its re-opening in an interview this afternoon.
• Heathrow Airport T2 scoops project of the year awardThe Queen's Terminal along with Brent Civic Centre and King's State Apartments at Kensington Palace pick up trophies at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) awards night
• Stunning images released of Gloucester's new bus station These stunning images show what a new streamline bus station could look like in Gloucester. Artist's impressions, released exclusively to the Citizen, show a fresh, modern bus station. The £6.4million bus station is the first phase of the Kings Quarter regeneration scheme.
• Transport Minister urges Argyll & Bute Council to resolve dispute over lifeline island air servicesMinister for Transport and the Islands, Derek MacKay MSP, has today, 5th May 2015, urged Argyll & Bute Council to resume negotiations on the provision of lifeline air services to Colonsay, Coll and Tiree.
• Campaigners say improvements still needed for Weymouth's transport system CAMPAIGNERS say not enough has been done to improve Weymouth's traffic system.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Arriva’s investment and innovation delivers another year of growthArriva has published a review of its performance in the 12 months to 31 December 2014 and an update on its prospects for the future. David Martin, chief executive of Arriva said: “We have continued to invest all of our operating cash flow in growing our business over the past 12 months. That positive strategy is reflected in our continued strong revenue and EBITDA growth. “Our success in the UK and across mainland Europe perfectly positions us to take advantage of transport markets as they advance and liberalise. “That pace of change is increasing and we are determined to emb...
• Network Rail announces successful bank holiday rail upgradeNetwork Rail has announced the completion of more than £50 million of investment and improvement work over the May Day bank holiday weekend. In addition to building work on new tracks and junctions, bridges have been lifted into place, and thousands of new and more reliable equipment has been installed.  New overhead lines and tracks were installed near Chadwell Heath as part of work on the London Liverpool Street, while a vital junction outside Waterloo station was replaced.  Mark Carne, Network Rail chief executive, said a 14,000-strong workforce was determined to see everyth...
• Allport Cargo Services names Charles McGurin as Chief Executive OfficerAllport Cargo Services (ACS), has announced that its incumbent Managing Director, Charles McGurin, will become Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with immediate effect.   Founded over 50 years ago as Allport, ACS, as part of the Cargo Services Group based in Hong Kong, is now one of the leading freight-forwarders and international logistics providers in the UK and has a substantial  overseas network with operations in over 30 countries worldwide and representation in a further 100.    With extensive experience of the sector, McGurin took his post as Managing Director at ACS in 2...
• CILT publish Vision 2035 infographicThe Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport has today published a digestible and visually representative infographic detailing the findings of its Vision 2035 policy series. The purpose of the Vision 2035 series is to look to the future and visualise how transport and logistics in Britain would develop, taking account of demographic changes, population growth, technological developments and social and political change. The Institute’s first report, Vision 2035, was published in September 2011. The series is an ongoing project and is a starting point for continuing work on lik...

Aviation Industry

• Why last week’s court ruling on air pollution could stop airport expansionAEF's James Lees considers what last week's Supreme Court ruling could mean for airport expansion at Heathrow or Gatwick.
• Lufthansa narrows lossDeutsche Lufthansa AG narrowed its operating loss in the first quarter as lower fuel costs countered the effects of a weaker euro and an increase in pension expenses. Lufthansa, based in Cologne, reported a loss before interest and tax of 144 million euros in the quarter ended March 31, compared with a year-earlier loss of 217 million euros, in an earnings report on Tuesday.
• ATW Opens Nominations for 2016 Airline Achievement AwardsAir Transport World, the leading global air transportation publication, has opened its nominations process for the 42nd Annual Airline Achievement Awards. read more
• Avianca firms order for 100 A320neo family aircraftAvianca Holdings has firmed an order for 100Airbus A320neo family aircraft, the largest single order ever made in Latin America. read more
• Ryanair passenger numbers jump 16%Airline ready to roll out part two of ‘customer improvement’ programme

Other News Sources

• Gatwick provides a once in a lifetime opportunity to solve the airport capacity issueA decision on where Britain’s next runway should be built is expected this summer and, even after years of debate, Gatwick’s expansion plan remains the best and most deliverable solution to the need for extra capacity.
• German train drivers start week-long strikeDeutsche Bahn union members’ walkout over pay and negotiating rights