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

Tuesday, 12 May 2015

BBC News

• Disused Rhondda rail tunnel revealedFirst images from 50-year-old railway wanted for cycle path
• 'Ride me' bus advert sparks backlashA south Wales bus company says it will withdraw an advertising campaign showing a partly dressed woman following an online backlash.
• What caused rail's latest near miss?In early March two trains were less than a minute away from what could have been one of Britain's worst rail crashes, as Richard Westcott explains.
• Self-driving car accidents revealedFour out of the 48 self-driving cars on public roads in California have been involved in accidents since September.
• Airbus remains committed to A400MThe chief executive of Airbus Group has said the company remains committed to its A400M military plane following Saturday's crash in Spain.

Financial Times

• Crash casts shadow over Airbus aircraftA400M is years late and billions over budget, and the tragedy could mean further delays
• Iran airline defies sanctions in shadowy dealWestern security officials say Iraqi carrier used as front to acquire 9 commercial planes

The Guardian

• Bus company pulls topless 'ride me' adverts after outcryCardiff bus adverts featuring topless models holding a placard saying ‘ride me all day for £3’ caused social media stormA bus company has come under fire for promoting a new route with a poster on the back of its vehicles showing an apparently topless woman holding a sign saying “ride me all day for £3â€�.Dear @NAT_Group, I find your new promotion in Cardiff hugely uncomfortable, not to mention objectifying... pic.twitter.com/OPipr7OveaDon't worry men, your bodies aren't immune from the sexualisation of @NAT_group either! Terrible marketing. pic.twitter.com/24KHF6LcIz.@NAT_Group just s...
• The Night Bus: nocturnal naughtiness on the N29Channel 4’s latest obs-doc explores the erotically charged world of after-hours transport, where all sectors of society come together for a late-night snogThose living outside London, where public transport costs £8 a mile and ends at half-five in the evening, might be unfamiliar with the charms/horrors of Transport For London’s night bus. The saviour and the captor, delivering you home from whatever dank hell you’ve just spunked a quarter of your pay packet in, at approx three miles an hour, while other people’s alcohol breath condenses on the rattling window you’re trying to kip on...

The Herald

• Business leaders in Glasgow back Heathrow expansionBUSINESS leaders in Glasgow have urged the new Government to expand Heathrow and build a new runway

The Telegraph

• 'Ride me all day for just £3' bus advert with picture of topless woman sparks outrageSinger Charlotte Church among critics of 'sexually explicit' topless image to advertise New Adventure Travel's day saver ticket on new Cardiff route

Mail Online

• Cardiff buses with topless models holding 'Ride me all day' sign spark outrage The advert campaign by New Adventure Travel backfired when passengers condemned the company for being 'unacceptable' and 'insulting'.

The Mirror

• Commuters face Network Rail strike chaos as Tory government faces showdown with unionsThe RMT and TSSA are set to ballot their members over a four-year pay deal as David Cameron threatens harsh curbs on industrial action

Birmingham Mail

• More than £3K worth of bikes stolen from Birmingham train stations since JanuaryBritish Transport Police release images of suspects in bid to crackdown on bike thefts
• Passengers scream in terror as Birmingham flight battered by high windsPilot kept calm and landed craft safely on service from Alicante

London Evening Standard

• Stars are aligning for Heathrow in post-election push for third runway Heathrow stepped up its campaign for a third runway today as a source at the airport claimed the stars are lining up for us now
• Boris bikes can now be hired using a smartphone app Users of Boris bikes now have the option to hire them using a smartphone app.
• Welsh bus company removes 'sexist' adverts featuring topless woman inviting commuters to 'Ride Me All Day for £3' after backlash A Welsh bus company has said it will remove a series of "sexist" adverts from its buses after a backlash from feminists.
• Eurostar security alert after passenger tries to take artillery shell on board London-bound train A Eurostar passenger sparked a security alert today as he tried to board a London-bound train after rail staff discovered an artillery shell in his rucksack.

Wales Online

• 'I usually wear clothes when I ride the bus' This woman wrote a brilliant email to the 'Ride Me All Day for £3' bus firmAnwen Hayward decided to let the NAT group know what she thought of their advert
• Model agency boss says 'Ride Me All Day' bus adverts are not sexist and have received positive responseClair Rawlings, who runs Future Model Management, said the models in the campaign were not topless and the furore over the ads was 'misguided'

Bucks Free Press

• HS2 Select Committee visit to Bucks postponed Plans for members of the HS2 Select Committee to visit Bucks next week have been postponed.

Other Regional Press

• Heathrow Airport third runway: Campaigners don masks for air pollution protestProtesters say a third runway should be ruled out because of what they claim are dangerously high levels of pollution around the airport
• Manston airport: Thanet council Ukip leader Chris Wells says council will try to buy the site with compulsory purchase orderThe man set to lead the UK's first Ukip-controlled council has pledged to press ahead with plans to buy and reopen the former Manston airport.
• Crossing planned for busy Weymouth junction A BUSY junction in Weymouth is to be made safer for those on foot.

Airportwatch

• Network Rail workers vote to strike over payNetwork Rail workers have voted in favour of a UK-wide strike in a row over pay, the Rail, Maritime and Transport union has said.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Rail and water freight 'can ease HGV congestion'Road congestion can be reduced by increasing freight capacity across the rail and water networks, a pressure group has argued. The Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) has conducted new research which it says contradicts the government's conclusion that the benefits of moving freight off the roads would be minimal. CBT looked at specific routes that tend to see increased congestion resulting from heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), which, it argues, makes the study more accurate than the government's approach of taking a national average. Congestion on the routes - particularly those leading to ports ...

Rail Magazine

• AGA could place order for new trains ‘next year’Abellio will place an order for replacement intercity-standard rolling stock on the Great Eastern Main Line next year if it wins long-term East Anglia franchise
• Port of Felixstowe expands rail facilitiesThe Port of Felixstowe has commissioned two new rail-mounted gantry cranes at its North Rail Terminal
• MTU launches PowerPack with Tri-mode potentialTri-mode running may soon be possible in a diesel multiple unit (DMU), thanks to a new MTU hybrid PowerPack
• Final GBRf rebuilt Class 92 delivered for Sleeper serviceFinal GB Railfreight Class 92 to be overhauled for the Caledonian Sleeper franchise (92014), released from Wabtec Rail’s Brush Traction Loughborough facility

Rail Technology Magazine

• Extensive Investment into Research, Development and Production The Frauscher Group is investing eight million euros into the extension of the wheel sensor production and the construction of a new building at their headquarters in St Marienkirchen. With the expansion, the production capacity of sensors can be dou…
• Stockholm Metro Licenses Prover iLock Prover Technology has announced that SL, the infrastructure manager of Stockholm Metro, has licensed a Prover iLock solution for creating requirements for interlocking systems.
• VAE-Points Technology for Railways, Underground Railways and Tramways VAE is the world market leader in turnout technology for railways, underground railways and tramways. VAE is system provider within the switch area and in system-inherent monitoring - securing and drive units and competent engineering and service par…

Railnews

• New Whitehall transport team to be named The Prime Minister is poised to announce the names of the ministers who will be taking charge at the Department for Transport. Most of the present team have not been included in the list of resignations following the General Election, with one exception.
• McLoughlin to stay in top transport job Patrick McLoughlin has accepted the job of transport secretary in David Cameron's new government. Mr McLoughlin had been transport secretary since 2012, when he joined the DfT just after the Intercity West Coast franchise competition had collapsed.

Aviation Industry

• Airports Commission launches consultation on air quality issuesThe UK government-appointed Airports Commission, which is due to publish its recommendations on additional UK airport capacity this summer, has launched a consultation on the air quality assessment of the three runway options shortlisted in its interim report of December 2013.         read more
• Heathrow and Gatwick runway decision faces delayAirports Commission wants public consultation on air pollution problems
• Manchester airport passenger numbers continue to growTraffic up 6.7% year-on-year
• Heathrow posts strong growth to emerging marketsCEO renews calls for runway expansion at hub airport

Other News Sources

• Labour reveals new shadow cabinetActing leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman has revealed the new shadow cabinet, as the party awaits a leadership contest following its dismal performance in the general election.