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

Friday, 15 May 2015

BBC News

• Rail workers to strike on bank holiday MondayNetwork Rail workers are to stage a 24-hour strike from 5pm on bank holiday Monday in a row over pay.
• £27m boost to transport schemesRoad bottlenecks and safer routes for walkers and cyclists in Wales will be tackled by nearly £27m funding.
• English cities offered greater powerChancellor George Osborne sets out plans to give cities powers over housing, transport and policing, as part of a devolution
• Aerospace firm cutting 220 jobsThe aerospace firm Bombardier is to cut at least 220 jobs from its Northern Ireland operation due to a fall in demand for its business jets.
• Corrie bosses object to tram routeCoronation Street bosses object to a planned expansion of Greater Manchester's tram network because they fear the noise could disrupt filming.
• VIDEO: A look around a large container shipThe biggest British registered container ship has arrived in Southampton, as part of its maiden voyage.
• VIDEO: India's Trans-Asian rail goes slowThe Indian prime minister's visit to China is not just focused on trade with each other - but also with the region and its transport links.

ITV News

• Hitachi unveils design for trains that could be built at Newton Aycliffe siteHitachi has unveiled the designs for interiors of trains it is hoping to build at its Newton Aycliffe site.

Financial Times

• Bombardier flies into jet set turbulenceCanadian group cuts jobs and slows output of its high-end private aircraft
• Lot weighs IPO if sale talks fail to flyPolish state-owned airline considers float or private equity deal
• UK rail fares rise 71% in 10 yearsDisclosure comes amid anger over price and quality of train travel

The Guardian

• Bombardier to axe hundreds of jobs in Northern IrelandCanadian aircraft maker cuts 280 jobs at Belfast Aerospace as demand for its planes nosedivesHundreds of jobs will be lost in Northern Ireland after Bombardier announced it is to cut production of its largest business jets.The Canadian train and aircraft manufacturer confirmed on Thursday that more than 1,750 posts across Canada and Northern Ireland would be axed amid waning demand for planes designed to whisk corporate executives between meetings. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Motoring body calls for action as number of drivers over 70 hits 4.34 millionA MOTORING group has called for action to address a surge in elderly motorists, with the number of drivers aged 70 or older now rising by 10,000 a month.

The Independent

• Virgin Trains apologises to Preston North End fans for 'embarrassing' cancellations It’s arguable that, without the help of Virgin Trains, Preston North End might never have got to the League One Play Off Final, yet the team’s fans will now have to do exactly that.

The Telegraph

• Cyclists are 40 per cent less stressed than other commutersDo you feel irate before the working day has even started? Then you should consider swapping your car or train journey for a bike ride, according to new research
• Women are, after all, better drivers than menFemale drivers outscore males in a month-long study

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Rail links between Pwllheli, Caernarfon and Bangor 'need to reinstated'Campaign group wants North Wales to be part of 'rail corridor' to link up entire west coast

Liverpool Echo

• Birkenhead's Cammell Laird shipyard reports a 'ferry' good year so far Mersey firm has undertaken work on 15 ferries so far in 2015 with more on the way
• Liverpool John Lennon Airport pursues 'boutique-style' status Boss Andrew Cornish wants to widen appeal throughout the North West

London Evening Standard

• Train strike: Bank holiday rail travellers face chaos as walkout is announced Network Rail workers plan to stage a 24-hour walkout on bank holiday Monday, threatening travel chaos for passengers travelling over the long weekend.
• Cyclists attach testicle shaped Bike Balls to seats to improve road safety Cyclists are hoping to get noticed by attaching glowing testicles to their saddles in a bid to improve road safety.
• Uber driver suspended after he 'threw out gay friends on to London street for kissing and claimed 'no gays allowed'' An Uber driver has been suspended after he allegedly ejected a pair of gay friends from his car in central London for kissing as he told them "no gays allowed".

Manchester Evening News

• Hilton Manchester Airport open new business space The extra facility, provided by Regus Express, offers a working environment to fit the ever-more flexible working lifestyles. 

Northern Echo

• Hitachi ramps up East Coast train testsTESTS are continuing on an inter city express train, which will be made in the North-East and deliver high-speed services to the East Coast Main Line.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Student's vibrating wristband idea for disabled bus passengers could become a reality Vibrating wristbands could soon become commonplace on buses for disabled passengers – thanks to the ingenuity of a Bilborough College student. Daria Buszta won a national transport competition after coming up with the idea to alert people with hearing and visual impairments to their bus stop.

Sheffield Star

• Eroica cycle festival gears up for return to BakewellAround 33,000 cycling enthusiasts will be rolling out as part of a fantastic international vintage cycling festival in Bakewell as the Eroica Britannia returns with three wonderful days of celebrations.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Extra railway track added to £250m Staffordshire line to ease trafficExtra railway tracks have been added to a major £250 million line development near Stafford in a bid to reduce heavy goods traffic to the site.

Blackpool Gazette

• Blackpool Isle of Man passengers in terminal woeSecurity issues are still causing problems for those travelling from Blackpool Airport.

Sunderland Echo

• Sunderland student is face of North East in Heathrow AirportA UNIVERSITY of Sunderland engineering student is the face of a new advertising campaign to showcase North East England business to millions of passengers at Heathrow Airport.

Other Regional Press

• Accrington to Manchester direct train services set to launch this weekendThe countdown has begun to the opening of the new rail link on Sunday, May 17
• One year on, the battle over the future of Manston Airport is intensifying as Thanet council moves towards compulsory purchase orderFormer staff - and those wrangling over the future for Manston - reflect on the situation one year on from the airport's closure.
• Vote: West Yorkshire can have greater powers over transport and health - but needs to agree to an elected mayor firstChancellor George Osborne sets out vision for Northern Powerhouse - who would you choose for mayor?
• Toyota and Nissan recall 6.5 million cars due to potentially faulty airbagsToyota and Nissan are recalling 6.5m cars globally due to potentially faulty airbag inflators made by Takata, it has been announced.

Bus and Coach.com

• Souter gets Naked BusStagecoach founder, Sir Brian Souter, has acquired New Zealand operator, Naked Bus. The deal sees Sir Brian bring together two of the country’s leading long distance coach operators, as he plans to combine this latest acquisition with his other similar operator in the country, ManaBus.com.
• X1 launches with MetroCitysLaunching a new commercial service in competition with an established operator is no easy task, to do so with new vehicles at high frequency in a city with previous negative experience of competition is the challenge that Cardiff based NAT Group has set itself with its X1 service.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Hail the rainbow as iconic London Taxi gears up to celebrate diversityA black cab has become the latest London icon to be decorated in rainbow livery to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), on Sunday 17 May. The cab, which is London’s first rainbow taxi in service, has been wrapped as part of the 11th anniversary of IDAHOT, a day that aims to raise awareness of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights worldwide.  The wrap is part of a partnership between Transport for London (TfL), Ubiquitous, the company responsible for advertising on taxis and cab driver, Ian Beetlestone. The rainbow taxi will be in servi...
• SCALE reveals key ingredients for improving supply chain sustainability The journey to sustainability is not well signposted for food and drink companies. Without standardised metrics to measure progress there is no ‘easy, quick fix’  and whilst many may flirt with the notion of improving their social and environmental credentials, economic performance alone still dominates in the minds of most logistics’ operatives. Step Change in Agri-food Logistics Ecosystems (Project SCALE) set out three years ago to bring academics together with food and drink companies across North-West Europe in order to create new tools and frameworks to help improv...
• Upgrade work on London to Norwich line enters phase 2The stretch of railway between Colchester and Shenfield will be subject to major upgrade work from next week (May 18th).  Network Rail announced that this represents the start of the second phase of a major project to improve the reliability of the line between London and Norwich. One of the organisation's fleet of high output ballast cleaners will carry out the work, which involves renewing the bed of stones the metal rail lies on.  The machine has already been working between Norwich and Ipswich for five nights a week - and each of these shifts has been completed on time.  This has seen over...
• Stafford rail development aims to cut deliveries by roadSome £250 million of investment is being delivered on a major rail development near Stafford by Network Rail.  The work is part of the Stafford Area Improvements Programme, which is intended to remove the last major bottleneck on the West Coast main line at Norton Bridge.  It is hoped this will allow more passenger and freight services to run between London, the Midlands and the north-west, in addition to reducing the number of freight deliveries made by road.  The bulk of the investment will be focused on new signalling equipment in and around Stafford, line speed improvements between Staffor...
• Quality Partnership Scheme consultationBus operators and other stakeholders are being asked for their views on plans to ensure that passengers are guaranteed the highest quality of service once the bus priority package is delivered. Transport for Greater Manchester is delivering the £122 million bus priority package, one of the most significant investments in Greater Manchester’s bus network in decades. The package will improve bus service quality on key corridors linking Leigh, Atherton, Salford, Middleton and East Didsbury with Manchester. To protect the value of the investment for passengers, a special partnership is...
• Wincanton's records management business wins three year contract with Francis Crick InstituteWincanton today announces that its records management business (WRM) has been awarded a three-year contract with world-leading research organisation, the Francis Crick Institute.  The contract will see WRM provide an innovative logistics solution to the Francis Crick Institute, whereby WRM will act as a central site that manages the distribution of all in-bound deliveries to the organisation’s central London facility. This approach will streamline the institute’s supply chain to deliver substantial cost savings and operational efficiencies.  Kirsty Madden, Head of Procure...
• Community shows support for 20 year Master Plan for Port of Sheerness Peel Ports’ plans for a 20 year growth strategy for the Port of Sheerness have received overwhelming backing from local residents, according to the results of a community and stakeholder consultation programme.  The Port of Sheerness Master Plan was created by Peel Ports to inform the local community and key stakeholders of its proposals for sustainable expansion of the port estate, and to gather feedback.  The Master Plan also details Peel Ports’ ambition to create around 1,250 jobs over the next 20 years, enabling it to remain a key employer and investor in the region...

Rail Magazine

• GB Railfreight extends Drax dealFreight operator to move coal to Drax Power Station until 2017
• TfL pioneers jet groutingNew video shows process employed at Victoria
• More EMUs for NorthernTen Class 319s in traffic with Northern from May 17

Aviation Industry

• Singapore Airlines books big fuel hedging loss, downbeat on outlookMay 14 Singapore Airlines Ltd on Thursday reported a full-year fuel hedging loss of S$549 million as a result of falling oil prices and also highlighted fierce competition and soft demand on its key routes. Singapore's flag carrier reported a 58 percent rise in operating profit to S$409.4 million in the year ending March, supported by lower fuel costs.
• Qatar chief in fresh attack on US carriersAkbar Al Baker says 'The Big Three' US airlines are 'threatening Open Skies'

Other News Sources

• Joined up thinking a must for transport – for all UK cities“Transport rules and regulations should be the same across all UK cities when it comes to delivering goodsâ€� is the message from the Freight ...
• Airport Authority Appoints Executive Director, Property DevelopmentAirport Authority Hong Kong (AA) today announced that it has appointed David Au Ho-cheung as Executive Director, Property Development, with effect from 18 May 2015. Reporting to the AA's Chief...