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

Thursday, 21 May 2015

BBC News

• Reading Buses 'cow poo bus' sets speed recordIt runs on biomethane compressed natural gas and is painted black and white like a Friesian cow. It normally carries passengers around Reading.
• TV host urges teens into engineeringWork is needed to encourage more youngsters into an engineering career, says Airbus' head of manufacturing.
• Coach fall accused 'checked exit'A Bridgend coach driver tells a court he made a check of the emergency exit of his vehicle on the morning a boy fell through it on a motorway.
• New air routes boost for EdinburghBudget airline Jet2.com announces a major expansion at Edinburgh Airport, with 12 new destinations.
• Rail disaster centenary markedServices across Scotland over the next three days will mark the 100th anniversary of the Quintinshill disaster in which more than 200 people died.
• Plane crash linked to software faultAirbus suggests that a military plane crash might have been caused by a problem with the software that controlled its engines.
• Residents object to airport changesA residents' organisation criticises Belfast City Council for backing a bid by George Best Belfast City Airport to change its planning agreement.
• Uber seeks Boris Johnson meetingThe car-booking app firm Uber requests a meeting with London mayor Boris Johnson about his proposals to
• Rise in London 'bike-jacking' casesMore than 550 people were robbed for their bicycles in the capital in the past year, figures released to BBC London reveal.
• Train drivers vote for strike actionTrain drivers at Southern Railway vote to go on strike in a row over pay, it is announced.
• Disruption after goods train derailsTrains travelling between Glasgow and Lanarkshire face disruption after a goods train derailed between Whifflet and Motherwell.
• Mexico's car industry revs upCar manufacturing in Mexico is ramping up, despite low demand for cars at home.
• VIDEO: Germany's railways grind to a haltMillions of commuters in Germany have had their travel plans disrupted as train drivers across the country stage their ninth strike in just 11 months.
• German rail strike causes delaysMillions of rail passengers are hit by delays in Germany after Deutsche Bahn's drivers go on strike again.
• Airbus warns about UK exit from EUOne of the UK's big manufacturers, Airbus, warns that the UK should remain inside the EU to guarantee future investment.

Financial Times

• Philadelphia crash shows up signal strainsNew system faces morass of regulatory, technical and financial delays
• Uber accused over driver allegationsBrussels prosecutor says driver claimed company made him complain

The Guardian

• Airbus issues software bug alert after fatal plane crashGlitch found in engine software requires immediate checks after issue-plagued fleet is grounded Airbus has issued a critical alert calling for immediate checks on all its A400M aircraft after a report identified a software bug as having caused a fatal crash in Spain earlier this month. The aircraft manufacturer’s alert follows the crash of the new A400M military transport plane during a test flight in Seville, in which four Spanish air force crew members died and two were injured. Continue reading...
• Rail strike: Virgin Trains scraps west coast services on Monday and TuesdayBank holiday rail disruption looms after operator axes west coast trains and reduces east coast timetable amid threat of industrial actionVirgin Trains has cancelled its west coast train services next Monday and Tuesday and plans only a very limited east coast timetable, although talks continue between Network Rail and unions over the planned bank holiday strike.Other operators have drawn up contingency plans for vastly reduced services should the industrial action go ahead, after Network Rail urged passengers to be prepared for massive disruption next week. Related: How will the rail strike ...

The Herald

• Rail strike threatens to cancel THE
• Jet2 doubles its operation at Edinburgh Airport with 12 new routes from summer 2016BUDGET airline Jet2 is to create around 150 new jobs as it revealed its biggest ever expansion at Edinburgh Airport.
• Cromarty ferry won't run this year
• Could spending pounds on better infrastructure shave Ibs of the nation's waistline?SWITCHING from public transport to travelling to work by car is associated with an average weight gain of one kilo per person (just over two Ibs in old money).

The Scotsman

• ScotRail strike: Only handful of services will runA NATIONAL rail strike will have a severe impact on travellers in Scotland, with ScotRail bosses warning that if the action goes ahead next week it will only run a “handful of services”.

The Telegraph

• Fined for standing in first class? I'm taking my train company to courtOne train picked the wrong customer to hit with a £109 fine. Consumer campaigner James Daley explains why he's taking First Great Western to court
• Rail strike threatens major train and road chaos on bank holidayMost of train network to stall if planned industrial action goes ahead, causing disruption for families on half term, holidaymakers and football fans

City AM

• UK rail strike: Talks go to the wire as Network Rail chief Mark Carne writes open letter warning passengers to plan for the worstTalks between rail chiefs and union bosses are going to the wire over potential strike action taking place this bank holiday.

Mail Online

• Network Rail strike over Bank Holiday weekend sees passengers warned for chaos Full details of amended timetables and what services will run are expected to be made available by Saturday, with ‘overviews and summaries’ available from tomorrow.
• George Osborne to sell government assets like Eurostar and Student Loans The Chancellor said the government would raise more than £23billion this year – a new record – by privatising stakes in Eurostar, Lloyds and the student loan book.

Bolton News

• Bus driver gets stuck in mud trying to do u-turn in busy road BAFFLED commuters watched on this morning as a bus driver got stuck in mud trying to turn around in a busy road.

London Evening Standard

• Haywards Heath delays: Commuters into Victoria and London Bridge face yet another day of train misery Commuters heading into London from the south face yet another morning of misery thanks to a signal failure in Haywards Heath.
• First glimpse of TfL's new-look rail network map This is a first look at a new TfL-produced map of the capital's rail network.
• Southern railway train drivers vote to go on strike over pay Drivers at the rail company responsible for Britain's "worst train service" have voted to stage strike action over pay.
• Rail strike: Virgin West Coast trains cancelled on bank holiday Monday due to planned walk-out West Coast mainline operator Virgin Trains has cancelled all of its services on the coming bank holiday Monday as Network Rail staff prepare to strike over pay, leaving thousands of passengers facing travel chaos.
• Violent thug jailed after unprovoked Tube attack on member of staff A violent thug who struck a member of London Underground staff round the head with a weapon in an unprovoked attack has been jailed.
• Train strike: Tube services also due to be hit by Network Rail walkout, TfL says Some London Underground services are set to be affected by next week's planned rail strike, Transport for London has warned.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Free guided bike rides planned in SheffieldA series of free guided bike rides are to be held in Sheffield this summer.

Wales Online

• Thieves were busted stealing £20k of railway cable - and one had a cannabis factory in his back garden, court toldThree men have been sentenced at Swansea Crown Court for an organised attempt to steal railway signalling cable

Yorkshire Post

• Your train’s cancelled - even though strike isn’t definiteTRAIN companies have started cancelling services over the Bank Holiday because of a planned strike by thousands of Network Rail (NR) workers in a row over pay, even though peace talks are continuing.

Doncaster Free Press

• Bus overturns in Doncaster collisionA bus driver and two passengers have been injured in a Doncaster collision involving a car and a bus.
Police were called at 8.15am on Monday 18 May following a report of a collision on Carr Lane, Conisbrough involving a car and a bus.

The Shields Gazette

• Travel giant defends record as holidaymakers sue over cruise ship sicknessFood safety measures aboard a cruise ship on which a South Tyneside passenger was struck down by sickness were “thorough, comprehensive and based on best practice”, the High Court in London has heard.

Other Regional Press

• Trains cancelled over strike threatWest Coast main line operator Virgin Trains has cancelled all services on Monday and Tuesday because of the threat of a strike by Network Rail workers.
• Bus bosses say ‘sorry’ for wheelchair mum’s distressBus giant Stagecoach is to carpet a driver who refused to pick up a heavily pregnant woman and her wheelchair-bound mother during a cloudburst in Preston city centre.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Virgin Trains East Coast outlines plans to capture airlines' market shareVirgin Trains East Coast is aiming to capture market share from domestic airlines through a series of initiatives. A more flexible reservation system is to be introduced allowing bookings to be made closer to departure to better suit travellers who make last-minute travel arrangements. Customers booking online or via the company’s app will be able to collect two Nectar points for every pound spent, while passengers can also earn Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles. The plans come as the rail operator approaches the 100th day of business since taking over the inter-city east coast franch...
• Reading Buses breaks records with top speed of 80mphA big cheer went up when a service bus from the fleet of Reading Buses today made its own piece of history and proved itself to be the fastest bus in the world – with a top speed of 80.73 miles per hour. In today’s land speed record attempt on a banked circular track at Millbrook, just outside Bedford, the service bus reached a speed of 76.785 mph running on Biomethane Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The Reading Buses single deck bus, in its new and distinctive ‘cow’ livery, has proved the value of ‘cow poo power.’ The bus has no major modifications and wil...
• New benchmarking scheme for bus and coach sector launched by CILTBusmark, CILT’s new sector-specific benchmarking club for the Bus and Coach industry, was officially launched at the ALBUM (Association of Local Bus Managers) Conference on 13th May 2015.  Beverley Bell FCILT, Senior Traffic Commissioner for Great Britain and CILT President spoke at the launch and was joined by Busmark steering committee members who introduced the advantages of being part of Busmark as well as the benefits of CILT membership. Members of the steering committee included; Martjin Gilbert, Alex Perry, Richard Hall, John Carr and Adrian DeCourcey who gave positive endo...
• CMA CGM Kerguelen docks in SouthamptonThe CMA CGM Kerguelen, which can carry up to 17,722 20ft (6m) containers, is 398m (1,305ft) long and 54m (177ft) wide. It is the third-largest container ship in the world. The vessel docked at Southampton's purpose-built 500m deep water berth, SCT 5, built to accommodate ultra-large container ships. Southampton is its first and only UK stop on its maiden voyage. The Kerguelen is expected to leave Southampton at about 08:00 BST on Thursday. It has the capacity to transport almost 200,000 tonnes of goods. It arrived in the UK from the French port of Le Havre, where it was inaugurated, and w...
• 'FORS to be a common force for good’ was the clear message at the first FORS governance and standards advisory group meeting The inaugural FORS Governance and Standards Advisory Group (GSAG) meeting took place last week with leading fleet operators, trade associations and public authority representatives in attendance. The Group has been established by FORS to ensure that the standards remain relevant to industry needs, protect the integrity and reputation of the scheme and embed FORS across the UK as the single national standard. The group consists of industry representatives, local authorities and enforcement agencies. Topics on the agenda included the needs of operators, the development of the standard and the k...
• Liverpool John Lennon Airport goes to the top of the league for punctualityLiverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) achieved one of the highest levels of flight punctuality compared with 10 other top UK airports monitored by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Figures published by JLA on its own website show that 90% of arrivals and departures at the airport were either early or up to 15 minutes late, thereby meeting the CAA’s definition of punctual. The best performing CAA monitored airport was London City at 88% while the average for all 10 monitored airports was 79%, down 1% on the previous year. While the CAA didn’t monitor JLA in 2014, the airport has c...
• More London bus stations to receive digital signageTransport for London (TfL) has announced more of its stations will receive state-of-the-art digital signage.  Victoria Coach station and five more bus stations are already being served by real-time digital information screens, or Digital Sign technology.  This Bus Station Digital Sign is a service provided by TfL that displays live bus arrival information for multiple routes serving stops at bus stations.  All TfL Live Bus Arrivals services display the same information, which include details of service disruptions.  Jonathan Morley, managing director of signage maker Trueform, said:
• Launch of Transport Planning Socety 2015 bursary schemeThe Transport Planning Society offers bursaries to young transport planners to produce some original thinking on a theme of current relevance to transport planning. This year’s scheme has just been launched and the theme is : How can demand management be achieved without full road user charging? Successful bursarians will be asked to write a paper of up to 5000 words on a topic of their choice within this general theme – and will be awarded £500. TPS Director, Tim Morton, commented : 'This is a great way for Young Professionals to enhance their knowledge and raise their pr...

Rail Magazine

• Women in rail nominated for freight industry awardsNorthern Rail, Transport for London and HS2 Ltd employees shortlisted
• NR and rail unions continue talks to avert strike action First national rail strike in 20 years set to go ahead on May 25-26

Railnews

• Train companies publish national strike plans Train operators have started to warn passengers that their services will be very restricted at best on Monday and Tuesday next week, as the prospect of a Network Rail strike comes closer. Talks in the pay dispute between the RMT, TSSA and Network Rail are understood to be continuing at the conciliation service Acas, but there has been no sign of any breakthrough. If the strike goes ahead, on many lines there will be no service at all on Monday or Tuesday.

Aviation Industry

• Hertz To Improve Rental Prices To Boost Bottom LineAs if the raise in airfares wasn't giving tough times to consumers, the announcement by Hertz Global Holdings Inc. to increase car rental rates has come as a blow though its good news for the investors of the company. An important thing noted here is the clashing of the price hike by Hertz with the recent announcement of Carl Icahn 's $100 million investment in the car sharing company Lyft Inc. Florida based American car rental company Hertz Global Holdings Inc .
• KLM lands first flight at Belfast City AirportCongratulations, you're now registered! Let us know what news and updates you want to hear about and we'll send them straight to your inbox. George Best Belfast City Airport has welcomed one of its most significant arrivals with the touchdown of the first KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight from Amsterdam.
• Alitalia to withdraw from Air France-KLM partnershipAgreements to expire in 2017

Other News Sources

• Bus Service Cut Backs In HertfordshireIf you take the bus in Hertfordshire, your route could be cut soon.
• Pollution problems re-opens Airports Commission Heathrow expansionThe Airports Commission has re-opened its consultation process to consider the affects of air pollution if Heathrow or Gatwick were given the green light for expansion.
• Honda Aircraft takes off with Marshall Aviation Services Marshall Aviation Services, the expanding business aviation services company of Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, this week announced at EBACE in Geneva, it is to team with Honda Aircraft Company in Greensboro, NC, USA to be the company’s Northern European provider of sales and service for the HondaJet, the world’s most advanced and light jet
• Signalling problems and a broken rail at Haywards Heath cause delays for commuters Rush-hour passengers on a trouble-hit commuter rail route between London and Sussex have faced more travel misery with delays and cancellations due to a signalling problem.
• No Southern or Gatwick Express trains at all on Tuesday if strike action goes ahead THERE will be no trains on Tuesday if strike action goes ahead.
• Southern Rail drivers vote to go on strike - just hours after commuters faced more train misery Southern Rail train drivers have voted to go on strike
• Airports Authority Launches Plan to Incorporate New Ground Transportation Options at Washington's AirportsThe Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority proposed new regulations Wednesday that would better incorporate companies such as Uber and Lyft into the ground transportation operations at...
• GTMC: Conservatives will help end ‘uncertainty’ in travel sectorOrganisation says single party rule will benefit economy and business travel industry