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

Tuesday, 02 June 2015

BBC News

• Decision due on smoking ban in carsPeople could be banned from smoking in cars when children are present if assembly members back the idea later.
• Manchester Airport £1bn plan launchedA £1bn programme to
• Airport adds four directors to boardEfforts to revive the fortunes of Glasgow Prestwick Airport are stepped up with the appointment of four non-executive directors to the board.
• Takata to address fatal airbag faultThe Japanese car parts maker, Takata, looks to replace a chemical used in its airbags, as it tries to fix a fault that led to six deaths and multiple injuries.
• Malaysia Airlines is 'bankrupt'Malaysia Airlines is

Department for Transport

• Shortlist for East Anglia franchise announcedThree companies in the running to improve rail services across East Anglia.

Financial Times

• Malaysia Airlines seeks break-even by 2018Flag carrier to cut one-third of workforce and reduce fleet under three-year turnround plan
• Union suspends UK national rail strikeOperator puts forward revised pay offer in Acas talks
• NetJets replaces chief executive HansellDeparture comes as two-year pay stand-off with pilots drags on

The Guardian

• US airport security shakeup after fake weapons missed by screeningsHead of Transportation Security Administration Security reassigned after staff did not find mock explosives and guns in 95% of tests at dozens of US airportsThe US homeland security secretary, Jeh Johnson, has ordered improved security at airports and reassigned the top Transportation Security Administration official to another role after reports that screenings failed to detect mock explosives and weapons in 95% of tests carried out by undercover agents.Airport screeners, who are employed by the Transportation Security Administration, did not detect banned weapons in 67 of 70 tests at dozens ...

The Scotsman

• Osborne commits to HS2 for northern growth“It’s right that there’s a single point of accountability, someone elected to take decisions and carry the can,” he said in a speech at engineering firm Garrandale.

The Telegraph

• Network Rail strikes called off after new pay offerTwo planned national walkouts by RMT members that threatened to bring Britain to standstill suspended following talks over pay deal
• Train rip-off: don't mention cheapest tickets, station staff toldUndercover reporter working at First Great Western is warned against offering £2 cheaper tickets for Reading to London return as it would 'cause problems'
• The company making a pot-load of money from potholesToppesfield, the fast-growing road builder, is coming to a motorway or A-road near you

Reuters News

• Manchester Airport to get 1 billion pound upgradeLONDON (Reuters) - The owners of Manchester Airport plan to invest 1 billion pounds over 10 years to upgrade Britain's third largest airport and help it compete harder with Heathrow for passengers.

Mail Online

• Network Rail train strike is OFF as two planned walkouts over pay are cancelled Union workers were due to walk out for 24 hours from 5pm on Thursday and for 48 hours next week but have called off the strikes after receiving a 'revised offer' from Network Rail.

Birmingham Post

• George Osborne urges region's leaders to get behind elected mayor Chancellor tells West Midlands council leaders to crack on with creation of combined authority and confirm enterprise zone expansion to cover HS2 station

Derby Telegraph

• Chancellor George Osborne launches Midlands' economic plan in Derby CHANCELLOR of the Exchequer George Osborne has thrown the gauntlet down to cities and counties in the region who want more powers devolved from Westminster. Speaking this morning during a visit to engineering firm Garrandale, in Alfreton Road, Derby, Mr Osborne said he wanted places like Derby and Derbyshire to present a case for more decisions to be made locally.

London Evening Standard

• Rail strike suspended: RMT calls off industrial action this week after 'intensive discussions' Planned strike action by Network Rail workers over a pay dispute has been called off following talks.
• Letters to the editor: Keep fighting to make cycling safer London Cycling Campaign is devastated to hear of another life lost while cycling in our city. The restricted view from most lorry cabs means drivers are not fully aware of what is in their immediate vicinity, be it a pedestrian or a cyclist. This situation is unacceptable. Direct vision cabs, which offer the driver a direct view of pedestrians and cyclists near their vehicle, are available and already common at airports. Their widespread adoption is essential, together with restrictions on lorry movements and prioritising safe conditions for people on foot or bike during roadworks.
• First Great Western staff told not to offer passengers best deal on tickets Trainee staff at a major rail operator were told not to give passengers the best deal on tickets, an investigation has revealed.
• Loughton crash: Cyclist fighting for life after collision with car in London commuter belt A man has been arrested on suspicion of drug driving after a cyclist was left in a critical condition following a crash in the London commuter belt.

Manchester Evening News

• £1bn Manchester Airport transformation: Super-sized terminal, faster security, more passengers, more routesAirlines and politicians welcome 'biggest single construction project Greater Manchester has seen'

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published Thieves in West Bridgford use Citycard bikes as getaway rideBicycles provided in a council initiative have been used as attempted getaway machines by shoplifters.Two suspected thieves used Nottingham City Council's Citycard hire bikes after a police community support officer (PCSO) spotted them leaving Boots in Central Avenue, West Bridgford yesterday.One man was apprehended at the scene, while another was arrested after police found him hiding in a nearby back garden.A female PCSO told the Post the public bicycles had previously been used by criminals...

Sheffield Star

• Northern Powerhouse is a ‘priority’ for the Government - minister saysTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has said creating a so-called Northern Powerhouse is a top priority and pledged ‘not to waste a moment’ on working with regional leaders to make it happen.

This Is Local London Network

• Cycle path construction sparks outrage in Epsom The construction of a cycle path from Epsom Common to the town centre has sparked outrage among residents living along part of the route.
• Disruption on TfL's first day in charge of railway line Rail users have hit out after disruption on Transport for London's first day in charge of a railway line. 

Yorkshire Post

• High speed rail argument won - McLoughlinTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin declared the debate over the building of high speed rail to Yorkshire over today and signalled major decisions over the route and station locations will be taken by the end of the year.

Bucks Free Press

• Building work on HS2 'will begin in 2017', says Transport Secretary Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin insisted today building work on HS2 will start in 2017 – saying the General Election result was a “massive vote of confidenceâ€� for the controversial project.

Doncaster Free Press

• Relief for South Yorkshire commuters as national rail strike is called offPlanned strikes by Network Rail workers have been called off after a new pay offer was made.

Other Regional Press

• Heathrow hits back over Gatwick claim third runway would be 'unlawful'Latest war of words comes after Airports Commission closes air quality consultation
• Students excel in roundabout projectA group of Northampton Academy students who came up with their own ideas to improve traffic flow in a busy area of Northampton have been presented with engineering awards.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• TfL launches new uniform to improve serviceA new uniform has been launched by Transport for London (TfL) in the hope that it will help passengers recognise London Underground and Overground staff more easily.  This comes as part of the organisation's wider efforts to improve customer service, which includes providing additional training for members of staff.  A successful six-week trial for the new uniforms was carried out last year, which led TfL to the decision to introduce them permanently.  The famous TfL Roundel - one of the most recognised brand icons in the world - appears on pockets, jacket cuffs, and the ba...
• Transport Secretary confirms government is forging ahead on high-speed rail and a Northern PowerhousePatrick McLoughlin confirms high-speed rail and Northern Powerhouse are a priority in speech in Leeds. HS2 will be built, “…the full Y network from London to Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds”, Patrick McLoughlin confirms in his first speech since his reappointment; He speaks passionately about “the power of transport to change things” and pledges “not to waste a moment” on working with regional leaders to create a Northern Powerhouse of jobs, prosperity, bright futures and closing the gap between south and north; and In a signal of inte...
• Transport for the North drives forward its Northern Transport StrategyTransport for the North, the body set up to transform connectivity across the North of England and drive economic growth, has taken a major step in the delivery of its vision with the announcement of plans to develop a Northern Freight and Logistics Strategy. Following on from the publication of The Northern Powerhouse report in March 2015, which set out the ambitions of Transport for the North (TfN), a tender has been issued inviting businesses to assist in the development of a multi-modal freight and logistics strategy. This plan will inform future development of transport investment plans a...

Rail Magazine

• National rail strikes called offRevised pay deal from Network Rail will be considered by RMT union
• Five million journeys in Edinburgh Trams’ first yearNearly five million passengers used the Edinburgh Trams system in its first year of operation

Railnews

• Rail strikes suspended after 2% offer Acas has announced that three rail unions have agreed to take a revised offer from Network Rail back to their members for consideration, and that the forthcoming strikes have been suspended. Both Network Rail and the Department for Transport have welcomed the news.

Aviation Industry

• Lufthansa LCC Eurowings to operate under two Austrian AOCsLufthansa, which is transforming its Eurowings subsidiary into a pan-European platform to operate low-cost flights from several bases outside Germany, will place the carrier’s two air operator’s certificates (AOC) in Austria. read more
• Delta takes delivery of increased MTOW A330; imports Virgin IT systemDelta Air Lines has become the first airline to take delivery of the Airbus A330-300 increased maximum take-off weight (MTOW) variant. read more
• Heathrow welcomes new finance chiefMichael Uzielli joins from British Gas

Green Miscellany

• Transform bicycle wheels into coffee tablesSNAP is a furniture bracket that allows you to transform bicycle wheels into coffee tables. The SNAP assembly system makes upcycling everyday items into furniture a breeze. No tools are required for the simple brackets to transform any piece of old board – or even a bicycle wheels into coffee tables – into a unique piece of furniture. The donor item does… The post Transform bicycle wheels into coffee tables appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail: unions call off industrial actionA planned 24-hour strike by Network Rail workers is suspended after a new offer of a 2 per cent pay rise this year.
• £10k reuse depot project gets Green backing POLITICIANS have given their backing to an innovative new project to develop a unique reuse depot in shipping containers.