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

Saturday, 20 June 2015

BBC News

• Vandals target new £2.5m cable carA multi-million pound cable car system in Blaenau Gwent is shutdown twice just days after opening to the public.
• Trade damaged by 'dangerous' roadBusinesses in Swansea say The Kingsway road is affecting trade and temporary barriers are putting pedestrians at risk.
• More motoring misery at roundaboutMotorists are asked to avoid the Posthouse Roundabout between Wrexham and Chester as planned closures come into force for roadworks.
• VIDEO: Driving instructor 'asleep' in learner carA driving instructor who was photographed asleep in a learner car with someone else at the wheel has been sacked.
• Rail tickets on sale after glitchTickets for travelling on the new Borders Railway are finally on sale, train operator ScotRail confirms.
• Lorries causing rural 'bedlam'Lorry drivers ignoring weight restrictions on minor roads are causing
• Document shows budget cut impactThe BBC has seen a leaked document that outlines the road maintenance and repairs that will not take place in Northern Ireland because of budget cuts.
• New Bombardier jet lands in BelfastStormont Executive ministers have joined workers at Bombardier in Belfast to celebrate a milestone week for its new passenger aircraft, the CSeries.
• VIDEO: Bus driver 'attack' caught on filmFootage emerges showing the moment a woman was allegedly assaulted by a London tour bus driver following an altercation.
• Record profits for McGill's BusesMcGill's Buses has announces record profits for 2014 of £3.22m, up from £1.75m in 2013.

Financial Times

• Aer Lingus’ investors asked to back dealIAG takeover will allow Irish carrier to keep airport slots for flights to and from
• Holiday motorists to enjoy cheaper fuelCost of filling a tank is a quarter cheaper than last summer

The Guardian

• TfL to review tenders for London's garden bridge designAction comes as project to span the river Thames comes under fire for ‘misuse of public funds’ Sir Peter Hendy, the commissioner of Transport for London, has ordered a review of the procurement process for London’s garden bridge design after the Architects’ Journal revealed apparent irregularities in the tendering process.Persistent investigation by the magazine, including freedom of information requests, forced Hendy to reveal that the chosen firm, Heatherwick, had the highest quote of three bidders in the competition to design the concept for the bridge, but was nevertheless said by TfL to b...
• Glass ceiling in the sky: Qatar Airways’ problem with pregnant cabin crewThey’re firefighters, lifesavers and great hosts – but woe betide the Qatar Airways flight attendant who gets pregnant. As the airline comes under fire, Gwyn Topham reports on a profession that still has a foot in the 1950sRound the back of one Gulf airline’s corporate HQ, a door opens into a hall dominated by a lifesize recreation of a passenger jet’s fuselage. Inside, a multinational class of young women demonstrate their grasp of safety drills and emergency procedures. The plane’s evacuation slide drops into a swimming pool, where recruits practise how to save passengers in the event of a f...
• Flight stowaway in critical condition as police investigate links with fall victimScotland Yard says no evidence yet to link survivor of BA undercarriage flight with man found on roof below Heathrow flight pathA man remains in a critical condition in hospital after surviving a 10-hour flight by clinging to the undercarriage of a British Airways flight from which another stowaway is feared to have plunged to his death.The survivor was found unconscious in the undercarriage of the plane on Thursday morning having endured freezing temperatures over the 8,000 miles (12,875km) flight from Johannesburg to London. Continue reading...

The Herald

• New hospital bus services BUS services to and from Scotland's newest hospital are under threat because vital infrastructure remains unfinished, transport bosses have warned.
• Scots flying abroad to escape washout summer With June on course to be the coldest summer month for 40 years, Scots are increasing digging out their passports and packing their bags for warmer climes.
• Bus firm bosses lose £200,000 worth of bonuses after rowGOLDEN handshake bus firm bosses have been stripped of annual bonuses worth more than £200,000 in total after a boardroom row.

The Independent

• Suspected jet stowaway who survived 8,000-mile flight from South Africa must have had oxygen, expert says A suspected stowaway who survived an 8,000-mile flight during which air temperatures plunged to minus 50C – a journey that apparently ended in the death of another man who fell from the aircraft –  must have managed to shelter inside, an aviation expert has said.

The Telegraph

• How driverless cars could revolutionise old ageStudy finds poor public transport curtails lives of almost 1.5 million elderly people in England

Mail Online

• Stowaway on a British Airways jet approaching Heathrow falls to his death The man's body was discovered on top of the offices of a retail company in Richmond, south-west London yesterday morning. It is thought he may have fallen from a flight from Johannesburg
• Motorists hit by £1b rip-off as firms hide huge rises in premiums The over-55s are hit hardest as they tend to be the most trusting. In some cases, the children of older customers have come to their rescue after spotting £1,000 bills for car cover.
• Foreign HGVs 'bring bedlam' to UK's roads by ignoring restrictions on country lanes  Authorities are blaming foreign drivers' unfamiliarity with driving on the left and blindly following satnavs for a recent spate of lorry crashes on British countryside roads.

Bolton News

• Two more years of weekend free parking in Bolton town centre WEEKEND shoppers can continue to park for free for the next two years — after Bolton Council extended the popular scheme.
• Resident puts up sign on garden fence warning motorists about parking fines — but warden tells him he is not allowed to warn people then threatens to tear it down A PENSIONER who put up signs on his garden fence to warn motorists about the risk of fines on his street was wrongly told by a parking warden that he would be breaking the law.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph published East Midlands Trains: Disruption of service due to major...THERE are no direct trains between Derby and London St Pancras this weekend due to major improvements being made to the railway. One train will run per hour, and trains will start and terminate at Luton and there will be a rail replacement bus service operating between London St Pancras International and Luton. Journey times will be extended and trains and replacement buses are expected to be very busy. East Midlands Trains spokesman said essential work is being done to upgrade the track...

London Evening Standard

• London tour bus driver leaps on to street to 'throttle woman who filmed her run red light' A woman collapses in front of shocked shoppers after being “throttledâ€� by the female driver of an open-top tourist bus on the South Bank.
• 'My leg was broken by bike robbers but I had to call Uber to get to hospital' A cyclist whose leg was broken in a “bike-jackingâ€� by three masked robbers was refused an ambulance and had to get to hospital by Uber minicab.
• Bank cards could soon be accepted on all black taxis in London Taxi customers could soon be able to use their bank cards to pay for all black cab journeys, under plans set out by Transport for London today.
• Road test: Jaguar XE 2.0 Diesel 180 R-Sport A lot of fingers are crossed at Jaguar. The company’s all-new XE model, which is taking on BMW’s 3 Series, Mercedes C Class and Audi A4, represents a £2 billion investment, and is probably the most important car Jaguar has ever made.
• Dozens of drivers to face prosecution for 'rubber-necking' during M25 lorry crash Dozens of drivers are to be prosecuted for careless driving after "rubber-necking" during a major crash on the M25 yesterday, police have said.

The York Press

• Cyclists gearing up for a weekend of pedal power PEDAL power will rule on Knavesmire this weekend as the reborn York Cycle Rally returns to celebrate cycling in all its shapes and forms.

This Is Local London Network

• Should all London black cabs be able to accept card payments? Transport for London is asking if passengers should be able to pay for black taxis by card, as part of plans to help cabbies compete with car-booking company Uber.
• Developer found to improve trains on Enfield Town line Improvement on the London Overground trains on Enfield Town have moved forward after a new provider was found.
• The front carriage is locked because the driver doesn't want to sit near you plebs - Overground twitter 'announcer' reacts to rail line crisis An irreverent twitter account has been set up to mock the perceived incompetence of Transport for London (TfL), after repeated delays on a rail line recently integrated into the Overground network. 
• Watch shocking video of woman taking both hands off the wheel to text while driving children not wearing seatbelts A vigilante cyclist attempting to change the attitude of London’s road users by filming dangerous incidents has captured a woman taking both her hands of the steering wheel and texting while driving with children in the car.

Yorkshire Post

• Thousands expected at Motor Show and Classic Car Rally as it comes of ageThousands of people are expected to descend on Harewood House tomorrow for The Yorkshire Post Motor Show and Classic Car Rally.

Daventry Express

• Daventry motorists paying above national average as fuel prices hit six-month highThe average prices for fuel have reached a six-month high and Daventry motorists are at the steep end of the market when it comes to pump prices.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Creditors of Felixstowe’s Deben Transport face £6.77m shortfallUnsecured creditors of Felixstowe-based container haulage company Deben Transport are unlikely to receive any of the £6.56million they are owed, it has emerged.
• Mixed reactions to bus station proposal in SudburyPlans to bulldoze Sudbury bus station and replace it with a series of bus stops at two separate locations in the town have gained a mixed reaction from local people.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Fuel prices hit six-month highPetrol prices have reached a six-month high with many motorists cutting back on car use, according to the AA.
• Peterborough man, 85, admits causing biker’s death in road crashThe family of a motorcyclist killed in a crash have expressed concern over the checks made on elderly drivers after an 85-year-old Peterborough man admitted causing his death.

Sleaford Standard

• Parking on busy estate road is creating dangerA Sleaford resident is among neighbours increasingly concerned about dangerous parking on a busy housing estate road.

The Shields Gazette

• Fears over HGV drivers ‘ignoring weight restrictions’ on Metro bridgeA retired HGV driver has weighed in with his concerns over the “potentially catastrophic” flouting of rules by lorries crossing a busy South Tyneside road bridge.

Other Regional Press

• Vital link transport scheme faces closure if new co-ordinator can't be found THE link scheme in Seend is at risk of closure unless a new volunteer coordinator can be found.
• ‘Shoddy’ Witney road resurfacing to be redone PART of a road in the centre of Witney will be ripped up and replaced next month after transport bosses said the job done by a contractor was not good enough.
• Hospital’s bike-riding scheme hopes to get its staff to cycle A ‘BORIS Bike’ scheme to get doctors, nurses and scientists pedalling to the Warneford Hospital has been hailed a “great opportunity.â€�
• How to avoid a £70 fine and everything else you need to know about new parking rules New parking rules in Earlsdon and Cheylesmore come into force in July to tackle problems with commuters leaving their cars for the day
• Coventry Transport Museum grand relaunch today after £9.5million makeover A stunt show and parade of world cars will be part of the entertainment from 1pm on Saturday
• ‘Well-resourced’ crooks could be targeting high-end cars, leaving behind a string of damage in HitchinWell-resourced crime gangs using sophisticated equipment to hack into high-end cars are believed to have been responsible for a break-in blitz in Hitchin on Sunday night.
• Where to watch the Aviva Women’s Tour: Stage 4 route, timings and road closures for Stevenage and North HertsThe Aviva Women’s Tour hits the roads of Hertfordshire tomorrow for Stage 4 – but where can you catch a piece of the cycling action?
• Plenty of choice for cheaper fuel in Bedford as average prices hit six-month highThe average prices for fuel have reached a six-month high but there are plenty of options for cheaper prices at the pump in Bedford.

Railnews

• Bombardier wins contract to build new Overground fleet Bombardier has won a £260 million contract from Transport for London to build the next generation of London Overground trains in Derby. 45 new trains will operate on the Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt (via Seven Sisters) and Chingford routes, which became part of the Overground network on 31 May. The new trains will be also be used between Romford and Upminster and on the Gospel Oak to Barking line, after that route has been electrified in 2017. The new rolling stock will come into service from 2018 and is expected to be similar to the original fleet, with walk-through interiors, ...

Aviation Industry

• Gatwick CIO calls for data sharing to ‘drive innovation’Michael Ibbitson wants more collaboration between large firms and start-ups
• Dubai airport chief slams UK politicians on transport policyFormer Gatwick MD says Airports Commission's recommendations will be ignored

Other News Sources

• Fears as local bus services come under threat RESIDENTS of Llangunllo, Whitton and Dolau Green turned up in force to a Powys County Council drop-in session at Presteigne Memorial Hall where the options for the proposed bus routes in the area could be viewed.
• Sabre and The Trainline sign distribution agreementTravel technology firm Sabre and rail booking service The Trainline have signed a long-term content deal.The agreement means Sabre will integrate with Trainline’s API, making all of its UK rail content available to more than 425,000 Sabre-connected travel agents globally.