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

Monday, 29 June 2015

BBC News

• Train sewage date brought forwardThe date for the elimination of trains dumping sewage on Scotland's rail tracks has been brought forward after a campaign, the RMT union says.
• NI driver dies in Belgium bus crashA bus driver from Northern Ireland is killed after a coach carrying 34 children from an Essex school crashes in Belgium.

Financial Times

• Anti-Heathrow groups warn of more actionCampaigners to escalate protests if Sir Howard Davies recommends expansion
• Aramex aims to disrupt deliveriesThe company plans to launch mobile apps that will see the public become part-time couriers
• Anti-Heathrow groups warn of more actionCampaigners to escalate protests if Sir Howard Davies recommends expansion

The Guardian

• Heathrow expansion key to London mayoral contest, says Labour hopefulDavies Commission expected to back expansion in report this week, with Zac Goldsmith’s opposition a potential problem for ToriesGareth Thomas, the only Labour London mayoral candidate backing expansion at Heathrow, says his stance means he is in the strongest position to challenge the Tory Zac Goldsmith, a passionate opponent of a third runway.The Davies Airports Commission appointed by the government is expected to report on Wednesday and favour Heathrow expansion, subject to assurances on air quality. The government is likely to respond in the late autumn. The presence of Goldsmith, the most...
• Heathrow says goodbye to Terminal 1 as it waits for expansion newsOnce the biggest airport terminal in Europe, T1 closes its doors on Monday evening, 36 hours before Airports Commission announcementAs Heathrow waits to see if it can grow once more, a chapter in its past expansion comes to an end.Terminal 1, built in 1968 to accommodate the boom in air travel and once the biggest airport terminal in Europe, closes its doors on Monday evening, 36 hours before the Airports Commission reveals whether Heathrow will get its backing for a third runway, and a brand new terminal to serve it. Continue reading...
• Nasa SpaceX mission to International Space Station ends in explosionAdministrator: ‘We will work with SpaceX to understand what happened’Dragon spacecraft was carrying supplies and station docking adaptorNasa and the International Space station suffered a “big lossâ€� on Sunday, when the launch of a SpaceX supply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) ended in an explosion that destroyed an unmanned Dragon spacecraft and the Falcon 9 rocket propelling it.A video posted to Instagram showed the explosion. Reports said pieces of the spacecraft and rocket could be seen falling into the Atlantic Ocean. Continue reading...
• Solar plane takes off in 'moment of truth' for longest solo flight in historySolar Impulse 2 sets off on Pacific crossing from Japan to Hawaii, expected to last five days and nights in most difficult leg yet of Andre Borschberg’s attemptA solar plane took off for what could be the longest solo flight in history on Monday, with its Swiss pilot confronting the “moment of truthâ€� of a journey around the Pacific Ocean and around the world.The Solar Impulse 2 set off about 3am from Nagoya, Japan, en route to Hawaii, a trip expected to take five days and nights of continuous flight. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Tired drivers told to take rests stops and coffee as new campaign targets fatigue in road crashes DRIVER fatigue will be highlighted in a new safety campaign after official statistics showed that tiredness contributed to 29 deaths and serious injuries on Scotland's roads.

The Telegraph

• Ministers ready to back Gatwick runway with Airports Commission expected to 'fudge' decisionIndependent body likely to recommend Heathrow but not rule out building at Gatwick in move that could help senior Tory MPs

Times Online

• Heathrow is favourite to win expansion backing [Subscription]Heathrow is likely to be named as the favoured option for a new runway in the southeast despite claims from its main rival that it would be impossible to expand the airport.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Jet2 leads call for tougher measures to deal with rowdy passengers BOSSES at airline Jet2.com are leading a call for the aviation industry to bring in stronger measures to tackle rowdy passengers.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester traffic: Vandals cause delays on Metrolink services as roads close for Great Manchester CycleTwo separate incidents of vandalism were reported on Metrolink routes
• Fifty-two miles, two wheels, one city: Watch as we ride the Great Manchester Cycle Thousands took part in the 52, 26 and 13-mile routes today, and Katie Butler took to the streets with a camera strapped to the front of her bicycle
• Government reluctance to go 'full steam ahead' could hold back northern powerhouse plans, think tank warnsBusinesses in the north of England feel Whitehall needs to be more radical on devolution of transport and infrastructure.
• Northern Powerhouse does not go far enough, say firmsIPPR North report outlines extra measures companies want to see

Wales Online

• Sorry, Drive! Bus use reaches all-time low in Wales, new figures revealThe Welsh Government said there were 107 million passenger journeys in 2013-14 - the lowest since figures were collated in 1982
• Delays prompt passengers to ask: 'Will new Cardiff bus station really be built?'New bus station is currently scheduled to open in December 2017.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Arriva is on right tracks, say rail usersThe number of passengers satisfied with their rail journey is at a new high for Arriva Trains Wales – which runs several services in the Black Country – according to results in a new survey carried out by a transport watchdog.

Yorkshire Post

• Yorkshire business leaders urge Osborne to put money into Northern Powerhouse schemeBUSINESS has told George Osborne he must put money behind his ‘northern powerhouse’ plan in his Budget next month.
• Jet2 cancels flights between Tunisia and Leeds following terror attackAll flights from Leeds Bradford Airport to Tunisia have been cancelled.

Blackpool Gazette

• Mass grant makes cycle hub a realityPRESTON train station has bagged more than three quarters of a million pounds to build a state of the art cycle hub.

Bucks Free Press

• OPINION: Time for MPs to take HS2 concerns on board If members of the HS2 Select Committee weren't already well aware of the strength of feeling in Bucks against the proposed high speed rail line coming our way, they surely do now.

The Shields Gazette

• New shipping minister hails ‘innovative’ Port of TyneThe Government’s new shipping supremo has made South Tyneside his first port of call.

Other Regional Press

• Abercarn family rocked by rail construction were never informed of Network Rail plansAN Abercarn family rocked by construction work on the railway line behind their house say they were never informed of the plans by Network Rail.
• Anger over delays in key rail overhaulUnion chiefs today attacked Government delays over a multi-billion pound overhaul of the UK’s rail network. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin told MPs the £38bn five year plan to improve Britain’s railways is being “reset” because it is “costing more and taking longer”

Other News Sources

• Bus companies 'under threat' from devolution plans Confederation of Passenger Transport President Bill Hiron warns that the drive for devolution could have disastrous consequences for the UK bus industry. The humble bus is often overlooked by policy makers in favour of more ostentatious infrastructure projects, but as one of the cheapest and most flexible options it is the backbone of the UK transport network.
• Airport to be world class ‘if new runway is built’ THESE are the first designs showing what Gatwick would look like if bosses are given the go-ahead to build a second runway.
• Bus stopped after dog hops on for free ride A BUS was stopped after a dog hopped on for a free ride.