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

Wednesday, 01 July 2015

BBC News

• Zac Goldsmith: 'Runway figures don't add up' [video]The Airports Commission has backed a third Heathrow runway, saying it will add £147bn in economic growth and 70,000 jobs by 2050.
• Report backs third Heathrow runwayThe Airports Commission has backed a third Heathrow runway, saying it will add £147bn in economic growth and 70,000 jobs by 2050.
• Peers told to take care with ferretsThe thorny question of ferrets disappearing up trouser legs has been considering in Parliament as peers discussed taking animals on trains.
• £600m metro to stop transport chaosUp to £600m will be spent on a new metro system for south east Wales within the next five years to stop transport chaos, it is announced.
• More 'smart motorways' plan revealedNearly 80 miles of new
• New airport boom puts London in the shadowsThe rivals putting London in the shadows
• Strike vote over high-speed trainsRMT union members vote to support strike action over plans to axe guards and buffet cars on First Great Western's new Inter City Express trains.
• More Tube workers vote to strikeMore London Underground workers vote to strike in a row over the new all-night Tube service.
• Virgin Atlantic to cut 500 jobsVirgin Atlantic sheds about 500 managerial and support jobs just months after the airline announced a return to profit.
• Commission 'to back Heathrow runway'The Airports Commission will back building a new runway at Heathrow but still leave the door open for an alternative at its rival Gatwick, sources tell the BBC.
• Grounded: UK airport expansion plansWhy can't we decide how to expand our airports?

Department for Transport

• Transport Secretary confirms receipt of Airports Commission final reportTransport Secretary will make a statement to Parliament later today.

Financial Times

• Airports panel backs third Heathrow runwayDavies commission calls for ban on night flights to reduce noise level
• Osborne seeks airport expansion backingRecommendation from Davies Commission due on Wednesday
• Heathrow expansion faces multiple hurdlesTory opponents whose constituents live under the flight path will fight to the end
• Lufthansa sets sights on civilian dronesGerman carrier plans training and maintenance push to help offset competition for passenger services
• Amazon launches one-hour London deliveryPrime subscribers must spend at least £20 and pay £6.99 to qualify
• IndiGo airline marks Indian IPO revival$400m share offer raises hopes that listings will take off again
• Sky-high demand keeps ticket prices aloftAirlines in the EU and US have little incentive to pass on fuel savings to passengers in the summer
• Lufthansa offers Germanwings victims €25,000Task force set up after the crash says European pilots could face random tests for drugs and alcohol

The Guardian

• Rail finance and the ‘northern powerhouse’Your editorial (Rail investment has been put on hold in the Great Northern power cut, 26 June) shows a lack of understanding about how the railway’s finances work. Train operators contribute a great deal to investment in the rail network and the model for running our railway offers a fair deal to taxpayers.
• Channel tunnel reopens after fire set by French strikers but travel chaos goes onEurostar and Eurotunnel services resume but delays continue across Kent as ferry services to and from Dover cancelled due to blockadeStriking ferry workers have set fire to tracks inside the Channel tunnel, as the chaos prompted desperate migrants to try to break into stationary vehicles in a repeat of scenes that played out a week ago.Eurostar and Eurotunnel services were suspended temporarily on Tuesday but resumed after 3.30pm, albeit with a reduced operation. Passengers were advised to check before travel. With ferry services between Dover and Calais already suspended because of striking w...
• London airports expansion report will not be binding, say ToriesCommission chaired by Sir Howard Davies prepares to publish verdict on Heathrow v Gatwick debate – but Tories say they will make final decisionThe government is to make clear that it is not bound by the findings of the independent commission on the expansion of airport capacity in the south east of England. Related: Forget airport expansion, Davies report should tackle frequent flyers Continue reading...
• Heathrow third runway recommended in Davies report on airport capacityAirports Commission says £17bn expansion is "clear and unanimous" choice but should include night flight ban and laws against ever building a fourth runwayA third runway should be built at Heathrow, the Airports Commission has recommended, but only if it can meet stringent conditions on noise and air pollution.Those conditions should include a ban on night flights, legally binding caps on noise and air quality – and legislation to rule out ever building a fourth runway. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Heathrow Airport expansion: Commission report backs third runwayAfter decades of dithering about extra aviation capacity in South-east England, a third runway is needed at Heathrow: that is the conclusion of the Airports Commission set up by the Prime Minister.
• UK Heatwave: Temperatures on the tube are going to exceed the legal limit for transporting cattleAccording to EU rules on the welfare of animals during transport, ventilation inside cattle trucks must ensure that the temperatures remains between five and 30 degrees. Any higher or lower, and farmers could get in trouble.

The Scotsman

• Rail work turns focus on ways to be sustainableA JOURNEY shared is pollution halved as we look forward to greener train connections, says Russell Imrie.

The Telegraph

• Heathrow third runway wins over Gatwick - liveThe Airports Commission chaired by Sir Howard Davies has recommended that a third runway at Heathrow is the best way to expand the UK's airport capacity
• Boris Johnson: Expanding Heathrow is 'undeliverable and not going to happen'The London Mayor's comments come hours before the publication of Sir Howard Davies' report into airport capacity in the south east of England
• Calais crisis: Channel Tunnel entrance blocked with burning barricade - As it happenedFears that illegal immigrants will take advantage of a second shut-down at Calais in just over a week, as ferry and rail traffic comes to a halt
• Sizzling heat could derail commuters, Network Rail warnsThe heat is predicted to be so intense that Network Rail has imposed a speed restriction on some services to stop the rails from buckling

Mail Online

• Shoppers can use iPhone or Apple Watch to buy coffee or bus tickets from today  The arrival of the Apple Pay technology in the UK on Wednesday is predicted to speed the demise of cash for small value purchases and also do away with debit and credit cards.

London Evening Standard

• London weather: Paddington fast trains cancelled as heatwave brings risk of buckled tracks Rail bosses have ordered trains to run slower than usual for fear of rails buckling during the hot weather.
• Cyclist Jeremy Vine reveals he films bad drivers and sends footage to police Jeremy Vine told of his “outrageâ€� at the number of cyclists being killed in London as he revealed he films bad drivers and sends the footage to the police.
• London taxi protest: Cabbies bring traffic to standstill during demonstration over Uber in Southwark Taxi drivers today brought traffic to a standstill in central London in their latest protest over the regulation of private hire cars.
• London weather: Warning over dangerously hot rush hour Tube trains as capital braced for 'hottest day in a decade' Health experts have advised employers to allow staff to travel to work outside rush hour to avoid packed public transport as London braces for the hottest day in a decade.
• London weather: Commuters complain of 'unbearable' heat as capital's railways buckle on hottest day of the year Commuters today complained of "unbearable" heat on buses and trains as London's transport network struggled to cope with the hottest temperatures of the year so far.
• After three-year inquiry, Airports Commission makes clear call for third Heathrow runway A clear-cut call for a third runway at Heathrow was made by the Airports Commission today.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published Letters Jun 30: 'Midland Main Line issue is a pause, not a stop'REGARDING the coverage of the Midland Main Line electrification, it is obvious to anyone who uses our railways today that successive governments have failed to invest the sums necessary in the network.Passengers have to put up with railways built by the Victorians. and that last had a complete overhaul when we replaced the steam engines in the 1950s. The result is that parts of our network are already full, with little room to accommodate continuing growth in passenger numbers. Over the last...

Yorkshire Post

• Tory MP ‘disappointed’ at Government’s rail U-turnThe Business Secretary is “disappointed” with the Government’s decision to halt electrification work on two major rail routes.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Delays on the railways as England becomes too hot for trainsCommuters are advised to check their journeys before travelling and have been warned that there may be disruption caused by the hot weather.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Sir Peter Hendy appointed new chair of Network RailSecretary of state for transport Patrick McLoughlin has announced the appointment of Sir Peter Hendy as the new chairman of Network Rail.  The announcement was made to Parliament during a statement on the delivery of Network Rail targets - and Sir Peter has been called to review the organisation's programme of rail investment and report back to the government on the matter in the autumn.  Sir Peter delivered London's Olympic transport plan, and was praised by Mr McLoughlin as someone who brings a lot of experience to the role, which will be an asset to Network Rail in the coming months and yea...
• Zero-emission engines begin full testing at dedicated liquid air R&D facilityDearman, the clean cold technology company, has announced that full testing of its cutting-edge zero-emission engine technology has begun at its new liquid air R&D facility. The Dearman Technology Centre, located near Croydon, is the first dedicated liquid air engine facility of its kind. It houses a range of custom-built test cells, in which Dearman’s ground-breaking technologies will undergo extended durability testing and new applications will be developed. The Dearman Technology Centre will become a hub of liquid air engine design, engineering, test and development. When fully ...
• London Overground shortlists prospective operatorsLondon Overground has shortlisted four bidders that could become the new operators of its services.  A series of improvements are expected to be made following the appointment of the new operator. Additional walk-through air-conditioned trains, more frequent services and modernised stations are among the developments expected to be made.  Transport for London also confirmed that frequency on the North London line will be boosted by 25 per cent - an increase from eight trains per hour to ten.  The four bidders that have been shortlisted to run London Overground from November 2016 are Arriva Rai...
• First Bus announces roll out of new driver training programme First Bus has announced that trials of a new driver training programme, which places even greater emphasis on safety and customer service, have been successful and the programme is set to be rolled out across its UK operations.    First’s ‘Better Journeys for Life Driver Training Programme’ was trialled last year at depots in Bolton, Southampton and Essex and has already been awarded the highly prestigious City and Guilds accreditation, a first for the bus industry in the UK.  The programme has also been endorsed by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CP...
• Bus drivers learn sign language to help deaf customers In support of Catch the Bus Week, the nationwide campaign aimed at driving awareness of the benefits of taking the bus, First Glasgow is going the extra mile to help customers with hearing problems. Drivers are being offered the opportunity to learn sign language so they can communicate better with customers who have hearing difficulties.  First Glasgow has joined forces with sustainable transport group Greener Journeys to help promote its annual campaign, ‘Catch the Bus Week’ from 29 June – 5 July. Sign language teaching CDs have recently been introduced to the company...

Freight on Rail

• Radlett rail freight terminal wins latest planning hurdleSt Albans Council's has again faltered in its bid to stop the Radlett rail freight terminal. 1.

Global Rail News

• Supply chain will be ‘virtually unaffected’ by paused projects, says Network RailNetwork Rails has said the supply chain will be “virtually unaffected” as it seeks to reassure the industry following the decision last week to put the planned electrification of the Midland Main Line and TransPennine routes on hold.

London TravelWatch

• Improve public transport to all London’s airports whatever the decision on airport expansion says passenger watchdogResponding to the publication of the Airports Commission report on the need for additional UK airport capacity, which recommended a third runway at Heathrow, London TravelWatch has emphasised the need to improve access to all London’s airports regardless of the Government’s final decision on expansion.

Aviation Industry

• Singapore Airlines caters to foodies with 'book the cook' fine dining optionSingapore Airlines is catering to true-blood foodie jet-setters who appreciate fine dining aloft le with the carrier's 'book the cook' amenity. Offered in the new Premium Economy Class the menu features a variety of tasty offerings paired wines and Champagne and a specially-designed collector's edition amenity kit plus new advanced in-flight entertainment system.
• Ryanair gets Schiphol slotsThe slots are for the upcoming winter season

Other News Sources

• Council refused permission to appeal on rail freight court dismissalSt Albans City and District Council has been refused leave to appeal the dismissal of its court challenge against the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
• The final chapter is yet to be writtenThe Airport Commission’s report today recommended a new runway is built at Heathrow but only if tough conditions are met.
• South West Trains passengers have their say on rail delays, value for money, toilet facilities and availability of seatsAlmost half of South West Trains passengers were unhappy about toilet facilities, but overall satisfaction was up by 1%
• FTA backs transport inquiry call for multimodal push in ScotlandThe Freight Transport Association is backing the results of a transport inquiry that highlights the need for investment in the multimodal supply ...
• Committee on Climate Change endorses LCRS approach to reducing emissions from logisticsThe Freight Transport Association has called for more Government support to help transport operators make carbon savings following publication of ...
• Commuters warned to expect further delays after evening of heat related speed restrictions COMMUTERS have been warned to expect delays tomorrow due to heat-related speed restrictions on the rails.
• Cautious welcome for £600m metro plans for south east WalesUP to £600 million is to be spent on the next stage of the new metro for south east Wales, economy minister Edwina Hart has confirmed.
• Cost of business trips drop 7%CWT study shows business class bookings drop in favour of economy