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

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

BBC News

• Airport 'moves' in postcode systemOne of the Republic of Ireland's three major airports has taken flight and 'relocated' under the country's new postcode system.
• Ministers 'in dark' over rail delaysNetwork Rail decided in March that rail improvements might have to be halted within weeks of the general election, but failed to tell the government until after polling day.
• Central Line worst for pickpocketsThe Central Line had the highest number of pickpocket incidents in 2014, according to the British Transport Police.
• Fresh 24-hour Tube strike announcedTube drivers are to stage another 24-hour strike from 21:30 BST on 5 August in a row over planned night Tube operations, unions say.
• 'Record' June for Scottish airportsEdinburgh and Glasgow airports both record their busiest June on record for passenger traffic.
• Lock bug prompts Range Rover recallLand Rover is recalling more than 65,000 cars to fix a software bug that can unlock the vehicles' doors.
• Car hire firms to act on complaintsFive of the biggest car hire firms in Europe promise to act on customer complaints, following a review by regulators.

Financial Times

• Heathrow wants talks over expansion conditionsAny move to amend demands, including night flight ban, could boost airport’s opponents

The Guardian

• Heathrow airport protest is part of a long runway of shifting debatesSince a white paper was published 12 years ago, arguments over environmental issues, as well as land ownership, have been constantly on the moveIt was 3.30am on Monday morning when 13 people, one dressed as a polar bear, cut through the wire at Heathrow airport and chained themselves to its northern runway. The runway's three-hour closure has resulted in 13 cancelled flights, around 1% of the airport's daily landings and departures. Direct action group Plane Stupid said its protest aims to highlight the terrifying consequences of flying�, by bringing climate change back into the debate on air...

The Herald

• Delays for Scots passengers as climate change protesters cause major disruption at HeathrowDOZENS of passengers heading from Scotland to Heathrow were delayed as activists chained themselves to railings and lay on the tarmac at the London hub in protest over plans to add a third runway.
• Ministers accused of hiding rail plan delays until after electionMinisters are facing accusations they

The Scotsman

• Poll support for public sector CalMac ferriesA POLL showing support for keeping ferry services in the public sector has been hailed as a “massive boost” by union bosses.

The Telegraph

• Groping and tongue-clicking: Think UK transport is bad for sexual harassment? Try ParisFrance has announced a new campaign to end sexual harassment on the Paris metro. Sarah Graham says it's not a moment too soon
• Council promises 'pothole proof' roadsMore than 800 roads in Surrey are to be given
• London underground drivers to stage second strike in a month over 24-hour serviceAslef members plan to walk out at 9.30pm on August 5 for another 24 hour strike, threatening more disruption to services and commuter chaos

City AM

• Union threatens another Tube strike ahead of crunch talksLONDONERS could face another day of travel chaos next month after Tube drivers’ union Aslef named a date for a second strike. Aslef has planned a 24-hour walkout to start at 9.30pm on 5 August, and the Unite union told the BBC last night that it would also join the planned action. Talks with conciliation service Acas will take place today, in a bid to avert the action. Union insiders told City A.M. they are expecting London Underground to lift their pay offer and pledge a cap on the number of so-called “unsocial hoursâ€� that Tube staff could be required to work. Drivers are up in arms...

Daily Express

• BREAKING: Thirteen charged with aggravated trespass at Heathrow AirportTHIRTEEN people have been charged with aggravated trespass after storming a runway at Heathrow Airport.

Mail Online

• Rail passenger arrested after charging his phone on train  Robin Lee, 45, was handcuffed and frogmarched to a police van for 'abstracting electricity' when he used a plug on board a Hackney Wick to Camden Road service in London.
• The end of potholes? Council splashes out £125million on 800 miles of roads with new hole-repellent coating to end driving misery Surrey County Council is the first local authority in the country to take advantage of the new technology - which promises to be pothole-resistant for a decade.

Network Rail

• Buying a coffee in Britain’s biggest and busiest railway stations has just got greener Buying a coffee in Britain’s biggest and busiest railway stations just got greener thanks to a new recycling project which is turning coffee waste into fuel and helping cut the cost of running the railway.

Liverpool Echo

• Bus travel in Merseyside to be cheaper for children from this SundayChildren's fares slashed to half the price of adults and available to those aged 18 and under

London Evening Standard

• Hammersmith Bridge to be shut southbound for a week after loose bolt discovered Hammersmith Bridge has been shut to southbound traffic for the rest of the week as transport bosses race to complete emergency repairs.
• Cycling 'quietway' routes in the City set to be scrapped despite three deaths on London's roads in 12 months Plans for miles of safer cycle routes in the Square Mile are set to be abandoned despite three cyclists being killed in HGV crashes in a year.
• Tube strike: Latest round of industrial action announced for August 5 The latest round of Tube strikes will hit Londoners on August 5, union have this afternoon announced.

Manchester Evening News

• Ordsall Chord linking Manchester Piccadilly with Victoria delayed over plans to demolish historic buildingsNetwork Rail consultant whose route was rejected files legal objection saying project will wreck a site 'as significant as Stonehenge'
• #NorthernPowercut: George Osborne vows electrification WILL go ahead - but he won't say exactly when'We’re looking at what went wrong,' he tells the MEN. 'The important thing, going forward, is that we get it right'

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Handing councils power over Tyne and Wear bus fares will be a disaster, say firmsBus companies are fighting the re-regulation of services in the North East as a landmark hearing gets underway in Newcastle

Northern Echo

• NEW DUNDEE BUS IS GOOD TO GOTransport for the elderly in Dundee has stepped up a gear — with a new bus service helping people get from A to B.

The York Press

• York train vandal jailed Transport police have warned of the dangers and problems caused by people who trespass on the railway lines and deface railway property.

Wales Online

• Fresh hope for reopening of Aberdare to Hirwaun rail line?Transport minister Edwina Hart has said reconnecting rail links to Hirwaun is a 'long-term vision' for the South Wales Metro project
• Wales' cycling boom has fuelled a 38% rise in accidents, figures showThe number of accidents involving cyclists rose by more than a third in just a year on the roads in Wales

Yorkshire Post

• Video: Flights delayed as activists stage Heathrow protestTRAVELLERS have been warned to expect disruption as climate change activists stage a protest on the north runway at Heathrow Airport.
• ‘Ministers cynically hid rail delays before election’Ministers are facing accusations they “cynically” hid delays to major rail improvement programmes from voters during the general election campaign.

Carlisle News & Star

• NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR CUMBRIA BUS OPERATORStagecoach has appointed Matthew Cranwell as managing director of its bus operations in Cumbria and north Lancashire.

Plymouth Herald

• Stanford Robinson, who moved to Langport two years ago, is backing the Western Gazette's Back On Track campaign for a new station to serve Somerton and LangporFIRST Bus has agreed to sell its operations in Plymouth and South Devon to Stagecoach. Read more: http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Bus-agrees-sell-Plymouth-operations-Stagecoach/story-26891359-detail/story.html#ixzz3fqSaXk19 Follow us: @heraldnewslive on Twitter | theplymouthherald on Facebook

Other Regional Press

• Rail campaigners concerned for Saddleworth services as electrification is shelvedSADDLEWORTH RAIL passengers are at risk of losing out after TransPennine electrification plans were shelved, say local rail champions.
• BACK ON TRACK: Stanford Robinson says new rail station as Langport is 'what we need right now' Read more: http://www.westerngazette.co.uk/TRACK-Stanford-Robinson-says-new-rail-station/story-26889355-detail/story.html#ixzz3fqRwQoNT Follow us: @thewesterStanford Robinson, who moved to Langport two years ago, is backing the Western Gazette's Back On Track campaign for a new station to serve Somerton and Langport.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Senior Traffic Commissioner launches consultation on regulation of professional driversThe Senior Traffic Commissioner for Great Britain, Beverley Bell, has today (13  July  2015)  launched a consultation on the regulation of professional drivers. The  eight  week  consultation  invites  views on proposed revisions to the STC’s  Statutory  Document  on Vocational Driver Conduct. The document was first issued in 2011. The  consultation  also  forms  part  of  the  traffic  commissioners’  key strategic  objectives  for 2014/15 &ndash...
• Minister set to open the East Midlands Logistics Centre in DerbyThe Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin MP will be visiting Derby to open the iconic Olivetti Building, for newly formed emlc.space, on the 24th July 2015. The project is the brainchild of the multi-award winning Fresh Logistics Services, and will be bringing new jobs to Derby as a part of their continued expansion. Mr McLoughlin, will be arriving to open the site at Downing Road, Derby at 09.30am in front of an invited audience of local dignitaries, business leaders, national bodies, trade organisations and the press.  The emlc.space project is the idea of Fresh Logisti...
• Lord Ahmad celebrates start of work on Lea Bridge stationTransport Minister sees construction begin on £11.6 million new railway station in Waltham Forest before meeting Crossrail apprentices. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon visited East London today (10 July 2015) to mark the start of works on a brand-new rail station that will transform travel for residents of Waltham Forest. The transport minister joined representatives from Waltham Forest Council for a ground-breaking ceremony at the site of Lea Bridge station, a £11.6 million facility partly-funded by the government’s New Stations Fund. The station was last operational in 1985 and, ...
• UK’s largest cruise ship calls at Greenock Britannia, sailed into Greenock last week, as part a ‘lap of honour’ of the British Isles.  The P&O Cruises ship which measures 330metres long (longer that the London’s Shard is tall) arrived into Greenock on July 12th, carrying around 3,600 passengers.  Her visit formed part of a 12 night cruise around the British Isles, including ports of call in Ireland, the Channel Islands and mainland UK.  Britannia is a celebration of all things British and boasts the world’s largest Union Flag on her bow at 94 metres long. Other features of note include her ...
• Fully electric logistics vehicle introduced by BMWBMW has taken delivery of a 100 per cent electric truck that will be used to transport vehicle parts to its plant in Munich from the Scherm group logistics centre. Dutch manufacturer Terberg built the 40 ton truck for BMW, which will transport vehicle components such as shock absorbers, springs and steering systems between the sites, operating eight times a day.  BMW head of logistics Jurgen Maidl said the introduction of the new vehicle will offer his company information on the potential held by electric trucks in the future.  Head of the BMW Group Plant in Munich Hermann Bohrer said the move...
• New Director of England for Bus UsersBus Users has appointed Dawn Badminton-Capps to head up its work in England. The move follows a reorganisation that will see the group bring the structure of its England operations line with those of Wales and Scotland.  Dawn officially takes up the role of Bus Users’ Director of England on 13 July. She will be responsible for leading the England team and developing the work of Bus Users across the UK. Claire Walters, Chief Executive of Bus Users, is looking forward to the appointment: “Dawn has extensive experience of the public and NGO sectors with particular strengths in c...
• New station gateway opens A disused underpass has been refurbished and re-opened today after 36 years, making life easier for tram and train users in Rochdale.  The 40-metre section of previously disused underpass, accessed from Miall Street, now provides quick and easy access to both Rochdale railway station and the Metrolink stop for travellers using the park and ride car park on Hare Street.  The underpass was closed in 1979 and had fallen into disrepair, but has now been furnished with new signs, railings, LED lighting, CCTV, York stone flooring and a new drainage system.  Many of the heritage fea...
• Rail link to Arcow and Dry Rigg quarries reinstatedWork has started on a £5 million project to reinstate a rail link between two quarries near Horton in Ribblesdale with the Settle to Carlisle railway line.  Network Rail announced the move, which is expected to help remove as many as 16,000 lorry journeys from the local road network.  Lafarge Tarmac is funding the initiative, and for several years the firm has been discussing how it can move materials between the two sites with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Craven District Council, local parish councils and residents.  Scheme project manager for Network Rail Joelle Caldarelli sa...

Aviation Industry

• American Airlines revises capacity guidance downwardAmerican Airlines told investors July 10 it will increase system capacity for 2015 by only about 1%—lower than its initial estimate of up to 2%—a move cheered by many analysts. read more
• ATR’s 'green' flying demonstrator makes first flightThe “greenâ€� ATR 72 prototype made the first flight of the “Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative (CS JTI)â€� test campaign on July 8. read more
• Russia amends airspace rules to increase flight safety The Russian government has made several amendments to its airspace use rules, which will increase flight safety and conform to ICAO standards and recommendations. read more
• Stansted airport traffic rises 11%Airport records its busiest June since 2008
• British Airways to launch 787-9 Dreamliner service to Delhi New aircraft will feature four classes of cabin including right seats in First
• BA opens up flight data as part of NDC pilotThe airline is allowing developers access to content and data to build new distribution channels

Green Miscellany

• Cyclists can run red lights in ParisFollowing a successful three-year trial, cyclists can run red lights in Paris. Newly installed bicycle signals allow bicycles to turn right or go straight across at a T-junction while motorised traffic will have to wait. The post Cyclists can run red lights in Paris appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• FT says after government statement on runway in late autumn, there will be a public consultationIt seems likely that the government will indicate its preference for the location of a new runway before Christmas (could be in November). A Whitehall source has indicated to the Financial Times that Patrick McLoughlin is then expected to set out a “clear direction” — rather than a hard and fast decision.
• Heathrow runway protest: Delays for passengers during Plane Stupid demonstration The protest group said a dozen demonstrators entered the runway at 3.30am after cutting a hole in a fence
• Heathrow flights hit after protest over third runwayHeathrow flights will be delayed today after 12 activists cut through a perimeter fence and chained themselves together on the northern runway to protest against possible expansion of the airport.
• Sable&Hawkes delivers Road Transport Safety Guide for national infrastructure companyPart of the the Colas Group, Colas Rail is one of the world’s leading suppliers of rail infrastructure services, from high speed rail systems to light and urban rail. Safety First: is a new Road Transport Safety Guide produced, written and designed by Cambridge design communication company Sable&Hawkes.
• Stansted Airport traffic grows by 11% in June Stansted Airport saw more than two million passengers pass through the terminal in June 2015, up 11% on the same month last year and an increase of more than 200,000 passengers. It was the airport’s busiest June since 2008.