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

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

BBC News

• £20m bridge reopens to trafficA road bridge over the Dwyryd estuary in Gwynedd opens after the completion of replacement work which began in January 2014.
• 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.
• VIDEO: Passengers' concerns 'not passed on'An investigation into why a plane made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport finds cabin crew did not act upon concerns from passengers.
• Gatwick: Heathrow expansion 'unfair'Gatwick Airport has called the Airports Commission's choice of a new runway at Heathrow
• Air crew 'ignored' fuel leak alertCabin crew failed to act on passengers' concerns about leaking fluid from the engine of a plane which was forced to make an emergency landing, a report says.
• Third union joins Tube strikeLondon Underground workers at a third union will take part in a second strike in a dispute over night Tube plans.
• Former shipyard set for developmentPlans to convert a derelict shipyard in Clydebank into a major housing and retail development take a major step forward.

Financial Times

• Calais ‘secure zone’ for UK-bound trucksSafe area for 230 lorries announced by home secretary in bid to thwart migrants
• FirstGroup expects earnings hit on railUS bus business affected by lower oil prices, which encouraged driving
• FirstGroup: running to stand stillImprovements in US bus operations offset by loss of UK rail franchises
• Ryanair quits Copenhagen in union rowBudget carrier repeats threat to close base at Billund
• Delta offers to invest in bankrupt SkymarkRival turnround proposal intensifies battle over budget carrier’s lucrative Tokyo landing slots
• IAG cleared for Aer Lingus takeoverBA and Iberia owner gains approval from European Commission

The Guardian

• Calais 'secure zone' to protect UK-bound lorries, government saysTheresa May announces a new park for freight vehicles to prevent migrants trying to climb on board and cross the Channel to enter Britain illegally
• Backing for Heathrow third runway flawed and unfair, claims GatwickGatwick has challenged the Airports Commission’s backing for Heathrow expansion by denouncing its report as unfair and flawed.
• Tired technicians' plane mixup led to inflight engine fire, inquiry findsNightshifts and overtime may have left staff ‘compromised by fatigue’ before incident on British Airways flight from Heathrow in 2013A British Airways plane was forced into an emergency return to Heathrow, flying on one damaged engine with the other ablaze, because tired technicians had been working on the wrong aircraft, investigators have found.Passengers aboard the London-Oslo flight in May 2013 were left terrified after the covers of both engines blew off seconds after the plane became airborne, leaving fuel streaming from one engine and starting a fire. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Andy Burnham: HS2 should go to Scotland Labour leadership hopeful Andy Burnham has called for the Conservative's flagship high speed rail scheme to extend to Scotland.

The Scotsman

• Rail strike looms amid fears job cuts will top 100JOB losses on Scotland’s railways could now top 100, far more than the “dozens” previously expected, a union fears.
• FirstGroup focus on costs after rail travel blowsFirstGroup, the Aberdeen-based transport operator, is stepping up cost-cutting efforts in its UK bus business in a bid to offset the impact of losing a raft of rail contracts.
• Rail strike looms amid fears job cuts will top 100JOB losses on Scotland’s railways could now top 100, far more than the “dozens” previously expected, a union fears.

Times Online

• Pothole-proof roads to ease drivers’ pain [subscription]Pothole-proof roads are being laid as part of a plan to prevent cars being damaged. More than 800 roads in Surrey are being given a coating that promises to be free of cracks for a decade, it was revealed yesterday. Under the plan, engineers will rebuild roads from scratch and then apply a special asphalt called Superflex, which is more water-resistant and flexible than regular surfaces.
• Trains show the strain as FirstGroup looks ahead [Subscription]The loss of key franchises will derail FirstGroup’s results this year after the FTSE 250 transport company warned of “substantially lower” sales at its rail division.

City AM

• Unions on collision course with toriesGovernment set to unveil tough curbs as Tube strike threatens chaos UNIONS preparing for battle with the government over new anti-strike rules have ratcheted up the heat with the threat of another Tube strike. Ahead of the introduction today of the Trade Union Bill – aimed at severely limiting strike action – the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) yesterday said it would join the unions Aslef and Unite in another stoppage, from 6.30pm Wednesday 5 August to 10pm the following night. Experts warned the tough new rules run the risk of inflaming industrial relations, as unions fight...

Birmingham Post

• Chiltern Railways' chief to step down Mr Brighouse first joined the rail operator in 2000 as projects director, where he led the Evergreen 1 and 2  infrastructure projects

London Evening Standard

• British Airways flight burst into flames on approach to Heathrow after engineers checked WRONG PLANE before takeoff A British Airways flight burst into flames as it approached Heathrow - because tired engineers had accidentally checked over the wrong plane before takeoff.
• Airports Commission glossed over noise from Heathrow, claims Gatwick Gatwick today accused the Airports Commission of largely glossing over� noise blight from a third runway at Heathrow after it backed the development at the west London airport.
• Zac Goldsmith: I’ll run for Mayor and trigger by-election Tory mayoral frontrunner Zac Goldsmith today committed to run for the post “come what mayâ€� in his campaign against Heathrow expansion.
• Summer sale: get better Euro rates commission-free at Underground stations Ever wished you could withdraw your travel money quickly and easily en route to the airport or your daily commute?

Northern Echo

• Andy Burnham says North-East is too big for single "metro mayor" LABOUR leadership favourite Andy Burnham says a vast swathe of the North-East is too big to be run by a single ‘metro mayor’.

Wales Online

• It shut 47 years ago but report reveals Rhondda Tunnel is in 'remarkable' condition, prompting hopes it could reopen After a three day inspection back in April, the new report commissioned by the Historic Railways Estate sheds light on the feat of remarkable Victorian engineering

Yorkshire Post

• Labour demands Yorkshire rail upgrade answersNETWORK Rail’s chief executive has been urged to reveal what the company told Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and when over delays to key rail improvements in Yorkshire.

Other Regional Press

• Home Affairs Select Committee to hear evidence on migrant situation in Calais after people hurt trying to enter Kent on EurotunnelThree more people have been hurt trying to enter the UK via Kent as ministers prepare to hear evidence on the urgent migrant situation.
• American company RiverOak investigated over Manston airport buyoutPlans to investigate a US firm's buyout of a disused Kent airport could cost taxpayers up to £10,000.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Start of work on Lea Bridge station celebrated by Lord AhmadLord Ahmad of Wimbledon visited east London last week (July 10) to mark the start of works on a brand-new rail station - Lea Bridge station.  The development is expected to transform transport arrangements for the area - and the transport minister met with representatives from Waltham Forest Council for a ground-breaking ceremony at the site.  Worth some £11.6 million, the new facility is partly funded by the government's New Stations Fund.  Out of operation since 1985, the station is due to re-open in spring - and Lord Ahmad emphasised the fact that this has the potential to boost the local e...

Railnews

• Sheffield-Leeds HS2 route ˜to be shared with HS3™ A clear indication that the north-east leg of HS2 between Sheffield and Leeds could be developed early, in conjunction with plans for the ˜Northern Powerhouse™ and HS3, is given in a new government report which also discloses that procurement of new high speed trains in readiness for the opening of HS2 in 2026 will begin ˜around the end™ of next year.

Aviation Industry

• Cyber attack could cost U.S. $1 trillionConspiracy theories flew around the Internet last week after technical glitches hit United Airlines, the New York Stock Exchange and the Wall Street Journal website within hours of each other. The cyber issues grounded United flights, downed the Journal's website and stopped NYSE trading for more than three hours.
• Airlines carve US into markets dominated by 1 or 2 carriersIn this March 24, 2015 photo, a Delta jet, left, takes-off, as an Alaska Airlines plane lands at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Wash. Delta is building Seattle into a gateway to Asia and adding flights on domestic routes long dominated by Alaska.
• BA opens up flight data as part of NDC pilotThe airline is allowing developers access to content and data to build new distribution channels
• Heathrow reports rise in passenger trafficA record 6.6 million passengers passed through the airport last month
• Eastern Airways boosts frequency on Leeds Bradford-Southampton routeAirline to fly four-times daily from September
• Gatwick: Airports Commission report ‘flawed’Gatwick gives first detailed response since runway recommendation

Other News Sources

• FTA voices its disappointment at rejection of LGV driver training standardThe Freight Transport Association has voiced its disappointment at the announcement that the Minister for Skills has rejected the training ...
• FTA gives evidence to Government on Calais migrant crisisThe Freight Transport Association today gave evidence to the Home Affairs Committee at the House of Commons about the migrant situation in Calais ...