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

Thursday, 16 July 2015

BBC News

• VIDEO: The world's smallest e-bikeThe world’s smallest e-bike weighs 12kg (26.5lb) and folds away in seconds.
• 'No deal yet' in rail dispute talksTrain operators say they have failed to agree with transport workers on the finer points of a deal following a 48-hour strike.
• Fourth union announces Tube strikeLondon Underground workers at a third union will take part in a second strike in a dispute over night Tube plans.
• Is it time to ditch diesel?Why it's time to switch to cleaner fuel
• Uber fined $7.3m in CaliforniaTaxi booking app Uber is fined $7.3m in California for not giving regulators enough information about its service and business practices.

Department for Transport

• Maritime Growth Study evidence published to boost British competitivenessShipping Minister Robert Goodwill welcomes milestone as major report continues into Britain’s maritime industries.

Financial Times

• Regulator proposes splitting Network Rail into eight businessesThe UK’s chief rail regulator has said a restructuring that would create eight regional businesses within Network Rail would make it more commercial and lower the cost to the taxpayer.
• Regulator proposes splitting Network Rail into eight businessesThe UK’s chief rail regulator has said a restructuring that would create eight regional businesses within Network Rail would make it more commercial and lower the cost to the taxpayer.
• Machines can cut airport arrival queuesPublic sector staffing is under pressure everywhere and air passenger numbers are growing
• Uber faces threat of ban in home stateCalifornia fines ride-hailing app $7.3m for insufficient disclosure and gives it 30 days to comply

The Telegraph

• London must choose between chaotic Uber and black cabs, says MPBlack cabs are the best option for Londoners says Charles Walker, a Conservative MP

City AM

• Sir Howard Davies grilled over Airports Commission's Heathrow runway decisionChair of the Airports Commission Sir Howard Davies explained the decision to recommend a Heathrow expansion in front of a Lords Selec Committee.

Mail Online

• Is this the future of airports? Runways could be built in CITY CENTRES with planes taking off above streets To cope with the growing demand of air travel, one designer believes runways raised above urban streets and waterways could be the future.
• Cardigan, where all parking meters have been out of action, sees shopping boom After thieves smashed all four parking machines in Cardigan’s main car parks last month, custom in local stores soared by up to half. Council can't find £22,500 repair bill, allowing drivers to park as they wish.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Green light for £10 million congestion-busting scheme for Keighley A MASSIVE £10 million funding package to tackle a town's chronic traffic turmoil has been approved.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• North Wales must be part of the Northern PowerhouseBusiness leaders say that the region must be engaged with the proposals to transform the economy of the North of England

London Evening Standard

• Canning Town station shut after fire alarm sprinklers cause flooding A fire alert sparked rush hour chaos at Canning Town this morning - when it triggered flooding at the east London station.
• Number of electric buses in London set to treble next year as two more routes announced Two busy London bus routes will be served entirely by electric vehicles from next year, more than trebling the number of zero-emission buses on the capital's roads.
• Letters to the editor: No further forward on runway By underplaying the many strengths of Gatwick and the many challenges of Heathrow, the Airports Commission has reached a flawed conclusion.

Manchester Evening News

• Three councils pass motions backing #NorthernPowercut campaign to revive the Trans-pennine electrification projectManchester, Tameside and Stockport town halls are to be followed by Oldham
• Strategic transport boss for Greater Manchester commits to 'whatever it takes' to get stalled projects back on trackDavid Newton, TfGM transport strategy director, insists he still has faith in Network Rail to fulfil ambitious plans for the future
• Car-share clubs more cycling, a flood-proof network and less deaths on the road - Greater Manchester transport in 2040Travel Utopia: High speed rail links and better roads, all part of vision for the future - but what do you think?

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published Letters July 16: 'Cyclists should have registration numbers'I am forever reading discussions about pavement parking, and on a totally separate issue cyclists riding on pavements. I thought that your readers might like to hear a true story that happened to me a few weeks ago.I live in Aspley on a road called Newlyn Drive and every property on our road has got lowered kerbs; these were constructed by the council many years ago. The purpose of the lowered kerbs is to allow everyone – owners and visitors – to park half on the pavement and half on...
• Nottingham Post published John Flynn: How would new 20mph limits really work?The county council is looking at possible 20mph zones outside play areas, but John Flynn, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, says we need to think about motorists too.20mph zones seem to be all the rage currently within Nottingham city. Now there is a review to see whether they should be applied to individual parks and play areas in the county of Nottinghamshire County, in addition to the 20mph zones already being put in place for Notts schools. The arguments in...

Wales Online

• We've waited too long for the M4 relief road - it's time to give infrastructure the priority it deservesBusinesses are sceptical about government commitment to infrastructure development and want a long-term plan

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Businesses challenge Chancellor on rail investmentBusinesses across Leeds have signed an open letter challenging Chancellor George Osborne to honour pre-election promises to upgrade the region’s railways.

Yorkshire Post

• Back on Track: One commuter’s nightmare journey on the TransPennine lineAs the rumble of wheels and the grinding of steel approaches Dewsbury train station the jostling begins.
• Land release plan to aid Leeds Bradford Airport gets green light amid protestProposals to aid the expansion of a growing Yorkshire airport have been given the backing of council leaders despite very visible opposition.

Other Regional Press

• We've waited too long for the M4 relief road - it's time to give infrastructure the priority it deservesSingle-line track between Frodsham and Halton has been closed to regular passenger services since 1975
• First Minister: rail electrification date 'not up for discussion' FIRST Minister for Wales Carwyn Jones has said he expects the UK Government to honour its promises over the electrification of rail links to Swansea.
• Campaigners seek long-term solutions to A40 congestion TRANSPORT campaigners have backed new proposals to reduce congestion on the A40 but warned they are only “short-termâ€� measures.
• Newport Transport loses contract for secondary school children to Cardiff company NEWPORT Transport has lost the contract to take secondary school children to and from school from September this year.
• French ferry workers vandalise MyFerryLink ships in protest against proposed job losses after lease to DFDS by owners EurotunnelFrench ferry staff who have occupied two ships in protest against job losses have vandalised the vessels and reportedly drunk its bars dry.
• Weymouth town centre bus service to be diverted due to bridge resurfacing works A WEYMOUTH bus service operating in the town centre will be diverted on its route as bridge resurfacing works are carried out.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Smarter, simpler bus travel launched by First with free wi-fi and real time passenger informationFirst in Manchester has today launched a smarter travel package for customers that will help make bus travel simpler and more convenient for customers. Initially announced as part of the recent “Catch the Bus Week” celebrations, the smarter travel package was officially launched at Shudehill Interchange today. Bus users have previously been able to use their pc, tablet or smartphone to get timetable information but from today will now be able to see up to date, real time, next bus information. The easier to use ‘Next Bus’ information is available on-line via First&rsq...
• EC approves IAG bid for Aer LingusThe European Commission (EC) has approved International Airlines Group’s (IAG) acquisition of Aer Lingus, subject to the carriers surrendering five slot pairs at London Gatwick Airport. Detailing its conclusions on Tuesday, the Commission said it required “significant concessions” on routes from London to Dublin and Belfast for the tie-up to go ahead. “The Commission had concerns that the merged entity would have faced insufficient competition on several routes,” the EC said, identifying Dublin-London, Belfast-London and Dublin-Chicago as the main competition pi...
• Glasgow and Edinburgh airports report record JuneEdinburgh and Glasgow airports have recorded their busiest June on record for passenger traffic. Edinburgh said nearly 1.1 million passengers passed through the airport - its second busiest month ever. It was the second time in a row that the airport attracted more than one million passengers, having achieved the milestone in May. Meanwhile, Glasgow recorded more than 905,000 passengers - an annual increase of 14.2%. Edinburgh Airport saw domestic traffic rise year-on-year by 9.9% to nearly 476,000, thanks to increased services to London with Ryanair, Flybe and BA Cityflyer. International...
• New managing director for Cumbria bus operatorStagecoach has appointed Matthew Cranwell as managing director of its bus operations in Cumbria and north Lancashire. He replaces Nigel Winter, who leaves on September 1 to head the group’s presence in south Wales. Mr Cranwell, 34, arrives as Stagecoach comes under mounting criticism from passengers in Carlisle over a new £3m fleet of environmentally-friendly vehicles. The 26 Optare Solo midi-buses have only 28 seats, compared with 38 seats for the vehicles they replaced, prompting complaints about over-crowding. They are similar to buses already used on town services in Workin...
• Stena Line agrees deal for new berth at Rotterdam’s EuropoortFerry operator Stena Line and the Port of Rotterdam have agreed a collaboration to build a second berth at Stena’s Europoort terminal, as part of a 27million euro (£19.3m) investment. Freight volumes between Rotterdam and the UK have grown strongly in recent years and this trend is predicted to continue. The new berth will serve Stena Line’s RoRo (roll-on, roll-off) routes from both Harwich and Killingholme, on the River Humber in Lincolshire. Annika Hult, route manager at Stena Line North Sea, said: “We believe in the future of Europoort as a strong freight hub on t...
• Airline shares jump as Ryanair agrees Aer Lingus stake saleShares in airlines have jumped after Ryanair voted to accept International Airlines Group's (IAG) offer for its 29.8% stake in Aer Lingus. Ryanair and IAG shares were up almost 3%, while Aer Lingus was up 1.8%. The formal acceptance paves the way for the €1.3bn (£940m) bid by BA and Iberia owner IAG for Aer Lingus to go ahead. It is subject to backing by competition authorities. European Union approval is now the last remaining hurdle to the tie-up. IAG's plans include building a new transatlantic hub at Dublin airport. Wild Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary said in a st...
• Boris bike use at twice normal level as Londoners seek to avoid the Tube strikeHundreds of Boris bikes were today stacked against each other in Soho as transport bosses prepared for fresh rush hour chaos caused by the Tube strike. Transport for London said cycle hire usage was at twice the usual level as Londoners found alternative ways of getting to and from work. More than 30,000 bikes had been hired by 2pm today - compared to just over 16,000 yesterday. Image of hundreds of bikes at docking stations were posted online as TfL tried to ensure stocks were replenished in time for this evening's commute. A spokeswoman said:
• London’s air quality is among the worst in Europe, says London AssemblyIn places, London’s air quality is among the worst in Europe and the worst in the UK, a report from the London Assembly suggests.  Official estimates suggest that over 3,000 deaths each year in London are attributable to air pollution. That’s 7% of all adult deaths in the capital, and second only to smoking as an environmental cause of death.  In April the Supreme Court ordered the Government to take immediate action to tackle the dangerously high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) found in the UK. Diesel exhaust is a major contributor to air pollution. Diesel ro...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Sigma Coachair Group-Sigma Range of Rolling Stock Air Conditioning Systems Sigma Coachair Group produces purpose built air conditioning systems to provide the best in passenger comfort for locomotives & mass transit vehicles all around the world. Combining state of the art ...
• KVT-Fastening-Industrial Fasteners for the Rail Industry As a leading specialist of industrial fastening technology, KVT-Fastening offers sophisticated, high-quality individual components and customer-specific solutions for applications in a variety of ind...

Railway Gazette

• Hyundai Rotem trainset in service in CairoEGYPT: The first Hyundai Rotem trainset on Cairo metro Line 1 has entered passenger service. This...

Aviation Industry

• Pilot vote leads Delta to cancel order for 40 737-900ERs, 20 E-190s Delta Air Lines’ order for 40 new Boeing 737-900ERs and 20 used Embraer E-190s has been shelved owing to the carrier’s pilots rejecting a tentative agreement on a new labor contract. read more
• Fastjet commits to another Airbus A319African budget carrier fastjet has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with an undisclosed lessor for its fifth Airbus A319 and is preparing to take delivery of its fourth aircraft, which will be used to launch startup carrier fastjet Zimbabwe. read more
• Maintenance oversight led to cowl door loss in British Airways’ incidentAirbus is looking at new ways of detecting improperly latched engine cowling doors after the latest in a series of incidents resulting in the loss of the doors in flight. read more
• Ryanair to bid for Gatwick slots Ireland-based low-cost carrier (LCC) Ryanair will bid for five slot pairs being surrendered by International Airlines Group (IAG) at London Gatwick Airport as part of the conditions for its takeover of Aer Lingus. read more
• European Commission approves IAG takeover of Aer LingusIAG must release five slots at Gatwick as part of deal

Other News Sources

• Five visions of the future for Preston’s bus station unveiledFive new visions of the future for Preston’s iconic bus station have been revealed – and now the public can have their say.
• Heathrow CEO: ‘Tendering for new runway work to start in December’Heathrow will tender for work on a new runway as early as December this year, despite the timing of a government decision on airport expansion still being unclear.
• VW demonstrates 'driverless valet' for electric carsA European consortium including Volkswagen and Bosch has demonstrated a self-parking system that enables an electric vehicle to autonomously find it’s way to a charging-enabled parking space
• Sadiq Khan accused of playing 'the politics of Ed Miliband' on Heathrow Labour mayoral hopefuls divided over whether to build a third runway
• Tube strike: Talks fail to avert 24-hour actionA London tube strike is set to go ahead today after talks broke down