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

Monday, 20 July 2015

BBC News

• Bus services safe amid £500,000 cutsMost bus services in Powys will be protected despite a £500,000 cut in spending by the local authority.
• 'Grounds' to challenge parking finesUnfair fines imposed by private car parks may be open to legal challenge, according to Citizens Advice Scotland.
• Rail electrification delay possibleThe electrification of the rail line from London to Swansea could take longer than planned, Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb indicates.
• Battery failure for new RoutemasterA number of new Routemasters' batteries do not work which means some of the vehicles which are meant to be environmentally friendly are running on just diesel.
• Delayed rail passengers to get cashRail passengers who suffer travel delays can now claim refunds in cash instead of vouchers as new compensation arrangements come into effect.

Financial Times

• Feedback: Michael Skapinker on queuesReaders were united in frustration at waiting in arrivals halls but differed over what could be done

The Guardian

• Full steam ahead as Flying Scotsman set to return to mainline by end of 2015Historic locomotive nearing the end of £4m restoration work that began in 2004, upgrading it to resume run from London to York
• Flat batteries on 'Boris bus' add fuel to criticism of London mayorMany of the buses introduced by Boris Johnson are running almost entirely on diesel, negating the intended environmental benefits
• Villagers turn to civil disobedience in battle against third runway at HeathrowFaced with destruction of Harmondsworth and other villages, residents began taking matters into their own hands – and things escalated sharply

The Telegraph

• Government invests £20m into testing driverless carsThe money is designed to make the Britain the best place to test state of the art autonomous vehicles
• Norwood bus crash: Seven hurt as roof ripped off London double-deckerPassengers escape with minor injuries as roof of double-decker bus sliced off as it ploughs into bridge in Norwood, south London

Times Online

• Luton plans new rail link to bring it closer to London [subscription]Luton airport is hatching a plan to build a railway that connects directly to the Midlands mainline and reaches the centre of the capital within 20 minutes, justifying its claim to be London’s fourth airport.
• Cost of compensation for Heathrow runway soars [subscription]Compensating homeowners for a third runway at Heathrow could cost £1.5 billion, hundreds of millions more than when it was first proposed. A reparation scheme guarantees an offer to homeowners between the M4 and Heathrow of 25 per cent above the unblighted value of their home. Of those, 750 homes would face compulsory purchase.

The Mirror

• Diesel price drops below unleaded petrol as falling wholesale costs spark new forecourt price war Falling demand in Europe and an increase in refining capacity have seen Morrisons, Teso and Sainsbury's offer reductions of up to 2p a litre

This is Money

• PRESIDENT OF BOEING UK & IRELAND: It's a long haul to keep the UK in the top flight As Boeing enters its 100th year it is in the UK for the long haul, and plans to continue to increase production rates to meet global airline demand.
• More than 270 business leaders urge David Cameron to give go-ahead to third runway at Heathrow - as recommended by Airports Commission The chairmen of firms such as British Land, CBRE, Babcock International and AA signed an open letter warning the Prime Minister the lack of airport capacity ‘is holding back growth’.

Birmingham Post

• How Jaguar found a new life after near collapse Former boss Sir John Egan tells all in a new book about his time after joining the car maker in 1980

Daily Post (North Wales)

• George Osborne to 'look at' North Wales rail electrificationThe Chancellor made the comments on rail investment in the region as he toured the Airbus wing making plant in Broughton

London Evening Standard

• Delayed rail passengers now able to claim cash instead of vouchers under compensation shake-up Rail passengers can now claim cash for delayed trains under compensation arrangements that come into effect today.

Wales Online

• Welsh Secretary gives first indication of delays for electrification of rail route from London to SwanseaStephen Crabb has said the project won't be too far out of the original timetable

Blackpool Gazette

• Transport festival draws in the crowdsThousands of visitors rolled into the centre of Fleetwood for the annual Tram Sunday spectacular.

Bucks Free Press

• Bus company wants help naming 5 new High Wycombe buses A bus company wants High Wycombe residents to help name a fleet of buses which will carry passengers through the town.
• Chiltern campaign groups to speak before HS2 Select Committee Campaign groups calling for HS2 to go through the whole of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in a tunnel are to give evidence before an influential committee of MPs tomorrow.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Shuttle bus plans put forward to link hospital to Colchester’s park and rideA shuttle bus has been proposed to link Colchester’s new park and ride scheme with the town’s general hospital.
• Ipswich Icons: How town pioneered the electric vehicle revolution with the electric tramwayElectric vehicle recharging points are becoming common across some parts of the country but are still rare in Ipswich, writes John Norman, of The Ipswich Society.

Other Regional Press

• Bus chief to address citizensThe chief of a bus company is to address a group for the over 50s.

Bus and Coach.com

• Senior TC launches consultation on vocational driver conduct
• Solos for Tourist Coaches in Salisbury
• Smarter travel in Manchester
• Merseytravel welcomes moves to improve child bus fares
• First retreats in Devon with Stagecoach sale
• Go Ahead to operate two full-electric London routes