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

Thursday, 30 July 2015

BBC News

• Island rail group launch campaign group to keep franchiseA campaign has been launched to keep the Isle of Wight train service as part of a major franchise.
• Huge rail bridge slid into placeA new 2,000 tonne railway bridge is completed and slid into place over the M8 as part of a £500m project to upgrade Scotland's motorway network.
• VW warns of 'challenges' aheadGerman carmaker Volkswagen reports a rise in quarterly results but warns of a number of 'challenges' ahead.
• Car repair bills 'like a lottery'Regional differences between car repair bills amount to a lottery, and can be

ITV News

• Train line between Peterborough and Ely could be made a community rail serviceRail users on the train line between Peterborough and Ely could be given more say in how its run after the government announced plans to turn it into a community rail service.

Department for Transport

• New fleet of trains to bring better journeys to the south westGovernment gives go ahead to £360 million state of the art train fleet running between London and Cornwall

Financial Times

• UK and France beef up Calais securityMinisters from both countries put on united front and point finger at Eurotunnel
• Oil fall swells Daewoo Shipbuilding lossNet loss of $2bn announced amid writedowns on offshore projects
• Investigators check possible MH370 partDebris potentially related to crash found on Indian Ocean island of La Réunion

The Guardian

• Uber drivers attacked outside Mexico City airport as taxi drivers demonstrateProtests are clear signal that regulations designed to create a legal framework for app-based ride services have not put an end to city’s simmering disputeA raucous crowd attacked Uber drivers and their vehicles with clubs and stones outside the Mexico City airport, according to the company, as licensed taxi drivers demonstrated to demand a “total haltâ€� to app-based rideshare services in the capital.Video of the demonstration showed people throwing eggs and flour inside the windows of vehicles, kicking doors and trying to rip off side mirrors. One man destroyed a sedan’s rear window with a lar...
• MH370 search: Minister says debris 'almost certainly' from Boeing 777 – latest updatesOfficials examine aircraft part washed up on Réunion Island in the French Indian Ocean as possible clue to fate of missing Malaysian Airlines planeRead the latest summaryWhat is the flaperon found in La Réunion? 4.30pm AEST Warren Truss, the Australian deputy prime minister, is about to speak about the find on La Réunion.Australia has been leading the seabed search for the missing plane. 4.24pm AEST Associated Press reports that relatives of many of the 153 Chinese passengers of MH370 have said in a statement that they want authorities to be 100% certain the part was from the missin...

The Independent

• How judge who was kicked off British Airways competition case used a hearing to subject airline's legal counsel to barrage of questionsIt was the case that stunned the legal profession: a High Court judge who used a hearing in a £3 billion dispute involving British Airways to repeatedly press the airline on the question of what had happened to his lost luggage.

The Scotsman

• Rail firms urged to come clean over storm shutdownsRAIL companies must better explain why trains are suspended during extreme weather to counter passenger cynicism they are just trying to avoid penalties for poor performance.

The Telegraph

• National Express boss warns competition measures may hit rail investmentDean Finch said 'if there’s more on-rail competition then something’s going to give'

Reuters News

• Bombardier says not in talks with Siemens on rail dealCanadian plane and train maker Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) denied a report on Wednesday that it is in talks with German engineering group Siemens AG (SIEGn.DE) on merging their rail units.

City AM

• Investigators fly to Reunion to check possible MH370 debrisA team of investigators has been sent to the island of Reunion to find out whether debris that has washed ashore could be from the missing flight MH370.  A two-metre-long (6ft) piece of wreckage washed up on the French Indian Ocean island, which sits 370 miles east of Madagascar, late on Wednesday. Experts have said the debris looks like a piece of the wing from a Boeing 777, known as a flaperon, fuelling speculation that it could be from the Malaysia Airlines, which disappeared without a trace in March 2014. There were 227 passengers on the flight. Associated Press news ag...

Daily Express

• Calais migrants vow to KEEP TRYING to reach Britain amid Eurotunnel security blitzMIGRANTS in Calais have vowed that they will keep trying to reach Britain despite a raft of new security measures.

Mail Online

• Ryanair passenger shocked when window frame of the plane falls into his lap Laurence Gibson was flying back to London Stansted from Gdansk in Poland with his partner Matt when the window reveal fell out of the frame as the aircraft came into land.
• Migrants simply pull themselves through mesh to begin walk to Channel Tunnel As dusk fell on the railway line in Calais, astonishing scenes unfolded. First, young men and then women and children simply pulled themselves through the fences and on to the ballast of the tracks.
• Aviation experts explain how plane flap found on La Reunion could be part of MH370 Aviation experts say the current of the Indian Ocean could have taken the discovered flap (pictured) up the WA coast, then Indonesia before ending up at La Reunion, off the coast of Africa.

The Mirror

• MH370 found? Live updates as wreckage washes up on Indian Ocean island Malaysia has sent a team to the French island of Reunion to investigate whether wreckage found there could be from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 plane which disappeared last year

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham cabs in 'go slow' protest over bus lane camerasMinicab drivers warn of fare increases for passengers if they are not allowed in the Broad Street bus lane

Birmingham Post

• Flying car to be sold in UK within six years - but it will cost you £200,000 Flying car reality could be as little as six years away as US firm confirms Terrafugia is nearly ready, with a range of 500 miles and a price tag of £200,000.

Bolton News

• Taxi drivers start new firm to 'shake up the industry' A NEW taxi firm says it wants to shake-up the industry in Bolton — and is offering all new customers a free ride.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 13-week roadworks scheme is announced for major junction A THIRTEEN week period of roadworks is set to begin on a busy main road near Pool-in-Wharfedale.

Derby Telegraph

• Chancellor George Osborne says money is there for electrification of Midland Main LineGEORGE Osborne has said the money is in place for the electrification of the Midland Main Line - but the project has been paused to allow new bosses at Network Rail to come up with a fresh engineering plan.

London Evening Standard

• Engineer reveals scale of Crossrail work at Tottenham Court Road A Crossrail engineer has revealed the scale of the work being done to ready Tottenham Court Road for the capital's new high-speed rail link.
• Commuters lose 1.9 million hours waiting for delayed Tubes every month London commuters waste nearly two million hours each month waiting for delayed Tube trains, official figures have revealed.
• Letters to the editor: Londoners want a new airport Tuesday's poll on airport capacity must have made difficult reading for Heathrow Airport [“More Brits want new airport, not Heathrow or Gatwick expansionâ€�, July 27].
• Malaysia Airlines flight MH370: could wreckage found off east coast of Africa be part of missing aircraft? Part of an aircraft wreckage found on an island off the east coast of Africa could be part of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, it has emerged.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Barry_Cooper published Free travel between on Orange 36 Nottingham City Transport buses...Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has announced it will be holding a free Friday offer following on from the success of the one it ran last Friday.Previously, passengers using its service from Clifton to the city were able to travel free of charge, but now members of the public will be able to use the Orange 36 service from Beeston to Chilwell under the same terms.The offer enables travellers to catch the bus anywhere on the route between Chilwell, Beeston, Queens Medical Centre and the city...

This Is Local London Network

• Did South West Trains ignore 1,200 petition signatures calling for wheelchair access to Merton rail stations? Transport campaigners have slammed the rail group for failing to bid for better access to Raynes Park and Motspur Park Stations, despite more than 1,000 people signing a petition supporting the scheme.

Yorkshire Post

• MP: No blank cheques for rail electrification schemeA CONTROVERSIAL decision to place a major rail electrification scheme on hold shows the Government will not provide blank cheques to projects that are over-spending, according to a Yorkshire MP.

Doncaster Free Press

• NEW APPOINTMENTS: Trio on track for new roles at Doncaster-based rail firmUnipart Rail have recently announced the appointment of three new board members for the traction and rolling stock (T&RS) sector of thee business.

North Wales Live

• Digital specialist Hit Search working with Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool agency aiming to increase rankings and content performance for city's airport

Other Regional Press

• Addenbrooke’s station could follow new railway cutting trips between Cambridge and Oxford to an hour It could soon take just an hour to travel by train between Cambridge and Oxford as two potential routes emerge to connect the 'brain belt of Britain'.
• Plans for new road take another step forwardTHE NEXT stage of road improvements to ease traffic is a step closer to getting under way after an application was submitted.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Amazon wants air space for delivery dronesAmazon wants to carve out a special zone of the sky to shuttle commercial drones that would deliver goods to its customers. Amazon Prime Air project vice president Gur Kimchi used a NASA convention in California to fly the idea of dedicating separate air zones for commercial drones. Kimchi proposed setting commercial drone zones between 200 and 400 feet above the ground, with a no-fly buffer of 100 feet above to keep them safely apart from other aircraft. Less sophisticated drones, such as those used by hobbyists, could be given air space below that used by the faster, more sensor-equipped co...
• Nottingham tram extension: First station opensThe first stop on Nottingham's new £570m tram lines has opened to the public. It serves the railway station and is only yards from the original stop, which is now closed for refurbishment. Work to extend the Chilwell and Clifton lines began in March 2013 and is expected to finish in the coming weeks. Nottingham Express Transport (NET) called the opening a

Rail Magazine

• c2c to increase peak-time capacityc2c to increase capacity on 17 of its 74 Class 357 Electrostars

Aviation Industry

• Aer Lingus profits fall as IAG closes in on takeoverIrish carrier’s board says joining British Airways’ parent company will boost growth
• British Airways extends NDC pilot to include seatsAirline adds the ability to search and choose seats to developer trial

Green Miscellany

• Vivid Lock: Wearable bike security with built-in LED lightsThe less stuff you have to carry by bike the better - the Vivid Lock is wearable bicycle security with built-in LED lights. Fabricated from nylon, clear PVC and waterproof LED strips, the Vivid lock has 30 white lights facing forwards and 30 red ones at the rear. The post Vivid Lock: Wearable bike security with built-in LED lights appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• HS1 success has falsely convinced the government HS2 is a good idea according to IoD chief economist James SprouleThe chief economist of the Institute of Directors has said the success of HS1 has falsely convinced the government to back a railway line linking London to the north.
• BRIDGE TO NOWHERE: Line of long-delayed £7m Blackburn link road now visible to motorists THIS is what the road which links Blackburn’s £12 million “bridge to nowhereâ€� to somewhere will look like.
• GBTA 2015: Lack of competition driving Lufthansa chargeAirline industry consolidation has allowed German carrier to introduce GDS fee
• GBTA 2015: Buyers need ride-sharing policy for duty of careUber and other ground transport networks accused of “playing by their own rulesâ€�