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

Thursday, 13 August 2015

BBC News

• England to test 'electric motorways'Highways England plans to test under-road wireless charging equipment that could be buried beneath motorways to top-up cars as they drive.
• Pilot union hosting jobs meetingPilots union Balpa is hosting a meeting in Aberdeen to update members in helicopter firms in the area on the current jobs situation.
• Tube 'rosters from hell' claim deniedUnion claims of
• Gatwick noise adverts 'banned'Misleading adverts produced by Gatwick Airport about the noise from a new runway at Heathrow are banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.
• Victims of 1665 Great Plague 'found'A mass burial site that may contain 30 victims of the Great Plague is found underneath Liverpool Street station as part of Crossrail works.
• All-night Tube service may be delayedThe launch date for the London Underground Night Tube service could be delayed, the BBC understands.
• Call to ban airport shops' VAT savingThe government should make it illegal for airport shops to keep VAT savings for themselves rather than passing them on to customers, the Retail Ombudsman says.

Financial Times

• Deadly blasts rock Chinese portAt least 44 killed and hundreds injured in Tianjin as shipment of explosives erupts
• Commuters face more Tube strikesUnions plan walkout for August 25 and 27 in protest at all-night service

The Guardian

• Tube strikes: London Underground drivers' union decides not to take partAslef opts for more talks as Transport for London prepares to delay the introduction of contentious night tube operationsLondon Underground drivers who are members of the Aslef union will not take part in planned tube strikes later in the month in the hope of clinching a deal, as it emerged that transport bosses were likely to delay the introduction of 24-hour tube services.It has emerged that Aslef, which represents 85% of tube drivers, decided not to join the two planned stoppages after London Underground hinted that it was amenable to demands for an upper limit to the number of weekends dri...
• Airport shops row: Boots and Dixons to issue new rules on boarding pass checksAmid passenger revolt retailers are understood to be speaking to staff reminding them customers are not obliged to show boarding cardsBoots and Dixons are to issue new guidance to airport staff about checking customers’ boarding passes following a consumer revolt over “rip-offâ€� VAT charges.Customers of Boots and Dixons and other prominent stores including WH Smith pledged not to show their boarding passes at airports after it emerged that retailers were benefiting from VAT savings without lowering prices. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Prestwick chiefs to leave airport as bosses admit TWO bosses of the Scottish Government-owned Glasgow Prestwick Airport are to leave their jobs as part of a bid to revive the fortunes of the struggling facility.

The Telegraph

• London's night tube service delayed after union strikesLaunch date for London Underground's Night Tube is to be delayed
• End airport shopping rip-off with new laws, ministers toldOfficial watchdog calls for legislation to make retailers pass on VAT discounts, as Telegraph finds Heathrow stores declining customers who don't show boarding passes

Daily Express

• Prestwick Airport bosses to go in shake-upTHE chief executive of Prestwick Airport is to quit his post as part of a “fundamental re-positioningâ€� of the struggling Scottish Government-owned operation.

The Mirror

• Heathrow and Moone Boy's Chris O’Dowd launch informational video as airport becomes imaginary friend friendly - no, seriouslyChris O’Dowd has been enlisted as Heathrow set to become first 'imaginary friend friendly airport'

Birmingham Mail

• Going on holiday? Fitting a roof box will increase fuel costs by a third Leaving your roof box on all the time will cost you money, according to a new study into the real fuel economy of the region's cars.

Birmingham Post

• Jeep car hacking row continues as expert says security is 'almost an afterthought'After a Jeep Cherokee was hacked in the US, a security expert says car makers are rushing out features without the necessary security in place.
• Jacobs Engineering to create jobs on back of HS2 move International company expects to grow its Birmingham workforce by around 140 staff with the potential to create hundreds more jobs

Derby Telegraph

• Derby train-maker Bombardier appoints new bossRichard Hunter will take over the role from Noel Travers who has been in post for a year as interim managing director.
• Derby Telegraph published HS2: Victorious Derbyshire protest group disbands after HS2...AN action group formed to fight the potential siting of the HS2 East Midlands station in Breaston has disbanded after the idea was scrapped.The Derbyshire village was one of two options, alongside eventual choice Toton, for the development.Breaston 'Scrub the Hub' Action Group was formed to stop the suggestion from becoming reality.Protestors were concerned about how the development would affect the green belt around the village. But HS2 chairman Sir David Higgins announced on July 14 that Toton...

London Evening Standard

• Tube strike: 'Londoners will face 6.5 per cent fare hike if TfL gives in to unions'Tube chiefs warn fare hike would be necessary if TfL concedes to union demands
• Sol Campbell: More drivers in London should think of living the electric dreamPrudential RideLondon gave me a wonderful insight into what London would be like with electric cars.
• Tube strike: Drivers from one union 'will work during industrial action'The announcement came as it emerged the September 12 launch date for the Night Tube could be delayed

Manchester Evening News

• 'Baby On Board' badge scheme to launch on Metrolink trams The initiative would mirror the popular scheme already on place for pregnant women who use the London Underground
• Manchester Airport will pay for residents parking scheme to stop holidaymakers dumping cars in Wythenshawe Locals have fought for a crackdown for five years, saying vehicles can be dumped on their doorsteps for up to three weeks at a time

Nottingham Evening Post

• TomNorton published Get on your bike! Free cycling lessons on offer for Nottingham's...A CYCLING charity has come forward to offer free lessons for adults who feel wobbly behind the handlebars.Local transport group The Big Wheel were giving out free adult cycle training vouchers yesterday, in a drive to make grown-ups confident on their bikes. The hand-out is a part of the Post's Good Deeds Notts campaign, aimed at getting 1,000 organisations, groups and individuals to pledge to do something good over the next 12 months.Qualified instructor Jo Castle, was at the group's ParkLives...

Wales Online

• Rail strikes: How South Wales train services will be affected by industrial actionFirst Great Western has detailed how services across South Wales will be impacted by the RMT's dispute

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Minister promises better rail journeysTHE Government is committed to delivering a “21st century” railway for Yorkshire despite shelving electrification plans, a Minister has pledged.

Yorkshire Post

• Work to begin on congestion blackspotWork is set to begin on major changes to a notorious road junction in Harrogate in a bid to tackle tailbacks in one of North Yorkshire’s worst congestion blackspots.
• Minister promises Yorkshire a better railwayTHE Government is committed to delivering a “21st century” railway for Yorkshire despite shelving electrification plans, a Minister has pledged.

Carlisle News & Star

• Cumbria gearing up for Aviva Tour of Britain cycle race Cycle fever is starting to grip Cumbria as the county prepares to greet elite cyclists competing in the Aviva Tour of Britain.

Reading Evening Post

• Bank Holiday rail strike: First Great Western warn of reduced servicesRMT members are planning industrial action on August 23 and 29-31
• London Underground strike: Reading commuters set for more chaos with further walkouts plannedIndustrial action is expected to take place on August 25 and 27 on the Tube

Western Daily Press

• To save rural bus routes changes in legislation need to be made says Somerset MP Changes in legislation may be needed to help some rural bus routes survive a Somerset MP has warned.

Other Regional Press

• Gatwick Airport ordered to drop ‘misleading’ pro-expansion advertsThe Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ordered Gatwick Airport Ltd to stop using two of its ‘Gatwick Obviously’ campaign adverts.
• Heathrow accused of trying to 'sweeten' up MPs over third runwayHACAN chairman said the goody box was a bid to "sweeten" up MPs who will decide whether Heathrow can expand but a spokesman said the airport was "engaging with MPs on increasing exports"
• Weymouth bus driver Gus nominated for top industry award FRIENDLY Weymouth bus driver Gus Landi is in line for a top award.
• Bus operator gives road safety group a lift A LOCAL bus company is throwing its support behind a charity that aims to keep children safe on the county’s roads.
• All aboard: new bus for Bedford rural routeA brand new bus will serve those travelling to Bedford from the surrounding villages following a £124,000 investment.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• ORR approves open access on West Coast MainlineThe Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has approved an open access operator to run six trains a day between London and Blackpool. Arriva-owned Great North Western Railway will run the services on the West Coast Mainline from 2018. An open access operator is a train company not subject to franchising, instead purchasing individual slots on the mainline from a railway infrastructure company. ORR director of economic regulation John Larkinson said: “ORR recognises the benefits competition between train operators can bring to passengers and welcomes applications for new train services where ...
• Heathrow Airport records 5% drop in air cargo volumes, while Stansted reports increaseLondon Heathrow Airport suffered a tough July as cargo figures slid by more than 5% compared with a year ago. The airport, which is hoping to receive government backing for the development of a third runway, saw cargo volumes decline by 5.4% year on year to 121,240 tonnes in July. However, July’s decline was not enough to push the UK’s leading cargo airport into negative territory for the first seven months of the year as it recorded a 1% increase to 863,086 tonnes for this period. Over a rolling 12 month period, the airport recorded an increase of 3.2% to 1.51m tonnes. This in...
• Metrolink back on track in the city for bank holiday weekendTram connections through the city centre will be up and running for the bank holiday weekend and Manchester Pride festival, Metrolink bosses announced today. Metrolink services will start running on a new line through St Peter’s Square from Friday 28 August, as work continues on the multi-million pound construction of a brand new tram stop. Trams will once again stop at St Peter’s Square when a much bigger, better stop opens close to the Cenotaph in autumn 2016.  A major information campaign will launch next week to advise passengers of the changes. From Friday 28 August Me...
• Bombardier wins Israel electric loco orderBombardier is to supply 62 Traxx AC electric locomotives to Israel Railways under a contract announced by the railway on August 5. Valued at 1bn shekel, the deal includes an option for a further 32 locos. ISR launched an international tender in July 2014 for the supply of between 62 and 78 electric locos, which also attracted interest from Siemens, Alstom, CNR, CSR, Hyundai Rotem, Škoda and CAF. Of the four final bids received, the Chinese companies were reportedly disqualified, and Bombardier and Alstom selected for final negotiations at the end of July. The two companies submitted th...
• Liverpool MP praises £100m biomass terminal on a visit to the Port of LiverpoolWork is nearing completion on the first phase of the new £100m biomass terminal at the Port of Liverpool, which will eventually handle 3m tonnes of wood pellets a year as part of the decarbonisation of Drax Power Station. Liverpool Riverside Labour MP, Louise Ellman, visited the site to inspect the project, which will connect one of the busiest ports in the north to the UK’s single largest generator of renewable power. The first phase of the new terminal, which will create 47 permanent jobs at the Port of Liverpool, will open in October when four trains a day begin carrying wood ...
• Transport Exchange Group posts record freight capacity growthThe Transport Exchange Group (TEG) posted record freight capacity growth over the past six months, with demand increasing by more than a third year-on-year.  According to TEG, membership of the Haulage Exchange and Courier Exchange has grown by ten per cent so far this year. This takes its membership to more than 4,000 operators, with a virtual fleet in excess of 40,000 vehicles - an annual increase of ten per cent.  TEG managing director Lyall Cresswell said these figures are a positive reflection of his firm's successful track record and continued strong performance against a backd...
• Challenges for socially necessary bus services intensify despite falling costsCosts of replacing local bus contracts have fallen for the 6th consecutive year according to the results of the Association of Transport Co-Ordinating Officers (ATCO) 2014 Price Expenditure and Competition (PEC) Survey.  The seventeenth annual PEC survey, shows that the cost of replacing local bus contracts fell by an average of 2.9% in the past 12 months. 75 out of 130 Local Transport Authorities outside London responded to the survey which represents a 58% response rate from authorities covering 61% of the total population of England (outside London), Scotland...

Rail Magazine

• Chamber promotes major High Speed station in LeedsA major through station in the centre of Leeds has been promoted in a paper developed by the West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

Railway Gazette

• UK’s biggest TBM rebores Farnworth TunnelUK: On August 11 Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin visited the worksite at Farnworth Tunnel...
• Northern coal railway concession approvedMONGOLIA: The government has approved proposals for the Northern Railways infrastructure subsidiary...

Aviation Industry

• European air traffic up 2.1% in JulyThe average daily traffic in Europe in July exceeded 31,000 flights a day for the first time in five years, according to the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, Eurocontrol. read more
• Boeing to support British Airways 787 partsBritish Airways (BA) has entered into a 12-year agreement with Boeing to provide Component Services for its 787 Dreamliner fleet. read more
• Monarch to launch Luton-Israel routesTwo services to Tel Aviv and Ovda to start in December

Other News Sources

• Midway-area homes to get $10 million more for soundproofingThe federal government is providing an additional $10 million to insulate homes on the Southwest Side where residents have been complaining about increased jet noise from Midway Airport, officials announced Wednesday.
• 34% of transport managers plan to quit in next five yearsDid you know that 34 per cent of transport managers plan to leave the industry in the next five years, according to a Freight Transport ...
• Stansted’s numbers flying high in July London Stansted enjoyed its busiest July in seven years, as the launch of Thomas Cook’s trio of new long haul flights and the summer getaway helped contribute to over two million passengers passing through the airport.
• Addison Lee launches APIPrivate car hire firm wants companies to integrate booking function into sites or apps
• Hertz revenue falls as demand drops for US car rentalsFirm sees revenue drop 5% in Q2 2015