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

Friday, 21 August 2015

BBC News

• Increase in young road casualtiesThe number of young people killed or seriously injured on the roads in Wales increases by 8% in the past year, new figures show.
• Ambulance equipment 'out of date'Life saving equipment used by Yorkshire Ambulance Service paramedics for major disasters was out of date, the healthcare regulator found.
• Jailed biker filmed himself at 153mphA
• Migrants issue 'could switch ports'The migrant crisis could shift from Calais to other ports, Home Secretary Theresa May says, as the UK and France agree a security deal.
• VIDEO: Drivers pay £1.3m in bus gate finesFigures seen by BBC Scotland show that drivers have been paying at least £1.3m in penalty charges for driving through a bus gate in Glasgow.
• Drop in profits for Lothian BusesLothian Buses, which dominates Edinburgh public transport, including trams and tourist tours, reports a drop in profits during last year.
• Giant lettering follows rude potholeGraffiti appears again in a village where a rude phrase was spray painted next to a pothole in a road.
• Lurgan haulage firm Sawyers boughtA Lurgan haulage firm is bought by an American based company that distributes chilled goods all over the world.
• VIDEO: Passenger Tasered on Gatwick planeA passenger on a Belfast-bound Easyjet aircraft at Gatwick Airport is Tasered by police, following reports of a row over luggage.
• Passenger Tasered on Gatwick planeA passenger on a Belfast-bound Easyjet aircraft at Gatwick Airport is Tasered by police in a row over luggage.
• Rail signal problems 'every day'The Oxford to London Paddington line suffered the equivalent of more than one signal problem every day last year, figures reveal.
• Rail strike to go ahead as talks failFirst Great Western rail services will be disrupted this weekend as union members push ahead with a 24-hour strike.

Financial Times

• Qantas soars back to full-year profitAustralian flag carrier outlines plans to expand fleet and return cash to shareholders

The Guardian

• Man Tasered on easyJet flight after reports of luggage disputePolice say they shot man with stun gun on Belfast-bound plane at Gatwick and arrested him, after being called out to deal with alleged abusive behaviourPolice have Tasered a man on board an aircraft at Gatwick after he reportedly wanted to take two pieces of hand luggage on to the plane.The incident leading to the man’s arrest happened on board an easyJet flight waiting to leave Gatwick for Belfast at just after 8am. Continue reading...

The Herald

• May says Calais security is working but warns migrants could target other ports SECURITY is being examined at other continental ports, Theresa May has revealed with the warning that the migrant crisis at Calais could be displaced to Belgium and Holland.
• North Sea pilots show strong strike action support, union claimsNorth Sea helicopter pilots have shown strong support for strike action over potential job losses, according to a union.

The Independent

• Calais crisis: Theresa May admits migrants may move to other ports in effort to reach UK Theresa May has insisted that new security measures are starting to take effect at Calais, but admits the migrant crisis could shift to other ports.
• WHSmith could have pocketed £100m from airport VAT ruse in just five years WHSmith may have banked around £100m over the last five years by failing to hand over VAT discounts to passengers passing through its airport stores, an analysis by The Independent suggests.
• Airport VAT scam: WHSmith could have pocketed £50m from ruse in just five years WHSmith may have banked around £50m over the last five years by failing to hand over VAT discounts to passengers passing through its airport stores, an analysis by The Independent suggests.
• Calais crisis: Britain set to pay for migrants to be returned to home countries Britain is to pay for migrants in Calais to be returned to their home countries as part of a £7m drive to ease the crisis in the French port.
• Car hacking scandal: Security designed to stop thieves hot-wiring almost every modern motor has been cracked Hackers have cracked security on devices designed to stop thieves hot-wiring almost every modern car, with every major make of immobiliser defeated, it can be revealed.

The Scotsman

• Migrant crisis ‘could spread from Calais’ - MayThe migrant crisis could shift from Calais to other ports, Theresa May warned yesterday.

The Telegraph

• Train service entertains commuters with on-board 'pub quiz' serviceA South West trains service out of London were entertained with a 'pub quiz' by a quirky train conductor

Daily Express

• Britain faces new border threat as migrants switch to new routes into UKBRITAIN faced a new border threat last night with ports in northern Europe set to become launching pads for a fresh migrant invasion.

Daily Record

• Woman sexually assaulted in broad daylight on train travelling from London to Inverness A MAN aged about 40 approached the 24-year-old twice between Newcastle and Perth and touched her inappropriately.

Mail Online

• Traffic warden slaps £70 parking ticket on a funeral car Chauffeur Peter Norris parked his limousine, which is 26ft long and very highly polished, outside a funeral director's premises in Lincoln to help his colleagues with the preparations.
• Boris Johnson drives without a seatbelt weeks after giving wife an illegal back seat bike ride Mr Johnson was spotted driving near his home in north London on Sunday with his hand out of the window without his belt fastened. Driving without a seat belt is illegal and comes with a £500 fine.
• Oxford shoppers rush to lift car into air to rescue trapped cyclist Dozens of good Samaritans rushed to help after a reversing blue Ford BMax car hit and trapped a woman on a bike and crashed into a coffee shop in Oxford city centre this afternoon.
• easyJet passenger tasered after London to Belfast flight luggage row This is the moment a man was dragged off an Easyjet flight in Gatwick Airport this morning after he had been tasered by police following a row over an extra piece of hand luggage. The man was due to fly to Belfast.
• Compensation for UK train delays doubles in two years to £26m Sir Richard Branson's West Coast rail service has been forced to make the largest compensation payments to passengers as a result of late or cancelled trains according to new figures.
• Average litre of diesel now costs 111.9p compared to 121p in mid-June  The AA said that the price of diesel has tumbled 9p over the summer, from a peak of 121p a litre in mid-June to 111.93p now – a price last seen in January 2010 due to falling oil prices.

The Mirror

• Man tasered on board easyJet plane at Gatwick Airport is detained under Mental Health ActCops said the 37-year-old was taken off the jet bound for  Belfast shortly after 8am after being arrested by firearms officers called to the aircraft by the crew
• Video shows shocking aftermath of two planes carrying parachutists colliding forcing them to leap for their livesExperts are investigating the tragedy which saw seven people die when two jets collided during rehearsals for an airshow

Bolton News

• Services delayed by 11 hours after brick dangled from railway bridge at Lostock puts drivers' lives at risk A TRAIN driver could have been killed after a brick was left dangling off a railway bridge from a length of rope.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• North Wales horse riders strip off to raise awareness of new road safety campaign Horse riders from Flintshire and Wrexham are among those who have bared all to support the The Slow Down For My Horse campaign
• RAF Valley Sea King helicopters transported out of Anglesey to be sold off One of the famous yellow helicopters was spotted on the back of a truck heading towards HMS Sultan in Gosport and could fetch around £15,000

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph published New traffic lane being built at Derby's bus stationA NEW lane onto St Alkmund's Way is to be created to make it easier for buses to exit Derby's bus station. The work will take place over six weeks and will involve the exit being widened and a new lane created on the inner ring road in a bid to improve journey times for travellers.At the same time, a new footpath will be built between the bus station and St Alkmund's Way which will provide links to the Intu Riverside Car Park and Bass Recreation Ground.The work will begin on Monday,...

London Evening Standard

• Qantas hails a huge turnaround after flying £457 million into the blackAustralian airline Qantas is doing considerably better than the Ashes-losing cricket team which it sponsors. 
• Man tasered on easyJet plane at Gatwick 'in row over two pieces of hand luggage'A man was tasered on board an EasyJet flight due to leave Gatwick airport in an apparent row over hand luggage.
• Kathy Lette on why London cyclists are being scared off the roadFollowing a spate of serious bike accidents involving women, confident rider Kathy Lette relives her own harrowing encounter with a Chelsea tractor
• Londoners rush to the aid of man crushed under double decker bus in FarringdonWorkmen tried to use a jack to prise double-decker off crushed pedestrian
• Tube strike August 2015: TfL provide advice for four days of travel chaosTransport for London has warned commuters they will face four days of disruption on the Tube, should planned industrial action go ahead next week.
• Watch the incredible moment dozens of people lift a car after collision to free a trapped cyclistThis is the incredible moment shoppers and workers on their lunch breaks lifted a car onto two wheels to free a cyclist trapped underneath.

Manchester Evening News

• Verdict due in Manchester Ryanair case that could trigger £600m payout to delayed passengersAirline claims ticket terms and conditions say passengers have two years  to make a claim - and not the six years as stated in European regulations

Northern Echo

• British Airways: Complaints worker stole £52,000 by faking lost baggage claims and selling vouchers on eBay A COUNTY Durham woman stole more than £52,000 from British Airways while working in their customer complaints call centre, a court heard.
• More delays ahead: double blow for Durham drivers MOTORISTS who have endured weeks of traffic troubles due to a £1 million bridge repair project are facing further roadworks woe, it has emerged.

The York Press

• York bus fare changes announced: See what it means for you YORK'S biggest bus operator is to freeze most of its fares - but some others will rise and some teenagers will end up paying less.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Revealed: Sky-high costs of public inquiry into Leeds trolleybus plansNew figures today lay bare the eye-watering costs racked up by the public inquiry into Leeds’s trolleybus plans.
• Watchdog calls on Yorkshire Ambulance Service to improveBosses at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust have been told to take action to improve some of its services after the latest inspection by an industry watchdog.
• Surf’s up as Newquay flight moves step closerLEEDS could get a direct air link to the UK’s surfing capital if it gets backing from taxpayers.
• Thousands could get parking ticket refund after police cock-upTHOUSANDS of motorists could potentially have their parking tickets refunded after the city’s police force admitted it had issued as many as 16,000 notices in error.

Yorkshire Post

• Airlines propose Yorkshire connectionsNEW flights from Yorkshire airports could be launched with help from the taxpayer.
• Revealed - the £630-a-day cost of Leeds trolleybus scheme inspectorNew figures have exposed the eye-watering costs racked up by the public inquiry into Leeds’s trolleybus plans.

Daventry Express

• Daventry village launches it own community car schemeA community car scheme has launched in a village near Daventry to help people without their own transport, or who have limited mobility.

Northamptonshire Telegraph

• Raunds delivery drivers strike over payThe delivery of thousands of white goods, from fridge freezers to kettles, could be severely disrupted when more than 200 drivers and warehouse staff take industrial action today.

Sleaford Standard

• Major resurfacing work programme postponedDates have been put back for a major programme of resurfacing scheduled to take place on the A15 between July and September.
• Major disruption on trains after overhead lines between Peterborough and Grantham failThere is major disruption on train going through Peterborough, Stamford and Grantham this Friday morning, August 21.

Sunderland Echo

• Drivers warned of Sunday double-yelllow lines patrols in SunderlandA businessman is warning shoppers in Sunderland city centre to be wary of where they park on Sundays.

Other Regional Press

• Extra stops added to park-and-ride servicePORTSMOUTH’S park and ride has been extended.
• Road works begin at site of Hawke Ridge Business Park ROAD works that will last until Christmas have begun outside the proposed 35 acre site of the Hawke Ridge Business Park.
• Taunton street says farewell to town's last tramline pole A PIECE of Taunton’s history was removed this week when the last tramline pole in the town was taken down.
• A38 roadworks 'mayhem' is destroying businesses THE county council has been accused of causing ‘mayhem’ for businesses as roadworks on the A38 near North Petherton cause traffic congestion.
• MOT system melt-down. Have you been affected? The Government's new online MoT system has been branded a
• Hampshire bus firm to say final goodbyes on one last journey FOR decades its buses and coaches were a familiar sight on the roads of Hampshire, taking thousands of county residents from A to B.
• Road works finish in time for bank holiday TRAFFIC chaos is set to be averted after road bosses announce that disruptive motorway road works will be finished in time for the great August bank holiday getaway.
• Man faces losing leg after 750-volt electric shock on live rail A MAN faces losing a limb after stepping on a live rail in Hampshire.
• Good weather brings a £413,000 windfall in extra car park cash GOOD weather has been credited with bringing in £413,000 more in car parking charges than expected in the past year.
• UPDATE: Paramedics praise heroes who lifted car to free trapped woman cyclist + VIDEO Paramedics have praised the quick-thinking actions of a group of people who lifted a car to help rescue a trapped female cyclist.

Railnews

• Blow for Northern Powerhouse with new electrification delay Plans for a Northern Powerhouse have received a further setback, with the announcement that the contractor responsible for electrifying the Preston to Blackpool North line is to be replaced, after fears that the budget and project timetable were likely to overrun. The time needed to appoint another firm to take over from Balfour Beatty will delay the work, and one of Blackpool's MPs has described the news as a 'blow' -- not just for the resort but for Lancashire as a whole.

Aviation Industry

• Aircraft News Aug 20 2015Aircraft News read more
• Qantas to expand fleet after return to full-year profitAustralian carrier will acquire eight Dreamliner aircraft
• Finnair to launch Edinburgh-Helsinki seasonal routeService to start in April 2016
• Davies rejects Gatwick criticism over runway decisionAirports Commission chairman says CEO's response is doing ‘him and his company no credit’
• Etihad introduces new fare structureGulf airline will launch eight fare choices and differ in baggage allowance, benefits and flexibility

Other News Sources

• Councils' bus costs fall for sixth year, survey findsSavings outpaced by transport budget cuts
• Calais strike action could undermine security progress, FTA tells MinisterPromising progress on reducing the number of disruptions to cross-Channel services and tackling the migrant crisis in the Calais area could be ...
• FTA calls for compensation for Operation Stack“Compensation must be considered for UK hauliers caught up in Operation Stack,â€� is the message from the Freight Transport Association (FTA) today. ...
• Maersk resumes operations at Tianjin portMaersk Line on 20 August resumed its operations at Tianjin port.
• Balfour Beatty pulls out of £75m Network Rail contractBalfour Beatty has pulled out of a £75m electrification project for Network Rail after it said it would be unable to complete the work “on time and to budgetâ€�.
• Business man landed with near-£8,000 bill for flouting parking restrictions A BUSINESS director who flouted parking restrictions by using fraudulent registration plates has ended up with a bill of nearly £8,000.
• Avro Vulcan will be the star of Shoreham Airshow as it takes its final flight THE STAR of Shoreham Airshow will be the Avro Vulcan which will be taking its final flight.
• Crossrail project moves from tunnelling to track laying phase Europe's largest infrastructure project Crossrail (CRL) has announced that a 465m-long concreting train has arrived at the Plumstead railhead in south-east London, UK, which will help fit-out Crossrail tunnels with concrete track beds.With tunnelling now complete in Crossrail, the focus has now moved on to laying track under the project, according to Railway Technology.The self-contained concrete batching factory on wheels arrived in the UK from France via the Channel Tunnel.The train will enter service next month and will be used in the fit-out of Crossrail's standard track slab along the ro...
• Hitachi Rail Europe to open new train manufacturing plant in September Hitachi Rail Europe is set to open its new rolling stock manufacturing and assembly plant in the UK on 3 September.The new £82m plant in Newton Aycliffe is the first European train factory of Hitachi Rail, according to Railway Technology.The new facility will initially be used to build Super Express Trains for the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line.Hitachi will manufacture a total of 866 Class 800/801 train carriages destined to run on the Great Western Main Line from 2017 and East Coast Main Line from 2018.In addition, the new facility will support UK's Intercity Express Pr...
• New concept promises to mitigate need for diesel after-treatmentA new technology company from the UK is developing a system that could eliminate the need for after-treatment systems on diesel engines. 
• Audi previews all-electric SUVAudi is set to launch an all-electric SUV in 2018 with a potential range of more than 310 miles.