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

Thursday, 03 September 2015

BBC News

• City bus drivers hold strike actionThe first in a series of planned strikes by Cardiff Bus drivers is under way in the city.
• VIDEO: 'We were locked in, in the dark'Up to 2,000 Eurostar passengers have had their journeys disrupted after migrants in Calais got on to tracks near the Channel Tunnel in France.
• House prices 'unaffected' by railwayThe Borders Railway has yet to have an impact on the housing market along its route, according to new figures from Registers of Scotland.
• Jobs under threat at regional airlineAbout 80 Aberdeen-based jobs are under threat at airline bmi regional after its owner announces plans to switch engineering facilities to Bristol.
• Extra motorway lanes proposed by reportHard shoulders on parts of motorways should be turned into carriageways to ease traffic congestion, a report on Northern Ireland's roads says.
• Bus lane fines net £7.5m for councilManchester motorists have been fined £7.5m for driving in bus lanes over the past five years, a Freedom of Information request reveals.
• VIDEO: The tube train that's now an officeBBC News looks at a refurbished tube train in London, which has become an unlikely office space for a group of workers.

The Guardian

• Migrants targeting UK bound passenger trains taking ever greater risksPeople who are taking ever greater risks to reach Britain from Calais have targeted UK-bound passenger trains for the first time because of increased security measures at the Channel tunnel.
• Who's really driving you? Anxious taxi drivers – in pictures‘These haunting portraits are things that most Londoners would be unaware of, riding in the seat behind’ ... with classic black taxis facing extinction at the hands of companies like Uber, Oleg Tolstoy has taken intimate, and often uneasy, portraits of London cabbies on the job
• Mayoral hopeful Zac Goldsmith would resign over Heathrow expansionTory’s frontrunner will resign Richmond Park seat if Heathrow is expanded, but will stay in London mayor raceZac Goldsmith has signalled his determination to do nothing to jeopardise his campaign to stand as the Conservative candidate in the London mayoral contest by confirming that he will remain in the party even if he is forced to resign his parliamentary seat over the expansion of Heathrow airport.The frontrunner in the Tory mayoral selection battle pledged to remain a “pain in the backsideâ€� for the government, after saying that he will uphold his pledge to resign his Richmond Park seat if...

The Herald

• Migrants targeting Eurostar trains 'because of extra security at Chunnel'Migrants desperately trying to reach Britain have started targeting Eurostar trains because of increased security measures at the Channel Tunnel, operator Eurotunnel has said.

The Independent

• A second sinkhole has appeared in Manchester Another sinkhole has emerged in Manchester, less than three weeks after one appeared on a busy main road in the city.
• Mother flooded with Facebook messages after asking Londoners to help her answer question about the Tube for her autistic son Dispelling the myth that Londoners are all miserable and self-absorbed, hundreds of people have helped a mother to count the number of platforms across the London Underground network for her train-obsessed son who has autism. 

City AM

• Zac Goldsmith will stay a Tory in mayoral raceZAC GOLDSMITH yesterday confirmed that he will stay in the Conservative party and remain on the mayoral ballot if the government backs the expansion of Heathrow airport. Goldsmith, the MP for Richmond Park, is widely seen as the front-runner for the Conservative candidacy in a field that also includes London MEP Syed Kamall, deputy mayor for policing Stephen Greenhalgh and London As­sembly member Andrew Boff. An environmentalist who has been among the most-vocal opponents of Heathrow expansion, Gold­smith said in 2008 that he would resign as an MP if the government agreed to build a new ...

Daily Express

• Eastern European hackers launch attack on Manchester Police – amid airport security fearsHACKERS from Eastern Europe have attacked the Manchester Police website and could be behind a second digital assault on the city's airport.

Mail Online

• Calais migrants who stormed Eurostar train now targeting other trains The potentially deadly tactic, which left passengers in sweltering, dark carriages, has seen migrants getting on the tracks to force operators to stop the trains.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseytravel reveals plans for £400m upgrade to train services at some point in the 2020sNew trains would run without guards and around 200 employees would be affected by this change.

London Evening Standard

• Uber loses key legal battle on home turf as drivers win right to bring class action suitUber drivers have won the right to bring a class-action law suit against the controversial taxi hailing app in a key legal battle that could potentially undermine the company's business model.
• ‘A third runway at Heathrow is our opportunity to keep London as a world city,' says airport bossJohn Holland-Kaye tells Ross Lydall that he believes the Government has only two choices over expansion: grant its plan for another runway, or do nothing at all
• Heathrow boss warns runway delay costs UK £1bn a monthThe boss of Heathrow today stepped up the pressure on David Cameron to back a third runway by claiming that every month's delay was costing the British economy £1 billion.
• Heathrow expansion: Zac Goldsmith in clash with airport bosses over flight path mapsZac Goldsmith clashed with Heathrow bosses today as he told 1.6 million Londoners their homes were in danger of increased aircraft noise.
• Eurostar delays: Furious passengers tell of 13-hour ordeal after migrants trespass on tracks at CalaisIt comes as the shocking death toll of Europe's escalating migrant crisis continues to climb

Manchester Evening News

• Victoria Station's revamp – by the architect driving Manchester's modern railway revolution Peter Jenkins - Manchester's Mr Railways - reveals the inside story of the biggest railway investment for more than a century
• National Cycle to Work day: Campaign aims to challenge drivers to ditch their cars and get on two wheels National Cycle to Work day is all about a better life on two wheels

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Nissan's Sunderland plant chosen to make the next generation JukeThe announcement represents a further £100m investment into the future of UK's biggest car plant in Sunderland

Northern Echo

• Cameron and Osborne to reveal massive North-East jobs boost at Nissan and Hitachi THE Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer will today unveil a massive double jobs boost for the North-East.
• Hitachi to mark new era in North-East train building when it opens doors to its £82m factory A NEW era in the history of North-East train building starts this morning when Hitachi opens the doors to its £82m train factory.

Nottingham Evening Post

• EllieCullen commented Three-year-old girl stranded at tram stop after door closes on...The parents of a three-year-old girl say they were "distraught" after the youngster was left stranded on her own at a tram stop – because the tram doors closed before they had got off.Anthony Phillips and his partner Megan Smith had taken their daughter Maisie for a trip on the new tram route as a special treat.But the family's evening out turned sour when they were trying to get off the tram at Southchurch Drive in Clifton.Mr Phillips, 28, said: "As the tram pulled up to...

Wales Online

• Cardiff Bus strike: Live updates as drivers hold first day of industrial actionServices across the capital have been hit as hundreds of staff stage the first in a series of planned walk-outs on Wednesday

Blackpool Gazette

• Cyclists Ride the Lights ahead of Blackpool’s big switch-onCycling enthusiasts got a double treat as they set off for an evening ride on Blackpool promenade.

Other Regional Press

• New 140mph rail link to London as Hull Trains invests £68mHULL Trains is investing £68m in a new high-speed fleet that will cut journey times to London and carry 50 per cent more passengers.
• Fund to breathe new life into railway stationsScotRail and Transport Scotland have today launched a new £1.5million community fund to breathe new life into old and disused railway station premises.
• Colnbrook Parish Councillors take Heathrow top brass on “stroll” through village to discuss traffic problemsColnbrook parish councillors took “a stroll” through the village last week with senior representatives from Heathrow last week, they have told the Slough Observer.
• Name of Eddie Stobart truck up for auctionThe chance to jump a waiting list thousands of people long and name an iconic Eddie Stobart truck is to be auctioned in Northampton.
• Eurostar passenger Ian West tells of 14-hour delay due to migrantsA Eurostar passenger has told of a 14-hour Eurostar delay as police dealt with migrants trying to get onto a train.

C.N.N.

• Porn star Metro cards ignite controversy in Taiwan

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New rapid bus system for Bristol is forecast to carry five million passengers a yearTransport experts predict that the new £200million MetroBus network which is now being built is expected to attract an astounding five million passengers a year. This compares with a typical Showcase bus route which annually carries between one and two million passengers in and out of Bristol. In another comparison, the Severn Beach rail line which is rightly hailed as a success carried 1.2million passengers during the past 12 months. Gavin Smith, secretary of the pressure group, Transport for Greater Bristol, said:
• Norwegian secures more Dreamliners for growthNorwegian is to expand its long-haul fleet after acquiring two new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The low-cost carrier, which flies long-haul from Gatwick to several US cities, wants to continue expansion which will see its fleet increase from the current eight Dreamliners to 19 by 2018. The two new leased 787-9s announced by Norwegian today are due to enter service in summer 2017. The airline is to add four new 787-9 Dreamliners in 2016, five in 2017 and two in 2018. The airline’s 787-9s will have 344 seats including 35 in premium economy and 309 in economy. Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos said...
• PD Ports announces new shipping service from JapanTeesside's port will see the arrival of a new roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) shipping service from Japan, starting next month. PD Ports is set to welcome global shipping line K-Line as the firm brings in the largest ships of their kind ever to arrive into Teesport. The new route will use K-Line’s newly announced 7500-unit Ro-Ro vessels to transport cargo from the Port of Tokuyama-Kudamatsu, Japan, to the North-east. The vessels, which are just under 200 metres long, will allow exporters of large, high value equipment and materials for major projects, to connect directly from Teesport with K...
• Quango seeks £900,000 funding to Transport bosses will today seek permission to spend nearly £1 million
• ScotRail reveals new-look trains with better seats and power socketsScotRail has revealed the first of 40 new-look trains which will be rolled out across Scotland over the next three years. The trains will feature better seats, improved toilets and power sockets to allow travellers to charge their phone or tablet. One train will to come into service each month between now and April 2018 as part of a £14m modernisation scheme. The trains will be refurbished at Knorr-Bremse RailServices in Glasgow and 14 new staff have been recruited for the project. The first carriage will leave the depot on Wednesday and be ready for the opening of the new Borders Ra...
• Virgin Atlantic Cargo records 33% growth ex Dubai in first half of 2015Virgin Atlantic Cargo carried over 30% more cargo from Dubai in the first half of 2015, boosted by additional U.S routes and frequencies, and traffic generated as a result of the U.S. port disruptions. For the six months ended 30 June 2015, the airline carried 2.4 million kilos ex Dubai, compared to 1.8m kilos for the same period a year ago. Strong increases were seen in the volume of cargo destined for London as well as beyond London to the United States. The airline’s additional daily frequency to New York JFK and the launch of Virgin Atlantic’s new Atlanta route both contribute...
• August bank holiday rail upgrades completed successfullyNetwork Rail has hailed the successful implementation of a number of rail infrastructure improvements over the recent August bank holiday weekend. A £47 million package of investment works has been implemented as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan, with a 14,000-strong workforce involved in the improvements. Key milestones included the re-signalling of the Stafford area of the West Coast Main Line with the installation of 78 signals - a move intended to address a major bottleneck on Europe's busiest mixed-line railway. Meanwhile, ten km of track in the Bath area was replaced and 11 new swi...
• Kinetic energy recovery system to be used by HGVs to save fuel consumption European manufacturers Skeleton Technologies and Adgero SARL have developed the world’s first Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) for road freight vehicles. The unique hybrid system is designed to reduce fuel consumption and associated emissions by up to 25%, and is optimised for intermodal road transport solutions. The Adgero Hybrid System consists of a bank of high-power ultracapacitors working alongside an electrically-driven axle, which is mounted under the trailer. The technology is controlled by an intelligent management system that tracks driver input in order to automatically...

Global Rail News

• Merseytravel puts forward proposal for new trainsMerseytravel has produced a long-term rail strategy which recommends introducing a new fleet of trains onto the network from the early 2020s.

Rail Magazine

• ScotRail’s first scenic Class 158 released into trafficThe first refurbished ‘scenic’ '158' for ScotRail was unveiled on September 1, before being released today in time for its planned use on the Borders Railway.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Perfect Thermal Management STEGO products ensure that electromechanical and electronic components function without fault or breakdown by providing optimum climatic conditions. These ideal climatic prerequisites are ensured by reliable temperature and humidity control systems.

Railnews

• Fresh migrant breakthroughs affect Channel Tunnel Eurostar services are returning to normal after a night of disruption caused by fresh breakthroughs of migrants into the Channel Tunnel at Calais. Passengers on board at least one Eurostar reported being asked to listen for sounds of people on the roof of their train, while several services were turned back to London or their continental departure points. Eurostar said up to 2,000 of its passengers had been delayed.

Railway Gazette

• Szczecin extends right bank tram networkPOLAND: Regular services on a new tram line on the right bank of the River Odra in Szczecin began...
• Richard HunterRichard Hunter has been named Managing Director & Head of Projects for Bombardier UK, replacing...
• Hitachi Information Control Systems Europe formedUK: The Railway Engineering Co was renamed as Hitachi Information Control Systems Europe Ltd with...

Transport Briefing (subscription)

• £400m Merseyrail fleet required to meet demandTransport authority Merseytravel has reiterated its commitment to a new fleet of trains for the Liverpool region. The...

Aviation Industry

• IAG acquires Aer Lingus International Airlines Group (IAG) has acquired Aer Lingus after shareholders, representing 98.05% of the Irish carrier, signed up to sell their stakes to takeover vehicle AERL Holding Limited. read more
• Aeroflot to buy 75%, plus one share, of TransaeroRussia’s Aeroflot, which revealed plans to buy Transaero Airlines Sept. 1, will acquire 75% plus one share of Transaero for RUB1 (1.53 US cents), TASS news agency reported, quoting Russia’s deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov. read more
• FAA names executives to head UAS integrationFAA has named Marke Gibson and Earl Lawrence to two executive-level positions that will “guide the agency’s approach to safe, timely and efficient integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into US airspace.â€� read more
• British Airways partners with HailoExecutive Club members using Hailo in London can earn Avios points
• GBTA to ‘educate’ buyers on impact of Lufthansa chargeSurvey shows 51% will definitely or probably not use airline as a preferred carrier

Other News Sources

• Go-Ahead Profit Hit By One-Offs But Revenue Rides Strong Rail ResultsLONDON (Alliance News) - Transport operator Go-Ahead Group PLC on Thursday said its annual pretax profit was pulled lower by exceptional costs, but said its underlying performance was strong and its revenue surged higher thanks to stronger-than-expected trading in its rail unit.
• Heathrow plans to lower overheads by £600 millionBuilding a third runway would cost £17.6bn and boost British economy by £147bn.
• Boris Johnson blames failure to bring in night Tube on Jeremy Corbyn London mayor says Corbynmania has made Tube unions more militant
• HS2 work to cause up to 183 weekend possessionsMajor construction work on High Speed 2 could result in as many as 183 weekends-worth of track possessions, according to figures from HS2 Ltd.
• Stansted Airport announces plan to reduce aircraft noise for thousands of local residentsStansted Airport has today launched a public consultation on an innovative new take-off procedure that will reduce the effects of aircraft noise for over 4,000 people living near the airport.