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

Friday, 25 September 2015

BBC News

• Free M6 Toll plan 'to boost region'A plan to make the M6 Toll road free to traffic is revealed in a draft proposal by the West Midlands Combined Authority.
• 'Keep eyes on the road' campaignDrivers who use their mobile phone at the wheel will be targeted in a two-week police campaign.
• 12,700 apply for 100 train driver jobsScotRail say the number of applicants for 100 train driver jobs on offer has now topped 12,000 - in the space of a week.
• Parcel delivery hubs to be examinedTransport Scotland will be asked to examine the possibility of creating collection hubs at ferry terminals as a way of making delivery charges cheaper.
• New boss for Transport for LondonMike Brown is appointed permanently to the role of commissioner of Transport for London following the departure of Sir Peter Hendy.
• Homeless given night bus ticketsA charity says it gives tickets to homeless young people so they can sleep on London's night buses if no alternative accommodation is available.
• Rail report finds corrosion caused signal post to fall onto lines near NewburyA signal post fell across railway lines in Berkshire due to corrosion at its base, an accident report has found.

The Guardian

• Unions urge Jeremy Corbyn to pledge to speed up rail re-nationalisationLabour leader could go further in his pledge to take back ownership of Britain’s rail network, unions say, by using break clauses in contracts

The Scotsman

• Alastair Dalton: Surfaces add to the hazards on rural roadsSCOTLAND’S rural roads may be the most scenic but they are also the most deadly – and too many obvious hazards remain.

The Telegraph

• VW scandal: British cars face emissions retests as ministers launch own investigationTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announces inquiry which could see all new models of diesel cars on sale in Britain retested amid Volkswagen emissions data crisis

Mail Online

• Newcastle named the UK's best airport for the third year in succession... with London Stansted and Luton finishing joint bottom Newcastle Airport has been named the UK's best large airport for the third year running by influential consumer group Which?

The Mirror

• Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary adds to his millions with sale of Aer Lingus stakeThe budget airline is selling its 30% stake in the Irish carrier to the owner of British Airways, netting shareholders nearly £300m

Birmingham Post

• Scrapping M6 Toll charges on West Midlands Combined authority wishlist A list of requests were sent to Government by the seven West Midlands metropolitan councils earlier this month

London Evening Standard

• Mike Brown is appointed new boss of TfLBoris Johnson today appointed interim Commissioner Mike Brown as the new boss of Transport for London.
• HS2 chief Simon Kirby: £750,000 wage is right because I’m best for jobThe chief executive of the HS2 scheme to build a high-speed UK rail network today defended his £750,000 salary.
• VW poised to name Porsche boss Matthias Müller as chief executive as UK opens emissions probeVolkswagen is poised to name Matthias Müller, the chief executive of Porsche, as its new boss, according to reports.
• Hundreds of homeless youngsters are sleeping rough on London's night bus network, charity revealsHundreds of homeless young people are being given tickets on London night buses because groaning hostels are no longer able to take all of them in, a charity has revealed.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Mind the gap: How Gateshead's rail academy is helping to tackle the North East's skills deficitNewcastle College's Rail Academy in Gateshead is doing its bit in the region's attempt to bridge the skills gap

The York Press

• Railway depot at York Central site could be at risk FEARS have been raised that the proposed York Central development - intended to create thousands of jobs - could lead to the closure of a rail maintenance depot and loss of 30 engineering jobs.

Wales Online

• Edwina Hart tells train firms to get their act in order in wake of Rugby World Cup travel chaos The Welsh transport minister says the companies will have the "joy" of hearing her demands in future meetings

Yorkshire Post

• More than 150 died on Yorkshire’sroads last yearTHERE were 158 people killed on the roads in Yorkshire last year, according to new Government figures published today.

Blackpool Gazette

• £110,000 added to Norbreck North tram stop estimateBringing the Norbreck North tram stop back into use will cost an estimated £290,000, it has been revealed.

Bucks Free Press

• MP labels invitation for HS2 investment bids as 'premature' Cheryl Gillan, MP for Amersham and Chesham, has urged the government to protect the Chilterns and carry out the HS2 project “properlyâ€�.

Get West London

• John McDonnell MP supports Grow Heathrow activists who face losing their homesLewdown Holdings Limited began legal proceedings to evict the campaigners from their squatted community space in Sipson

Other Regional Press

• Heathrow’s Populus survey shows growing opposition to expansionContrary to claims by Heathrow, the airport’s latest Populus survey on local opinion towards expansion of the airport actually shows opposition is increasing, not decreasing.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• FTA welcomes roadwork banThe Freight Transport Association (FTA) has welcomed a new government ban on long stretches of roadworks being carried out on motorways.  According to the group, the action could serve to significantly reduce delays and cut related costs incurred by HGV operators.  Highways England has been ordered by transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin to introduce new rules for contractors that are intended to reduce lengthy queues.  Head of road network management policy at the FTA Malcolm Bingham said lengthy roadworks create significant problems for the FTA's members. 

Rail Magazine

• London Underground prepares for Hanger Lane junction upgradeLondon Underground will replace Hanger Lane junction from October 24 to November 1
• Crossrail 2 Growth Commission makes new appointmentsThe Crossrail 2 Growth Commission has concluded its appointment programme
• Tunnelling breakthrough at Victoria station The breakthrough of the final section of tunnel linking the South ticket hall with the new North ticket hall at Victoria was made on September 14

Railway Gazette

• Rail Cargo Group buys German operatorEUROPE: Austrian Federal Railways’ Rail Cargo Group announced its acquisition of German freight...
• Bombardier to expand WrocÅ‚aw factory POLAND: Bombardier Transportation has awarded industrial property developer Panattoni Europe a...

Aviation Industry

• Why And Where To Invest In The Airline IndustryDisclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions.
• Ryanair to distribute €398m from Aer Lingus sale to shareholdersNo-frills carrier raises profit forecast

Other News Sources

• Wireless "MultiPass" Being Trialled for National Rail Train JourneysA new system that will automatically detect what trains you've taken and charge you accordingly is being trialled by the Association of Train Operating Companies, and could at long last mean the end of paper ticketing.
• Former ICE president seeks judicial review over £85m rail lineA judicial review brought against Network Rail by a former Institution of Civil Engineers president opposed to plans for a £85m rail link will be heard tomorrow.
• Delta CEO to Give Keynote at FSF's IASS 2015Flight Safety Foundation announced today that Richard Anderson, CEO of Delta Air Lines, will be the keynote speaker at its 68th annual International Air Safety Summit (IASS). Mr. Anderson will...