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

Saturday, 03 October 2015

BBC News

• Bus firms ditch 'too slow' fast lanesTwo major bus firms stop using the newly-built £40m Fastlink lanes in Glasgow because they are too slow.
• VIDEO: Building Ghana's bamboo bikesThe BBC's Suzanne Vanhooymissen talks to some bamboo bike builders in the Ghanaian city of Kumasi.
• Google's driverless car is so boringDave Lee takes a ride in Google's driverless car but is less than impressed with the experience.
• Uber: Cab plan against public interestUber says that Transport for London's proposals to regulate the minicab business are 'against the public interest'.
• Virgin Trains starts automatic refundsVirgin becomes the first train company to automatically compensate some passengers if they are delayed, with other operators urged to follow suit
• Putting car emissions to the testAre you likely to get the same performance from your car as the lab tests suggest?

Financial Times

• Virgin automatically pays for late trainsSystem ends the need to fill in forms but is available only on advance tickets

The Guardian

• New cycling infrastructure in the UK: share your photosWhat do you think of the latest attempts at cycling infrastructure in your town or city? Share your photos and stories with usBritain’s cycle infrastructure is a mess, but there may be hope. Across the country, there are signs that councils and other local authorities are at least beginning to be aware of the demands for safe, attractive facilities that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.Back to the future: Riding an unopened section of London's east-west cycle route. Can't wait for it to be finished! pic.twitter.com/rSeXp0v1a3 Continue reading...
• Passengers on delayed trains to get automated refunds for first timeVirgin to introduce automatic refunds for delays of more than half an hour on West Coast trains in first for national rail network A system to automatically compensate passengers whose train is delayed is to be introduced for the first time on the national rail network. Virgin Trains will automatically refund part or all of the fare to passengers who experience delays of more than half an hour on pre-booked West Coast trains in a move that the government hopes will be replicated across the industry. Continue reading...
• Eurotunnel suspends services after 'massive invasion' at Calais terminalPassengers warned of lengthy delays after more than 100 refugees and migrants storm the terminal in a ‘co-ordinated’ encroachment, officials sayEurotunnel services were suspended overnight on Friday after a “massive invasionâ€� of more than 100 refugees and migrants in the French terminal. A “large and co-ordinatedâ€� group stormed the tracks at Calais at around 12.30am local time, Eurotunnel said. Continue reading...

The Herald

• MPs to question Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin on Volkswagen scandalTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin will face questions from MPs over the Volkswagen scandal following fresh claims that Whitehall officials knew about discrepancies between test results and real-world emissions.
• All change for Edinburgh's bus lanes as city-wide trial comes inChanges to the majority of Edinburgh’s bus lanes will see them used during peak times only in a bid to simplify the system for drivers.
• Eurotunnel services suspended as migrants storm channel tunnelEurotunnel services are suspended after a
• Passengers to get automatic compensation for Virgin train delays.PASSENGERS will automatically receive compensation if they are hit by delays on a major rail line.
• Hundreds of 'duped' Scots Volkswagen owners to take on German car giant in mass legal actionSCANDAL-HIT car giant Volkswagen is facing legal action from hundreds of Scots owners 'duped' into buying vehicles they believed were low emission.

Reuters News

• Cameron's party chooses Eurosceptic and Heathrow critic as London mayor candidateLONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party said on Friday it had selected lawmaker Zac Goldsmith, who opposes the expansion of Heathrow Airport and might back Britain leaving the European Union, as its candidate for London mayor.
• Migrants try to enter Channel Tunnel, disrupt cross-channel trainsLONDON (Reuters) - Around 200 migrants tried to get into the Channel Tunnel in France overnight, clashing with staff and police and forcing the suspension of rail services, a spokesman for Eurotunnel said.

City AM

• VW's British customers will not face higher taxes on cheat carsBritish Volkswagen customers will not have to pay additional taxes if their cars are found to have been fitted with the "detect devices" that allowed vehicles to cheat on emissions tests, the government has confirmed.  Customers will not be liable to pay a higher vehicle excise duty on diesel cars that may not actually pass the tests, the Department for Transport said today. The government began an investigation into the extent of the practice last week, and Volkswagen admitted this week nearly 1.2 million cars on British roads could have had the device installed. ...
• We must fight for the transport service London deservesWe are at a critical juncture of London’s transport future. Debate has raged over TfL’s recent consultation to consider a set of rules to improve the private hire industry. This debate will continue in the coming weeks and months. It is important though that a debate has many voices and, currently, we are only hearing one very loud voice.  As a black cab app, we want to ensure that the other side of the debate is heard. Many pundits have focused their thoughts on the black cab’s inability to match private hire services on price, even though this is not nec...

The Mirror

• AA boss accused of pocketing millions from speed awareness course 'despite slamming cash from cameras' AA President Edmund King reportedly banked a share of £5.5million from his organisation's awareness course

London Evening Standard

• Thousands of commuters at Waterloo and London Bridge station caught in rush-hour train chaosCommuters were hit by major delays today after a body was found on tracks near Waterloo East station and part of the Jubilee line was closed due to a signal failure.

Manchester Evening News

• Passengers will get automatic compensation if they're delayed on London-Manchester Virgin Trains serviceDelayed by over 30 minutes? Virgin Trains will put money directly back into your bank account - but only if you book with them

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Chronicle readers have backed a new 20mph zone on one of Newcastle's liveliest roadsA total of 67% of readers backed plans for a new 20mph zone which will take in the entire length of Osborne Road, in Jesmond.

Wales Online

• Did we learn anything new from Question Time on electrification in Wales?Stephen Crabb reassured Stephen Kinnock that he is committed to electrifying the train line to Swansea - but is that still the big question?

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Numbers using the bus in West Midlands hits 30-year lowThe number of passengers travelling by bus is at a 30-year low, new figures have shown.

Other Regional Press

• Extra lane for section of M20 to ease congestion The M20 is to lose a section of hard shoulder to increase capacity and make it a 'smart' motorway.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Record number of graduate trainees join TfL to keep London working and growing Transport for London (TfL) has opened its doors to a record number of new graduate trainees, as it continues to ensure the next generation of transport professionals are equipped with the right skills to support London’s continued success and economic growth. The new intake of 168 graduates and ‘Year in Industry’ students are working across 19 graduate schemes, ranging from Quantity Surveying, Engineering, Software Development, Information Management, Finance and Transport Planning.  The Year in Industry students are on a 12-month placement, which is ideal for sandwich ...
• Govt unveils details of £2bn road development plansHighways England met with a range of suppliers and stakeholders on September 29th and October 21st to discuss how more than £2 billion of government finance will be invested to improve the capacity and condition of roads across the east of England.  The funding is intended for improvements and repairs to be carried out on those roads between now and 2021.  It forms part of the government's wider Road Investment Strategy, which will triple spending on England's roads by the end of the decade. The aim is to give road users faster and more reliable journeys. This will undoubtedly benefit includin...
• Eddie Stobart announces new base at DP World London GatewayEddie Stobart has announced a new container transport base at DP World London Gateway. Eddie Stobart believes the location will allow the business to be in the best possible place to provide new and existing customers with competitive container transport solutions from the south of the UK for which they are renowned in the north. The DP World site will provide Eddie Stobart with a strategic operational base to support their growth plans in the south of the country. As well as being on the doorstep of London and the South East, DP World London Gateway will allow Eddie Stobart to serve destina...
• Professor Richard Wilding becomes new CILT Chairman Professor Richard Wilding OBE FCILT is the new Chairman of The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK (CILT). Richard has been a member of the Institute since 1992 and a Board member since 2011. He is also Chair (Full Professor) in Supply Chain Strategy at the Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Cranfield School of Management UK.  Richard has been a valued member of the Institute’s board and in recent times has been a steering Committee Member of the CILT Logistics Research Network as well as the Co-Chairman of the CILT Leaders in Supply Chain Forum....

Railnews

• Passenger growth continues – and North/South gap widens THE number of passengers travelling by train has continued to rise – but growth in London and the South East has been two-and-a-half times greater than in the rest of the country.

Aviation Industry

• United's new CEO acknowledges airline's failuresFive years after United Airlines and Continental merged, the company's new CEO declared in a public letter that the combined company has failed to live up to the expectations of both fliers and United's employees. Just three weeks into the job, CEO Oscar Munoz acknowledged in full-page newspaper ads
• Air France to announce job losses Failure of negotiations between Air France and its flight crews means that the French national carrier will announce job losses on Oct. 5, 2015. read more

Other News Sources

• ORR finds 'series of issues' with Network Rail capabilityThe rail regulator has raised questions about Network Rail’s ability to hit its control period 5 targets.
• Calderdale campaigners want rail electrification and improvement promises keptCampaigners are calling for promises to be kept after plans for the electrification of the Calder Valley line were left hanging in the balance.
• Easterly wind to blame for increased plane noise in Windsor, says HeathrowAn increase in plane noise in Windsor is due to the direction of the wind according to a Heathrow Airport spokesman.
• Gatwick's new arrival lounge set to open GATWICK'S new £36 million departures level with the world’s largest self-service bag drop zone is about to open.
• Villagers battle to save historic railway crossing set to run and run VILLAGERS face an extra seven mile journey to their homes for months because of a planning dispute over a historic railway crossing.
• Hailo backs black cabs in battle with UberCompany resigns private hire licence and returns to black cab only