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

Saturday, 30 January 2016

BBC News

• Drones in near misses at UK airportsDrones were recently involved in four serious near misses at UK airports, the UK Air Proximity Board says, as pilot associations call for tighter regulations for drone users.
• Railway passes 500,000 passenger markThe Borders Railway between Tweedbank and Edinburgh passes the 500,000 passenger mark less than five months after it opened.
• London driverless car design chosenA driverless 'pod' that will take to the streets of London in July will resemble the electric passenger shuttle at Heathrow Airport
• Eurostar resumes after suspensionEurostar services from London begin resuming after trains were held for more than two hours when a man got on to the tracks.
• Labour's fare freeze 'would cost �1.9bn'Transport for London says Labour's costing of its fares freeze is wrong and doesn't take into account the impact Crossrail will have on passenger numbers.

Financial Times

• Call for drone crackdown after 4 near-missesUnmanned vehicle came close to Stansted 737

The Guardian

• Government demands gender equality in transport sectorThousands of road and rail apprenticeship announced, with targets to be written into supplier contracts to bring more women into technical roles

The Herald

• Cycleway will put us 'out of business', warn Edinburgh tradersTRADERS in the capital have warned that a planned cycleway will put them out of business by stripping away parking spaces outside their shops and increasing congestion.

The Independent

• Airports are 'gateways to nations' but can they also be beautiful?Full of queues and stress, airports aren't always a flyaway success. But look closer - you might be surprised

The Scotsman

• Borders Railway on track to smash passenger target The Borders Railway is set to smash its first-year passenger target after carrying more than 500,000 passengers in just four-and-a-half months.
• Scots bus company refuses to accept Scottish bank noteA MUM has been left humiliated and embarrassed after a driver from a Scottish bus company refused to accept her Scottish bank note.

The Telegraph

• Rail bosses apologise for blot on the Wind and the Willows landscapeNetwork Rail apologises for dozens of
• Storm Gertrude to cause transport havoc with disruptions to road and railTrain passengers and drivers have been warned to expect disrupted travel throughout the weekend due to severe weather across the country

Mail Online

• Business drivers 'should get harsher punishment for using phone at wheel Chief Constable Suzette Davenport suggested that professional drivers pose a disproportionate risk to others as they travel up and down Britain's motorways and A-roads.

The Mirror

• Anger as historic horse-drawn tram axed in cost-cutting exercise after 140 years The famous trams have been delighting passengers and tourists along the promenade in Douglas, on the Isle of Man, since 1876

Bolton News

• No trains running between Bolton and Manchester this weekend as final Farnworth Tunnel work takes place RAIL users are reminded that no trains will run between Bolton and Manchester this weekend.
• Northern Rail's 'best ever' customer satisfaction scores leave commuters and politicians baffled FRUSTRATED Bolton commuters and politicians have described the results of Northern Rail’s ‘best ever’ customer satisfaction survey results as a smack in the face.

London Evening Standard

• Fire crews tackle car blaze at Heathrow Terminal 5Firefighters were called to Heathrow Airport this afternoon after a car erupted in flames at Terminal 5.
• David Williams: London's roads safer than the rest of UKIt would be easy to believe — with frequent coverage of London's cycle fatalities — that there's nothing but bad news on the road-safety front in the capital. But while each accident is one too many, some of the good news gets missed.
• Second American Airlines flight makes emergency landing after mystery illnessA second American Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing after people on board were struck by a mystery illness.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens bus stop to open from Monday – but two other roads set to partially close Work continues in on Portland Street and Second City Crossing to improve city centre travel

Sheffield Star

• London firm paid £200K for Sheffield ‘Northern Powerhouse’ office closure planThe Government’s ‘Northern Powerhouse’ department planning to shed almost 300 jobs in Sheffield and move them to London spent £200,000 on consultants to deliver a report on making cutbacks.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Concerned rail union pledges to fight for jobs in South YorkshireA rail union has pledged to step up their fight to protect jobs amid concerns new management could be planning cuts.

Blackpool Gazette

• End to traffic hell in sight?Tormented motorists on one of Wyre’s busiest roads have been told help could be on the horizon.

Other Regional Press

• Northern Rail trains to see £490million investment after signing deal with ArrivaNew investors will finance 281 new trains. Northern Rail trains which operates services through Huddersfield are to get a multi-million pound cash boost for new vehicles.

Bus and Coach.com

• New Irizar i8 launched to UK coach operators
• Blackpool to take first single-door Enviro400 Citys
• Investing in bus priority in the capital
• Wet winter hits First bus revenues
• New Enviro200 fleet for Stagecoach in Rotherham
• Cambridge tenants to receive free travel with Stagecoach East
• Double-deck Scania/Caetano coaches for Translink
• �3.3million investment takes 36 to new heights

Rail Magazine

• CBT map shows passenger growth onlineA map launched by the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) charts railway station usage from 1997, and reveals huge growth in passenger numbers
• Oxford-Marylebone service delayed until DecemberChiltern Railways delays introduction of its service from Oxford through to London Marylebone. The first train leaves Oxford station at 0536 on December 12.
• Pay-as-you-go system reaches Gatwick AirportLondon’s contactless and Oyster pay-as-you-go system has been extended to Gatwick Airport.

Aviation Industry

• Scottish airports warn SNP leader over passenger tax promiseCalls for Nicola Sturgeon to commit to abolishing tax by 2018