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

Wednesday, 18 May 2016

BBC News

• Heathrow Airport communities are wary of more promises"Our position could not be clearer, nor could it be more formally placed upon the record. Terminal 5 will not lead to a third runway". (Sir John Egan, chief executive of Heathrow's then owner BAA Ltd, April 1999).
• City tram route opening delayed againThe launch of a new tram service to Birmingham New Street station is delayed for a second time.
• Second 24-hour rail strike under waySouthern rail conductors are staging a 24-hour walkout which could cause travel chaos on some of the country's busiest routes.
• 70 jobs to go at Aer Lingus in BelfastAer Lingus is cutting most of its Belfast staff but says there will be no change to its flying schedule from the city airport.
• Heathrow: it's an issue of trustHeathrow has become an issue of trust

Financial Times

• Digital navigation for the blindBeacons send signals to passing users’ smartphones, helping them find their way around transport
• Fuel shortages hit Nigerian airlinesFour carriers delay or cancel domestic flights
• Airbus and Boeing contend with headwindsAircraft makers face production challenges plus increased risk of airlines delaying jet deliveries

The Herald

• East Coast operator accused of training 'secret scab army' to thwart strikesTHE main Edinburgh-London rail operator has been accused of training up a
• ScotRail guards to vote on strike action - as bosses brand ballot 'inexplicable'SCOTRAIL conductors will be balloted on industrial action in a dispute over safety.

The Scotsman

• Flying Scotsman to visit Scotland next year after sell-out tripsThe Flying Scotsman locomotive is expected to return to Scotland next year while ScotRail will run steam trains on the Borders Railway this summer, The Scotsman has learned.

The Telegraph

• Rail competition could put in train problems galoreFor rail passengers used to forking out a king’s ransom, the announcement by the rail regulator to allow competition on the London to Edinburgh line will have provided some cheer.
• Amazing photo captures rare ‘rainbow contrails’ plane effect 

Times Online

• Dublin’s commuters stand tall in the saddle [Subscription]Pedal power is stepping up a gear in Dublin with the number of cyclists commuting to work at its highest level in a decade.
• Bombardier is back all guns blazing in battle for contracts [Subscription]As Patrick McLoughlin pulled back the red curtains to unveil the plaque that commemorates the opening of Bombardier’s new testing facility in Derby, where they have been building trains since Queen Victoria was a youngster, there was a certain irony.

Mail Online

• The airport where PLANES go on holiday The ghostly industrial airport, located 3,000ft above sea-level near the town of Teruel in eastern Spain, holds dozens of aircraft from around the world at any one time.
• Sales of electric cars rise by 120% in a year with more than 45,000 on the road The number of electric cars on the road has more than doubled in a year. Official figures show 45,326 plug-in and hybrid cars were in service at the start of this year - 25,000 more than last year.

Birmingham Mail

• Midland Metro tram extension through Birmingham city centre delayed AGAINTram services to link between Birmingham Snow Hill and Birmingham New Street

Lincolnshire Echo

• Stop it! Pedestrians use rail crossing despite warning lights Following this morning's accident this morning at the Brayford Wharf level crossing where a lorry crashed into the rail barrier, we have been inundated with responses from people in disbelief at pedestrians crossing the tracks whilst the warning lights are on.

London Evening Standard

• Southern Rail strike: Passengers oppose plans to remove guards from trainsSouthern Rail passengers are opposed to proposals to remove guards from trains and would be concerned about the safety of their journeys if the move goes ahead, a survey has found.
• Transport chief Mike Brown to build bridges with Sadiq Khan after appearing to support Zac Goldsmith for MayorTransport for London chief Mike Brown is under pressure to prove himself to new boss Sadiq Khan after he was caught up in the election campaign.
• Train station home with platform and waiting room for sale for �600kMany long-suffering commuters can only dream of living closer to the station - and now you can. But don't expect a frequent service from this former Great Northern Railway depot...

Manchester Evening News

• Transport bosses say guided busway is a hit attracting 4,000 passengers a dayThe controversial Leigh-Manchester Busway is clearly a hit with some people – more than 4,000 passengers a day to be precise.

Sheffield Star

• Danger of city missing out on HS2 warns ministerSheffield could miss out on an HS2 station altogether if it can’t unite behind one location, business minister Anna Soubry has warned.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Members of the public given first glance at how transport over River Dee could be improvedThe public got their first glimpse at proposals to improve traffic around the River Dee yesterday.

The York Press

• It's official: These are York's worst roads - but many won't be repaired One councillor said:

Wales Online

• The Queen today unveils the laws on the UK Government's agendaWhat do you hope to see - and not see - in the Queen's Speech?
• French transport giant Keolis joins forces with Amey in bid to build and run the South Wales MetroTrams the best solution for an electrified Valley Lines network says French transport giant

Yorkshire Evening Post

• YEP says: Is our transport moving in the right direction? A cycling ‘superhighway’ (and a multi-million pound one at that) that is a hazard to pedestrians.
• Flawed design of flagship £29m Leeds to Bradford cycle superhighway ‘will set cycling back’A multimillion pound cycle superhighway between Leeds and Bradford will make cyclists “a hazard to pedestrians”, according to an independent transport consultant.

Yorkshire Post

• YP Comment: Trolleybus, Cycle Superhighway...what next for gridlocked Leeds?FIRST the Leeds trolleybus plan hit the buffers because the £250m scheme was botched from the outset.

Other Regional Press

• Year-long roadworks on A27 gets startedWORK to improve capacity on the A27 in Fareham has begun.
• Preston bus station public vote-winning design is ‘drastically altered’ARCHITECTS have had to drastically re-draw the public’s favourite design for a £23.3m revamp of Preston Bus Station – after being warned it might not get planning permission.

Rail Magazine

• Network Rail plans vital Bank Holiday workNetwork Rail will spend more than �30 million on engineering projects over the May 28-30 Bank Holiday weekend.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Campaigners 'not convinced' of benefits of increased open accessProposals to increase open access to British railways could fail to achieve their goals and waste money currently being spent on upgrades, Campaign for Better Transport has said ahead of tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech.
• Alstom gains permission for new academy at WidnesAlstom has gained planning permission from Halton Borough Council to acquire 30 acres of land at Widnes for a new North West Transport Training Academy. Ground-breaking will take place before the summer and the €25m site will open in autumn next year, where it will provide training for the...
• Southern warn passengers of 'significant' strike disruptionSouthern passengers must prepare for ‘significant’ disruption today as a consequence of strikes by train conductors over the expansion of driver-operated only (DOO) trains, the company has warned. Southern said: “If the strike takes place it will have a significant effect on...
• Full Arriva integration of Northern halted over competition concernsArriva’s takeover of the Northern rail franchise has been temporarily halted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over concerns that it will threaten competition, creating a worse experience for passengers. The CMA is still deciding whether to carry out a full-length...

Other News Sources

• Surrey group renews its campaign extended Gatwick expansionSurrey group continues to fight Gatwick expansion over concerns it could lead to increased air pollution.
• Video: Parents' outrage at Noisy Network Rail overnight works in Abercarn
• Hacking through the problems of rail passenger congestionThis week IMechE hosts an event likely to resonate will many rail commuters and train travellers alike.
• Heathrow Airport Shortlists 4 Leading Architects for Its New DesignThe bustling British airport is considering designs from Zaha Hadid Architects, Grimshaw, HOK, and Benoy
• Southern rail strike: Everything you need to know about Wednesday's walkout over 'driver-only' trainsA handful of Southern's stations in Surrey will be shut on Wednesday while services will be heavily disrupted as conductors walk out
• London Stansted wins national CSR award for innovative community projectLondon Stansted Airport has won Best Individual Community Project at the 2016 National CSR Awards for its pioneering community partnership to reduce aircraft noise for over 4,000 people living close to the airport.
• Mediators brought in to try to break deadlock over negotiations between Southern Railway and RMT union MEDIATORS were brought in to try to break a deadlock over negotiations ahead of a 24-hour rail strike today.
• HS2 construction to start in 2017 – ministerTransport secretary refutes speculation about rail project’s future