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

Friday, 08 July 2016

BBC News

• Second Tesla crash probed in USA second Tesla crash, which left a driver and passenger injured, is being investigated with particular emphasis on whether the Autopilot feature was in use.
• 'Plan in place' to avoid Scotland-wide transport chaosScotland's transport minister claims there is a
• HS2 South Yorkshire route change threatens new estateA new housing estate could be bulldozed if changes to the planned high-speed rail route HS2 go ahead.
• Farnborough AirshowFarnborough may be a small town in southern England, but for almost 70 years it has been the home of arguably the world's most important air show.
• Key British airliners: A short post-war historySome of the most significant UK-built airliners of the past 70 years, from the Bristol Brabazon to today's double-decker Airbus A380.

Financial Times

• VW made handbrake turn in US strategyCarmaker reached $15bn settlement over emissions scandal after quick technical fix failed
• East Africa bets on air travel expansionUganda Airlines set to be revived amid predictions continent’s carriers will record losses this year
• Planned new HS2 station scrapped to cut costsHigh-speed line will use existing Sheffield city centre stop

The Guardian

• Ron Arad's twisting aluminium sculpture unveiled at St PancrasGiant work is intended to have calming effect on the millions of passengers who pass through London station each year
• Accelerate TfL takeover of Southern train services – MPsMotion sponsored by Labour’s Chuka Umunna to strip Govia Thameslink of its franchise earns crossbench supportMPs have called on the government to accelerate a proposed takeover of Southern metropolitan services by Transport for London, as the train operating company Govia Thameslink Railway prepares to cut back its timetable by 350 trains a day. An early-day motion sponsored by Labour former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, and backed by MPs of other parties in affected constituencies, has added to opposition calls to strip GTR of its franchise. It proposed that TfL run the trains inste...
• As the wealthy clog our streets with cars, we’re struggling to breathe | Catherine ShoardThe Clean Air Act is 60 years old. But as long as we prioritise the convenience of rich motorists, pollution will continue to killSixty years ago this week the Clean Air Act was passed to protect us from the effects of pollution. Since then, car ownership has trebled in the UK. Two million households own three or more vehicles. Today, around 40,000 people each year die prematurely of illness linked to emissions. On Monday, medics from the Faculty of Public Health published a report in Scotland urging rapid and radical replanning of our towns for the sake of safety. They had in mind air quality...

The Telegraph

• Hundreds of brand-new homes will be bulldozed under updated HS2 track plans

Times Online

• HS2 station is cancelled to cut costs by £786m [Subscription]Plans for a major HS2 station on the outskirts of Sheffield have been scrapped as part of a cost-cutting drive, it will be announced today.
• Leadsom vs May: Tory candidates go head to head on key issues [Subscription]AL - Infrastructure Given her scepticism over HS2 rail link, which she says may not be value for money, MPs were surprised on Monday when she proposed a freight line from Dover to Edinburgh. Has not made up mind on Heathrow runway but will do so quickly if elected prime minister. TM - Infrastructure She says that the HS2 rail project is necessary to improve economic growth and the country’s infrastructure but expresses concern over Heathrow airport’s expansion because of how it may affect her Maidenhead constituency.
• Dutch transport concession lawful [Subscription]By providing access to fares at preferential rates on public transport in the Netherlands for students who were registered with a private or public educational establishment in the Netherlands, but only extending that concession to students from other member states of the European Union who were economically active or had obtained the right of permanent residence in the Netherlands, the Kingdom of the Netherlands did not discriminate against non-Dutch students who were studying in the Netherlands.
• Union suggests suspending strikes to end rail deadlock [Subscription]A rail union involved in a row over the role of conductors has offered to suspend industrial action for three months to try to break the deadlock.

Mail Online

• Chaos at Heathrow as computer glitch in new BA system causes massive queues Hundreds of British Airways passengers faced delays at London Heathrow's Terminal 5 today after lengthy check-in queues developed due to a computer glitch in a new system.

The Mirror

• British drivers are dozy parkers - a third of us have forgotten where we left our carsOver the course of a lifetime some motorists could spend almost three days trying to find their cars

Birmingham Post

• Given this choice for Metro Mayor, some have chosen to opt out The are three reasons why the West Midlands Metro Mayor job may not have attracted a strong short-list of candidates

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Light at end of tunnel is dimmed as Highways England claims cycleway project could cost �35m A CAMPAIGN to turn a derelict railway tunnel in Queensbury into a cycleway has run into difficulties after Highways England said it could cost �35 million.

London Evening Standard

• Finsbury Park: Major overcrowding hits station as Victoria line signal failure sparks rush hour chaosCommuters battled through "nightmarish" overcrowding at one of north London's busiest Tube stations as major delays hit the morning rush hour.
• Passengers cleared from Baker Street Tube station over 'security alert'Baker Street underground station was evacuated following a security alert.
• British Airways check-in glitch sparks travel mayhem for Heathrow passengersHeathrow passengers faced travel mayhem today after a computer glitch sparked delays to hundreds of flyers.

Manchester Evening News

• Virgin Atlantic boss slams Air Passenger Duty as UK 'cutting its nose off to spite its face' Virgin Atlantic celebrates 20 years of flying from Manchester this year, and its boss has spoken out as it prepares for new routes Stateside

Northern Echo

• Transport Minister opens new �61 million A1 scheme near Gateshead TRANSPORT Secretary Patrick McLoughlin officially opened a new �61 million road scheme in the North-East today.
• 'This was an accident waiting to happen' - Councillor leads calls for changes to town centre bus routes following fatal bus crash ROAD safety campaigners last night claimed a town centre bus crash which claimed the life of an elderly woman was

Sheffield Star

• OPINION: Team Sheffield won over HS2 - next stop, New Retail Quarter‘Make your ruddy mind up’.
• Top hotel saved from demolition by HS2 change - but new housing estate under threatA popular hotel on the outskirts of Sheffield has been saved from potential demolition due to changes to the HS2 line.

The York Press

• East Yorkshire residents asked for their views on local transport PEOPLE in the East Riding of Yorkshire Council area are asked for their views on local transport – from the condition of roads and footpaths to the quality of cycling facilities.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Contactless payment coming to National Express West Midlands busesBuses across the West Midlands will soon be fitted with London-style contactless payment devices, it has been revealed.

Other Regional Press

• Abellio Greater Anglia hires extra locomotive for services between Norwich, Great Yarmouth and LowestoftRail provider Abellio Greater Anglia has hired an additional locomotive and carriage to cover services between Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
• Fury after MPs meet rail firmAn angry war of words has broken out after MPs met a rail company to discuss proposed route changes opposed by thousands of travellers.
• Campaign to strip GTR of its rail franchise COMMENT: Good internal rail links and those to London and beyond are vital to Sussex. Trains service are never perfect but those run by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), responsible operating Southern, Thameslink, and the Gatwick Express, have drifted from poor in 2015, to a position in 2016 where passengers can have no certainty in their reliability, turning up to stations to see their commutes or recreation plans wrecked on a daily basis.
• Roundabout to be replaced as part of widening workA busy roundabout is to be turned into a signal-controlled crossroad as part of a road widening scheme.
• Record half-yearly sales for Jaguar Land Rover The Coventry-based car maker sold a record 62,314 vehicles in the UK in the first half of the year - up by 21 per cent on the same period in 2015

Rail Technology Magazine

• Interim report aims to quell public concerns about Crossrail 2Nearly 21,000 members of the public have raised concerns about Crossrail 2 in a public consultation, published today by Transport for London (TfL) and Network Rail.
• rail jobs, staff issues and trainingTrade union RMT has made a new offer to reopen talks with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) in the ongoing industrial dispute, but GTR has not yet agreed to accept their conditions.

Aviation Industry

• Brexit ‘shockwaves’ hitting airline industry - IATAAssociation boss urges that any UK-EU deal should not damage air connectivity

Green Miscellany

• Boomer mobility scooter is a beastThe Boomer Beast is an off-road mobility scooter that’s as happy popping to the local shops by road as it is crossing a muddy field. The Beast is capable of 24 mph – a top speed that can be governed for use on the road. All three wheels are driven and shod with knobby tyres making it possible to tackle… The post Boomer mobility scooter is a beast appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Alstom wins £24m Virgin contractProject will be the first to be completed at Alstom’s new technology centre in Widnes
• Lessons from the Thames – a new guide to moving freight by waterLessons learned from moving freight on the Thames form the basis of a new Freight by Water publication launched to coincide with the group’s ...
• MP climbs aboard for Catch the Bus WeekIt’s all aboard for the fourth annual “Catch the Bus Week” and Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner will be part of the celebrations as he catches a Citi 1 bus from outside Cambridge railway station today.
• Business leaders call for action on transport projectsDelay to airports decision "must not set tone" for infrastructure plans