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

Saturday, 09 July 2016

BBC News

• Green light for pink pregnant seat alertFollowing a successful trial, the city of Busan in South Korea is now planning to introduce a system to help pregnant train and bus passengers.
• Emergency field landing near Newtownards for engine failure microlightA pilot makes an emergency landing in a field in County Down after the microlight he was flying had an engine failure.
• Southern rail 'not rejecting' RMT offer to halt actionSouthern owner says it was
• Restriction on drones at Open Championship at Royal TroonRestrictions have been placed on the use of drones during the 145th Open at Royal Troon Golf Course
• Toyota shuts lifts down to save money because of strong yenLifts at Toyota's headquarters are a casualty, as the world's biggest carmaker tries to make savings amid concerns about the weak global economy and strengthening yen.

The Guardian

• Twelve people die in traffic jam in Indonesia at junction called 'Brexit'Multiple deaths reported over three days, with queue stretching back 13 miles as millions headed home to celebrate EidTwelve people have died after being stuck in a three-day traffic jam in Indonesia at an intersection known as “Brexit”.The traffic stretched for more than 13 miles (21km) at the junction for Brebes, a town on the main island of Java, as millions of people headed home to celebrate Eid al-Fitr. Locals refer to the toll gate at the intersection as Brexit, short for “Brebes exit”. Continue reading...
• Shoreham crash pilot investigated for manslaughterPolice investigating Andrew Hill, 52, whose plane crashed into A27 and killed 11 people, for manslaughter by gross negligenceThe pilot who crashed his plane last year at Shoreham, killing 11 people, is being investigated by detectives for possible manslaughter by gross negligence. Andrew Hill, 52, from Hertfordshire, was flying a vintage Hawker Hunter fighter-bomber when it crashed onto the A27 in West Sussex on 22 August. Continue reading...
• All aboard the Southern chaos train: the commuters caught in a war on railsWeeks of delays, overcrowding and cancellations at Southern Rail culminated this week in a decision to axe 341 services a day. And the passengers aren’t happy Related: Calls intensify to strip 'incompetent' Southern rail operator of franchise Robert Mohamed stands on platform three at Haywards Heath station wearing a well-cut navy suit, a small backpack and the zen-like calm of a man accustomed to things going wrong. He is waiting for the 8.15am service to Victoria, a 50-minute journey from mid-Sussex into the heart of London. On a good day, he can get from his home nearby to his desk in Mayfa...
• Delta passenger plane mistakenly lands in US air force base Military search A320 with 130 passengers on board after it lands at the wrong airport in South Dakota A Delta Air Lines jetliner with 130 passengers on board landed at the wrong airport in South Dakota on Thursday evening, said a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident.The Delta A320 landed at Ellsworth air force base at 8.42pm Central Time on Thursday, when its scheduled destination was a nearby airport in Rapid City, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said on Friday. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Drivers in ‘biggest car insurance hike for five years’MOTORISTS have seen the biggest car insurance price hike for five years – with costs rising by an average of £115 over the last 12 months, warns new research.
• Call for a safety barrier after youngsters die in car crashCALLS are being made for a safety barrier to be erected at an unfenced road where a car plunged into an loch, killing two children.

Times Online

• Summer of endless delays ‘has been hell for everyone’[Subscription]Commuters using Southern trains to get into London have described the “horrendous” service over recent months.
• Refund boost for train travellers [Subscription]Commuters dogged by regular rail delays of only a few minutes could be in line for a full refund on the price of their tickets after a government U-turn over improved rights for passengers.

Daily Record

• Paisley community demands urgent action to improve safety on road that claimed five-year-old's life FAMILIES want traffic calming measures put in place following the death of little Niree Johnstone
• Mid-air emergency declared on flight bound for Aberdeen AirportAN emergency on board has forced the flight to turn back and return to Norwich International Airport.

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.
• Guildford coach driver manages to get his vehicle wedged across entire width of a road The coach driver ended up in a dead end in Guildford, Surrey on Thursday evening. The motorist tried a three-point turn but blocked residents' driveways and garages for an hour.
• David Cameron's newly refurbished �10million jet is slammed Passengers complained during the flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw that the Prime Minister's newly refurbished plane was more 'EasyJet than Learjet'.
• Should everyone over 70 be banned from driving? Eileen's 104, still on the road and has never had a crash. But more and more families are asking if elderly motorists are a ticking time bomb� Recent statistics show there are around five million motorists over 70 across Britain - including 104-year-old Eileen Ash who still whizzes about in her bright yellow Mini in Norfolk.
• Stylish fliers like Victoria Beckham and Angelina Jolie swap comfort for couture when flying A new report shows that seven out of ten women now plan their airport outfit as carefully as any of their other holiday clothes, thanks to celebrities treating the departure lounge as a runway.
• Japanese pensioner who pushed a stranger into a Bakerloo Line train sentenced A Japanese pensioner who waited on a busy London tube platform for 45 minutes before he tried to kill a stranger by pushing her in front of an oncoming train was today locked up in a mental hospital.
• Drivers face a hike in car insurance as bills rise by a fifth in just 12 months� Experts said the increase was down to a combination of tax, fraudulent insurance claims and the demise of big discounts for new customers.

This is Money

• Think Honda is boring? Think again. Its new £138k two-seater NSX roars from zero to 60 in under three seconds (and is already sold out!) Still think Honda’s boring? Think again. The Japanese car giant is aiming to blow the socks off the opposition with its stunning new two-seater NSX.

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

• Southern Rail: Union offers to suspend strike action amid train crisisA rail union has offered to suspend industrial action against crisis-hit Southern Rail if it delay its plans to cancel 341 trains a day.
• Rail improvements for disabled could help millions, says comicDisabled comedian Francesca Martinez today backed a campaign to improve accessibility on the railways.
• British Airways plane completes 6,000 mile 'flight to nowhere' from Heathrow after u-turn due to minor fault British Airways passengers were forced to endure a nightmare 6,000-mile "flight to nowhere" after it set off from Heathrow – only to land back at the London airport 12 hours later.
• Southern Rail commuter misery as bosses reject train strike 'amnesty'Hundreds of thousands of London commuters face more disruption after bosses at Southern Railway rejected the offer of a three-month strike "amnesty" from a union.
• 10 incredible facts you might not know about the Piccadilly lineDid you know that Arsenal is the only station on the Underground named after a football club?
• Shoreham Airshow crash pilot Andy Hill to be investigated for manslaughterAn RAF pilot whose vintage plane crashed at the Shoreham Airshow, killing 11 people, is being investigated by police for manslaughter.

Northern Echo

• '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

• HS2 construction could start in NorthHS2 will go ahead as planned - and construction could even start in the North and the South at the same time, the Transport Secretary has said.

The York Press

• Rail workshop in York aims to give children a love of science VIRGIN Trains and the University of York have joined forces�to create a workshop to encourage British children into science and engineering.

Blackpool Gazette

• Police monitor ban on smoking in carsPolice on the Fylde coast insist they will use their powers to impose fines on drivers smoking in cars with children onboard when necessary – despite issuing none since the law came into force.
• Passengers to get a vision of future at bus unveilingBus passengers will be able to enjoy a ride into the future next week with a first look at how a multi-million pound investment will transform Blackpool’s public transport.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Major scheme to start on A1Works to improve the road surface on the southbound carriageway on the A1 will begin on Friday.

West Sussex Gazette

• Unions offer to suspend railways strikes for three monthsA railways union has offered to suspend industrial action for three months if transport bosses delay controversial conductor proposals.
• ‘When will shambles and crisis on Sussex railways end?’Rail bosses running services in Sussex were hauled before MPs this week as they faced mounting pressure on them to be stripped of their franchise.
• ‘We are competent to run the railways’, train boss insistsStripping Govia Thameslink Railway of its Sussex rail franchise would be a ‘retrograde step’, one of its top directors has claimed.

Other Regional Press

• No end in sight to bus driver strikes as talks break down amid claims of "insulting" pay offer FURTHER strikes by bus drivers are set to go ahead this Sunday and three days next week after talks broke down.
• Multi-million pound road improvements to Banbury and Woodstock Road 'not radical enough' A �30m set of improvements to Woodstock Road and Banbury Road to cater for future developments such as the Northern Gateway are

Bus and Coach.com

• New StreetLites launched in Rotherham for Catch the Bus Week
• Future bus vision mapped out for stakeholders by Reading Buses

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Bids invited for South Western rail takeoverRail services in south-west England are set to become more convenient over the next five years after the Department for Transport (DfT) invited bids from rail operators to improve services. Any prospective bidders must be able to demonstrate how they would improve journey times for at least 70 per cent of all services and increase peak time capacity by at least 20 per cent from December 2020. Bidders must also lay on at least another 95 weekday services and deliver earlier first trains and later last trains on certain routes from December 2018. DfT wants to see the number of services along the...

Rail Magazine

• VIDEO: Fit-out of Crossrail tunnels – Royal Oak to Bond Street

Railnews

• RMT suggests pausing Southern DOO plan The RMT union is suggesting that plans to extend driver-only operation on Southern should be suspended until the autumn to allow further negotiations to take place. The union has been opposing the changeover, which is set to start next month. Conductors on most routes will be replaced by on-board supervisors, and control of the doors will be transferred to drivers. The RMT and Govia Thameslink Railway have been deeply divided over the proposals, and the dispute has already caused several strikes.
• Minister has 'resilience plan' as more ScotRail strikes loom Members of the RMT on ScotRail are set to walk out again in the continuing dispute over extensions of DOO north of the border, but the country's transport minister has said there is a 'well developed plan' to keep passengers moving. Future strikes could coincide with major events, including The Open and T in the Park.

Aviation Industry

• Next PM urged to approve Heathrow expansionGroup of Conservative MPs write to both leadership candidates

Green Miscellany

• The e-bike you never have to rechargeA new e-bike claims to provide a boost to your cycling when you need it, without having to be recharged from the wall. A marriage of Italian design and Swiss engineering has given birth to the Velocipede Fogliaverde – a classically styled e-bike inspired by the elegant, high quality cult bicycles of yesteryear. E-bike style The Velocipede Fogliaverde is a… The post The e-bike you never have to recharge appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Southern Rail operator records worst cancellation record in past six years after one in 20 services axedA shocking one in 20 trains were cancelled by the train operator last year, the worst record in the country - but could there be progress soon?
• FTA says new price ruling will modernise shipping industryThe Freight Transport Association (FTA) says the European Commission’s adoption of new pricing rules for shipping lines will modernise the ...
• Coach company swoops on disgruntled train customers A COACH company is presenting themselves as an alternative to travellers facing ongoing disruption on the Southern network.
• New rolling stock will sit unused while commuters pack onto trains with no toilets during emergency timetable SOME of Southern’s newest and most comfortable trains will be among the 341 services cut during the reduced timetable operations which come into force next week.