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

Thursday, 08 September 2016

BBC News

• Learning to drive at the age of five in an electric carChildren as young as five have been testing out an electric two-seater car which has been designed for primary school age children.
• Borders Railway celebrates first anniversaryThe Borders Railway, which has surpassed expectations, celebrates its first anniversary.
• Southern rail: Passengers 'not happy' with fresh strikeCommuters trying to get to work during the latest Southern rail strike have been venting their frustration.
• Southern strike disruption 'could stop immediately'As a two-day strike begins on the Southern rail network, the RMT union
• Charges follow London City Airport Black Lives Matters protestNine people are charged after a Black Lives Matter protest at London City Airport led to flights being heavily disrupted.
• London Underground ticket office closures to be reviewedA review of Tube ticket office closures is ordered by the London mayor after concerns are raised over safety.
• Ryanair adds summer 2017 routes from Scottish airportsRyanair announces new routes flying from Glasgow International, Edinburgh and Prestwick airports for its summer 2017 schedule.

The Guardian

• Sadiq Khan's TfL board is impressively diverse. Now, how good are its maths?London’s mayor has picked a commendably varied team to oversee his transport agency, much of whose work will be about budgets
• Cattle-class: are Thameslink's new 'tube-style' trains the future of commuting?As the UK south-east’s rail nightmare continues, a new class of commuter trains has been quietly revealed – long, metro-style carriages without tables, built to accommodate as many standing passengers as possible. Is this the new normal?

The Herald

• Edinburgh Airport bosses told to cut the plane noise in flight path rowEDINBURGH Airport bosses have come under new pressure to cut back on plane noise as they pursue a consultation into a controversial new flight path.

The Telegraph

• Passengers left stranded after infestation of wasps in train carriage

Times Online

• Rail passengers can claim payouts for all late trains [Subscription]Commuters affected by rail delays of just a few minutes will be able to claim compensation for the first time next month after a sudden change of policy by the government.
• HS2 rail link ‘is reckless waste of £80bn’ [Subscription]The High Speed 2 rail project will cost up to nine times more than similar tracks in France and should be scrapped, the prime minister has been told.

Mail Online

• Nine people charged after Black Lives Matter protest at London City Airport The all-white group have been charged with�aggravated trespass and being unlawfully airside following a six-hour stunt yesterday morning at London City Airport.

Birmingham Mail

• Why you'll never run out of battery on the bus again4G Wi-Fi, USB portals - you won't wanna get off the Platinum buses

Birmingham Post

• Old parts of Snow Hill station to feature in new underground restaurant Green light for city centre venue beneath well-known office business district building which will incorporate parts of former Victorian station into design
• Midland Metro appoints new director to lead tram extensions Alejandro Moreno will spearhead new alliance as it embarks on a decade of work to expand the West Midlands' tram network
• Birmingham can be outvoted by Solihull and Walsall on regional body, is that really fair? Government is moving towards equal sized constituencies, but that rule does not apply for new West Midlands Combined Authority          

London Evening Standard

• Wasp infestation on board South West Trains carriage sparks delays for commutersAn infestation of wasps on board a train triggered disruption on services into London today.
• Sadiq Khan launches probe into Boris Johnson's Tube ticket office closuresSadiq Khan has ordered London's transport watchdog to investigate Boris Johnson's controversial Underground ticket office closures.

Manchester Evening News

• Futuristic Hyperloop trainline could cut commute from Manchester to London to just eighteen minutes Transport bosses in the North are said to be flirting with US tech billionaire's 'hypersonic railway on stilts' idea

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• More East Coast mainline trains to stop at Morpeth after timetable changesVirgin Trains has agreed to requests from passengers for more trains to stop at Morpeth and Alnmouth

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• All aboard! £8m luxury buses take to streets of the Black Country A new £8 million fleet of luxurious buses with free 4G WiFi and extra leg room has arrived in the Black Country.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Rail minister promises to keep up pressure for improvements to East Anglian routesTransport minister Paul Maynard has promised to ensure Network Rail carries out work to improve East Anglia’s lines after new trains are introduced across the region.

Other Regional Press

• Disappointment over Network Rail's broken promise to install Silent Tracks in North Oxfordshire
• Magor residents join forces to respond to M4 relief road plans ahead of inquiry MAGOR residents met to discuss the proposed M4 relief road plans and how it would affect them ahead of the upcoming public inquiry in November.
• Planned closure of The Jungle in Calais welcomed by the Port of Dover, P&O Ferries and DFDS SeawaysPlans to close The Jungle migrant camp have been hailed by ferry companies.
• UPDATE: Bus strike could go on for another three months as union accused of 'u-turn' over peace talk bid A union has pulled out of peace talks in an ongoing battle over bus driver pay, First Dorset claims.
• 50 years ago a change of trains spelt the beginning of the end for a branch line... VOLUNTEERS have marked a landmark anniversary of the last British Rail steam trains on the Swanage line.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Two-day Southern strike beginsSouthern passengers face further delays today as a 48-hour strike by the RMT begins, forcing the company to cancel services on 12 routes and run a reduced service on five others. The strike is the fifth this year, driven by RMT’s ongoing opposition to Southern’s proposals to...

Railway Gazette

• Alstom and SNCF develop next-generation TGVFRANCE: On September 7 Voyages SNCF CEO Rachel Picard and Alstom France President Jean-Baptiste...
• Northern Ireland ticketing upgradeUK: Northern Ireland Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard announced on September 5 that Parkeon...
• Icomera wins Norwegian wi-fi contract NORWAY: Oslo airport express operator Flytoget has selected Icomera to provide passenger wi-fi on...
• Cross Track Media trial in DelhiINDIA: XTD signed an agreement with advertising company TDI International on September 6 for a...
• NTV exercises Pendolino option ITALY: Four more non-tilting Pendolino trainsets have been ordered from Alstom by open access...
• Chinese freight train reaches Hairatan AFGHANISTAN: The first through freight train from China was formally welcomed into the northern...
• Hitachi ETCS approved for passenger serviceUK: Rail safety regulator ORR has approved Hitachi Rail Europe’s onboard ETCS equipment for use in...

The Business Desk

• Jet2 owners Dart Group take off with new airport baseDART GROUP, owners of Jet2 are showing no signs of a slowdown according to group chief executive Philip Meeson.

Aviation Industry

• Delta to start Atlanta-Seoul flights, expand Korean Air codesharingDelta Air Lines plans to launch daily Boeing 777-200LR flights between Atlanta (ATL) and Seoul Incheon (ICN) from June 3, 2017. read more
• JetBlue to launch Boston-Atlanta routeNew York-based JetBlue Airways is adding 5X-daily nonstop service from Boston to Atlanta, beginning March 30, 2017, the airline announced Sept. 7. read more
• Lufthansa Technik Malta, easyJet sign base maintenance contract Lufthansa Technik Malta and UK low-cost carrier easyJet have signed a five-year base maintenance contract for more than 100 Airbus A320 family aircraft. read more
• French business airline halts London-NY route on Brexit concernsFrench all-business class carrier La Compagnie will suspend transatlantic service between London Luton and New York from Sept. 25, citing the fragile European economic climate. read more

Other News Sources

• eeds Bradford Airport set to launch final draft of 15-year MasterplanThe final draft of the Leeds Bradford Airport Masterplan is now being prepared, after more than 100 responses to the airport’s consultation process were submitted. The draft of LBA’s Strategic Development…
• TfN report: Rail, road and port investment 'to add £35bn' to UK economy by 2033Transport for the North will need to develop 50 ha of distribution space a year to meet the region’s logistics and infrastructure needs, new research has shown.
• Train passengers one step closer to judicial review over Southern crisis TRAIN passengers are one step closer to taking legal action against the Government over its failure to resolve the Southern Railway crisis.