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

Monday, 12 September 2016

BBC News

• FlyBe Cardiff to London City link coincides with rail workA new flight service between Cardiff and London has started and has been timed to coincide with major rail engineering works.
• Are tram tracks safe for cyclists?Cyclists in three UK cities raise concerns about the safety of tram tracks following a series of accidents.
• Rail season tickets cost 10% of net payCommuters spend more than a tenth of their disposable income on rail season tickets, a BBC investigation finds.
• HS2 rail link boss quits to join Rolls-RoyceThe boss of the controversial HS2 high-speed rail link is leaving to take up a senior post at Rolls-Royce, the aerospace and engineering group says.
• Wales bus firms' difficult journey to profitThey are services that are often vital to the public whether it is travelling to work, school, for leisure activities or shopping.

Financial Times

• Tesla revamps autopilot after fatal crashRadar sensors will make it easier to detect metal objects but harder to pick out ‘fluffy’ animals

The Guardian

• The polluting effect of wear and tear in brakes and tyresSome wear-particles from brakes and tyres are small enough to be inhaled, and the increase in wear-particles can outweigh the benefits of improvements in exhaust emissionsOne in six MOT failures is due to brake or tyre problems. These wear as we drive, as does the surface of roads. Most of the wear material ends up as dust at the kerb or gets washed into drains but some wear-particles are small enough to be inhaled, and contribute to our air pollution. These particles are rich in transition metals which add to the toxicity of our urban air.Increasing amounts of wear-particles have been found i...
• Tesla announces update to self-driving system after fatality in MayCEO Elon Musk says new system, which makes greater use of radar, would probably have prevented death of Model S driverTesla Motors chief executive Elon Musk said on Sunday the carmaker was updating its semi-autonomous driving system Autopilot with new limits on hands-off driving that probably would have prevented a fatality in May. Related: Tesla driver killed while using autopilot was watching Harry Potter, witness says Continue reading...
• Travellers face �5 charge to get through passport control fasterCharges of up to �17.50 at UK airports to jump immigration queues could be rolled out nationwide, report suggestsTravellers are to be charged to get through passport checks quickly at British airports, with some paying as much as �17.50, the Home Office has confirmed.The charge is an attempt to cut queues, but unions called it a gimmick and accused the government of failing to properly fund border controls. Continue reading...
• Thames pleasure boat catches fire and crashes into pierFootage shows smoke billowing from 300-tonne passenger vessel with 151 people on boardA pleasure boat with 151 people on board has caught fire and careered into a pier on the river Thames.London fire brigade was called at about 3.45pm to reports of a fire on the white triple-decker boat Erasmus, which crashed into pilings near Canary Wharf pier. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• HS2 will go ahead as planned despite chief executive departure, Ministers confirm

City AM

• Flybe boss: Forget Heathrow v Gatwick – government should look at issues outside of south eastFor the British aviation industry, the debate of the day (and decade) is south-east airport expansion: Heathrow versus Gatwick.
• Sadiq Khan's new one-hour Hopper bus fare comes into force today - but it won't quite live up to his original promiseOne of London mayor Sadiq Khan's manifesto promises launches tomorrow, but it won't quite match the plan.

The Mirror

• Britain's Border Force “starved of funds” despite rising terror threat and rocketing passenger numbersA report by the think tank, the Adam Smith Institute, says a new computer system is needed as a priority

London Evening Standard

• Savvy Londoner spends two days flying via five airports for journey from capital to AberdeenA thrifty London geography teacher went to extraordinary lengths to collect air miles on what could have been a simple short-haul flight to Aberdeen.
• EasyJet pilots consider strike action over October half-term holidaysEasyJet pilots could stage a walk-out over October half term sparking travel chaos for families.
• British Airways i360 tower: 'irate' passengers left stranded in pod... days after attraction broke down mid-airVisitors to the British Airways i360 tower in Brighton told how they were trapped in a pod for more than an hour after an apparent fault – three days after it broke down mid-air.
• Sadiq Khan praises 'landmark' as London 'bus hopper' ticket launchesSadiq Khan today launches the one-hour London "bus hopper" ticket, making millions of fares free every year.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Competition and Markets Authority finds award of Northern rail franchise could push up bus and rail fares in some areasThe decision to award the Northern rail franchise to Sunderland transport group Arriva may result in higher fares on some routes in the region, a business watchdog has said.

Wales Online

• Business leaders grit teeth but look to the bigger prize ahead of Severn Tunnel closureSix weeks of hassle will be worth it if electrification means journey times are slashed
• Severn Tunnel electrification should be just the start of the storyCalls are made for other investment in further rail infrastructure projects

Yorkshire Post

• Arriva faces cap on bus and rail fares in bid to protect passengersPASSENGERS in parts of Yorkshire could face higher fares because the same company runs both rail and bus services, the competition watchdog has warned.
• YP Letters: Crowdfunding hope for a vital Wensleydale bus serviceFrom: Ruth Annison, Main Street, Askrigg, Leyburn.
• Julian Sturdy: Surgery needed to start unclogging York’s road arteriesAPPROPRIATE and effective transport infrastructure is a fundamental requirement for the economic growth and success of every village, town and city across the country.

Other Regional Press

• 71 extra trains a day from Wales to Gloucester prompts level crossing danger warning Householders are being warned that they will be taking the strain of 71 extra trains a day as rail services to South Wales are directed via Gloucestershire over the next six weeks.
• Future of community bus service up in the air Future of community bus service up in the air Steve Hurst, of Spirit Buses in Rothbury.
• Franchise agreement could result in higher fares for Mid Cheshire line passengers
• Six weeks of disruption ahead as Severn Tunnel closes COMMUTERS and travellers across Gwent face six weeks of disruption with the Severn Tunnel closed for electrification work from today (MON).
• 'Bring back our bus service' plead stranded villagers VILLAGERS say they have been left stranded after their favourite bus service was axed.

Bus and Coach.com

• Public Inquiry call for GHA Coaches
• Steel Link service for new �29.8million BRT scheme
• Volkswagen Truck & Bus acquires stake in Navistar
• New Manchester airport service to be launched by easyBus
• �31m R&D expansion at ADL supported by Scottish government

Other News Sources

• British steel workers plead with ministers to push for Heathrow expansionBritish steel workers will plead with ministers this week to push ahead with plans to expand Heathrow, claiming a new runway will keep steel jobs.