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

Saturday, 24 September 2016

BBC News

• Dublin Bus strike: Thousands affected by fifth day of actionUp to 400,000 commuters in Dublin are facing travel disruption as strikes by Dublin Bus drivers enter a fifth day.
• Easyjet pilots suspend strike action pending further talksEasyjet pilots suspend strike action while new proposals on tackling fatigue are considered.
• MG ends car assembly at historic UK plantMG announces it is to stop making cars at its Longbridge plant and will be moving production to China - ending manufacturing in the UK.

Financial Times

• No step back on London’s walking and cycling pushModernisation programme to continue despite worsening congestion
• Maersk plans expansion after break-upDanish group seeks revenue boost from logistics opportunities

The Herald

• SPT boss Ronnie Park quits 'suddenly' as director of bus operationsTHE head of bus operations at Strathclyde Partnership for Transport has sent shockwaves through the industry after quitting suddenly, less than two years after he was hired amid claims of a
• Last orders called on nightclubs as punters turn their backsTHEY were once bustling nightspots where people queued round the block for the chance to dance the night away to the backing of a booming soundtrack.
• Abellio making £1 million profit a month from ScotRail franchiseNEW ScotRail operator Abellio made a profit of £1 million a month after taking over the railway franchise last year.

The Telegraph

• Motorist fined for driving in car pool lane using mannequin as passenger

Daily Post (North Wales)

• WTO rules Airbus given illegal aid by the EU The ruling focuses on $22bn of launch aid provided by the governments of France, Germany, Spain and the UK

London Evening Standard

• Southern Railway strike announcement sparks fresh furyUnion leaders faced a backlash from MPs and commuters today after announcing a further 14 days of strikes across Southern Railway commuter routes serving London and the South.
• EasyJet strike: Pilots suspend potential strike over tiredness rowEasyJet pilots have suspended potential strikes following a row over tiredness.
• Revealed: London's worst Tube lines for delays Central line passengers waste more of their lives due to delayed trains than those on any other Tube services, it can be revealed.
• Campaigners demand cycle lane is removed from Richmond blackspotCampaigners today demanded a cycle lane is closed after a series of angry confrontations between drivers and riders.

Manchester Evening News

• Top Stockport economist resigns from government in 'hammer blow' for Northern Powerhouse Lord Jim O'Neill of Gatley is the first minister to quit under new Prime Minister Theresa May

Northern Echo

• Flying Scotsman return cost �4.5m THE full cost of restoring Flying Scotsman and returning the locomotive to the tracks was �4.5m, it has been revealed.

The York Press

• Extra bus on busy York route, from Sunday AN EXTRA bus service has been added to a bus route in York following public demand.
• Unsafe school bus is ordered off the roads A SCHOOL bus was taken off the roads after an inspection found it to be unsafe and dangerous.

Yorkshire Post

• YP Letters: Leeds Bradford Airport’s dire welcome to YorkshireFrom: Professor John L Taylor, Marsh Lane, Bolton Percy, York.
• Northern Powerhouse blow as key advocate quitsSerious work lies ahead to prove talk about the Northern Powerhouse project was nothing more than an “electoral con trick”, a Yorkshire MP said, as Theresa May’s political opponents blamed her for Lord O’Neill’s resignation.

Crewe Chronicle

• HS2 consultation shows momentum is building Edward Timpson MP: "In recent weeks the Government has re-confirmed its support for HS2"

Other Regional Press

• Council leader responds to concerns over Heathrow expansion legal actionThe leader of the Royal Borough has hit back at concerns over taxpayers’ money being used to fund legal action over the expansion of Heathrow.
• New Oxford to London rail link almost ready after track work finishes COMMUTERS and rail bosses have welcomed the completion of the new track between Oxford station and Oxford Parkway that will signal the start of a new service in December.

Airportwatch

• NATIONAL RAIL AWARDS 2016: Maintenance Team Of The Year Winner: MTR Crossrail “This is a spectacular performance achieved in a short time resulting in the London Rail TOC being one of the top performing TOCs despite operating over the GE infrastructure, the subject of continuous engineering work in preparation for Crossrail.”

Buying Business Travel

• Asian Uber rival Grab to trial self-driving carsRide-hailing firm teams up with driverless tech provider Nutonomy
• Emirates postpones fourth daily Gatwick serviceExtra flight was due to start next month

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Clipper signs new 10 year contract with John Lewis PartnershipClipper Logistics plc has announced that it has signed a new 10 year contract with The John Lewis Partnership to provide a range of retail support services from a new distribution centre at Grange Park, Northampton. This news follows an initial announcement made in March last year.   The new distribution centre, acquired by Clipper earlier this year specifically for John Lewis, will provide in excess of 500,000 square feet of capacity. Initial activity commenced in July 2016 and will support John Lewis' new distribution centre in Magna Park, Milton Keynes.   The site will not only be...

Rail Magazine

• NATIONAL RAIL AWARDS 2016: Safety Award, Joint Winner: Network Rail Wales - Rail Life Trespass and vandalism have been a problem on the railways in Wales for a long time, causing delays and cancellations to passengers and costing a reported £583,000 in 2014. But there is also a human cost. In 2014, there were two trespass-related fatalities on the Wales route and there is is an average of 700 trespass crime events each year.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Despite enthusiasm, HS2 'has the weakest economic case of all projects'The economic justification for HS2 has been slammed in a letter from the chair of the Treasury Select Committee to the transport secretary. Andrew Tyrie told Chris Grayling that the DfT has failed to “comprehensively examine” whether increasing conventional rail capacity would offer...
• 'Trade-offs' needed in planned Scottish rail investments, RDG saysIndustry leaders have published a major new report that seeks to give a clearer idea of the challenges facing Scotland’s rail industry. The report, ‘Investing in the Future’, published by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) in partnership with ScotRail and Network Rail, comes...
• Union calls for TfL workforce review as staff cuts have 'created a death trap'Staff cuts on the London Underground (LU) are putting passenger safety at risk, RMT has warned following a leaked 21-page TfL report into an incident where a passenger was trapped between the train and platform at Canning Town. The woman’s foot was trapped for about 15 minutes during the...
• Leeds rail bridge to get rainbow repaint in celebration of LGBT communityThe Lower Briggate bridge in Leeds city centre will be repainted with the traditional LGBT rainbow colours after enough funds were raised by Leeds City Council and the local LGBT community. The bridge will be redecorated during engineering upgrade works which begin on 26 September and continue...
• ScotRail Class 385s undergo 100mph testing in Czech RepublicTesting of the Hitachi trains to be used on ScotRail’s new electrified routes has now begun in Czechoslovakia. While first Class 385 trains are being tested in Velim, a second train, a four-car vehicle without interiors, has arrived in Scotland after a five-week sea transfer from Kasado...

Aviation Industry

• Report: EasyJet eyes stake in TUIfly UK low-cost carrier (LCC) easyJet is close to taking a stake in Germany-based TUIfly so it can secure traffic rights within Europe even after the UK leaves the European Union (EU), Germany’s Manager Magazin reported. read more
• Long-haul Boeing 787s will expand Scoot’s reachSingapore-based low-cost carrier (LCC) Scoot plans to launch at least two routes longer than any in its current network next year, as it takes delivery of Boeing 787s specifically configured for long-haul flights. read more

Green Miscellany

• Brexit bicycle battery boostIf there’s a silver lining to Brexit, perhaps it’s the opportunity to revisit the law across Europe that governs, and restricts, the use of electric bicycles. According to current law (Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles – EAPC – (Amendment) Regulations 2015), electric bikes with powered assistance to a maximum of 25 km/h (15.5 mph) using a motor of no more than… The post Brexit bicycle battery boost appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• New South East runway 'could harm regional airports'Environmental campaigners have backed a warning from business and political leaders in the West Midlands that adding a runway in South East England will undermine regional airports.
• The Case Against Heathrow Is Not The Case For GatwickThe easiest way to spot a failing campaign is to seek out the one that argues the shortcomings of its opponent rather than championing its own merits.
• New �400,000 cycle hub at Winchester Station The new hub will have 100 new spaces, CCTV security, tools and will help cyclists who cycle to and from Winchester Station.
• Jeremy Hunt 'delighted at railway investment' as he unveils Godalming station upgrades The South West Surrey MP was joined by Network Rail staff and disabled access campaigners as the £4m improvement works were officially opened on Friday
• Heathrow T2 car park in 'total carnage' as motorists trapped The airport said "there were a number of delayed arrivals and there are overnight works in the tunnel causing congestion"