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

Sunday, 22 January 2017

BBC News

• Wheels keep turningThere is an
• Maenclochog Railway closure centenary marked in RosebushThe 100th anniversary of the closure of a railway line is being marked at Rosebush in Pembrokeshire.
• Cardiff Aviation 'not paying rent at Welsh Government hangar'A plane maintenance firm owned by rock-star Bruce Dickinson is in dispute with the Welsh Government over the non-payment of rent.
• Four-year MOT exemption for new cars proposedThe time new cars are allowed on the road before being tested could rise under government proposals.

The Guardian

• The Bike Project charity: preview | Martin LoveA charity that renovates abandoned bicycles and then gives them away… What could be simpler? Here’s your chance to help the Bike Project by buying yourself a great secondhand rideEvery year almost 30,000 bikes are abandoned or lost in London alone. And every year an estimated 15,000 refugees find themselves in the capital. The Bike Project takes some of those unwanted frames, fixes them up and donates them to the people who need them most. You can get involved by donating your old bike (in any condition), sponsoring a new one or volunteering in the warehouse. Here refugees can learn the basics...
• Italy bus crash: at least 16 dead and dozens rushed to hospitalBus carrying Hungarian passengers, mostly teenagers, crashes and catches fire on motorway near city of Verona At least 16 people were killed and about 40 injured after a bus carrying Hungarian students crashed and burst into flames on a highway in northern Italy.The coach crashed into a bridge pillar on the motorway near Verona at about 11pm on Friday. Continue reading...
• Parking tickets are an emotive issue - my job is to make things easier for driversI have a love-hate relationship with my job in the council’s parking department. We’re scoring little victories and slowly dragging the service into the 21st centuryI have a love-hate relationship with my job in the council’s parking department. It is my job to make sure everything from finding a space in a car park to paying your tickets is as quick and easy as possible. There will be those of you who think I could do a lot more to help with the parking situation in your area. Believe me, so do I. Continue reading...
• Tesla crash report blames human error - this is a missed opportunityIn blaming human error for a self-driving car crash, US regulators have missed an opportunity to learn from such incidentsThe Tesla Model S is an extraordinary machine. As part of my research into the regulation of self-driving cars, I’ve had the privilege of driving one. Or more accurately, I’ve had the privilege of being driven by one. On a Colorado highway in July, with some trepidation, I flicked the lever to engage Autopilot mode. I told the representative from Tesla that I was worried about handing over control, taking my feet off the pedals and my hands off the wheel. She reassured me t...
• Jobs lost and broken relationships: legacy of the Southern rail crisisThe collateral damage for commuters grows ever more devastating after ten months of disputes between unions and Southern over staffingThe Southern rail staff handing out information leaflets at London Victoria station this weekend were cheerful: “Strikes called off next week, service back to normal,” said one. “Normal?” an arriving female passenger almost screamed in his face.This week’s train drivers’ strikes have been suspended by the union Aslef as they engage in talks with Southern rail and its parent company, Govia Thameslink Railway. But a conductors’ strike remains scheduled, and argume...
• Indian sailors stranded in Norfolk port by ‘modern-day slavery’A crew of a supply ship in Great Yarmouth have waited seven months to be paidEventually, Saurabh Saigal could no longer look at his son. “I couldn’t stand it any more. He’s only six and suffers from allergies. When he’s ill I see the suffering in his eyes. Then I avoid talking to him by video link.”For seven months Saigal has been separated from his family in India, effectively imprisoned on a ship moored off the coast of Norfolk. A routine inspection of the offshore supply vessel Malaviya Twenty at Great Yarmouth last June found what unions describe as “modern-day slavery” – 15 Indian crew ha...
• India train crash: 27 killed in Andhra Pradesh derailmentEight coaches of the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar express came off the tracks during the night in the south-east of the country, leaving 50 people injuredTwenty-seven people were killed and 50 injured after an express train derailed in south-east India on Saturday night in the latest disaster to hit one of the world’s largest rail networks.Eight coaches and the engine of the Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar express derailed at 11pm near Kuneru railway station in Vizianagram district of Andhra Pradesh state. Continue reading...
• Facial recognition to replace passports in security overhaul at Australian airportsPaper passenger cards to be abolished in ‘world-first’ system the government hopes will see 90% of arrivals processed automaticallyA radical overhaul of security at Australia’s international airports is the first step towards the government’s goal of automating 90% of air traveller processing by 2020.The Department of Immigration and Border Protection will start moving towards a “contactless” system for arrivals this year, Fairfax reported on Sunday – the most ambitious stage of the Seamless Traveller initiative announced in 2015. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Italian bus crash claims 16 livesSIXTEEN people were killed and more than two dozen injured when a bus carrying Hungarian students burst into flames on a highway in northern Italy.
• How Scotland and three CalMac ferries played a crucial part in nuclear planningIN the event of a nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the west, key members of the British Government would have survived on ships specially built by Caledonian MacBrayne as 'floating nuclear bunkers', and hidden along the Scottish coast and in lochs.
• Edinburgh to London in just 40 minutes: how superfast transport could soon become realityIMAGINE stepping out your front door for a daily commute from Edinburgh to London – and in less time than it takes to finish the crossword, arriving there just 40 minutes later.

The Scotsman

• School bus crash fireball leaves 16 dead in ItalyAt least 16 people were killed after a bus taking Hungarian schoolchildren home from a trip to France was engulfed in a fireball after slamming into a road barrier in northern Italy.

The Telegraph

• Second-hand tyres up to 23 years old putting lives at risk on Britain's roads,�trading standards warn
• Drivers should get an extra year before MOT is needed on a new car, ministers propose

Times Online

• Austria’s ‘L’ drivers in virtual crashes [Subscription]Austrian learner drivers will don virtual reality headsets as part of a plan to use artificial accidents to help them cope with real challenges on the road.
• Flood of parking fury [Subscription]Our feature about parking tickets (“How to wipe out an unfair parking fine”, last week) triggered masses of emails from readers. You have seen it all, from the wind blowing the ticket off the dashboard to rainwater concealing the signage on a disabled parking bay, and accidentally mistyping registration numbers. Here is a small selection of the responses you kindly sent us.
• Grayling plot to split Great Western lines [Subscription]Transport secretary Chris Grayling is toying with breaking up one of Britain’s biggest rail franchises as he tries to introduce more competition in the industry.
• 60mph limit and fines to cut M1 pollution [Subscription]Highways England is considering imposing Britain’s first pollution-related speed limits, with motorists on one of the busiest sections of the M1 facing fines if they exceed 60mph in the rush hour.

Daily Record

• ScotRail chief quit days before survey revealed passengers' damning verdict on railway services A survey has shown almost three-quarters of rail users do not believe the train service has got any better in the past three months.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby's Bombardier 'very keen' to bid for £2.75bn HS2 train contractDerby train-maker Bombardier is "very keen" to bid for a £2.75 billion contract to design, build and maintain high speed trains for the new HS2 rail link, the Derby Telegraph understands.

London Evening Standard

• Northern Line extension: Tunnelling work on �1.2bn extension to Battersea to begin in MarchThe tunnelling work on the �1.2 billion Northern Line extension to Battersea Power Station will begin in March, it was announced today.
• Italy bus crash: 16 killed after bus collides with barriers and bursts into flames near VeronaSixteen people were killed when a bus carrying students crashed and burst into flames in Italy, police said.

Northern Echo

• Motorists 'putting lives at risk' buying illegal part used tyres DANGEROUS second-hand tyres are putting motorists’ lives at risk - with Durham County Council finding one such tyre stocked to be 23 years old.
• Crackdown on illegal use of mobile phones on Durham and Cleveland's roads from Monday DRIVERS are being warned there will be no hiding place next week if they are tempted to use their mobile phones while driving.
• Police 'inundated' with car crashes including serious collision on Yarm Back Lane POLICE “inundated” with reports of car crashes overnight on Friday have urged motorists to drive with slippery and icy conditions in mind.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• U-turn on plan to axe funding for Dudley school crossing patrolsControversial plans to axe funding for school crossing patrols in Dudley have been ditched in a major U-turn by council chiefs.

North Wales Live

• Liverpool's 30mph accident blackspotsSection of road in the city centre is the most dangerous

Peterborough Telegraph

• Candidate wants new rail stationsThe Liberal Democrat candidate for May’s mayoral election wants new rail stations in the north and south of the city - the latter being in Hampton.
• Officer to reduce crashesPolice and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire Jason Ablewhite is funding a new police casualty reduction officer to help reduce the number of collisions on Cambridgeshire’s roads.

Reading Evening Post

• Bath Road lane closures begin on Monday as work on starts on cycle route Work is due to start on the Route 422 Newbury to Ascot National Cycle Network

West Sussex Gazette

• The Flying Scotsman comes to SussexBluebell Railway has announced the ‘Flying Scotsman’ is coming to the line between April 13 and 19, 2017.
• Angry Lewes residents say 20 is plentyFed up residents of neighbouring streets in Lewes braved a cold and frosty morning to demonstrate to motorists that their roads have a 20 mph limit.

Other Regional Press

• P&O's Pride of Burgundy and Pride of Canterbury head to Gdansk, Poland for �14million refit dealA �14million refit deal will see two P&O ships head to Poland for necessary improvements
• Southampton-based cruise firm reveals plans for sixth ship A SOUTHAMPTON-BASED cruise company has announced plans for a new ship.

Rail Magazine

• Third runway access costs dismissednment does not accept Transport for London’s potential costs for surface access provision for a third runway at Heathrow Airport

Other News Sources

• Action Must be Taken If We are to Address UK Seafarer ShortfallUK Chamber CEO Guy Platten has responded to the publication of the Department for Transport Seafarer Projections Review by calling on government to back its SMarT Plus proposal. The Department for Transport has this week published a study to…
• Former Winchester transport chief accused of getting facts wrong Councillor James Byrnes had been urged to clarify remarks he made on the BBC about air quality in Oxford.
• Gatwick Airport advises travellers to check flight details ahead of terminal moves Gatwick has issued advice to British Airways, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic passengers on terminal moves from January 24