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

Wednesday, 22 February 2017

BBC News

• Ordsall Chord: Manchester rail link bridge lifted into placeThe 600 tonne bridge across the River Irwell will link Manchester's Victoria and Piccadilly stations.
• Protesters arrested after Heathrow Airport tunnel blockedFive people are arrested after the main tunnel to Heathrow Airport is blocked by protesters.
• Southern guards in 24-hour walkout after failed talksSouthern rail says it expects to run up to 75% of services despite the walkout in the safety row.
• Tube drivers stage 24-hour walk out in staffing rowBoth the Central line and Waterloo and City line face severe disruption.

Financial Times

• Container shipping industry faces critical momentSector shows signs of revival after deals and new sector alliances shake up market
• Producers balk at proposals for biofuel capMinisters plan to limit or ban crop-based renewable fuel to encourage use of waste
• DP World wins ruling against Djibouti in bribe rowAfrican state ordered to pay costs after illegal payments case thrown out

The Guardian

• Heathrow protest by climate activists causes delays on M4Campaigners chain themselves to a vehicle, blocking motorway tunnel leading to airportClimate activists protesting against Heathrow’s planned third runway caused lengthy delays on the M4 by blocking a tunnel leading to the airport for three hours.Campaigners for Rising Up used three cars to close the tunnel leading from the motorway to Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 and 3 at about 8.25am on Tuesday. Three protesters chained themselves to one of the vehicles, which had a banner reading: “No new runways”. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Firm behind Jeddah Metro among Edinburgh Tram extension advisersTHE firm behind the Jeddah Metro in Saudi Arabia and the Time Warmer Building in Manhattan has been chosen as a project manager for the �145m Edinburgh Trams extension.

The Telegraph

• Heathrow protest: Two arrested as activists chain themselves to car in third runway protest

Mail Online

• London Tube strike: Maintenance workers back walkouts Maintenance workers on London Underground have voted to strike over claims of a breakdown in industrial relations, the RMT union said.

Network Rail

• “When Network Rail is given the support, the time and the money, they really can deliver these pieces of infrastructure…”Britain’s first asymmetrical network arch railway bridge was dramatically installed today - a major landmark in a Network Rail scheme that, once complete, will bring transformative benefits for train customers across the North of England.

London Evening Standard

• ES Views Letter of the Day: Terminate HS2 at Old Oak Common [Keir Starmer MP, Andrew Dismore AM]The HS2 bill will soon be signed into law, signalling the start of two decades of misery for residents and businesses in Camden and passengers at Euston Station.
• Gatwick Airport workers to vote on strike action in long-running 'poverty pay' disputeGatwick Airport staff who assist disabled passengers are set to vote on strike action amid a dispute over pay.
• Tube strike February 2017: Walk-out underway as Transport for London warns of rush-hour chaosTransport bosses said the 24-hour Tube strike set to cripple two London Underground lines is going ahead despite last-ditch attempts to thrash out a deal.

Manchester Evening News

• Remarkable timelapse video shows 600-tonne arches being lifted to form Ordsall Chord The momentous feat of engineering is key not only to Manchester’s railway history - but for travel across the north

Bucks Free Press

• Bucks 'must be heard' on controversial Heathrow expansion plans, says MP Buckinghamshire “must be heard” on the Heathrow expansion plans, a top politician has declared.

Crewe Chronicle

• Police officer who monitored Nantwich rail crossing believes it's too dangerous for school walking route Neville Gordon, who monitored the crossing in November 2016 before he retired in December, said : "The level crossing on London Road is a disaster waiting to happen... "

East Anglian Daily Times

• Associated British Ports hails record year for the Port of IpswichThe Port of Ipswich has hailed a record 2016, with the tonnage of ships calling at the port increasing by 13% year-on-year.

North Wales Live

• Controversial Fisherman's Path rail crossing has a history of tragedies Crossing has been at the centre of safety calls following previous deaths

Other Regional Press

• Space company CEO welcomes government spaceport proposal AN OXFORDSHIRE company developing a spacecraft engine has welcomed the government’s intention to build spaceports in the UK.
• Car park at railway station could double in size A CAR park at an Oxfordshire train station could be more than doubled if plans by a rail operator go ahead.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Mayor and Walking and Cycling Commissioner set out vision for getting Londoners activeWill Norman has joined with the Mayor of London in outlining a long-term vision to help encourage more Londoners to walk and cycle, by making London’s streets healthier, safer and more welcoming. New analysis shows that if every Londoner walked or cycled for 20 minutes a day, it would save the NHS £1.7bn in treatment costs over the next 25 years. This includes 85,000 fewer people being treated for hip fractures, 19,200 fewer people suffering from dementia, and an estimated 18,800 fewer Londoners suffering from depression. It is the ambition of the Mayor that Londoners walk or cycl...
• Government awards �4 million for tech projectsApps that notify motorists of congestion and free parking spaces, and real time journey information for visually impaired passengers, are just some of the projects that will receive a share of £4 million government technology funding. Nineteen councils across England will receive between £50,000 and £300,000 each for their ideas to improve journeys through digital innovation. The government money will be spent on developing cutting edge technology such as apps and sensors which can be used to cut congestion, improve parking in city centres and alert drivers when electric ca...
• Rhenus Logistics starts work at new Port Salford facilityFreight logistics giant Rhenus Logistics has confirmed the beginning of construction work on its new headquarters and warehouse facility at Port Salford, Manchester. Expected to be fully operational by the end of Q4 2017, the development will create up to ten new jobs. With 13 sites located across the UK, Rhenus has enjoyed strong and sustainable growth, with the past year seeing a 10% increase in volumes. As a result of this, Rhenus is opting to relocate its headquarters from Trafford Park to Port Salford, which will see a 60,700 sq ft site built. The impressive facility will include 50,000 ...
• Wizz Air announces UK base at London Luton AirportWizz Air has announced that it will open its 28th base on 18 June 2017 at London Luton Airport in the United Kingdom with one new Airbus A320 aircraft. London Luton has operated Wizz Air flights for over twelve years; this will be the airline’s first UK airport with base operations. Establishing this base will strengthen Wizz Air’s operational presence at London Luton Airport where it is already the second largest carrier, and increase the number of routes being served from the airport to 42. The base establishment represents an investment in the airport and the local region by cr...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Monorail: pie in the sky? Over the past few years, monorails have turned from amusement park fixtures to a potential answer to chronically overcrowded cities around the world. So what advantages do they pose compared to traditional rail systems, and who is currently pushing t…
• Jones announces £60k bursary for Doncaster high-speed rail collegeTransport minister Andrew Jones has announced an additional £60,000 worth of DfT funding will be made available for bursary schemes for students who study at the National College for High Speed Rail (NCHSR). The announcement was made during a site visit where Jones was shown around the...
• TfN: Ordsall Chord success 'an example of what NR can achieve with time and money'Network Rail is likely to use the Ordsall Chord’s success story as a “really good example” of how when they’re given the support, time and money, they can “really deliver these pieces of infrastructure”, Transport for the North (TfN) boss David Brown told...
• Delayed Sheffield tram-train completion date finally setA completion date has finally been set for the long-awaited construction of South Yorkshire’s tram-train project, with work expected to be finished two-and-a-half years later than originally predicted. The project, which is expected to cost £58m to complete, will enable trams between...

Railnews

• RMT prepares strike ballot for Night Tube staff London Underground has urged the RMT to start talks over a dispute about all-night services. The union says the terms of employment of Night Tube operators are �blatantly discriminatory�, because the part time staff involved have been barred from moving to vacant full-time positions for at least 18 months. They are also not eligible for overtime pay until they are working 35 hours a week. The union is now preparing to ballot Night Tube staff for strikes or action short of a strike.

Railway Gazette

• Bo-Bo-Bo locomotives shipped to MyanmarMYANMAR: CRRC Dalian has shipped a further pair of locomotives to Myanma Railways, and has now...

Aviation Industry

• Executive jet transatlantic operator seeks new business modelMore competition for lucrative transatlantic first-class passengers is imminent with the appearance of a new operator—New York-based Bliss Jet—selling individual seats on high-end business jets. read more
• AerCap posts $1.04 billion profit in 2016Ireland-based lessor AerCap turned in a net profit of $1.04 billion on a reported basis for the year ended Dec. 31, 2016, compared to $1.17 billion for the preceding year. read more

Other News Sources

• Replacement for scrapped youth bus pass scheme announced
• 'Better, more comfortable' trains on the way for region's passengersGreater Anglia has announced a £4.7 million refurbishment of its commuter trains in Essex and Hertfordshire.
• Rail 817: Hitachi trains could be on the slow trackDear reader – I may bore you at times with my view that the railways are best run as a single integrated business which I often frame as the ‘What are franchises for?’ I try not to go on too much about this as I am conscious that the structure of the railway is not, for many of you, the most fascinating topic but this time bear with me.
• Rail 816: Stopping London Rail devolution is a political act A decade or so book ago I wrote a book called On the Wrong Line – How Incompetence and Ideology wrecked Britain’s railways. I think the two ‘i’ words are in danger of wrecking the railway again which, as Nigel Harris mentioned in his editorial in the last issue of Rail is in danger of suffering from a perfect storm.
• Southern Rail strikes: Fresh talks to be held with ASLEF drivers but RMT strike to go aheadOn Wednesday February 22, RMT will be holding a 24-hour strike in an ongoing dispute over safety and staffing
• Lack of investment, not freight transport, to blame for potholes says FTAThe Freight Transport Association has reacted with disappointment to the Local Government Association (LGA)’s inaccurate claim that freight ...