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

Friday, 23 March 2018

BBC News

• South Heywood Link Road: Green belt housing plans backedThe proposals include the construction of a road linking Heywood to the M62 and 1,000 houses.
• Call for longer Heathrow night flight banMPs have called for tougher measures to protect passengers and local communities before plans to expand Heathrow Airport are approved.

ITV News

• Heathrow expansion should not be approved without measures to protect communities, MPs sayHeathrow's expansion bid should not be approved without tougher measures to protect communities and passengers, MPs said.

Financial Times

• Heathrow third runway must have noise and cost safeguards, say MPsReport backs expansion but calls for strict conditions on spending and air quality
• Qantas pushes boundaries with 17-hour ‘kangaroo route’Airline plans more ultra-long-hauls as it launches direct flight from Australia to UK

The Guardian

• MPs demand tougher rules on night flights for Heathrow upgradeTransport select committee calls for seven-hour respite for locals near airport plus pledges on cost

The Herald

• Heathrow’s third runway ‘should not go ahead unless impact concerns addressed’Heathrow’s expansion bid should not be approved without tougher measures to protect communities and passengers, MPs said.

The Huffington Post

• Heathrow’S Third Runway ‘Should Not Go Ahead Unless Impact Concerns Addressed’

The Scotsman

• Alastair Dalton: Walkers competing with cars for more space in cities They are greener and perhaps safer than other cars, but if the future of our most popular form of transport is electric self-driving models, they still pose one major problem.
• Aberdeen bypass will now be delayed by up to another six monthsThe flagship £745 million Aberdeen bypass road will delayed by up to six months.

The Telegraph

• More needs to be done to clear path for Heathrow's third runway, MPs warnHeathrow risks losing a legal challenge against its third runway unless it meets a raft of tough conditions on landing charges, pollution and public transport, an influential committee of MPs has warned.

Times Online

• Tighter identity checks to curb hire-car terror attacks [Subscription]Motorists could face airport-style identity checks before hiring cars after a series of terrorist attacks using vehicles.
• Storm of criticism after Aberdeen bypass delay blamed on weather [Subscription]The completion of the long-awaited Aberdeen bypass has been delayed for at least another six months, the Scottish government admitted yesterday.
• Clashes on Paris streets as rail unions rage against reforms [Subscription]Thousands of railway workers joined civil service unions to disrupt transport and public services in France in the biggest single protest so far against President Macron’s efforts to reform the state.
• Repair potholes to promote healthy living, councils told [Subscription]Councils should repair potholes and pedestrianise streets to encourage walkers and cyclists, health experts say.
• MPs demand strict limits on Heathrow noise and pollution [Subscription]Heathrow’s third runway should be blocked unless the government introduces tough new restrictions on costs, pollution, aircraft noise and night flights, according to MPs.

Transport Committee

• Airports National Policy Statement The Government has laid before Parliament a proposal for an Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) and our Committee was designated to carry out parliamentary scrutiny of the Government’s proposal. Our Report completes that process and we expect the Government to bring forward a final NPS for approval by both Houses that takes account of our recommendations. After that the NPS will be designated by the Secretary of State under the Planning Act 2008; this is an early but important step in the planning process. Votes to approve the NPS in both Houses of Parliament in effect give outline planning permission for construction of Northwest Runway (NWR) and associated developments at Heathrow Airport.

City AM

• Elizabeth Line latest: Crossrail reveals images of new London stations ahead of December launchConstruction of the Elizabeth Line has now entered the final stages, with work underway to wrap up the stations and tunnels ahead of the December launch.
• The rollout of free drinking water across London train stations has just begun with Charing CrossThe first of Network Rail's free water fountains has been set up at a London station as part of its efforts to slash the impact of plastic waste.
• Westminster is trying to bench pollution with a high-tech vertical garden right off Piccadilly Circus.The over 13-feet tall moss seating structure is called a CityTree and can hold up to 1,682 pots of moss — these have the ability to absorb as much pollution as 275 trees can. They are additionally outfitted with solar panels for energy and rainwater collection abilities for autonomous self-irrigation.
• MPs say government's Heathrow expansion proposals need a rejig before a vote in parliamentParliament should approve the government's case for a third runway at Heathrow - but only after concerns around air quality, noise and costs are properly addressed, a report has found.

The Sun

• DESTINATION BREXIT May finally ready to ask MPs to back Heathrow’s £15bn third runwayPM will ask the Commons to kick-start Brexit with a vote this June to expand the UK's biggest airport

Birmingham Mail

• Abandoned cars is costing this council - and local taxpayers - millions The council removed 232 of these and destroyed 178 of them

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 1,130 bikes stolen in Bradford since 2015 THEFTS of bicycles have increased in Bradford and West Yorkshire over the last three years - and cyclists are being urged to tighten security to deter thieves.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Coach company takes rap on knuckles in licence case Nefyn Coaches will see its fleet cut from 15 to 10 for nine weeks after it admitted giving the disc to Express Motors

London Evening Standard

• Petrol and diesel car ban in parts of east London WILL go ahead this yearPetrol and diesel cars will be banned during peak hours in parts of east London from July 2018.
• EasyJet pilots filmed playing Snapchat games at 30,000 ft during flightAn easyJet captain and his co-pilot have been deemed "irresponsible" after filming themselves playing a Snapchat game while flying a plane full of passengers.
• London Waterloo delays: Botched cable theft sparks delays for tens of thousands of commutersCable thieves have struck again causing major disruption for tens of thousands of commuters including those into mainline Waterloo station.
• Thai Airways bans overweight passengers from business class in move to introduce seatbelts with airbagsOverweight passengers on Thai Airways flights have been banned from travelling business class as the firm's new seatbelts containing airbags will not fit around their waistlines.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Heathrow report welcomed by anti-third runway groupsJohn Stewart, chairman of anti-expansion group Hacan, praised the MPs for recommending a series of “tougher conditions” before the third runway was given the go-ahead.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Heathrow report welcomed by anti-third runway groups John Stewart, chairman of anti-expansion group Hacan, praised the MPs for recommending a series of ‘tougher conditions’.

Yorkshire Post

• Caroline Flint: How our town learned to believe the sky’s the limit Doncaster is a changing place. Like many coalfield communities it has seen its share of hard times.
• Opportunity knocks for Yorkshire transport tech firms A major conference will bring together technology and transport, helping to spark fresh collaborations and drive forward growth.

Bucks Free Press

• 'Overwhelming support' among Bucks businesses for 'super authority' There is “overwhelming supportâ€� among Buckinghamshire businesses for the creation of a “super authorityâ€�, according to a business leader.

Other Regional Press

• Virgin trains that will 'transform travel on the east coast' arrive at Teesport from Japan The two Azuma trains are test trains from Japan :: A new fleet of the trains will be built in Newton Aycliffe this summer
• Rail link between Heathrow and Surrey towns could become reality as companies pitch ideasStaines could get a direct connection to the airport, as well as direct routes to the rest of the county, including Chertsey, Guildford and Woking

Forbes

• After Uber Fatality, Autonomous-Vehicle Pioneer Points To Lethal Record Of Human-Driven CarsAurora's Chris Urmson argued yesterday that self-driving cars remain a solution to the unacceptable number of fatalities and injuries caused by human-piloted cars.

Railway Gazette

• GE to upgrade Channel Tunnel electrificationEUROPE: Channel Tunnel concessionaire Eurotunnel has awarded GE Power’s Grid Solutions business a...
• Smart sleepers could provide real-time data collectionEUROPE: An agreement to co-operate to develop ‘smart’ sleepers containing real-time data collection...

Aviation Industry

• Transport Committee’s Heathrow expansion report out today: AEF reactionHeathrow plans beset with problems and likely to face legal challenge, concludes parliamentary committee The Transport Committee, appointed to provide the official parliamentary scrutiny of the Government’s Heathrow expansion plans, has today published its findings. The report concludes that the …
• Airbus halfway through A330-900 flight tests; TAP first delivery on trackAirbus is positioning the A330neo to operate on true long-haul routes such as from the US west coast deep into Asia or from India to the US east coast—segments similar to those on which the larger A350-900/-1000, as well as the Boeing 777 and 787, operate. read more
• Stobart Group pulls back from attempt to acquire FlybeThe UK’s Stobart Group has ended talks with UK regional Flybe over a possible acquisition, after Stobart’s board said it had been unable to reach an agreement. read more
• Rolls-Royce breaks ground on new Derby testbed facilityEngine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has started work on its new testbed facility in Derby, UK. The building was announced in June 2017 as part of a wider £150 million ($211 million) investment in UK aerospace facilities. read more
• FAA funding to increase 4% in FY2018 spending billThe massive fiscal year (FY) 2018 spending bill the US Congress is attempting to push through this week would increase FAA funding nearly 4% over FY17 figures, including a 13.8% jump in Facilities and Equipment (F&E) spending, where most NextGen air traffic control modernization program spending resides, and a boost in airport grant funding. read more

Other News Sources

• Rail investment strategy needs to include freight support, says FTAThe Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP), announced this week by the Department for Transport (DfT) may, on paper, be a more sustainable and ...
• British panel supports third Heathrow runwayLONDON--The British parliament's Transport Select Committee will back a plan to add a third runway at Heathrow airport, stepping into the debate on how to expand flight capacity in the greater London area. Airlines have said they support the plan amid worry that insufficient takeoff and landing capacity could further constrain growth in Europe's single-largest aviation market.
• MP Greg Hands Hosts Local Heathrow Event TodayFind out about plans for third runway and flight path management at Fulham Library
• Britain should make flat airport fees condition of new runway - MP committeeBritain should only approve Heathrow Airport's plan to build a new runway if it keeps fees flat to protect consumers, a parliament committee said, as it made recommendations on air quality and noise ahead of a parliamentary vote.