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

Monday, 27 February 2017

BBC News

• Storm Doris: Gwynedd rail line remains shut after damageEngineers were working to repair the line over the weekend after a tree fell onto the track between Llanrwst and Blaenau Ffestiniog on Thursday.
• Welsh ports could be hit after Brexit, first minister warnsJobs and trade will be lost in Wales if it is easier to move goods into the EU via Northern Ireland than through Welsh ports after Brexit, the first minister says.
• £165m Manchester tram line opensThe second link through the city centre was built over three years in a £1.5bn transport expansion.
• Fatal Stewarton accident focus of road safety schemeA fatal road crash in Ayrshire will be the focus of a hard-hitting new scheme to promote road safety.

The Guardian

• Pakistani airline launches probe into 'extra passengers' claimPIA airline dismisses report that some people were forced to stand in aisle as “baseless”An investigation is under way after reports that a Pakistan International Airlines plane flew from Karachi to Saudi Arabia with people standing in the aisle all the way after staff boarded extra passengers.People with handwritten boarding cards scrambled for seats as the Boeing 777 taxied for takeoff on 20 January, according to the report in Pakistani newspaper Dawn. Continue reading...
• New £185m Manchester tram line that unearthed burial site opensSecond City Crossing between town hall and Victoria station had been delayed when 280 bodies were discovered in 2015A new £185m tram line, the construction of which unearthed hundreds of bodies in a burial site, has opened in Manchester city centre.The Second City Crossing runs from the neo-gothic town hall to Manchester Victoria station and is the final part of a £1.5bn transport expansion plan. Continue reading...
• End UK tax incentives for diesel vehicles, ministers are urgedCampaigners write to chancellor to urge him to end tax breaks and bring in scheme to encourage switch to greener carsMinisters are coming under growing pressure to remove tax incentives for diesel cars and offer compensation to motorists so they can swap to more environmentally friendly vehicles.A group of medical professionals, environmental campaigners and lawyers has written to the chancellor ahead of the budget to demand a change to the vehicle excise duty that they say subsidises diesel cars. Continue reading...
• Chris Grayling tells Japan: some of our trains are superior to yoursTransport minister urges counterparts from Japan to buy trains made in Derby for their suburban rolling stockTransport secretary Chris Grayling is lobbying Japan, the country that pioneered modern high-speed trains, to buy rolling stock from Derby as part of the government’s post-Brexit trade push.In a counter-intuitive move, Grayling has urged Japanese ministers to purchase trains from the UK. Japan’s bullet trains are among the best in the world, but Grayling believes slower suburban rolling stock is better manufactured in Britain.

The Herald

• Calls for double decker train service between Glasgow and EdinburghINTRODUCING European style double decker trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh would help solve Scotland’s rail crisis, former Transport Minister Alex Neil has said.

Times Online

• Strong mayors can help UK take on the world [Subscription]... This May, many northern cities will for the first time elect mayors with wide-ranging powers over transport, skills, public health and, in some cases, policing.
• Government considering scheme for scrapping diesel cars [Subscription]Drivers considering buying new cars should take a “long, hard think” before buying diesels, Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, has warned.

Daily Express

• HS2 will put UK in fast lane for high-speed rail innovation, says Chris GraylingFORGING ahead with HS2 would prove to the world that Britain is at the forefront of high-speed technology, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said.

Mail Online

• Put your mobile in the glove box says transport minister Speaking ahead of a Government crackdown, he warned that offenders could start to face automatic bans. On Wednesday the penalties for using a mobile at the wheel will double.

The Mirror

• British Airways flying high as it tops the list of nation's biggest and best 'Superbrands' Despite a spate pf cabin crew strikes, the airline has kept its crown for the fourth year running, leaving Lego and Rolex to tussle for second place.
• Transport secretary wages war on mobile phone users behind the wheel as he backs Mirror campaign Two-fifths (39%) of motorists were ­unaware penalties will double from Wednesday - but motoring organisations warned that punishments did not go far enough

This is Money

• BA goes to war in-flight sarnies, that cost 46% MORE The boss of British Airways has fought back after a barrage of complaints over a decision to scrap free in-flight sandwiches.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Concert to support Yorkshire Dales bus scheme A YORKSHIRE charity wanting to bus inner-city families into the countryside is hosting a concert to help raise £3,000.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Double decker trains ‘could ease Edinburgh to Glasgow travel crisis’ Using double decker trains to transport passengers between Edinburgh and Glasgow could help solve the country’s rail crisis, according to Scotland’s former transport minister.

Northern Echo

• 'If elected, I'll buy an airport': Tees Valley mayoral candidate's pledge A CANDIDATE to be the first mayor of the Tees Valley is to buy back Durham Tees Valley Airport if he is elected in May.

Wales Online

• This is the state of a Welsh railway line hit by Storm DorisA rail line in Wales is to remain closed after the full extent of damage caused by Storm Doris was revealed.
• An M4 relief road would benefit England more than parts of Wales, figures suggestA public inquiry into whether the £1.3bn scheme should get the green light is due to begin on Tuesday

East Anglian Daily Times

• Rail service improvements in East Anglia? You’ll need a boat to get to Great YarmouthGreen Party councillor Richard Bearman claimed investment was needed in ferry services amid the growing threat of global warming.

Other Regional Press

• Coach link between Oxford and airport to end A coach link between Oxford and Birmingham Airport is to end after just eight months.

Bus and Coach.com

• RATP Dev to convert two London routes with 36 electric buses
• DRM Bus Company turns to Volvo for speedy delivery
• Electric low-floor minibus launch at CV Show from Mellor Coachcraft

Green Miscellany

• Our friends electric: How Europe is cleaning up its railwaysBritain may have an electric railway that this year celebrates its 134th birthday, but electrification of the entire network lags behind other European countries. Forty per cent of the British rail network was electrified by 2006, representing 60% of all rail journeys. However, electrification of remaining lines, particularly with the more-efficient overhead lines, remains slow. While we wring our hands about the financial… The post Our friends electric: How Europe is cleaning up its railways appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• What happened to the M24? We have the M23 and the M25 in Surrey, so where is our 'missing motorway'? Surrey is home, in part, to both the M23 and, of course, the infamous M25 - so why isn't there an M24? Here are some thoughts