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

Saturday, 03 May 2014

BBC News

• Airport changes due after crashWork to modify a water rescue slipway at Shetland's Sumburgh Airport is to start soon, its operators say.
• Scorpion rides on Tube passengerA scorpion is discovered clinging to a man's bag at a London Tube station.
• Talks to avert next Tube strike failTalks aimed at averting a new round of strikes on the Tube have failed, union bosses say.
• Airline to launch Las Vegas serviceThomas Cook Airlines is to introduce the first regular service between Scotland and Las Vegas from next summer.

Financial Times

• Network Rail cuts executive bonusesSenior directors at railway operator will only be entitled to deferred annual bonuses worth up to 20% of salary – much less than at present

The Guardian

• Newsjacking the tube strike: Were charities disrespectful or creative?When charities newsjacked the tube strike hashtag, there was notably divided opinion
• Network Rail to slash directors' bonuses from 160% to 20% of salaryReforms could still bring bonuses of up to £135,000 a year but may help defuse rows over payouts in state-funded company
• The high-tech battle for cyclists to stay visible on the roadsWe try out a front light with a built-in laser projection of a bicycle, and a rear light with an integral HD camera.In sensible cycling cultures like the Netherlands, riders are generally free to pootle about in relative safety, not obliged to be constantly aware of the next potential, looming hazard. In the UK and many other places its very different which is why those on two wheels are fighting back with technology.Such aids come in two camps, which you can broadly term the protective and the retributive. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Edinburgh leaders declare trams 'ready to roll' at last Civic leaders have declared Edinburgh's troubled trams system
• Peak time for deer road accidentsWarningS are being flashed on trunk roads across Scotland advising accidents involving deer peak at this time of year, with a multi-million pound cost.
• CalMac bid to run European ferries SCOTLAND'S state-funded ferry operator has made its first bid to operate routes in European waters.

The Independent

• Scorpion takes a ride on the Tube The London Underground has seen a multitude of passengers in its more than 150-year history – but a scorpion hasn't been among them, until now that is.
• Mers alert: Heathrow transit passenger had Sars-like virus An airline passenger who travelled to Heathrow Airport has been diagnosed with a potentially deadly Sars-like virus.

The Telegraph

• Ryanair's reinvention lands shortRyanair now offers allocated seating, but - thanks to its new cabin baggage policy - the pre-flight scrum remains
• Inside the other Channel Tunnel you don't normally seeThe Telegraph gets exclusive access to the parts of the Channel Tunnel that the public can't normally access to see how evacuations are done and what it is like in the middle of the Channel where Britain and France meet
• New HS2 maps reveal effect on landscapeHS2 rail line could be visible for 3km in either direction in some areas, according to countryside campaigners who have a produced a series of maps of the route

Times Online

• Nottingham shows the way but who can we trust to finish the job in Scotland? [Subscription]Later this year when the new tram cars start rolling, civic officials and national politicians will have every right to pat themselves on the back.

Daily Record

• Edinburgh's new trams will finally come into service at the end of this month THE first tram will leave the Gyle shopping centre at 5am on May 31 bound for York Place in the city centre.

The Mirror

• Flight MH370 live: Updates as no sign of missing plane is found in Bay of BengalThree Bangladeshi navy ships are scouring the area but search chiefs remain confident the waters of the southern Indian Ocean off the coast of Australia is the right search area

Network Rail

• Plans to replace King’s Mill level crossing take major step forwardFunding has been secured to replace the King’s Mill level crossing with a bridge, meaning a safer crossing for all that use it in the future
• Volunteers take part in Deepdale’s latest deep cleanA section of disused railway line in Preston has been tidied and improved thanks to volunteers from Network Rail and other local organisations.
• Bonuses significantly reduced in new scheme proposed for Network Rail directorsA new bonus scheme for Network Rail's executive directors is being proposed that would see bonuses significantly reduced from the current total bonus opportunity of 160% of salary per year to a maximum of 20%.
• Lift off for passengers at Hassocks stationHassocks station’s new lifts have been formally opened, marking the culmination of a two-year project to improve facilities for the travelling public.
• Lift off for passengers at Hassocks stationHassocks station’s new lifts have been formally opened, marking the culmination of a two-year project to improve facilities for the travelling public.

Birmingham Post

• Lord Whitby: New Street cuts 'ruining my dreams' Lord Mike Whitby, who successfully campaigned for government funding to deliver the New Street Gateway scheme six years ago, has lashed out at changes to the scheme

Derby Telegraph

• Bombardier on track to reach 1,000-carriage milestone for Southern Trains DERBY train-maker Bombardier is on course to hit a production landmark by making its 1,000th carriage for Southern Railway.

London Evening Standard

• Shocked commuters discover live scorpion clinging to man's bag on the TubeShocked commuters discovered a live scorpion clinging to a man's bag on the Tube.
• Heathrow Express strike saw service halved, but jump in passengersMore than 50,000 passengers travelled on the Heathrow Express between central London and the airport during the strike – nearly 50 per cent more than usual.
• Tube strike: third and most disruptive walkout set to go ahead next weekAnother tube strike is set to go ahead after talks broke down this afternoon between the RMT Union and London Underground management.

Wales Online

• Business leaders tell politicians: end the row over rail upgrade costSwansea Business Club is deeply worried any delay in rail electrification would significantly damage the economy of South West Wales

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Question time for Leeds trolleybus officialsopponents of Leeds’s trolleybus plans were today set to continue grilling local transport and council officials at the public inquiry that will decide the £250m project’s fate.

Yorkshire Post

• Restoring rail line ‘can boost local economy’REOPENING the rail line connecting Skipton with East Lancashire could have an economic impact of up to six times the cost, according to a new report.

Doncaster Free Press

• Firm is ‘sorry’ for rail death of child, fourThe boss of Network Rail has apologised because the warning lights on the Doncaster level crossing where a four-year-old Haxey girl suffered fatal injuries were not bright enough.

The Economist

• High-speed rail: Another one for the in-trayON APRIL 28th high-speed rail boosters breathed a sigh of relief. The second reading of a bill establishing HS2, a proposed railway between London, Birmingham and Manchester, cleared the House of Commons by 452 votes to 41. But they may yet find themselves sighing for different reasons. Despite its easy passage this week, the bill will not become an act of Parliament before the 2015 general election. That poses several problems for the next government—particularly if it is led by the Labour Party.Although George Osborne, the chancellor of the exchequer, is often seen in a high-visibility jacke...

Global Rail News

• Class 700 undergoes climatic testingThe first new Class 700 Thameslink Desiro train has been put through a series of extreme weather tests at the Rail Tec Arsenal climate chamber in Vienna. The trials look at[...]
• Opening date set for Edinburgh TramEdinburgh’s long-awaited tram network will open to passengers on May 31, the city council has announced. The ’go-live’ date, which is more than three years later than the original planned[...]
• Hong Kong-Guangzhou HSL pushed back to 2017A high-speed railway linking Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong will now be open in 2017, delaying the project by another year. In April, MTR announced that tunnelling works had been put on[...]
• DB Schenker Rail Polska appoints CEODB Schenker’s Polish arm has appointed Marek Staszek as the company’s new chief executive. Staszek will take up the position from July 1, leaving his current role as chief financial officer[...]

Railnews

• Network Rail 'mega-bonuses' are scrapped Network Rail directors will no longer be able to scoop up huge bonuses, if a newly proposed scheme is confirmed. The awards of many hundreds of thousands of pounds to senior managers who are already receiving six-figure salaries has often been bitterly criticised by politicians and unions. Network Rail said the scheme would see bonuses 'significantly reduced' from the current total 'bonus opportunity' of 160 per cent of salary each year to a maximum of 20 per cent. The change of heart has come only a few months before the national rail infrastructure manager moves wholly into the public secto...

Aviation Industry

• Frontier Cutting Fares But Charging for Carry-OnsAnother airline is promising to change the way we fly by offering cheap base fares but then adding on a bevy of additional fees.
• Heathrow steps up expansion campaignHeathrow is to step up its campaign for expansion by telling the Airports Commission it is the only option that can connect every part of the UK to long-haul growth markets.
• Air France pilots call off month-long strikeStrike action due to start May 3 called off

Other News Sources

• Edinburgh trams system to begin carrying passengers on May 31The first service will take commuters from Gyle shopping centre to the city centre.
• Luton Airport expansion avoids Pickles call-inCommunities secretary Eric Pickles has cleared the way for the owners of Luton Airport to expand the site with a remodeled terminal building and new aircraft taxiway that would enable it to handle up to 18 million passengers per year.
• One killed, 14 hurt in train blastsA 22-year-old woman was killed and 14 other people injured when explosions ripped through two coaches of a train minutes after it pulled into one of India's busiest railway stations, officials said.
• Quiet deliveries: something we should shout about!Referring to the publication of the DfT “Quiet deliveries: good, practice, principles and process” document the Freight Transport Association ...