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

Wednesday, 04 June 2014

BBC News

• Device targets cyclist 'blind spot'A device attached to the side of a bus or lorry sounds an alarm warning to the driver when a cyclist is in the
• Balfour Beatty lands roundabout dealConstruction firm Balfour Beatty wins a £1.2m roads contract to help pave the way for a new general hospital in southern Scotland.
• Residents call to stop tram tannoyResidents living near an Edinburgh tram stop are calling for its tannoy system to be switched off after it could be heard several streets away.
• Tottenham Court Road in £26m revampAll transport except buses and cycles will be banned from Tottenham Court Road during daylight hours five days a week, as part of a new £26m scheme announced by Camden Council.
• New £2.5bn Heathrow Terminal 2 opensThe first paying passengers begin using Heathrow's new £2.5bn Terminal 2, with bosses pledging lessons have been learned from the troubled opening of T5.
• Heathrow rail workers strike startsRail workers on the Heathrow Express service stage a third strike in recent weeks over cuts.
• One dead after car and bus collideA man dies and 13 people are injured - one critically - following a collision between a car and a night bus in Clapton, east London, police say.

Financial Times

• Plane tracking push after MH370 mysteryAviation trade body says task force is looking at proposals by more than 30 companies specialising in flight monitoring equipment

The Independent

• Singing pensioner breaks cardinal rule of commuters and gets entire carriage to sing along It goes against the grain of every commuter. But a pensioner travelling on a Southeastern train service last week managed to get everyone on the usually silent service not just talking, but singing.

The Telegraph

• Heathrow Terminal 2 in numbersHeathrow's Terminal 2 reopens today. Here are some of the most interesting statistics about it

The Mirror

• ''Like Jeremy Kyle at 37,000ft'': easyJet landing aborted by drunk passengers running amokPolice had to meet the holiday flight from Gatwick to Turkey after landing was delayed because of three drunk passengers running amok

Network Rail

• Scotland’s professional drivers targeted in level crossing safety campaignNetwork Rail has launched a nationwide awareness programme targeting motorists who drive for a living.
• Professional drivers in the Thames Valley targeted in new level crossing safety programmeNetwork Rail has launched a nationwide awareness programme targeting motorists who drive for a living. Aimed at reducing the number of incidents at level crossings involving these “professional drivers” the programme will educate them on the safe use of level crossings.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham Post Hidden Spaces photography to go on display at Curzon Street Station Stunning selection of photographs will reveal some of our many hidden architectural gems, which are often hidden away behind closed doors

Bolton News

• 'Staggering' coach driver turned up to work drunk and carrying a bottle of whisky A COACH driver collecting stranded passengers from Manchester Picadilly train station turned up drunk with a bottle of whisky, a court heard.

Bristol Live

• Chris Skidmore MP writes to Department of Transport over Kelston Road delay Chris Skidmore has written to Robert Goodwill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Transport, requesting Government intervention to speed up the required repair work on the A431.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Padarn Bus company closure: Rivals step in to provide bust firm's servicesCouncil chiefs have moved quickly to find new operators to take over routes and school bus contracts after the Llanberis-based company closed

London Evening Standard

• Stars to judge £10,000 airport campaign films Campaigner Zac Goldsmith today unveiled a star cast to judge a £10,000 anti-Heathrow airport expansion film competition.
• Heathrow airport bosses 'confident' over new Terminal 2 opening Heathrow bosses today said they were “confident but not complacent” about tomorrow’s first new terminal opening since the disastrous launch of T5 in 2008.
• Explore the very best of Britain by rail The 21st-century Londoner is spoiled for choice, because the capital is the world hub of travel. Yet with so many options available for great escapes, it is possible to overlook the opportunities within a few stress-free hours of London.
• Train projects could give London a £12bn annual boost London's productivity could rise by £12billion a year by 2030 with astute spending on transport projects such as Crossrail 2, according to the most detailed study of its kind.
• Baroness Kramer: London gets sixth of regional rail subsidies London rail users are getting a sixth of the public subsidy that passengers benefit from in other regions, a transport minister said today.
• Cash payments to halt on London's buses London buses will no longer take cash payments from this Sunday under a shake-up of the capital’s transport system.
• Cyclist hit by bus in crash in Tooting A male cyclist was involved in a collision with a bus this morning, police have said.
• VIDEO: stuntmen jump across London rooftops on Boris Bikes Daring Londoners have released a video featuring a series of stunts performed across the capital on what seem to be Boris Bikes.

Northern Echo

• Bus stop funding approved COUNCILLORS have approved the release of almost half a million pounds to improve public transport infrastructure in an under-development area of a North-East town.
• Updated: Two buses carrying 50 schoolchildren crash head-on in Stanley - two airlifted to hospital TWO buses carrying school children were involved in a collision near Stanley town centre, in County Durham, at rush hour this morning.

The York Press

• New row over York "spy van" as data shows most fines are far from schools YORK'S controversial

Yorkshire Post

• Tour de France road closure plans revealed for LeedsRoads will be closed for up to 15 hours in Leeds to ensure the world’s greatest cycle race rolls into action as planned on Saturday July 5.

Crewe Chronicle

• £15.64m Government funding for link road MP and council leader welcome Government funding for major Crewe road

Other Regional Press

• Shadow rail boss is siding with ObserverLilian Greenwood MP, who is the opposite number of rail boss Stephen Hammond in the House of Commons, has stated the current Todmorden Curve situation is ’unacceptable’.
• We'll make region's trains better, says rail firm Govia, which is taking over routes in the Cambridge areaRail travellers in the Cambridge area can look forward to a new era of comfort and efficiency, franchise firm Govia has pledged.
• Bus charges plan branded unfairA plan to charge sixth form students with special needs for college transport may have to be trimmed back after it met with angry opposition at County Hall.

Railnews

• Major new concourse opened at Nottingham Nottingham station™s new Southern Concourse has been officially opened to the public. The new glass fronted concourse combines new structural elements with the original 1904 station, improving interchange opportunities with other modes, especially NET trams. City councillor Jane Urquhart said: œIt™s exciting to see Nottingham station being transformed into a top European railway station offering world-class transport links.
• GB Railfreight is first to use new Doncaster line GB Railfreight has revealed that it was the first operator to officially use the newly-constructed £45 million North Doncaster Chord. The 3.2km double track chord links the Skellow and Askern lines and allows freight trains to travel over the East Coast Main Line, instead of crossing it on the level. GB Railfreight managing director John Smith said:

Aviation Industry

• Privileges withdrawn for striking Aer Lingus staffHowever, in a letter sent to staff at their homes, the company informed them that the flight privileges were being withdrawn with immediate effect.
• Cityjet and Travelport sign distribution agreementTravel technology firm Travelport and airline Cityjet have signed a distribution agreement.The deal enables Travelport connected agencies, using Galileo and Worldspan, to book Cityjet fares and ancillaries.

Other News Sources

• WMN opinion: Invest in transport to make the West more competitive t won’t come as a huge surprise to anyone that transport spending in London outstrips the investment made in getting from A to B in regions like the Westcountry. But the size of the gulf, with £2,500 per head being lavished on residents of the capital compared to £18 per head in the South West, takes the breath away.
• The Icelandic Cabin Crew Association approves new collective-bargaining agreementThe members of The Icelandic Cabin Crew Association (FFI) have approved the new Collective-Bargaining Agreement with Icelandair Group hf. The agreement has come into force and is valid until 31...
• Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary confirmed as GBTA conference speakerAirline's boss to talk at event in Berlin, November 12-14