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

Wednesday, 02 July 2014

BBC News

• Japan: Bullet train gets foot bathsPassengers on a new Japanese railway service will be able to relax in specially-designed foot baths, it's been reported.
• High speed trains to stop at east Kent stationsRail passengers in east Kent are to benefit from a high speed connection to London as a result of long-term work at London Bridge station.
• King's Cross team joins Belfast hubThe architect behind the award-winning regeneration of King's Cross station in London has been appointed to the design team for Belfast's new transport hub.
• Heathrow flyers wait for lost bagsBacklogs caused by computer problems at Heathrow's Terminal 5 mean some passengers are still waiting for their luggage days later.
• MPs begin scrutinising HS2 billA committee of six MPs will spend months hearing from groups and ordinary people whose lives will be impacted by the HS2 rail project.

Financial Times

• Tube power strike to go aheadLondon Underground’s power control staff begin an eight-day strike Tuesday evening after talks fail in a dispute over pensions and working conditions
• HS2 opponents fear bar from CommonsHS2 Action Alliance, Stop HS2 and the Campaign for Better Transport are among the list of petitioners ministers want to block from appearing before the Commons transport committee
• BlaBlaCar sets course for $100m fundraisingThe French start-up facilitating long-distance car sharing, can become the next big sharing-economy success after Airbnb and Uber

The Herald

• Rail suicide deaths increasingTHE number of deaths by suicide on the railways rose last year.

The Telegraph

• Boris takes to the air to defend cable carLondon mayor Boris Johnson defends his controversial Thames cable car by holding his monthly phone-in LBC radio show high above the capital in a gondola on the Emirates Air Line
• Anti-HS2 groups could be barred from committeeGovernment seeks to block objections by anti-HS2 groups as MPs begin process of considering petitions against project

Network Rail

• Planning underway to electrify Bath’s railwayThe electrification of Bath’s railway moved a step closer today as Network Rail outlined how it plans to electrify the rail route through the city and on to Swansea via Bristol as part of its electrification of the Great Western Main Line.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford MP demands to know why motorists with12 penalty points are not banned A Bradford MP is demanding to know why certain motorists in the district are still allowed to drive despite having 12 or more penalty points.

Bristol Live

• 'Reopen rail station serving Ashton Gate'The Green Party in South Bristol is calling on the Government to reopen a railway station at Ashton Gate along the planned link from Bristol to Portishead.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby people urged to take part in public transport survey A SURVEY that asks people for their views on Derby's public transport has been launched.

London Evening Standard

• New Heathrow boss sorry for bags fiasco The new boss of Heathrow was today forced to apologise for the “unfortunate” meltdown of its baggage handling system at Terminal 5 on his first day in the job.
• London's worst night bus routes revealed Research has revealed London’s worst night bus routes and why they are so unpopular.
• Tube strike: power workers due to walk out from 8pm this evening There will be no “visible impact” on the London Underground as power workers prepare to launch an eight day strike this evening, transport bosses said.

Manchester Evening News

• Passenger fury after transport bosses say no trams will pass through Victoria todayMetrolink delays expected to continue through Tuesday evening

This Is Local London Network

• New Malden 152 bus route named one of the worst in the capital according to night time travellers Is a night bus going through New Malden really one of the worst night time bus routes ever?

Yorkshire Evening Post

• £4m cycle-friendly vision for Leeds’ Headrow unveiled by Chris BoardmanA vision of how Leeds’ Headrow - the startline for the 2014 Tour de France - could be transformed with the help of the Government has been unveiled by Olympic legend Chris Boardman.

Doncaster Free Press

• Doncaster rail link officially openedThe new £45 million railway line north of Doncaster has been opened officially by secretary of state Patrick McLaughlin.

Other Regional Press

• Spalding railway station in the late 1950s/early 1960sIf it hadn’t been for a community campaign Spalding would have lost its splendid railway station buildings when there was talk some years ago of replacing them with something more modern.
• Whiteley firm keeps trains on trackPOWER outages won’t be an issue at a new rail training and operating centre, thanks to a Whiteley-based firm.
• Southeastern publishes new timetable early to cope with upheavals for £6.5bn London Bridge Thameslink programmeSoutheastern's published its timetable early - to cope with upheaval for commuters as part of a £6.5bn investment.
• Villagers welcome new bus shelter CAMPAIGNERS are celebrating after a new bus stop was created to make journeys safer.

Global Rail News

• NS says no new intercity trains before 2021The new chief executive of Dutch railway operator NS, Timo Huges, has said that no new intercity trains will be introduced onto the network before 2021. Huges made the comments[...]
• Victoria line operating ‘most frequent service’ in UKLondon Underground’s Victoria line is now operating 34 trains an hour – ’the most frequent train service in the UK’. Peak-time services have been incrementally increasing since the Victoria line upgrade[...]
• Funding in place for São Paulo Orange LineTunnelling works for São Paulo’s new Line 6 – Orange metro should begin in the second half of 2014 after the state government approved funding for the project. Governor Geraldo Alckmin[...]
• GRE appointed to Jerusalem-Tel Aviv high-speed rail projectConsultancy GRE has been brought in to provide tender design and design management services to the consortium building a new 56-kilometre high-speed rail line between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The[...]

Railnews

• Rail travel is growing by 4% a year New data from the Rail Delivery Group collated by KPMG has revealed that people in Britain are now travelling by train as much as the Germans, and more than either the French or Dutch. Each passenger travels an average 940km by rail each year, compared with 612km 15 years ago. Journeys have grown by 4 per cent a year on average since the late 1990s, compared to 0.3 per cent in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow passengers to pay for third runwayLanding charges could rise by 20 per cent if new runway gets green light
• British Airways names new UK sales bossExecutive rejoins carrier to take responsible for corporate market
• Flynas to launch Gatwick-Riyadh flightsSaudi carrier expands in UK with second route from Sussex airport