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

Sunday, 18 January 2015

BBC News

• Lord Mervyn Davies urges better rail and mobile servicesA former trade minister who is working to bring more financial services jobs to Wales said there is a risk firms could be put off unless rail and mobile services are improved
• VIDEO: 'Smoke came in, gas masks dropped'Ben Lawton, a Eurotunnel passenger on the train on which a lorry caught fire, describes how passengers were evacuated from the tunnel.
• VIDEO: Passenger films St Pancras disruptionJohnny Chatterton, a Eurostar passenger who was trying to travel to Paris, explains what happened to him when the Channel Tunnel was closed because of a lorry fire.
• Tycoon proposes Texan 'Hyperloop'A test track for a futuristic transport system known as the Hyperloop could be built in Texas, according to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.
• Eurotunnel services delayed furtherEurotunnel delays the resumption of vehicle and freight services through the Channel Tunnel after a fire closed it, as Eurostar says its Sunday services will have delays.

Financial Times

• Channel tunnel fire disrupts trafficLorry fire causes evacuation of 42 people and cancellation of 20 trains

The Guardian

• Channel tunnel reopens after closure due to lorry fireEurotunnel services resume after smouldering vehicle caused shutdown that left thousands of passengers strandedEurotunnel services have resumed following a lorry fire that left thousands of passengers stranded on both sides of the Channel.All passenger services and the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle car service were halted after the vehicle caught fire at the French end of the underground railway’s south tunnel on Saturday. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Eurostar fire Q&A: How many people have been affected and what are the options for stranded passengers? In the 20 years and two months since the Channel Tunnel opened, there have been four fires on trucks being carried through the tunnel. The latest involved a UK-bound truck at around noon on Saturday, and caused the closure of the link and a frustrating journey for many thousands of travellers.

The Telegraph

• Luton Airport owner revives bumper listing plansLuton Airport's owner has revived plans for a bumper €7bn (£5.3bn) stock market float, which could see it go public in the coming weeks.
• Introducing: the world's first airport terminal for animalsJohn F Kennedy Airport in New York will be home to a $48m animal cargo facility, set to open in the first quarter of 2016. Humans, prepare to be jealous.
• Eurostar delays as Channel Tunnel reopens after fireLong queues form at St Pancras station in London, with delays of up to an hour expected, as Channel Tunnel reopens following lorry blaze

Times Online

• Aircraft near misses increase over bustling skies of Britain [Subscription]The number of investigations into alleged aircraft near misses has reached its highest level in at least a decade amid warnings that Britain’s skies are becoming crowded.
• Electric car charge units ‘a waste of space’ [subscription]Hundreds of subsidised electric car charging units are going unused for long periods and wasting valuable parking spaces, according to research by the RAC Foundation.
• New commuter hotspots [subscription]Rising house prices in the capital are pushing the commuter belt further into the home counties — and beyond

Mail Online

• Airliners with more first-class passengers to land first under controversial plans to end 'first come, first served' rules at airports As more advanced technology becomes available to air traffic controllers, airlines will be able to designate flights within their own fleets to jump the queues, it has been claimed.

London Evening Standard

• Hours of delays for passengers after all Eurostar services cancelled Eurostar trains were suspended today because of a lorry on fire in a cross-Channel tunnel, the company said.

Northern Echo

• Unwanted railway lights make perfect gift for volunteer-run groupRAIL bosses at the company behind the Tyne and War Metro have given a helping hand to a volunteer-run heritage railway by donating old equipment.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Remembering driver from Leeds is the right route for bus firmHis cheery manner made him a firm favourite with passengers on the buses he drove in Leeds for nearly 20 years.

Yorkshire Post

• Eurostar halted by smoke in tunnelAll Eurostar trains have been cancelled because of smoke in one of the cross-Channel tunnels, the company said.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Video: Community airs level crossing fears at heated public meeting with Network Rail in StowmarketMembers of the Stowmarket community rallied last night to defend the importance of two level crossings which they fear could close under Network Rail plans.
• Lorry fire in Channel Tunnel cancels Eurostar servicesHolidaymakers across Europe are facing hours of travel misery after all Eurostar trains were cancelled due to a lorry fire in the Channel Tunnel.
• Residents in Mellis give their views on Network Rail’s level crossing proposalsResidents to the north of the county will be writing to Network Rail to object to the closing of any of five crossings in one village along the Norwich-London Liverpool Street line.

Other Regional Press

• Middlesbrough to star in BBC Two's Great British Railway JourneyMichael Portillo's Great British Railway Journeys stopped at Middlesbrough for filming of its sixth series which will be on BBC2 later this month

Airportwatch

• Robocars won’t take the rap for you [subscription]MINISTERS have decided to allow driverless cars to share Britain’s roads, but the Highway Code will have to be rewritten to help vehicles on autopilot cope with the UK’s unpredictable traffic.

Other News Sources

• Blackburn with Darwen bus users in final plea to save service from cuts DISABLED and elderly users of Blackburn with Darwen’s fleet of community transport buses have made a final plea to save the service from council cuts.
• JACK WALKER WAY: Roundabout could replace lights on Blackburn road BLACKBURN Council is currently consulting with residents over plans to make changes to traffic calming measures in Jack Walker Way.
• Arriva launches investigation into Guildford pedestrian collision Arriva has said it is looking into the collision in Guildford's North Street on January 9 which left an elderly woman with serious injuries
• Two years notice for Scottish Low Emission Zones – will hit city centre businessesResponding to today’s publication for consultation of the ‘Low Emission Strategy for Scotland’ by the Scottish Government, the Freight Transport ...
• Eurostar trains cancelled after lorry fire in Channel TunnelTrains will resume running through the Channel Tunnel this evening following a lorry fire in one of the tunnels, Eurotunnel said.
• Bus honour for our top residents WITH Second World War hero Bernard Jordan set to be the latest name to adorn the front of one of the Brighton and Hove buses, reporter Ben James looks at some of those who have already been given the honour