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

Saturday, 04 April 2015

BBC News

• 'Ambassadors' to give road warningsA scheme is set-up to give pedestrians safety advice about using a Swansea city road where an off-duty police officer died after being hit by a bus.
• Bird strike causes airport emergencyA full emergency was declared at Inverness airport after an aircraft reported a bird strike after taking off.
• Airport strike 'will go ahead'A strike by security staff at Scotland's regional airports will go ahead after talks broke down, a union says.

Financial Times

• Cyclists hit UK roads in record numbersAs sportive events grow in popularity five-figure price tags for racing bikes are no longer unusual

The Guardian

• Why the fuss about driverless cars? We already have robot politiciansSoundbites and spin in the election race are now so predictable, we may as well let computers have a goWhen will politics and political journalism be farmed out to robots? If you watched last night’s election debate and its aftermath without the protection of a hazmat suit, you might be asking: how soon could it be?Quite soon, it seems. A current New Yorker article points out that the Associated Press will now reply on “automation technology” to cover some college sports – technology that “can analyze the data from a game of anything from badminton to basketball and then use it to write a cohe...

The Scotsman

• Abellio to keep ScotRail’s free first class secretA SECRET perk enjoyed by passengers in the know is to be retained by new ScotRail operator Abellio – travelling first-class at no extra cost.

The Telegraph

• Good Friday gridlock as travellers choose road over railA wet and dismal Good Friday puts dampners on many Easter getaway plans as rail chaos paled in comparison to Boxing Day nightmare
• Train company that owns real-life Hogwarts Express suspended from railways over safety concernsWest Coast Railways, which owns and operates a fleet of steam trains on mainline tracks, has its licence suspended following incident described as most serious this year

Mail Online

• The car that makes Tesla's 'insane mode' look slow: First megawatt electric vehicle revealed - and it has a top speed of 160 mph Latvia-based Drive eO has designed a vehicle, named eO PP03, which runs on 50 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that drives six YASA-400 electric motors and produces 1020 kW (1368 horsepower).

Birmingham Mail

• Commuter's horror at finding a POO in the middle of his train carriageLondon Midland had to cancel service after act of 'disgusting vandalism' causing travel chaos

Birmingham Post

• Worst roads in the West Midlands revealedDelays abound on these ten hotspots for traffic jams as new research also suggest drivers in the region spent 74 hours waiting in traffic last year
• Green light for New Street station footbridge after previous plans scrappedOngoing debacle over railway footbridge takes another turn as new cladding proposals are approved by city council following fears that steel skirting would be too heavy
• Ed Balls has 'slapped Midlands in the face' over HS2 - Cameron Prime Minister accuses opposition of 'immense slap in the face' after Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls says he wants to build a new line running east to west across the country before completing phase two of HS2

Bolton News

• More road misery for Bolton's fed-up commuters — as key town centre bridge closes for EIGHT MONTHS A KEY town centre bridge is set to close for eight months — heaping more misery on Bolton's commuters.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New report calls for Bradford to be prioritised in future rail spending plans BRADFORD must not be left in the slow lane when billions of pounds are pumped into faster rail services in the north, a Government report says.

London Evening Standard

• Germanwings Alps plane crash: Pilot Andreas Lubitz accelerated several times before crashing into mountainside The co-pilot of the ill-fated Germanwings flight accelerated the plane several times as it hurtled tragically into an Alpine ravine, accident investigators have said.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Construction work planned for long-awaited £60m Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train schemeConstruction work for the delayed £60m Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train project may soon be under way.
• Anti-HS2 campaigners say ‘tide is turning’ against high-speed rail plansAnti-HS2 campaigners in north Derbyshire believe the ’tide is turning’ against the £50 billion rail project following a critical new report.

The York Press

• City bridge to close for lighting update A BUSY footbridge across the River Ouse in York city centre will be closed for up to three days for new lights to be installed.
• Actor Andrew Dunn fronts new York i-Travel campaign A NEW campaign has been launched to promote cycling, car sharing, walking and travelling on public transport in and around York.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• How Dr Beeching got it so wrongDr Richard Beeching has a bad reputation among rail enthusiasts.

Bucks Free Press

• Legal challenge over HS2 report set to be launched A report outlining HS2's economic case could now be made public thanks to a legal challenge.

Doncaster Free Press

• Doncaster crash victim’s road safety pleaA driver who left a Doncaster man with a life-changing spinal injury has walked away with just a fine and some points on her license.

North Wales Live

• Labour party on campaign trail in Runcorn with 'passenger power' bid to improve bus services Parliamentary candidate says residents in Windmill Hill feeling isolated by lack of public transport

Peterborough Telegraph

• Bus price increase in PeterboroughDaily and weekly bus prices have risen in Peterborough.

Other Regional Press

• Leicester Mercury published Mailbox: 'Arriva's bus service is bad, its drivers ignorant and...I tried to take my grandson to his pony today as the schools are on Easter break.His auntie is teaching him to ride, so because of her work commitments we had to catch the bus at approximately 8.30am as we had to travel to Asfordby from Mountsorrel.We waited for the bus, only to be told I was unable to buy a child's Midland saver ticket at that time.I always check what tickets I can buy via Arriva's website and app before I make any plans – there are no times on the website to say you have...
• Oxfordshire's forgotten roads - left to crumble MILES of forgotten roads have been left in disrepair and plagued with potholes as Oxfordshire County Council battles with a backlog of unadopted highways.
• Preston bus stop with no bus service branded ‘joke’Shoppers waiting for a bus at a busy retail park are starring in a brand new council comedy – Carry on Queueing.

Railnews

• First new Thameslink trains less than a year away The first Siemens Class 700 train for Thameslink is set to enter service in February next year, as production is stepped up at Siemens' Krefeld plant in the German Rhineland. More than 200 bodyshells have already been built, but Siemens said the pace of production will need to be increased to two vehicles a day if the production deadlines are to be met.

Aviation Industry

• UK DfT receives 19 bids for start-up aid for new regional air servicesThe UK Department for Transport has received bids for 19 new regional routes that could be eligible for government start-up funding aimed at boosting connectivity through the UK’s smaller regional airports. read more
• CEO: Air Dolomiti looks at new opportunitiesLufthansa subsidiary Air Dolomiti is evaluating new opportunities such as inclusion in the Eurowings concept. The Italian carrier provides point-to-point service and operates as a Munich hub feeder for Lufthansa. read more
• GTF leads Pratt to shift business model to aftermarket focusThe PW1100G powering the Airbus A320neo will launch the GTF family of engines into the market when the re-engined narrowbody enters service later this year. read more
• Boeing first-quarter deliveries up 14.2%In the quarter January-March 2015, The Boeing Co. reported delivering 184 commercial airliners, up 14.2 over the first quarter of 2014. read more
• Etihad receives approval for Darwin Airline investmentGulf carrier secures 33.3% stake

Other News Sources

• Nine rural bus routes get a "use it or lose it" last chance £200k to keep selected services on the road for another year and smart ticketing could be on the way too.