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

Sunday, 07 June 2015

BBC News

• Delays warning over road closuresDrivers are warned to expect major delays on the A55 and A483 on the Chester-Wrexham border as carriageways are closed for ongoing improvement works.
• HMS Bulwark on Libya migrant missionRoyal Navy warship HMS Bulwark sets off towards Libya after reports 14 vessels carrying migrants have left the country's coast.
• Flight diverted to remove passengerA flight from Manchester to Greece is diverted to Bulgaria because of
• Driver hurt in road rage axe attackA driver is struck with an axe in 'appalling' road rage attack by another motorist in Greater Manchester.
• Centenary of all-female Tube stationA west London Tube station which was staffed entirely by women when it opened celebrates its centenary.

The Guardian

• Urban cable cars: from transport solution to tourist attractionCities from Africa to Latin America – by way of Cardiff – are turning to cable cars as an answer to traffic congestion. And tourists love them, tooA transport revolution is storming through the developing world right now. Those who have visited Ankara or La Paz recently may know it. Anyone planning to go to Lagos or Mexico City in the next few years will encounter it. The humble cable car has been reborn, with not a snowflake in sight. The transport once regarded as belonging only on ski slopes is becoming part of the city scene. Steven Dale, strategist at The Gondola Project, says: “Ten years...
• Delayed train passengers can claim cash compensation instead of vouchersTravellers with some of the UK’s biggest rail companies can now make claims for trains that are 30 minutes latePassengers affected by rail delays are now able to receive cash compensation instead of vouchers, in a major change to policy by operators.Travellers with some of the UK’s biggest rail companies can now also make claims for trains that are 30 minutes late.. Continue reading...
• An elegy for the sleeper train – a waning symbol that Serco has made into a brandBritain should be grateful for the six sleeper services it has managed to retain – even if their survival points up how much else has been lostI pushed up the blind as we slowed for the stop at Carstairs Junction and saw a pasture where cows stood and chewed, casting long shadows in the new day’s sun. A Clydesdale landscape; framed by the shadows of my compartment, it looked like a bright painting. “Fine morning,” said a man’s voice from the corridor. “Isn’t it just,” said another. Then the train came to a halt at the platform, a door slammed, the air brake hissed and soon enough the ...
• Boris Johnson signs up Londoners to £3m-a-year garden bridge guaranteeCritics attack mayor’s pledge for more public funds to guarantee future maintenance of bridge amid rumours of a cash crisisBoris Johnson has controversially guaranteed that the estimated £3m annual running costs of a garden bridge over the Thames would be met by public money if private funds were insufficient.The London mayor had promised that no more public money would be used on the project, following a £30m injection of cash by Transport for London. But Johnson has decided that the capital’s taxpayers will guarantee the future maintenance of the bridge – a decision that ...
• China ferry disaster search area is extended 1,000km down Yangtze riverAuthorities request river traffic alert them to any floating bodies as death toll goes past 400, leaving a few dozen still missingHundreds of bodies retrieved from the Eastern Star pushed the death toll above 400, China’s state broadcaster reported on Sunday, as the search for dozens more bodies was expanded to more than 1,000km down the Yangtze river following the country’s deadliest maritime disaster in nearly seven decades.Authorities have requested that river traffic and others along the river to alert them if they noticed any floating bodies, Hu Kaihong, the vice director-general of the p...
• Half a million refugees gather in Libya to attempt perilous crossing to EuropeCrew on board HMS Bulwark, one of 11 rescue vessels in the Mediterranean, brace themselves as thousands more migrants expected to make journeyUp to half a million refugees are gathering in Libya to attempt the crossing to Europe on the deadly boats that have killed thousands already.The toll of misery was revealed by senior Royal Navy officers leading Britain’s Mediterranean rescue mission off the Libyan coast. Britain’s amphibious assault ship HMS Bulwark has helped save around 4,000 refugees before they drowned having set sail in unseaworthy boats. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Death toll from Yangtze River cruise ship disaster rises to 396The death toll from a Chinese cruise ship which capsized during a storm in the Yangtze River has jumped to 396, leaving fewer than 50 still missing, as the boat operator apologised and said it would cooperate with investigations.

The Scotsman

• Leaders: Scotland Bill | Borders RailwayAFTER last year’s frequently ­intemperate independence ­referendum campaign, the ­coming together of political parties – both nationalist and unionist – to agree a new ­constitutional settlement for Scotland was hugely important.
• Borders Railway: Tatty carriages draw criticismIT HAS cost £350 million and will have brand new tracks and stations – but trains that are 25 years old and still awaiting refurbishment.

Mail Online

• Thermal cameras will watch for waiting cyclists and turn traffic lights green Cyclists on busy routes in London will be given longer green phases at traffic lights - by cameras that will detect the number of cyclists along a cycle route using their body heat.
• Furious train passengers to get cold hard cash instead of vouchers as compensation for rail delays  The policy change, expected to come into force in the summer, will see furious travellers delayed for at least 30 minutes able to claim money instead of vouchers.
• New blood alcohol sensors could make cars shut down if they sense drivers are over the legal drinking limit A video showcasing the technology that is being researched by the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) was published Thursday to YouTube.
• Navy flagship races across the Mediterranean to save thousands of migrants stranded on sinking boats – as HALF A MILLION refugees amass in Libya in bid to reach Europe  Half a million refugees are massing in Libya to try and flee to Europe on the migrant boats that have killed thousands already, according to senior Royal Navy officers.

The Mirror

• The Queen could be your near neighbour if you buy this royal railway station £650,000 will get you the Grade II listed station at Wolferton, five miles from royal residence Sandringham

Manchester Evening News

• Parklife 2015: Festival tram passengers pull emergency cord and spill out on to Victoria tracks'Safety concerns' as frustrated passengers take matters into their own hands
• Hundreds of passengers queue at Manchester Airport passport controlPassengers have blasted organisation after they were met by queues snaking into corridors as they landed at Manchester

Northern Echo

• DVLA driving licence changes: what you need to know from June 8 Next week, the DVLA is scrapping the paper driving licence - but the RAC estimates that 55% of people don't know the change is happening or what it means.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Teens warned for jumping on to moving trams in SheffieldTeenagers were warned after jumping on to moving trams in Sheffield last night.

This Is Local London Network

• Can train operators keep up with soaring journey figures and crowded trains? Or will they be ousted by TfL? London commuters forked over £4.49bn to rail operators and took some 297m journeys between April 2014 and March this year. Were you one of them? The London Assembly wants to hear from you.

Wales Online

• Dame Shirley Bassey wipes away a tear as she unveils road named after her outside Children's Hospital for WalesBond theme tune singer Dame Shirley is a patron of the Noah's Ark charity, which was set up to build the Children's Hospital for Wales in Cardiff
• Crash on the M4 causes delays as One Direction fans head to Cardiff – a day after nightmare 45-mile tailbacksA multi-vehicle accident forced the closure of two lanes at a junction heading into Cardiff on Saturday afternoon

Bucks Free Press

• OPINION: Transport Secretary's tunnel vision should go beyond his constituency It was interesting to hear this week that Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has floated the idea of building a new road through a National Park.

Carlisle News & Star

• Last flying Vulcan bomber to stage Carlisle Airport fly-past Britain's last airworthy Vulcan bomber is to fly over Carlisle Airport as part of its final journey.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Hundreds stranded on platform as train breakdown causes rail disruptionHundreds of rail passengers were left stranded on a platform between London and their destinations on the mainline last night after a broken down train caused disruption.

Reading Evening Post

• Reading Buses driver wins Driver of The Year awardKerryn Hedley was presented with the award at the eighth annual FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards
• Delayed rail commuters will get cash for compensation Currently customers are recompensed in vouchers, which often cannot be used online or to access cheapest fares

Other Regional Press

• Bridge work delay caused by weatherA village will endure further misery after a main road will be closed for longer than expected.
• NO EXCUSE: 20 cases of bad or dangerous driving A DAY on Dorset's roads A POLICE team dedicated to making Dorset roads safer tackled nearly 20 cases of bad or dangerous driving every DAY for three months.

Aviation Industry

• Plane Wings Clip at AirportTwo airplanes are being inspected after their wingtips clipped each other on the Tarmac at Burbank Bob Hope Airport Saturday morning, according to Southwest Airlines. Flight 4721 was pushing back from its gate at the airport gate when it clipped the wing of another plane.

Other News Sources

• SINKING FEELING: Blackburn motorists' outrage as hole in the road causes traffic chaos TOWN Hall bosses are back under fire for failing to warn motorists travelling from the M65 to Whitebirk roundabout about road works causing traffic jams after a new hole appeared on the route.
• Gatwick protesters urge transport secretary to take action against aircraft noiseResidents living near Gatwick Airport are demanding the transport secretary helps those under the flight path