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

Wednesday, 09 September 2015

BBC News

• Laser can 'disable self-drive car'A security researcher demonstrates how a homemade device can hack a self-driving car.
• Reduced air fares for emergenciesAn airline introduces a new compassionate travel policy on its 19 Scottish routes following a campaign on social media criticising its air fares.
• Queen to open railway on historic dayThe Queen is to officially open the railway line between Edinburgh and the Borders on the day she becomes Britain's longest serving monarch.
• Uber to expand service in ChinaUber's rapid expansion extends to more than 100 Chinese cities as it attempts to crack the country's lucrative internet-enabled transport market.
• United Airlines CEO quits amid probeThe chief executive and chairman of the board of United Airlines, Jeff Smisek, resigns amid a federal corruption investigation.
• Rolls-Royce sees fall in China salesRolls-Royce has seen sales of its luxury cars hit by a fall in Chinese demand, but says it is not scared by the dent in business.

Department for Transport

• Global shipping comes home to LondonAt the start of London International Shipping Week 2015, Shipping Minister Robert Goodwill opens the London Stock Exchange.
• Rail Minister renews pledge to tackle overcrowding on trainsThe government and rail industry continue to deliver capacity-boosting measures, as latest crowding statistics published.

Financial Times

• 172 flee from BA jet in Las Vegas fireTwo treated for minor injuries as 159 passengers and 13 crew escape from London-bound plane

The Guardian

• Revised HS2 plans for Euston extend build time by seven yearsBosses say proposals leave room for redevelopment and minimise disruption at London station but Camden council says serious questions remain HS2 has unveiled revised plans for its London terminus at Euston, prolonging construction by seven years and incorporating a bright yellow roof over its high-speed rail platforms.The £2.25bn development at the station will now be completed in 2033 rather than 2026, built in two stages to limit disruption to passengers on the traditional network. Work is due to begin in 2017.
• British Airways plane catches fire at Las Vegas airport #BA2276Fourteen people injured as London-bound Boeing 777 suffers ‘catastrophic engine failure’, with smoke and flames coming from fuselageA British Airways jet has caught fire at Las Vegas airport, sending smoke billowing into the air, after suffering what the pilot described as a “catastrophic failure” of the left engine. Related: British Airways fire: 'We saw the smoke. The smell was bitter. It was time to panic' Continue reading...

The Herald

• Queen to ride Borders train on day she becomes longest-serving monarchTHE Queen will officially open the new Borders railway today and ride a train alongside Nicola Sturgeon as she prepares to become Britain's longest serving monarch.
• Nails on road hamper major Scottish cycling eventCYCLISTS have voiced concern after nails and tacks were found littering the road during a major Scottish event.

The Scotsman

• 14 hurt as UK-bound plane catches fire in Las VegasMORE than a dozen have been injured after a London-bound British Airways plane caught fire on a runway at a Las Vegas airport.

The Telegraph

• Fine 'gormless' lorry drivers who cause damage by blindly following sat navs, says Tory MPIan Liddell-Grainger, Somerset Tory MP, urges drivers to go back to using maps and road signs in tirade against 'dumb' sat navs directions
• BA passengers evacuated from jet in Las Vegas after it burst into flames on runwayBritish Airways Boeing 777 with 172 people on board suffers catastrophic engine failure shortly before taking off Las Vegas airport

City AM

• Government procrastination must end: Give the green light to Heathrow expansion nowAS MINISTERS return to their desks this week from their summer holidays, the government will be faced with the pressing issue of whether to back the expansion of airport capacity in London and the South East. This follows the clear recommendation of the Airports Commission in July to build a new runway at Heathrow.

Daily Express

• Horror as British Airways jet carrying hundreds bursts into flames while taking offA BRITISH Airways jet carrying hundreds of passengers has been engulfed in flames after its engine caught fire during takeoff.

Mail Online

• HS2 railway line at Euston station will last SEVEN years longer than planned The work at London's Euston station was due to finish by 2026 but will now last until 2033. It is part of the ambitious project to link London and the North with 225mph trains.
• British Airways plane bursts into flames on Las Vegas' McCarran Airport before take-off The British Airways flight bound for London was loaded with passengers on the tarmac at McCarran Airport. Two people were treated for injuries after the plane was quickly evacuated.

The Mirror

• British Airways Las Vegas fire passengers describe their horror after blaze breaks out on Boeing 777 Fire officials said 14 people were taken to Sunrise Hospital for minor injuries, mostly as a result of sliding down the inflatable chutes

Birmingham Post

• Jaguar Land Rover teams up with WMG to launch academyThe new academy will offer training for employees at varying stages of their working lives with the car-maker

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph published Injured Derbyshire cyclist: I will sue council over potholesA CYCLIST who was left unconscious after falling from his bike when he cycled over a pothole is taking legal action against Derbyshire County Council.Chris Clay cycled over the large pothole while in Dalbury Lees and "went flying".The 48-year-old was left with concussion, a broken elbow, a fractured cheekbone along with cuts and bruises.Mr Clay, of Etwall, could not drive for two months and was unable to work for a while.He is now working with Derby solicitors Slater and Gordon and...

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield Schoolboy designs bus of the futureBuses will be driven by robots and boast TVs in the future if a Sheffield boy’s award winning design becomes a reality.

The York Press

• New speed bumps and crossing planned near University of York PLANS to improve safety on a street next to the University of York have been set out in a report.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Quicker bus journeys promised in Arriva overhaulAn overhaul of bus services across the Black Country and Staffordshire has been revealed, with bosses saying services will be more frequent and journeys quicker.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Better railway parking pledge at series of West Yorkshire stationsPLANS to expand car parks at a series of stations across West Yorkshire used by commuters into Leeds have taken a step forward.

Get West London

• Case for Heathrow third runway 'not proven', says London AssemblySir Howard Davies, chairman of the Airports Commission, was grilled at a London Assembly Q&A before motions were put forward

Other Regional Press

• Rail campaigners praise intervention by network boss over station update plansA RAIL campaign group has welcomed reassurances from Network Rail over the redevelopment of Oxford Station, after concerns were raised it could be sidelined.
• Network Rail’s plans to double railway line between Ely and Soham are postponed Ambitious plans to build a second railway line between Ely and Soham have been put on hold, Ely News can confirm. Network Rail bosses say that surveys and ground installation works they have carried out show that the proposals would be "far more complex than anticipated".
• London Assembly Members vote against Heathrow expansionLondon Assembly members voted against Heathrow expansion today during a public meeting with the Airports Commission’s Sir Howard Davies.

Bus and Coach.com

• Stagecoach challenges Go-Ahead with new network in Plymouth
• Go-Ahead bus profits up, but board defers its target of £100million

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New Felixstowe train for BIFTMaritime Transport has secured a new service at its Birmingham Intermodal Freight Terminal (BIFT) at Birch Coppice.  The new daily container service operated by GB Railfreight (GBRf), runs between the Port of Felixstowe (Port) and BIFT and is the latest rail path to be released by Hutchison Ports, the owners of the Port. The 31st path is the only service between the country’s biggest container port and BIFT and will provide a vital connection to the large manufacturing and consumer conurbation in the West Midlands. 
• Borders-to-Edinburgh railway opens as longest UK line in centuryTrains have returned to the Scottish Borders after 46 years with the opening of the longest new domestic railway built in Britain for over a century. The new Borders Railway runs between Tweedbank and Edinburgh and was built at a cost of £294m. Hundreds of people queued up at Tweedbank station on Sunday morning to be the first passengers on board. Some arrived at 05:00 to secure their place in the line, and had travelled from as far south as Kent. The old Waverley Line through the region shut in 1969. The first train from platform one on the Borders Rail line for more than 46 years ...
• £5,000 electric car discount extends to February 2016Drivers can get £5,000 off the price of an electric car until February, as the government extends its electric grant scheme. If you buy a new electric car that emits less than 75g/km of CO2 then you will qualify for the government grant of £5000. That situation was going to be reviewed when 50,000 cars had been purchased, a point expected to be reached in November 2015, but the scheme has now been extended for a few months to February 2016. This follows on the publication of data showing that registrations of ultra-low emission cars jumped in the first six months of 2015 by 256% c...
• Siemens becomes a strategic automation partner for GlaxoSmithKlineSiemens and GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, have entered a global strategic partnership. Siemens will become a strategic partner of GSK in manufacturing automation and thus the preferred automation supplier for GSK production and R&D sites worldwide, including Vaccines. This new agreement further develops the long standing successful relationship between both companies and helps GSK to refresh their global automation strategy. Dave Tudor, Vice President Primary Supply and leader of the Global Automation Steering Tea...
• Troy Cooper appointed chief executive officer and chairman of XPO Logistics EuropeXPO Logistics Europe (Norbert Dentressangle SA), a subsidiary of XPO Logistics, Inc. (“XPO”), today announced that Troy Cooper has been appointed, on 3 September 2015, chief executive officer and chairman. Mr. Cooper has accordingly resigned from the Norbert Dentressangle supervisory board. He replaces Hervé Montjotin, who has left the company.   Mr. Cooper is chief operating officer of XPO’s global organization. He will retain this position while assuming chief executive responsibilities for the company’s operations headquartered in Lyon, France. Prior to j...
• Stansted plans new flight paths to reduce aircraft noiseStansted is planning to introduce new take-off procedures that aim to reduce the effects of aircraft noise for more than 4,000 local residents. The airport said Performance Based Navigation uses modern Global Positioning System technology that enables aircraft to fly flight paths more accurately when taking off from the airport. Results from a trial on two of the airport's existing departure routes - Clacton 22 and Detling 04 - show that 85 per cent fewer people are directly overflown by aircraft using the new procedure. Stansted has been working on the initiative with its consultative comm...

Rail Magazine

• Network Rail completes preparatory work for GWML wires in BathNR preparatory work for Bath wires completed
• Farnworth tunnel work delayed “possibly until December”Poor ground conditions delay reboring work in Farnworth Tunnel
• Merseyrail plans new fleet of trainsMerseytravel is proposing to purchase a brand new fleet of electric trains to cater for growing passenger numbers
• East Midlands Trains offers work experience in StaffordshireEast Midlands Trains launched a four-week work experience programme in Derby
• Manchester backs smart ticketingTransport for Greater Manchester pledges to introduce smart ticketing
• Serco confirms '90s’ for Sleepers until ‘92s’ prove their reliability Serco has said that its Caledonian Sleeper operations will continue to use Class 90s hired from Freightliner
• Queen re-opens Borders RailwayHer Majesty The Queen officially re-opens the 30.5-mile Borders Railway
• ScotRail managing director praises Borders RailwayPhil Verster welcomes

Aviation Industry

• United Airlines CEO Steps Down Amid Probe Tied To Port AuthorityCBS 2 CBS 2 is part of CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corp. and one of the largest network-owned station groups in the country. Latest Videos Eye On New York Dining Deals Tony's Table Links [...] WCBS 880 WCBS Newsradio 880 is one of the tri-state's most trusted sources for news and information.
• Air France threatens long-haul cuts Air France is considering cutting 10% of long-haul routes if it fails to agree on productivity improvements with pilots, ATW understands. read more
• Airbus presses ahead with Airbus A330 upgradesAirbus has secured European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification for its longer-range Airbus A330-200 and has started production of its first A330neo. read more
• Report: Gulf airspace congestion could cost $16.3 billion in benefits Airspace congestion could potentially cost the Arabian Gulf region as much as $16.3 billion in economic benefits over the next 10 years if bottlenecks are not addressed. read more
• New United CEO Munoz ‘ready to get to work’ after Smisek steps downUnited Airlines’ new president and CEO Oscar Munoz said he will focus on customer service and cost discipline, but offered few specifics on his first day at United’s helm. read more
• Lufthansa strikes to hit short-haul services24-hour strike announced for Wednesday
• Aeroflot to acquire rival airline TransaeroRussian flag-carrier to purchase 75% stake

Other News Sources

• Tanker rates get a boostDivergence in refinery margins between the Atlantic and the Far East is driving both product and crude carrier freight rates, according to shipping analysts at Pareto Securities in Oslo.