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

Tuesday, 20 October 2015

BBC News

• BA pledges Dreamliner work for WalesBritish Airways pledges maintenance work on its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet will take place in south Wales.
• New powers for Wales finally outlinedNew powers over energy, transport and running the assembly are offered to Wales under plans for fresh legislation being published later.
• Hopes of expanding cycle schemeAn initiative helping women to improve their mental health through cycling has involved 20 participants since its launch in August.
• 'Urgent' call for US drone registerA national register of drones and their owners is urgently needed, the US transport secretary has said.

ITV News

• New electric Hitachi bullet trains to run on diesel?Major changes may have to be made to the new electric Japanese bullet trains being built for the Great Western Railway.

Financial Times

• Airlines reach for WiFi in the skyEuropean carriers are rushing to compete with US and Gulf rivals
• Transport for London to build 10,000 homesNetwork turns to property development for �1bn investment in underground, trains and buses
• United gets third chief in six weeksHart, the airline’s general counsel, is to take over on an interim basis

The Guardian

• Heathrow third runway: civil service chief 'warned ministers not to comment'Sir Jeremy Heywood’s intervention appears to reflect concerns that ministers’ remarks could make final decision vulnerable to legal challenge

The Herald

• Tackling transport costs could reduce demand for food banks, new task group saysTackling the high cost of transportation could help reduce the number of people in food poverty, according to a new group established to address the growing demand for food banks.

Mail Online

• Matthew Baddeley who caused 66 trains to be cancelled after sleeping on tracks is jailed Matthew Baddeley fell asleep on the track near Smethwick Galton Bridge station in the West Midlands, forcing Network Rail to deal out nearly �41,000 in customer compensation.

Network Rail

• Ribblehead Viaduct image scoops national photography award A stunning image of a freight train, curving through the countryside as it approaches a sunlit Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, has won the Network Rail Lines in the Landscape Award at this year’s Take a View Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.
• Work starts on new Crossrail station at Abbey WoodLast week, Network Rail and Balfour Beatty began construction of the new station building at Abbey Wood – one of 10 stations being built for the Crossrail route, which will run from Reading and Heathrow in the west through to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph published Derby bus lane rule rethink after cab driver wins appeal over...A ROW over fines issued to cabbies for using Derby bus lanes has taken another twist after a tribunal found in a favour of a taxi driver.Mazzamal Hussain took his third such fine to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, the final appeal stage for bus lane misdemeanours, and won.After the adjudicator found in his favour, Derby City Council said it would need to "examine the decision" to decide whether or not it would affect the way it deals with taxis using bus lanes.Mr Hussain, of...

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Stagecoach and Virgin call for shake up of inter-city rail franchisingTwo transport firms want to see a new licensing system in the UK that would allow operators to compete directly on inter-city routes

The York Press

• Bus lane offenders continue to get off scot-free MOTORISTS who drive in bus lanes in York are still not being penalised - six months after figures showed they have been getting away with it for three years.

Wales Online

• Commuters, passenger groups and MPs have thrown down the gauntlet to the region’s train bosses after an investigation revealed details of areas in which the service continues to perform poorly.Network Rail’s project to electrify the Great Western Mainline has been mired by delays and cost increases
• The measures for the next chapter in Wales' devolution will be unveiled todayWelsh Conservative Assembly leader Andrew RT Davies has urged Carwyn Jones to back the Draft Wales Bill
• Work on British Airways' new Dreamliner fleet to take place near Cardiff Airport Local AM Andrew RT Davies has described the news as 'a huge boost for Wales' and 'a massive vote of confidence'

Bucks Free Press

• Cheryl Gillen urges residents to keep battling against HS2 at information eveningChesham and Amersham MP Cheryl Gillan called on her constituents to keep up the fight for an environmental compromise during an HS2 information evening on Friday.

North Wales Live

• Liverpool John Lennon Airport link with London not guaranteed, claims Boris Mayor of London rubbishes claims a third runway would boost connectivity for regions

Other Regional Press

• BORIS JOHNSON WARNS ABERDEEN AIRPORT’S CONNECTIONS COULD SUFFER FROM HEATHROW EXPANSIONBORIS Johnson has warned Aberdeen could lose its Heathrow connection if a third runway at the London airport goes ahead....
• Rail users and politicians call for action after Abellio Greater Anglia’s Norwich to London service is revealed as the region’s poorest performingCommuters, passenger groups and MPs have thrown down the gauntlet to the region’s train bosses after an investigation revealed details of areas in which the service continues to perform poorly.
• Wakefield Westgate is first rail station with bus display screenPassengers at Wakefield Westgate Railway Station will be able to get information about live bus departure times as part of a new £1.65m programme.
• Network Rail set to unveil plans for work on Cardiff Road bridge in Newport NEWPORT residents are invited to attend a drop-in event to find out more about preparation work on the Cardiff Road bridge for the electrification of the railway between London and Swansea.
• Transline Group calls for clarity over dieselDriver recruiter Transline has urged Transport Minister Patrick McLoughlin to spell out government plans for diesel

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• McLaughlin & Harvey’s Peel Ports project is ship-shapeSituated quayside on Alexandra Dock, McLaughlin & Harvey was appointed as main contractor by Peel Ports Group in March 2015 to deliver the multi-million-pound storage facility within a 26 week programme. The new 282,000 sq. ft. bulk warehouse is 375m long, the length of three and a half football pitches, and will be used for the handling and storage of bulk cargo at the port. The huge build consisted of over 5,500 piles, 11,000m3 of concrete and 1.35km of precast concrete walls. Each unit within the warehouse has 3m high concrete retaining walls, which will allow Peel Ports to make the m...

Railnews

• Sweet flavour for East Midlands Trains relaunch Stagecoach franchise East Midlands Trains is celebrating the first weekday of its contract extension with chocolates for passengers and a visit from the transport secretary, after a direct award was announced by the Department for Transport last month. The extension, which was confirmed on 16 September and officially started at 02.00 on Sunday, takes the EMT franchise on to 4 March 2018, with the possibility of a further year after that. In return for the extension, Stagecoach has undertaken to invest a further �13 million in EMT, which will allow more discounted fares and a freeze of Anytime...

Transport for London

• Contactless payments and Oyster extended to Hertford EastThousands of rail passengers are set for more convenient journeys as contactless payments and Oyster pay as you go travel is extended to Abellio Greater Anglia services to and from Hertford East station.

Aviation Industry

• United Airlines launch sustainable capsule collectionUnited Airlines , Re: New and Columbia college launches sustainable bag collection. The project was created to challenge Columbia College Chicago Department of Fashion Studies and the non-profit Re: new Project to bring more awareness to sustainability with the use advertisement at Columbia College Chicago Department of Fashion Studies The Re: new Project, a nonprofit that provides employment opportunities for refugee women.
• Hong Kong airport passenger growth up 6.3% in September Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) reported handling 5.4 million passengers in September, up 6.3% year-over-year (YOY). read more
• BBT London Forum: Anger at speed of Lufthansa fee roll outBuyers discuss controversial GDS fee
• Air France presses ahead with job cutsAirline confirms losses could be avoided if union talks are successful

Other News Sources

• Gatwick chairman blasts ‘astonishing’ air quality commentsThe chairman of Gatwick airport has hit out at Sir Howard Davies as the row over where to build a new runway in the south-east intensified.
• SNP 'names its price on Heathrow expansion'Reports that the Scottish National Party 'has named its price for supporting a third runway at Heathrow' feature in today's newspaper round-up.
• Why Heathrow mattersAssociate feature: Expansion of Heathrow is not about a runway, it is about the future we want for Scotland and the UK
• Contractor announced for �6.3million road improvements in CambridgeshireA contract worth �6.3million will see improvements take place in Cambridgeshire, providing smoother and safer journeys for drivers.
• Siemens selects Teltronic solution for Monterrey MetroSiemens has selected Teltronic, part of the Sepura Group, to provide a new TETRA system for Metrorrey, the urban transport network of the city of Monterrey, Mexico. The network consists of 40 kilometres of metro lines, as well as Transmetro, the rapid transit bus system (BRT) with a fleet of around 200 buses.
• Public or private transport, how do you get to the airport? Latest CAA passenger survey highlights stark regional variationsWe all know it is imperative to get to the airport early, but do you rely on a car, or do you prefer to put your faith in a bus, tube or train service, to get to the gates on time? In 2014, 238...