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

Thursday, 22 October 2015

Government

• Aerodays 2015: Innovate UK highlights game-changing technologiesMajor European aeronautics and air transport industry event in London features funded projects with the potential to meet huge challenges.
• Smart Cities - UK opportunities and potentialDigital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey opening address to The Telegraph's Smart Cities Conference 2015

BBC News

• Great Western rail electrification cost 'up to £2.8bn'The cost of electrifying the Great Western railway line between Cardiff and London could reach £2.8bn, the boss of Network Rail has said.
• Cardiff-Anglesey airline loses licenceThe airline which operates the Cardiff-Anglesey air route has its safety licence revoked to

Department for Transport

• Country roads revealed as Britain’s deadliestNew THINK! campaign encourages drivers on country roads to brake before the bend, not on it.
• Skills challenge in the new infrastructure age - Speech - Lord Ahmad of WimbledonRoad and rail to create 30,000 apprentices in this Parliament.
• Aviation security in an increasingly complex environment - Speech, Lord Ahmad of WimbledonProtecting aviation from the evolving terror threat.
• Half million pound study to explore Oxford to Cambridge ExpresswayA study worth £512,000 will explore options into the potential for creating a dedicated road link between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge.

The Guardian

• Cost of Great Western mainline electrification project triples to £2.8bnNetwork Rail chief Mark Carne admits inadequate planning as public accounts committee bewails ‘staggering increase’The cost of electrifying the Great Western Railway mainline has tripled from the original estimate to as much as £2.8bn, an overrun that puts a host of other rail improvement schemes in doubt.Mark Carne, the chief executive of Network Rail, told the public accounts committee on Wednesday that the delayed project to electrify the London to Cardiff line would cost £2.5bn-£2.8bn instead of the £874m projected in 2013. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Thomson pays �13,500 in passenger taxi fares after flight diverted to EdinburghA leading holiday company has reportedly paid �13,500 for a fleet of taxis after a flight diversion left passengers more than 120 miles from home.
• Unions hit out at ScotRail's 'disgraceful, insulting, bullying and dismissive' rejection letter to train driver applicantsA REFUSAL letter to several hundred ScotRail staff applying for a role as a train driver have been branded

The Independent

• Heathrow landing slots 'ring fenced' for Scottish flights redeployed for routes to Spain, Italy and FranceVirgin Atlantic has been forced to throw in the towel over the so-called 'remedy slots' after sustaining heavy losses

Daily Record

• Son of Clutha helicopter crash victim says final air accident report into cause of tragedy raises more questions than it answers JOHN McGarrigle Jnr, whose father John was one of 10 people killed in the tragedy, was amongst a group of families who gathered last night tonight to hear the findings.
• Emails sent to unsuccessful applicants for a job as ScotRail train driver branded 'insulting' by unions ABELLIO, who run the ScotRail franchise, said they should “start by researching the role of driver” if they applied again.

The Mirror

• Clutha police helicopter crash report 'raises more questions than answers' says victim's son John McGarrigle Jnr, whose father John was killed in the tragedy, was amongst a group of families who gathered tonight to hear the findings

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bus firm says sorry for series of route 576 disruptions A BUS company has said sorry to a passenger who suffered eight disruptions to services in 11 days.

Bristol Live

• Cost of Great Western Railway electrification soars to £2.8 billion The cost of installing electric trains through Bristol has trebled - and could rise even further. Network Rail chief Mark Carne admitted the latest estimate of the cost of electrifying the Great Western Railway mainline between Paddington and Cardiff was now between £2.5 billion and £2.8 billio

Edinburgh Evening News

• Borders rail staff made to clean steam train toilet wasteRAIL workers on the new Borders line have been forced to clear up human waste being dumped on the track by steam trains.

Liverpool Echo

• Action being taken to counter rail disruption caused by leaves on the linePackage of measures put in place by Merseyrail and Network Rail
• Electrification of rail to power region's economic growth Northern Rail boss says improvements will see better services which can help attract inward investment

London Evening Standard

• Euston Road 'to lose two lanes for six years' for HS2 workUsers of the heavily-congested Euston Road are set for six years of misery when it loses two lanes for work on the government's new high-speed rail project.

Wales Online

• The airline that provides the only internal flights in Wales from Cardiff to Anglesey has lost its safety licenceThe Civil Aviation Authority said that it had revoked LinksAir's safety certificate to 'protect the public'

Other Regional Press

• Revealed: The multimillion pound difference between the cash given to passengers for train delays and the amount handed to the operatorA passenger group has called for a review of how people are compensated for delays – amid figures highlighting a multimillion-pound difference between the cash train operators receive and hand out.
• Campaigners form action group to tackle speeding in town CAERPHILLY residents have formed a road safety “action committee” to combat deadly traffic and speeding in their village.
• Protestors invade Manston airport control tower in campaign against expansion of Instro Precision arms companyProtesters have stormed an airport site and are occupying the control tower to campaign against the proposed expansion of an arms company.
• Eurotunnel delays after migrants break through boundaries at CalaisEurotunnel services have again been affected after migrant activity in France - with long queues building on the M20.
• A35 set to benefit from �2billion investment pot to improve South West's roads THE A35 could be set to benefit from �2 billion worth of investment aimed at improving the capacity of roads in the South-West.
• Airship nears flight from ‘new’ shedBedfordshire’s leading-edge airship, Airlander, is just months from its maiden flight after its historic Cardington Shed home completed a multi-million pound refurbishment.
The Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) airship is being rebuilt and tested inside the Grade II* listed Hangar 1, the only purpose-built airship hangar in the UK.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• TfL awards new �6.5m contract to Loughborough Tube and Rail supplierLondon Underground's Managing Director, Nick Brown, made the announcement during a visit to the factory floor with Nicky Morgan, MP for Loughborough. The Brush name has been synonymous with quality engineering and the supply of railway and public transport equipment since 1865. The £6.5m contract will see the company working on trains for the Piccadilly line which sees around 200 million passenger journeys per year. The Piccadilly line will be the first to have the modern, air-cooled New Tube for London trains in service around 2022. Nick Brown said: `Brush Traction is playing an importa...
• �40m project to create 600 jobs at Port of FelixstoweHutchison Ports (UK) Ltd has submitted plans to Suffolk Coastal council to develop part of the oldest area of the Port of Felixstowe, off Dock Road, just inside Dock Gate One. The £40million scheme – which will reuse the now decontaminated site of the old Calor Gas Terminal liquid propane gas installation, part of the Tank Farm bulk liquids storage centre area, and several haulage yards – will see some port roads wiped off the map to be replaced by four huge warehouses, providing almost 1million sq ft of space tailored to the needs of customers . It is the first phase of a ...
• UPS advises distributors to adapt selling model for growthInternational distributors of all sizes have a wide range of opportunity for growth open to them, according to the findings of a new study from parcel carrier UPS.� According to the report, changing market conditions are posing a challenge to the long-standing business models of distributors - and UPS has advised adapting accordingly.� It was established that buyers are increasingly willing to purchase outside of their existing supply base - and four factors are changing the relationship between distributors and their customers.� These are increasing buyer expectations, growth of direct-from-m...

Aviation Industry

• Magazine vote: Virgin America, Singapore Are are top airlinesRatings come from Conde Nast Traveler, which has revealed its top airlines as rated in its
• Unruly Passengers Can Cost Airlines Up to $200KAn American Airlines flight from San Jose to Dallas was diverted to Phoenix Tuesday afternoon because of an unruly passenger, the airline confirmed. When an American Airlines flight from San Jose, California, was diverted to Phoenix on its way to Dallas on Tuesday because an apparently drunk passenger was yelling and had to be restrained, the man was taken off the plane and sent to a hotel.
• Inmarsat and Lufthansa Group sign ten-year contractGlobal mobile satellite communications services provider Inmarsat has signed a contract to provide high-speed inflight connectivity services Lufthansa’s European continental fleet. read more
• Eastern Airways boosts capacity on Southampton-Leeds Bradford routeAirline to offer a more 'business focused' schedule
• British Airways to launch Gatwick-New York routeService to resume service after seven year absence

Other News Sources

• High Speed Rail College faces delays over funding concernsThe opening of the National High Speed Rail College in Doncaster could be delayed if the government does not approve funding in the coming weeks, local politicians and business leaders have warned.
• Half million pound study to explore Oxford to Cambridge ExpresswayA study worth �512,000 will explore options into the potential for creating a dedicated road link between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge.
• Festive rail misery in store as repairs hit lines from the south coast to London TRAIN passengers face a “torturous” Christmas period this year as services from the county face major disruption.