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

Wednesday, 16 December 2015

BBC News

• Cross-border trains to resume after floodTrains will run between Dumfries and Carlisle again on Sunday - two weeks after the route was hit by floods.
• Sleeper staff vote for strike actionRMT union members working on the Caledonian Sleeper rail service linking Scotland and London vote overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.
• Welding begins on bridge repairWelding work begins to fix a fault on the Forth Road Bridge, which has been closed since 4 December.
• 'Encouraging signs' on rail extensionAn MP says there are
• MEPs urge tougher stance on dieselMEPs reject new EU standards for diesel car emissions, arguing that they are not tough enough.
• New fake Tube sign generator is createdA new website which allows people to create fake Tube signs appears to replace a previous site which was closed down due to threatened legal action.
• Southern rail conductors vote to strikeConductors on Southern rail vote to go on strike claiming a
• Busiest and quietest stations revealedBritain's busiest and quietest railway stations are revealed by the rail regulator, with one having just 22 entries and exits across the whole of last year.

The Guardian

• Willie Walsh's threats over Heathrow runway dithering is just hot airIt is highly unlikely the boss of British Airways’ parent company would seriously consider abandoning Europe’s busiest airport over politicians’ indecision

The Herald

• Caledonian Sleeper workers vote to go on strike amid claims of 200 train defectsWorkers on the Caledonian Sleeper rail service have voted to go on strike in a row over claims of defects on trains.

The Telegraph

• Network Rail chairman denies Sir Peter Hendy said the state-owned infrastructure group, which is selling �1.8bn of assets, was not

Mail Online

• Christmas rail meltdown as lines across Britain closed for two weeks Millions of travellers trying to travel home for the festive period or to Heathrow and Gatwick airports to jet off for some winter sun face a raft of cancellations and doubled journey times.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Leeds Bradford Airport-based airline bans 50 passengers as more than 450 are refused travel for unacceptable behaviour MORE than 450 customers of an airline based at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) have been refused travel this year due to unacceptable behaviour, it has been revealed.

London Evening Standard

• Lowest-paid Londoners 'spending 10 per cent of their wages on travel costs'The capital's lowest paid workers are spending 10p in every �1 they earn on getting to work in central London, a report claimed today.
• Black cabs are better for capital, claim drivers in new campaignBlack cab drivers today launched a fightback against Uber and private hire cabs from taking their business.
• Revealed: London's busiest train stations and how many people use them every dayNine of the country's 10 busiest train stations last year were in London, new figures have revealed, with Waterloo topping the league.
• Caledonian Sleeper staff vote to go on strike in row over train safety fearsRail workers have voted to go on strike after a row over claims of "unsafe" trains.
• Southern Rail strike: London commuters set for disruption as staff back strikeLondon commuters are set to be hit by rail disruption after Southern Rail staff voted to strike.
• A giant chocolate tube map has been created using only Quality StreetThis is the tube map of dreams...
• Heathrow and Gatwick Christmas train services set to be crippled by engineering worksHolidaymakers due to travel from Heathrow and Gatwick over Christmas face a headache before their trips even begin thanks to large-scale train cancellations.

Yorkshire Post

• We’ve barred hundreds of badly-behaved passengers from our planes in 2015, says Leeds airlineA Leeds-based airline says it has stopped more than 450 people from flying so far in 2015 because of their unacceptable behaviour amid concerns about rising numbers of disruptive passengers.
• Leeds station named among the busiest in the UKLeeds has been named in the top-three busiest UK rail stations outside London, according to statistics revealed by the rail regulator (ORR). Network Rail said that the findings reflect the city’s vibrancy and showed why they are working to make future generations proud of the station.

Bucks Free Press

• HS2 traffic: Rail bosses will 'review plans' over fears ambulance routes will be severely disrupted HS2 bosses say they will continue to review their plans after campaigners warned that ambulance routes could be severely disrupted by construction traffic.

Carlisle News & Star

• Trains on Carlisle-Settle line resume service A landslip near Armathwaite earlier meant trains could not run between Carlisle and Appleby.

Other Regional Press

• Government announces inquiry into East Anglian rail chaosPassenger services on the Sudbury and Felixstowe branches were suspended for 13 days with travellers having to use substitute buses after Abellio Greater Anglia (AGA) ran out of diesel units because so many had to have their wheels repaired.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• TfL wins premier road safety award on behalf of the construction industryTransport for London’s (TfL’s) CLOCS programme has been awarded the Premier Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for its rapid success in improving HGV road safety.    The Premier Award recognises the most outstanding achievement in road safety from a series of road safety categories. Early this year CLOCS was selected as a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award winner and the Premier Award highlights it as this year’s leading road safety initiative or product.   The TfL-funded CLOCS programme was lauded as innovative, well researched and well...
• Newcastle International Airport is a success storyNewcastle Airport's departure lounge redevelopment has been hailed as a success in the latest of positive changes for regional airports in Britain. Aviation minister Robert Goodwill heralded the �14 million redevelopment project, which was officially opened by the transport minister this week. Mr Goodwill said that Newcastle Airport was a
• Railway Upgrade Plan will deliver a better service for ChristmasHundreds of thousands of passengers and freight users will benefit from a Christmas and New Year investment carried out on Britain's rail network. Over 20,000 members of Network Rail's employees will spend Christmas Day and the days that follow working on the railway across Britain to deliver the Railway Upgrade Plan. The work will consist of new station facilities, longer platforms, extra tracks, new junctions and thousands of pieces of new, more reliable equipment are set to be installed. The investment program totals �150 million and will begin late on December 24th of this year, pending th...

Rail Magazine

• Network Rail completes crossing barrier programmeNetwork Rail’s final two open level crossings have been upgraded, marking the completion of a three-year national programme.
• TfL helps to spread Christmas cheerTransport for London (TfL) has donated more than 400 items from its Lost Property Office to The Salvation Army’s Christmas Present Appeal.
• New LU tamping machines to enter trafficLondon Underground (LU) has taken delivery of two new tamping machines.
• Three new stations and a tunnel openThree new stations - one of them a replacement - opened with the timetable change on December 13.
• Norton Bridge team smashes track-laying recordWorkers constructing a flyover near Stafford have set a new track-laying record.
• Thameslink ETCS tested in central LondonNetwork Rail has successfully tested the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 installation on the central section of the Thameslink route.
• HS2 shortlists enabling works contractorsNine companies and joint ventures have been shortlisted by High Speed 2 for a share of �900 million of enabling works.
• RailQwest urges heavy rail to Glasgow AirportCampaigners are calling for a rethink on plans for light rail or tram-train links to Glasgow Airport.
• DfT awards franchise ‘Passports’The Department for Transport awards 11 companies Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) Passports, in effort to make it easier and faster to bid for franchises.
• London tops station usage charts as numbers increaseNine of Britain’s busiest ten stations are in London, according to the latest station usage figures released by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

The Business Desk

• Consultancy firms revealed for HS2 Birmingham to Crewe routeTHREE firms have been appointed to do preparatory work on the high speed rail link between Birmingham and Crewe.

Aviation Industry

• IATA raises airline profit forecastAround 3.8 billion extra passengers expected to travel in 2016
• Qantas expects half-year profit jumpCarrier says it will report a ‘significant improvement’ for first six months to December
• Qatar Airways to offer 15-minutes free wifiGulf carrier signs three-year deal with telecomms firm Ooredoo

Other News Sources

• Empey repeats Heathrow warninghttp://www.theguardian.com/business/nils-pratley-on-finance/2015/dec/15/willie-walsh-british-airways-heathrow-airport-runway
• Rail bosses urged to stop "dragging their feet" over better deals for part-time commuters AN MP has called on transport ministers to “stop dragging their feet” and and save rail commuters hundreds of pounds with a new ticketing system.