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

Thursday, 07 January 2016

BBC News

• Explosion for A83 boulder goes aheadA controlled explosion is carried out in a bid to break up a huge boulder that was a threat to safety on the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll.
• What is driving car makers to CES?From concept cars and vans to apologies and promises of revolution, car manufacturers have been making headlines in Vegas.
• Rain alert as school buses cancelledA rainfall alert is issued for the Republic of Ireland with the counties of Cavan, Louth, Meath and Monaghan most at risk of flash flooding.
• Ryanair to announce new Belfast baseRyanair will announce details of a multi-million pounds expansion of its operations in Northern Ireland on Thursday, with a new base at Belfast International Airport.
• Virgin to by-pass rail line blockageVirgin Trains says an hourly rail service between Glasgow and Carlisle via Dumfries will operate from Saturday.
• VIDEO: Testing humans in driverless carsTransport Correspondent, Richard Westcott, visits a university test centre to investigate how humans will cope with driverless cars
• UK new car sales 'at all-time record'UK new car sales hit an all-time record last year, figures released later by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders are expected to show.

Financial Times

• Malaysia Airlines in PR blunder over bagsSocial media outcry prompts struggling carrier to swiftly reverse ban on checked-in luggage
• Yanking the supply chain over road deathsControversial new rules aimed at making trucking safer are attracting international interest

The Guardian

• Why the UK is failing on infrastructure, the cornerstone of Tory policyNew National Audit Office report says uncertainty in delivery of major public sector projects puts the government’s whole austerity programme at risk
• Three shadow ministers resign over Corbyn's 'dishonest' reshuffleJonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty quit after objecting to sacking of Pat McFadden, while Kevan Jones resigns after Maria Eagle’s move
• New Segway transforms into a cute robot companion when you’re not riding itIntel and Ninebot partner to create a self-balancing object which becomes a voice-recognising pal at the touch of a buttonIn the past, the Segway has often been, well, a little laughed at, if not ridiculed – the personal transportation devices are most often seen with a horde of slightly overweight tourists leaving the “walking” out of a walking tour. But the latest Segway could be about to change all that. It is a two-wheeled balancing scooter that turns into an adorable mini robot butler when you’re not riding it around town. Continue reading...
• First passenger drone makes its debut at CESChinese entrepreneurs bring their one-person craft, which is controlled by tablet and capable of flying 60mph, to the annual technology conventionA Chinese company claimed a world first on Wednesday by unveiling a drone capable of carrying a human passenger.Guangzhou-based Ehang Inc pulled the cloth off the Ehang 184 at the Las Vegas convention center during the CES gadget show. Continue reading...

Mail Online

• Rail commuter fined �50 under 1889 by-law for putting his feet on seat A man who put his feet up on a train seat was fined �50 under a 127-year-old bylaw. Trinh Cuong, 22, was spotted by a guard with his legs stretched out on the seat next to him.

The Mirror

• Ryanair set to unveil seven new routes in and out of Belfast Flights to Gatwick from Belfast International are expected to be the first unveiled, with European routes to Barcelona, Berlin and Brussels set to follow

Derby Telegraph

• Derbyshire council clarifies position on Chesterfield cycle path work Derbyshire County Council has said that the second phase of work to build a cycle path in Chesterfield has not yet started.

London Evening Standard

• Gatwick campaign wins review of 'intolerable' flight pathsCampaigners have won the right to bring an Appeal Court challenge against new Gatwick flight paths they say are causing "intolerable" noise for locals.
• Fresh strike threat over Night Tube launch as pay row continuesThe threat of further strikes over the Night Tube dramatically increased today with 1,300 more London Underground staff to be balloted for industrial action.
• London Bridge commuters on Southeastern hit out at rush hour delaysCommuters were hit by rush hour delays at London Bridge after signalling problems from last night continued into this morning.
• Tube challenger claws back world record for fastest journey around all 270 stationsA determined Tube traveller has clawed back the world record for racing around every Underground station in the fastest time.
• Mortgage surveyor values flat close to HS2 as worthlessLondoners buying properties are seeing mortgage valuations for them cut — in at least one case to zero — because they are close to the HS2 rail route, the Standard reveals today.
• Letters to the editor: Is Sadiq Khan's fares plan realistic?Haringey Lib-Dems have been campaigning for fairer fares for local commuters for years. Both we and Caroline Pidgeon, our candidate for Mayor of London, want to see cheaper early morning fares, which would benefit Haringey's low-paid workers. We are also calling for a one-hour bus ticket so commuters don't have to pay out twice if they change bus, which local residents frequently have to do when travelling across the borough.

Sheffield Star

• Service station scheme will be ‘detrimental’ to RotherhamA controversial plan to build a motorway service station on ancient woodland will be ‘detrimental’ to Rotherham, the council says.
• THE STAR OPINION: Why Sheffield city centre HS2 is the only optionIt’s been a year of battles in Sheffield; trees and buses being the the biggest.
• ‘Time is running out’ on HS2 campaignIt’s time to wake up and back Sheffield’s HS2 campaign because time is running out, a council chief has urged.

Wales Online

• Measuring 48 steps in length, is this the shortest bus lane in Britain?The bus lane on Wood Street was created as part of changes to roads when the city's bus station was closed
• Hundreds of people have signed a petition urging Cardiff council not to create a new bus lane in Birchgrove Work in Caerphilly Road is due to begin on January 11 but residents will protest this weekend
• What has the �2.6m that Cardiff council has made through bus lane fines been spent on? The answer is the council can't tell you

Blackpool Gazette

• Fare rise hits those on low pay says MPRail fare increases which mean the cost of a season ticket between Blackpool and Manchester has gone up by £644 in the last six years could harm Blackpool’s tourism, a resort MP has warned.

Bucks Free Press

• Frustration over 'all-day parkers' clogging up village roads A parking consultation is under way in Gerrards Cross to try and stop ‘all-day parkers’ leaving their cars in residential roads before going to the train station.

East Anglian Daily Times

• MP seeks boost for part-time commutersSouth Suffolk MP James Cartlidge has stepped up calls for a better ticket deal for part-time commuters on the railways.
• Sniffer dog on Essex trains in bid to catch drug dealersA sniffer dog was deployed on trains between Colchester and Clacton this week in a joint police operation targeting gangs using the railway network to ship drugs into the area.

North Wales Live

• Heritage leader hits out at Mersey ferries plansClosure of either Seacombe or Woodside terminal is included in transport chiefs’ blueprint for the future
• Port of Liverpool's new �300m in-river quayside fails to hit opening date target Liverpool2 will aim to increase its market share of the container market when it comes on line this year
• Liverpool John Lennon Airport posts 8% boost in annual passenger numbers 4.3m throughput represents the first sustained period of growth at city airport since 2011

Plymouth Herald

• You can now cycle from Plymouth city centre to Dartmoor thanks to completed transport scheme CYCLISTS can now pedal from Plymouth city centre all the way to Dartmoor after a transport scheme was completed.

Reading Evening Post

• Network Rail launches investigation after 40 people fall down broken escalator at Reading Station Commuters fell into a heap after the escalator lurched suddenly this morning

Other Regional Press

• MP defends increase in rail chargesMORE public money would be "swallowed up" by the rail network had it not been for a rise in ticket prices, according to Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers.
• Huddersfield road closure ahead of new bus gate schemeHigh Street works spell the end of the use of road for most
• UPDATE: Major concerns raised over future of Weymouth harbour as council agrees more repairs costing �2m REPAIRS to Weymouth's harbour wall will be carried out as a 'matter of urgency.'
• "Absolutely horrific:" Revealed- Dorset's most dangerous road spots are A37 Dorchester at A35 West Dorset and campaigners want action THE two most treacherous spots on Dorset's roads are the A37 at Dorchester and the A35 in the west, figures officially reveal.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• First Bus offers weekend day ticket deal in bid to attract more passengersBus travellers will be able to ride for two days for the price of one in a bid to get more people using the service. Day tickets bought on First Portsmouth buses on Saturdays can also be used on Sundays for free.  The offer starts this week and will run until January 31.  First Solent general manager Dervla McKay said the company wanted to inspire people to fulfill their new year’s resolutions of using the bus more often.  Ms McKay said: ‘We are working hard to further improve bus services in and attract even more passengers. I’m really pleased we’re int...

Aviation Industry

• Russia’s Aurora Airline receives first Bombardier Q400Aeroflot subsidiary Aurora Airline took delivery of its first of three Bombardier Q400 aircraft on Dec. 31, 2015. read more
• United CEO has heart transplantUnited Airlines said Oscar Munoz, the company's president and chief executive, underwent a heart transplant operation early Wednesday and is in recovery.
• London City posts record passenger numbers for 2015Airport handled 4.3m travellers last year
• British Airways scraps green fuels projectAirline blames lack of policy engagement from government
• Cutting costs and rising prices means ‘challenging’ year for buyersSixth annual Business Travel Show survey shows top concerns for buyers

Green Miscellany

• Dare you wear a pop-up rain poncho for cycling?The Boncho's party trick is that it unfolds like a pop-up tent. And unlike a traditional poncho, its ultra-breathable fabric incorporates a semi-rigid awning to stop it flapping around. The post Dare you wear a pop-up rain poncho for cycling? appeared first on ETA.
• Faraday Future: Peddling the electric car dreamCar makers paint a picture of driving nirvana defined by roads with no congestion, speed limits or shortage of glamorous passengers – but with the global urban population expected to swell to 6.3 billion by 2050, it’s a fantasy that becomes less credible with each passing concept car. The post Faraday Future: Peddling the electric car dream appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Ground Control wins £40m Network Rail contractGround Control has been awarded a nationwide vegetation management contract with Network Rail for the next four years - potentially the company's largest-ever contract win.
• DB Schenker has competition concerns after ORR probe into box rail marketsIn June 2013, DB Schenker Rail UK formally complained to the Office of Rail & Road (ORR) regarding what it perceived to be very significant barriers to competition in the markets for deepsea container (DSC) rail transport between key UK ports and certain inland destinations.
• Uproot Volk's Railway to save our 'bleak' seafront, says leading architect A RENOWNED architect has called for Volk's Electric Railway to be ripped off of Brighton beach to save the “bleak” seafront.