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

Friday, 08 January 2016

BBC News

• Flying Scotsman: Famous engine back on tracksOne of the world's most iconic railway locomotives, the Flying Scotsman, is to take its first public test run under steam after a decade off the tracks.
• Uber gets go-ahead for CardiffTaxi booking app Uber is granted an operator's licence for Cardiff, prompting threats of legal action by the city's Hackney Carriage Association.
• July start for 20mph speed limitThe first stage of a plan to introduce 20mph speed limits across roads in Edinburgh will begin in July.
• Bombardier to cut 60 jobs in NIThe aerospace firm Bombardier is cutting another 60 jobs in Northern Ireland.
• Ryanair announces new Belfast baseIrish airline Ryanair is to begin operating a new base from Belfast International Airport from March with flights to London's Gatwick Airport.
• Is transport key to London mayor race?With its £11bn budget accounting for about two thirds of City Hall spending, transport is the mayor's biggest financial responsibility.
• Mayor slams 'miserly' HS2 compensationThe mayor of London accuses the government of not properly compensating homeowners affected by major projects including High Speed 2 and Crossrail.
• Boeing delivers record aircraft in 2015Boeing looks to have cemented its position as the world's biggest aircraft manufacturer after delivering a record 762 planes last year.

Financial Times

• Yanking the supply chain over road deathsControversial new rules aimed at making trucking safer are attracting international interest
• Devolution for south London rail urgedIntegrating services into thriving Overground lines could raise capacity 130%, says Centre for London
• Boeing jet orders point to sales slowdownManufacturer’s aircraft deals last year were sharply down compared with 2014

The Telegraph

• Why it pays to commute: House prices rising so fast in commuter towns they pay for season tickets in a weekZoopla study compares average house price increases in popular commuter towns with cost of annual rail fares to cities nearby

This is Money

• Terror attacks fail to damage airlines as Ryan Air and EasyJet both report a rise in passengers during December Luton-based carrier EasyJet reported a 4.6 per cent rise in passengers to 4.8million in December compared to a year earlier, which it described as a ‘strong’ performance.

Birmingham Post

• Record UK sales as Jaguar Land Rover breaks 100,000 barrier The UK remains the number one market for the car giant after a 22 per cent rise in sales in its home country last year, to 100,787
• The money-saving merits of LPG-powered cars Liquid Petroleum Gas is a fuel which has been saving drivers thousands of pounds for a number of years, but which to some extent has slipped off most people's radar.

Bristol Live

• Jeremy Corbyn interview: 'Transport upgrades key to Labour success in Bristol' Jeremy Corbyn has tended to eye newspapers with suspicion since his election as Labour leader, so The Post's Patrick Daly was all ears when he agreed to a sit-down chat.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Thieves steal safes and mini bus in raid on Gwynedd bus compound The Express Motors premises on Llyfni Road in Penygroes was broken into during the early hours of this morning

London Evening Standard

• Oxford Street pedestrianisation: Boris Johnson confirms officials are drawing up plansLondon transport bosses are drawing up proposals to ban traffic from Oxford Street.
• Just two cyclists a DAY are fined for riding on the pavement in LondonThe number of fines issued by the Metropolitan police for cycling on the pavement has plummeted to less than two a day, new figures reveal.
• TfL unveils its biggest-ever rail map, including new Oyster stationsRail bosses have unveiled the largest ever rail map of London, showing the full extent of the capital's Oyster sprawl – a region extending all the way from Gatwick to Hertford East.
• Zac Goldsmith: I'll sort out crowd problems at London BridgeZac Goldsmith today pledged to sort out the chaos at London Bridge “once and for all” on a visit to the station.
• London cyclists 'six times healthier than other commuters', study findsCycle commuters in central London are six times healthier than those who travel to work on public transport or by car, scientists have found.
• Islington Council launches legal challenge over Tube station closureIslington Council has started court proceedings against Transport for London over a planned eight month closure of a Tube station.

Wales Online

• Evening of delays for passengers on Valleys lines after broken down train causes disruptionThe train broke down between Pontypridd and Radyr, but Arriva Trains Wales warned of disruption across the Valleys network

Yorkshire Post

• Parents call for speed limit cut on Leeds Ring Road near schoolCALLS have been made for improved road safety measures at a “nightmare” junction close to a primary school on Leeds Ring Road at Alwoodley amid claims children’s lives are at risk.

Daventry Express

• Parking charges brought in at Long Buckby StationThere has been a mixed reaction to the introduction of parking charges at Long Buckby Train Station.

Doncaster Free Press

• Doncaster MP slams rail fare hikeA Doncaster MP joined union officials at the town’s railway station to protest at rail fare price increases.

East Anglian Daily Times

• MP James Cartlidge seeks better season ticket deal for part-time commutersSouth Suffolk MP James Cartlidge has stepped up calls for a better ticket deal for part-time commuters on the railways.

North Wales Live

• Trainees look for take-off with Liverpool John Lennon Airport scheme Programme leads to full time employment or training for South Liverpool youngsters not in employment, education or training

Reading Evening Post

• Cycling in Broad Street: most people oppose any ban Most people in an informal online consultation are happy to see cycling along the full length of Broad Street in Reading
• Reading house prices: Crossrail effect means big rises in property valueThe high-speed rail link coming to town combined with a lack of homes in some areas means is likely to lead to big increases around the whole area.

Other Regional Press

• Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald is named shadow rail ministerMr McDonald replaces Jonathan Reynolds, who resigned this week.
• Network Rail finally begin work to drain flooded railway bridgeWork has started to drain a huge flood that put a busy village road under ten feet of water since the Boxing Day storms.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Plumpton level crossing to reopenNetwork Rail has begun work to reopen the level crossing in Plumpton, Sussex and aims to have the road reopened on February 8th of this year. Planning permission was obtained in December to remove the wooden level crossing gates that were already in Plumpton, in order to replace them with up-to-date technology. The crossing gates have been moved temporarily but it's uncertain whether they will be used as part of the modern equivalent that will be their replacement. Network Rail's area director Steve Knight said that he was aware that closing the road would have an immediate negative impact to ...
• Bob Baker appointed Port of London Authority Chief Harbour MasterThe Port of London Authority (PLA) has appointed Bob Baker as chief harbour master. Bob Baker will join the PLA from Forth Ports, where he has been chief harbour master since 2001. He will succeed David Phillips, who is retiring from the PLA in April, after nine years’ service. Bob Baker’s seagoing career lasted from 1975 to 1991, before he came ashore to work at the Port of Tilbury, latterly as general manager, conventional operations and harbour master. He has been chief harbour master at Forth Ports and a director of Forth Estuary Towage since 2001. He holds an MBA from He...
• Better journeys for rail customers as new Northern and TransPennine Express franchises confirmedThe Department for Transport has officially signed the Northern and TransPennine Express contracts. The Department for Transport today (23 December 2015) confirmed it has officially signed the Northern franchise 9-year contract with Arriva Rail North Ltd and the TransPennine Express franchise 7-year contract with First Trans Pennine Express Limited. The deals provide an unprecedented package of improvements, bringing about the biggest transformation to rail journeys in the north of England and Scotland in decades. The formal confirmation follows the government’s announcement of the awa...
• Transport Secretary tours �700 million Victoria tube station upgradePatrick McLoughlin sees scale of improvements that will transform over 2 million journeys a week. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin toured Victoria tube station today (7 January 2016) to see progress on work worth £700 million that will improve over 2 million journeys a week. Transport for London (TfL) is currently upgrading the station, one of the busiest in London which serves passengers on 3 major tube lines, commuters coming into London from across the south-east and tourists heading to or from Gatwick airport. The Transport Secretary travelled to the station in the cab of one...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Alstom to deliver ten extra Citadis trams for Bordeaux Line D in France Alstom has secured a €28m order from Bordeaux's Metropolitan Council in France to deliver ten additional Citadis trams.

Railway Gazette

• Railway supply industry news in briefWabtec Corp has acquired Australian company Relay Monitoring Systems, which supplies electrical...

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair returns to BelfastIrish carrier will launch four-times daily service to Gatwick with more routes to follow

Other News Sources

• Residents and scrutiny group criticise �150m Guildford railway station redevelopment The Guildford Society and the Guildford Resident Associations have now jointly opposed the revised plans for the town's railway station