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

Thursday, 21 January 2016

BBC News

• Birmingham bus lane fines top £6mMotorists fines of more than £6m for driving in a city's bus lanes are being used by a council to fund public services, an ex-MP claims.
• Bat check in cycle route rail tunnelA survey is being carried out to see if any bats are living in a tunnel campaigners want to turn into a cycle route.
• VIDEO: Is Hyperloop the future of inter-city travel?Spencer Kelly visits an ambitious transport project in the Nevada desert.
• London backs off Uber restrictionsLondon's transport authority rejects proposals that would have restricted Uber from offering its car pick-up service in the city.
• Loganair chief executive stepping downThe chief executive of Scottish airline Loganair, Stewart Adams, is stepping down.
• Seized pin 'caused road bridge fault'An engineering consultant tells the Forth Road Bridge inquiry that a seized pin caused the crack which forced the structure's closure late last year.
• Station will be 'gateway' to capitalEdinburgh's newest railway station is on schedule to open by the end of the year, Network Rail has said.
• Which?: Most cars break pollution lawsConsumer association Which? say it has collected together data which show most cars break EU pollution laws when driven.
• Rail system 'more popular than ever'A new interactive map reveals how, against all the odds, the railways have witnessed a stratospheric revival in popularity in the past two decades.

Department for Transport

• Transport Secretary and Mayor set out vision for rail travel across London and the south eastDfT and TfL set out a commitment to improve capacity and service levels across the region’s rail network.

Financial Times

• Uber wins major victory in LondonScheme to tighten rules for private-hire vehicles scrapped
• ‘Chairman Chang’ leaves legacy in shippingLeading figure in history of container ships dies in Taipei after starting with single ship in 1968
• Greece picks China’s Cosco in port dealState group preferred bidder in €1.5bn privatisation of Piraeus

The Guardian

• UK's under-fire rail regulator appoints interim chief executiveJoanna Whittington to lead Office of Rail and Road after Richard Price steps down two months before end of his contract
• John McDonnell barred from giving evidence at 'Heathrow 13' trialJudge deems evidence from shadow chancellor irrelevant in trial of 13 climate change protesters accused of blocking Heathrow runway in July last year
• Black cabs not unique, high court rules, paving way for 'green' taxisJudge says traditional cabs are ‘devoid of inherent distinctive character’, in legal row involving new eco-friendly taxi groupA high court judge has ruled that one of London’s most famous sights, the black cab, is not that unique after all, concluding that they are “devoid of inherent distinctive character”.Mr Justice Arnold said that the taxis are “merely a variation of the typical shape of a car” and ruled that trademarks exclusively relating to its shape should be deemed invalid. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Long-running cycle path campaign gets boost from Westminster and HolyroodCAMPAIGNERS for a cycle path at the centre of one of the longest-running right of way disputes in Scotland have been backed by politicians.

The Scotsman

• Boom in rail travel is welcome but it’s not all good news for stations in Scotland RAIL travel is indeed booming all over the Scottish network (“A tale of two stations,” The Scotsman, 20 January).

The Telegraph

• Thousands of Virgin West Coast customers short-changed in compensation shamblesExclusive: the train operator is awarding customers �45 for recent disruptions, regardless of the price of their ticket

Mail Online

• London Underground Tube driver strikes are OFF after talks progress London commuters were braced for the prospect of prolonged travel misery after three 24-hour Tube strikes were announced earlier this month, but train drivers' union Aslef is now set to suspend the action.
• George Osborne's insurance tax rise drives car cover up say AA Prices soared by £59 on average between the third and final quarters of the year, according to the AA’s British Insurance Premium Index. The rise is the biggest quarterly increase since 2010.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Tories in Calderdale criticise 20mph speed limit roll-out as 'expensive and ineffective' A �1 MILLION SCHEME to introduce 20mph zones across residential streets in Calderdale has come under fire from the Conservative group which has called the move ineffective and expensive.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Flood damaged Conwy Valley railway line won't reopen until end of February The track between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog has been shut since Boxing Day
• Airbus makes first ever delivery of A320neo German airline the Lufthansa Group took delivery of the world’s most fuel efficient single aisle aircraft

London Evening Standard

• Mayor unveils sweeping crackdown on Uber and rickshaws in LondonBoris Johnson unveiled far-reaching plans today to help curb the soaring number of Uber cars and other minicabs on London's streets.
• 'Huge rise in Tube accidents caused by passengers standing too close to the platform's edge'The number of accidents caused by Tube passengers failing to mind the gap or stand behind the yellow line has sky-rocketed in the past decade, new figures show.
• Firms attack TfL plan for flats on Tube depot siteTransport For London's proposals to demolish a former Tube depot and turn it into flats have been met with fury by the businesses using the space.
• Tube strike 2016: Drivers set to call off walkout after progress made in Night Tube talksStrike action planned by London Underground train drivers is set to be suspended after progress was reportedly made in talks over the Night Tube service.
• Addison Lee bosses welcome Mayor's crackdown on private hire vehiclesPrivate hire company Addison Lee has said it welcomes Boris Johnson's proposals to enforce the congestion charge on minicabs.

Sheffield Star

• Buses backing charity appealA local appeal to raise funds for a new children’s cancer centre has received a huge boost - thanks to First buses.
• New �1.9m fleet of buses in the regionStagecoach Yorkshire has unveiled its new £1.9m fleet of next generation buses for the region.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds children are gearing up with bike libraryYoungsters are being urged to show off their pedal power and get on their bikes.

Blackpool Gazette

• Bus services under-threatFour vital bus services in Fleetwood look set to be withdrawn – including the town’s only direct service to Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
• �2.2m fleet purchased for key resort routeBlackpool Transport is investing £2.2m in 10 new buses – bringing the total amount ploughed into the fleet to nearly £4m in the past two years.

Carlisle News & Star

• Concerns over brakes halt Flying Scotsman visit to Carlisle Rail enthusiasts will be left disappointed after it has emerged the Flying Scotsman will not be travelling the Carlisle to Settle line.

Doncaster Free Press

• One of world's biggest planes lands at Robin HoodOne of the world's biggest aircraft has landed at Doncaster's Robin Hood Airport.

Get West London

• Shadow Chancellor John MCDonnell barred from giving evidence at Heathrow protesters' trialDistrict Judge Wright deemed the Shadow Chancellor's evidence 'irrelevant' as the last of the 13 defendants took to the stand on day three of the trial

Other Regional Press

• Shoppers "won't bother" with Huddersfield town centre because of bus gates, says Kirklees Tory chiefShoppers will snub Huddersfield town centre when bus gates are activated next month because of the fear of being fined.
• ‘Roll-out of smart ticketing will improve bus and rail journeys in MK’Milton Keynes South MP Iain Stewart has welcomed the announcement that the five biggest UK bus operators will roll-out contactless travel for all buses by 2022.
• Scunthorpe to London direct rail link: MP takes campaign to Transport Secretary LAST week Parliament returned from the Christmas break - it was hardly an easy day to ease us in gently. The Government had four important ministerial statements including one from the Environment Secretary with an update on the recent flooding. All of this took six hours and it was almost 9pm before we embarked on a six-hour debate on the Housing & Planning Bill.
• Find out about railway electrification workA drop-in event about work to electrify the railway will be held on Friday.
• Rail engineers trying to fix problem causing London Midland cancellationsCommuters are being warned of major disruption on the London Midland line this morning.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Less than two weeks left to enter 2016 FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics AwardsThe women driving the UK’s transport and logistics sector have two weeks to enter the 2016 FTA everywoman in Transport and Logistics Awards, closing on 1 February 2016. This is the ninth year of this prestigious programme, which celebrates the women who really stand out – whether they are warehouse managers, train or lorry drivers, senior directors, or school-leavers just setting out on their path to career success.   The UK logistics industry is worth a staggering £74.45billion to the UK economy, and employs around 2.2 million people in over 196,000 companies. This mean...
• UK based Tevva Motors develops next generation of zero emission trucks on home soil Tevva Motors has developed a new environmentally friendly, low emission solution for back-to-base fleets. Currently being tested on UK roads with three separate vehicles – one of which is in daily use with logistics operator UPS – the electric range extended drivetrain has the ability to reduce and avoid producing emissions completely thanks to Tevva’s intelligent predictive software.  Tevva Motors has developed an electric range extender powertrain which can be fitted into an existing 7.5 tonne truck, either as a retrofit package or on the production line during the bu...

Rail Magazine

• Storms cause more misery for the UK rail network Parts of the rail network remain closed as a result of severe weather conditions recorded over the Christmas period and early 2016.
• Festivals at Old Street stationRetail events are being held at London Underground’s Old Street station, to promote temporary ‘pop-up’ shops

Rail Technology Magazine

• Paris Metro, ÃŽle-de-France Metro de Paris is a rapid transit metro system serving the capital city of Paris within the ÃŽle-de-France region, France. It is the second busiest metro system in Europe, the first being Moscow's Metro.

Railway Gazette

• Quito metro breaks groundECUADOR: Mayor Mauricio Rodas launched the construction of the first metro line in Quito on January...
• Siemens to electrify more Lima metro linesPERU: Ansaldo STS has awarded Siemens a contract to electrify Lima metro Line 2 and the first phase...
• Track renewals tendering launchedURUGUAY: State railway AFE has announced that tender documentation is to be made available from...
• Workshop upgrade targets international rolling stock marketLATVIA: International passenger train operator L-Ekspresis has completed an EU-supported €14m...

Aviation Industry

• Small business confidence ‘suffering’ after airport expansion delayFSB warns its members are losing confidence in government to make ‘tough’ decisions

Other News Sources

• Martin Vickers: Getting on the track with busy 2016 diary By chance, after arriving at Westminster and having headed for the cafeteria, I was joined by Patrick Mcloughlin, the Transport Secretary, which gave me an opportunity to pass on complaints from constituents and bend his ear about how important it is that we get a through rail service to King's Cross. Alliance Rail has an application with the rail regulator to operate four through trains each way, each day.
• Europe's open-access passenger operators gain momentumTHE story of the liberalisation of Europe's long-distance passenger market has long had something of a Wild West flavour - a handful of pioneers setting out to find their fortune in an often hostile and unchartered environment, where big commercial risks were often taken in the face of inadequate or incomplete regulation and anticompetitive behaviour.
• Pitch updateHeathrow Airport has had meetings with much of adland over the past couple of weeks. Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, Adam & Eve/DDB, Engine, Havas Worldwide London, Leo Burnett London, M&C Saatchi, Mullen Lowe London, Ogilvy & Mather London, Rapp and VCCP are all understood to have had meetings with the airport about its creative account Read more at http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/pitch-update/1380213#3WyIz5WgKDQmBr8D.99
• Waterloo to Heathrow rail link back on the agendaPlans for a new train service between Waterloo Station and Heathrow Airport have been revived by Hounslow Council.
• Commercial Managers – Stagecoach UK Bus  It’s an exciting time for Stagecoach UK Bus. Our new website makes it easy for passengers to plan journeys, find fares and buy tickets. To enable us to develop and further grow our business we are now seeking skilled and enthusiastic people to join our Commercial Offices around the country.   Commercial Managers (Various Locations – Salary negotiable) Reporting to the local Board, the Commercial Manager will lead and manage the commercial functions within the operating company, taking advantage of all commercial opportunities. You will have excellent numeracy skills and will develo...
• Plane Stupid protesters claim they acted to 'save lives' during alleged Heathrow Airport trespass One Plane Stupid protester told the court: "I wanted to stop emissions which would lead to lives being saved by stopping flights.”
• Concorde to celebrate 40 years since maiden flight from Heathrow One of British Airways' eight remaining Concorde craft is preserved at Brooklands Museum
• New railway station dubbed as the 'Great Wall of Guildford'Plans for the £150million redevelopment of Guildford's railway station are currently being considered by the borough council
• Reigate MP calls on rail minister to improve performance of Southern RailReigate MP Crispin Blunt took Claire Perry to task for the ongoing performance problems on Southern Rail including severe delays and high fares
• FTA everywoman Awards Woman of the Year describes it as fantastic honourWinning the FTA everywoman Transport & Logistics – Woman of the Year Award was a “fantastic honour” says Fiona Kerr, the winner of the ...
• New pony cart will allow wheelchair users to traverse the South Downs Way. Picture by the South Downs National Park Authority. THIS pony cart is going to give wheelchair users a new opportunity to enjoy the joy of the South Downs.
• Uber hails victory as TFL drops private car hire restrictionsTransport for London rejects a range of proposals to curb firms such as Uber