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

Tuesday, 16 February 2016

BBC News

• Passengers evacuated after train firePassengers are evacuated from a train at an Edinburgh station following a fire in a carriage wheel.
• Commuters refuse to get off Tube trainRush-hour commuters refuse to get off a faulty Tube train despite repeated announcements urging them to do so, TfL says.
• Lasers should be 'classed as weapon'Lasers should be classed as
• West Coast Mainline to reopen next weekA major railway line between Scotland and England will reopen next week, following a seven week closure.
• Hornby shares soar as boss is derailedShares in Hornby have soared more than a third after the toy maker said Richard Ames would step down as chief executive.

ITV News

• Transport Secretary to visit rail line close by damaged sea wallThe Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin and the head of Network Rail will today visit the railway line between Dover and Folkestone.

Financial Times

• Etihad strategy flies into difficultiesCode-sharing arrangement with Airberlin is causing problems for the Gulf carrier

The Herald

• New TransPennine franchise 'will help cement Northern Powerhouse'RAIL bosses have vowed to use the new TransPennine franchise to cement closer ties between the Central Belt and major English cities as part of a 'Northern Powerhouse' vision.

The Scotsman

• Pilots call for crackdown on lasers after Virgin flight abortedA pilots’ union has said “more needs to be done” to tackle the growing use of lasers against aircraft after a New York-bound plane had to turn back to Heathrow.

Mail Online

• British Airways set to use new in-flight announcement on peanuts The Heathrow-based carrier, which already doesn't serve peanuts as snacks or include them in its meals, will make the request in an in-flight announcement before take-off.

Birmingham Mail

• Pilots facing weekly laser attacks at Birmingham Airport Birmingham has been named as the worst area for laser attacks after Heathrow Airport

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham should use Copenhagen as role model for cycling, claims doctor Birmingham should model itself on Copenhagen where nearly half of residents cycle to work, a health expert has claimed
• Birmingham's HS2 high speed rail line goes to the wrong places, say experts Experts say the planned high speed rail network misses out too many cities

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Cycle charity backs the Telegraph & Argus Stop the Danger Drivers campaign A CYCLING charity has thrown its support behind the Telegraph & Argus Stop The Danger Drivers campaign - as it launches a road safety project of its own.
• Reports of 'laser incidents' at Leeds Bradford Airport third highest in UK THERE were 24 reported

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus engineers head to Liverpool airport to repair Beluga after emergency landing The giant cargo plane was diverted to Liverpool John Lennon Airport after an issue with the wing flaps

London Evening Standard

• Extra trains launched linking London with EdinburghEight new daily rail journeys between Edinburgh and London are being introduced later this year, Virgin Trains has announced.
• TfL anti-harassment team warned over sexual advances among its staffBosses in a Transport for London department leading a campaign to eradicate unwanted sexual behaviour on the Tube have been forced to warn their own staff not to harass colleagues, the Standard can reveal.

Sheffield Star

• Stagecoach customers urged to nominate South Yorkshire staff for awardsStagecoach Supertram is inviting passengers to nominate their favourite member of staff for the 2016 Stagecoach Group Customer Service Champions Award.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Yorkshire to benefit from extra trains on East Coast mainlineRail links between London and Yorkshire are to be increased by a third after Virgin Trains was granted permission to run 42 new services a week on the East Coast mainline.

Yorkshire Post

• Don’t blame Beeching for uneconomic trains [letter]AS usual, your correspondents who wrote relating to the Beeching report were very selective in their haste to score political points (The Yorkshire Post, February 11).

Doncaster Free Press

• Virgin Trains adds 22,000 seats and 42 services to East Coast lineVirgin Trains has been given permission to increase capacity by nearly a third by introducing 42 new services a week between Edinburgh and London. From May there will be an additional 22,000 seats a week on the route.
• Stagecoach customers urged to nominate South Yorkshire staff for awardsStagecoach Supertram is inviting passengers to nominate their favourite member of staff for the 2016 Stagecoach Group Customer Service Champions Award.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Anger over early morning rail work in LeistonResidents of a normally quiet road in Leiston had their sleep disturbed after a team of Network Rail workers turned up to carry out maintenance work at the bottom of their garden at 2am.
• Bad start for Ipswich commuters as safety concerns on track cause cancellations and delaysSome rail services through Ipswich and Suffolk are being cancelled or delayed at short notice this morning after an inspection of part of the track rose safety concerns.

North Wales Live

• Merseyrail passengers could be entitled to compensation after day of travel chaos Trains will not be running for the rest of today's service Merseyrail said
• Liverpool commuters left fuming after a day of Merseyrail chaos Passengers suffer morning and evening rush hour misery because of rail way problems
• Liverpool John Lennon Airport sees 19% rise in weekend passenger figures Valentine's Day and half term holidays help boost traffic at city airport

Other Regional Press

• ​Stoke station could relocate as part of multi-million pound plans A MULTI-MILLION pound plan is being drawn up to transform North Staffordshire's rail network – including relocating Stoke station.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Dutch railway operator NS extends contract with Nomad for Wi-Fi and PIS Dutch passenger railway operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) has signed a five-year extension with Nomad Digital for on-board Wi-Fi and passenger information services (PIS).
• Centro to upgrade Midland Metro trams for catenary-free operation West Midlands transport authority Centro is planning to upgrade Midland Metro's fleet of light rail vehicles (LRVs) for catenary-free operation, in order to extend the light rail line through Birmingham city centre in the UK.
• Nomad Digital-Wireless Connectivity and ICT Solutions for the Rail Industry Nomad Digital is a leading provider of wireless connectivity and information and communications solutions for the rail industry.
• Major Challenges Facing Rail Operators, Maintainers, Owners and the Role of ICT The challenge is clear: today, more than ever, rail operators are expected to operate more efficiently, maintain safety and service quality, meet ever-demanding passenger needs and achieve more with shrinking budgets.
• SAB Bröckskes at Eurasia Rail 2016 SAB Bröckskes is to showcase its customised railway cable solutions at Eurasia Rail in Istanbul, Turkey.

Railnews

• Virgin extends more East Coast services to Scotland Tickets for additional Virgin Trains East Coast services to Edinburgh are due to go on sale this Friday (19 February), with the improved service set to follow on 16 May. VTEC is boosting its intercity timetable between England and Scotland mostly by extending London services which currently start from or terminate at Newcastle. The revised timetable, which required ORR approval, will mean that there will be a train to or from Edinburgh on the East Coast route every 30 minutes for most of the day from 16 May. VTEC is also extending the 'booking horizon' from 12 to 24 weeks.

Railway Gazette

• Bombardier completes sale of 30% stake in Transportation business BOMBARDIER: Pension and insurance investor Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec’s US$1·5bn...
• Russian metre-gauge tram under constructionRUSSIA: PK Transportnye Systemy presented a prototype tram that it is building for Yevpatoria at...
• Bombardier opens Indian information services hub INDIA: Bombardier Transportation has opened an information services hub at Gurgaon in the Delhi...

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair to launch Stansted-Hamburg routeService to start in November

Other News Sources

• Cyclists' verdict as Cambridge's CyclePoint, the UK's biggest bike park, opens at railway station The biggest cycle park in the UK opened its doors yesterday in Cambridge, with commuters at the city's railway station getting to use the £2.5 million facility for the first time - and they welcomed it.
• Planners ‘dragging their feet’ over rail gantriesTHE chairman of Goring Parish Council says he is disappointed with the planning authority’s response to the installation of “unsightly” gantries along the village’s railway line.
• Amadeus launches pre-paid virtual card serviceAmadeus B2B Wallet Prepaid aims to increase protection against fraud and improve sales reconciliation
• Virgin Trains increases services on Edinburgh-London routeVirgin Trains is adding 42 services a week between Edinburgh and London from May.The rail operator will boost seat capacity by 22,000 a week on the route, an increase of almost a third.