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

Wednesday, 17 February 2016

BBC News

• Cyclist dies after tram crashA cyclist dies following a crash with a Metrolink tram in Wythenshawe.

The Guardian

• Hopes rise again for 'Gatwick Gusher' as oil flows to surfaceUK Oil & Gas Investments says the well has produced 463 barrels a day under its own pressureOil flowing easily from a well near Gatwick airport proves large quantities can be brought to the surface, bringing the prospect of an oil bonanza in Sussex closer, the company responsible for the site has said.Shares in UK Oil & Gas Investments jumped more than 40% after it said oil had flowed to the surface under its own pressure at a rate of 463 barrels a day at Horse Hill in Sussex’s Weald Basin. UKOG owns just over 20% of the licence for the HH-1 well. Continue reading...
• From freight to tourism to commuting: can the Thames rise again?The Thames Vision project wants London’s great waterway to be a bustling enterprise zone again – but can the waterfront property developers be kept at bayThe first day Chris Healy came to see the Thames, he was so excited he almost killed his father. Aged five, he was helping pump air down to Healy senior, a Port of London Authority diver – until he abandoned the wheel to see what all the activity on the river was about.Fifty years later, Healy’s patrol boat is passing a safer-looking dive operation, surveying the riverbed to build London’s super sewer. “It’s all changed dramatically,” he says...
• You'll notice bus cuts when your neighbours lose their independenceSome 63% of councils in England and Wales cut bus funding this year, while 44% withdrew services. Even Cameron’s relations have registered the budget scythe For five years colossal cuts to local bus services have decimated provision across much of Britain yet, despite the impact on people’s lives, the losses have failed to register in the same ways as cuts to other public services. At a time when almost nothing in local government has been left unscathed by the budget-slashing scythe you may wonder if cash being shaved from bus services matters. It does – immensely.

City AM

• Budget coach service Megabus is making the best of high train fares as customers abandon rail companies over pricesMegabus, the low-cost coach service, appears to be benefiting from high train prices. With a model based on long-distance coach journeys, sold at low prices – even as low as £1 for less popular routes – Megabus serves more than 120 destinations in the UK and Europe.

Mail Online

• Rasa city car has no gears and is powered by hydrogen but its top speed is just 60mph Named after the Latin for ‘clean-slate’, the futuristic-looking Rasa (pictured) has been developed by engineers and entrepreneurs based in Llandrindod Wells, Wales.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Giant cruise ships can return to Holyhead after new port anchorage point found Passengers will be taken by tender to Holyhead marina under plan to accommodate huge vessels
• Beluga diverted from Broughton to Liverpool now back in the skies The Airbus wing transporter forced to make an emergency landing is now on its way back to Toulouse

London Evening Standard

• The ten slowest roads in England are all in LondonThe ten slowest roads in the country have been revealed… and they are all in London.
• Traders: Crossrail 2 will ruin Chelsea's characterTraders write to Standard after rival letter backing station in Chelsea
• Plans unveiled for new cycle lanes around St Pancras stationCycle lanes and a pedestrian crossing are among proposals to improve the safety of the busy roads surrounding St Pancras station.
• Air pollution cameras trialled on London roads to monitor vehicle emissions Pollution cameras created by an ex-NASA scientist are being installed on two London roads in a £149,000 trial to measure emissions given off by passing vehicles.
• Market Report: Oil minnows in demand after 'Gatwick Gusher' testInvestors flooded to the AIM-listed companies with fingers in the "Gatwick Gusher" pie after bonanza testing results from the well a mile down the road from the airport.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Small businesses back the Northern Powerhouse - but want to see action FSB chairman Ted Salmon on how the Government needs to translate the Powerhouse concept into practice

The York Press

• A59 repairs progressing well, say roads bosses Engineers are making good progress on land drainage works by the A59 at Kex Gill, North Yorkshire County Council said.

Wales Online

• Cardiff Airport documentary jets onto TV for a second series The Made in Cardiff documentary about Cardiff airport is narrated by Eddie Butler

Yorkshire Post

• YP Letters: London-style approach to bus tickets will bring extra costs - Ray Wilkes, Campaign for Better Transport Co-ordinatorWE are very disappointed to see another plea for bus franchising (The Yorkshire Post, February 9) as the case for franchising was not based on sound statistics.
• Martin Abrams: Without urgent action the future for buses is bleak BUSES are the most frequently used mode of public transport, with more people commuting to work by bus than every other type of public transport combined.

East Anglian Daily Times

• All lines now open at Ipswich Station after work to repair ‘defective track’Rail services are now running from all platforms at Ipswich Station following earlier work to repair a ‘broken rail’ on the main line.

North Wales Live

• Flybe in new call to abolish or rethink Air Passenger Duty tax Regional carrier says tax discriminates against smaller airports and domestic passengers

Sunderland Echo

• Parents’ anger after bus driver allowed girls, aged six and seven, to travel aloneParents have hit out at a bus driver after he allowed two girls – aged six and seven – to travel without their parents.

Other Regional Press

• Are Cambridge's buses too expensive? AstraZeneca boss and college principal criticise the costs The cost of Cambridge's buses is putting people off using them, claim some of the city's great and good.
• First train line re-opening meeting ‘went very well’THE first meeting held since a report into reopening the Aberystwyth-Carmarthen railway line was published “went very well”, say campaigners.
• Manston Airport: Three investors come forward as potential partners to run airportInvestors have come forward in the hope of reviving the Manston site as a viable airport.
• Almost �500k Lottery windfall for Kirklees' Streetbikes project Massive Lottery boost for cycling project

Bus and Coach.com

• Latest Live Edition 12 February 2016
• Enviro400 MMC for EYMS service
• Celebrating Year of the Monkey at Stagecoach Manchester
• Planning process underway for new bus station in Wigan
• Irizar presents new flagship i8 coach model
• £4.5million ADL deal for McGill’s

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Bus Users UK Gives Two Cheers for Contactless Ticketing PledgeThe promise made by the bus industry to have ticketless travel up and running by 2022 has been welcomed by Bus Users UK, the group that campaigns on behalf of bus and coach passengers.  Bus Users wants to see smart ticketing on all buses outside of London to be introduced as quickly as possible, with a level playing field for smaller operators and those passengers without access to bank accounts. However, big questions remain, says the organisation. Norman Baker, Chair of Bus Users UK, says:
• DP World to offer container weighing solution for the UKDP World is investing in container weighing services at its UK facilities to ensure that British businesses can continue trading when landmark legislation starts in July which will have a major impact on the supply chain. United Kingdom, London and Southampton, 15 February 2016:- DP World London Gateway and DP World Southampton will be offering a comprehensive weighing service for UK exporters to determine the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) of each container so that UK businesses can be compliant with new legislation from the 1st July 2016, which requires a laden export container to be weighed pri...
• TfL publishes latest bus safety statisticsTransport for London (TfL) has today published bus safety statistics for the final quarter of 2015 (October to December), which show a slight reduction in the rate of injuries on the bus network. Between October and December 2015, 1,488 people were injured in incidents involving buses, compared with 1,491 in the previous three months (July to September 2015). Eighty-seven per cent of the injuries in the period were classified as minor, of these 84 per cent were treated at the scene of the incident and did not require hospital treatment.  This means that the casualty rate remains low at ...

Construction Enquirer

• Work to start this year on £96m Lincoln bypassConstruction is expected to finally start this year on the long-awaited Lincoln bypass after approval for the scheme was granted following a public enquiry.

Rail Magazine

• TPE’s Goodwin pledges new trains and more servicesTransPennine Express planning a three-phase improvement to its services, with the first - a sixth hourly Manchester-Leeds service - starting in December 2017.
• Brand new Class 66s delivered to YorkshireThe final convoy of brand new Class 66s left Newport Docks for Doncaster yesterday.
• Class 73/9s begin Sleeper dutiesClass 73/9s have begun work with Caledonian Sleeper, hauling Sleeper trains in the Highlands.

Railway Gazette

• Three aims for Network Rail’s Digital RailwayUK: More trains, better connections and greater reliability are the three aims of Network Rail’s...
• Network Rail to pilot Digital Railway in East AngliaUK: Network Rail is finalising the site for a pilot deployment of technology integration under its...

Aviation Industry

• Airlines' recovery about more than oil pricesCheap fuel gets a lot of credit for record profits at U.S. airlines, but it's just the latest piece in a long turnaround. Carriers also are more efficient, in part by using larger planes and maximizing their hubs.
• Cityjet and Flybe join growing threat to pull aircraft from London CityNew owners could raise airport charges to help cover �2 billion price tag
• UK airports want government response on APDOrganisation says the issue must be addressed in March Budget
• Icelandair offers gate-to-gate wifiPassengers can now connect as soon as they board aircraft
• Pilots union: lasers should be classed as offensive weaponsVirgin flight forced to turn back to Heathrow after pilot was ‘dazzled’ by beam

Green Miscellany

• Bicycle seat post pumps: Why so rare?Bicycle seat post pumps are not a new idea, so why are most bikes sold without them? AIRSUPPLY hope to change that for good. The post Bicycle seat post pumps: Why so rare? appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Hitachi Rail Europe hires former London Underground head as first GC [subscription]Hitachi Rail Europe has hired WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff’s legal director Jane Mee as its first general counsel.
• Leeds to Manchester in less than 15 minutes: Could 'hover train' save us from M62 misery in the future?Futuristic technology of maglev 'hover train' could end commuter woes — could it come to West Yorkshire?
• Transparency in shipping line prices welcomed by FTAThe Freight Transport Association (FTA) says it looks forward to more transparency in shipping line prices following an investigation by the ...
• Uber confirmed for Business Travel ShowRide-sharing app to exhibit for first time at this month's show