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

Wednesday, 24 February 2016

BBC News

• Aston Martin creates 750 jobs in WalesAston Martin is to build its new luxury car in south Wales, creating 750 highly-skilled jobs.
• VIDEO: Queen unveils new purple Crossrail lineQueen Elizabeth has unveiled the new Crossrail railway line, named in her honour.
• VIDEO: Augmented reality creates car showroomAn augmented reality app that uses Google's Project Tango technology creates an interactive car showroom.
• VIDEO: Can electric cars work in rural areas?A pioneering project on the island of Mull is demonstrating that electric cars could be a viable form of transport in rural areas. Craig Anderson reports.
• Tunnel debris found on Tube train roofA lump of concrete is found on the roof of a Central Line Tube train the day after contractors drilled a hole through the tunnel roof.
• Crossrail to be called Elizabeth LineCrossrail, the new railway which will run beneath London, is to be named the Elizabeth Line in honour of the Queen, Boris Johnson announces.

Financial Times

• Heathrow boss warns UK needs EU to thriveJohn Holland-Kaye is one of several chiefs to sign a letter backing Cameron’s reform deal
• HS2 MPs call for faster project approvalConsultation process on �57bn high-speed rail line took 2 years and 160 hearings
• Uber launches first motorbike taxi serviceApp looks to India and Southeast Asia to offset China losses

The Guardian

• London's Crossrail to be named Elizabeth line after the Queen – videoA new railway line that will run under London is to be named after the Queen. Crossrail, which will link parts of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire to Essex, will be known as the Elizabeth line when it opens through the centre of the capital in December 2018
• UK fracking traffic would increase local air pollution, finds studyNumber of tankers taking water to and from drilling sites would increase hourly levels of nitrogen oxide emissions by as much as 30%, says research
• Heathrow 13 likely to become UK's first climate change protesters to be jailedActivists will be sentenced on Wednesday and have been warned of likelihood of jail time despite support of leading politiciansThe 13 activists who chained themselves to Heathrow’s northern runway are likely to become the first climate change protesters to be jailed in the UK when they are sentenced on Wednesday morning, despite the support of prominent politicians.The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, said it would be a “disgrace” and that he was “shattered by the concept” of the Heathrow 13 being imprisoned, while the Green MP Caroline Lucas said it would be “deeply unjust”. Continue readi...

The Herald

• Glasgow Subway to close for a month on June 24 leaving staff in limboGlasgow Subway staff have been told they may have to sell tickets for a replacement bus service outside stations when they shut for a month during an upgrade.

The Telegraph

• Brexit would make third Heathrow runway more pressing, airport boss warnsHeathrow boss John Holland-Kaye said he wanted Britain stay in a reformed EU, but exit would strengthen the case for airport expansion

Mail Online

• Flying Scotsman steam train is in action again following a restoration The iconic Flying Scotsman returned to the tracks today as it made its way from York to Scarborough for the first time following its decade-long �4.2million restoration.

Birmingham Post

• Major Birmingham jobs blow as Aston Martin reveals Wales plant Sutton Coldfield has lost out in the race to attract the James Bond car-maker after a factory in Glamorgan was revealed

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Wrexham trains delayed after break-down on railway lineThe incident at Shotton has also cancelled some services between Wrexham Central station and Bidston

London Evening Standard

• Samaritans to train Tube staff in spotting those at risk of suicideA bid to increase the number of Tube staff trained to help people at risk of suicide has been launched by Transport for London.
• Crossrail named the Elizabeth line: Royal title unveiled as the Queen visits Bond Street stationCrossrail is to be named the Elizabeth line in honour of the Queen, the Standard can reveal today.
• Crossrail route map: new Elizabeth line connects London to Essex and ReadingThis is the new route map for Crossrail, London's newest rail line.
• Evening Standard comment: The Elizabeth Line will transform transportThe extraordinary activity below ground and the unholy obstructions above ground that the making of Crossrail has involved will be rewarded next year with the opening of the first section of a new line that will ultimately transport some 200 million people a year around London. Today, symbolically, Crossrail gets a name: it is to be called after the Queen, the Elizabeth Line. On the Tube map it will be royal purple in colour. The Queen's visit today — wearing purple herself — to the Bond Street Crossrail station to inspect progress shows just how close the line is to becoming a functioning rea...

Wales Online

• More than 100,000 drivers have now been caught using Cardiff's bus lanes and paid out almost �3mThe council have finally revealed how they will spend the money - and it will be on a new bus interchange

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Cyclists invited to attend annual fundraising eventCyclists and visitors from across the UK will once again be visiting Yorkshire to take part in the popular challenge ride to celebrate the UK’s Tour de France & local , pioneer Brian Robinson.

Blackpool Gazette

• Bus timetable changes ahead in �400k cutsBus chiefs have been forced to make changes to some services after suffering a £400,000 cut in subsidies.
• Just nine per cent of people cycle to workThe dreary weather in the North West and across the UK plays a factor with just 9% of working Brits currently cycling to work, new research shows.

Bucks Free Press

• New rail line will be named after the Queen A new railway line which will link parts of south Bucks with central London and Essex is to be named after the Queen.

Doncaster Free Press

• Unwanted bikes needed as town gears up to host Tour de YorkshireMembers of the public are being asked to donate any unwanted bikes to be used as decorations when Doncaster hosts the Tour de Yorkshire.
• Doncaster trust takes delivery of first electric vehicleA Balby-based trust has taken delivery of its first electric delivery van in a bid to save money and reduce carbon emissions.

Other Regional Press

• Swindon boosted by proposed rail link with HeathrowPLANS have been unveiled which could see Swindon gain a direct rail link to Heathrow Airport within the next ten years.
• WORST POTHOLES REVEALED: It’s getting a hole lot worse on Lancashire’s roadsThey are the bane of drivers’ lives – and a cyclist’s worst nightmare.
• Just nine per cent of people cycle to workThe dreary weather in the North West and across the UK plays a factor with just 9% of working Brits currently cycling to work, new research shows.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• TfL and famous faces team up to walk the Circle line for Sport ReliefWell-known Londoners have recorded podcasts of their favourite places to walk along the Circle Tube line, to promote Transport for London’s (TfL) special free led walk on Sunday 13th March for Sport Relief. The ‘My London on foot’ podcasts include the BBC radio presenters Robert Elms and Nick Bright, celebrating the Capital’s history, culture and landscape through the ages – from the home of London’s famous detective Sherlock Holmes on Baker Street to the rich musical heritage of Ladbroke Grove and East London. Famous faces who can be heard on the podcasts i...
• Virgin Atlantic leads Heathrow airlines’ move towards quieter planesHeathrow’s latest Fly Quiet league results, ranking airlines’ noise performance from October to December 2015, have been published.  The results show a clear trend towards quieter, newer planes at Heathrow, with airlines like Virgin Atlantic making substantive changes in their fleet over the last three months alone. The latest data includes the largest single jump in scores tracking the use of quieter planes, since the start of the Fly Quiet programme two years ago.   On average, scores tracking aircrafts’ noise certifications improved by 8%, compared to both last q...
• Newcastle International Airport car park expansion gets the go aheadNewcastle International Airport has today announced a development to extend its car parking facilities. A multi-million pound contract has been awarded to The Owen Pugh Group to extend the existing long-term car park to provide 1,600 additional spaces at the airport. Preliminary work on the scheme is already underway and the project is expected to take 21 weeks to complete. The new extension is bordered by Ponteland Road and Prestwick Road with the airport requiring the space for additional cars to support its growth in demand for long-term parking capacity. The construction will be carefully ...
• Birmingham Airport has a strong start to 2016 setting a new passenger recordBirmingham Airport has started the year on a high, recording a healthy 9% passenger growth rate year-on-year for January 2016 and the busiest January on record. Last month the Midlands airport handled a total of 666,681 passengers, 55,000 more than the same month the previous year. Demand for seats has increased on both long and short-haul routes, with the most significant growth again recorded on long-haul services which were up by over 18% compared to the same month last year.  Paul Kehoe, Chief Executive Officer at Birmingham Airport, said: “This is an excellent start to the yea...
• RVEL becomes train operatorRVEL, a Loram company, has been granted a Safety Certificate and Non-passenger Train Licence by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) allowing the company to operate non-passenger services. The initial Safety Certificate, covering a period of five years, will allow RVEL to operate trains between the Derby RTC and Old Dalby test track in support of its existing engineering and re-engineering business. RVEL hopes to operate its first train along this route in mid 2016. RVEL’s decision to apply for a Non-passenger Train Licence follows the company’s acquisition by US company Loram in 20...
• Crossrail to become the Elizabeth lineHer Majesty the Queen visited the under-construction Crossrail station at Bond Street as the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, announced that the new railway will be known as the Elizabeth line in her honour. The Elizabeth line will transform travel across the city, boosting the economy by billions of pounds and supporting thousands of new jobs and homes. The Mayor was joined by Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin MP, London’s Transport Commissioner Mike Brown MVO, the Crossrail construction company’s Chairman Terry Morgan, and Chief Executive Andrew Wolstenholm...

Railnews

• Forget Crossrail � now it's the Elizabeth Line London's new underground railway, which has been built as Crossrail, will have a new name when trains start running in 2018. Her Majesty the Queen visited the station site at Bond Street today, where the Mayor of London announced that the route will be known as the Elizabeth Line. She was presented with a commemorative Elizabeth roundel, and met a number of people involved in the construction of Crossrail, including apprentices, engineers and future train drivers.
• HS2 Bill Committee report has 'failed to deliver' The final report from the Parliamentary Committee which has been considering the Hybrid Bill authorising Phase 1 of HS2 has 'failed to deliver', according to critics. The Committee heard nearly 1,600 petitions against the Bill, and its final recommendations include a longer Chilterns bored tunnel with a north portal at South Heath, greater noise protection for Wendover and amendments to the discretionary compensation schemes. However, the Rail Freight Group has expressed its concerns about the prospects for freight, while the promoters of the competing HSUK scheme are calling for the line to ...

Aviation Industry

• Airport noise community groups write to David Cameron calling for review of airspace policyIn an open letter to David Cameron, which AEF co-ordinated, community groups concerned about the impacts of flight path changes have written to call on the Government to bring forward a review of airspace policy and the process for consultation …
• Airlines match third airfare hike of 2016In this Feb. 3, 2014, file photo, a passenger checks in luggage at the Southwest Airlines counter at Love Field in Dallas. The Dallas-based carrier initiated a $10 per round-trip fare increase that has been matched by three other carriers.
• Emirates touts economic benefits to US; upgauges IAD service to A380Emirates Airline marked the upgauging of its daily service between Dubai and Washington Dulles (IAD) Tuesday with ceremonies at IAD and VIP tours of one of its 76 Airbus A380s. read more
• Qantas reports record profit for fiscal first-halfQantas achieved the best half-year result in the airline’s history with a net profit of A$688 million ($498 million) for the six months through Dec. 31, 2015, compared with a profit of A$206 million a year earlier. read more
• US continues to dominate long-haul business travelGTMC ‘concerned’ about low level of travel to emerging economies
• Business Travel Show to break records265 exhibitors including American Airlines, Uber, Amadeus, easyJet, Etihad and Virgin Trains

Other News Sources

• Campaign to raise funds for electric bus overshoots target within a few weeks A CAMPAIGN to raise funds for an electric bus has smashed its target within a few weeks.