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

Friday, 26 February 2016

BBC News

• Car ban near schools plannedMotorists could be fined for driving in or around school streets during drop-off and pick-up times.
• Bug causes bogus Tube travel warningsTransport for London has blamed a bug for making travel apps say that no services were running on London Tube lines.
• Runway delay 'holding up whole country'Delaying a decision on expanding Heathrow or Gatwick is holding up better road and rail links to airports across the country, MPs have warned.
• Nissan disables app over Leaf hack riskNissan suspends an app that allowed hackers to take control of its Leaf cars' heating and air conditioning systems.

Financial Times

• London City airport sold to Canadian fundsConsortium including Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan wins £2bn auction
• Crossrail builders unearth London historyRich collection of archaeological finds provides fascinating insight into capital’s past

The Guardian

• Flying Scotsman grinds to halt on inaugural run due to 'mindless' trespassersEast coast main line and iconic steam train forced to stop during London-York journey due to fans taking pictures from tracksAfter a 10-year refit costing £4.2m and meticulous preparation, Flying Scotsman’s much-anticipated return to the track was briefly halted by an unforeseen obstacle – overexcited fans.As the world-famous locomotive travelled from London to York on Thursday for the inaugural journey since its hiatus, its progress was rudely interrupted by dozens of hardy steam enthusiasts standing on the line to try to photograph the national treasure. Continue reading...
• Heathrow 13 climate change protesters: 'We'll be back' – videoBefore receiving suspended sentences on Thursday, the Heathrow 13 climate change activists explain why they they occupied the airport. They say direct action was their only option for fighting climate change. Will the fear of further punishment deter them from more law-breaking actions?Heathrow 13: climate change protesters avoid jail Continue reading...
• Hackers can control Nissan Leaf's heating and access driving historyWeakness in communication between electric car and app provides opportunities for hackers Hackers can control features in Nissan’s Leaf electric cars over the internet, enabling them to remotely enable the air conditioning and heating, or pull information from the car including driving history, replete with GPS co-ordinates.The car can be hacked by exploiting a weakness in the way it communicates with its companion app, NissanConnect EV. The app itself can be used to control the in-car climate and check driving range, but only for the owner’s car. Continue reading...

The Scotsman

• Sturgeon: I can’t stop Prestwick Airport courting Donald TrumpNicola Sturgeon today told MSPs European rules mean she cannot block publicly-owned Prestwick Airport from wooing Donald Trump after the US Presidential candidate was branded a “dangerous extremist” at Holyrood.
• Rail enthusiasts on tracks delay Flying Scotsman’s inaugural runDOZENS of steam enthusiasts have disrupted the inaugural run of Flying Scotsman after its decade-long, £4.2 million refit by standing on the track to take photographs.

The Telegraph

• Hurrah for the Scotsman that still flies fearlesslyWhat is it that so appeals about the age of steam in an age of the internet?
• Britain would be a 'laughing stock' if Government pushes airport decision back again, David Cameron's advisor warnsFormer Labour secretary of state who is helping the Prime Minister with infrastructure policy said ministers should make a decision urgently

Times Online

• Runway delay is making us a joke, says peer [Subscription]David Cameron has until the end of the year to take a decision on expanding airport capacity or Britain risks becoming an international laughing stock, his infrastructure chief has claimed.
• Canadians pay £2bn to land City airport [subscription]A Canadian pension fund has increased its stake in Britain by winning the race to buy London City airport.
• National Express on American school trip [Subscription]National Express is targeting further expansion in the US at the expense of FirstGroup, its great rival.
• Train lines will be shut to avoid travel chaos [subscription]Railway lines will be subjected to complete shutdowns throughout the year under plans for the biggest upgrade of the network since Victorian times.

Mail Online

• Britain will become a 'laughing stock' if Heathrow third runway decision is delayed any more, warns Cameron’s own infrastructure tsar Britain will become a ‘laughing stock’ if a decision on building a third runway at Heathrow Airport is delayed further, the Government’s own infrastructure tsar warned yesterday.
• Driverless cars will lead to MORE traffic: Self-driving technology will put more vehicles on the roads as people abandon public transport Researchers at the universities of Leeds and Washington, said people may ditch public transport in favour of driverless cars, increasing the number of vehicles on roads in 20 years.

Birmingham Post

• Vintage Trains cancels more services after operator gets ban Tyseley-based Vintage Trains axed services but said it was hopeful of running its popular Shakespeare Express

London Evening Standard

• Noise from Night Tube 'could drive residents to threaten suicide', TfL report warnsIncreased noise disturbance from the proposed Night Tube could drive residents to threats of suicide, a Transport for London report has warned.
• East Coast Main Line closed as trespassers wander on to tracks to see Flying ScotsmanTrespassers hoping to catch a glimpse of the Flying Scotsman have caused all services to be halted on the East Coast Main Line.
• How to travel on the Tube for free using Apple Pay next weekTech-savvy Tube users will be able to ride the London Underground for free on Monday.
• Bug causes travel apps to say all Tube lines closed in morning rush hourTransport bosses today blamed a software bug for causing several travel apps to report that all Tube lines were closed during rush hour.
• Trainspotter's long-awaited view of Flying Scotsman blocked by passing Virgin trainA trainspotter eagerly awaiting the historic sight of the Flying Scotsman's return to the railways suffered a stroke of bad luck when a train passing in the opposite direction almost completely obscured his view.

Northern Echo

• Flying Scotsman reaches York - Amazing photos & videos - huge crowds Live reports from the Flying Scotsman's historic journey home

Sheffield Star

• Rail chaos as Flying Scotsman halted by trespassers on tracksThe homecoming of the Flying Scotsman has been delayed after trespassers keen to get a closer glimpse of the iconic loco forced it to make an unplanned stop.

The York Press

• Victorian York railway building to be demolished within weeks ANOTHER piece of York's railway history is set to be demolished, as the push to redevelop derelict land goes on.
• Flying Scotsman: A first-hand account from the historic journey Stephen Lewis reports from the train everyone was talking about...
• 30-year transport plan agreed - It's good news for A64 & A59 drivers but bad news for cyclists A THIRTY-YEAR transport plan for North Yorkshire’s 5,700 miles of roads has been approved by the county council.

Yorkshire Post

• Approved North Yorkshire plan focuses on improved cross-county travelA plan to improve transport links over the next 30 years has been unanimously approved by North Yorkshire County Council.
• Leeds MP brands proposed Leeds-Bradford airport link road ‘inadequate’Proposals to improve road links between Leeds and the region’s airport have been dismissed as “completely inadequate” by one of the city’s MPs.
• Treasury Minister pleads for time to deliver ‘northern powerhouse’TREASURY Minister Lord Jim O’Neill will today plead for the Government’s ‘northern powerhouse’ plan to be judged over the long term.
• HS2 'already benefiting YorkshireTHE MAN leading the project to bring high speed rail to Yorkshire has claimed it is already having a major economic impact years before construction begins.

Crewe Chronicle

• Motorists give new link road in Crewe the thumbs up David Whitby Way was officially opened by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin on December 21 following 15 months of construction

Doncaster Free Press

• Rail chaos as Flying Scotsman halted by trespassers on tracksThe homecoming of the Flying Scotsman has been delayed after trespassers keen to get a closer glimpse of the iconic loco forced it to make an unplanned stop.

Peterborough Telegraph

• VIDEO: ‘Tears in the eye’ as Flying Scotsman pulls into Peterborough StationIn typical British rail fashion it was running late, but for the masses on Platform 4 of Peterborough Station eagerly waiting for the famous Flying Scotsman to pass by, it was well worth the wait.

Plymouth Herald

• What cabbies fear about the new Derry's Cross road plans – and why the council thinks it’s a good idea TAXI drivers warn of "traffic chaos" as plans to install coach stops on a major Plymouth roundabout are announced.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Rochester station officially opened Rochester's new �26 million train station has been officially opened by HRH The Duke of Kent, after the building work was completed in December 2015. Since the last month of last year, the station has already seen 250,000 journeys pass through it. To open the station, the Duke of Kent arrived by train and was welcomed by Southeastern, Network Rail and Medway Council. Speaking on the new station, Alasdair Coates, routes managing director at Network Rail, said:

Rail Magazine

• High Speed Rail Select Committee publishes final reportRecommendations included a longer tunnel in the Chilterns, changes to the maintenance depot at Washwood Heath and better noise mitigation at Wendover
• GTR confirms �200m deal for new Class 700 variantThe deal for 25 six-car Desiro City trains for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) was confirmed on February 17
• Leicestershire strategy focuses on HS2 benefitsA connection between the Midland Main Line and HS2 close to the latter’s planned East Midlands Hub station at Toton could help to boost Leicestershire’s economy
• CBT seeks investigation into South East ticketingCampaign for Better Transport is calling for an investigation into the costs of the South East Flexible Ticketing programme (SEFT)
• Select Committee to probe Digital RailwayThe House of Commons Transport Select Committee is to investigate plans to deploy European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) signalling and train control
• Johnson seeks increased Crossrail 2 commitmentGrowth created by Crossrail 2 will more than pay for the scheme, according to London Mayor Boris Johnson
• Access at BroxbourneHertfordshire County Council is investing �400,000 to improve bus, pedestrian and cycle access at the front of Broxbourne station
• Taskforce urges four-tracking of West Anglia lineBuilding more tracks on the West Anglia Main Line would bring new jobs and homes to boost economic growth between London, Cambridge and Stansted Airport

Railnews

• Flying Scotsman trespassers block East Coast Main Line British Transport Police officers were called to deal with trespassing railway enthusiasts who caused the Flying Scotsman to be stopped near the border of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire this morning. The steam special was brought to a stand for a short time, until police could give the all clear. It is not known if any arrests were made. The delay also affected following trains, and Virgin Trains East Coast said some of its services were being affected.

Aviation Industry

• NDC criticised for ‘taking too long’Airlines are being “too slow” in implementing new booking services

Other News Sources

• Farnham railway station will see more than 180 new car parking spaces The existing main car park will close during construction which begins in April but Councillor Pat Frost said they are working to minimise all possible difficulties
• Heathrow 13 Plane Stupid protesters spared prison labelled 'selfish' by opponents Supporters express their glee after the protesters were spared jail, but Back Heathrow campaign argues they are a 'tiny minority'