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

Tuesday, 01 March 2016

BBC News

• Law firm in new legal threat over UK air pollutionThe UK government has been warned to drastically reduce air pollution or face renewed legal action.
• First of 27 new trains starts running on Gatwick Express routeThe first of a fleet of new trains has been introduced on the Gatwick Express service between London Victoria and the West Sussex airport.
• 'Crack' in train forces Heathrow Express to replace stockAll Heathrow Express rolling stock has been taken out of service after engineers found a structural fault on one of its trains.
• Google self-driving car hits a busOne of Google's self-driving cars crashed into a bus in California last month. There were no injuries.

Department for Transport

• New £1 million competition to boost rail tourismCompetition aimed at heritage and community railways to make it easier to travel across the UK by rail launched.

Financial Times

• Nasa fuels dream for supersonic airliner$20m grant for Lockheed Martin to design plans for first ‘X-plane’
• Google driverless car in road accidentCrash highlights challenges of programming machines for road etiquette
• EasyJet founder turns up heat on FastjetSir Stelios Haji-Ioannou calls for removal of chief executive after losing ‘faith’ in the management

The Guardian

• Boris Johnson does pull-ups on bus chassis – videoLondon mayor Boris Johnson is cheered as he tests the strength of a London bus chassis by doing two pull-ups on it. He visited a Wrightbus plant on Monday in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, as the order of a further 200 Routemaster buses was announced by Transport for London earlier this month Continue reading...
• Next Concorde? Nasa kickstarts 'Quesst' for new supersonic passenger jetLockheed Martin wins contract to carry out initial design of ‘low-boom’ aircraft that would announce its passing with a soft thump rather than thundering roarNasa has given the go-ahead for preliminary design of a “low-boom” supersonic passenger plane that could one day fill the gap left by the retirement of the Concorde jet.

The Scotsman

• A90 speed fines rise by 1,100% after speed limit droppedSPEEDING fines on a busy stretch of the A90 have increased by more than 1,100 per cent since the limit was lowered from 50mph to 40mph.
• Drivers facing more delays as Scotland’s traffic hits 6-year highFrustrated drivers are enduring worsening congestion on Scotland’s roads after traffic levels reached a record high last year.

Times Online

• Families can fly for less as child air duty is abolished [Subscription]The price of flying will be cut dramatically for families from today after government reforms to air taxes.
• Boris goes on road for his 1,000th bus [Subscription]It could well be the last order for the capital’s fancy new Routemaster – and it may yet be a contract which is cancelled altogether – but the mayor of London has formally cut the ribbon on plans to get the 1,000th Boris Bus on the road.
• More cars on roads as bus use declines [Subscription]Car use in Scotland is at record levels while public transport stagnates, according to official figures.

Daily Record

• Travel by ferry? Numbers increase on services to Arran after introduction of cheaper pricesTHE NUMBER of cars travelling by ferry to Arran has almost doubled since cheaper fares were introduced.

The Mirror

• Mid-air stag do brawl on Ryanair plane was started 'after row over 25-year-old woman'Joshua Mariner blamed his two friends - who started arguing on the flight from Luton Airport - for why the plane had to land in Berlin, Germany

Birmingham Mail

• Huge �1m airbridge goes up at Birmingham Airport with Airbus A380 en route Some major infrastructure work has been taking place to prepare for the world???s largest passenger airliner

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Railway's original shareholders told of ongoing success THE SUCCESS of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway during 2015 has been reported to shareholders at their annual general meeting.

London Evening Standard

• Replace trees chopped down for cycle superhighway, TfL toldCampaigners are demanding that Transport for London replace 23 mature trees chopped down to make way for a cycle superhighway.
• Zac Goldsmith's £1.5bn pledge to tackle crowded Tube linesZac Goldsmith today pledged to crack down on overcrowding on the Tube with a £1.5 billion investment to boost capacity on the busiest lines.
• Gatwick airport runway closed due to oil spillNo planes were able to leave the airport since the runway was closed at about 10.15 this morning, and some inbound flights were also diverted.
• Circle line completely suspended after signal failure at Baker StreetCommuters faced rush hour travel woe this morning after the Circle line was completely suspended.

Sheffield Star

• THE STAR SAYS: This is not the last stop for bus cuts sagaFour months after Sheffield’s bus network was turned upside down by the biggest cuts it has ever seen - and you only have to read The Star’s letters page to see how much of an impact they still have.

The York Press

• Ouse bridge works in York causing traffic trouble DRIVERS heading towards the centre of York faced traffic chaos yesterday as footpath works in the centre of town disrupted traffic on some roads.

Yorkshire Post

• ‘Don’t dither on new rail and roads for north’ MAJOR UPGRADES to roads and rail in Yorkshire could be the victim of the same dithering seen over the location of new runways in the South-East unless a new Government body is given teeth, business leaders have warned.

Daventry Express

• Range Rover the most stolen car last yearThe Range Rover Sport was the most stolen and recovered vehicle in 2015 thanks to keyless entry and ignition systems, according to a new report.

Get West London

• Heathrow Express carriages recalled in safety precaution after 'cracks' in train spottedConnect services have been suspended and passengers should expect overcrowding on Heathrow Express

Other Regional Press

• HS2 campaigners turn to House of Lords in bid for tunnel under the ChilternsThe full tunnel was rejected last week by the HS2 select committee
• Billions for transport and chance to keep its stamp duty - what Cambridge could get from devolution A flood of new powers including a Transport for London-style regional transport board, retaining stamp duty and a 'development corporation' are among the ideas in the melting pot for the 'tri-county' devolution deal.

Rail Magazine

• ORR consults on Heathrow Spur access chargesThe Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is consulting on Heathrow Airport’s proposed charging framework for the Heathrow Airport-Great Western Main Line (GWML) link when Crossrail trains begin using it.

Rail Technology Magazine

• International Critical Communication Award for Train Collision Avoidance System Intelligence on Wheels was awarded the International Critical Communications Award 2016 in the category 'Best Use of TETRA for Transport' for their innovative safety overlay system.
• BNSF to improve rail capacity in Missouri with $140m investment US freight transport firm BNSF Railway (BNSF) plans to invest $140m to expand capacity and maintain infrastructure in Missouri, US.
• India's Delhi Metro to transport cargo on Airport Express Line from March Delhi Metro Rail (DMRC) is to begin a three-month trial of cargo services on the Airport Express line in India.
• MULTIRAIL® LiquidWeight - Dynamic Weighing for Liquids At large production facilities in the chemical industry, hundreds of tonnes of liquids are weighed every day. In recent years a major petrochemical company in Cologne has optimised this process to make it highly efficient, with the help of MULTIRAIL®…
• Australian Rail Technology-Rolling Stock, Electronics, TCMS and PIDS Solutions Australian Rail Technology (ART) is a leading provider of rail solutions. It is a system and technology integrator of complex rolling stock, electrical and infrastructure systems.ART supplies an exte...
• Nencki-Bogie Testing and Maintenance Equipment Nencki is a leading Swiss manufacturer of bogie testing and maintenance equipment and for machinery for stationary rail welding plants.
• AUSTROROLL HSR – For Moveable Frogs The patented Austroroll frog roller (HSR) is a rolling device for frogs with spring-action point for high-speed points.
• Mayser-Drag Detection and Obstacle Detection Systems for Train Doors Mayser is a world-leading supplier of safety systems for public transport applications and an expert in obstacle detection and drag detection systems for train, bus and platform doors.
• ContiTech Technologies Reduce Noise in Rail Transport Deutsche Bahn plans to fit 50% of its freight car fleet with what is known as a 'whisper brake' by the end of the year. But it is not just braking that generates noise, the wheels of rail vehicles are also susceptible to vibrations.

Railnews

• Heathrow Express trains withdrawn for emergency checks Trains providing the premium fare Heathrow Express service between London Paddington and the terminals at Heathrow Airport have been withdrawn for emergency technical checks. The units usually used for the parallel stopping Heathrow Connect service have been drafted in as replacements, but as a result there are no Heathrow Connect services running. The Class 332 fleet used for Heathrow Express was built by Siemens, whose engineers still carry out maintenance of the trains at Old Oak Common. Airport-owned Heathrow Express said 'a technical issue has been identified'.

Railway Gazette

• European disaster exercise simulates Underground station collapseUK: What the London Fire Brigade describes as ‘Europe’s biggest ever disaster training exercise’...

Aviation Industry

• IAG profits surge on fuel price dropBA parent company reports yearly pre-tax profits have jumped 64%

Other News Sources

• Design house builds on ‘Tomorrow’s Train’ successCambridgeshire-based design house 42 Technology is highlighting the importance of product development in the UK for the transport and infrastructure sector.
• Gatwick Airport runway closed after fuel spillage The runway at Gatwick was closed to all flights on Monday morning due to the spillage
• Heathrow to take action over 'illegal' flights as residents compare low-flying planes to 'bombing raid' Research by the airport itself suggests more large aircraft are flying outside their permitted route - and at lower heights
• Crossrail 2 'could be named after Henry VIII' claims county councillor A councillor has said Crossrail 2 could be named after Henry VIII on account of his connection with Hampton Court        
• Hove family meets Martine McCutcheon to celebrate bringing old bikes back to life. A HOVE family met up with celebrity Martine McCutcheon in London to celebrate a new programme reviving disused bicycles.
• Buyers predict strong business confidence will boost travelStudy shows majority of travel managers ‘optimistic’ about company outlook and growth
• Virgin Trains rolls out mobile tickets on west coast mainlineRail operator steps up ‘eliminating’ the orange ticket
• Heathrow Express replaces stock after ‘crack’ in trainHeathrow Connect suspended as trains are moved onto Express service