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

Friday, 18 March 2016

BBC News

• Bus boss 'had no knowledge' of fraudA former bus company boss claimed he had no knowledge of the fraudulent claiming of more than �800,000, Caernarfon crown court hears.
• Oyster-style travel ticket system callA "smart-ticketing" system is needed for transport across Wales by 2018, a group of AMs has said.
• Borders Railway future goals drawn upA list of proposals is drawn up to enhance the long-term future of the Borders Railway - including extending the line to Carlisle.
• Night Tube 'to start in July'The Night Tube service is to begin in July, London Mayor Boris Johnson claims.
• Lufthansa profits soar despite strikesGerman airline group Lufthansa reports a big jump in annual earnings, helped by cheaper fuel costs.
• Commuters to get more help with refundsMillions of rail passengers are to be given more help to claim money back when their train is delayed, the industry is promising.

Financial Times

• Lufthansa shares suffer on rising costsGains from declining fuel prices offset by strikes and fall in passenger numbers after Paris attacks
• Train companies must ease refund claimsBritain’s rail regulator criticises complicated compensation rules

The Guardian

• Heathrow turns to poetry to entertain soaraway Easter crowdsMichael Rosen and Danny Wallace among authors to write original work for children, to be broadcast around airport, alongside workshops and competitionsPassengers at Heathrow this Easter will be able to slip the surly bonds of Earth before they even board their flights thanks to an initiative offering travelling families new poetry by major names including Michael Rosen and Laura Dockrill.Former children’s laureate Rosen, performance poet Dockrill and the bestselling authors Danny Wallace and MG Leonard have all written new poems for Heathrow’s newly installed “poetry points”. Overhead speakers...
• Train delay refunds must be simpler to claim, says rail watchdogRail regulator issues ruling after finding 80% of passengers did not claim on compensation to which they were entitledTrain firms must make passengers aware of their rights when their journeys are delayed and give them “plain English” forms to claim compensation, the rail regulator has ruled.After a three-month investigation in response to a complaint from consumer group Which?, the Office of Rail and Road found that 80% of passengers did not claim refunds to which they were entitled. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Council in bids to trial school-run car banROADS surrounding four schools in Perth and Kinross will be closed to traffic during drop off and pick up times if councillors approve the latest local authority scheme to cut congestion around schools.
• Pollution warning downgraded after spiking in Fife POLLUTION warnings have been downgraded after peaking at dangerous levels in the east of Scotland.

The Independent

• Tufnell Park tube station's makeover symbolises everything that's wrong with Transport for LondonWe have the most expensive public transport system in the world – and it’s embarrassing how inefficient we are at improving infrastructure

The Telegraph

• Flying Scotsman hit by drone on North York MoorsPassengers terrified by 'huge bang' when drone hit rear carriage of newly restored train on preserved railway tracks between Grosmont and Pickering

The Mirror

• Over-70s should be made to retake driving tests, say half of British motorists A survey highlighted safety concerns with two thirds saying they'd call the police if they thought a pensioner was a danger on the road
• Put the north first! Jeremy Corbyn says HS3 should be confirmed before London's Crossrail 2 The Labour leader said the northern link should come first - despite George Osborne joking the London line was perfect for him

Liverpool Echo

• What's driving Liverpool's new-found enthusiasm for pothole repairs?ECHO reporter Bill Gleeson has his say on Liverpool's pothole crisis

London Evening Standard

• Night Tube: Boris Johnson says services will start in JulyNight Tube services will start running in July, Boris Johnson said today.
• Campaigners call for rethink after second death at redesigned Elephant and Castle roundaboutCampaigners today called for an urgent rethink of the redesigned Elephant and Castle junction as a motorcyclist became the second person to be killed there in less than two months.
• Norwegian pledges 50 long-haul Boeing 787 Dreamliners for Gatwick if second runway is built Low-cost airline Norwegian has pledged to locate 50 long-haul Boeing 787 Dreamliners at Gatwick if a second runway is built at the airport.
• London Overground Barking extension backed by Boris JohnsonWork could start next year on a �263 million Overground extension which would see the line stretch out into Barking after Boris Johnson backed the project today.
• Cabin of British Airways plane to Heathrow floods after trolley hits water pipeA British Airways plane bound for London "flooded" after a service trolley hit a water pipe and sprung a leak.
• Transport for London approves clampdown on Uber and minicab driversTransport for London has today approved plans to curb the soaring number of Uber cars and minicabs by using English and geography tests alongside beefed up insurance requirements.

Northern Echo

• A1 to close for two nights as giant bridge beams lowered into place A MAJOR engineering milestone in the A1 upgrade to continuous motorway takes place this weekend - with motorists facing lengthy diversions.

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield joins forces with four other cities to ensure potential of Northern Powerhouse is realiasedSheffield and four other cities have pledged to work together with the Government to ‘ensure the full potential of a Northern Powerhouse is realised’.

The York Press

• Trainspotters warned to stand back after man fell on track TRAINSPOTTERS have been urged to calm down after a man fell on the track as Flying Scotsman was set to go into full steam, while another enthusiast's camera drone stunned passengers as it crashed into a carriage.

Wales Online

• Wales needs its own Oyster cards says a radical review of our public transport systemAn Assembly committee will argue today that a Wales-specific version of London's Oyster card travel system should be introduced

Crewe Chronicle

• Cheshire East leader welcomes HS3 backing Cllr Rachel Bailey said HS3, HS2 and a strategic transport hub at Crewe will transform the local, regional and national economy

Doncaster Free Press

• Column: Doncaster Bus Intelligence report is not smartLong-suffering bus passengers in Doncaster will not be surprised to find that the newly published Bus Intelligence report contains few obvious signs of intelligence.

Get West London

• Heathrow Airport tool will reduce trucks on roads and lower emissionsHeathrow has a 10-point plan to reduce pollution - but will it be enough to secure the third runway it desires?

Other Regional Press

• 'We need better transport in our forgotten corner of south west Lancashire'MPs team up to call for new western Ribble bridge and restoration of Ormskirk to Preston rail line
• Tracking the S&D - author's tribute to old Dorset railway line A FASCINATING new book detailing the last days of a railway line has been published marking the 50th anniversary of the route’s closure.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Arriva to land £1.5bn contract to deliver London Overground servicesTransport for London (TfL) has named Arriva as its preferred bidder to take over the £1.5bn London Overground contract later this year.
• Virgin unveils Azumas for East CoastVirgin have unveiled a new fleet of their fastest ever trains to increase capacity on their East Coast route.
• Hong Kong’s MTR awards track circuits replacement contract to Alstom Hong Kong metro operator MTR has awarded a €28m contract to Alstom to replace the track circuits, which are part of the signalling system, of five MTR lines and Airport Express in its metro network by early 2019.
• Thought-Provoking Ideas on the Challenges Facing Passenger Transport Service Providers in Europe 'Transport Management and Control In A World of Change And Complexity' brings together insight and opinion from politicians, senior decision-makers and industry commentators. It looks at the challenges of growing demand, rising congestion and increas…
• State of the Art in Axle Counting Axle counting systems are used in many countries around the world as a replacement for track vacancy detection systems. They are also used in signalling equipment systems to build a more complete picture of what is happening on a particular stretch o…
• Devolution deals commit station refurbs, new links and extra cashA series of devolution agreements announced yesterday during the chancellor’s Budget include key elements of rail reform, including money allocated to station refurbs, track improvement and new links. In Cardiff, a new £1.2bn city deal, of which the UK government has committed...
• ScotRail to introduce 200 additional services from 2018ScotRail will introduce 200 additional services from 2018 after being granted extra funding from the Scottish government. The funding means ScotRail can keep 13 three-carriage Class 170 carriages beyond 2018. It will allow Abellio ScotRail to run additional services for Tayside, Stirlingshire...
• Warning issued over out-of-date Underground safety advice after derailmentA train derailment on the London Underground may have been due to out-of-date signal documentation given to staff, prompting the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) to issue urgent safety advice. The derailment occurred at 1.30am on 2 March on point 39 outside Ealing Broadway after the...
• Lord Adonis welcomes green light for HS3 and Crossrail 2 in BudgetLord Adonis today welcomed confirmation that HS3 and Crossrail 2 are to go ahead in yesterday’s Budget. Lord Adonis, chair of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), recently produced reports recommending that plans for the first phase of the HS3 network should be complete by the end...

Railway Gazette

• Knorr-Bremse wins sugar cane wagon brake systems contractBRAZIL: Freight operator RUMO ALL has awarded Knorr-Bremse a contract to modernise the braking...
• DB needs ‘quality, quality and more quality’ to return to economic successGERMANY: ‘A self-critical look shows us that we did not achieve the targets we set’, said Deutsche...
• Train delay refund process to be improvedUK: The Office of Rail & Road made recommendations for improving the process for claiming...

Aviation Industry

• Lufthansa warns Eurowings expansion will hit profit gainsGerman airline to ‘substantially’ expand low cost carrier

Other News Sources

• Heathrow signs partnership pact with Hong Kong InternationalTwo of the world's major gateways, Heathrow and Hong Kong International Airport, have formed a new partnership agreement.
• Mumps transport hub is the futureA NEW public transport interchange for Oldham Mumps is on the cards as part of a revolutionary regional transport strategy.
• Railway footbridge to reopen tomorrow with "nicer face" A RAILWAY footbridge is set to re-open with a