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

Wednesday, 08 June 2016

BBC News

• VIDEO: Ayrshire brothers transform NY subwayA machine to lay rail track, invented and patented by two Ayrshire brothers, is set to revolutionise the job in America.
• 'No evidence' M74 link has cut crashesThe controversial M74 extension through Glasgow has had little impact on road traffic accidents in the city since it opened in 2011, a new study finds.
• Daewoo Shipbuilding offices raided in SKSouth Korean prosecutors raid Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering as part of an investigation into alleged accounting irregularities.

Financial Times

• Bombardier does hard sell on new jetSevere difficulties getting groundbreaking aircraft to commercial takeoff

The Guardian

• Stop HS2 and share the billions across the rail network instead [Letters]The week before the bill for HS2 was given its successful second reading in the House of Commons in March 2014, I travelled from Euston station to Carlisle at 5.30pm on a Virgin Trains Pendolino. I had an open return and no reserved seat. Half of this publicly subsidised train was given over to first class, which was only 10% full. But even second class had plenty of room, and I had a table to myself to work on.

The Herald

• 'No plans for national 20mph limit' -Transport ScotlandCAMPAIGNERS are calling for 20mph speed limits to be introduced across all Scottish cities as Edinburgh moves to become the first to bring in a blanket threshold throughout the city centre.

Times Online

• Diesel car owners face tax rise to cut urban pollution [Subscription]Drivers of diesel cars could face tax rises under plans to tackle pollution in city centres, the transport secretary signalled yesterday.
• New runway at Gatwick is fast track option, says boss [Subscription]Work on a new runway in the southeast could start before David Cameron leaves Downing Street if he chooses Gatwick, its chief executive says.
• All change: plan to stop councils running new buses [Subscription]Councils will be banned from setting up bus companies to run their own services under a major reform of public transport, it emerged last night.
• Should Heathrow or Gatwick be expanded? [Letters] {Subscription]Sir, In your leader “Gatwick Express” (June 6) you omitted to consider the existence of our independent proposal, also being considered by the government, to extend the existing northern runway at Heathrow.

City AM

• London airport expansion: London Chambers of Commerce pushes for Heathrow decision after Gatwick promises concessionsA top business group has called on government to back Heathrow after the EU referendum following pledges from Gatwick that it would make concessions to get the green light on a second runway.

Mail Online

• Husband charged by Ryanair to bring home a suitcase belonging to dead wife Bryn Roberts, 63, from north east Wales, was abroad with his wife, Sandra, on their summer holiday to Ibiza when she passed away suddenly from�septic shock caused by a perforated bowel.
• Gordon Brown made mistake over diesel deal claims Transport Secretary Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, pictured, said Gordon Brown had made a mistake when as Labour Chancellor he slashed tax on diesel to encourage motorists to switch.
• Hands-free phones are just as risky for drivers as normal ones Psychologists at the University of Sussex found that the area of the road that hands-free drivers concentrate on is up to four times smaller than the average road user.

The Mirror

• Hitachi boss says Brexit would 'force rethink' of UK operations and jobsHiroaki Nakanishi is the chairman of Hitachi and is pleading with UK voters to opt to Remain in the EU
• Drivers warned: Hands-free phones are no safer than a normal mobile at the wheelA study found that motorists using a headset to talk will concentrate on an area of road four times smaller than usual, making it harder to spot hazards
• Pensioner risks safety to jump on railway tracks to rescue cat before Flying Scotsman speeds through Brian Ridgeway, 68, spotted the badly injured pet curled up on the tracks while waiting to catch a glimpse of the world famous locomotive

Bolton News

• QUIZ: 21% of British drivers don't know what this French road sign means BOLTONIANS driving to Euro 2016 could find themselves slapped with traffic tickets when they were expecting super-fast WiFi, after research revealed a wide-spread ignorance of French road signs.

London Evening Standard

• London flooding: Southern Rail commuters braced for rush hour chaosThousands of rail commuters were braced for rush-hour travel chaos this evening after torrential rain and flash floods hit south London.
• Southeastern delays: Thousands of commuters stranded as major rail line into London closedThousands of commuters have been left stranded this morning after a major train route into London was closed.
• Revealed: More than 400 TfL staff earn over �100,000 per yearThe number of Transport for London staff earning more than �100,000 a year is more than 400 for the second year running.
• The Willy Wonka-inspired lift that could revolutionise Tube travel in LondonA Willy Wonka-inspired rotating lift that can go around corners could revolutionise the way Londoners are whisked through Tube stations.
• Heathrow expansion decision 'delayed until September'A decision on Heathrow's third runway may be delayed to September, a senior Cabinet minister said today.
• Simon Jenkins: 'No ifs, no buts': don't forget your Heathrow pledge, Mr CameronThe PM should stand by his views on airport expansion and focus on improving the country's railways and roads
• Evening Standard comment: Tackle diesel pollution to clean up our airParticulates pollution is a killer, and diesel engines generate it. Yet it's one of the ironies of environmental politics that not so long ago Gordon Brown's government actually gave car purchasers incentives to buy diesel rather than petrol cars, on the mistaken basis that they are less polluting. We know better now, and the question is, how to reverse the damage. In an interview with this paper today the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin says it may be time to consider reversing that mistake by increasing the tax on diesel. It is already working with car manufacturers to invest in techn...
• TfL launches pun-making hologram in latest bid to get commuters to obey standing-only escalatorsTube bosses have introduced a singing and pun-making "hologram" in a bid to enforce the controversial all-standing escalator trial at Holborn.
• London flooding: Luton Airport border chaos as storm sparks power outageHundreds of passengers were delayed leaving Luton Airport after flash floods caused a power outage at passport control.
• World Naked Bike Ride London: Hordes of nude cyclists set to hit city's roads for protestHundreds of naked cyclists are set to bring central London to a standstill this weekend for a protest against car culture and oil dependency.

Manchester Evening News

• Record number of people using Metrolink with 34.3m passengers in 12 months - and a takings boost of £5mMetrolink - now the largest light rail network in the UK - covers almost 60 miles, with a fleet of close to 100 trams
• Rail enthusiasts turn out in droves to see Flying Scotsman in Greater Manchester The world famous locomotive passed through Denton and Reddish South Stations on Tuesday

Sheffield Star

• Huge solar farm scheme near Doncaster airport given the go-aheadOne of Doncaster’s biggest solar power generation sites has been given the green light to operate near Robin Hood Airport.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Time to shape Leeds’s public transport plantransport chiefs are set to launch their biggest consultation about the future of public transport in Leeds.

Bucks Free Press

• School bus routes could be scrapped in council cuts School buses in Buckinghamshire could be hit by cutbacks, with some routes potentially being scrapped, council chiefs are warning.

North Wales Live

• Joe Anderson pledges to build a new ferry as metro mayor battle hots upMayor Joe wants Cammell Laird to be in the running to build the new ship

Peterborough Telegraph

• Fire causing delays of up to two hours to trains through Peterborough and GranthamA fire near the railway between Retford and Newark North Gate means that trains cannot run between these stations and is causing delays on trains on the East Coast mainline.

Other Regional Press

• Southeastern trains cancelled between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells Commuters were left queuing for hours for rail replacement buses after trains were cancelled - and there was also chaos for drivers on the M25.

Airportwatch

• Gatwick expansion can boost every area of Britain [Subscription]New runway can be delivered within a decade - Stewart Wingate is CEO of Gatwick Airport

London TravelWatch

• TfL figures confirm that buses in London are getting slowerThe London TravelWatch Board’s recent look at TfL’s latest bus speed data shows a clear pattern of declining speeds across London and we fear the trend will continue when we review the figures for the last quarter of 2015/16 later this month.

Rail Magazine

• July Glos-Warks debut for 'as-built' preserved Class 37More than five years after it was withdrawn for an extensive overhaul, Class 37 D6948 is set for a return to traffic in as-built condition.
• TfL seeks tunnelling trainerA new training provider for the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) in Ilford is being sourced by Transport for London (TfL).
• First part of new London Bridge station opensMore than 240 staff have moved to new station offices at London Bridge; the first part of the new station to come into use.
• Northern introduces business regionsNorthern creates four business regions, and appoints four regional directors to run these areas.
• Virgin BEAMs films to passengersVirgin Trains launches a new on board video-on-demand service.
• Kirstall station nears openingKirkstall Forge station is due to open on June 19, just after RAIL goes to press.
• Hundreds stranded as vandalism causes 1,100 delay minutes in KentTrains hit a pushchair and bicycle that had been thrown onto the railway at Gravesend on June 5.
• Thales installs new London Underground signallingInstallation of new signalling systems has begun on London Underground by Thales.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Enforcement not needed to improve passenger experience - ORR headImproving rail passenger experience should be based on engaging with train operating companies (TOCs), not enforcing regulation, the interim chief executive of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said yesterday. In a transport select committee hearing on improving passenger experience, Joanna...
• Northern set to enter Network Rail Alliance imminently Arriva Rail North is set to sign its alliance agreement with Network Rail by the end of the month, RTM has learned. In an interview with RTM, Alex Hynes, MD of Arriva Rail North, said the agreement would be signed by the end of June, with a more formal announcement in July. In the Northern ITT...
• Lord Heseltine calls for Teeside to Northallerton electrificationTransPennine electrification must be extended to the Teeside to Northallerton line in order to contribute to the region’s economic regeneration, Lord Heseltine has said. In an independent report looking at ways to boost the area’s economy following the closure of the Redcar steel...
• Rise in LU passenger falls linked to S-Stock and staffing cutsPassenger falls between the platform and train on the London Underground are increasing, which unions are blaming on staffing cuts, increasing passenger numbers and the new S-Stock trains. An FoI request by the Evening Standard found that incidents have been steadily increasing for the past five...
• Virgin introduces ground-breaking entertainment portalVirgin is seeking to make its passenger experience more entertaining than ever, with a new app allowing customers to view free films and TV programmes during their journey. Passengers who download the BEAM app will be able to use it to view films including Breakfast at Tiffany’s...
• Northern announces four new business regionsNorthern will create four new business regions to oversee the improvements planned following the franchise integration with Arriva, it has announced today. The regions, which go live from 1 July, will be Central, based in Manchester and covering an area from Clitheroe and Colne to Crewe and...
• London Tramlink staff to go on strikeLondon tram services will be hit by strikes on 15 and 16 June after Aslef and tram operator FirstGroup failed to reach an agreement over pay. Finn Brennan, Aslef’s organiser on the London Underground, said FirstGroup’s offered 2.6% pay increase did not match the rising costs of...

Railnews

• New talks in 'toxic' Southern conductors' dispute Talks have started at ACAS in a bid to resolve the long-running dispute between Govia Thameslink Railway and the RMT over proposals to replace many Southern conductors with on-board supervisors, who would not control the doors or start the train. Southern has promised that there will be no pay cuts or compulsory job losses when most Southern trains are converted to driver-only operation. But the discussions are taking place against a turbulent backdrop of accusations and denials, while one Sussex MP wants the franchise reviewed by the DfT because its performance is getting worse, with up to 9...

Railway Gazette

• Siemens hands over final Amtrak Cities Sprinter USA: The 70th and final Amtrak Cities Sprinter ACS-64 locomotive was handed over to the national...
• Abellio orders Talent 2 EMUsGERMANY: Abellio Rail Südwest has formally signed a €215m contract for Bombardier Transportation to...
• First ÄŒD Cargo Vectron arrivesCZECH REPUBLIC: The first of five Siemens Vectron MS electric locomotives for ÄŒD Cargo was...

Aviation Industry

• Edinburgh airport launches consultation on flight pathsAirport says new paths are needed to cope with rising passenger numbers
• Gatwick makes plea to David Cameron in second runway bidAirport says its second runway can be operational by 2025

Other News Sources

• Gatwick pledges to limit residents affected by aircraft noise Gatwick has pledged to limit how many residents are affected by aircraft noise if it is granted permission to build a second runway.
• Report: Star Alliance announces new CEO, new baggage technologyStar Alliance has named Jeffrey Goh as its new chief executive. The global airline alliance announced the appointment at its annual chief executive board (CEB) meeting in Zurich on June 4.Goh, currently COO and General Council at Star, will take up the role in January 2017.