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

Saturday, 06 August 2016

BBC News

• Edinburgh Trams to run later during festivalExtra late-night tram services are put on in the capital during the Edinburgh Festival.
• Pregnant women hail hero Tube worker 'Pip' for securing rush hour seatsA mother writes a gushing tribute to a London Underground worker only known as Pip, who helps pregnant woman get a seat on the Tube during the morning rush hour.
• Toyota shares rise despite weak earnings and outlookShares in Japanese carmaker Toyota rise despite the company reporting a weak outlook for profits in the current year.
• Toyota shares rise despite weak earnings and outlookShares in Japanese carmaker Toyota rise despite the company reporting a weak outlook for profits in the current year.

Financial Times

• Jean Liu: Cash-splasher as Didi beat UberThe president of Didi Chuxing saw her strategy pay off this week as Uber admitted defeat in China
• Indonesia’s Go-Jek wins $550m investmentInvestors look beyond ride-hailing to payments and food delivery
• Deliveroo adds $275m in ‘unicorn’ roundStart-up food delivery service has raised total of $473m

The Guardian

• Ipso sets up pilot arbitration scheme to resolve legal complaintsRegulator launches one-year experiment aimed at avoiding costly court costsThe Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) is to launch a pilot arbitration scheme, one of the key recommendations in the Leveson report.More than 20 publications have agreed to take part in the year-long experiment, including one major magazine publisher and a regional daily. Continue reading...
• Nissan warns future of UK car plant hinges on Brexit talksCEO Carlos Ghosn says future investment decisions depend on the new trade status negotiated between Britain and the EUThe chief executive of Nissan has warned that future investment decisions about the company’s car plant in the north-east of England will depend on the outcome of Brexit negotiations.Carlos Ghosn said he was reasonably optimistic that common sense would prevail and the UK would remain a key partner of the EU. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Virgin accused of 'contempt' for passengers over East Coast fare hikes and travel restrictionsPASSENGERS travelling from London to Scotland with Virgin East Coast will be barred from returning at peak times unless they have paid for a more expensive

The Scotsman

• East coast rail passengers hit with second fares hike this yearVirgin Trains East Coast (Vtec)has been accused of “bleeding the travelling public dry” for hiking fares for the second time this year.

Times Online

• Aerospace group’s forecast is up in the air [Subscription]Cobham, the struggling aerospace and defence group, swung to a first-half loss but insisted that it was on track to meet expectations for the full year.
• MH370 pilot had ‘deviant’ route on flight simulator [Subscription]The pilot of the passenger plane that disappeared over the southern Indian Ocean did simulate a flight along the same route, the Malaysian government has admitted — but it insists that this does not prove that he was responsible for deliberately flying it into the sea.

Mail Online

• DHL cargo jet plane skids off runway at Italian airport before crashing on to busy road The jet, which had flown from Paris in France, smashed through barriers before coming to rest in front of stunned motorists driving past�Bergamo Airport in the country's north.
• Left-wing council chiefs are branded 'car-hating amateurs' by furious motorists after plotting a 40 per cent parking fee rise because the price of fuel has fallen Sheffield’s Labour-run council already makes millions a year from its parking meters. But officials said the plans aim to discourage people from choosing to drive after falls in fuel prices.

Network Rail

• Passengers reminded to check journey plans ahead of Severn Tunnel upgradeRail passengers are reminded to plan their journeys before travelling, ahead of a six-week closure of the Severn Tunnel to prepare the Great Western Main Line for a brand new fleet of electric trains.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Watch terrifying moment kids dice with death at Prestatyn level crossing Rail chiefs issue warning as children risk their lives on level crossing

London Evening Standard

• New segregated bike lane for Hammersmith roundaboutHammersmith roundabout will be made safer for cyclists and pedestrians after almost 80 per cent of people backed changes proposed by Transport for London.
• Mayor Sadiq Khan plans to promote 'active transport' in a bid to curb London trafficSadiq Khan wants to get more Londoners out of their cars and into "active transport" such as walking and cycling, his deputy mayor has revealed.
• TfL urged to release £223 million left by passengers on Oyster cardsTransport for London is sitting on a nearly a quarter of a billion pounds in unused Oyster card money, official figures reveal today.
• Shipwrights Way: why Hampshire's new cycling trail is a perfect way to explore Southern EnglandA new trail lets city types explore Hampshire — and get fit — on two wheels. Just don't forget the pub pitstop, says Frankie McCoy

Manchester Evening News

• Chris Grayling gave a reassurance that it was ‘business as usual’ for the post-Brexit Northern Powerhouse - and described HS3 as an ‘important part of the future’The new Transport Secretary has vowed to plough ahead with rail and road projects around Manchester - and described HS3 as an ‘important part of the future’.
• New Transport Secretary pledges to push ahead with Manchester road and rail projects Chris Grayling gave a reassurance that it was ‘business as usual’ for the post-Brexit Northern Powerhouse - and described HS3 as an ‘important part of the future’

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Airlines won't be following Jet2's lead by banning early morning booze The budget airline announced controversial plans to ban the early morning sale of alcohol to combat disruptive behaviour

Sheffield Telegraph

• South Yorkshire youngsters rewarded for road safety driveYoung road safety ambassadors have been rewarded for their efforts to encourage pedestrians to stay alert and motorists to drive carefully.

Yorkshire Post

• YP Comment: Fair bus concession for the elderlyTHE revelations that nearly a third of all bus journeys taken in Yorkshire are free concessions and cost the taxpayer £100m, will no doubt raise a few eyebrows.In North Yorkshire the figure is even higher with these concessionary fares for the elderly and disabled accounting for nearly half of all journeys. On the face of it this sounds like an awful lot of money to be spending on subsidised bus fares with critics arguing the numbers simply don’t stack up at a time of major spending cuts.However, the biggest concern is that the elderly and vulnerable will be left in a situation wher...

Blackpool Gazette

• Conductor shoved by angry passengerA rail conductor was assaulted by a passenger after asking to check his ticket.

Crewe Chronicle

• Land train plan in Crewe to link town hub with retail park Town clerk Steve McQuade proposes to bring in a land train or tricycle taxis to make it easier to access both areas

Other Regional Press

• Rail improvements set to ease nuisance to householders plagued by train vibrations WORK to replace a railway bridge close to Oxford's Port Meadow will lead to more peaceful lives for people living in nearby homes, according to Network Rail.
• Booking a Jet2 flight? If you like a drink on board, you better read this!The airline is clamping down on "Wild West" behaviour

Rail Magazine

• Brand new locomotive unveiled by Direct Rail ServicesFirst complete dual-mode Class 88 for the UK unveiled by Direct Rail Services.
• DRS open day raises �21,000 for charityDirect Rail Services' open day at Crewe Gresty Bridge raises �21,000 for charity.
• ROG signs multi-million pound deal with Angel TrainsRail Operations Group has signed a five-year deal with Angel Trains to move multiple units and High Speed Trains across the UK.
• Hitachi to build nine additional bi-mode trains for GWRSeven nine-car Class 802 AT300 bi-mode trains have been added to the Great Western Railway order with Hitachi Rail Europe.
• Network Rail unveils views of historic Manchester bridgeNetwork Rail has begun restoring Stephenson’s Grade 1-listed bridge at Salford as part of the Ordsall Chord work.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Topology Optimisation: from Theory into Practice Topology optimisation is a method to find the most efficient material allocation for a given design space. Regarding important boundary conditions, such as load cases, attached structures and interfaces, it is possible to generate an ideal structure …
• Great Western orders seven new Intercity Express TrainsGreat Western Railway (GWR) has confirmed that it will order seven more Class 800 Intercity Express Trains from Hitachi. The new trains are in addition to the fleet of 57 Hitachi is already supplying GWR with as part of the £5.7bn Intercity Express Programme, the first of which took its...
• Any rail finance changes must show 'clear evidence' of improvements for users - DfTThe DfT has said that changes to the system of charges and financial incentives on the rail network should only be introduced if they can deliver proven benefits. In his response to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) initial consultation ahead of the 2018 periodic review, Richard Carter, the...
• Network Rail appoints new route managing director for WessexNetwork Rail has announced the appointment of a new managing director for its Wessex route. From 1 November, Becky Lumlock will take over responsibility for the route, which includes Britain’s biggest railway station, Waterloo, and the commuter area to the south and west of...
• More London Bridge delays add to GTR's miseryAnother hole under the tracks at Forest Hill led to services into London Bridge being cancelled last night. Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) advised passengers on its Southern and Thameslink services to avoid using the station as Network Rail engineers worked to repair the hole. Another hole at...
• NR urged to review signaller competence after train derailmentThe RAIB has recommended Network Rail reviews its requirements for certifying signalling operators after an operator allowed a train to pass a signal at danger, causing it to derail at the front. The accident occurred at 7.22am on 7 November 2015, when the first five bogies of the Northern Rail...

Other News Sources

• Palace Pier owner calls for government to smash the rail unions THE NEW owner of Brighton Palace Pier has said the government should step in and smash the unions as a five-day rail strike looks set to start on Monday.