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

Sunday, 05 February 2017

BBC News

• Powys A479 Pengenffordd road shuts for landslip repair workA main road in Powys will shut from Saturday for 11 days for repair work to be carried out following a landslip.
• Knotweed railway case won by Maesteg homeownerA man whose home is towered over by Japanese knotweed on a railway line wins a four-year compensation fight.
• Southern rail deal is 'shocking betrayal', RMT union saysUnion general secretary Mick Cash says bitter dispute over role of conductors will continue.
• Woman praises train guard after racist attackA woman praises a guard who came to her aid after she and her young son were racially abused on a train.
• Laser pen pilot attackers face jail under new lawNew proposals to toughen and broaden UK laws to protect planes, bus and train drivers.
• Rail franchising system 'not fit for purpose', MPs warnPrivate operators are being restricted in how they can improve services, a report says.

The Guardian

• Eurostar pulls out all the stops with luxury Paris loungeTrain operator hopes new facilities at its Gare du Nord terminal will stop ticket sales falling off a post-Brexit cliffHigh up in the 19th-century edifice that forms the front of the Gare du Nord in Paris, Eurostar has found a new, grand perch.The cross-Channel train service has a startling upgrade in store for its business travellers, the latest gambit to bolster a company that is right in the frontline of Brexit. Last week it unveiled a lounge designed to feel more like an elegant Parisian flat, all high ceilings and marble fireplaces, sofas and wide tables. A kitchen stocked with a buffet c...
• RMT attacks Aslef deal in Southern rail disputeConductors’ union says agreement over driver-only trains is a betrayal and vows to fight on in its own dispute with SouthernThe RMT has said a deal agreed between another union and Southern rail to end a dispute over driver-only trains is a “shocking betrayal” of workers and passengers. Leaders of Aslef agreed to recommend the deal to almost 1,000 drivers after saying it would improve safety. But the RMT said after seeing details of the agreement that it would lead to de-staffing of trains. Continue reading...
• Travel ban: White House files appeal against ruling as Trump says 'we'll win'As previously barred travellers prepare to fly back to the US, the DoJ says the Washington state ruling ‘second-guesses’ the president’s security judgmentThe US justice department has filed an appeal against a judge’s order lifting Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban, as the new administration’s flagship immigration policy threatened to unravel after one week.After the appeal was lodged on Saturday, Trump told reporters at his private Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida: “We’ll win. For the safety of the country, we’ll win.” Continue reading...

The Herald

• BA cabin crew begin three-day strikeBRITISH AIRWAYS cabin crew began a three-day strike today with the airline guaranteeing that all passengers will be able to fly to their destinations.
• 'Ferry review shows nationalised rail service is open to Scotland'SCOTTISH ministers have no excuse for failing to renationalise the country's railways after the government announced moves to introduce a publicly-owned ferry service, campaigners claim.

The Scotsman

• View from the bridge: The Queensferry Crossing‘It’s an absolute bugger if you forget your lunch.” Creature comforts are what’s important when your office is a weather-battered eyrie perched nearly 200ft above the middle of a river estuary.

The Telegraph

• 'We will win' pledges Donald Trump as Justice Department prepares appeal against court ruling which suspended travel ban
• Southern Rail boss says driver-operated doors rollout will continue despite union deal

Times Online

• Spyplanes made by US are vulnerable to hackers [Subscription]Britain’s new maritime spyplanes “cannot execute the full range of mission tasks” and could be vulnerable to cyber-attack, damning American defence reports reveal.
• British PM denied permission to land [Subscription]Theresa May, the British prime minister, was unable to land at Casement aerodrome in Co Dublin during last week’s visit to Ireland as the military base’s air traffic control is closed after dusk due to staff shortages.
• Sunday Times victory on lasers [Subscription]People shining handheld lasers at pilots or train or bus drivers face being jailed or fined thousands of pounds under a proposed new law.

Mail Online

• Train manager tells 'drunken racist' to get off train Alexander 'AJ' MacKinnon, 47, was filmed hurling racist abuse at Sanaa Shahid and her four-year-old son Zayn while the pair were travelling home to Glasgow from London on Virgin train.

The Mirror

• Airlines use 'loophole' to avoid paying millions to travellers in compensation for delays Many airlines claim delays are the result of 'extraordinary circumstances' but are often due to staff shortages or mechanical faults, for which customers are entitled to compensation
• Labour promises 'Crossrail for the North' to slash journey times between Manchester and Liverpool If delivered in the North, the 45-minute journey from Liverpool to Manchester would drop to 20
• Plane's wings ripped off and fuselage buckled in horror crash - but pilot walked away unscathed Pilot Robin Duckett and son Alex were in the microlight when "freak conditions" caused the aircraft to crash on take-off

Bolton News

• Busy road to be fully resurfaced A �257,000 road improvement scheme will begin on Monday.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bus company says sorry for delays on major routes FIRST Bus has apologised for cancellations and delays on two of its major routes.

London Evening Standard

• Man arrested after cyclist, 15, killed in Essex collisionA teenage cyclist has been killed after being struck by a car on a busy road in Essex.
• RMT Union hits out at 'shocking betrayal' of Aslef Union after deal agreed with Southern RailThe RMT Union have slammed train drivers' union Aslef over a deal agreed with Southern Railway, labelling it a "shocking betrayal".

The York Press

• Station ambassador boost GRAND Central says rail passengers in Thirsk and Northallerton are set to experience a safer travel experience, following the launch of its Station Ambassador programme.
• 9 photos of York's buses in years gone by This is the start of a gallery that is likely to grow.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• M5 roadworks: Plea to make M6 Toll free to ease delays during 18-month schemeCalls are being made for the M6 Toll to be made free to drivers during a major roadworks scheme which will see the speed limit cut to 30mph on part of the M5.
• Driving tests: 1,000 exams cancelled in six months across Midland centresMore than 1,000 driving tests were cancelled due to examiner sickness, annual leave or bad weather in just six months, new figures reveal.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Planned roadworks by Highways England in Suffolk and Essex from February 6 to 12Here’s a round-up of roadworks planned from Monday, February 6, to Sunday, February 12:

Other Regional Press

• Disruption for rail passengers as engineering work on Weymouth-Waterloo line WEEKEND rail passengers on the Weymouth-Waterloo line are warned their journeys will be disrupted this month.
• Traders' fears over another Bradford road closure TRADERS in Bradford on Avon are worried that a three-day closure of Silver Street in March, while works are carried out on the water supply, will hit business in the town.
• Southampton port boss welcomes competition from a local rival COULD Southampton's near neighbour and longtime rival be trying to cut in on the cruise market.
• Cycling groups welcome plain-clothed police plan to catch motorists driving too close CYCLING groups have welcomed the decision by police to place plain clothed officers on bicycles in an attempt to catch drivers who pass too close.

Railway Gazette

• Eurostar lounge seeks 'the spirit of a Parisian apartment'FRANCE: Eurostar opened its relocated Business Premier lounge at Paris-Nord on February 4. Accessed...

Aviation Industry

• ‘Normal’ US immigration procedures resume after judge blocks Trump travel banThe US State Department has lifted a ban on travelers from seven countries entering the US after a federal judge temporarily blocked the executive order made by President Donald Trump. read more

Other News Sources

• Station protest arrives on time The demonstration, which included Liberal Democrat councillors, met at the Railway Inn before marching on the station with placards and whistles.
• Woking sinkhole: Commuters face fresh frustration with road closed for 'at least a week' The council expect the road to be closed until February 10 however they have not specified when the road will reopen
• Southern Rail strikes: RMT brand Aslef deal "shocking betrayal" RMT general secretary Mike Cash attacks both Aslef and TUC over the agreement with Southern Rail but confirm they are still available for talks
• Parking meters to be replaced ready for new coins NEARLY 300 parking machines will be replaced ready for the introduction of the new 12-sided �1 coin.