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

Tuesday, 28 February 2017

BBC News

• SpaceX to fly two tourists around Moon in 2018US private rocket company SpaceX has announced that two private citizens have paid to be sent around the Moon.
• £1.1bn M4 relief road public inquiry to beginAn independent public inquiry into the Welsh Government's plan to build the £1.1bn M4 relief road to the south of Newport will start today.
• Pilot laser attacks 'dangerously high'Laser attacks at Glasgow Airport doubled in a year, making it the second most targeted airport after Heathrow, latest figures suggest.

Financial Times

• Rail operator CSX puts brakes on Harrison’s demandsProposed hiring of former Canadian Pacific chief hits snag on compensation package
• Executive pay: Working on the railwayEven the best chief executives need to be reminded for whom they work

The Guardian

• Fight on UK train after people kept placing bagels on travellers' headsBritish Transport police held the train in Hertfordshire after being alerted to passengers fighting and intimidating othersPolice were called to break up a fight on a train as rowdy passengers repeatedly placed bagels on other travellers’ heads.Officers arrived at Potters Bar station in Hertfordshire just after 1am on Sunday after being alerted to passengers fighting and intimidating others. The 12.54am Great Northern service from King’s Cross to Huntingdon was held for 18 minutes while the officers took statements. Continue reading...
• Laser attacks on Heathrow aircraft increase 25%Pilot reports of laser attacks on aircraft landing or taking off at UK’s busiest airport rose by a quarter to 151 in 2016Laser attacks on aircraft using Heathrow airport rose by a quarter last year, figures show.Pilots taking off or landing at the west London hub suffered 151 incidents in 2016. This is up from 121 during the previous year and was more than any other UK airport, according to aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Continue reading...
• BMW considers making electric Mini outside UK due to Brexit worriesSuggestion that carmaker could produce vehicle in Germany instead of Oxford comes amid fears over Vauxhall’s futureThe new electric Mini could be made in Germany rather than the UK because of the uncertainty caused by Brexit.Most Minis are manufactured at its plant in Oxford, one of the biggest factories in the country, but BMW, the owner of the brand, is considering making the electric version of the car in Germany. Continue reading...
• Thought the Newbury bypass devastated wildlife? These M4 plans are far worse | Patrick BarkhamThe days of ripping up reserves for motorways were supposed to be over. But the Newport scheme would create a ‘Berlin wall’ for natureA five-month public inquiry begins tomorrow into the most destructive new road in a generation. The six-lane M4 through Newport is a little twisty and vulnerable to traffic jams, so the Welsh government wants to flex new borrowing powers to fund a £1bn-plus “relief” road.This 14-mile motorway will carve through the Gwent Levels, dividing and destroying an ancient wetland that is one of the last strongholds for the shrill carder bee and the new home, as of last s...
• SpaceX to send two people around the moon who paid for a 2018 private missionCEO Elon Musk said the private journey would take about a week, nearing the moon’s surface without landing on itSpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed on Monday that two people have paid for a private mission around the moon, tentatively set for launch in 2018 with the private company’s yet untested Falcon Heavy rocket.In a conference call with reporters, Musk declined to name the people or what they had paid, though he said the individuals know each other and are “very serious” about the flight. The “private citizens” approached the company late last year and will receive training and take health and ...

The Herald

• Laser attacks at Glasgow airport 'almost double in a year'Laser attacks at Glasgow Airport have almost doubled in a year, posing a

The Telegraph

• '#BagelGate': Fight on train after rowdy mob keeps placing bagels on travellers' heads

Daily Express

• Top rail chief to challenge industry to drop 'the old ways of working'A TOP rail chief will today throw down the gauntlet to the unions by challenging them to drop “the old ways of working”.

Mail Online

• Drivers warned to expect car park chaos over new coin A quarter of Britain's 100,000 pay and display machines won't be modified in time. Many machines, especially in rural areas, will not be updated until May or June this year.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New plan to tackle air pollution hotspots A NEW five-year pollution-busting plan has been adopted across West Yorkshire.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Free steam rides for North Wales residents on Bala Lake RailwayOffer comes as bid to extend narrow Gwynedd gauge railway moves a step closer after land deal

London Evening Standard

• Tube strikes would be banned under tough laws backed by ToriesTube and rail strikes would be banned under tough new legislation demanded today by City Hall Tories.
• Southern rail commuters urged to apply for compensation after months of travel hellSouthern Rail commuters who have endured months of travel chaos have been urged to apply for compensation.
• Southern Rail delays: Commuters face rush hour chaos after fire on train in south LondonSouthern Rail passengers face rush hour chaos after a fire broke out on a train in south London.
• Heathrow Airport tops country for 'incredibly dangerous' laser attacks on aircraftAircraft using Heathrow Airport saw almost twice as many "incredibly dangerous" laser attacks than any other UK airport last year, new figures show.
• Fates of London transport staff who fought in First World War published onlineThe stories of London transport staff who went on to fight for Britain in the First World War have been published in an online archive.

Manchester Evening News

• Paramedics to use electric cars in bid to become more eco-friendlyThe four vehicles, an updated version of the BMW i3, will be trialled in Bury and Rochdale by the North West Ambulance Service

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• How Heathrow bosses could learn from Barra Airport for third runwayUK transport chiefs will be invited to a tiny island airport – as part of controversial plans for to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow.

Other Regional Press

• Council to review decision to fight Network Rail over 'silent track' A LEGAL battle between Network Rail and Oxford City Council could be averted after councillor demands to use ‘silent track’ were put up for review.
• WATCH: Do our roads pass the pothole-o-meter test?Councillor calls for more maintenance of our roads
• All aboard for HS2 summit meeting Wigan will play host to a meeting about the HS2 rail masterplan this week, days after its first stage cleared a parliamentary hurdle....

Railnews

• New tram line opens in Manchester A key link taking trams on a second route through Manchester city centre has opened for business, marking another phase in the system�s expansion. The Second City Crossing connects St Peter�s Square with Victoria station via Exchange Square, for the Arndale Centre. It is carrying trams from East Didsbury on the lines to Rochdale and Shaw & Crompton, but Metrolink has said trams from the airport, which currently terminate short of the city centre at Deansgate-Castlefield, will also use the 2CC. Councillor Andrew Fender, who chairs the TfGM Committee, had said 2CC �will provide much-needed oper...

Aviation Industry

• Trump gives first hint of budget priorities; DOT may face reductionsUS President Donald Trump has given the first preview of his budget priorities for the federal government, indicating significant spending reductions in areas outside of the military and law and immigration enforcement. read more
• Aeroflot Group international traffic up 25.6% in JanuaryRussia’s Aeroflot Group carried 1.5 million international passengers in January, up 25.6% year-over-year (YOY). Domestic traffic grew 10.1% to 1.9 million. read more

Green Miscellany

• BikeParka all-weather protection for your bicycleKeeping a bicycle under cover protects it from winter weather and prying eyes, but with urban areas short on garages and sheds, for many it is easier said than done. When a manufacturer of tents was challenged to address the problem, the result was BikeParka – a high-quality, fitted water-proof cover for bicycles. In the way that today’s all-weather cyclists have… The post BikeParka all-weather protection for your bicycle appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Works starts on £50 million rail upgrade which includes Abergele station revampWORK has started on £50 million worth of railway improvements, which include the installation of a new signalling system on the North Wales coast from Shotton to Colwyn Bay.