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

Friday, 14 April 2017

Cogitamus

• 🐣 🐣 TransportInfo is taking a break 🐣 🐣 TransportInfo will be taking a short break over the Easter Weekend. We will return on Tuesday 18 April 2017.

BBC News

• Railway trespassing hits five-year high in WalesThe figures are the
• Heathrow third runway: Councils spent £350,000 on legal actionFour councils near Heathrow spent £350,000 on legal fees challenging the planned third runway.
• Garden Bridge Trust says Hodge review is 'full of errors'The chair of the trust behind the controversial project slams a critical report as
• Virgin East Coast and Arriva Northern train staff to strikeUnion officials say they want

The Guardian

• Driverless cars will make our roads safer, says Oxbotica co-founderCo-founder of UK startup Oxbotica says use of autonomous vehicles for shopping, short trips, airports and warehouses is imminent
• Strikes announced on Virgin Trains East Coast and Arriva Rail NorthWorkers on Virgin Trains East Coast are to stage a 48-hour strike in a row over the role of guards and jobs, while Arriva Rail North staff stage a 24-hour walkout.
• Data watchdog looks at whether No 10 covered up Uber correspondenceThe information watchdog is investigating whether Downing Street covered up correspondence relating to Uber, amid accusations that David Cameron tried to protect the taxi app from tougher regulation proposed by the London mayor’s office.

Times Online

• RMT strike spreads to Virgin East Coast line [Subscription]Strikes will spread to one of Britain’s busiest long-distance rail lines after an escalation of a union campaign over jobs and safety.
• More women than ever at the wheel [Subscription]A record number of cars took to the roads in Britain last year, driven by a surge in ownership among women.
• Let’s stop carping and build the Garden Bridge [Subscription]What is wrong with wanting to deliver a brand new green space in the heart of London? A place to bring us together, to soothe weary souls, to help people move around and to ease congestion?
• Paddington has arrived [Subscription]What’s your image of Paddington? Is it an anonymous part of London, known only for its station and Paddington Bear, the central character in the children’s books who was named after this terminus? If so, prepare to change your mind.

Reuters News

• Bombardier hits cash snag on Australian train order leftright 3/3leftrightBombardier Inc's hopes of receiving initial payments for a A$4.4 billion contract to build 75 electric trains for Australia's Queensland state government have been hit amid accusations of design faults.
• Bombardier hits cash snag on Australian train order leftright 3/3leftrightBombardier Inc's hopes of receiving initial payments for a A$4.4 billion contract to build 75 electric trains for Australia's Queensland state government have been hit amid accusations of design faults.

Birmingham Post

• Record month for Birmingham Airport March was a busy month for the airport as more than 900,000 passengers passed through the terminal
• Finally! National Express will let you pay for your bus with a debit card Bus operator plans to roll out new technology after testing it out on routes between Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry

London Evening Standard

• Mayor Sadiq Khan demands all London trainee bus drivers are paid living wageIt comes after the Unite union discovered some trainee drivers were being paid under �9.75 an hour
• London and south east councils unite to back 'crucial' Crossrail 2More than 40 councils from across London and the south east have urged ministers to rally behind the "crucial" Crossrail 2 rail project.

Wales Online

• A main entrance at Swansea train station has been shut for 8 weeksTrain company bosses have said they are working hard to get the broken entrance roller shutter door open once more

Yorkshire Post

• Transport ministers urged to ‘break out’ of London-centric spending habits Pressure is mounting on the Government to step up its investment in Yorkshire’s transport links as Ministers are being urged to “break out” of their London-centric spending habits.

Bucks Free Press

• Councillor pens poem to rail bosses urging them to give 'dingy' tunnel a spring clean Scroll down for the full poem.

Other Regional Press

• ‘A lot of people feel let down by Arriva’s proposal’ over service between Mold and ChesterCALLS have been made to reverse changes to bus services connecting Flintshire communities with Chester. It has been decided by Arriva that the number three bus service, which goes between Mold and Chester via Broughton, will now be an hourly service rather than half hourly.
• Changes on the way for Welshpool's controversial one way systemSix years after it was introduced and following numerous calls for it to be scrapped, big changes are finally being made to Welshpool’s controversial one-way system.

Buying Business Travel

• Qantas launches wifi on domestic routesAustralian airline starts the rollout of wifi access across 80 aircraft
• Virgin Trains East Coast workers to stage 48-hour strikeWorkers to walkout on April 28 in row over role of train guards

Rail Magazine

• New institute for high-speed rail engineering at LeedsThe establishment of a new Institute for High Speed Rail Engineering at the University of Leeds is set to bring added focus to HS2 research.
• D-Train to carry passengers to Rail LiveD-Train to carry passengers to Rail Live

Aviation Industry

• Rolls-Royce, Safran unit opens Polish facilityRolls-Royce and French aircraft engine company Safran have opened a new Polish factory that will produce accessory drive trains (ADT) for all of the UK engine manufacturer’s future civil aircraft engines. read more
• Qantas starts beta testing inflight connectivityAustralian flag carrier Qantas has moved a step closer to providing inflight connectivity on its domestic aircraft fleet. read more
• Passenger’s attorney says lawsuit against United is being preparedThe lawyer representing David Dao, the passenger violently dragged off a United Airlines flight April 9, said he is preparing to file a lawsuit against United for using “unreasonable force and violence” against the passenger. read more

Green Miscellany

• Let’s hop aboard an electric trolleybusThere was a time when many British towns and cities hummed with the sound of the trolleybus. Bridging the gap between trams and diesel buses, the benefits of the electric trolleybus include zero emissions on the street, very little noise, and powerful, smooth acceleration. And from the perspective of the operator, trolleybuses offer lower maintenance costs. Given their strengths, it’s… The post Let’s hop aboard an electric trolleybus appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• The gateway to future transportAutomated cars are no longer a futuristic fantasy as a company that produces vehicles containing no steering wheel or typical driver controls, is raring to go with its new project.
• Transport minister bats away MPs criticising "hard kerb" cycle lanesTransport minister Andrew Jones recently gave short shrift to MPs who claimed that “hard barrier” cycle lanes caused congestion. The minister was giving evidence on “urban congestion” to the parliamentary transport committee. Also grilled was a leading official with the Department for Transport who told MPs he was a regular user of London’s kerb-protected cycle superhighways.