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

Monday, 03 July 2017

BBC News

• Labour AM calls for city deal-type package for rural WalesRural Wales needs the equivalent to the city deals struck around Cardiff and Swansea, says a Labour AM.
• Flying in an electric plane...but how does it feel? Richard Westcott reports.
• Driving a car made from biodegradable materialsThe four-seater car is made from sugar beet, coated with flax and mixed with bio-plastic.
• Drone causes Gatwick airport disruptionPolice are investigating after the runway was closed twice and five flights were diverted on Sunday.
• Scotland's papers: Shake-up for ScotRailA plan to shake-up the running of ScotRail and cosmetic surgery concerns feature in the papers.

Financial Times

• Investment in UK car industry plummetsTotal investment on track to be less than half of the spending recorded last year

The Guardian

• Drone forces closure of Gatwick runway and diversion of many flightsUnauthorised flying object in West Sussex sky leads to flights being diverted to Bournemouth, Southend and Stansted
• Virgin Trains feels heat after blaming delays on drivers taking rest daysVirgin Trains has been criticised heavily online after blaming a series of train cancellations on Saturday on a shortage of drivers volunteering to work on rest days.

The Herald

• End of the line for Scotrail? SNP plans radical shake-up of Scottish railwaysTRANSPORT minister Humza Yousaf is to unveil the biggest shake-up to Scottish rail in decades.

The Telegraph

• Drone forces Gatwick Airport to close runway
• Deadline for announcing winner of West Midlands rail bid passes with no decisionhitehall backlogs have caused the Government to miss its own deadline for awarding a major rail contract, raising fears of delays to the start of the new franchise.

Times Online

• Safety fears over unlit motorways [Subscription]Experts have challenged a decision to remove lighting from long stretches of Scotland’s busiest motorways in upgrades to the central belt road network.
• France opens latest addition to national high-speed rail lines [Subscription]Britons could soon be traveling non-stop to Bordeaux by train after the opening of a 200-mile high-speed rail link from Tours this weekend. The initiative breaks new ground in France because it is the first high-speed line to be privately operated.

City AM

• Government could steer derailing train firms with extra cash under new proposals​Ministers are drafting proposals for a new subsidy regime as part of which the government will pay train companies if they do not meet their revenue targets, it emerged over the weekend.

Mail Online

• British motorists in Calais to be allowed to drive on left Britons travelling to�Calais could be allowed to drive on the left hand side of the road in a government initiative that aims to entice tourists back to the troubled coastal city.
• 'Drone' forces closure of runway at Gatwick The incident happened around 6pm today at the London airport, resulting in an easyJet flight declaring a mid-air emergency as it attempted to land.

The Mirror

• Virgin Trains blames cancellations on drivers' refusal to work on DAYS OFF - and it doesn't go down wellThe rail firm's Twitter team sparked an uproar after a passenger called Nicole complained on Twitter about a driver 'going AWOL'.

The National

• Plans welcomed for public sector rail bid when Abellio's contract expiresSCOTTISH Government plans to pave the way for a public sector bid for ScotRail have been welcomed by Scottish Labour and a group that represents rail passengers.

This is Money

• Airline boss: Fewer Britons able to fly after Brexit Bjorn Kjos, founder of leading European low-cost transatlantic airline Norwegian Air, said the slump in the pound since the referendum would inevitably ‘weaken’ passenger traffic.
• Gatwick boss: We can drive growth with new runway The airport announced a new service to Taiwan operated by China Airlines, and this weekend declared it now has more long-haul flights than any other airport with just one runway.

Network Rail

• Award-winning Network Rail infrastructure project brings biodiversity to BermondseyThe construction of the Bermondsey Dive Under, a new railway junction to the east of London Bridge station, has increased biodiversity in the urban area of Bermondsey by 113%, winning the team a coveted CEEQUAL ‘Excellent’ award of 96.6%.

Birmingham Post

• The new rail stations you can use your Swift travel card at from July The popular travel card will now be available to use

London Evening Standard

• 'Eighty per cent of drivers ignore 20mph limits'Eight in 10 drivers ignore 20mph speed limits, according to new data.
• Gatwick: Runway closed and flights diverted after 'drone' spotted above airportA runway was twice closed at Gatwick and flights diverted after reports of a drone flying over the airport.

The York Press

• Road safety promises for A64 after two fatal crashesROAD safety experts have promised action after two accidents on the A64 left four pedestrians dead in a matter of weeks.
• Here's how you can get free bus travel for a day out in the NorthCOASTLINER is offering people chance to win a free day pass to promote Catch the Bus Week.

Get West London

• Five Crossrail stations in west London delayed by two years to late 2019Despite assurances that Crossrail was on budget and on time, five stations in west London will be delayed by as much as two years.

North Wales Live

• Here’s how you can catch the bus for FREE this week Find out how you can win a ticket to ride to celebrate Catch The Bus Week

Other Regional Press

• Amersham station to become step-free as part of £200 million investment into making London Underground accessibleSix stations will become step-free by 2020 as part of the Sadiq Khan's commitment to making stations more accessible

Other News Sources

• Plans to rename Brockenhurst railway stationPLANS to change the name of a New Forest railway station have been raised.
• Waterloo could see 'dramatic' changes if Transport For London plans go aheadCommuters from Surrey could see a new layout to Waterloo when they arrive in London if "dramatic plans" published by Transport For London go ahead.
• Judge orders Department for Transport to pay for asbestos victim's gravestoneThe widow of an asbestos victim, poisoned whilst working for British Rail, had to go to court to get the government even to pay for his gravestone.