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

Thursday, 24 August 2017

BBC News

• Brake urges rural road practice for young driversRoad safety charity Brake says compulsory practice for new drivers on rural roads could save lives.
• Labour MP faces backlash over women-only carriages ideaA Labour MP faces a backlash after saying the move could create
• Northern Ireland floods: Derry Airport closedHeavy rain fell on Tuesday night, resulting in torrents of water entering the building.
• Airline Jet2.com announces 200 jobs in ScotlandRoles being advertised include pilots, cabin crew and ground operation staff, Jet2.com says.
• Andy Burnham: North 'needs transport investment now'Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham made the comment as leaders gather at a summit in Leeds.
• UK car production revs up in JulyAbout 136,000 vehicles rolled out of British factories last month, up almost 8% from last July.

ITV News

• Rail journeys across the North West no faster now than 50 years agoTrain journey times in our region have barely changed in more than half a century.

Department for Transport

• Action plan to improve accessibility in transport unveiled by the governmentTransport draft accessibility action plan launched for consultation.

Financial Times

• Labour set to go hostile on Heathrow third runwayLeader Jeremy Corbyn expected to vote against expansion in Commons, say allies
• Ministers accused of treating north with contemptIre at Grayling for suggesting improving transport not up to central government
• Crises fail to knock Uber revenues off courseBookings more than doubled year-on-year despite #DeleteUber campaign
• Britons grapple with late trains, holed roads and flight delaysExperts say politicians pay insufficient attention to improving transport networks

The Guardian

• Motorist would not have landed cyclist's 'wanton and furious driving' chargeCharlie Alliston should have had a front brake but 18mph is a cautious speed and double standards are at work hereA heavy-handed prosecution against a cyclist for manslaughter has failed but a charge of “wanton and furious drivingâ€� has succeeded.In 2016 more than 400 pedestrians were killed on UK roads. Each a terrible tragedy to those involved and almost all avoidable. One of these casualties, Kim Briggs, died after a collision between herself and a teenage cyclist, Charlie Alliston. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Cyclists call for rethink on entire Scottish road systemCYCLISTS have called for a rethink of Scotland's roads system to reduce accidents.

The Scotsman

• ScotRail best train operator in Britain ScotRail has become the best-performing large train operator in the 
UK, according to new figures.

The Telegraph

• Holidaymakers' cars stolen after thieves swipe 130 sets of keys from airport parking firm
• Judge criticises airport security for 'erroneously' thinking pipe bomb was not viable and releasing passenger
• Learner drivers should have to practise on rural roads before their test, charity says 

Times Online

• North must take control of transport links, says Grayling [Subscription]The north of England should take responsibility for improving its poor rail links, the transport secretary has said as he rejected claims that plans for a high-speed line between Liverpool and Hull had been abandoned.
• Why I wouldn’t sit in a women-only train carriage [Subscription]Labour MP Chris Williamson, the shadow fire and emergency services minister, has caused something of a stir with his idea that women-only carriages should be reintroduced on trains. This is a terrible notion, which is why it was shot down in 2015 when Jeremy Corbyn first made the suggestion. It demonstrates a serious lack of imaginative thinking about how to tackle sexual harassment.

Reuters News

• UK car output reverses downward trend with 7.8 percent rise in JulyLONDON (Reuters) - British car production rose by an annual 7.8 percent in July as manufacturers boosted output ahead of the key selling month of September, an industry body said on Thursday, reversing the downward trend recorded in recent months.

City AM

• Travel trouble across London expected for busy August bank holiday weekend as huge rail works are plannedThe August bank holiday is set to be a busy one, with millions planning getaways for home and away, but travellers have been warned of a flurry of rail work planned in the capital over the weekend.
• Addison Lee swoops in to nab former EasyJet executive as its new chief operating officerAddison Lee has appointed former EasyJet executive Lisa Burger as its new chief operating officer.
• Scrap air passenger duty and focus on free movement: Think tank offers ways for Conservatives to win over younger votersScrapping air passenger duty for under-30s and making it easier for young people to live and work abroad would help the Conservatives win over younger voters, a think tank said today.
• Transport for London's latest lost property figures show more than £200,000 was left on public transport over the past yearWelcome to the “wonder emporium”. That’s how Paul Cowan has described the room he manages - the Transport for London (TfL) lost property office.
• EasyJet's plans to bring on board more female engineers take offEasyJet is ramping up efforts to bring more women into the aviation industry, announcing today it wants women to fill half the places of its latest aeronautical engineering apprenticeship intake.
• Automatic delay compensation for Southern rail passengers has finally arrivedLong-suffering Southern rail passengers will receive automatic compensation now if their train is delayed by more than 15 minutes, parent firm Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) announced today.

Daily Record

• Fancy a high-flying career? Jet2 to recruit 200 staff for Edinburgh and Glasgow airports The airline are on the hunt for candidates to fill pilot, cabin crew and ground operation roles in Scotland.

Birmingham Mail

• New home for Birmingham haulage firm J Madden Transport takes space at Electrium Point in Willenhall

Birmingham Post

• High-tech architects battle for HS2 top billing Regular Birmingham Post columnist Joe Holyoak welcomes the return of an elder statesmen architect who vowed never to work with Birmingham again

Bolton News

• Northern leaders on 'high horses' with rail demands, says Bolton West MP Chris GreenTOO many Northern politicians are on their ‘high horses’ demanding new transport investment, according to Bolton’s Tory MP.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Airline to take on 300 more staff at Leeds Bradford AirportAN airline is looking to take more than 300 people on board to boost its staff numbers at Leeds Bradford Airport.

London Evening Standard

• Bank station fire alert: DLR halted after track fire breaks out in tunnelDocklands Light Railway trains into central London were halted after a fire broke out in a tunnel.
• Gatwick Airport set for record-breaking Bank Holiday weekend as Brits flee gloomy weatherRecord numbers of holiday makers are flying out of Gatwick for breaks abroad over the bank holiday weekend following weeks of gloomy weather.
• TFL lost property revealed… including books, bank cards and £200k worth of cash left on TubeLondoners lost more than £200,000 in cash on the capital's transport network over the last year, TfL has revealed.
• Female-only carriages 'pin blame for sex attacks on victims and turn assaults into women's problem'As the debate around female-only train carriages is re-ignited, experts speak of the impact such a policy could have on passengers
• MP who proposed women-only train carriages mocked with sign on parliament office doorA senior Labour MP who proposed women-only train carriages has been mocked with a sign on his parliament office door.

Manchester Evening News

• 'The north’s potential is being held back by an outdated, expensive and slow transport system'Northern leaders have united to put pressure on the government over 'the disparity' between transport in the north and London

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Heathrow Airport funds trade missions for two North East firmsThe airport is providing £40,000 for SME businesses to fund trade missions or research that will help boost exports

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Burnham: North's patience on clapped-out trains and congested roads has run outPeople in northern England are tired of "clapped-out trains" while billions are poured into rail projects in the South, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has said ahead of a transport summit.

Crewe Chronicle

• Tech firm chosen to provide power supply for leading train operatorA CREWE firm has been chosen to provide power sockets on a leading train operator's fleet.

Other Regional Press

• Yellow Buses wants to expand its services by building bus depot in PooleYELLOW BUSES is applying to build a bus depot in Poole to expand its services westwards.
• Council plans to back formation of independent Northern transport bodyNorth East Lincolnshire Council wants to pledge its support to the establishment of Transport for the North as a sub-national transport body

Buying Business Travel

• Government urged to agree interim ‘open skies’ deal with EUAirports warn of potential plunge in passenger numbers next year

Rail Magazine

• Waverley platforms to be lengthened Network Rail releases image of new-look Edinburgh Waverley
• Risky business: train fleets in a state of fluxA flood of new trains is creating unpredictability in the UK rolling stock market. PHILIP HAIGH examines implications for the leasing companies & manufacturers
• Osborne urges HS3 as Grayling backs Northern determinationOsborne calls for HS3 as Grayling says poor transport is holding the north of England back

Rail Technology Magazine

• Northern leaders meet in Leeds to demand fair transport cash settlementLeaders in the north are today joining together at a transport summit in Leeds to once again call for better transport investment. The summit, opened today by Leeds City Council leader Cllr Judith Blake, is being attended by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, Liverpool City Region mayor...
• RSSB launches framework to improve nation's stationsA new framework has this week been released that assesses and compares the performance of railway stations around the country. Led by the RSSB, the framework will give users quick and easy access to information about local stations across the network. In particular, it will support the...
• Chase Line electrification moves forward with steel structure installationAnother 52 steel structures have been put in place on the Rugelely Trent Valley to Walsall electrification programme, which Network Rail says is now well underway. Existing powerlines south of Walsall station have also been refurbished, whilst over 25 concrete foundations ready for steel...

Aviation Industry

• Germania expands flight schedule, cites airberlin insolvency Berlin-based Germania is expanding its flight schedule for 2018 in an effort to fill a void in the German air travel market following the announcement of airberlin’s insolvency. read more
• Airberlin creditors to grant preliminary approval for Niki saleAmid intense pressure to find quick solutions for the failing airberlin business, the company’s creditor committee is expected to grant preliminary approval for the sale of Austrian affiliate Niki to Lufthansa at its Aug. 23 meeting. read more

Other News Sources

• Take a look inside London's new £15 billion 'Elizabeth Line' — Europe's biggest infrastructure projectThe massive new Crossrail infrastructure project, which will be known as the Elizabeth line once it opens, is now 85% ready according to City AM.
• The things you should STOP doing if you don't want to be hated by fellow commuters Whether it's on the train or roads, everyone has commuting pet peeves