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

Friday, 25 August 2017

BBC News

• The fix of 'fixies'As a cyclist riding without a front brake is found guilty over a pedestrian's death, a courier shares his experience of using such a bike.
• Bag's-eye view of airport check-in at StanstedHave you ever wondered what it would be like to be a suitcase on an airport conveyor belt?
• New CCTV of Corbyn's 'traingate' journey publishedFootage shows people sitting on the floor between carriages on the service used by Jeremy Corbyn.
• Cyclist Charlie Alliston guilty over pedestrian's deathAlliston was riding a fixed gear bike with no front brakes when he hit Kim Briggs as she crossed the road.
• Alan Titchmarsh vows to save Queen's tree in M25 rowThe TV star wants the UK's
• Qantas cruises into second-highest profit on recordAustralian carrier's boss says a turnaround programme to make the airline profitable
• 'Self-driving' lorries to be tested on UK roadsConvoys of partially driverless lorries will be seen on British roads by the end of 2018.

Financial Times

• Britons grapple with late trains, holed roads and flight delaysExperts say politicians pay insufficient attention to improving transport networks
• Qantas rises as it reports second-highest profit on record

The Guardian

• After Kim Briggs’s death, cyclists must realise that they are traffic too | David ShariatmadariWhile riding a bike it’s too easy to forget the harm you can do to yourself and others. Perhaps Charlie Alliston’s conviction will shake us into vigilanceI love cycling. I am not a bike nut, and those who are would laugh at the secondhand lump of steel that costs more to service than I paid for it. But, like millions of others, I love the feeling of zipping through the city under my own steam. Bikes allow you to be in touch with your surroundings in a way cars don’t. By encasing you in layers of protective metal and cutting you off from noises and smells, cars engender a weird kind of...
• Semi-automated truck convoys get green light for UK trialsGovernment allocates £8.1m to trials of ‘platooning’ which proponents say could cut congestion and hauliers’ fuel costsThe government has given the go-ahead for the first trials of convoys of semi-automated trucks on UK motorways.Up to three wirelessly connected HGVs will travel in convoy, with acceleration, braking and steering controlled by the lead vehicle, a concept named platooning. Each lorry will have a driver in the cab ready to retake control at any time. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Fleets of 'driverless' lorries will be trialled on Britain's motorways from next year, Government announces
• Jeremy Corbyn says no to women-only carriages on trains because 'people don't want them'��
• Japanese shipping line to launch unmanned container ships

Times Online

• Driverless lorry convoys to have trials on Britain’s roads next year [Subscription]The first trials of automated lorry convoys on Britain’s roads will take place by the end of next year in a move that road chiefs said could clear the way for driverless cars.
• Braking Good [Subscription]This newspaper has for many years trumpeted the economic, environmental and physiological benefits of cycling, particularly in towns and cities.
• China overtakes Japan with world’s fastest train [Subscription]China is set to overtake Japan as the land of the fastest trains after the government gave the green light to a top speed of 350 kilometres per hour (220mph).
• Labour ready to oppose third runway for Heathrow over pollution fears [Subscription]Labour could block a third runway at Heathrow over air pollution concerns. Senior party figures hinted yesterday that the leadership was preparing to oppose the plans.

Mail Online

• Driverless trucks will be on English roads next year Self-driving lorries are set to appear on England's motorways from next year. They will be grouped in convoys of three so the back two suffer air less resistance - but the AA has raised concerns.
• British Airways charge double for strong cup of tea British Airways' long-standing reputation as the gold standard of air travel has taken a battering in recent months as loyal customers have accused it of penny-pinching.

Birmingham Mail

• Jess Phillips on why women don’t need segregated train carriagesHer words  in the Independent come after a Labour frontbencher claimed women-only train carriages should be considered to curb levels of sexual violence on public transport.

London Evening Standard

• Self-driving lorries to hit UK roads from next year despite experts' safety fearsSelf-driving lorries will hit motorways across the UK by the end of next year.
• Jeremy Corbyn dismisses Labour MP's idea of women-only train carriages amid fierce backlashJeremy Corbyn has brushed aside suggestions women-only train carriages could be introduced to combat sexual offences on public transport – despite proposing the idea two years ago.

Morning Star

• RMT Slams Tories ‘Sham’ Disabled Access PlanTORY plans to fund better facilities for disabled people on the railways were branded a “fraud and a sham” yesterday by rail union RMT, which noted that they coincide with ministerial demands to axe safety-critical guards.

The York Press

• SCARBOROUGH BRIDGE REVISITED: How York's newest £4.8 million cycle and footbridge could look Council bosses will next week be asked to give their approval in principle for a new £4.8 million pedestrian and cycle bridge at Scarborough Bridge. STEPHEN LEWIS reports

Get West London

• Heathrow Southern Railway: The new £1.2 billion train line which could link airport with Guildford and WaterlooPlans have been unveiled for a brand new £1.2bn railway line which could finally link Heathrow Airport with trains from Guildford, Farnborough, Woking and London Waterloo.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Safety improvements expected at A605 after five deaths in three monthsA fifth person has died in three months on the same stretch of road, prompting renewed calls for safety improvements to be made.

Other Regional Press

• MPs' anger neglect of public transport in the northKirklees politicians sign letter calling for fairer funding
• Conductors to stay on region's trains until 2025, Greater Anglia boss confirmsA TRAIN boss has guaranteed the jobs of their conductors for the next eight years.
• STEPHEN LLOYD MP: Southern Rail fail, yet fantastic air showI am disappointed the RMT have called for another two day strike for early September on Southern Rail. I shared their frustration that after the Secretary of State for Transport had finally agreed to meet with them he then stepped back and it was, once again, GTR/Southern negotiating.

Buying Business Travel

• Labour could turn against Heathrow expansionParty’s leaders may oppose third runway on environmental grounds
• Wow Air to introduce flights from StanstedIcelandic carrier will also add four destinations in the US

Rail Magazine

• Testing begins on first Caledonian Sleeper Mk 5sFirst Caledonian Sleeper Mk 5s move to Velim for testing
• Luton Airport Parkway targets faster trains London Luton Airport Chief Executive calls on East Midlands franchise bidders to quadruple frequency of inter-city trains calling at Luton Airport Parkway.

Rail Technology Magazine

• On-Board Service for Railway Maintenance Machines Over the years, m2 railgroup has developed an evolutionary process of growth focusing on the guiding principles established since the foundation of the company, which are: impartiality, equality, efficiency and effectiveness.
• Continuous Wi-Fi Solution for Chiltern Railways WiFi SPARK is a leading specialist in public wireless solutions. The company is the owner and developer of the unique SPARK® platform which delivers the most flexible, feature rich and scalable solution for guest access Wi-Fi on the market today.
• Deals this week: City of Houston, Bombardier NUG Propulsion System The City of Houston has entered an agreement with Texas Central to develop a high-speed bullet train system between Houston and North Texas.
• GTR rolls out automatic delay compensation to Southern and Gatwick ExpressAutomatic delay repay compensation has now be rolled out to Southern and Gatwick Express passengers, GTR has today stated. Passengers with a Key smartcard will now receive compensation automatically for services that are delayed by 15 minutes or more. The system was rolled out in July for...
• DfT launches consultation to improve transport for disabled passengersA plan to remove barriers for disabled people to use transport in the UK has today been launched for consultation by the DfT. Among some of the ideas in the draft accessibility action plan are ambitions to improve accessibility toilets on the railways and ensure better use of Blue...
• First new Caledonian Sleeper rolling stock arrives at Velim test track New rolling stock for Caledonian Sleeper services have reached a milestone today as operator Serco said that the trains have arrived at a test track in the Czech Republic to undergo key testing for a number of weeks. The first of the 75 Mk 5 trains, a five-carriage train split into two seated...

Aviation Industry

• Aeroflot Group sees traffic growth in 2017Aeroflot Group’s international traffic increased 27.2% from January-July. During the seven-month period, the group carried 28.3 million passengers, up 17.3% year-over-year (YOY). read more
• Ryanair files competition complaints over airberlin assets Irish LCC Ryanair has filed complaints with Germany’s competition authority and the European Commission (EC) over the handling of airberlin’s assets since it filed for insolvency. read more

Other News Sources

• London Tube platforms are being painted green to cut congestionTfL hopes to keep people moving at King's Cross tube station with new markings on the platform floor - but not everyone's convinced
• Island Line could see a half-hourly service says MPPlans include securing more modern rolling stock, a half-hourly service, station improvements and better promotion of the route.
• Heathrow Southern Railway: The new £1.2 billion train line which could link airport with Guildford and WaterlooIf approved, the eight additional miles of railway will see a new bridge being built above the M3 as it runs parallel along with the M25
• Husband of woman killed by cyclist calls for law changeThe husband of a woman who was killed when she was knocked down by a cyclist says cycle courier companies should refuse to employ riders whose bikes are not legal on public roads. Matthew Briggs, whose wife Kim had been crossing the road in east London when she was hit by a man riding a…