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

Saturday, 09 September 2017

BBC News

• Second carrierThe Royal Navy's second aircraft carrier reaches a significant milestone - but what comes next?
• Do we still need aircraft carriers?Do we need aircraft carriers in the 21st century? Captain Ian Groom from HMS Prince of Wales explains how his ship and HMS Queen Elizabeth will play an important role in Britain’s future.
• Second anniversary of Borders Railway markedMore than 2.6m people have travelled on the line between Tweedbank and Edinburgh since it opened.
• Second aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales named by Duchess of RothesayPrince Charles, the man who shares a title with the £3bn vessel, watches as his wife Camilla carries out the ceremony.
• Wi-fi data could ease London Underground overcrowdingTfL collected anonymous information from 5.6 million mobile devices during a four-week trial.
• YouTubers condemned for jumping from driverless train at London's Canary WharfBritish Transport Police says two men
• Flybe apologises to wheelchair user over Glasgow to Stornoway flightThe airline says information about the woman's needs was passed on and the plane involved was too small to accommodate her chair.
• Scots' Electric dreamThe Scottish government wants to phase out diesel and petrol cars, but what challenges will that bring?
• Virgin Atlantic CEO: Reacting to Hurricane IrmaVirgin Atlantic boss Craig Kreeger on how the airline has been joining efforts to help those hit by Hurricane Irma.
• Thomas Cook pilots plan more strikesPilots at leisure airline Thomas Cook announce more industrial action after 12-hour strike.

Financial Times

• New car-hailing app banned in LondonDidi-backed Taxify and Via to shake up one of US group’s most profitable markets
• Uber switching drivers to greener vehicles in UK£150m Clean Air Fund aims to make Uber cars in London hybrid or electric by end of 2019
• Uber confirms FBI probe of ‘Hell’ tracker programmeInvestigation of software used to monitor rival Lyft is latest in long legal line

The Guardian

• Violence erupts between taxi and Uber drivers in JohannesburgPolice deployed to quell violence after two cars operated by Uber drivers were torched in South Africa’s commercial capitalPolice have been deployed to sites in Johannesburg to quell growing violence between Uber drivers and metered taxi operators.Two cars operated by Uber drivers were torched on Thursday night outside a shopping mall in the upmarket suburb of Sandton in the latest round of clashes in South Africa’s commercial capital. A metered taxi was reportedly attacked early on Friday morning. Continue reading...
• Kim Briggs widower: 'this is not about anti-cycling, it's about wrongdoing'Matthew Briggs, whose wife was struck by a cyclist in east London, discusses his grief and his long wait for a convictionA week after Kim Briggs died of head injuries sustained when a cyclist riding an illegal bike collided with her at about 18mph, her husband, Matthew Briggs, received a call from a police officer warning him there would be a long journey ahead.Briggs was sitting on a bench outside John Lewis in Bluewater, the behemoth shopping centre in Kent, where he was picking out clothing for his children’s school uniforms. Shoppers darted purposefully all about him as he took the call. H...

The Herald

• Ground handler suffers serious leg injuries in 30ft Glasgow Airport fallA MAN has suffered serious leg injuries after he fell 30ft while working on a plane at Glasgow Airport.

The Telegraph

• Section of M6 closed in Cheshire after tankers collide spilling chemical waste
• Camilla names new aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, as Charles looks on
• British response to Hurricane Irma 'found wanting', senior MPs say, as Royal Navy arrives in Caribbean

Times Online

• Finance and leasing deals rise despite car sales fall [Subscription]Despite a fall in sale volumes, the value of advances made by financing and leasing companies on cars was up 3 per cent in July at £1.21 billion and 1 per cent for the three months to July at £4.11 billion, an industry organisation reports.
• New car production drives pick up in UK manufacturing [Subscription]Growth in the manufacturing sector rose at its fastest pace this year in July but the trade deficit widened and construction continued to shrink.
• Peugeot chiefs ‘approved emissions cheat devices on 2m diesel vehicles’ [Subscription]Three chief executives of PSA Peugeot Citroën approved a fraudulent strategy to defeat anti-pollution tests on almost two million vehicles sold in France, according to an official report.
• Thomas Cook pilots threaten strikes if pay talks fail [Subscription]Thomas Cook pilots will strike for three more days this month and next if talks next week fail to resolve a pay dispute, their union said. They staged a 12-hour walkout yesterday in what is claimed to be a first by British pilots in 40 years. “There is still a significant gap between us and Thomas Cook,” Brian Strutton, of the British Airline Pilots’ Association, said. However, Thomas Cook insisted: “We have set out a fair pay increase.”
• The ups and down of LA’s funicular railway [Subscription]When the Angels Flight reopened last week, there was widespread rejoicing at the rebirth of the 116-year-old funicular railway in the heart of Los Angeles.
• ‘Too fat to fly’ Russian stewardesses win case against Aeroflot [Subscription]Aeroflot was known for decades for its woeful safety record, its surly flight attendants and its unappetising meals.
• Fun and games as driverless buses take to the Olympic Park [Subscription]After autonomous passenger pods whirring around Milton Keynes and driverless delivery vans in Greenwich, the drone bus has arrived in the UK.
• Uber ‘illegally tracked key competitor’ [Subscription]The FBI is investigating Uber amid claims that the taxi-hailing company used software to interfere with a rival.
• New Oxford-Cambridge rail route must rely on diesel trains [Subscription]A railway line linking Oxford and Cambridge will only be used by diesel trains after plans to electrify the route were abandoned.

Daily Record

• Glasgow Airport bevvy session sparks flight chaos as two steaming strangers cause on-board bedlamDerek Root downed Jack Daniels before hooking up with Jagermeister guzzler Alexander Gray on the Alicante flight which had to be diverted to Bristol due to their drunken antics.
• Man seriously injured at Glasgow airport after plunging 30ft while working on plane The victim was helping prepare a Thomas Cook jet when he fell to the tarmac.
• Camilla names Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier after husband Prince Charles The Duchess of Cornwall named the ship Prince of Wales at the traditional ceremony at Rosyth.

Mail Online

• Royal Navy relief crew lands in hurricane-hit Anguilla RFA Mounts Bay has docked in Anguilla loaded with supplies for residents on the British Overseas Territory, many of whom are now homeless after the Caribbean island was battered by 175mph wind.
• Camilla smashes bottle of malt whisky over Charles's head Since ships are always named by women, the Duchess was the guest of honour at Rosyth Dockyard yesterday, with the Prince at her side in his admiral’s uniform.

The Mirror

• Two drunk strangers who forced plane to make an emergency landing before even leaving UK jailed Derek Root, 30, and Alexander Gray, 38, became abusive to passengers and crew before passing out drunk in their seats
• Airport worker seriously injured after falling 30ft while working on a plane The man was preparing a Thomas Cook jet bound for Orlando, Florida, when the incident happened at Glasgow Airport yesterday

This is Money

• Car scrappage schemes explained and compared Some 22 car brands have existing scrappage schemes running through the month of September (and some until the end of the year). Find out which ones offer the best value in our guide.
• Jaguar to go electric in 2020 and reveals the E-Type Zero Jaguar has taken ‘the world’s most beautiful car’ and given it an automotive heart transplant with an electric motor, as it announced plans for all new cars on sale from 2020 to be electrified.

Birmingham Mail

• Ten parks to visit in Birmingham where you can still park your car for FREE As Cannon Hill Park introduces car parking charges, why not try these ten alternatives?

Birmingham Post

• Thousands to be given HALF PRICE bus and tram travel in Birmingham It will be run as a 12 month pilot scheme initially and extended if successful

Bolton News

• Railway line re-opens after delays caused by collapsed tree A COLLAPSED tree closed the railway line between Bolton and Manchester this morning.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Wreckage of plane that crashed in Caernarfon airport has been removed from the runway Air accident investigators have removed the light aircraft from Dinas Dinlle in bid to pinpoint cause
• North Wales Bad Parking ... are you in the hall of shame this month? Eagle-eyed readers have been supplying some of the best of the worst parking car-trastrophes spotted around North Wales

London Evening Standard

• Uber to charge Londoners 'green fare' surcharge to fund hybrid carsLondoners hailing Uber cabs will be charged an extra 35p "green fare" for each ride from next month to help pay to convert vehicles to hybrid or fully electric engines by 2020.
• Two great value driver's cars: Peugeot 308 GTi v Seat Leon CupraTwo hot hatches from brands famed for their real-world driver's cars. Which is best?
• Concept cars that never made it to the showroom floorThese incredible flights of fancy made it into reality - but not the production line
• Transport for London bosses planning to track commuters using Wi-FiCommuters' mobile phones could be monitored to reduce overcrowding in London's Tube stations and increase revenue from advertising.
• Navy's HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier officially named by Duchess of CornwallHMS Prince of Wales, the second of the two large fleet aircraft carriers about to join the Royal Navy, was named today by the Duchess of Cornwall at Rosyth naval dockyard.
• ​This Chinese five-seat SUV could soon be a on European roadsOut and about in the Changan CS55 230T Xuan Yao
• Navy captain describes scenes of devastation as fleet spearhead response to Hurricane IrmaThe captain of a British naval ship spearheading the humanitarian response to Hurricane Irma said he has never before "seen anything on the scale" of the damage caused.

Manchester Evening News

• M6 closed for EIGHT hours after 18,000 litres of 'corrosive liquid' leaked onto motorway following crash The motorway finally reopened at around 9pm following the crash between a HGV and tanker junction 18 for Holmes Chapel and junction 19 for Knutsford on Friday afternoon

The York Press

• Speak up for buses on York Central siteBUS campaigners are urging people to have their say on the development plans for the York Central development site.

Wales Online

• This road has seen 731 accidents and 21 deaths in 10 years The "far from acceptable" figures include more than 1,000 casualties in total
• Well-known businessman who had his own airstrip named as victim of plane crash John Backhouse, 62, was named locally as the man who died when a plane crashed at Caernarfon Airport on Wednesday

Peterborough Telegraph

• Model garden railway owner to open his door to Peterborough publicThe owner of a model garden railway is opening his doors to the public at the weekend.

Reading Evening Post

• London Waterloo upgrade sees more weekend disruption South Western Railway services will have a new timetable for seven weekends

Other Regional Press

• Buses back in Queen Street ahead of Government decision over ban BUSES are back in Queen Street as a crunch decision over whether they will eventually be banned from the street gets ever closer.
• £30m dual carriageway plan faces public inquiry A public inquiry will be held into a major multi-million pounds dual carriageway plan for a town centre.
• "These car drivers are just lazy" readers react to school driving ban "I know how easy it is to drive and get lazy" school run parents criticised on Facebook
• The biggest car and motorcycle day in Coventry takes place this weekendThis year’s event, organised by Coventry Transport Museum, is set to be the biggest one yet with a fantastic array of classic cars on Millennium Place and Broadgate

Buying Business Travel

• Florida flights cancelled as Hurricane Irma approachesUK carriers warn of “severeâ€� disruption to air travel over the weekend

Rail Magazine

• Testing plans for Greater Anglia's new Stadler trainsTesting plans for Greater Anglia's Stadler trains

Rail Technology Magazine

• TfGM to fight corner for full TransPennine electrification Full electrification of the TransPennine route must continue to be considered alongside any alternatives, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has argued, insisting that the use of bi-mode engine technology is “relatively unproven”. Recently the transport secretary, Chris Grayling...
• TPE updates passengers on progress of new CAF rolling stockTranspennine Express (TPE) has this week shown passengers anther image of how work is progressing with the bodyshells for its new fleet of trains for Scotland and the north west. The rolling stock, being delivered by Spanish firm CAF, will see 12 five-car Class 397 electric trains and 13 sets of...

Railnews

• More work planned for Waterloo approaches Work to improve capacity at London Waterloo is continuing this autumn, and Network Rail has warned that some train services are being affected over seven weekends, starting tomorrow. Much of the project was completed during August, when platforms were lengthened and track layouts remodelled. However, Network Rail must still upgrade signalling between Waterloo and Vauxhall, and carry out improvements at Vauxhall.

Green Miscellany

• Is this the world’s coolest electric bicycle?Elsewhere in Europe, where legislators have embraced a new breed of electric bicycle known as a speed pedelecs, bike builders are becoming ever more creative with the tech. As with other bikes in its class, the Rayvolt Bike Cruzer is capable of speeds of up to 30 mph. It has most of its functions controlled via an app and costs… The post Is this the world’s coolest electric bicycle? appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Hurricane Irma: Gatwick and Heathrow delays as British Airways flights cancelled and Virgin Atlantic 'severely disrupted' Passengers should check flights to the USA over the weekend as journeys to three US destinations are cancelled
• Carbon fuel engines still have a big futureTHE Government’s recent announcement of a ban on new petrol and diesel cars by 2040 might suggest the days of the internal combustion engine are numbered.
• Passengers complain about bus delays and technical problemsBUS passengers complained about delays and technical problems making it difficult to find out travel information.
• GO-AHEAD INSISTS RAIL PERFORMANCE IMPROVING AS ANNUAL PROFITS DROPThe group behind strike-hit Southern Railway has insisted it is improving performance for long-suffering passengers, but warned over an ongoing blow to rail profits after annual results fell.