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

Wednesday, 30 May 2018

BBC News

• Chris Grayling says GTR 'failed passengers'The transport secretary says the "rail industry has collectively failed" passengers when timetable changes caused chaos across the network.
• Vale of Glamorgan road 'would have a massive effect'Ruth Cole is worried about noise and pollution from proposed road near her Vale of Glamorgan village.
• Flash-flooding brings parts of London and Kent to standstillMotorists are warned to drive only

The Guardian

• Fury as train delays and cancellations in UK enter second weekWatchdog calls for commuters to be compensated as new timetable chaos continues

The Independent

• Manchester Airport gate evacuated after cracks appear in floor at temporary loungeOnly one flight affected, spokesman insists

The Scotsman

• Cycling with the elderly scheme to go Scotland-wide A Danish-inspired scheme to get elderly people out and about on people-carrying trishaws is to be extended across Scotland, it was announced today.
• Exemptions announced for new island airports' parking charges Airport chiefs today sought to quell anger at the introduction of £3-a-day parking charges in Shetland, Orkney and Stornoway with exemptions for some passengers.

Times Online

• Mamils are a turn-off, says cycling supremo [Subscription]Cycling is being undermined by an image problem, with too many people perceiving it as the domain of white, middle-aged men, according to London’s cycling tsar.

Mail Online

• The way you walk could be used instead of fingerprinting at airports Researchers from the University of Manchester and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid have developed an AI biometric verification system that measures an individual's gait (stock image).
• Tesla Model 3 sets new record on a single charge after driving for 606 miles (but then breaks down) Electric vehicle fanatics Sean Mitchell and Erik Strait drove a Model 3 606 miles (975km) over a 32-hour drive in Denver, Colorado, that ended in the car breaking down.
• London transport chief apologises for ill-judged cycle lane expansion Mike Brown, the commissioner for Transport for London, apologised to motorists who have complained that a network of segregated cycle lanes (pictured) has made traffic even worse.

The Mirror

• Lake District flights for summer cancelled days before launch as airport forced to push dates backThe first flights to the Lake District were initially set to take off on Monday 4th June

Bristol Live

• High speed 150mph trains between Bristol, Birmingham and Cardiff should be introduced by 2050 say expertsThe introduction of 150mph trains through Bristol could prevent the city being left behind as London's rail links are upgraded, according to transport experts.

London Evening Standard

• Car-share club Zipcar to introduce 300 electric cars in London this summerThe biggest zero-emissions car-share programme in the UK will be launched in London this summer.
• London's cycling chief claims London cyclists are too white, male and middle class... but campaigners say the issue is infrastructure not diversityCampaigners in London have called on London's cycling chief to improve infrastructure - not diversity - after he claimed that the capital's cyclists are too white, male and middle-class.
• Police board Virgin Atlantic flight at Gatwick after drunk passenger urinates in his seat and abuses staffA drunk airline passenger was arrested after urinating in his seat and harassing staff during a 10 hour flight from Las Vegas.
• St Pancras delays: Eurostar and Southeastern passengers stranded for FOUR hours as trespasser, lightening and flashfloods spark travel chaosEurostar passengers and rail commuters faced several hours of delays after a trespasser, flash floods and lightning sparked chaos at major transport hubs.
• Dartford bus crash: Fourteen people injured and bus driver arrested after 25 vehicle pile-up in KentFourteen people have been injured and a driver has been arrested after a bus ploughed into 25 vehicles in Kent.
• This area will see journey times reduced by most when Crossrail opensEaling's family-friendly neighbour could gain most from Crossrail — central London will be 15 minutes away.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Nexus offers £1,000 after latest cable theft brought Metro bank holiday disruptionPassengers who tried to travel on the Metro on bank holiday Monday faced disruption as repairs had to be carried out on three different places

Wales Online

• MTR decision on whether to challenge Wales & Borders rail franchise and Metro award to rival KeolisAmeyTransport giant MTR has confirmed it is not seeking to legally challenge the awarding of a contract, which could be worth billions over the long-term, to run the trains in Wales and deliver the next phase of the Metro project.

Yorkshire Post

• ‘Rail revolution’ needed to link Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Hull, Manchester, Liverpool and NewcastleA LEADING transport think-tank has called for a railways revolution that it says would bring together the major cities of the North to create an “effective and powerful economic unit”.
• Leeds now part of Britain’s first ‘dementia friendly’ railway line A new project is now underway in Leeds that aims to create Britain’s first dementia-friendly railway line.

Burnley Express

• Rail firms order special report into timetable change chaosTHE two companies responsible for train services in East Lancashire are commissioning an independent report into recent chaos.

Carlisle News & Star

• Carlisle Lake District Airport flights will not take off until SeptemberFlights from Carlisle Lake District Airport will not go ahead as planned on Monday.

Other Regional Press

• Transport secretary poised to take action to tackle woeful rail servicesChris Grayling has written to all MPs about the shambolic service experienced by rail users
• New rail line could ‘cut 30 minutes off trip from Dundee to Edinburgh’A new north-south railway running alongside the M90 would cut journey times from Edinburgh to Perth and Dundee by up to 30 minutes, according to a study.
• 'NIGHTMARE': Anger as Oxford Railway Station to shut for two weeksPASSENGERS are facing a nightmare this summer with Network Rail announcing plans to cancel nearly all services into and out of Oxford Railway Station for a fortnight in July.

Global Rail News

• ‘A generational leap in the market’: Bombardier showcases new electric locomotiveBombardier Transportation has presented its new TRAXX DC3 electric locomotive at its site in Vado Ligure, Italy.

New Civil Engineer

• Laing O'Rourke investigates Manchester Airport cracksManchester Airport and Laing O’Rouke are investigating the cause of cracks to a temporary gate that was constructed as part of the airport’s £1bn expansion.
• MPs to rule on Swansea Bay tidal lagoonThe long wait for a decision on the £1.3bn Swansea Bay tidal lagoon should be over in a matter of weeks as ministers gear themselves up to rule on the project.
• Insight | UK sleepwalking towards 'electric car crisis'The UK needs to change its approach to the roll out of charging infrastructure to avoid an electric car crisis. Electric cars are expected to replace diesel and petrol vehicles, which will be banned from 2040 onwards. A total of 100,000 charging points will be necessary by 2020, one report suggests, to keep up with the demand.
• DfT doubts feasibility of UK-wide high speed rail networkThe Department for Transport does not believe a UK-wide high speed rail network is currently feasible, New Civil Engineer understands.

Rail Magazine

• Class 385 windscreen finally approved?This means that subject to formal approval, which sources suggest will take a few weeks, work can begin on modifying trains at Springburn Works.
• First TransPennine Express Mk 5As arrive in UKThe first CAF-built Mk 5As for TransPennine Express have been delivered to Longsight.

Rail Technology Magazine

• HS2 must be 'X-shaped' to bring high-speed services to left-behind regionsIntegrating the HS2 project into the national network could help close the UK’s productivity gap with other G7 economies and inject “rocket fuel” into the economy, a new report from Greengauge 21 has said. The report, ‘Beyond HS2,’ argues that the UK’s rail...
• Elizabeth Line trains undergoing final testing phases, travelling through tunnels at 60mph The first footage of the new Elizabeth line of trains being tested in London has been released, with the major infrastructure project now in its final stages. Images show the new fleet’s automatic train control system (which operates in the central section of the route) being tested...
• Greater Anglia £1m Class 317 refurb completedGreater Anglia has completed a £1m refurbishment of its Essex and Hertfordshire commuter trains, it has announced. The refurb, which will improve comfort for passengers, has seen 72 Class 317 trains fitted with new standard seat covers and vinyl flooring, new First Class seat covers, trim...
• Major progress made on ECML, paving way for new trains this yearNetwork Rail has completed two key milestones in its changes to the East Coast Main Line (ECML) for its introduction of the new InterCity Express Passenger (IEP) trains later this year. Routes spanning England and Scotland have been checked to ensure the new Class 800 trains  can safely...

Railway Gazette

• Custom-designed road-rail drain cleanerUK: AJH Plant Engineers has designed and built a road-rail drain cleaning machine based on a crop...
• Thales acquires Danish driver-advisory specialist EUROPE: To strengthen its traffic management capability, Thales announced on May 29 that it had...

Aviation Industry

• Air France, SNPL union sign 787 pilot training dealAir France and the SNPL pilot union have reached an agreement that extends a previous Boeing 787 training deal allowing 777 instructors to train pilots on the 787. read more
• Lufthansa will not face fare investigation after airberlin bankruptcyGermany’s competition watchdog Bundeskartellamt sees no reason to open an investigation into Lufthansa’s pricing practices following the airberlin bankruptcy in October 2017. read more
• Eurocontrol, Thales to partner on cybersecurity and ATC digitalizationEuropean air traffic management (ATM) organization Eurocontrol will work with technology provider Thales to protect against cyberthreats and digitalize air traffic services in Europe. read more
• O'Leary: Ryanair may make further investment in LaudaMotionRyanair CEO Michael O'Leary said the Irish LCC could invest more than the planned £100 million ($117 million) into Austrian startup LaudaMotion to grow its fleet faster. read more