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

Wednesday, 26 September 2018

BBC News

• MOT diesel test not performed in NI for 12 yearsEmissions tests on diesel cars have not been carried out in Northern Ireland despite being legally required.
• Children to be banned from cycling to school without number platesThe head teacher says the policy will help people to report pupils who are cycling dangerously.
• Tube's Piccadilly Line set for 48-hour strike as talks failRMT union members on London's Piccadilly Line will walk out from 12:00 BST on Wednesday.
• Ayrshire police play ACE card in drive to reduce crimeAn international conference will lead a drive to make Scotland the world's first

ITV News

• Three new train stations to open in BirminghamCommuting in and around Birmingham is about to get easier as plans for three new train stations are unveiled.

The Guardian

• Saudi Arabia opens high-speed rail linking Islam's holy citiesSaudi Arabia’s King Salman has inaugurated a high-speed rail link between the two holiest cities in Islam, part of efforts to boost tourism as the country seeks to shed dependence on oil exports.

The Herald

• 'There will be challenges' on Scotland's railways over autumn and winter, says transport secretaryTHE TRANSPORT secretary has predicted further "challenges" on Scotland's railways over the autumn and winter after admitting that ScotRail is not performing as ministers have demanded.

Times Online

• Driverless cars could free up land for more housing [Subscription]Widespread adoption of driverless cars would release thousands of acres of land for new housing and reduce the strain on transport infrastructure, according to research published today.

Mail Online

• Now the wrong type of SUN delays morning commuters: Angle of the light shining into cabs forces drivers to manually walk through 240m trains to see if passengers have boarded safelyThe low autumn sun has been dazzling drivers' eyes and has been bouncing off the monitors they use to check passengers have safely boarded - leading them to walk as much as 240m to check manually.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail U-Turn over SOME Giants trains after public backlash"We have to plan for more than double those numbers of visitors"

London Evening Standard

• Ryanair strike: Airline cancels 190 flights blaming 'unnecessary' walkoutRyanair has cancelled 190 flights scheduled for Friday because of strikes by cabin crews across Europe.
• Piccadilly line Tube strike: Tens of thousands face chaos as 48-hour strike begins todayTens of thousands of Londoners face travel misery today when a 48-hour strike on the Piccadilly line begins at midday.

Northern Echo

• Event to showcase bids for Tyne and Wear Metro trainsSupply Chain North East is offering the chance to meet those shortlisted by Nexus to design, build and maintain a new fleet of trains for the Tyne and Wear Metro – a contract worth £500m.

The York Press

• New station among big plans for Leeds Bradford airportTHE public will have their say on proposals to improve transport connectivity to Leeds Bradford Airport, including plans for a new railway station nearby.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds enhances status as centre for cyclingLeeds’s status as a showpiece for major sporting events will again be confirmed later today when it is named as one of the key venues for next year’s UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire.

East Anglian Daily Times

• New £7m relief road finally opens - with potential to create 3,000 jobsAfter decades of campaigning a new £7m road designed to relieve congestion and boost the Suffolk economy has finally opened.
• Trains delayed after lorry crashes into Needham Market bridgeTrain lines through Needham Market have been delayed after a lorry struck a bridge near Needham Lake.

Other Regional Press

• Decision due on funding plans to regenerate Weymouth railway stationThe Echo revealed in June how the Dorset Coastal Forum submitted a bid to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) for £517,000 to create a new ‘gateway’ to transform the rail Weymouth railway station into a revamped hub.

Rail Magazine

• Teething problems on new Azumas“It is not uncommon, when introducing new trains on an existing network, for there to be some teething problems,” Baroness Sugg said in a Lords Written Reply on September 20.
• Jobs to go at Hitachi’s northeast baseAround 150 contractors will cease working at Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe factory in County Durham at the end of the year.
• Five shortlisted for new Metro fleetTyne & Wear Transport Executive Nexus has shortlisted five organisations to design, build and maintain a new fleet of trains for the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Rail Technology Magazine

• £18.75m Halton Curve project delayed a further six monthsThe launch of an upgraded rail line connecting Chester and Liverpool has been delayed until May, with one local MP claiming that the pushback is a result of a lack of trains for the project. The Halton Curve project, worth £18.75m, was due to open in December this year after being...
• Rail Central proposals for controversial freight interchange submitted Plans for Rail Central, a proposed new Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) in Northamptonshire which could create 8,000 new jobs, have been submitted to the planning inspectorate. Ashfield Land and Gazeley have submitted the proposals for the “next-generation” SRFI to be built...
• Stadler unveils new Greater Anglia bi-mode train set to 'transform rail travel'Stadler has revealed a Greater Anglia bi-mode unit (BMU) which will form part of the new 58-train fleet for the East Anglia network. Unveiled at InnoTrans, the leading international trade exhibition for transport technology, Stadler displayed the new model for the first time, which it says is...
• RMT launches campaign to stop closures of London Overground ticket officesThe RMT has launched a campaign to prevent the closure of 51 London Overground ticket offices. Arriva Rail London, which runs Transport for London’s (TfL) overground services, is planning to shut down 51 stations across the London Overground network as the company places more importance on...

Aviation Industry

• UK government gives welcomed guidance on no-deal Brexit UK pilots and European airports have welcomed the publication of UK government guidance on what will happen if the country leaves the European Union (EU) in March 2019 without an agreed-upon Brexit deal. read more
• South African Airways denies sell-off reports; confident of turnaroundSouth African Airways (SAA) has dismissed local media reports that it plans to sell off parts of its business to raise funds after banks declined to loan the cash-strapped airline more money. read more

Other News Sources

• All aboard: Stagecoach operating bus to Gloucester Services helping people get to workGloucestershire’s biggest bus operator Stagecoach West has team up with the family-run service station to provide transport to the service station.
• The shocking number of Birmingham bus services being cancelled per weekFigures from the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain reveal that 224 local bus services stopped running in our region in 2017/18
• Design Contract Awarded For Leeds Bradford Airport ExtensionLBA's terminal building will be extended, including a transformed international arrivals process, with immigration, baggage reclaim and customs. The extension will also accommodate improved departure gates, seating areas and new retail and food and beverage outlets.
• Airport still has eyes on ‘prize’ hubs such as Dublin and Paris after year of steady growthNorwich Airport is focused on driving its international expansion, says its managing director, despite a “year of consolidation” in which a slowdown in energy sector traffic dragged back passenger growth.
• Manuel Cortes calls ScotRails breach of its Franchise Agreement the last nail in the coffin for AbellioManuel Cortes today (Tuesday) responded to news that ScotRail is in breach of its franchise agreement saying, “Surely this has to be the last nail in the coffin for Abellio.
• Why trackless trams are ready to replace light railI began my life as an activist academic in 1979 when the Western Australian government closed the Fremantle railway, saying buses would be better. Patronage immediately fell by 30% and I ran a four-year campaign to save the railway. We won.
• Work starts on Aberdeen’s freight rail lineWork to revamp a section of railway in Aberdeen is under way.
• Crawley Labour’s push for railway clean-upYears of littering led to a potential health hazard in the areas close to Ifield station.
• South Western Railway and Southern among companies that charge passengers to reclaim lost propertyBoth companies insist that they operate within the National Rail Conditions of Carriage policy.