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

Thursday, 27 September 2018

BBC News

• Designs for three new Birmingham rail stations unveiledMoseley, Kings Heath and Hazelwell stations could reopen along the old Camp Hill line.
• Conwy Road Bridge repair bill rises as pigeon poo hides rustAn inspection revealed patches of rust were hidden by the birds' droppings on Conwy Road Bridge.
• Rail woe for Labour conference-goersDelegates heading home from Liverpool face delays after Jeremy Corbyn bemoaned Britain's railways.
• Kylie Minogue becomes railway announcer for BBC Music DayThe pop star will be making platform announcements around the UK to mark BBC Music Day on Friday.
• Investigation into Jubilee line open-door Tube journeyThe Jubilee Line service had passengers on board as it moved at full speed on 1 September.
• 'Pothole epidemic' and cold winter hits AA profitsBad road conditions and extreme weather conditions in the UK are behind a 65% slump in profits for the AA.

The Guardian

• Uber and CitySprint among gig economy firms to face parliamentUber and courier firms including CitySprint are to be called to give evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into gig economy companies that have continued to deny workers employment rights despite tribunal rulings.
• Air pollution fears fuel fight against new London cruise ship terminalThe River Thames has become a ‘wild west’ unbound by new laws to clean up the city’s roads, say campaigners
• Give us the whole story on potholesThe AA is wrong to attribute the “pothole epidemic” to the “beast from the east” (Report, 26 September). After eight years of government-imposed austerity, starving local highways authorities of fundsfor routine maintenance, our infrastructure is crumbling while Brexit consumes our attention.
• UK's first air-filtering bus launches in SouthamptonOne of the UK’s largest bus and rail operators has launched the country’s first air filtering bus in an effort to tackle air pollution.
• Customs delays of 30 minutes will bankrupt one in 10 firms, say bossesSupply chain chiefs at 1,300 surveyed firms say firms are already stockpiling parts amid fear of no-deal Brexit

The Independent

• Heathrow: screens blank in latest airport information failureAs tens of thousands of passengers converged on Heathrow from across the UK and the world, the flight information screens at Britain’s busiest airport failed.
• Labour conference: Politicians and media stranded in Liverpool as west coast main line trains stop running | The IndependentPoliticians and members of the media face a long and difficult journey from the Labour Party conference in Liverpool due to a near-shutdown of the west coast main line.

Times Online

• BA put safety rules ahead of dying girl Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, inquest told [Subscription]A senior British Airways steward did not fetch a defibrillator for a teenage girl dying from an allergic reaction because the flight was landing and it was more important to stand by the door, an inquest has been told.

City AM

• Westminster and City Hall in tense standoff after council misses Sadiq Khan's deadline for new Oxford Street plansWestminster City Council has said it will not meet Sadiq Khan's deadline for submitting its alternative plans for Oxford Street this month, in a move that risks further heightening tensions with City Hall over the abandoned project.

The Mirror

• Jeremy Corbyn's attack on Virgin Trains over Labour conference transport chaos runs slightly off the railsHundreds of delegates are strugging to get home by train as all services to London are suspended

The National

• Transport bosses deny 'shifting the goal posts' to protect ScotRailLabour and the TSSA trade union accused the Scottish Government of using Storm Ali as an excuse to change strict punctuality targets to avoid the national rail company, operated by Dutch firm Abellio, breaching targets.

Birmingham Mail

• New Birmingham railway stations revealed: All we know so farThere will be three stations at Moseley, Kings Heath and Hazelwell

London Evening Standard

• Piccadilly Line Tube strike LIVE: Updates as 48-hour walkout hits morning rush hour sparking further misery for passengersA 48-hour strike on the Piccadilly line has entered its second day sparking misery for tens of thousands of commuters.

Manchester Evening News

• Troubled operator Northern Rail track-tests its £500m fleet of new trainsAfter months of disruption, Northern Rail are promising a brighter future thanks to brand new trains

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train link could open up a ‘leisure corridor’ as final testing carried out​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The long-awaited Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train link could create a ‘leisure corridor’ in the Lower Don Valley, which passengers should be able to enjoy in next few weeks.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Improve rail links from Aberdeen to central belt, says leading expertA leading expert on urban development has called for sub-two hour rail journeys from Aberdeen to the central belt and a dedicated Scottish government minister for cities if the north-east is to have a successful economic future.
• Minister to ask why Aberdonians can not board train called ‘The Aberdonian’A Scottish Government minister has vowed to ask the operators of a new steam train called “The Aberdonian” why Aberdonians can not get on board.

Bucks Free Press

• 'Inadequate and ill-informed': HS2 project slammed over lack of communicationConcerns have been raised over “inadequate and ill-informed” information provided on the controversial HS2 tunnel, while the county council claims it has been “left in the dark” over the programme.

Other Regional Press

• London Heathrow bosses draw up plans for flights to and from Dundee AirportDundee could soon link directly to the UK’s biggest airport under plans by Heathrow bosses....
• Major works planned near M6 to create thousands of jobs and West Coast Main Line link - but 'will threaten Staffordshire's wildlife' in the processBut campaigners say the West Midlands Interchange will increase emissions and destroy wildlife

Railnews

• Controversial lineside tree felling set to continueTREE felling alongside railways is set to continue, in spite of loudly-voiced protests from environmentalists and naturalists. Network Rail has warned that the problems caused by lineside trees are becoming worse because of the exceptionally dry weather this year in south east England.

Aviation Industry

• Supersonic amendment on FAA bill hailed as breakthroughFAA reauthorization legislation agreed by US House and Senate committee leaders on noise standards for civil supersonic aircraft has been lauded by a Colorado startup that is developing a 55-seat, Mach 2.2 airliner.
• FAA to add taxiway detection systems in response to airline incidentsFAA plans to roll out enhancements to airport surface detection systems that will alert air traffic controllers when aircraft are about to land on taxiways, addressing an issue that the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) identified as key during its probe into a 2017 taxiway near-miss incident at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
• Lufthansa to grow Air Dolomiti, shrink CityLineLufthansa Group is making a major shift to its regional airline portfolio that involves expanding Italian subsidiary Air Dolomiti.
• Air France’s Joon to further expand networkAir France announced five more of its routes that will transfer to hybrid airline Joon from mid-2019.
• Norwegian slashes transatlantic routes; blames Scottish air taxesLong-haul LCC Norwegian is cutting its US routes from Belfast, Northern Ireland, ending transatlantic services from Edinburgh, Scotland, and cutting some European routes from the Scottish capital.
• FAA bill clears way for US government to regulate seat sizeThe global airline industry has come out in strong support for the US Congress's recently announced compromise bill to reauthorize the FAA through 2023. But a provision tucked in the bill that would clear the way for the FAA to regulate minimum seat sizes has some industry-watchers concerned Congress may be overstepping its bounds.

Other News Sources

• Businesses offered share of £3.5m to bring rail sector on low carbon trackPart of the funding will be provided for reducing the carbon footprint of railways across stations