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

Monday, 29 April 2019

BBC News

• Rhondda rail enthusiasts plan Maerdy mine heritage lineEnthusiasts plan to renovate three miles of an abandoned 170-year-old line for tourism and jobs.
• Cycling 'not just for middle aged men in lycra'On your bike! The pedal push to get more women in Northern Ireland into cycling.
• London Underground noise levels revealedCampaigners want London Underground to display warning signs at stations with the loudest routes.
• Flights diverted after Gatwick Airport 'drone sighting'Three flights are diverted to Stansted Airport after a possible drone sighting at Gatwick.
• Radical blueprint calls for Glasgow metroTransport experts call for tram system to reconnect left-behind areas and boost the economy.
• SAS pilot walkout hits thousands more passengerAirline cancels more flights on Sunday after grounding hundreds of flights on Friday and Saturday.

ITV News

• Glasgow-wide Metro system part of proposals to transform city transportPlans to develop a Glasgow-wide Metro system are among a number of “bold, ambitious and transformative” proposals put forward by an independent commission to reshape the city’s transport systems in the decades ahead.

The Guardian

• Trains disrupted at London Paddington following fire at depotRail services in and out of London Paddington were halted on Sunday following a fire at a storage yard in west London.
• Report backs per-mile road charging scheme for LondonDrivers would be quoted a price before each individual journey to reflect its true impact. London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) and congestion charge should be scrapped in favour of a per-mile charging scheme based on the impact of vehicle journeys, according to a thinktank report backed by politicians and business groups in the capital.

The Independent

• Gatwick drone sighting: Three planes diverted after reports of flying device near airportTwo easyjet flights and one British Airways flights diverted

The Telegraph

• Motorway signs should be redrawn to curb careless driving, transport watchdog warns [subscription]Motorway signs should be redrawn because of concerns that poor visibility is contributing to a rise in careless driving, highways chiefs have been told.
• Mechanical carbon capture 'trees': Irish firm's climate technology breakthrough [subscription]Thousands of mechanical “trees” could soon begin absorbing carbon emissions from the air under a new deal to bring a breakthrough climate technology to market.

Times Online

• Long haul, short stay: bite-size breaks on rise [Subscription]More and more holidaymakers are opting for “bite-sized” breaks of a few days in countries such as the US, Mexico and South Africa with only hand luggage, after a boom in low-cost long-haul travel, according to research out today.
• £10bn plan to transform Glasgow travel [Subscription]A £10 billion plan to revolutionise transport in Glasgow including a new airport rail link and tunnel connecting the two main railway stations has been announced.
• Government must let cities set their own clean transport agenda [Subscription]It’s often said that we are moving towards a new age of cities. National governments are too distant and backward-looking to rise to the challenges of governing complex and cosmopolitan modern societies. Cities, the argument goes, should and are taking over.
• Glasgow needs a transport system that is world-class [Subscription]Scotland is no stranger to big transport infrastructure projects but over the past decade these have largely sought to improve travel between, rather than within, our major cities. This has to change.
• ‘Take control of railways away from government’ [subscription]The rail industry is to call for the present train franchise system to be scrapped, that long-distance routes are opened up to competition between multiple operators and that commuter services into London and around leading cities come under the control of local authorities.
• Bad motorway signs causing drivers to take more risks, watchdog warns [Subscription]Motorway signs should be redrawn because of concerns that poor visibility is contributing to a rise in careless driving, highways officials have been told.

City AM

• French rail firm SNCF threatens legal action against government over failed HS2 bidFrance's state-owned rail company SNCF is threatening legal action against the UK government after it was barred from bidding from a contract to run HS2 in an ongoing dispute over pension liabilities.

Sky News

• Flights diverted from Gatwick after 'drone sighting'A possible drone sighting at Gatwick Airport forced the diversion of three flights on Sunday.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Inaugural new Caledonian Sleeper service delayed two hoursPassengers aboard the first brand new Caledonian Sleeper train were delayed more than two hours today by signalling problems.

London Evening Standard

• Three planes diverted to Stansted following 'drone sighting' at Gatwick AirportThree flights have been diverted to Stansted Airport following reports of a possible drone sighting at Gatwick.

Northern Echo

• MPs ask Chancellor for Northern Powerhouse Rail commitmentA GROUP of more than 80 MPs will today send a letter to the Chancellor to make a full commitment to transport investment in the North.

Yorkshire Post

• The Yorkshire Post says: Listen to Yorkshire passengers over rail servicesRAIL passengers and businesses in our region know to their cost how the inadequacies of the network impact both on working lives and the economy.

North Wales Live

• Bus surfing - the terrifying new Facebook challenge that bus drivers are worried sick about"People should be told how dangerous these silly challenges for likes on Facebook are for everyone involved"

Other Regional Press

• 'Let's replace two lanes of A259 with cycle lanes'TWO lanes of the main A259 seafront road should be given over to cyclists, a former mayor said. Green councillor Pete West made the statement as he called for the “safe” cycle lanes at a pre-election meeting in Brighton.

New Civil Engineer

• Thameslink upgrade at Blackfriars had 'abysmal' safety recordThe safety record at Blackfriars station during the major £7bn Thameslink upgrade programme in London was “pretty abysmal at times”, according to a Network Rail health and safety manager.
• Thameslink upgrade at Blackfriars had 'abysmal' safety recordThe safety record at Blackfriars station during the major £7bn Thameslink upgrade programme in London was “pretty abysmal at times”, according to a Network Rail health and safety manager.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail puts out £10m and £15m comms and creative briefsNetwork Rail has issued two bulky creative and comms briefs, priced individually at £10m and £15m, as the rail infrastructure looks to modernise its marketing capabilities.
• Aberdeen MSP calls on Labour to back plans to devolve rail servicesA north-east MSP has called on his political rivals to back full devolution of rail services to the Scottish Government.
• Teesport rail freight investment continues to drive Tees ValleyPD Ports has unveiled its new train for its freight business