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

Sunday, 15 September 2019

BBC News

• Wrightbus: NI businessman Darren Donnelly confirms bidBusinessman Darren Donnelly confirms he is attempting to buy the Ballymena bus manufacturer.
• Heathrow climate change drone protest arrests rise to 19Protesters have threatened to fly drones near the airport but flights remain unaffected.

ITV News

• Rail line between Cardiff and Bristol closed this weekend for electrification workTrain travel into and out of south Wales will be disrupted this weekend as work continues to electrify the main line.
• Gatwick Airport plans additional 90,000 flights by 2038 under redevelopment proposalsA proposed 90,000 additional flights could bring 28 million more passengers to Britain's second busiest airport by 2038, if plans for a second runway take off.
• Number of bus journeys down 300 million in five yearsThe annual number of bus journeys being taken in England has fallen by more than 300 million in five years, figures show.

The Independent

• Ryanair 'systems outage' sparks chaos and delays at airports across Europe: 'This is shambolic'Passengers complain of confusion as they try to avoid £55 check-in fee

The Telegraph

• FirstGroup bus business set for buyouts from its managers [subscription]Embattled transport operator FirstGroup is poised to offload part of its bus business to its own managers amid mounting industry concern of a shake-up by politicians.
• Sister of driver killed on M1 smart motorway backs calls for roll-out to be halted [subscription]he sister of a delivery driver killed on the M1 after he failed to find a safe refuge following a minor collision has backed calls for the roll-out of smart motorways to be halted. Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, and Jason Mercer, 44, were killed when hit by a lorry after they stopped to exchange insurance details on the hard shoulder which had been opened to traffic.
• Anti-HS2 campaigners join forces with Extinction Rebellion to save 'Britain's Amazon'Extinction Rebellion has joined forces with the anti-HS2 campaign as they attempt to save "Britain's Amazon" from being destroyed by the project.

Times Online

• elf-propelling Irish tug could clean up our oceans [subscription]Irish inventors hope to clean up the world’s oceans with a zero-fuel, zero-emission tug boat that is propelled only by the waves. The Jospa tug, billed as a sustainable vessel, has been tested at University College Cork’s (UCC) maritime research centre in Ringaskiddy.
• McColl in final bid to buy back Clyde shipyard [subscription]Jim McColl has launched an audacious bid to regain control of Ferguson Marine, the Clyde shipyard he claims the Scottish government “effectively expropriated” from him last month.
• Ferguson Marine Shipyard nationalised by Holyrood [subscription]Scotland’s last commercial shipyard has been taken over by the Scottish government after Ferguson Marine formally entered administration.

City AM

• Thomas Cook ‘scrambles to seal rescue deal’ amid concerns over bondholdersTroubled travel company Thomas Cook is said to be looking to delay a pivotal bondholders’ meeting on Wednesday to give it more time to agree a £900m rescue deal with majority shareholder Fosun.

Mail Online

• Bus journeys in England fall by more than 300million in five years as nearly half of routes face being scrappedThe organisation believes giving councils oversight of local bus services would enable them to maintain and improve them, as well as protect routes so older and vulnerable people 'don't get left behind'.

Bristol Live

• Rail line and road from Bristol to Wales closed this weekendTravel in and out of south Wales is expected to be badly disrupted this weekend as the rail line and part of the M48 Severn Bridge is closed.
• The new driving laws coming in during 2019 you need to know - including after BrexitFrom driving licences to tax changes - there are lots of things drivers should be aware of when driving in the UK and the rest of Europe when Britain leaves the European Union.
• All the pictures from Extinction Rebellion's 'mass cycle' protest at Bristol AirportAround 60 Extinction Rebellion protesters took part in a 'mass cycle' around Bristol Airport. The event took place from 11.30am until 2.30pm today (September 14), as environmental activists wearing green capes rode around the mini roundabout near the airport entrance.

London Evening Standard

• Ryanair outage: Flights delayed across Europe in systems failure 'chaos'Ryanair passengers have faced hours of travel
• Extinction Rebellion co-founder Roger Hallam arrested again after trying to fly drone at HeathrowAn Extinction Rebellion co-founder has been arrested for the second time in three days after trying to fly a drone near Heathrow Airport, the group said.

Doncaster Free Press

• New air-conditioned train with mod cons launched on Doncaster lineA brand new train has hit the tracks this week, for use by passengers travelling between Doncaster and Leeds.

North Wales Live

• The amazing Airbus plane you'll probably never get to fly onAirbus has installed its latest tech on board an A350-900 Flight Lab aircraft
• AM calls on Welsh Government to 'get a grip' and blasts poor management of A55 roadworksDarren Millar launched a Twitter rant after huge delays saw commuters stuck for hours last night

Other Regional Press

• Joy as two railway tunnels reopened after half a centuryA procession of more than 400 cyclists and walkers celebrated the opening of a new section of the East Lancashire Cycleway.
• The 18 strange things that confuses Merseyrail passengersMost travellers can probably identify with some of these
• Telford MP Lucy Allan backs £3.5 billion rail improvements planTelford MP Lucy Allan has backed proposals which would see huge improvements to the region's railway system.
• Have your say at Birmingham New StreetRail passengers using Birmingham New Street station will be able to discuss this summer’s timetable changes – and all aspects of West Midlands Railway services at the station – on Monday.
• Middlewich and Gadbrook Park railway progress welcomed by MPsA REPORT which suggests new Gadbrook Park and Middlewich train stations could eventually serve 140,000 passengers a year each has been welcomed by MPs.
• MSP calls for urgent ferry review

Construction Enquirer

• Crossrail sparks in pay row as more workers flood Bond StreetElectricians at Crossrail’s Bond Street Station site are unhappy about plans to flood the site with another wave of better paid sparks.

New Civil Engineer

• New images reveal Stonehenge Tunnel complexitiesNew images released by Highways England have shed light on a number of different parts of the proposed Stonehenge tunnel scheme on the A303 in Wiltshire.
• Government paves way for next phase of East West RailThe government has listed the East West Rail (EWR) project linking Oxford and Cambridge as a nationally significant infrastructure project.
• HS2 | Key areas under fire from Oakervee reviewBoth ends of the high speed route face changes as the cost of the project soars and a government-commissioned review of the project gets underway

Other News Sources

• Gatwick Airport says controversial flightpath Route 4 'will not revert to original route'Gatwick Airport says controversial flightpath Route 4 'will not revert to original route' But campaigners have been told the flightpath - which has generated 12,000 complaints - will be changed in December
• Bus journeys fall by more than 300 million in five years“The continuing decline in bus journeys emphasises the need to protect bus services and for councils to be able to invest in funding subsidised routes."
• Ferry firm stages mock voyages to prepare for no-deal Brexit chaosBrittany Ferries to carry out 15 'dry-run' sailings from UK to France

EIN News Subscription

• Ireland fears EU aviation tax could pose cost and access issues for citizens … informal meetings involving EU finance ministers, European Commission vice president … waivers for the air and seaport transport sectors. Contribute more … Le Maire said that EU airline companies who enjoy tax … this week by the European Fiscal Board (EFB), …