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

Thursday, 27 February 2020

BBC News

• Heathrow expansion faces threat from climate caseThe Court of Appeal is set to make a ruling over Heathrow's expansion in a case described by green groups as massively significant.
• Pavement parking: Blind man hit by car in Talbot GreenSteve Lawrence says he was hit while trying to get around cars parked on a pavement.
• Heathrow expansion: What is the third runway plan?What are the arguments for and against a third runway?
• Tesla Autopilot crash driver 'was playing video game'An Apple employee died after his semi-autonomous Tesla hit a concrete barrier.
• New Scottish technology could end trains' wi-fi 'notspots'Researchers in Edinburgh develop a satellite antenna that could end the frustrations of rail passengers.
• Croydon Airport: 100 years of air traffic control in the UKCroydon Airport established the world's first-ever air traffic control services 100 years ago.
• Court may upset Heathrow third runway plansA ruling will decide whether Heathrow's expansion plan should have taken the climate more into account.

ITV News

• Campaigners win legal bid to halt Heathrow airport expansionThe future of Heathrow Airport's third runway is in doubt after judges ruled in favour of campaigners fighting to block the expansion.

Financial Times

• Heathrow braced for court ruling on third runwayMoment of truth for Johnson, who switched sides as PM to signal project should go ahead
• Private train operators receive £400m in subsidiesFirst time in five years that rail groups have not paid into state coffers
• Airlines freeze hiring as virus damps profit hopesKLM and Lufthansa take emergency steps to counter impact on revenues
• Scotland to extend free bus travel to 18-year-oldsPledge is part of SNP deal with Green party to ensure passage of budget

The Guardian

• Heathrow third runway ruled illegal over climate changeAppeal court says decision to give go-ahead not consistent with Paris agreement
• 'Go big or go home' to heal north-south divide, No 10 toldTransport investment alone will not eliminate UK imbalance, former civil service chief tells Boris Johnson Boris Johnson’s government has been told to “go big or go home” if it is to truly “level up” the country and heal social division, with the former head of the civil service warning that transport investment alone will not eliminate the imbalances between London and the rest of the UK.Bob Kerslake, who ran the civil service from 2011 to 2014, issued the ultimatum as head of the UK2070 commission, an independent inquiry into the deep–rooted geographical inequalities within the UK. Continue ...

The Telegraph

• Heathrow airport: Third runway plans blocked by Court of Appeal [subscription]Campaigners have won a Court of Appeal ruling on environmental grounds, but the airport said it will be appealing to the Supreme Court
• Cyclist mowed down and killed pedestrian while speeding at 30mph in first suspected e-bike death, court hears

Times Online

• Court of Appeal rules out third Heathrow runway [Subscription]The expansion of Heathrow airport was declared unlawful today, potentially killing off the decades-long plan for a third runway.
• Teenagers given free bus passes to curb rise in polluting car journeys [subscription]Free bus travel will be given to under-19s next year after SNP ministers extended Scotland’s overdraft to fund a budget deal with the Greens.
• Heathrow reaps reward from passenger rise [subscription]Record revenues from its highest number of passengers have cascaded down to the bottom line for Heathrow, helping it to a 40 per cent leap in pre-tax profits for last year.
• Heathrow plans under threat as Boris Johnson looks at alternatives [subscription]The expansion of Heathrow airport is hanging in the balance after Boris Johnson threatened to withdraw government support for a third runway in the face of a pivotal court ruling.

Reuters News

• Opponents of new London Heathrow runway to hear appeal outcomeLONDON (Reuters) - Opponents of a third runway at London’s Heathrow are set to hear on Thursday whether their legal appeal against the government’s decision to expand Europe’s biggest airport has been successful.

City AM

• Heathrow soars to ninth year of growth as third runway decision loomsHeathrow Airport posted its ninth consecutive year of passenger growth as stakeholders gear up for tomorrow’s judicial review decision on whether the third runway expansion project can go ahead.
• UK car production falls for the fifth consecutive month in JanuaryBritish car production declined for a fifth consecutive month in January, but an increase in overseas orders gave the struggling The post UK car production falls for the fifth consecutive month in January appeared first on CityAM.
• Construction sector lobbies government for £225m 'future-proofing' instituteConstruction and engineering bosses are pushing the government to set up a new institute to promote the interests of the The post Construction sector lobbies government for £225m 'future-proofing' institute appeared first on CityAM.
• Heathrow expansion: Court of Appeal set to decide on Khan's challengeThe Court of Appeal will deliver a verdict on Sadiq Khan’s challenge to a third Heathrow runway today. Khan teamed The post Heathrow expansion: Court of Appeal set to decide on Khan's challenge appeared first on CityAM.

Sky News

• Heathrow Airport: Plans for third runway in tatters after legal defeatA Court of Appeal ruling means the UK's efforts to grow air capacity are likely to go back to the drawing board - again.

Birmingham Post

• Developers complete work on new multi-million pound Castle Donington relief roadThe 2.4km stretch has been built to serve new housing developments and reduce commuting times

Bolton News

• End of the line for trains headed to Bolton scrap yard It really was the end of the line for two diesel-electric locomotives which were set to be turned into scrap in Bolton in 1968. The two green shunters were in a siding off Crescent Road and were about to be dismantled. Lawrence Hatton (pictured), a director of William Hatton and Sons, from Bolton which was undertaking the work said it would take around two weeks to dismantle each engine.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Concerns over 'racetrack' road causing misery for residents are recognised, Council saysCONCERNS over anti-social driving on a major road between Bradford and Leeds are recognised, a Council has said.
• Councillors will be told that revised housing plans 'no longer put park and ride at risk' CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 146 homes on a plot of land in South Bradford will once again go before a planning panel again next week.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Work to begin on £29m scheme to improve part of the A55 in GwyneddIt is part of a £1bn package of improvements in transport and road infrastructure across North Wales over the next 10 years

London Evening Standard

• Cyclist accused of causing first E-bike death by dangerous driving 'was 10mph over speed limit'A cyclist accused of killing a pedestrian while riding an electric bicycle was travelling more than 10mph over the speed limit, a court has heard.

Northern Echo

• Rail stations get funding for access DISABLED passengers in North Yorkshire are set to benefit from accessibility improvements thanks to a release of Government funding.

The York Press

• Plans lodged for major rail scheme which could create 33,000 jobs FORMAL proposals for a major rail scheme in Yorkshire have been lodged with the Department of Transport.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Interchange cost rises to £20 millionThe cost of the Dudley bus station revamp has risen by £2 million.

Yorkshire Post

• Why Heathrow's third runway could cost Yorkshire £1.3bn and more than 1,000 jobsYorkshire could be £1.3bn worse off and see more than 1,000 jobs relocate to the South East if plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport go ahead, it is claimed today.

Cambridge News

• Extra Cambridge to Brighton trains to run from MayThe extra services will make it easier to get to the coastal city.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Ipswich MP puts hat in ring for town’s traffic task forceIpswich MP Tom Hunt has put his name forward to chair a task group tackling Ipswich traffic problems, citing the importance of the project for the town.

Other Regional Press

• Key questions in fight over Heathrow Airport expansionCampaigners trying to block Heathrow’s expansion will on Thursday find out if their Court of Appeal challenge has succeeded.
• TransPennine Express launch £1 sale on train ticketsBut you'll have to be quick!

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• 2020 must be year of action following “decidedly mixed” progress on infrastructure prioritiesRecent announcements on infrastructure spending must be set within a proper long-term strategy in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and to meet the challenge of climate change, according to the National Infrastructure Commission’s annual report on government progress towards key infrastructure objectives.   The report notes a surge in recent announcements relating to infrastructure programmes, including approval for High Speed 2 and a decision on the preferred route for the central section of East West Rail between Bedford and Cambridge. However, the report argues, s...
• Rail stations across Great Britain receive £20m funding boost for accessibility improvementsDisabled passengers across Great Britain are set to benefit from accessibility improvements at 124 stations thanks to a £20 million government fund. The enhancements announced by the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps are funded through the Access for All programme and will include new lifts, accessible toilets and customer information screens. It comes as a new government campaign launched this week to improve the journeys of disabled passengers on public transport. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:
• ABB and Covariant Partner to deploy integrated AI robotic solutionsABB and Silicon Valley AI start-up, Covariant, have announced a partnership to bring AI-enabled robotics solutions to market, starting with a fully autonomous warehouse order fulfilment solution. The partnership brings together the two companies with a shared vision for robotics enabled by AI, where intelligent robots work alongside humans in dynamic environments, collectively learning and improving with every task completed. Given the accelerated global growth experienced in the e-commerce sector, ABB identified a significant opportunity for AI-enabled robotics solutions across a broad range...
• Highways England unveils pioneering automated cone laying vehiclesHighways England has released its first footage and images of a pioneering new vehicle being developed to eliminate one of the biggest risks facing roadworkers. Testing is now under way on automated cone laying vehicles being developed by Highways England and a group of industry experts. Putting out cones is still currently undertaken by two people on the rear of a vehicle working in tandem. The bulk of this work is undertaken at night and carried out in most weathers with the workers lifting up to 10 tonnes of equipment per shift. View the automated cone laying video here. Cones are neede...

Rail Technology Magazine

• £20m government funding to make 124 stations more accessible across GB Announced today (Feb 26th) by the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, disabled passengers across GB are set to benefit from accessibility improvements at approximately 124 stations. The funding comes from the Access for All programme and will include new lifts, accessible toilets and customer...
• New research partnership announced between University of Birmingham and Siemens Mobility Ltd Siemens Mobility Limited and the University of Birmingham have announced a new, academic framework research partnership, strengthening the relationship between the two organisations. The Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) will join Siemens Mobility to commence a...