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

Monday, 09 July 2018

BBC News

• Electric cars: New-build homes could be fitted with charge pointsHundreds of thousands more charge points could be installed under plans from the transport secretary.
• Airport parking is extortionate, says RACFourteen UK airports now charge to drop off passengers, although Heathrow and Gatwick are free.
• BP says card payment problem resolvedThe fuel giant said all its petrol stations can now accept card payments after a three-hour outage.

ITV News

• London City Airport may seek permission for more flightsLondon City Airport is considering an application to raise limits on flights and passenger numbers, its boss has revealed.

The Guardian

• Travellers caught in rail chaos face even longer delays … for payoutsFrustrated passengers trying to cope with a disrupted service must fight for compensation
• Terrible Thameslink needs no inquiry [Letters]It’s reassuring to know that the Department for Transport is examining the franchise of Govia Thameslink following the timetable chaos (Thameslink operator stands to lose franchise if chaos persists, 2 July). But what sort of a contract allows disruption to 20,000 trains in six weeks and yet requires an inquiry by DfT to see whether a breach has occurred?
• Electric avenues: UK streets to get more car charging pointsChris Grayling to unveil plans to increase take-up of ultra-low emission vehicles

The Scotsman

• London City Airport set for campaign to take more passengersLondon City Airport is considering an application to raise limits on flights and passenger numbers, its boss has revealed.

Times Online

• Pilot challenges forced retirement rules [Subscription]An airline captain who has been flying for more than 40 years has launched a legal challenge to rules that force commercial pilots to hang up their wings on their 65th birthday.
• Give ground to stave off pilots’ strike, Ryanair told [Subscription]Thousands of holidaymakers face disruption to their travel plans with no resolution in sight for a planned Ryanair pilot strike on Thursday.
• ‘Stupid’ air travellers could soon be revolting [Subscription]Low fares may lure us in but the sheer misery of boarding an aircraft risks making many passengers choose not to fly
• New homes will be fitted with electric car chargers [Subscription]New homes will have to be built with electric car chargers as part of a plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles, it will be announced today.

City AM

• ‘Extremely challenging’ turnaround plan pushes Bombardier's Northern Irish arm to $53m lossThe Northern Ireland arm of aircraft manufacturer Bombardier has swung into the red with a $53m (£39.89m) loss in 2017.
• Stobart chairman Iain Ferguson lines up plan to step down from boardStobart chairman Iain Ferguson is preparing a succession plan that will see him resign from the board within months, a report this evening revealed.

Daily Express

• 'One is not amused' The Queen is not happy with changes to trains, claims rail bossTHE QUEEN travels only on the old fleet of crisis-hit rail firm Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) as she does not like the seats of the company’s new trains, a rail boss has admitted as the monarch joins thousands of rail passengers unhappy with Britain's trains.

Mail Online

• Rail services return to line axed by Beeching: Firm starts regular trains after volunteers spent 45 YEARS rebuilding the tracksFor the first time since 1948 an independent train company is running a regular service on a rural line that was ripped up by the infamous Beeching Axe.

Birmingham Mail

• Railway revolution unveiled for Birmingham and Midlands - more trains, quicker journeys, reopened stations

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• British Cycling chiefs in talks over new track in Bradford BRITISH Cycling will this week meet with Bradford Council to discuss the development of a top-class replacement cycle track to replace one that will close next year.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby to get better links to Birmingham in £649 million rail shake-upScheme aimed at improving speed and ease of travel in region, in bid to boost economy

Liverpool Echo

• Why does the hot weather cause rail delays?Train services have been disrupted this week as temperatures hit 30 degrees in the heatwave

Wales Online

• Rail travellers face parking charges at train stations in south east WalesBosses want to stop people driving from the Valleys to stations in and near Cardiff
• Complaints rise 30% and Arriva Trains Wales blames the weatherNew figures reveal complaints about Arriva Trains Wales have increased by almost 30% in the past year.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• New strategy to shift freight from roads to railA new rail strategy that will slash journey times, shift freight from the roads to the tracks and boost the Midlands economy by £649 million a year was due to be launched today.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Tory MP suggests Chris Grayling should not cancel rail electrification across Pennines and says Whitehall is 'biased' against North A Tory rising star has suggested Transport Secretary Chris Grayling should avoid falling victim to Whitehall “bias” against the North and press ahead with plans to electrify the a key section of the cross-Pennine railway.

Other Regional Press

• Chris Moncrieff column: Get the bulldozers fired up at Heathrow straight awayParliament has spoken loud and clear on the historic decision to go ahead with vital Heathrow Airport expansion. And despite the diplomatic absence of truant Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on a convenient away-day ticket to Kabul to avoid having to vote, MPs gave a huge majority for the building of a third runway, essential for the UK’s economic wellbeing.
• New station shows Dundee’s “ambition” as a world cityCity development convener Lynne Short said the revamped station would offer a “wonderful” first-impression to visitors.
• Trains cancelled and delayed after theft of cablesSeveral train services have been cancelled following the theft of signalling cables near Lancaster overnight.
• Fury after Northern scramble to find replacement buses after every Barrow-bound train cancelled MP John Woodcock expressed fury and disbelief at the news
• Royal Visit: The Prince of Wales helps launch train station defibrillator campaignA campaign has been launched between Arriva Trains Wales and the charity Welsh Hearts to install life saving defibrillators along the Heart of Wales line in its 150th year.

New Civil Engineer

• Carillion proves 'fundamental flaws' in government contractingCarillion’s collapse exposed “fundamental flaws” in government’s approach to contracting, a Commons committee has said.
• Insight | How tight cash buffer could affect Network Rail renewalsNetwork Rail’s pot is running dry. In fact it has just £100M to account for any “suprise costs” between now and April 2019.
• Axed electrification threatens to derail South Wales MetroPlans for a South Wales Metro could be jeopardised by the government’s decision to axe electrification in the area, according to the head of Transport for Wales.
• 'Extremely tight' deadline for Waterloo upgradeThe reopening of the old Eurostar platforms at Waterloo station will open on time despite the schedule being “extremely tight”.
• Old Oak Common forced to suspend CEO searchThe Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) is suspending its search for a new chief executive.
• 20 year Midlands rail hub plan launchedA new 20 year strategy to create a Midlands rail hub to add 6M passenger journeys has been launched.

The Business Desk

• 20-year plan revealed to create Midlands Rail HubA 20-year strategy to create a ‘Midlands Rail Hub’ will create the capacity for six million more individual train journeys each year, boost the Midlands’ economy by £649m pounds a year and shift £22bn of freight from the roads to the railways, according to Our Routes to Growth, a report unveiled today (9 July) by the Sub-national transport body Midlands Connect and the Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling.

Other News Sources

• New Heathrow runway could lose Scots 2,700 international flightsThe figures, from the UK Aviation Forecasts 2017, formed part of the Commons Transport Select Committee’s inquiry into the impact of a third runway at Heathrow.
• The extra hand luggage items that are set to be banned from your bag at UK airportsThe UK could follows the US, New Zealand and Australia's bolstered security measures