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

Thursday, 30 August 2018

BBC News

• Contract awarded for A9 dual carriageway workBalfour Beatty will carry out work on the Luncarty to Pass of Birnam section as part of the 96m project.
• Council offers tram disruption support to Edinburgh businessesA £2.4m package is proposed to help firms in Edinburgh if plans to extend the network are given the go-ahead.
• U-turn on bus lane access for Belfast taxisA 12-month scheme allowing most taxis to use bus lanes in Belfast - including new Glider lanes - has been put on hold.
• UK car manufacturing tumbles in JulySMMT blames model changes and other factors for an 11% slide in vehicle production last month.
• Air Canada app data breach involves passport numbersExperts warn that the theft of passport details could be
• Emails while commuting 'should count as work'Wider access to wi-fi on trains and the use of mobile phones has extended the working day, a study says.
• Dyson gears up for electric car testingPlans are unveiled for a 10-mile test track in Wiltshire to test the electric vehicle being developed by Dyson.

The Guardian

• Disabled activists launch legal fund to take transport companies to courtA new legal fund is being launched on Wednesday to hold transport companies to account when they fail to provide equal treatment for disabled passengers.
• Dyson to expand Wiltshire facility to boost electric-car testsSir James Dyson, the billionaire inventor and Brexit backer, has unveiled expansion plans to accommodate more than 2,000 workers at his Wiltshire research facility, more than doubling capacity for electric-vehicle testing.

The Herald

• ScotRail fails customers not on its main routeI AM genuinely pleased that John Macnab (Letters, August 29) is enjoying travelling on the new electrified services between Glasgow and Edinburgh, but I wonder if he would be happy with the serious overcrowding I have experienced on recent Glasgow-Stirling-Dundee services, where passengers have either been left on the platform or have faced conditions that would raise concerns if applied to livestock.

Times Online

• Charities urge curbs on pavement parking [Subscription]Motorists should be banned from parking on pavements to prevent pedestrians having to walk on the road, ministers have been told.
• Google car of the future is driving residents mad [Subscription]Driverless cars designed by a subsidiary of Google’s parent company have difficulty navigating the T-junction closest to the company’s headquarters and are “hated” by local residents, it is claimed.

Birmingham Mail

• Solihull secures £10.2m in new transport fundingCash injection awarded by the West Midlands Combined Authority to support route improvements and work at Solihull station

Bolton News

• Replacement bus situation 'makes no sense', MP saysSir David Crausby said the situation at Bromley Cross railway station "makes no sense" and criticised the use of single hourly bus services to replace trains, which usually pass through the station every half hour.
• Bolton's 20mph speed limits 'totally ineffective' without enforcement, says former mayor
• 20mph zones DO work — police inspector and councillor speak out in support of limitsTHE self-enforcing effects of 20mph zones do help to save lives and cut down on accidents, a police officer insists.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Call for 3.5 per cent rail fare hike to be shelved until train operator 'gets house in order'FURIOUS campaigners say another whopping rail-fare hike on trains to and from Keighley should be shelved until the operator "gets its house in order".

Bristol Live

• Major plans to expand Bristol Airport so it can fly an extra 2 million passengers a yearBristol Airport Limited would like to see 20 million people flying from the Lulsgate Bottom transport hub by the mid 2040s

London Evening Standard

• TfL Tube delays: Northern line commuters face nightmare delays after signal failureLondon commuters faced nightmare delays on one of the capital's busiest Tube lines during the morning rush hour.
• 1,900 trains axed in weekend of strike chaos on Waterloo linesTrain travellers face a weekend of strike misery with more than 1,900 South Western Railway services axed in the latest walkout over driver-only operation.

The York Press

• £200k road plan could 'make things worse', fear campaigners PLANS to spend £200,000 on roadworks near York Hospital “might make things worseâ€�, according to a public transport group.
• Railway museum rules out tunnel or bridge options for pedestrians THE National Railway Museum has ruled out building a tunnel or bridge to help local pedestrians and cyclists access York city centre when its proposed new Central Gallery is built across Leeman Road.
• Testing of new Azuma trains near York halted after glitch TESTING of a new fleet of electric trains on the East Coast Mainline north of York has been halted because of technical problems.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Experts back plans for controversial rail depot near WolverhamptonA controversial rail depot has won the approval of government planning experts – delivering a fresh blow for campaigners.

Other Regional Press

• The cracks are starting to show: residents raise fears about bus burden on their roads RESIDENTS have said their homes and roads are bearing the brunt of buses being diverted down their streets because of the latest Headington roadworks.

New Civil Engineer

• Network Rail to deviate from EU standards post-BrexitNetwork Rail has confirmed that it will not implement Europen Union (EU) standards on all projects after Brexit.
• Developers seek green light for huge rail freight hubControversial plans for a 282ha rail freight hub on green belt land north of Wolverhampton are to be examined by the Planning Inspectorate.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Diversity will help fill the gap at HS2Mark Lomas, head of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) at HS2 Ltd, details what his team is doing to ensure diversity is present at every step of the recruitment process and beyond, all the way down the supply chain. For years, there has been a stop-start approach to major infrastructure...
• Going global: an interview with Network Rail's Leevan FinneyRTM’s Jack Donnelly sat down with one of the leading minds behind Network Rail’s most advanced and innovative rail maintenance technology so far. Director of fleet and engineering Leevan Finney (pictured) talks about the project, the impact it will have, and how it signals the way...
• Latest set of electric trains introduced by ScotRailScotRail’s latest trains have hit the tracks this week with the second introduction of its Hitachi Class 385 Express electric vehicle. As part of the £475m rolling stock investment from ScotRail, the extra two trains introduced on Monday meant that more than 25% of services on the...
• Nexus lacked 'effective safe system of work' during near-miss on Metro line, RAIB findsProcedures from passenger transport executive Nexus “did not assist with the creation of an effective safe system of work,” the RAIB has said in an investigation released after two track workers narrowly avoided being struck by a Tyne and Wear Metro train in February. In its...
• Network Rail completes major upgrades Norwich to London mainlineEngineers at Network Rail have completed improvements on the Norwich to London mainline over the three-day bank holiday as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan. Amongst the improvements are the completion of the 120m track, one set of points, one new buffer stop, and 1,200 tons of ballast that were...

Aviation Industry

• British Airways to base four more E190s at London CityBritish Airways’ (BA) regional airline, BA CityFlyer, is to base four more Embraer E190s at London City Airport in 2019, adding 20% more capacity from the downtown London airport. read more
• O’Leary: Ryanair progresses on pilot union negotiations Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said there is a lot going on with pilot union negotiations, and although the Irish LCC would like to reach deals as quickly as possible, it does not feel pressure to complete them this year. read more
• IATA: US-China trade tensions behind slowdown in global air freightIATA DG and CEO Alexandre de Juniac is attributing the slowing pace of growth in the global air freight market to rising trade tensions between the US and China, saying on Aug. 29 that “trade wars only produce losers.â€� read more

Other News Sources

• Belfast pushing the boat out to mark start of Glider bus serviceToday marks the final day of testing for the Glider, Belfast’s new high-capacity and high-frequency rapid transit service which integrates into the existing Translink bus and rail network.
• easyCoach to end local and airport runsEasyCoach has stopped running bus services in the county, with its owner claiming the business had been the target of sabotage.
• Manchester Airport celebrates one year of construction on its £1bn transformation programmeManchester Airport is marking one year of construction on the biggest investment project in its history by releasing stunning images showing the work completed so far.
• Two new directors appointed at Transport for WalesTransport for Wales has appointed two new directors as it prepares to take over the management of the Wales and Borders rail service from mid-October.
• Train operator accused of running “third world service” after shocking images emergeA TRAIN operator has been accused of running a “third world service” after shocking pictures emerged of passengers with barely any space to move.
• Letter: Cyclists are proving to be an absolute menace AFTER seeing the recent clip on Meridian News regarding the cyclist colliding with a horse, which I found appalling, I thought I would finally write this letter; especially after the day I have had with cyclists.