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

Thursday, 13 September 2018

BBC News

• South Yorkshire rail hub officially opened by Princess RoyalThe first inland rail freight terminal to be built in the UK for more than ten years has been officially opened by the Princess Royal.
• Mayor 'steps in' get Wixams railway station builtPlans for a £27.4m railway station in a new village could be back on track, with the council stepping in to bridge the funding gap.
• Call to spend £1.4bn M4 relief road cash on public transportA relief road would not cut congestion and is an old solution to the problem, a report says.
• Landslip on A9 at Helmsdale 'undetected for months'People living in Caithness and Sutherland say the landslip is one example of difficulties with the road in the north Highlands.

The Guardian

• SNCF to launch driverless trains in mainland France by 2023French rail operator chair says autonomous trains are the future but it may take time for passengers to accept boarding them
• Public must tell Network Rail to stop tree felling, says charityThe Woodland Trust is asking people to make their voices heard over rail company’s plans to cut down thousands of trees
• The Guardian view on electric cars: stopped by industry inactionMinisters must accept that the market won’t deliver technological change on its own. They will need to get the state involved to meet environmental and social objectives
• Ryanair boss tells Chris Grayling to 'get off his backside' and strike deal with EUMichael O’Leary also warned a no-deal Brexit would ground flights causing public outrage

The Herald

• SNP bus plans branded 'utterly embarrassing' by oppositionPLANS to hand councils greater powers to run their own bus services have been branded “utterly embarrassing”
• Fares difference is a disgraceWHY is it that today (September 12) the first-class rail fare by LNER Stonehaven-Edinburgh cost £19.30, whereas the return Abellio ScotRail second-class fare cost £21.05?

The Independent

• Salisbury novichok attack: Russian spies smuggled chemical weapons through airport baggage checks, UK security minister admitsTwo alleged Russian spies who launched the Salisbury attack smuggled novichok into the UK through Gatwick Airport, the security minister has confirmed.
• Passengers risk being turned away from flights after ‘stealth’ change in passport renewal rulesMillions of travellers are to be hit by an unannounced policy change on passport renewals.

The Scotsman

• Lax airport baggage checks ‘allowed’ Russians to bring in Novichok Airport baggage checks “weren’t probably as good as they might be” and contributed to two Russian nationals being able to bring Novichok into the UK, security minister Ben Wallace has suggested.

Times Online

• British Airways the worst polluter on transatlantic route, say researchers [Subscription]British Airways has been named as the most polluting transatlantic airline, amid concerns over its reliance on “inefficient” long-haul aircraft such as the jumbo jet.
• Uber aims to cleanse cities of private cars [Subscription]People should no longer own cars in cities because of the amount of road space taken up by largely empty vehicles, the new British head of Uber says.
• Richard Branson hits a raw nerve with gripe over lateness [subscription]Sir Richard Branson was on the end of a backlash from rail passengers after revealing that his pet hate was people turning up late.
• Ancient woods threatened by £4bn road link [Subscription]A £4 billion road project between Oxford and Cambridge could damage dozens of wildlife sites and ancient woodland, conservationists have said.

City AM

• TfL updates plans for Bakerloo Line extension following public consultationThe public strongly supports an extension of the Bakerloo Line beyond Elephant & Castle, Transport for London (TfL) has said, and could be completed by 2029.
• Rolls-Royce shares drop after engine shut down forces emergency landingShares in Rolls-Royce dipped by more than four per cent this morning following an engine failure that forced a pilot to carry out an emergency landing on an flight from New York to Madrid.
• Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary says UK has received 'no assurances' from EU on continued flights after BrexitRyanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary has ramped up his warnings of a no-deal Brexit, saying the UK had received "no assurances" from the EU that flights could continue after Britain leaves the bloc.
• Crossrail chairman Terry Morgan says he will not step down in wake of Elizbeth Line delayCrossrail chairman Terry Morgan has said he will not step down in the wake of the nine-month delay to the Elizabeth Line.
• Under-fire HS2 says it will create 15,000 jobs by 2020HS2, the under-fire high speed rail line that will link London to the North, has said it will create 15,000 jobs by 2020 at 30,000 at "peak construction".

London Evening Standard

• Richard Branson mocked for complaining about people turning up late by Virgin Train passengersRichard Branson was mocked by Virgin Trains customers after stating
• Dalston crash: Woman, 56, 'first pedestrian to die in UK after being hit by electric bicycle' in east LondonA 56-year-old woman is believed to be the first pedestrian to die in the UK after colliding with an electric bicycle.
• Southwark Tube station could get second entrance to 'help ease overcrowing'A second entrance could be built at Southwark Tube station in a bid to
• Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham could be completed by 2029, TfL reveals The Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham could be completed by 2029, Transport for London revealed today.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Transport Secretary Chris Grayling urged to resign over East Coast Main Line fiascoEasington MP Grahame Morris says the Transport Secretary isn't fit to run a model railway

Sheffield Telegraph

• Transport masterplan could see new tram stops, train stations and rapid bus services across South Yorkshire An ‘aspirational’ transport masterplan could see new tram stops, train stations and rapid bus links across South Yorkshire.

The York Press

• £2.9 billion upgrade for rail service between York, Leeds and ManchesterPLANS for a £2.9 billion upgrade of the Transpennine Route linking York, Leeds and Manchester have been revealed.

Wales Online

• The flights from Cardiff Airport with the longest delaysIt seems you're likely to face a delay on some routes more than others

Yorkshire Post

• PLANS for a £2.9 billion upgrade of the Transpennine Route linking York, Leeds and Manchester have been revealed.IN the last couple of weeks I’ve managed to travel all the way from Doncaster to Saint Raphael-Valescure in the South of France by train – and back again – without a hitch. And yet a simple trip from Yorkshire to London now sounds like it could be in jeopardy thanks to 
yet more ineptitude.

Cambridge News

• Readers react to plans for new city centre bus stationThe new bus station could be double the size of the existing one

East Anglian Daily Times

• Roads shake-up to make Norwich more bus-friendly may have slowed journey timesThe head of operations at one of Norwich’s biggest bus operators has said a shake-up to make the city more bus-friendly may have actually slowed its journey times.
• Making the case for airport passenger growthStansted Airport has a vital role to play in delivering economic growth for London and the region, says Ken O’Toole, ceo of the airport.
• Delays expected after busy interchange to remain closed amid safety fearsA busy traffic interchange remains closed for maintenance work again this morning – and is not expected to open for some time amid safety fears.

Plymouth Herald

• Something incredible is going to happen to this ugly train station buildingThe landmark tower block at Plymouth rail station will get a new look in a £100m redevelopment scheme

Other Regional Press

• Making the case for airport passenger growthStansted Airport has a vital role to play in delivering economic growth for London and the region, says Ken O’Toole, ceo of the airport.
• Expansion work at Bristol Airport to begin next yearWork to expand a South West airport could begin sooner than expected.
• Why the time is right to get rail electrification back on trackThe fight to deliver rail improvement promises has taken a step forward as Calderdale Council leaders demand answers over the electrification of the Calder Valley Line.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Crossrail: Raising the bar with advanced GISThe complex £15 billion Crossrail project is delivering a new railway for London and the South East of England. The finished railway will be an accessible route of 40 stations from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through central London, to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
• Eddie Stobart launches freight train serviceEddie Stobart, a UK leading supply chain, transport and logistics company, today announces the launch of its new train service, connecting the Port of Tilbury to Tesco’s site in Daventry, and then Daventry to Mossend, Scotland.

New Civil Engineer

• Oxford to Cambridge Expressway to run alongside East West Rail lineThe Oxford to Cambridge Expressway will run alongside the planned East West Rail line currently being built, it has been revealed.

Rail Advent

• Images reveal glimpse of Hull Trains’ bullet train-inspired fleetHull Trains has announced that the work to build the first shell for their new Hitachi fleet has been completed.

Aviation Industry

• Boeing triples orders in August; delivery pace picks upBoeing's orderbook surged in August, more than tripling July's input with firm orders placed for 99 new aircraft, valued at approximately $13 billion at list prices.
• UK lifts PED restrictions at two more Turkish airportsThe UK government has continued its gradual relaxation of the ban on large personal electronic devices (PEDs) being carried in the cabin of UK-bound aircraft with two more Turkish airports being exempted from the restrictions.
• Ryanair adds new London summer routes; renews Brexit warning Ryanair said it was adding 23 new routes to its London summer schedule, but repeated its warning that a no-deal Brexit could cause flight disruption.
• Survey reveals disparity in transatlantic fuel efficiencyNorwegian Air Shuttle was the most fuel-efficient airline on North Atlantic routes in 2017, according to a new study. read more

Other News Sources

• TfL backs Enfield cycle scheme over safetyTransport for London (TfL) has backed the council’s handling of the Cycle Enfield scheme after residents raised fresh safety fears.
• Action group call for urgent improvements at Crewe bus stationCrewe and District Bus Users Group say the bus station is unsafe.
• Belfast airport delays - the worst offendersThe data looks at flights for the past two years with the most likely to be route to be delayed revealed
• London Luton Airport registers 3.1% passengers growth in August 2018Nearly 1.7 million passengers landed at London Luton Airport (LLA) in August this year, representing a 3.1% increase on the previous year.
• Airport connectivity measures up for discussionA package of measures designed to bring about a "step change" in the infrastructure at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA), including a consultation on the proposed railway station and link road, are set to be considered by Leeds City Council.
• Ryde's historic tram to open to the public 90 years after it was last usedMore than 90 years after an Island-built electric tram was last used to transport visitors up and down Ryde Pier, it will once again be back on public display at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.