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

Saturday, 05 January 2019

BBC News

• Gatwick and Heathrow buying anti-drone equipmentGatwick and Heathrow invest in new technology after the disruption affecting thousands of passengers.
• Scottish airports seek to counter drone threatEdinburgh Airport plans to strengthen security and police step up perimeter patrols after Gatwick chaos.
• Luton-based Monarch Aircraft Engineering falls into administrationHundreds of jobs are lost with the firm's collapse after Monarch Airlines itself failed in 2017.
• Ryanair named 'worst short-haul airline'The low-cost-carrier was ranked at the bottom of the pile by Which survey respondents.

The Guardian

• Strike-hit Ryanair ranked 'worst airline' for sixth year in a row Bad food and uncomfortable seats leave airline bottom in latest Which? survey
• France steps up efforts to prevent Channel crossings French authorities to improve cooperation with UK and increase their coastal surveillance
• Man stabbed to death on Surrey train in front of 14-year-old son Police say victim not thought to have known his attacker as detectives arrest suspect

The Herald

• ScotRail IT blunder sees children charged extraSCOTRAIL has blamed “IT issues in certain areasâ€� after commuters were forced to pay full price when they tried to take advantage of its new Kids for a Quid deal.
• Whitehall to stage 'live test' of no-deal road disruption with 150 lorriesWHITEHALL is to use up to 150 lorries in a major stress-test of its plans for UK border disruption in the event of Britain crashing out of the EU without a Brexit deal.

Times Online

• Monarch’s crown tarnished further with new failure [Subscription]The engineering division of Monarch, the failed airline, has gone into administration with the loss of 408 jobs.
• Tech delays hit children’s £1 rail fare [Subscription]ScotRail has apologised for the botched rollout of its £1 child fare.
• Call to stop tailgating by lorry drivers [Subscription]Lorries are significantly more likely to be involved in motorway crashes than other vehicles, figures show, leading to calls for a change in the rules to prevent HGVs from tailgating.
• Highway Code safety advice grinds cycling campaigners’ gears [Subscription]Cycling campaigners have accused the Highway Code of “victim-blaming” for recommending that they wear helmets and protective clothing.
• Unhappy passengers give British Airways a bumpy ride [Subscription]British Airways has landed near the foot of a league table of short-haul airlines operating in the UK amid passenger dissatisfaction over its food, uncomfortable seats and pricing.
• Seaborne Freight boss: The harder Brexit the better [Subscription]A boss at the controversial Brexit ferry operator said that a no-deal departure would be better for the company’s fortunes days before it won a government deal.
• Heathrow proposing up to 25,000 more flights a year [Subscription]Heathrow will announce plans for an extra 25,000 flights a year to increase capacity before the opening of a third runway.
• Father stabbed to death on London to Guildford train in front of his son, 14 [Subscription]A manhunt was under way last night after a man was stabbed to death in front of his 14-year-old son on a train.

Reuters News

• Gatwick, Heathrow airports order military-grade anti-drone equipmentLondon's Gatwick and Heathrow airports have ordered military-grade anti-drone defences worth
• UK plans rehearsals for no-deal Brexit amid fears of road, port chaosBritain will begin rehearsals for the possible chaos of a no-deal Brexit on Monday by testing how the road network copes with a tailback of around 150 lorries caused by disruption at its most important trading gateway to continental Europe.

City AM

• Cars, lorries and taxis will be banned from Tottenham Court Road as part of a £35m project to improve the West End.The road will be open to buses and bikes only between 8am and 7pm, Monday to Saturday, in a bid to reduce congestion and air pollution and speed up bus routes.

Mail Online

• Ministers plan for a 'practice traffic jam' to prepare for no deal Brexit: Up to 150 lorries will be sent from Manston Airport to Dover during Monday's rush hour in last minute testUp to 150 lorries will be sent from Manston Airport to Dover during rush hour on Monday in a test to see if Britain is ready for a no deal Brexit.
• BREAKING NEWS: 'Murder suspect' is arrested in Surrey, 15 miles from where after a stranger stabbed to death a father, 51, in front of his 14-year-old son during 'scuffle' on Guildford to London trainA 'murder suspect' has been arrested around fifteen miles from where a stranger stabbed to death a father in front of his son - following a 'scuffle' on a train yesterday.

Liverpool Echo

• The 'rollercoaster' road that's so bad families want to SELL their housesResidents of a newly-built housing estate are angry at the "atrocious" state of its roads - and say they want to now sell up and move because of it.

London Evening Standard

• Cars, lorries and taxis to be banned from Tottenham Court Road in £35m revampCar, lorries and taxis are to be banned from Tottenham Court Road under a £35 million transformation of the landmark street.
• Ryanair named worst airline for sixth year in a rowRyanair has been named the worst airline serving UK airports for the sixth year in a row.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Ambitious £10bn plans for Gatwick Heathrow HS4Air rail service rejectedPlans to build a new £10bn high-speed rail service connecting HS1 with HS2 via Gatwick and Heathrow airports have been rejected by the DfT. The ambitious plans would see passengers able to travel between Heathrow and Gatwick in under 25 minutes compared to the current one hour 45-minute...
• Track workers in near-miss with 101mph East Midlands trainTwo track workers were nearly hit by a train travelling over 100mph in Bedfordshire, an investigation has revealed. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said two workers “had to jump out of the way” of the approaching East Midlands train travelling at 101mph, but neither...
• Northern under fire over £31m government subsidy 'secret payments'The RMT union has criticised “secret extra payments” funded by taxpayers given to Northern Rail after it was found that the government paid the train operator a total of £31m more than previously announced since the franchise began. The figures come from the new Arriva North...

Aviation Industry

• India’s Jet Airways seeks capital injection, defaults on loan paymentIndia’s Jet Airways continues to seek fresh capital to secure its future after the carrier defaulted on a debt payment. read more
• Tributes to Southwest founder, low-cost airline pioneer KelleherHerbert D. “Herbâ€� Kelleher, who founded Southwest Airlines and began a global low-cost airline revolution, died Jan. 3 at age 87. read more
• London airports invest in anti-drone measuresLondon’s two largest airports say they have acquired, or plan to acquire, anti-drone technology in the wake of the pre-Christmas disruption at London Gatwick. read more

EIN News Subscription

• Ryanair obtains UK operating licence for post-Brexit flights … today. The Dublin-based airline has expressed concern that flights … of the bloc. UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has insisted … our post-Brexit plan around European ownership, we continue to … deal Brexit to help the airline comply with EU laws. PA