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

Thursday, 16 May 2019

BBC News

• Newcastle bus bosses oppose city clean air zone chargeIntroducing a clean air zone in Newcastle would be a "disaster" and lead to increased bus fares and some routes being cancelled, it is claimed.
• Halesworth railway station turning space 'unsafe' for busesBuses will no longer stop outside a railway station after bosses ordered their drivers not to do three-point turns.
• Hunterston port 'masterplan' revealed promising £140m boostOwners Peel Ports claim the development will bring 1,700 jobs and add £140m to the Scottish economy.
• Greater Manchester Metrolink: Public transport abuse 'all too common'A woman sexually harassed on Greater Manchester's Metrolink says it
• British Transport Police website hackedBTP says some staff details have been leaked after its website's news section was hacked.
• Pilots 'raised Boeing safety fears' months before Ethiopia crashAmerican Airlines pilots reportedly raised concerns months before the second deadly 737 Max crash.
• HS2 will 'short change' the North, say peersHS2 does not offer value for money and could

ITV News

• Heathrow release expansion images ahead of final public consultationImages have been released of what an expanded Heathrow Airport could look like if proposals for a third runway are given the go-ahead.

The Guardian

• Limit HS2 speeds and move terminus to cut costs, say LordsThe cost of HS2 should be slashed by limiting the speed of trains and making its London terminus Old Oak Common rather than Euston, according to a critical House of Lords report, which warns that better northern rail connections could be lost if the project blows its budget.
• 'It would destroy it': new international airport for Machu Picchu sparks outrageAmong the Inca archeological sites that abound in Peru, none draw nearly as many tourists as the famed citadel of Machu Picchu. There were more than 1.5 million visitors in 2017, almost double the limit recommended by Unesco, putting a huge strain on the fragile ruins and local ecology.

The Independent

• Machu Picchu: Fury over plans for new multi-billion pound airport next to ancient Inca citadelArchaeologists and historians fear development will cause 'irreparable damage' to world heritage site and surrounding Sacred Valley

The Telegraph

• HS2 should consider slowing speed of trains to save money or risk only completing first half of new line, warn peers [Subscription]HS2 should consider slowing the speed of its trains to save money or risk only completing half the line, peers have warned, as they called for a major rethink of the Government’s flagship transport project.

Times Online

• Drivers face £100 fines for ignoring lane closures [Subscription]Thousands of drivers will be automatically hit by £100 fines and penalty points for ignoring warning signs on a new generation of smart motorways, The Times has learnt.
• Grayling at risk of a high-speed fail [Subscription]Fantasy ferries. Rail contract chaos. Timetable fiascos. Chris Grayling has had his triumphs as transport secretary. But there’s one project with the scope to trump all of those put together: that blank cheque on wheels known as HS2.
• Crossrail staff paid £13m to ‘practise’ [Subscription]Crossrail is paying maintenance staff almost £13 million a year to “practise” even though the east-west line under London is unlikely to open until 2021.
• Cut the speed of HS2 trains to put brake on costs, say peers [subscription]Trains running on the HS2 line should operate at lower speeds and terminate outside central London because the project’s costs are out of control, according to peers.

City AM

• Thomas Cook suffers £1.45bn loss as it chases new fundingThomas Cook suffered an unprecedented £1.45bn in the six months to the end of March, it warned today, as it booked a £1.1bn goodwill impairment relating to a merger from over a decade ago.
• Crossrail is paying drivers £13m a year to practise while they wait for Elizabeth Line to openCrossrail is spending nearly £13m a year on drivers who are spending their time practising as they wait for the delayed railway to open in two years' time.

London Evening Standard

• First Porsche ever made: The original sports car is set to go on auction for an expected $20 millionIt predates World War 2 and was the personal family car of founders Ferdinand and Ferry Porsche

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Transport Secretary Chris Grayling on plans to reopen Newcastle to Ashington rail lineChris Grayling says local transport body Nexus can reopen passenger services on the Ashington and Blyth line

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Watch the first new British 'bullet' train pull into Leeds stationA new era of train travel between Leeds and London began on Wednesday. Wednesday, May 15 marked the first day of service for London North Eastern Railway's new Azuma train.

Carlisle News & Star

• HS2 rail controversy: Investing in Cumbrian coastal line should be a top priorityTwo senior Cumbrian politicians say the county's coastal line should take priority over other alternative rail schemes if HS2 did not go ahead.

East Anglian Daily Times

• MP James Cartlidge welcomes new trains for Sudbury branch lineSouth Suffolk MP James Cartlidge has visited Greater Anglia's Crown Point depot in Norwich to see the first of the trains that are due to be introduced on the Gainsborough Line to Sudbury later this year.

Other Regional Press

• Scrap HS2 and get Wisbech to March rail line open says Taxpayers' Alliance who lists Fens scheme as one of 28 that could be financedScrapping the high speed HS2 train link could pave the way for the Government to fund 28 local and national infrastructure projects - including the Wisbech to March rail link.

Train Operators

• Train and bus is less fuss with Borders ExplorerScotRail has teamed up with Borders Buses to bring integrated travel to the Borders Railway by offering a new all-in-one rail and bus ticket.
• 60 new electric vehicle charging points to be installed on South Western Railway’s network South Western Railway is installing 60 new Electric Vehicle Charging Points (EVCP) at 6 stations on its network, demonstrating its commitment to making travelling by rail sustainable.

Railnews

• Azuma carries first passengers to LeedsA HITACHI Azuma train carried passengers on the East Coast Main Line for the first time today.

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow to open third-runway consultation in JuneLondon’s Heathrow Airport is about to enter the next stage of its third-runway expansion plan, with the opening of a statutory public consultation that will feed into a final planning application. read more

Other News Sources

• Bus links between West Lothian and Edinburgh Airport to improve later this monthFirst Scotland East are making alterations to a number of services in Livingston, Whitburn, Blackburn and Armadale
• City envy: we want a quirky bus chatbot like SingaporeIn Singapore, there’s an app for everything – even getting someone to queue for you at your favourite hawker stall. But no app has caught on like Bus Uncle, an AI chatbot that helps commuters around the island by providing bus timings via Facebook Messenger
• New images show latest plans for Heathrow third runwayIt's the final public consultation before the final plan is submitted
• Vandalised cables causing travel nightmare for ScotRail passengersVANDALISM of overhead railway cables at Woodhall is causing disruption to trains between Gourock / Wemyss Bay and Paisley Gilmour Street.
• Save the date: launch day set for statutory consultation on Heathrow expansionHeathrow has announced that its statutory 12 and a half-week consultation on its expansion plans will launch on the 18th of June. This step is the latest delivery milestone for the critical national infrastructure project, and the responses received will feed into a final planning application. To mark the news, the airport has released a series of new images showing an illustrative example of a new terminal infrastructure, as well as a panoramic shot of a future Heathrow.