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

Thursday, 19 November 2015

BBC News

• Rail passengers delayed by fallen treesNo trains have been running between some West Midlands stations after a series of high winds caused disruption overnight.
• 'Nonsense' claims against RAF pilotsA man accused of shining bright lights into the cockpits of RAF planes during night flights on Anglesey made some
• Disabled girl left stranded on busThe Education Authority has apologised to the family of an Enniskillen teenager with disabilities, who was left alone on a bus for almost three hours.
• UK car production fell in OctoberUK car production fell in October, but output for the year so far remains at a 10-year high, new figures show.

Department for Transport

• Women in rail - Speech, Claire Perry MPThe rail sector is not hiring or promoting sufficient numbers of women.

Financial Times

• Indian carriers fined over fuel surchargeIndiGo, Jet and SpiceJet penalised $40m for ‘acting in parallel’ on cargo fuel surcharges

The Guardian

• The innovative delivery system transforming Gothenburg's roadsIt’s a simple idea. The Swedish city’s Stadsleveransen system pools deliveries for 500 shops and businesses – drastically reducing shopping centre traffic and freeing up once-congested streets for pedestrians and cyclists

The Herald

• Survey reveals that only 16 per cent of UK rail industry employees are womenFEWER than two in every 10 rail industry employees are female, according to a comprehensive new survey into gender diversity across the sector.

City AM

• Gatwick Airport makes a case for expansion as passenger numbers leapRevenues rose 5.2 per cent to £411.8m in the six months to the end of September, pushing earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation up 6.8 per cent to £241m. Meanwhile, profit before tax hit £135.2m.

Mail Online

• Hull council installs barrier to stop homeowner charging his electric car Adam Storey installed a charger in front of his house in Hull, East Yorkshire after buying an eco-friendly Vauxhall Ampera.

The Mirror

• George Osborne's cuts to bus funding will be a disaster for the 'Northern Powerhouse' Shadow Transport Secretary Lilian Greenwood writes exclusively for the Mirror to tell George Osborne vital bus services are in crisis

Birmingham Post

• 'Make M6 Toll free' plea from combined authority bosses New super council is attempting to get charges scrapped on motorway to relieve growing congestion on the M6 and around Birmingham

Bolton News

• Rail bosses delighted to complete "once in a lifetime job" at Farnworth Tunnels IT has taken 2,000 man hours, 30,000 tonnes of material, 1,940 concrete slabs and eight months of disruption — and this is the result. The Bolton News was invited for an exclusive look inside the completed Farnworth Tunnel site which is set to have trains running through it once again next month.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Councillors consider measures to cut traffic speeds in Thornton street COUNCILLORS have agreed to consider funding traffic calming measures on a Bradford street labelled

Manchester Evening News

• Recap: Piccadilly train station re-opens amid Greater Manchester transport chaos Traffic problems heading out of Manchester, city centre gridlock, and services suspended at Manchester Piccadilly after reports of trespassers

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield bus cut chaos update due today after meetingTransport chiefs are today expected to issue an update on whether action will be taken over Sheffield’s bus cut chaos.

The York Press

• York bicycle maker reports five years of consecutive growth as one of only two people in the world making giant 36" wheeled bikes Business editor Laura Knowlson meets York's own Dylan Thomas as he sets poetry in motion with is bike building business.

Wales Online

• Direct North Wales to Manchester Airport train plans face 'one last hurdle' Arriva Trains Wales has won the battle over Manchester airport trains

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Going underground on the way to Leeds Bradford Airport?Drivers could find themselves going underground as they make their way to Leeds Bradford Airport, it has been revealed.
• Non-UK taxi drivers face stricter ‘fit and proper person’ tests in LeedsPRospective taxi drivers in Leeds are to face stricter checks after “safeguarding concerns” were raised about the current process for handing out licences.

North Wales Live

• New Merseyrail boss excited by franchise plans for network Rail operator says it can build on strong first half period of its 25-year concession

Other Regional Press

• Heathrow action group opposes plans for third runwayResidents Action Group Elmbridge (RAGE) is campaigning against changes to flight paths and questions MP Dominic Raab's failure to publicly back or oppose the third runway
• Anti-Gatwick expansion group plays down passenger recordGatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) said larger planes and fewer empty seats explained the airport reaching a record-breaking 40 million passengers per year. Read more: http://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/news/anti-gatwick-expansion-group-plays-down-passenger-record-1-7073296#ixzz3rvfnO0lI
• Plans on track for a better rail serviceTrain passengers across the North West will be stunned at the improvements they see in 2016.
• Drama as passengers evacuated from Coventry bus station Pool Meadow re-opened ten minutes later but the cause of the incident is not known

politics.co.uk

• Expanding Heathrow will help the economy to take offLong before the Airports Commission delivered their unanimous recommendation to expand Heathrow, the market had delivered the same unambiguous response. The airport has been full for a decade. There’s a queue of airlines wanting to put on more flights from Heathrow but there simply isn’t the space.

Rail Magazine

• Northern authorities “united in our aims”Rail North’s vision is about the whole of the North, its Director David Hoggarth said in Leeds on November 5.
• Successor to EMT’s HSTs discussed“We expect the competition for the next East Midlands long-term franchise to deliver those improvements to the rolling stock that are required
• Franchise improvements to continue - HynesNorthern Rail Managing Director Alex Hynes says investment in the franchise will continue until its last day.
• Coal power station closures place rail freight at “important crossroads”GBRf MD John Smith responds to Government announcement

Aviation Industry

• Air Canada flight attendants approve 10-year contractAir Canada and CUPE say the airline's flight attendants have approved a 10-year agreement reached with the carrier last month. The union said in a statement that the agreement was accepted by a narrow margin, but did not provide a voting margin.
• American Airlines makes changes to loyalty programAmerican Airlines will switch the way members of its AAdvantage loyalty program earn rewards from the number of miles flown to the amount spent for a ticket. read more

Other News Sources

• 'Challenging' duty and tax free sector hits Gatwick per-pax retail incomeUK. Buoyed by the busiest six months in the airport’s history with a record 23.5 million passengers (+4.7% year-on-year), Gatwick Airport posted a +5.2% rise in revenues to £411.8 million (US$626 million) for the half year ended 30 September 2015.
• Morning commutes in Surrey slower AGAIN this yearThe average speeds we're travelling on Surrey's A-road network during the morning rush hour has fallen yet again
• Surrey railway stations could fall under control of Transport for London Besides the tube network, TfL could take responsibility for services to Weybridge, Chertsey, Staines, Dorking and Leatherhead, a new report has suggested
• Heathrow action group opposes plans for third runwayResidents Action Group Elmbridge (RAGE) is campaigning against changes to flight paths and questions MP Dominic Raab's failure to publicly back or oppose the third runway
• FTA at Skills Show to promote careers in logisticsThe Freight Transport Association (FTA) will be encouraging young people to consider careers in the logistics industry at the Skills Show in ...
• Smart technology could slash global emissions by 15% The spread of mobile devices and and uptake of smart technology could help reduce global GHG emissions by up to 15% by 2030 - more than the current footprint of the EU and the US combined - according to a new report from Swedish communication technology company Ericsson.
• British Airways ranked as least efficient major transatlantic airline British Airway has ranked last in a new analysis of the fuel efficiency of the 20 largest airlines that fly transatlantic routes.
• Gatwick hits 40 million passengers a year for first time GATWICK broke the 40 million passengers a year mark for the first time last weekend and is rapidly approaching full capacity.