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

Wednesday, 20 April 2016

Government

• Improving the rail passenger experience inquiry launchedThe Transport Committee is conducting a series of inquiries into "the future of rail". The Committee launches the next in the series on the rail passenger experience.

BBC News

• Uber to 'launch in Cardiff on Friday'Taxi-hailing app Uber is to launch in Cardiff this Friday, BBC Wales understands.
• Drones to be banned during Obama visitDrones will be banned from flying in large parts of London during the visit of US President Barack Obama, aviation officials say.
• Heathrow tunnel blockade activists finedThree activists showed a
• Disabled face 'no-go zones' on TubeLondon Underground journeys take on average more than four times longer for disabled people, an investigation reveals.
• Malaysia Airlines boss resignsMalaysian Airlines chief executive Christoph Mueller resigns after less than one year of leading the carriers efforts to reorganise.

The Guardian

• Heathrow ad lands in trouble for holding back polling dataAdvertising Standards Authority bans campaign group’s advert that said most communities support expansion after finding it had held back polling dataA group pushing for a third runway at Heathrow has had an ad claiming the support of most local residents banned after the advertising watchdog found it had held back polling data. Back Heathrow ran a regional press ad headlined “Rallying for the runway” which ran with the line “Don’t believe the hype. Most people living in communities near Heathrow Airport support its expansion.” Continue reading...

Times Online

• Rail delays rise as trains slow down on creaking network [Subscription]Train travellers are experiencing the worst delays in eight years after a sharp rise in the number of speed restrictions on the railways.

City AM

• TfL names new Tube boss as Australian transport executive Mark WildTransport for London has named an Australian transport executive as the new boss of the Tube.

Birmingham Post

• Parking levy 'would hold back Birmingham's growth' Business leaders issue stark warning over the possible introduction of a levy on workplace parking by council chiefs striving to combat congestion
• Charges on the M6 Toll could be cut as Ministers pledge to consider radical changes The Government says it will 'review everything' about the M6 Toll after day of chaos closes M6 for 24 hours
• Council slammed after Chester Road improvement work overruns by a year The road improvement scheme around Spitfire Island has was beset by a series of ‘clashes’ between council contractors

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Cycle retailer invests in system to customise bikes for every rider A HISTORIC Saltaire-based cycle retailer has invested in the latest technology to enable its staff to custom fit bicycles to riders' specific needs.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• First Minister wants A55 renamed by North Wales residents But Welsh Labour leader Carwyn Jones admitted that a number of improvements needed to be made to the road before it can be championed

London Evening Standard

• Govia Thameslink launches legal action in row over new Gatwick Express trainsGovia Thameslink Railway has announced it will take legal action against Aslef over its members' refusal to drive new Gatwick Express trains.
• London drone ban for Obama visit as security is tightened in wake of Heathrow collisionHuge swathes of London will be completely off-limits for drones as security is ramped up for Barack Obama's visit this week.
• Southern rail strike: Conductors to stage three walk-outs on major London commuter routeTrain conductors on Southern services will stage three 24-hour strikes in a row over driver-only trains and public safety, the RMT has announced.
• Highbury and Islington: Faulty fire alarm blares for 90 minutes sparking Tube station evacuationA faulty fire alarm today shut a north London Tube station and was left blaring for more than an hour and a half while engineers battled to fix it.
• Museum visitor face swaps himself onto ancient statues...with hilarious resultsA technical support worker has found internet fame after he used Snapchat's Face Swap function at the British Museum to transport himself onto ancient figures.
• Plane Stupid protesters fined after Heathrow tunnel blockadeThree activists who blocked a tunnel at Heathrow Airport by chaining themselves to a van have each been fined �200.

Wales Online

• Work transforming Cardiff Central Train Station needs to hit the ground running in 2019 says leader of Cardiff councilWales needs to land its fair share of rail infrastructure investments says Phil Bale
• Taxi firm Uber is launching in Cardiff on FridayAfter months of speculation, the taxi service will begin offering services from 4pm on Friday
• Nearly 1,500 people in Wales in a fortnight are caught not wearing seatbelts According to Road Safety Wales, you're twice as likely to die in a crash if you don't wear a seatbelt

Blackpool Gazette

• ‘We are still third cheapeast in UK’Transport chiefs today blamed soaring costs and a loss of county council funding for an increase in bus and tram fares.

Western Daily Press

• Switching to low-carbon transport - such as electric cars - would save billions A switch to low-carbon transport such as electric cars would save countries including the UK billions of pounds a year, a report has suggested.

Other Regional Press

• Superhero bus drivers raise hundreds for children's hospice BUS drivers across Oxforshire have been dubbed superheroes inside and out after they raised hundreds for poorly children.
• Jaguar Land Rover bridge set for approval to clear way for ambitious �500m expansion plansTelegraph understands government officials are set to sign off the project at the luxury car manufacturer's Whitley base

Bus and Coach.com

• Welcome for Leicester bus lane report
• Busk to raise Nightcap campaign with education minister
• GHA Coaches wins Shrewsbury contracts from Arriva
• Roberts Travel Group invests in Leicester park-and-ride
• Transport for London and CPT launch London Coach Parking Map
• Stagecoach confirms �97million orders for new vehicles in 2016/17

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Stena Line’s Methanol project awarded twice in one weekLast week Stena Line received two additional awards for converting Stena Germanica in to the world´s first methanol powered passenger ferry. One is the Shippax “Eco-Award”, announced at the yearly Ferry Shipping Conference and the second is the “Ship of the Year Award” at the European Marine Engineering Conference and Awards. In March 2015 Stena Line made history when introducing Stena Germanica, which operates the route from Gothenburg to Kiel, as the world´s first Methanol powered passenger ferry. “We are naturally very delighted to receive these t...
• PD Ports’ pioneering youth scheme gets ‘Big Tick’ from Responsible Business AwardsPD Ports has been recognised for continuing to champion young people into work after it was reaccredited for the second year as part of the Responsible Business Awards. It achieved a ‘Big Tick’ in the Inspiring Young Talent category which praises businesses that address youth unemployment and the UK skills gap through ‘youth friendly’ recruitment, inspiring work experience programmes or successful apprenticeships. The award-winning ports and logistics business is based in the North-East but has operations throughout the UK with more than 1,300 employees. Based in Midd...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Last-minute platform switch led to collision at Plymouth which injured 35 peopleThe train collision at Plymouth station happened after last-minute decisions to switch which platforms the trains used because the lifts were closed, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) have said as they opened their investigation into the incident. The accident occurred at 3.34pm on 3...
• Great Western electrification starts between South Marston and Royal Wootton BassettGreat Western electrification is proceeding as Network Rail is due to start digging foundations for overhead lines between South Marston and Royal Wootton Bassett at the end of this month. The piling work will continue throughout this summer, during night shifts. To minimise the impact on...
• Govia Thameslink take Aslef to court over refusal to drive 12-car trainsGovia Thameslink is applying for a High Court injunction against Aslef over the union’s refusal to drive new 12-car Gatwick Express trains without a guard. Govia is planning to introduce 12-car trains on half its Gatwick Express services by June, but Aslef has said the trains are too large...
• Parliamentary inquiry into rail passenger experience launchedWitnesses are being invited to submit evidence on British railway passengers’ experiences to a new Transport Select Committee inquiry. The inquiry is seeking written evidence on information provided to passengers before, during and after journeys, ticketing, in-train facilities...

Railnews

• 'Signaller's error' caused Plymouth accident A mistake by a signaller is thought to be the cause of a collision between two trains in a platform at Plymouth earlier this month in which around 35 people were hurt. The accident, on 3 April, occurred when a four-car unit arriving from Penzance at 15.30 collided at about 15mph (24km/h) with a stationary London-bound intercity train which was already partly occupying the same platform.
• Injunction bid over 12-car Gatwick trains Govia Thameslink Railway has launched a High Court action seeking an injunction allowing the operation of 12-car trains on Gatwick Express. The legal move follows the refusal of ASLEF members to drive the first two Class 387 services that had been due to operate in 12-car formation over the past ten days, claiming that they could not see the doors properly.

Aviation Industry

• Airline Routes-April 19, 2016Airline Routes-April 19, 2016 read more
• Malaysia Airlines boss Mueller quitsCEO will leave in September due to “personal circumstances”