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

Sunday, 29 May 2016

BBC News

• Lufthansa to suspend Venezuela flightsThe German airline, Lufthansa, says it will suspend flights to Venezuela from next month due to growing economic difficulties in the country.
• VIDEO: Giant cruise ship 'a construction site'Some of the first paying passengers on the world's biggest cruise ship have described it as

The Guardian

• Older drivers should carry on until 75 before renewing licence, says reviewThe Older Drivers Task Force says current ruling can lead to depression among over-70s and a great burden on care systemOlder motorists should be able to carry on driving until they are 75 before renewing their licence, an official review is reportedly expected to conclude.The Older Drivers Task Force, established in 2014 to support people later in life to drive safely, will recommend to the government in July that the current mandatory renewal age of 70 is raised. Continue reading...
• Digital plan for trains feeling strain of high demand and creaky foundationsNetwork Rail’s boss says hi-tech signalling is the answer. Dover’s weary commuters aren’t so sureOn a clear day, a Frenchman with a pair of binoculars could get a decent glimpse of the challenges facing Britain’s railway network by peering across the Channel at Dover. Until last Christmas, a high-speed train would travel at half pace along the old line at the bottom of the cliffs, giving commuters a direct fast link to Folkestone and the capital via HS1’s tracks. Then a combination of storm and tide so damaged the sea wall that passengers from Dover and beyond now have to transfer miserably on...
• Onboard camera shows SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully landing from space – videoRemarkable footage shows the rocket returning to Earth from space and successfully landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the third time in a row the Falcon 9 rocket has delivered its payload into the upper atmosphere and returned safely Continue reading...

The Huffington Post

• WW2 Plane Crashes Into Hudson River Between New York And New JerseyA vintage World War II plane crashed into the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey killing the pilot. The P-47 Thunderbolt crashed on Friday during a promotion for the American Airpower Museum, which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the P-47 this weekend, the Associated Press reported. function onPlayerReadyVidible(e){'undefined'!=typeof HPTrack&&HPTrack.Vid.Vidible_track(e)}!function(e,i){if(e.vdb_Player){if('object'==typeof commercial_video){var a='',o='m.fwsitesection='+commercial_video.site_and_category;if(a+=o,commercial_video['package']){var c='&m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3...

The Scotsman

• EgyptAir crash beacon detected as ship joins black box huntA French vessel that joined the search for the EgyptAir plane which crashed last week killing all 66 people on board has arrived in the crash area, as Egyptian officials said search teams in the Mediterranean have picked up a beacon believed to be from the doomed aircraft.

The Telegraph

• Harmony of the Seas maiden voyage to go ahead despite complaints over 'chaotic' test trip �
• 'Overflowing urinals, uncovered drains and muddy carpets' - Harmony of the Seas cruise liner is a 'building site', claim irate passengers
• Fourth boat carrying migrants across the Mediterranean feared to have sunk

Mail Online

• Small ports are backdoor into Britain for terrorists, smugglers and gangsters says NCA� Small marinas and ports across the UK are vulnerable to terrorists and organised criminals because they are unpoliced, according to the National Crime Agency.
• Pensioners should be able to drive until they turn 75 before they renew their licence An upcoming report created by The Older Drivers Task Force is likely to suggest elderly drivers are safer than young motorists and that the mandatory renewal age should rise to 75 years old.
• Minh Pham is convicted of al-Qaida suicide bombing at Heathrow airport Minh Pham, 33, (pictured) left his pregnant wife in Britain when he travelled to Yemen in 2010 for military training from Al-Qaeda before returning in 2011 after offering to attack Heathrow airport.
• Commandos 'road-test' jihadi hunting quad boat: It's the high speed vessel that's dropped from the air... and speeds elite forces into battle, both on water and on land The High Speed Amphibian races across the sea at speeds of up to 45 knots and is just as fast on land, thanks to the wheels which unfold from underneath its hull.
• London car park in Cadogan Place where mega-rich store supercars that costs �1.5k a month Lined up in the parking bays at Cadogan Place in central London's mega-rich Belgravia district, these dust-coated luxury vehicles have a combined value of up to �6million.

The Mirror

• Fresh terror fears as hackers trying to disable planes at Cairo Airport It is believed pilots are being targeted by GPS jamming just days after the EgyptAir tragedy

This is Money

• Blow to UK-based AgustaWestland as MoD prepares to buy 50 US-made Apache attack choppers after Boeing drops price to �425m The Army is understood to have recommended the Government buy the Apaches, famously flown by Prince Harry, 18 months ago, but it was delayed after lobbying from AgustaWestland.
• Holiday Britons defy French fuel strikes: Eurotunnel and Channel ferries report busy Bank Holiday with bookings unaffected  A spokesman for Eurotunnel said that there were no cancellations due to the strikes and that bookings – especially last-minute ones – were actually up on last year.
• Driverless cars coming possibly as early as next year At an industry event last week to show off the cutting-edge technology being used to create driverless cars, debate centred on what it will mean in terms of insurance and the law.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Talacre beach car park owners lock council out of site following car flood disaster Flintshire County Council no longer have a key to open the gate after dozens of cars were submerged by high tide on May 8
• North Wales railway stations hit with 700 crimes in just over four years Transport police say crime is falling after incidents of vandalism, violence, theft and rocks out on tracks

Manchester Evening News

• Father of blind teenager blasts speeding drivers outside special needs schoolsBobby Michael said two roads in Levenshulme have become a 'haven for motorists to behave despicably'

Sheffield Star

• TRAVEL ALERT: Loose animals on motorway causing havoc for Doncaster driversMotorists travelling on a Doncaster stretch of motorway are experiencing significant delays this morning due to disruption caused by animals on the road.

Blackpool Gazette

• Crime rise fears if police helicopter lostCommunity crime-fighters have warned the loss of the police helicopter will increase the risk of lawlessness on the Fylde coast.

Reading Evening Post

• Reading drone start-up solves aviation safety threatReading-based Altitude Angel is tackling drone and aviation safety on a global scale

West Sussex Gazette

• ‘Immense frustration’ as cars block pathways along major roadA resident has spoken of his ‘immense frustration’ over cars parking along a major Horsham road.

Other Regional Press

• Bicester cycling club to host one of the largest time trial cycling event in Europe A CYCLE club is hoping to speed past its �10,000 charity fundraising target as it hosts one of the biggest time trial events in Europe.
• Green transport boosted by �2.5m regional fundingWigan will become a more eco-friendly place to commute after the region received a £2.5m funding pot to boost sustainable travel.
• Dockers relive ship blaze drama DOCK workers have told of the dramatic moment when dozens of firefighters tackled a blaze on a ship at a Southampton marina.
• Parents' safety horror on 'shambolic' Harmony of the Seas THE world’s biggest cruise ship is “like a construction site” and poses several safety risks, according to some of its first paying customers.
• Council tweaks road safety plans after fierce criticism HAMPSHIRE transport chiefs have scaled back controversial limits to road improvements.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Passenger journeys for past year at highest since records began The UK rail industry is continuing to experience a period of record growth with passenger journeys and revenue increasing, figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have confirmed. The ORR revealed in its 2015-16 data that passenger train kilometres have increased every year since the...
• HS2 compensation scheme should be reviewed, says Residents' CommissionerHS2 and the Department for Transport (DfT) should review the high-speed rail compensation scheme, the project’s Residents’ Commissioner has said in her latest report In her latest study, Deborah Fazan added that the project is still failing to engage with communities. She also...