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

Saturday, 11 June 2016

BBC News

• First direct UK-China flight outside London takes offThe UK's first direct scheduled flight to China from outside London takes off from Manchester Airport.
• Fiat Argentina withdraws 'misogynistic' car manualA car manual which refers to women as
• China's Nanshan buys 20% Virgin Australia stakeChinese group Nanshan buys a 20% stake in Virgin Australia from Air New Zealand.

The Guardian

• Six US airlines permitted to offer flights to Cuba in foreign policy milestoneAmerican, Frontier, JetBlue, Silver Airways, Southwest and Sun Country will fly from five US cities to nine cities in Cuba other than HavanaSix airlines have won permission to resume scheduled commercial air service from the US to Cuba for the first time in more than five decades, another milestone in Barack Obama’s campaign to normalize relations between cold war foes.The airlines – American, Frontier, JetBlue, Silver Airways, Southwest and Sun Country – were approved by the Department of Transportation for a total of 155 roundtrip flights per week. They will fly from five US cities to nine c...
• Londoners allowed to police fellow residents' driving habitsHackney is latest borough to hand speed guns to residents as part of initiative that has caused controversy elsewhere in UKResidents of an east London borough were this week given an unusual invitation – the opportunity to turn vigilante against the driving habits of their own neighbours. Hackney is the latest borough to sign up to London’s scheme to encourage residents to take policing into their own hands. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Two feared dead after microlight wreckage found in seaRescuers searching for a missing microlight are reported to have found wreckage off the Co Antrim coast.

Times Online

• Airline launches Manchester to China flight linkManchester United will try to grow their burgeoning fan base in football-loving China after the launch of the city’s first direct link to the world’s most populous country.
• Blame it on London traffic: why Her Majesty was late to the party [Subscription]As the royal family left St Paul’s Cathedral yesterday at the end of a service marking the Queen’s official 90th birthday, a member of the household remarked that the celebration had gone off exactly as she would have wanted. All, that is, apart from one crucial element: the Queen was late.
• Double-decker motorway will keep traffic moving [Subscription]Britain’s busiest motorway could be transformed into a double-decker highway under radical plans to tackle crippling levels of congestion.

Daily Record

• Drink and drug drivers targeted as police crackdown is stepped up HUNDREDS of police officers will staff road checkpoints across Scotland and mobile patrols will be on the increase.

Mail Online

• Ryanair to challenge Airbnb with private room rentals The Dublin-based carrier is promising 'low-price accommodation' for holidaymakers who book anything from a five-star hotel to a private room through its new Ryanair Rooms service.
• Northern Ireland flight to Scotland sees two people go missing The flight took off from the City of Derry airport and had been tracking towards Stranraer but never arrived so the Coastguard and the RNLI were called in to search for the boat by sea and air.
• British Airways passenger says she couldn't bring violin case on board Cecilia Bernardini, from the Netherlands, wrapped a scarf around the violin in an attempt to protect it after she was forced to check the case in the cargo hold as she travelled to London for a performance.
• The pothole vigilante whose fake road signs shames council chiefs into fixing holes� For months Angie Abingdon has sneaked out in the middle of the night to put up fake road signs warning about the danger of potholes shaming her Cotswolds council about the state of the roads.
• Road building falls under Cameron as the average increase of the highways network falls to just 7% of that achieved by Major� The total length of UK roads has risen by an average of only 180 miles per year with Mr Cameron in Number 10, compared to 2,650 miles when Sir John was in office from 1990 to 1997.

This is Money

• UK's first driverless car policy launched - and it covers semi-autonomous failures now Specialist provider Adrian Flux launched the first personal driverless car policy, with elements for those who already have autonomous features in their car, like self-parking.

Network Rail

• Stations celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday as they gear up for weekend festivitiesPassengers and staff have been celebrating the Queen’s official birthday today (Friday 10 June) at stations across Britain and are looking ahead to a weekend of in-station events.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Campaigning pupil's delight at £5,000 funds for 20mph zone near school A BOY who has been fighting for lower speed limits outside his school is celebrating his campaign’s success.

London Evening Standard

• 'Traumatised' woman tells of ordeal after falling down the gap on rush-hour TubeA woman today told how she was left badly injured and traumatised after falling through the gap between train and platform at a Tube station.
• Euston Road fire: Van 'explodes' into flames on major central London roadA van went up in flames today and its petrol tank "exploded" on a major road in central London.
• Commuters get app to report fears other passengers may come to harmLondon commuters will now be able to report fears for other passengers they deem at risk of harm on the railways.
• VC London: meet the female bikers on a mission to get more women on the open roadForget push-bikes, women in the capital are upgrading their two-wheeled companions to something bigger, louder and faster. And one London collective is helping to make it all happen...
• Paddington delays: 'Fire' on board train sparks rush hour chaosRush hour commuters leaving London faced chaos this evening following reports of a fire on board a train near Hayes.
• Road safety campaigners hold 11-minute 'die-in' outside City Hall for killed cyclists and pedestriansSafer cycling activists today held an 11-minute "die-in" outside City Hall to call for action after 11 cyclists and pedestrians died on London's roads in the five weeks since Sadiq Khan was elected.

The York Press

• Driver did 150mph and crashed with child, 3, in the back - watch his ludicrous drive here A DRUG courier has been jailed for a 150mph 40-mile police chase through roadworks and heavy traffic along the A1M in North Yorkshire.

Wales Online

• Drivers in Cardiff added �10m to the council's coffers last year The city's council say they have managed to record a surplus for 2015-16 but any missed savings will need to be met
• Motorists warned ahead of police clampdown on drink and drug drivers The month-long campaign will co-incide with the 2016 UEFA European Championships
• British Transport Police to patrol French trains in a bid to keep a lid on any potential Euro 2016 trouble The officers have jurisdiction following a specific request from their French counterparts

Yorkshire Evening Post

• After Leeds trolleybus and supertram debacles...We MUST make it 3rd time lucky for city’s urban transport visionA gathering of transport experts in Leeds has been told that whatever is put forward to replace the scrapped trolleybus, it should be radical, serve everyone - and it MUST be “third time lucky” for the city.

Bucks Free Press

• Cycle lane for notorious road - despite fears it is 'an accident waiting to happen' A cycle lane network could be set up on a notorious road in Cressex, despite councillors fearing “it’s an accident waiting to happen” with the high volume of cars and lorries in High Wycombe.

Crewe Chronicle

• Youngsters face cuts to free bus service in Sandbach More than 70 pupils at Wheelock Primary School will be hit by cutbacks, which come into force next April if given the go-ahead by Cheshire East

West Sussex Gazette

• Residents’ fears over ‘appalling’ number of parked carsSafety fears are growing among a group of residents in Haywards Heath after a road near their homes has been reduced to one lane because of parked builders’ vehicles.

Other Regional Press

• Motoring enthusiasts restoring the bus that drove Muhammad Ali through South ShieldsA group of motoring enthusiasts are making sure a bus which famously carried Muhammad Ali through South Shields drives like a dream once again.
• Air ambulance to be first in south west to carry blood and plasma in bid to save even more lives PARAMEDICS battling to save people at the scene of car crashes and other incidents have a new weapon in their arsenal thanks to a joint project.
• “It only takes six minutes for a dog to die of exhaustion in a hot car” “IT only takes six minutes for a dog to die” – That’s the stark warning after police were called to dog in a car.
• New Swindon cycle route officially opened Green fingered pupils who helped to brighten up a recently revamped cycle-pedestrian route were on hand for an official unveiling on Thursday.
• 'Car park signs and pay as you leave will improve air quality' ELECTRONIC signs informing drivers of how many spaces there are in Taunton's car parks will help the environment, as well as reducing motorist stress, a council meeting has heard.
• Taxi drivers hit out at potential city centre restrictions TAXI drivers have criticised council bosses for preventing them from accessing part of Oxford city centre until November.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Outstanding transport projects honoured in the CIHT Awards 2016Professionals from the highways and transportation industry gathered to celebrate remarkable schemes and initiatives at the prestigious CIHT Awards ceremony in London last night. The 11th annual CIHT Awards saw the outstanding achievements of those working in the sector rewarded and their work promoted as best practice to the industry. CIHT presented Graham Dalton with its Institution Award and Jacobs Principal Transport Planner, Ed Downer, received the CIHT / Balfour Beatty Young Professional Award. The CIHT Institution Award is for excellence within the transportation profession and to ce...
• 14th Annual Transport Practitioners' Meeting - Call for papersThe 14th Annual Transport Practitioners’ Meeting (TPM) will be held 29-30 June 2016 in Nottingham. Organised by PTRC Education and Research Services Ltd, TPM is the annual meeting place for all transport planners, highway engineers and urban transport designers to present topical papers, share knowledge, engage in constructive debates  and disseminate the latest thinking across the profession. This year’s conference features plenary sessions on Transporting the Future, workshop sessions on both conference days, over 85 paper presentations, a networking drinks reception and the...

Rail Magazine

• Trespassers continue to risk their lives to see ScotsmanThe British Transport Police has released images of trespassers on the East Coast Main Line, taken during one of 60103 Flying Scotsman’s trips on the railway

Rail Technology Magazine

• ORR opens investigation after Tube worker crushed against platform The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has opened an investigation after a London Underground (LU) worker was crushed between a platform and a train early on Saturday morning at Whitechapel station. The man, a contractor from Harrow in his 30s, was freed by emergency workers and taken to the Royal...
• Govia Thameslink has biggest PPM decrease in period 2Govia Thameslink Railway’s (GTR’s) performance and punctuality measure (PPM) figures were significantly worse than any other TOC in May 2016, according to Network Rail’s latest data. The company’s PPM for period 2 of this year was 78.1%, the lowest of any TOC and...
• Two-pronged approach needed to encourage women's careers in railwaysWomen seeking to build or return to a career in railway engineering can find out more about job opportunities at HS2 on 23 June. To mark National Women in Engineering Day, HS2 will hold a coffee morning from 9.30am to 11.30am at its office at 2 Snow Hill, Birmingham. HS2 is currently hiring in...
• GWR finalises Bombardier Electrostar order for Thames ValleyNew Bombardier Class 387 trains will be introduced on the Great Western Railway (GWR) network from September, after the company finalised a deal for 37 new trains replacing most of its current Turbo fleet. Porterbrook Leasing has purchased an additional 92 Class 387 Electrostar vehicles from...

Railnews

• Boost for Derby with new Electrostar order Another 23 Class 387 Electrostars have been ordered from Bombardier in Derby by Porterbrook for service on Great Western Railway. The new order is in addition to several previous contracts for Class 387s, some of which have been entering service on Thameslink since early 2015, with 29 more units now being delivered for Gatwick Express. In all, 224 Class 387 vehicles have been ordered for Thameslink and Gatwick Express, and 180 will now be built in total for GWR.

Railway Gazette

• Level crossing safety campaign focuses on older people INTERNATIONAL: Railways and transport authorities in 40 countries around the world are...

Aviation Industry

• Stansted starts �5m security and services upgradeIntroduction of a new security screening process and additional body scanners among changes
• Fastjet appoints CEO from rival airlineFastjet, the troubled African carrier, has named Nico Bezuidenhout as its new chief executive officer.He joins from rival carrier Mango Airlines and will a position that has been vacant for three months after previous CEO resigned due to shareholder pressure.

Other News Sources

• Driving with hands-free phone as distracting as hand-held DRIVING while talking on a hands-free phone can be as distracting as talking on a hand-held mobile, experts have found.
• Woman faints on overcrowded Southern train following cancellations A COMMUTER fainted on a crowded train as passengers struggled to get home amid hundreds of late services.
• Chaos on the railways of Sussex: But where is the Rail Minister? RAIL Minister Claire Perry has again refused to answer questions from The Argus about the ongoing chaos on the Sussex rail network.