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

Friday, 17 June 2016

BBC News

• North Coast 500 'now possible by electric car'A road route dubbed Scotland's answer to the USA's famous Route 66 can now be travelled using an electric car, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
• Train derails at Paddington: Services disrupted in and out of stationPassengers travelling through Paddington railway station in west London are facing continued disruption after an empty train derailed.
• VW plans huge investment to become electric cars leaderGerman carmaker Volkswagen plans huge investment to launch 30 all-electric models as it repositions itself as a

ITV News

• Rail taskforce issue open letter to Transport Secretary over rail franchiseA campaign group has sent an open letter to the Transport Secretary restating their demands for key improvements to the new East Anglia rail franchise.

Financial Times

• Uber points to profits in major marketsRide-hailing app expands aggressively in China, now its biggest market
• Tradepoint seeks to shake up US portsCompany aims to become main trade hub on eastern seaboard, with good links to road and rail

The Guardian

• Derailed train causes severe disruption at Paddington stationGreat Western Railway said the delays would continue on Friday after empty passenger train left the track outside the stationDisruption to rail services to and from Paddington station in west London will continue on Friday following a derailment on Thursday afternoon. There will be a reduced service in and out of London Paddington tomorrow as a result of the incident outside Paddington this evening. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Train derails at Paddington station causing chaos for commuters�

Times Online

• Driving is cheaper for commuters priced out by trains [subscription]The cost of running a car has fallen by a fifth since the 1980s amid claims that commuters are being forced off public transport because of high fares.

Daily Record

• FirstGroup joins forces with Hong Kong metro operator on rail bidAberdeen-based transport firm FirstGroup is teaming up with MTR, which operates the Hong Kong metro, to bid for the South Western rail franchise.

Mail Online

• Great Western Train derails at London Paddington causing rush hour delays for thousands Early morning commuters have been warned about drastically reduced services into Paddington Station caused by a train which derailed after jumping a red light approaching the platform.

Birmingham Mail

• Government promises to listen following anger over planned West Coast Main Line cuts Rail Minister urges commuters to speak out about planned cuts to services at Birmingham International, Coventry, Rugby and the Black Country

Birmingham Post

• Why Birmingham is a great export - according to Birmingham Airport CEO Paul Kehoe Birmingham Airport CEO Paul Kehoe reveals advantages of doing business in second city ahead of sponsoring BPBA 2016

London Evening Standard

• Sadiq Khan: suffering of Southern Rail customers must come to an endSadiq Khan weighed into the Southern Rail dispute today, saying "enough is enough" and calling for passengers' suffering to come to an end.
• Paddington delays: Commuters face rush hour misery after derailmentCommuters travelling into London are facing long delays throughout Friday after a train derailed when it ran a red signal outside Paddington.

Manchester Evening News

• Watch: Reckless cyclist grabs on to 30mph tram and rides for more than a mileTransport bosses have now condemned the stunt, labelling it ''mindless behaviour"

Morning Star

• Workers Slam Dirty Tricks Southern RailCOMMUTER trains run by an “appalling” rail privateer must be speedily taken back under public control, Sadiq Khan said yesterday as unions said they had caught the firm “peddling a pack of lies.”

Sheffield Star

• Trams delayed after flash floods in parts of SheffieldTrams are delayed this evening after flash flooding in parts of Sheffield - while one tram was withdrawn due to ‘excess vomit’.

Sheffield Telegraph

• BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg praises Doncaster railway station waiting room on flying visitBBC political editor and presenter Laura Kuenssberg has praised a Doncaster railway station waiting room - on a flying visit to the town.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Months of delays as roadworks planned for Aston Expressway in BirminghamMajor roadworks are to take place on the M6 and Aston Expressway in Birmingham which will cause months of disruption.

Blackpool Gazette

• Manx ferry campaign growsA campaign to revive Fleetwood’s historic ferry link to the Isle of Man is gathering place.

Crewe Chronicle

• Council to axe free school buses despite fears for children's safetyA Tory councillor asked the Conservative cabinet to 'examine their consciences' before risking safety of Nantwich, Bollington and Wheelock schoolchildren

Other Regional Press

• New ‘Cambridge South’ railway station moves closer t Read more: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/new-8216-cambridge-south-8217-railway-station-moves-closer-than-ever-after-major-study-says-it-can-be-built/story-29410511-detail/story.html#ixzz4Boj4HqZaPlans for a new railway station next to Addenbrooke's are moving forward after a study found it could be built without a major upgrade to Cambridge's railway network.
• Watch as a two-litre Land Rover Discovery tows a 100-tonne trainThe standard production vehicle towed three luxury train carriages weighing more than 100 tonnes - equivalent to the weight of a Boeing 757
• Driverless pods poised to be motor industry's 'phoenix from the ashes'RDM Group, which is already involved in the Government-backed LUTZ and UK AutoDrive projects, revealed its own new Pod Zero range of vehicles at Automechanika
• Rail minister promises to listen to Coventry and Rugby concerns over West Coast Main Line cutsProposals to cut services to Coventry and Rugby have angered council leaders and MPs
• Hydrogen car demonstration ahead of first-of-its kind trial in Monmouthshire A HYDROGEN car demonstration took place at Monmouthshire council yesterday as the county is set to facilitate a first-of-its kind trial of the energy-efficient cars.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Bus and train commuters will return to cars by 2040Use of public transport is set to drop dramatically over the next 25 years as commuters return to their cars. That’s the view of shadow transport secretary Lillian Greenwood, who accuses the government of failing to sufficiently invest in green transport alternatives like segregated bike lanes. Figures from the Department for Transport suggest that all modes of transport except for private car use are expected to fall between now and 2040. Forecasts show that people are set to spend more time driving on average every day, rising from 26.6 minutes in 2010 to 32.8 in 2040. As a result, the amoun...
• London’s road safety improved as first Quietway opensA special route intended to encourage cycling and walking in London has officially opened. The capital’s first Quietway filters more vulnerable road users onto quiet backstreets in a bid to improve road safety and congestion, and make it more attractive to walk and cycle in the city. With clear purple signposts, the new route links Greenwich to Waterloo, passing through Lambeth, Southwark, and Lewisham. It boasts more than 2km of traffic-free paths for cyclists, while pedestrians benefit from improved crossing facilities and wider footways. The number of cyclists killed or seriously injured (K...

Rail Magazine

• Anglian infrastructure needed as well as new trains, say campaignersCampaigners expect new trains to be part of the new East Anglia franchise due to be announced soon.
• GWR and WSR introduce through ticketsAn all in-one ticket featuring travel on GWR, the West Somerset Railway (WSR) and local buses could bring a �1 million boost to the local economy.
• MTR and First partner for South Western bidMTR Corporation (UK) will join First Group in a joint venture to bid for the South Western franchise.

Railnews

• First and MTR join forces to bid for South Western FIRSTGROUP has decided to complete its bid for the South Western franchise in partnership with MTR, which is taking a 30 per cent stake. Only two bidders have been shortlisted; the other is the present franchisee Stagecoach. The Department for Transport has approved the addition of MTR to the competition for a replacement SW franchise, which will take over from the present South West Trains contract next year.
• Thameslink troubles set to halve profits Go-Ahead Group has warned that problems affecting the Govia Thameslink franchise, which it describes as facing a �very challenging operational and industrial relations environment�, have reduced its profits forecast for the contract which runs until 2021. Go-Ahead has a 65 per cent stake in Govia, and the Thameslink franchise has been under pressure since it was launched in September 2014, particularly because of the major congestion problems affecting trains at London Bridge. Since then industrial tensions have mounted, and the RMT has staged several strikes.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair extends flexibility of business faresAirline increases timescale for changing flight bookings

Other News Sources

• First Group teams up with MTR for South Western bidCompanies form joint venture to try to secure key London commuter franchise
• Transport wristbands launched for Euro 2016Football fans using new wearable technology for public transport