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

Friday, 29 July 2016

BBC News

• Airport alcohol sales to be reviewed after drunken incidentsThe way alcohol is sold in airports is to be examined after a number of incidents involving drunk passengers, new aviation minister Lord Ahmad says.
• More Scottish rail strikes announced by unionWorkers on ScotRail are to stage a fresh wave of strikes in a long-running dispute over the increased use of trains without guards.
• RMT announces five-day August strike on Southern rail networkA five-day August strike on the Southern rail network is announced by the RMT in a dispute over the role of guards.
• London rail services make up six of top ten most overcrowdedRail services into and out of London made up six of the top 10 most overcrowded services in England and Wales last year, new figures show.
• Electrical fault causes major disruption at Glasgow CentralRail services from Glasgow Central Station still face disruption after an early morning electrical fault in overhead wiring.
• M74 to close at J3A Daldowie for four weekendsA busy junction of the M74 which sits on the boundary between Glasgow and South Lanarkshire is to close for four weekends to allow for upgrade work.
• Ford profits fall as it warns on US economic risksCarmaker giant Ford has reported weaker-than-expected second quarter profits, in the face of stagnant US sales and a tougher market in China.

Financial Times

• National Express boosted by US servicesOverseas growth offsets weak domestic market for UK bus and rail operator
• China legalises car-hailing appsOnline services will no longer be operating in grey area

The Guardian

• Unions demand change after report into London's 'cattle-truck' trainsAll the capital’s rail terminals are operating over capacity, according to new figures, prompting calls for renationalisationMore than a third of rail passengers are forced to stand on trains arriving in parts of London in the morning rush hour, according to official figures that show rail capacity in the capital has failed to keep pace with demand.Almost 35% of passengers arriving at Blackfriars on weekday mornings stand, making it the country’s most overcrowded station, as do nearly a third of those arriving at other stations including Waterloo, Fenchurch Street and Moorgate. Continue readin...
• Southern rail guards to stage five-day strikeLong-running dispute over future of guards’ roles will lead to industrial action in August on stricken rail serviceGuards working for Southern rail are to stage a five-day strike from 8 August as part of a long-running dispute over the future of their roles, the RMT union has said.It comes as Southern’s services were hit by a string of delays and cancellations over the course of several weeks due to a combination of industrial disputes, staff shortages, and major engineering works. Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which owns Southern, has even faced calls to be stripped of the franchise, and Cl...
• Minister wants to tackle excessive alcohol consumption at UK airportsTariq Ahmad is to review how bars, restaurants and duty free stores in airports sell alcohol, following concerns about alcohol-related incidentsA crackdown on the sale of alcohol at British airports is being considered by the new aviation minister amid a spate of incidents involving drunk passengers.

The Herald

• ScotRail staff to stage fresh wave of strikes in long-running dispute over driver-only operationMembers of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will walk out for 48 hours from August 7, 24 hours on August 11 and over the weekend of August 13/14.
• Airport alcohol sales to be reviewed after spate of plane incidentsHe also pledged to ensure the way in which unruly travellers are stopped from going through airport departure gates is

The Huffington Post

• Airport Alcohol Sales Investigation After Hundreds Of Drunken Incidents On PlanesNew aviation minister Lord Ahmad has announced he will examine the way alcohol is sold at airports amid a spate of incidents on planes involving drunk passengers. He also pledged to ensure the way in which unruly travellers are stopped from going through airport departure gates is “fit for purpose”. Recent police statistics show hundreds of passengers were arrested on suspicion of being drunk on a plane or at an airport in the last two years. Figures obtained following freedom of information requests showed at least 442 people were held between March 2014 and March 2016. Lord Ahma...

The Telegraph

• Revealed: Rail passengers suffer unbearable levels of overcrowding as trains cram in twice the number of people they should
• 'Air rage' crackdown as ministers consider ban on 24-hour airport drinking

The Mirror

• End of the pre-flight pint? Airport drinking rules to be reviewed New aviation minister Lord Ahmad may also change the way in which unruly travellers are stopped from going through airport departure gates

Birmingham Post

• Tesla battery factory opens early Mega site gears up for mass-market EV launch

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Watch as progress continues on new �30m Morpeth Northern Bypass schemeDrone footage shows contractors carrying out work on the new 2.4 mile stretch of road, which will cut congestion in Morpeth
• Ryanair passengers flying from Newcastle Airport with children to pay extra for reserved seats The budget airline - which this month announced eight new routes from Tyneside - revealed the pricing change on Thursday

Sheffield Star

• Campaigners say Sheffield Council plan to redesign Charter Square is ‘not safe for cyclists’Campaigners say a plan to redesign a Sheffield city centre roundabout would make the roads more hazardous for cyclists.
• Transylvania link for townDoncaster has a link-up with Dracula country after the latest route at Robin Hood Airport was announced.
• Sheffield trains ‘among most overcrowded in country’ reports suggestNew figures being reported this evening suggest trains in Sheffield are among the most overcrowded in the country.
• New anti-HS2 groups to be created to battle revised routeNew anti-HS2 campaign groups are set to be created across South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire following the high-speed train line route being revised.
• Controversial Sheffield bus changes not explained properly, transport bosses admitSheffield transport chiefs have admitted controversial bus changes coming into force this September have not been explained properly to the public.

The York Press

• York school pupils pitch airport ideas in regional competition STUDENTS from Canon Lee School in York have pitched their aviation ideas to Leeds Bradford Airport and British Airways, as part of a Young Enterprise competition.

Wales Online

• Trains are now so full that passengers are standing in the toilets"This is the second time in a week I've been forced to stand in a smelly toilet"

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Highways Agency called to ducks on M54The Highways Agency was called to reports of ducks on the M54 today.

Yorkshire Post

• Anger at campaigners’ call to scrap “vanity” high speed rail projectA CAMPAIGN group’s call to scrap the HS2 high speed rail project has provoked a furious backlash from the Yorkshire business community.

North Wales Live

• Alcohol sales at airport to be "examined" says new aviation minister John Lennon Airport has experience of drunken air rage

Other Regional Press

• Better transport spend in NI than English areasMost English regions are getting an even rawer deal than Northern Ireland in terms of investment in transport infrastructure although we suffer the worst per capita spend on rail and road links of all the constituent countries of the United Kingdom.

Bus and Coach.com

• Blackpool launches latest Palladium buses with arrival of ten E400 Citys
• New StreetDeck fleet for Leeds-Bradford corridor
• Watchdog calls for action on London bus speeds and reliability
• Gas, electric, hybrid and fuel cell buses backed by �30million grant

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Tesco sticking with Eddie Stobart for distribution contractEddie Stobart has successfully extended a contract to manage UK distribution centre transport operations for Tesco. The renewal followed a long and tough tender process and will see Eddie Stobart continue to run transport from seven UK distribution centres for the supermarket giant as well as two centres in the Republic of Ireland. The relationship between the two goes back more than a decade and it’s not all been plain sailing. In 2012, there was a four-month dispute after Tesco transferred the running of its Doncaster distribution centre to Eddie Stobart, resulting in the redundancies of 184...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Increase in overcrowding 'not acceptable' - CBTTrain services are becoming increasingly overcrowded, new figures from the Department for Transport show. The figures show that the overall number of passengers in excess of capacity (PiXC) on trains at peak times in 2015 was at 3.8%, a 0.3% increase from 2014. London had the greatest...
• Atkins awarded contract to support Hitachi in Thameslink TMS deliveryAtkins is to review Hitachi’s Tranista traffic management system (TMS) before it is implemented for Network Rail’s Thameslink programme. Atkins announced today that it has been awarded the contract to support Hitachi Information Control Systems (HICSE) and Hitachi Rail Europe with...
• New five-day RMT strike to hit SouthernThe protracted industrial dispute between Southern and RMT has been hit by its longest strike yet after RMT announced five days of industrial action. RMT said it had been forced to hold the strikes, from 00.01am on 8 August to 23.59pm on 12 August, after Southern rejected its proposal to resume...
• HS2 appoints interim construction commissionerHS2 has appointed an interim commissioner to mediate in disputes arising from the construction of the high-speed rail. Gareth Epps’ role will include ensuring that people affected by HS2 know who the construction commissioner is and what they do, mediating in unresolved disputes...

Railway Gazette

• Vossloh focuses on whole-life infrastructure savings VOSSLOH: With Vossloh’s portfolio more weighted towards infrastructure following the sale of its...
• More Alstom Metropolis cars ordered for LimaPERU: Lima metro concessionaire Graña y Montero Ferrovias has awarded Alstom a €200m contract for...
• Railway supply industry news in briefAnnouncing its Q2 2016 results on July 26, Progress Rail and EMD parent company Caterpillar said...

Aviation Industry

• Allegiant Air pilots ratify labor agreementLas Vegas-based low-cost carrier Allegiant Air pilots, represented by International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), have ratified the airline’s first union contract. read more

Green Miscellany

• Morgan reboot for EV3 electric carMorgan has�unveiled a special edition of the�striking EV3 electric car . Only 19 examples of the 1909 Edition will be built. The ash-framed three-wheeler might at first glance look like an automotive anachronism, but beneath composite carbon panels lurks a tubular space frame chassis and a liquid cooled 46 kW motor driving the rear wheel. Weighing less than 500 kg,… The post Morgan reboot for EV3 electric car appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• ‘Mildenhall could be Heathrow/Gatwick alternativeAn online petition calls on the Government to invest in RAF Mildenhall as a commercial airport instead of expanding Heathrow and Gatwick.
• Smallfield police incident: Manhunt to trace suspect after 'armed man' report at drugs raid propertyPolice are urgently seeking 57-year-old Paul Hodge, wanted on suspicion of drugs and firearm offences
• Young people urged to 'take reality check' as video highlights dangers of trespassing on railway tracksWARNING: Some of the scenes shown in the British Transport Police and Network Rail video may cause upset
• Southern Railway conductors announce plans for a FIVE day strike CONDUCTORS on Southern Railway will walk out on strike for five days in a row over the future of their roles.
• Brighton train more overcrowded than Indian rail network THE MOST overcrowded train in the country last year ran out of Brighton station and was more overloaded than comparable rail services in India, The Argus can exclusively reveal.