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

Sunday, 07 August 2016

BBC News

• Glasgow Queen Street station tunnel reopensThe rail tunnel at Glasgow Queen Street reopens after being closed for 20 weeks during improvement works.

The Guardian

• Airline buys 2,000 copies of self-published bedtime story for night flightsA father who tried self-publishing the bedtime story he made up for his daughters has landed a surprise order of 2,000 copies from Virgin Atlantic to help children sleep on night flights.

The Herald

• Air Algerie flight AH1020 declares mid-air emergency before disappearing, reports sayAir Algerie flight AH1020 declares mid-air emergency on journey from Algiers to Marseille 'then disappears from radar'

The Scotsman

• Tavish Scott: Northern Isles cheaper ferries plea ignoredMost Scottish families do not face that kind of travel bill. The ferry service is the islanders’ motorway. It is our route to Aberdeen, Glasgow or Edinburgh airports for the flight to the sun. So in addition to the cost of a Mediterranean holiday, island families pay a £500 surcharge.
• Full steam ahead for rail journeys around the Forth after 85 years ScotRail is to run steam trains on a scenic Forthside line for the first time, which campaigners hope will boost moves to restore passenger services after nearly 90 years.
• Glasgow Queen Street’s £60m tunnel upgrade completed The £60 million project to upgrade the Glasgow Queen Street tunnel has been completed, with most rail services due to return to normal.

The Telegraph

• Bus driver lashes out at passenger after being spit on

Times Online

• Branson’s battle to revive space odyssey [Subscription]VSS Unity, a rocket with wings, is certainly an expletive- inspiring machine. Yet on a searing desert morning last month, the craft had its windows covered in protective paper and wires running to a battery of machines pored over by furrow-browed technicians, like a patient on an operating table.
• Rail staff abandon Paralympic star [Subscription]A Paralympic gold medal-winner has accused rail companies of neglecting disabled passengers, saying she has been stranded on trains and abandoned outside a London station.
• Rolls-Royce in new drive to close down corruption probes [Subscription]Rolls-Royce has launched a fresh drive to draw a line under allegations that it paid bribes to win contracts in Indonesia, China, Nigeria and Brazil.
• End for Northern Powerhouse feared as may shifts focus [Subscription]Theresa May is set to ditch the “Northern Powerhouse” brand and push for a wider industrial strategy across England, the region’s leaders fear.

The Mirror

• Most pointless double yellow lines of all time? Council mocked for markings on road too SMALL for cars The double yellow lines- designed to tell motorists not to park- are completely unnecessary

London Evening Standard

• MPs to move out of Parliament for six yearsMPs could move out of the Houses of Parliament for six years while it undergoes a £4 billion facelift.

The York Press

• York bus drivers to be trained to help spot signs of sexual abuse BUS drivers in York are being trained to spot vulnerable young people in a bid to prevent child sexual exploitation.

Wales Online

• What is the point? Double yellow lines painted on Cardiff 'road' just a few feet wide There is not even enough space for a vehicle to drive along the lane, let alone park there

Peterborough Telegraph

• Nearly half of drivers admit texting at the wheelMore than 40 per cent of UK drivers admit to sending or reading text messages while driving, according to a new survey by road safety charity Brake.

Other Regional Press

• Council has "no plans" to spend cash improving "eyesore" Perth Bus Station Read more at http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/council-no-plans-spend-cash-8577527#zZhYMQsRmXE2OW44.99Surprising admission comes despite the PKC pledging to establish “a high quality pedestrian Gold Route to the city centre”.
• Preview service for restored rail line to Princes Risborough starts this weekendSupporters of the restoration of a railway line to Princes Risborough were finally able to make use of their ‘first train’ ticket – 20 years after buying them.
• Passengers unable to board overcrowded South West Trains service from London to Exeter South West Trains has apologised after passengers took to social media to vent their frustration at overcrowding on a train from London Waterloo to Exeter.
• M4 smart motorway compound recommended for approvalA recommendation for approval was given by Bray Parish Council for the construction of a compound to be used for the M4 Smart Motorway.
• Cumnock community group fighting to see a return of the Cumnock station
• LETTER: Network Rail do as they like in SpaldingApart from the failings surrounding Woolram Wygate rail crossing, I feel the good people of Spalding still get a continually worsening deal from Network Rail.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• BMW Group to drive ahead with 3D printing The BMW Group has become the latest car manufacturer to reveal that it incorporates 3D printing into its production process.  More than 10,000 additively-manufactured parts are already being built into the Rolls-Royce Phantom, and the process has been used to 3D print mounting brackets for the new Dawn convertible since the start of the year. Plastic holders for hazard-warning lights, centre lock buttons, and sockets are just some of the 3D-printed parts to appear in the Rolls-Royce Phantom since 2012, and the technique is set to become even more widespread throughout the BMW Group - wh...

Railway Gazette

• Carbon fibre reinforced plastic bogies on testJAPAN: A Series 7200 two-car electric multiple-unit has been fitted with four of Kawasaki’s...

Other News Sources

• Rail passengers face SIX MONTHS of misery during £340m upgradeIf you travel to Liverpool regularly by train, then next year is not looking good
• Network Rail successfully tests new trains using advanced ‘in-cab’ signalling systemAn advanced signalling system that will allow trains to travel every two to three minutes through central London was successfully tested using Govia Thameslink Railway’s new Siemens Class 700 trains for the first time.
• 7 mind-blowing transport innovations that could actually happen Now that China has finally built its crazy traffic-straddling bus, we take a look at some of the other weird and wacky transport inventions that could have a life-changing effect on how we get around.