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

Tuesday, 27 September 2016

BBC News

• Passengers unable to leave Inverness Airport terminalPassengers were unable to leave a Scottish airport after arriving on a flight from Amsterdam due to a staffing problem at passport control.
• Belfast City bus lane camera 'raises £1m in fines'A camera trained on a bus lane in central Belfast generated almost £1m in fines from commuters breaking the law.
• Dublin Bus strikes suspended to allow pay negotiationsBus strikes in Dublin are suspended to allow for negotiations aimed at resolving the pay dispute.
• Virgin East Coast rail staff to strike on 3 OctoberWorkers on Virgin Trains East Coast are to stage a 24-hour strike on 3 October, the RMT union announces, but the firm says it will run a full service.
• Southern passengers' legal action fund close to �18kMore than 900 passengers give money to support a legal case challenging the government's handling of the Southern rail franchise.
• Hyundai strike threatens car company's bottom lineOn Monday, nearly 50,000 unionised workers at Hyundai held their first nationwide strike in more than a decade, action that could hit the car company's bottom line.
• Monarch airlines says flights operating as normalBudget airline Monarch says its flights are operating as normal following

Financial Times

• EU defends watering down airline CO2 dealBrussels pushed for less stringent technical requirements for new aeroplanes than the US
• Airbus and Boeing could both loseCompanies have wasted enough time at the WTO

The Guardian

• Passengers in Uber's self-driving cars waived right to sue for injury or deathThe company has rolled out a self-driving fleet in Pittsburgh. But passengers might not be aware of how experimental the pilot still isAnyone requesting an Uber ride in a 12-sq mile area in the center of Pittsburgh might now be randomly allocated a self-driving Ford Fusion rather than a human-operated vehicle.But passengers riding in Uber’s computer-controlled cars today might be surprised at just how experimental the technology is. According to documents obtained by the Guardian under public records laws, until as recently as June anyone not employed by Uber riding in one of its autonomous ve...
• The Guardian view on cycle helmets: head cases make bad law | EditorialWearing a helmet reduces a very small risk of injury still further. It may be desirable but should not be compulsoryBicycle helmets save lives. That is a point clearly established by the latest research from Australia, where the subject is live and controversial because in parts of the country it is compulsory to wear them, on penalty of substantial fines. Opponents point out that they are of very little help in serious crashes, since they don’t protect the head against being run over, or the rest of the body at all. Besides, there is some evidence that they encourage bad behaviour: drivers fi...
• I think the human race has no future if it doesn’t go to spaceIn this extract from How To Make A Spaceship, the physicist explains why he said yes when offered a seat on Virgin’s SpaceShipTwo and why we need a new generation of explorersI have no fear of adventure. I have taken daredevil opportunities when they presented themselves. Years ago I barrelled down the steepest hills of San Francisco in my motorised wheelchair. I travel widely and have been to Antarctica and Easter Island and down in a submarine. On April 26, 2007, three months after my sixty-fifth birthday, I did something special: I experienced zero gravity. It temporarily stripped me of my ...

The Herald

• I spy with my giant googly eye... Updated billboards amuse Scots commutersThe boards surround the railway station construction site and the new additions have been entertaining passers-by.

Daily Record

• Virgin East Coast staff to stage 24-hour strike Members of the rail union RMT will stage a 24-hour strike on October 3 after talks failed to resolve “a series of long-running issues” relating to job security and safety

Mail Online

• Road safety advert ‘blames CYCLISTS for being run over by lorries’ The Department for Transport's Think! campaign advert was criticised on social media after warning cyclists to 'hang back' while showing a lorry overtaking a bike at a junction (pictured).

Sky News

• Gatwick boss Wingate accuses Commission of runway decision mistakesStewart Wingate claims the Airports Commission's decision to side with Heathrow contains important mistakes and oversights.

Birmingham Post

• Longbridge exit down to 'Brexit vote and flawed business model'Aston University professor David Bailey on the reasons behind SAIC's decision to end car production in Longbridge
• 'Marriage guidance' needed in row over potholes and poor road repairsTransport watchdog committee told that talks between Birmignham City Council and Amey to resolve disputes are ongoing
• A Midland Metro tram stop has been given a new name Complaints from confused tram passengers prompts transport bosses to consider name change

Daily Post (North Wales)

• North Wales campaigners needed to push for Gwynedd railway reopening Traws Link Cymru wants to see the line reinstated from Bangor to Caernarfon and on to Afon Wen near Porthmadog
• Arriva Trains Wales chaos due to shortage of train conductorsManchester Airport service will not stop at any North Wales station today
• Take a tour of Airbus cabin that claims to reduce jet lag The A350 XWB promises to fight jet lag and also gives passengers larger seats
• Union accuses Arriva Trains Wales of lacking 'basic good management' over conductor shortage National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers regional organiser spoke out after severe issues on services today

London Evening Standard

• Stansted Airport: Track defect train cancellations cause misery for holidaymakersDelayed and cancelled trains to and from Stansted Airport sparked "Monday misery" for holidaymakers.
• Fare dodger used fake police ID and student card to defraud train companies of �1,600A fare-dodger swindled train companies out of more than �1,600 by using fake police ID and a student card to get cheaper fares.
• Volvo unveils V90 Cross CountryAll-terrain estate looks subtle but promises real off-road ability.

Manchester Evening News

• Mum takes on Northern Rail after son's annual fare rocketed from £276 to £1,065 when he turned 16 Sarah Flint, from Hale, said son Josh simply can not afford the price for the 12-minute journey

Wales Online

• Shortage of train conductors leads to Monday morning travel disruption Arriva Trains Wales say the staff shortages are due to short notice absences

Blackpool Gazette

• What you’ve been saying about £24m tram proposalOne of the most prickly subjects in Blackpool at the moment – apart from the running of Blackpool FC of course – is the bus station.

East Anglian Daily Times

• New hydraulic crane for Port of Ipswich under �6m investment by Associated British PortsAssociated British Ports (ABP) is investing £6m in new hydraulic cranes from Finnish firm Mantsinen for five of its ports including Ipswich.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Strike to impact Virgin Trains East Coast service through Peterborough and GranthamRail union RMT today, Monday, confirmed 24 hours of strike action on Virgin Trains East Coast over a threat to jobs, working conditions and safety.

Other Regional Press

• Rosetta turns to stone - Stevenage built spacecraft to be crash landed on comet whose hidden secrets it has helped revealTechnicians at Airbus Defence & Space in Stevenage put hours of painstaking work into building the Rosetta spacecraft so that it could travel 500 million miles across the solar system to study a comet. But on Friday they will watch as it is crash landed into the side of the space rock it has been looking at for the past two years.
• Bus users call for halt to planned pedestrianisation of Queen Street A BUS users' group in Oxford has renewed calls for plans to pedestrianise Queen Street to be abandoned.
• Virgin Trains East Coast workers get set to stage 24-hour strikeVirgin Trains East Coast workers are to stage a 24-hour strike next week in a row over jobs and conditions.
• Hartlepool bus depot worker named North East’s top driverA bus driver has won a prestigious accolade for the second year running.
• Major transport overhaul planned for the next 35 yearsTransport chiefs are plotting a major overhaul of Hemel’s transport network ahead of an expected 50 per cent surge in Hertfordshire’s population between now and 2050.

Buying Business Travel

• Aeroflot plans to introduce Gatwick serviceRussian airline schedules route to Moscow for this winter

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• EasyJet lands world’s youngest airline pilotA 26-year old woman from Carlisle has become the world’s youngest commercial airline captain. EasyJet pilot Kate McWilliams recently passed her command course to fulfil her lifelong ambition of becoming a captain. She now flies to more than 106 destinations out of London Gatwick airport. Currently, just five per cent of commercial pilots are female but it is hoped that Kate’s story will inspire more women to pursue a career as a pilot. In 2015, EasyJet announced a new initiative to double the proportion of female new entrants to 12 per cent before 2018. Kate said she would strongly urge female...
• More than 500 UK motorists are over 100 years oldThe number of motorists aged 100 or over has almost tripled in the past year. Figures from the DVLA show that there were 506 centenarians with a driving licence, up from 182 a year ago, according to the Herald Scotland. Close to five million motorists are over 70 too. This is the result of Britain’s aging population and older people unwilling to sacrifice the mobility and freedom their car provides. A 111-year old man is currently the oldest motorist on UK roads, according to the DVLA, followed by a 108-year woman. Research published earlier this month suggested that older drivers are no more ...

Rail Magazine

• EXCLUSIVE: Prompt delivery of new vehicles key for East Anglia - BurlesSix brand new trains at a time will be under test on Abellio East Anglia’s network, when delivery of the new vehicles begins.
• Three phases for franchise development - Anglia MDThe new Abellio East Anglia franchise beginning on October 16 is split into three phases, Abellio Greater Anglia Managing Director Jamie Burles reveals.

Rail Technology Magazine

• GTR's Dyan Crowther to lead HS1The beleaguered Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise announced today that its current chief operating officer is leaving to become the new CEO of HS1. In her two years in the post, Crowther oversaw Southern’s integration with GTR, forming the country’s largest rail...
• Latest PPM figures show decline across the boardPerformance and punctuality measure (PPM) figures across Britain’s railway for period 6 fell compared to the same time last year, with all but one TOC experiencing a decline. The latest figures from Network Rail show that in period 6 (21 August to 17 September), PPM was 87.4%, a 3.8...
• Additional �20m funding needed to expand Salford Central stationPlans to expand Salford Central station in order to accommodate longer trains are due to be approved at a Greater Manchester Combined Authority meeting on Friday, although they will require more funding than initially thought. According to a report published ahead of the meeting, Central Salford...
• Virgin East Coast set for 24-hour strike Staff on Virgin East Coast are due to strike for 24 hours on 3 October after RMT announced industrial action. The union said the strike was because Virgin was threatening to cut nearly 200 jobs, and added there is “talk within the industry” that the company is suffering financial...

Railnews

• Dyan Crowther to leave Govia Thameslink The chief operating officer at Govia Thameslink Railway is moving to HS1 after two and a half years. Dyan Crowther, who was previously LNW route director at Network Rail, moved to GTR during the months of mobilisation in mid-2014, and was one of the franchise�s original team of senior directors when it was launched. She will be replaced at GTR in November by Nick Brown, who until recently was managing director of two Transport for London divisions, London Underground and Rail.

Railway Gazette

• Siemens to supply 122 LRVs to Sound TransitUSA: Seattle area transport authority Sound Transit announced on September 22 that it had selected...
• Moscow orders 300 tramsRUSSIA: Moscow tram operator Mosgortrans opened bids on September 23 for a contract to supply 300...

Aviation Industry

• Aeroflot Group passengers up 8.9% year-to-dateRussia's Aeroflot Group carried 28.7 million passengers in January-August 2016, up 8.9% year-over-year (YOY). read more

Other News Sources

• Wey and Arun Canal Trust's plans for waterway's 200th anniversary celebrations Several events will be put on over the first weekend in October including horse-drawn boat trips, traditional games and small boat rallies
• Row breaks out over Department for Transport cycling advice video over "victim blaming"A row has broken out over a new government safety video - which campaigners have labelled as victim blaming.