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

Saturday, 11 March 2017

BBC News

• ScotRail performance improves for fifth consecutive monthThe reliability of ScotRail services has improved for the fifth monthly period in a row, new figures show.
• Vehicle Excise Duty: Small car buyers face higher costsThe way we pay road tax will change significantly from 1 April and it is something to consider if you're going to be buying a new car.
• West Yorkshire Police use decoy bus to catch anti-social youthsUndercover police officers have been travelling around parts of West Yorkshire on a decoy bus to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The Herald

• Reliability boost in train services ends need for ScotRail improvement planThe reliability of ScotRail's trains has improved again in recent weeks, ending the contractual need for a performance improvement plan to be in place.

The Independent

• London Tube train derails after 'wheels come off' causing commuters severe delaysEngineering train comes off tracks at White City around 5am causing frustration for commuters on London's most delayed line

The Scotsman

• ‘Major gaps’ in controversial rail police plans, warns reportAn independent study of controversial plans to integrate railway policing into Police Scotland has highlighted a shortage of detail and a “concerning” lack of consensus for the move.

Times Online

• No sweat: city cyclists fuel rise in sales of electric bikes [subscription]At 16 Tom Morley competed in his first cycle race. Since then he has bagged a couple of records and ridden across the Alps and Pyrenees, but at the age of 77, he is now struggling to get up the small hills around his Hertfordshire home. For a man who has spent a large part of his life on a bike, this challenge is the most disheartening of all.
• Lorry drivers under threat from Calais stowaways [subscription]Migrants are still attempting to stow away in lorries heading for British ports, three months after the closure of the main refugee camp in Calais.
• Letter on rail strike a stunt, claims RMT [subscription]The main rail workers’ union has described the offer of talks to head off a strike on Monday as a “stunt”.
• Ban driving near schools, says Khan [subscription]Cars should be banned from roads near schools to reduce air pollution and to force parents to walk their children to school, the mayor of London has said.

Reuters News

• Airlines demand clarity from Britain on post-Brexit flyingBERLIN (Reuters) - Airlines need Britain to hurry up with plans for aviation following its vote to leave the European Union, because the deadline for preparing flight schedules in a post-Brexit Europe is fast approaching, a Ryanair executive said on Friday.

London Evening Standard

• Southern Rail strike: 'Most trains to run yet' during 30th walkoutBosses at Southern Rail today pledged to run the most trains yet on Monday when RMT guards stage their 30th 24-hour strike.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• History and a house of straw - a commuter's guide to the East Coast Main LineTake a trip on it with us to see houses of straw, God, history and sport on the East Coast Main Line

Sheffield Star

• South Yorkshire MPs slam new high-speed rail link route as 'badly thought out'South Yorkshire's MPs have slammed the proposed new HS2 route as 'badly thought out'.

Other Regional Press

• Rail strike: What you need to know before Monday's walk-outRMT union to strike on Monday in dispute over 'driver only' trains :: Northern services set to be affected
• VIDEO: Stoke Station's £1m 'sympathetic' transformation wins National Railway Heritage award Stoke-on-Trent's main train station has won an award for its 'sympathetic' £1 million restoration incorporating original features.
• Luton’s high speed airport rail link a step closerPlans for a state-of-the-art £200 million mass passenger transit (MPT) system linking London Luton Airport (LLA) with Luton Airport Parkway railway station have been submitted, the airport’s owner London Luton Airport Ltd (LLAL) has announced.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• �220 million boost to help motorists beat congestionTraffic hotspots across England have been identified by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to receive millions of pounds for junction upgrades, roundabout improvements and better traffic signalling. The schemes, worth about £110 million, will cut congestion and journey times for motorists and improve safety. They will be completed by spring 2020. This includes 2 larger projects, worth £30 million, which will create an unbroken stretch of dual carriageway on the A69 between Hexham and Newcastle. A further £14 million will go towards creating a new junction on the M11 to prov...

Global Rail News

• UK rolling stock fleet growth ‘fastest for decades’The UK’s train fleet is growing at its fastest rate for decades, according to a report by the Rolling Stock Strategy Steering Group (RSSSG).

Rail Technology Magazine

• Merseyrail injunction bid against RMT strike thrown out by High CourtMerseyrail’s bid for an injunction to block RMT’s planned strikes on Monday has been thrown out by the High Court, with the union now confirming that industrial action will still go ahead next week. In a statement, the operator said that it had put the argument to judges that...
• HS2 starts hunt for talented apprenticesThe search has now begun for apprentices to work on HS2, as it was reiterated that HS2 Ltd plans to create around 2,000 places for talented young people wanting to break into the rail industry on the high-speed rail project. Successful applicants will develop skills that are essential to...

Green Miscellany

• Volta: The world’s most discreet electric bicycleThe Volta is a bicycle of contradictions. First off, it’s an electric bike, but with a battery and motor are so discreet you wouldn’t know they were there. Furthermore, its aspiration to be a light cargo bike is countered by sleek looks and a weight of only 15 kg. On top of these attributes, the Volta packs technological features such as… The post Volta: The world’s most discreet electric bicycle appeared first on ETA.
• Airlines could reduce climate change impact by 10 per centAirlines could reduce their impact on climate change by up to 10% by making small changes to some flight routes, according to research by University of Reading. Scientists found airlines could reduce the environmental damage for which they are responsible by avoiding areas where emissions have the largest impact. The changes would increase operating costs by only around one per… The post Airlines could reduce climate change impact by 10 per cent appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Parliamentary Committee to examine introduction of seat belts on school transport The Scottish Parliament’s Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee is encouraging individuals, the bus industry and other organisations to share their views on the Seat Belts on School Transport (Scotland) Bill, recently introduced by Gillian Martin MSP.
• Campaigners call for Crossrail to make travel between north and south of Glasgow easierA meeting was called this week to talk about the much-debated Crossrail project - but new homes being built in the Merchant City could scupper it before it gets off the ground.
• Christian Wolmar: Labour, taking control of the trains and why Hammond’s hostility to anything but cars is all too clearPhilip Hammond’s knowledge of transport was well summed up at my first meeting with him soon after he was appointed transport secretary in 2010. Annoyed at the number of level crossing around Egham in his Surrey constituency, he asked me “why can’t the trains, which are often just carrying a few people, wait for the cars rather than the other way round?” I spluttered to explain about signalling, timetabling and the like, and then rapidly changed the subject.
• Rail users will debate crowding on service
• Christian Wolmar: Labour, taking control of the trains and why Hammond’s hostility to anything but cars is all too clearPhilip Hammond’s knowledge of transport was well summed up at my first meeting with him soon after he was appointed transport secretary in 2010. Annoyed at the number of level crossing around Egham in his Surrey constituency, he asked me “why can’t the trains, which are often just carrying a few people, wait for the cars rather than the other way round?” I spluttered to explain about signalling, timetabling and the like, and then rapidly changed the subject.
• £6m station design moves a step closerINVERNESS Railway Station is on track for a major new look, with plans for a £6 million transformation going to tender later this year.