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

Thursday, 23 March 2017

BBC News

• BA and Easyjet laptop ban 'in force by Saturday'Passengers on certain flights will have to put tablets and e-readers in their hold luggage.

Financial Times

• Confusion over disparity between airline curbsConcerns the move could be protectionism in disguise

The Herald

• Bus passengers hit with 10 per cent fares hike as congestion blamed for punctuality slumpINFLATION-BUSTING fares hikes of over 10 per cent will be introduced within days on some of Scotland's busiest bus routes.

Times Online

• China signals end of the rank-and-file cab [Subscription]A new car plant in the Midlands is driving the trend towards hybrid commercial vehicles

Network Rail

• Station improvement work begins as part of plans to improve journeys to and from BoltonPassengers using Bolton station will see platform improvement work starting next week as part of plans to provide passengers with faster, electric train services from December 2017.

Birmingham Post

• Why the Midland Metro will be 'nationalised' Transport for West Midlands will operate the network while it undergoes a major expansion with a series of extensions and new lines

Bolton News

• U-turn from bus operator as it announces Bolton buses WILL be affected by Bury depot closure BUS services in Bolton will be reduced in frequency or have their routes curtailed after Bury bus depot closes.

London Evening Standard

• Transport bosses drop plans to run three London Overground stations without staffRail bosses have dropped plans which could have led to some London Overground stations being unstaffed.
• Train passengers who forget railcards to get 'free pass'Train passengers who forget their railcards and are made to pay vast sums for a new ticket will now be able to claim that money back.
• Diesel black cabs 'will be a thing of the past within six years'Diesel black cabs will be a "thing of the past" within six years as Londoners opt to travel in electric models to tackle toxic air, a taxi drivers' boss said today.
• EasyJet becomes first UK airline to introduce laptop ban in plane cabinsEasyJet has become the first UK airline to put the Government's new ban on laptops and tablets into practice.
• Virgin Atlantic plane struck by lightning after taking off from Gatwick AirportA plane was forced to land when it was struck by lightning shortly after taking off from Gatwick Airport.

Northern Echo

• Housing plans which spell "death knell for Durham Tees Valley Airport" are recommended for approval by councillors MAJOR plans for new housing and services will be considered for Durham Tees Valley Airport next week, in a development which one local councillor said

Nottingham Evening Post

• Ashfield MP Gloria de Piero opens Alpha Rail's new £800k factory Gloria de Piero labelled Alpha Rail an 'important' employer in Nottinghamshire as she opened the manufacturer's new £800,000 factory.

Wales Online

• Theresa May is challenged on the Welsh road with the worst air pollution outside London A Welsh MP also compared the PM to the commander of the Charge of the Light Brigade
• An £8m grant is needed to secure Newport's iconic Transporter Bridge The bridge gets 20,000 visitors every year
• There were 804 crimes committed at Welsh railway stations last yearA total of 247 crimes were recorded by police at Cardiff Central Station including a bomb hoax 

North Wales Live

• What can we do about the Strand? Wide road is intimidating to cross and could be narrowed
• Private hire drivers still planning city blockade during Grand National as rail staff strike The "double whammy" action could cause chaos across the city during the showpiece event

Other Regional Press

• Chester-North Wales rail passengers face disruptionRail replacement buses will be in operation for travellers. Rail passengers face disruption on the Chester-Wrexham line later this week as a delayed upgrade to cut journey times and increase train services enters its final stage.
• Heathrow expansion could mean direct rail connections from Woking and Weybridge to airport, minister says“The proposed scheme has the potential to greatly improve access to Heathrow airport from Surrey, Hampshire, and the South West Trains network"
• Newport council to bid for £8m lottery funding for Transporter Bridge Council leads bid to secure funds for Newport Transporter Bridge

Buying Business Travel

• Online passport renewal system introducedA new online passport renewal service has been introduced by the UK Home Office
• Electronics ban ‘unworkable’ for business travellersIndustry reaction following the UK and US announcements regarding the ruling
• Warning over aviation ‘being left in the dark’ after BrexitAmerican Express GBT says there will be plenty of ‘political posturing’ over the next 2 years

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New look smartcard rolled out to thousands of rail passengersThousands of rail travellers will now be able to get around the West Midlands the smart way using a new look Swift card. Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has started to switch all 9,000 customers on its train direct debit ticket scheme from traditional paper tickets to the hi-tech smartcard, which has also been given a fresh new design. It means 12,000 customers now use Swift on rail in addition to 130,000 who already use the cards on the region’s bus and tram networks. The train direct debit Swift cards are accepted by London Midland trains which operates local rail services in the ...
• Port of Felixstowe announces fresh expansion projectSeven acres of seabed are to be reclaimed and developed for container storage in the latest expansion of Britain’s premier boxport. The Port of Felixstowe is to carry out the work at the newest part of its 700-acre complex on the River Orwell, Berths 8&9. A 190-metre extension to deep-water Berth 9 was finished around 18 months ago to enable the southern quays to accommodate two of the world’s biggest container ships at one time. Now extra storage is needed to stack boxes being unloaded from the growing number of mega-ships visiting the port. Stephen Abraham, chief operating...

Rail Technology Magazine

• The case for rail integrationJeremy Long, CEO of European Business at MTR Corporation, reflects on how stronger integration of train and track could benefit major rail infrastructure projects in the UK.
• Automatic compensation to be rolled out on Northern, TPE and East Anglia shortlyin some way this year, the department has told an influential group of MPs. Addressing the Transport Select Committee inquiry about rail compensation, Simon Smith, director of passenger service design at the DfT, said that the competitive bid process of franchising had now led to positive work...
• Forgetful passengers to be refunded railcard penaltiesA new scheme will allow passengers who are charged extra for travelling without a railcard to claim their money back at least once per year, effective immediately, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has announced. Passengers carrying a railcard, including the 16-25 young person’s railcard and...
• TfWM to take over running of Midland Metro next yearDay-to-day running of the Midland Metro tram service will be taken on entirely by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) from October 2018 when the current concession, which is held by National Express, ends. The move has been implemented to enable TfWM, the transport arm of the West Midlands...

Railnews

• New DOO strike �a barefaced attack� Three more strikes over driver-only operation are set to be staged by the RMT on 8 April. The walkouts are expected to disrupt services on Merseyrail, Northern and Southern. The managing director of Merseyrail has warned that the stoppage, on Grand National day, is a �barefaced attack� on the reputation of Liverpool, but the RMT countered that the company is adopting a �cynical and hostile stance�. The increasingly bitter deadlock over the introduction of driver-only operated trains in several parts of the country shows little sign of easing, although new talks have been arranged between the ...

Aviation Industry

• Lufthansa Technik 2016 profit down 9.5% Hamburg-based MRO provider Lufthansa Technik Group (LHT) reported a 2016 adjusted EBIT profit of €411.3 million ($431.9 million), down 9.5% from €454.4 million in 2015. read more
• Emirates to end use of 747 freighters, citing weak cargo demandEmirates SkyCargo, the freight arm of Dubai-based Emirates Airline, will return two Boeing 747-400ER freighters leased from ASL Airlines Belgium in June, ending the use of 747 freighters in its fleet, Emirates president Tim Clark told ATW. read more
• Nordica to launch St. Petersburg serviceEstonian flag carrier Nordica will begin scheduled Tallinn-St. Petersburg Bombardier CRJ900 service on May 15. read more

Other News Sources

• New Intercity Express train completes maiden test journey in WalesNew Intercity Express trains have completed their first journey in Wales ahead of entering passenger service later in 2017.
• RAIL ORGANISATIONS MISSING OUT ON APPRENTICESHIP LEVY BENEFITSNeil Robertson, CEO of The National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) has warned that rail organisations could be missing out on substantial benefits if they are unprepared for the new apprenticeship levy to be introduced in April.
• Grayling explains airline laptops banThe UK faces a “constantly evolving threat from terrorism and must respond accordingly”. Those were the words of the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling before today’s attack on Westminster began.
• Airport Lynx acquires Myhill’s MinibusesAirport Lynx, national Chauffeur Company of the Year for 2016/17, has bought Myhill’s Minibuses as part of its continuing expansion in the ground transportation market.