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

Friday, 07 April 2017

BBC News

• Hospital parking 'unreasonably stressful', says RACThe RAC says too many hospitals force patients to carry around
• Manchester Metrolink tram marks 25 yearsThe Queen opened the city's first Metrolink line between Bury and Altrincham in 1992.
• Regional airport operator Hial reports rise in passengersHighlands and Islands Airports Limited says that it had 15.4% more passengers over the last 12 months.
• Heathrow owner halts future UK investment over BrexitThe Spanish owner of Heathrow airport says uncertainty over Brexit has halted furture UK investment.

Department for Transport

• New minibuses to improve rural mobilityCommunity groups across the country have been awarded funding to buy new minibuses.

Financial Times

• Lyft raises $500m and nears $7bn valuationFunding will help car-hailing group’s US expansion as it challenges rival Uber
• United chief tries to fly past leggings stormMunoz looks to recover share and resolve industrial and customer issues

The Herald

• Train disruption in store for ScotRail passengers this weekScotRail customers have been warned to prepare for more travel misery this weekend because of train works.

The Telegraph

• Fourteen passengers injured after Hong Kong tram flips over

Times Online

• Diesel vehicles and inner-city pollution [letter] [Subscription]Sir, Further to your reports and leader (“Ending emissions”, Apr 5) on penalising owners of diesel vehicles, I would caution the government to be sure of its science. Both petrol and diesel engines emit nitrogen oxides and both can be reduced to low levels with catalytic converters.
• Councils make £40m profit from parking charges [subscription]Local authorities in Scotland earned more than £40 million from parking between 2015 and 2016, according to the RAC. The figure is 12 per cent higher than in 2014-15, when it reached £36.1 million.

City AM

• HS2 scraps contract in fresh headache as it gears up for MPs' scrutinyHS2 is set to face further scrutiny over its procurement process after telling bidders for a contract meant to be awarded in February that it will rerun the tendering process altogether.

Mail Online

• The future of boarding: BA unveils biometric gates at Heathrow allowing passengers to walk straight onto aircraft after a facial scan British Airways passengers are getting a taste of a tech-infused airport future by making use of three new automated self-boarding gates at Heathrow Terminal 5.
• Black cab drivers in Uber protest at Whitehall Traditional black cabbies, which have found themselves squeezed out since the introduction of the app, lined up along Whitehall, with many holding up placards.

Birmingham Mail

• Do you drive a diesel? Government is 'set to introduce' �20 a DAY new taxBirmingham reportedly part of plans from Andrea Leadsom to tackle pollution
• What are the laws on having your sat nav placed on your car windscreen? Worryingly for some drivers, placing it on certain sections of your windscreen could be seen as a breach of the highway code

Liverpool Echo

• Ryanair boss warns its flights may be suspended for 'weeks or months' after BrexitLiverpool John Lennon Airport hopeful deal will be reached to keep planes flying

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow air pollution worsens as Government presses ahead with third runway planAir pollution around Heathrow is getting worse as the Government presses ahead with plans for a third runway, it has been revealed.
• Southern Rail workers jailed over �100,000 'Delay Repay' compensation fraudTwo former Southern Rail workers have been jailed for their part in a major fraud scheme which saw �100,000 worth of false compensation claims made for delayed trains.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Going to the Grand National? There are rail strikes across the north affecting routes to AintreeYou should be able to get from Newcastle to Liverpool, but give yourself extra time to get from Lime Street to racecourse

The York Press

• Conductor musician in new train music videoHE works as a conductor on the York-Harrogate line’s diesel trains - but now Paul Mirfin is starring in a new music video filmed on a steam train near York.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Bescot chosen by Network Rail for new sleeper factory A railway site beside the M6, between Sandwell and Walsall, has been identified to build a new factory that will supply sleepers to the rail network across Britain for years to come.

Bucks Free Press

• Councillor forced to justify spending �100k on railway line studyReopening the railway line between Bourne End and High Wycombe will benefit local people, a councillor has insisted, amid pressure to justify spending �100,000 on a study into the possibility.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Rail bosses hail Anglian success in national bid to gain support for industryThe number of passengers has doubled in 20 years, and more than £12m a week is being spent on new investment in East Anglia’s rail infrastructure according to a new campaign aimed at encouraging more to travel by train.

Other Regional Press

• Arriva aims to boost confidence of disabled travellersRAIL operator Arriva Trains Wales is seeking to develop new partnerships across its network in an initiative aimed at making rail travel more accessible for disabled people in Ceredigion and Powys.
• Arriva Trains Wales seeks volunteers to “adopt” Newbridge Railway StationRailway passengers in Newbridge are being urged to “adopt” the town’s station.
• 'More direct access is needed between Brewery Square and South Street': Dorchester transport scheme takes step forwardRIGHT turns out of a Dorchester road – and left turns into it – are to be banned as a transport scheme takes a final step forward.

Buying Business Travel

• British Airways unveils investment plansOnboard wifi, £400m in Club World, new lounges and Club Europe on domestic flights

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Law change provides equal treatment for disabled taxi users
• Port of Felixstowe hosts Export Hub The Port of Felixstowe has hosted a visit by the Department for International Trade’s Export Hub as part of the Exporting is GREAT campaign. The Export Hub brings together advice and practical guidance for all businesses on how they can find customers overseas for their products and services. Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Felixstowe and Managing Director of Hutchison Ports Europe, said: “The Port of Felixstowe has more connections to more overseas destinations than any other UK port. As the country’s largest container port it is a key gateway allow...

Rail Magazine

• Metrolink celebrates 25 years at the topMetrolink is today celebrating its 25th anniversary – having tripled its original size to become the largest tram network in the UK.

Rail Technology Magazine

• RMT Southern strike will go ahead on Saturday as talks break down againTalks between Southern and RMT broke down yet again yesterday, confirming the news that the union will walk out on Saturday. The strike marks the 31st time that RMT has walked out since the dispute over driver-only operated (DOO) trains started over a year ago. Southern said that a...
• Southeastern passengers demand better services from new franchisePassengers on the South Eastern franchise have called for a better deal from operators as they demanded more punctual, reliable services with enough room to sit and stand, research conducted by Transport Focus (TF) has revealed. With the current franchise operated by Govia Thameslink Railway...

Railnews

• Allegations multiply as DOO strikes loom Wars of words have been raging as Saturday�s RMT strikes on Merseyrail, Northern and Southern approach. Northern said the RMT had walked out of talks over the DOO/DCO dispute, which the union has denied. The chief executive of Merseytravel has called on the RMT to �think twice� before disrupting rail services in the Liverpool area on Grand National day. Meanwhile ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan and his colleagues on the union�s executive have been considering their next move after the result of the second DCO referendum on Southern this week, in which his members again rejected the propos...

Railway Gazette

• Northern Latitudinal Railway agreement signedRUSSIA: An agreement for joint investment in the completion of the long-planned Northern...
• Operators from five countries interested in California high speed rail contractUSA: California High-Speed Rail Authority has received five responses to its request for...

Aviation Industry

• AIX 2017: Boeing offers 737 lie-flat seats Boeing has revealed that it is already offering lie-flat business seats for the 737 in a move that is attracting a lot of airline interest. read more
• First Boeing 737 MAX flight simulator is FAA certifiedFAA has certified the first-ever Boeing 737 MAX full-flight simulator (FFS), located at Boeing’s Miami training center. read more
• British Airways boosts premium passengers’ experienceBritish Airways (BA) has announced a series of enhancements to both its ground and inflight service, primarily for premium cabin passengers. read more

Green Miscellany

• Carrying kids by bicycle: A parent’s guideThey thought they's solved the challenge of carrying kids by bicycle in 1951 by simply transforming a pram into a sidecar. While, that particular idea didn't take off but bicycles remain one of the most joyful ways of travelling with your children. The post Carrying kids by bicycle: A parent’s guide appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Councillor says he will 'break banks' to give residents good bus service‘If I have to break banks, I will break banks’ was the message from the Royal Borough’s bus champion, who has assured residents there will be no loss in service after existing routes are scrapped by Courtney Buses.
• Bus fare in Brighton and Hove to rise A BUS fare in the centre of Brighton and Hove is to rise.
• Link road would increase already ‘unacceptable’ congestionA NEW link road from the A259 would lead to more congestion and bottlenecks, councillors have told campaigners.