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

Tuesday, 11 April 2017

BBC News

• Conwy Valley railway line reopens after Storm DorisA north Wales railway line has reopened six weeks after being blocked by fallen trees and rocks caused by Storm Doris.
• United Airlines: Passenger forcibly removed from flightA video emerges of a man being forcibly removed from his seat because the flight was overbooked.
• Car insurance premiums 'jump by £110'Drivers are paying 16% more for annual cover, with costs set to hit a record this year, a survey finds.

ITV News

• Hundreds of jobs created at new £80million rail depot in South YorkshireThe Japanese company Hitachi is hiring around 250 workers to maintain a new generation of inter-city trains at the £80million facility in Doncaster.

Financial Times

• United in social media storm after man dragged off flightChief executive apologises after fresh blow to ‘friendly skies’ airline’s reputation
• FedEx Freight calls for US self-driving truck rulesChief seeks uniform standards for technology that is ‘coming faster than people think’

The Guardian

• Scrapping speed bumps is a ludicrous 'solution' to air pollutionIt wouldn’t work, and our roads would become even more dangerous. Why is the government wasting time considering it?My small residential street in south-east London, like many similar roads, has speed bumps. They’re not very pretty, and drivers tend to accelerate between them, slowing at the last moment to cross each hump with a thwack of the suspension.So, why not get rid of them, as is reportedly being mooted by some in government, who seemingly believe smoother driving is the pain-free way to reduce the vehicle emissions that are choking so many of our towns and cities. Continue reading...
• United Airlines passenger forcibly removed from overbooked flightSeveral videos taken by Chicago passengers show guards aggressively dragging a man down the aisle after selecting him to leave an overbooked flightA man was violently removed from a United Airlines flight by aviation police officials at Chicago’s O’Hare international airport on Sunday, in an incident captured on video by several other passengers. Related: United Airlines: leggings ban 'not sexist' even though it affects women more Continue reading...

The Herald

• Borders Railway extension considered as part of transport reviewExtending the Borders Railway is to be considered as part of a new Government-commissioned study into improving transport in the south of Scotland.

The Scotsman

• Leader comment: Borders rail extension must not repeat mistakes There have been calls to extend the Borders Railway all the way to Carlisle since way before the historic Waverley Route was reopened amid much fanfare in September 2015.

The Telegraph

• United Airlines incident: what are the rules for airlines 'bumping' passengers after overselling flights?
• Officer on leave after forcibly removing passenger from overbooked United Airlines flight
• International Space Station crew returns to earth after 173 days in orbit

Times Online

• Airline price war means you could be dragged off your next flight [Subscription]Up to 50,000 passengers a year are being “bumped off” British flights as airlines overbook to maximise profits.
• Emirates airline uses company run by criminals to drive VIPs [Subscription]Emirates Airlines is knowingly allowing a criminal gang to transfer its first and business class passengers to and from airports in the UK, an investigation by The Times has found.
• Bid to extend Borders line builds up steam [subscription]The rail route that once linked Edinburgh with Carlisle could be reopened following a study into improved public transport links between Scotland and northern England.

City AM

• Crossrail 2 boss Michèle Dix expects government decision to keep project on track next monthThe boss of Crossrail 2 is hoping to get the go-ahead to push on with the £30bn project by next month.

This is Money

• Hornby chairman faces calls to quit New Pistoia, Hornby's second biggest shareholder wants to replace Roger Canham with Alexander Anton, a non-executive director of royal wedding carpet firm Victoria Carpets.
• Car maker Ford motors into the savings market Ford Money has been given the green light to offer savings accounts to Britons it revealed this morning - and it's immediately made six different deals available.

Birmingham Mail

• £1 million fund to tackle grass verge abuse in Birmingham Communities will be given grants to protect grass verges from being churned up

Edinburgh Evening News

• Borders Railway could be extended to CarlisleExtending the Borders Railway is to be considered as part of a new Scottish Government-commissioned study into improving transport in the south of Scotland.

London Evening Standard

• Uber is banned in Italy over unfair competition for taxisAn Italian court has banned the Uber app over unfair competition for traditional taxis.
• Shocking footage shows United Airlines passenger being dragged from overbooked planeShocking footage has emerged of the moment a passenger was forcibly dragged from a plane by security staff after an airline overbooked his flight.
• London parents could face ban on taking kids to school by carParents who use a car on the school run will be fined up to �130 in parts of London to tackle air pollution and dangerous driving, the Standard has learned.
• Sale of alcohol to passengers waiting for early morning flights should be banned, government officials sayCalls have been made to ban the sale of alcohol at airports to passengers on early morning flights after a spike in drunken incidents.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• North East could get boost from rail and road improvements in Scotland Extension to the Borders Railway and improvements to the A1 and A68 could boost businesses in the region

Peterborough Telegraph

• Average commuter spends £48K in their career - just to get to workThe average British commuter will spend over £48,000 across their working lifetime - just to get to the office.

Other Regional Press

• Multi-million pound transport bid could make new Oxford railway line and station revamp a realityA BID for major transport improvements worth hundred of millions of pounds could see projects including a new railway line for Oxford completed in the next four years.
• Charging points at stationsFalkirk High and Linlithgow are among 50 Scottish train stations which will soon have free-to-use charging points for electric cars.
• Anger following train station overcrowdingCALLS have been made for train bosses to do more to prepare for major events after the chaos that followed the Brighton Marathon.
• Boost for Tyne Valley rail lineCivil servants from the Department for Transport and the Association of Community Rail Partnerships were on board for the trip to promote the route from Newcastle to Carlisle.
• New Village Plans Launched Around Cattal Railway StationPlans for a sustainable new village located around Cattal railway station have been unveiled to help meet Harrogate’s future housing needs.
• Govia Thameslink Railway losses worsen, customer satisfaction falls but top boss’s pay soars to almost £500kLosses at Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) deepened and customer satisfaction fell but the best-paid director’s earnings soared to almost £500,000, according to newly filed accounts.

Bus and Coach.com

• BYD to invest in new French assembly plant
• Sales and profits increase at ZF
• Opening ceremony for BYD Hungarian production facility
• Further investment for Blackpool Transport to meet target for fleet age
• UK Coach Rally prepares for Blackpool
• Epsom Coaches to become Quality Line and integrated into RATP Dev
• West Coast invests in 25 new vehicles for new Borders Buses operation

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Ctrack launches tracking solution for courier and express delivery fleetsCtrack, an Inseego company, has launched a vehicle tracking solution aimed specifically at the courier and express delivery marketplace. Ctrack Courier has been developed to help tackle some of the most common and difficult challenges facing businesses in this demanding industry sector, with particular focus on security, driving behaviour and operational visibility. There have been numerous instances where thieves have targeted vehicles left unattended while a delivery is made, with the vehicle keys in the ignition and the engine running. With multi-drop delivery vehicles increasingly at risk...

Rail Technology Magazine

• HS2 starts hunt for partners to deliver station developmentsHS2 has now begun its search for bidders to work on the design and development contracts for four stations that will be built to accommodate the high-speed line. The company is looking for partners to deliver a number of key station projects, including a development partner for London Euston...
• David Tonkin appointed as RIA chairman for second timeThe Rail Industry Association (RIA) has announced that it has appointed David Tonkin as its new chairman for the second time. The new chairman has held the position before, as he was also selected for the role at the end of 2012. Tonkin will lead the RIA board, which is made up of senior...
• GTR boss earns almost �500,000 in 2016 despite terrible year for SouthernSouthern rail boss and CEO of Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) Charles Horton was paid almost half a million pounds in 2016, despite over a year’s worth of commuter chaos caused by the ongoing industrial dispute with the unions over DOO and Southern’s parent company recording a record...
• Eland Cables-Network Rail and LU-Approved Cable for Rail, Metro & Underground Eland Cables holds a multi-year framework agreement with Network Rail for the supply of the full range of approved cables and overhead line.

Railnews

• Borders Railway could be extended to Carlisle The Borders Railway could be restored completely to Carlisle, as one of a series of projects which is set to be examined by Transport Scotland. TS said it intended to award the contract to carry out the study to Jacobs UK. The study is expected to take about seven months to complete, and the prospect of reopening the rest of the line beyond Tweedbank through Hawick to Carlisle will be welcomed by transport campaigners.

Railway Gazette

• HS2 seeks station design and development partnersUK: High speed line project promoter HS2 Ltd has begun the process to appoint ‘world-class’...

Aviation Industry

• ANA adds to Boeing 737-800 fleetSingapore-based lessor BOC Aviation has placed two new Boeing 737-800s with Japan’s ANA Holdings, the lessor said April 10. read more
• Spring Airlines yields & profits fall; adjusts international capacity Shanghai-based Spring Airlines reported a net profit of CNY950.5 million ($138 million) for 2016, down 28.4% compared with the 2015 net income of CNY1.3 billion. read more
• Aeroflot subsidiary Aurora traffic grows Aeroflot subsidiary Aurora Airline, which serves Russia’s far eastern regions, carried 303,530 passengers in the 2017 first quarter, up 10% year-over-year. The airline operated 5,161 flights, up 28% over the previous year, and carried 226,050 passengers on domestic routes and 77,490 on international. read more
• Video of United passenger dragged off aircraft causes outrageVideo of a passenger being forcibly and roughly dragged from a United Airlines flight by law enforcement officers created outrage from customers and social media observers. read more
• Delta canceled 3,500 flights, took days to resume normal ops after stormsAtlanta-based Delta Air Lines continued to experience residual delays through the April 8-9 weekend following a series of damaging storms in the Atlanta area April 5. read more

Other News Sources

• South West Trains chaos: How to get home following severe delays due to 'rail defect'South West Trains services were severely disrupted on Monday (April 10) due to emergency engineering repair works
• Surrey potholes: See the condition of Farnham Road in Guildford - does this make it one the county's worst roads? Just look at the condition of Farnham Road in Guildford! It may not get resurfaced for another year yet