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

Tuesday, 18 April 2017

BBC News

• Flying car prepares for launchAnna Holligan went to see what Dutch developers claim is a world first.
• Easyjet forced couple off overbooked flightAirline staff failed to tell two passengers they were entitled to compensation after being 'deplaned'.
• Drivers could be paid 'up to £2,000 to scrap diesels'Owners of some diesel vehicles could be paid to scrap them under plans to cut air pollution.

Financial Times

• United beats profit estimates despite controversyViolent removal of a passenger was a ‘watershed moment’ for carrier, says chief Munoz
• Uber registers $2.8bn loss in 2016 expansion driveTransportation company takes unusual step of confirming audited revenues and losses

The Guardian

• United Airlines changes crew flight policy after forcible removal fiascoAirline says it will ensure off-duty crew are allocated seats an hour in advance to avoid customers being turfed off flightsUnited Airlines is changing its policy on booking crew on flights in the wake of a passenger being dragged off an overbooked plane.
• Air pollution as bad for wellbeing as partner's death, say researchersAuthors of Can Clean Air Make You Happy? say exposure to nitrogen dioxide can be as damaging as ‘big-hitting’ life events The effect on wellbeing of exposure to nitrogen dioxide, a gas mostly produced in diesel fumes, is comparable to the toll from losing a job, ending a relationship or the death of a partner, research suggests.The study found a “significant and negative association” between life satisfaction and levels of the pollutant, which causes lung problems .
• Air Canada apologises for bumping boy, 10, from family holiday flight Airline says it has offered ‘very generous compensation’ after Cole Doyle was not able to join the rest of his family on the plane to Costa RicaAir Canada has apologised to a Canadian family and offered “very generous compensation” after the airline bumped a 10-year-old boy from a flight.

The Herald

• 20mph speed limit 'could prevent 1,000 injuries a year'A SPEED limit of 20mph on roads in residential areas across Scotland would prevent nearly 1,000 injuries a year and save the National Health Service at least £56 million, according to a new expert analysis.
• Overhaul on the underground: SNP vow to see Glasgow subway network grow north and eastBy STEWART PATERSON

The Scotsman

• SNP unveils new plan for Glasgow Subway extensionPlans have been put forward which would see new lines built on the Glasgow Subway for the first time since 1896....

The Telegraph

• Easyjet apologises for removing two overbooked passengers day after United Airlines incident

Times Online

• Scrappage scheme could give diesel owners £2,000 towards a clean car [subscription]Plans for a scrappage scheme that targets the oldest diesel cars and the most polluted areas are being drawn up for consideration by ministers. They are expected to be included in the government’s proposals to tackle air pollution that will be published this week, but will probably stop short of being introduced nationwide.
• Holidaymakers face £640 speeding fines in EU [subscription]Hundreds of thousands of British motorists risk being fined up to £640 for speeding in Europe from this summer after the government rubber-stamped a controversial change to EU law.
• City’s subway could be extended to east and north [subscription]Glasgow’s underground system could be expanded for the first time in more than 120 years.

The Mirror

• Grieving mum says Southern Rail won't refund son's £4,200 season ticket because his bank account's closed Polly Paice, whose son Chris died of cancer in March, is trying to refund employer for commuter loan he took out while alive

The Sun

• TOXIN TAX TUSSLE Ex-Labour transport minister blasts London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s £24-a-day ‘toxin tax’ assault on diesel driversJohn Spellar slammed the Mayor's daily London charge as a direct attack on the poor

Belfast Telegraph

• High-speed train to Belfast on Dublin's Brexit shopping listIreland will seek money for a 'rapid rail link' between Dublin and Belfast as part of the Brexit negotiations, the Irish Independent has reported.

Birmingham Mail

• Trucker stopped going WRONG WAY down M6 Toll Driver also clocked at 119mph on busy day for police

Bolton News

• M60 revealed as among the slowest motorways in BritainNEW research has revealed that the M60 is among the slowest motorways in Britain.
• Red rose could replace EU flag on driving licences and number platesA BOLTON MP has backed an idea that could see the European Union flag replaced on driving licences and number plates by the red rose of Lancashire.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Ffestiniog Railway pulls out all the stops for 'quirks and curiosities' weekend Wind-powered wagons and a 'cornucopia of strange machinery' will run on the steam railway line

London Evening Standard

• New Tube-style map of London cycle lanes aims to help cyclists get around the capital quickerA handy new map which shows how London's cycle lanes all connect together has been created – using the iconic Tube map style.
• Diesel car owners 'to be given £2,000 to scrap vehicles'Diesel car owners could be paid to scrap their vehicles in a plan expected to be unveiled by the government.
• British couple kicked off overbooked Easyjet flight from Luton day after United Airlines outcryA British couple were told to leave their overbooked Easyjet plane and not offered compensation just 24 hours after United Airlines passenger David Dao was dragged from his flight.
• Two of London's busiest Tube stations forced to close because of burnt toastTwo of London's busiest Tube stations were forced to close after staff burnt toast in their mess rooms, causing safety alerts.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham City Transport withdraws three bus servicesNottingham City Transport has pulled three bus services which are largely used by the elderly and disabled.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• HS2 could still link with Europe from West Midlands Dreams of a direct train route from the Midlands to continental Europe could still become a reality.

Carlisle News & Star

• Carlisle leader welcomes railway extension initiativeThe leader of Carlisle City Council says he is pleased that the Scottish Government is giving serious consideration as to whether the Borders Railway can be extended to England.

Get West London

• City of London hands over £200m in funding to Crossrail following completion of milestones including vital Heathrow viaductThe City of London Corporation has handed the Department for Transport £200m towards Crossrail following the completion of four infrastructure milestones.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Disagreement over pledge for new Peterborough railway stationOne of the leading candidates to be the county’s new mayor, Liberal Democrat Rod Cantrill, is already in disagreement with the city council over his key pledge to build a new Hampton railway station.

Other Regional Press

• Some bus fares set to riseSOME bus fares in Oxford are set to rise after Stagecoach reviewed its prices.

The Business Desk

• HS2 college on the right track after support from British SteelBritish Steel has donated and delivered 200 metres of rail track to The National College for High Speed Rail in Birmingham.

Aviation Industry

• Trump moves to restore Ex-Im Bank to full functionalityThe US Export-Import bank (Ex-Im), a key financing tool for major commercial aircraft transactions, moved a step closer to becoming fully functional again after US President Donald Trump nominated two new Ex-Im board members. read more
• United 1Q net profit down 69%; Munoz calls Dao incident ‘watershed’United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz said United Express flight 3411, from which passenger David Dao was violently dragged after being involuntarily bumped on April 9, “will prove to be a watershed moment for our company.” read more

Other News Sources

• Cycling orgs unite to send e-bike message to Department for TransportBritain's cycling organisations have joined together and backed a e-bike submission that the Bicycle Association has sent to the Department for Transport. Sustrans, Cycling UK, British Cycling, Cyclenation, LCC, Bikeplus and the Association of Bikeability Schemes joined with the Bicycle Association to argue that e-bikes should not be subject to so-called Vnuk ruling.
• Lincoln Transport Hub opens its doors to local communityContractor Willmott Dixon has welcomed local students and members of the public for an exclusive look into the works on the transformational Lincoln Transport Hub.