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

Tuesday, 23 May 2017

BBC News

• Great Western electrification: London and Maidenhead link completedThe entire £2.8bn Great Western rail electrification project is significantly behind schedule.
• Heathrow-Crossrail row heads to High CourtHeathrow wants to charge trains for access to a line it built using £1bn of private money.

Financial Times

• Peach becomes first Japanese airline to accept bitcoinPlan is part of move to legitimise crypto currency and spread financial innovation

The Guardian

• Oil bosses have given £390,000 to Tories under Theresa MayRevelation of big donations comes after manifesto promised to build on ‘unprecedented support’ for industryOil executives whose industry is promised further government support if the Conservatives are returned to power have given more than £390,000 to the party since Theresa May became prime minister.They include Ian Taylor, the chief executive of Vitol, whose firm was fined for making payments to an Iraqi state-owned firm, and Ayman Asfari, the chief executive of Petrofac, who was recently interviewed by the Serious Fraud Office over suspected corruption. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Heathrow expansion plans threatened by Crossrail rowPlans to build a third runway at Heathrow could be jeopardised by a row between the airport’s owners and Transport for London (TfL).

Times Online

• Uber is the pits, says trial city [Subscription]When Uber brought its self-driving taxis to Pittsburgh last year it was hailed as the start of a transport revolution. To thank them for being the first guinea pigs of their kind, Uber let residents ride in its taxis for free.
• Armed police deployed on railways to reassure public [subscription]Armed and unarmed police will patrol major stations and trains across the country today to reassure the public. There is no intelligence to suggest another attack is likely.

Daily Record

• Transport experts put forward plans for rail revolution across Ayrshire with as many as 20 stations reopened or builtBold plans could revolutionise the future of transport across Ayrshire.

Mail Online

• Monarch Airlines' £1.80 fee for water after air con fails EXCLUSIVE: A passenger threw up in the toilets and lay on the ground for two hours during the London-bound flight - but staff still charged other travellers £1.80 for a bottle of water despite the intense heat.

Birmingham Post

• Chiltern abandons on-board catering service Operator which runs service from Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone says decision was taken due to customers buying food before boarding
• A look inside the Airbus A380 planes flying from Birmingham AirportTake a look round the giant plane which will be a daily feature of Birmingham Airport - including its bar, lounge and plush business class seats
• Birmingham Airport considering terminal building for new HS2 station Airport is proposing to build a new terminal at the Birmingham Interchange station to improve passenger experience
• Conservative candidate admits she wouldn't feel safe cycling in Birmingham Comments made as Tory transport secretary Chris Grayling commits to further investment in cycling in Birmingham

London Evening Standard

• Car free Bank junction praised by cyclists... but drivers brazenly flout banDrivers have been brazenly flouting a traffic ban at Bank junction which was brought in to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
• Victoria line trains now run every 100 seconds making it the second most frequent line in the worldA record breaking 100-second Tube made its debut today – more than a year late.
• Long commutes lead to stress and depression, study findsLondoners who endure long commutes to work every day are more likely to suffer from stress and depression, a study has claimed.
• Give Crossrail 2 your backing, rail bosses urge ConservativesRail industry bosses today called for "urgent clarification" over the future of Crossrail 2 after the Tories left out a commitment to it in their manifesto.
• The 15 Billion Pound Railway: The Final Countdown - Everything you need to know about BBC's Crossrail documentaryThe documentary goes behind the scenes in the weeks leading up to opening of the capital's new railway

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester terror attack: Victoria station closed and roads sealed off as investigation continues Major transport disruption in place as Mancunians wake up to reality of horror attack

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• North-east bus firm backs campaign for school bus seat beltsDavid Campbell, a director of Newmachar firm Whyte’s Coaches, has written to Transport Minister Humza Yousaf and Mintlaw MSP Gillian Martin to voice his support for efforts to get youngsters to buckle up on trips to and from school.

Wales Online

• The Welsh Tory manifesto failed to promise a tidal lagoon, rail electrification to Swansea, or a new nuclear power station for Anglesey Anyone hoping for a commitment on infrastructure projects in Wales will have been disappointed
• This is what it looks like inside Cardiff Airport's control tower and how it all works It's not like you see in the movies

Kent Online

• Government to be urged to bring down Kent's high-speed rail fares when deciding who will run franchiseThe government is to be urged to bring down the cost of travel on the county’s high speed trains when it decides who should run the Kent network from 2018.

Other Regional Press

• Take a ride round Chester's new bus stationA free shopper hopper, running every 15 minutes from 8am to 6pm, will link the old and new sites to ensure access is maintained to that part of the city centre including the existing market.
• Theresa May discusses Brexit, education and Heathrow in Advertiser interviewAs she seeks to both retain her Maidenhead seat and win the general election, Theresa May visited the Advertiser’s offices yesterday (Sunday).
• New ScotRail app lets you book a taxi to and from train stations with no rankDoes your local train station not have a taxi rank? This could be the new app for you!
• Support growing for plan to launch new rail service along Cowley branch linePLANS to bring back passenger rail services on the Cowley Branch Line are moving forward.
• Huddersfield Town fans let the retro train take the strain to WembleySupporters travel in 1970s style aboard British Rail express

Bus and Coach.com

• Transport minister welcomes latest Scottish Green Bus Funded-hybrids
• Revamp for TfWM’s Swift card
• Timetable and fares information announced for forthcoming Lothian Country services
• New Tourismos join Shearings fleet

Buying Business Travel

• British Airways returns to BirminghamFlights launched from the Midlands airport for the first time in a decade

Rail Magazine

• Cambridge North station opensGreater Anglia and Great Northern trains will serve new station

Rail Technology Magazine

• Cambridge North station opens for serviceCambridge North station opened to passengers yesterday, and will now serve Cambridge’s science and business parks as well as the suburbs and villages north of the city centre. Trains operated by Greater Anglia on the Cambridge to London Liverpool Street and Cambridge to Norwich routes will...
• Camden council opens consultation on HS2 upgrades at EustonCamden council has today released a plan for the development around and above Euston station in anticipation of works beginning ahead of HS2 going through the area. In the plans, a set of seven principles are set out as central to developments at the station. A public consultation has also been...
• TransCityRail NorthOver 68% of attendees are Director level or above from organisations such as TfN, Network Rail, HS2, major contractors and the supply chain. Evening Dinner Agenda: Network with 650 key decision-makers responsible for procuring and delivering North
• EGIP electrification delayed again due to 'safety critical' problemElectrification work on the Edinburgh-Glasgow rail line that aims to speed up journeys on the Scottish network has been further delayed, it has been revealed. Speaking at the Scottish Parliament last week, transport minister Humza Yousaf told MSPs that Network Rail had written to him to say that...

Railway Gazette

• Work starts on ‘metropolitan’ high speed link in BeijingCHINA: Construction work started on May 21 on a Passenger-Dedicated Line linking Beijing with...
• Tank container designed for train to driverless vehicle transferEUROPE: The Flex Freight System which wagon leasing company Wascosa and chemical manufacturer BASF...

Aviation Industry

• Overflown communities demand government action to reduce aircraft noiseWith the General Election less than one month away, nearly 40 community groups representing hundreds of thousands of people, including many AEF members, today delivered a statement to Number 10 warning the next novernment that it must prioritise introducing tougher …
• Icelandair to equip its 737 MAXs with ViaSat connectivityIcelandair has selected US technology company ViaSat to provide high-speed Wi-Fi for its incoming fleet of 16 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and 9s. read more
• Airbus tightens fraud controlsAirbus has established a new independent compliance review panel (ICRP) to ensure “irreproachable” behavior, following allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption in its civil aviation business. read more
• Boeing 737 MAX 8 enters commercial serviceMalaysia’s Malindo Air has operated the first revenue flights with a re-engined Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. read more

Other News Sources

• Row emerges over Heathrow plan to ring fence slots to expand domestic flightsA row has emerged between British Airways and Heathrow over the airport’s hopes to increase domestic flights once it gets a third runway.
• Heathrow expansion: Did the Surrey Heath consultation give residents a voice or is it 'too little, too late'? It's only three days until the consultation process concludes and some campaigners are saying it is too little, too late to inform residents of the plans