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

Wednesday, 24 May 2017

BBC News

• MSPs back legislation for seatbelts on school busesIt would become a legal requirements for seatbelts to be fitted on all dedicated home-to-school transport.
• Drone in near miss with plane near Edinburgh AirportThe unmanned craft was flying about 20-30 metres away from a commercial Loganair flight at about 4,000ft.
• RMT rail strike suspended after Manchester attackThe RMT has suspended a 24-hour walkout on Merseyrail, Northern Rail and Southern Rail on 30 May.
• Car vending machine: We try out the novel Singapore dealershipThis luxury car showroom in Singapore has found a novel way to put its vehicles on display.
• US accuses Fiat Chrysler of using 'defeat devices'The software features came in about 104,000 diesel-engine jeeps and trucks sold in the US.

Financial Times

• India’s new private ports challenge ageing state giantsInvestors seize opportunities as government facilities struggle with booming trade
• Driverless cars inspire a new gold rush in CaliforniaMoney is flooding into autonomous car start-ups. For the sector’s evangelists, questions about business models miss the point
• Rise of Chinese airlines hits Singapore and CathayAsia rivals face headwinds after regional dominance in long-haul business travel
• Uber pays millions in back-payments to New York driversCar-booking service overcharged for more than 2 years through commission error
• Air Astana and Kazatomprom select banks for IPOState-backed airline and uranium producer are part of pipeline of Kazakhstan privatisations

The Herald

• Drone came within 20 metres of plane at Edinburgh AirportAn airline pilot was forced to take evasive action after a drone came within 20 metres of his plane as he prepared to land in Edinburgh.

City AM

• Consultation on plans to revamp Southeastern including proposal to ditch First Class extended until the end of JuneA consultation on plans to overhaul the next Southeastern franchise has been extended until the end of June.

Mail Online

• Brits pay out �395million in excess baggage charges One in five Britons has been charged by an airline for exceeding a baggage allowance for a flight in the past two years, leading to an average of �135 in fees each.
• Calais migrant gangs attack British truckers British truck drivers have called for increased protection after a series of violent incidents in Calais, six months after the Jungle shantytown was torn to the ground and its residents dispersed.

London Evening Standard

• Eurostar to run direct trains from London to Amsterdam by end of the yearDirect Eurostar services between London and Amsterdam will be operating by the end of the year, sparking a major price war with airlines.
• Southern Rail launches investigation after train crash in depot leads to delays and cancellationsSouthern Rail has launched an investigation after two of its trains crashed into each other in a depot early on Tuesday morning.

Burnley Express

• Airline’s coffee venture flying into Blackburn and Burnley town centresTHE first two Northern outlets of budget airline easyJet’s coffee shop offshoot are set to land in Blackburn and Burnley this summer.

Other Regional Press

• New station opens and more trains bring better service to Greater AngliaMore trains are announced as the newest railway station in East Anglia is opened in Cambridge.
• AM says rail improvements must go alongside road projectsIMPROVEMENTS to road networks across south Wales must go hand-in-hand with increased rail services, a Gwent AM has said.
• Teesside's longest established private coach hire company celebrates 50 years in businessTerry Wilson has been running Escort Luxury Coaches for five decades, a feat he says makes him the longest established coach company in Teesside
• New bus links for KensworthCentrebus has joined forces with Central Bedfordshire Council and Kensworth Parish Council to improve local bus links between the village and Dunstable on Mondays to Fridays from Tuesday 30 May.
• Kent: Eurostar to launch direct route from London to Amsterdam by the end of the yearThe train company is to run direct trains to the Netherlands by the end of the year – but there are questions over whether it will stop in the county.

Buying Business Travel

• Crossrail Heathrow plans threatened after legal rowAirport wants to charge rail operator for use of its track

Global Rail News

• Stadler unveils new high-speed train ‘Giruno’Stadler has marked its 75th anniversary by unveiling the new EC250 high-speed train.

Rail Technology Magazine

• TfL in High Court dispute with Heathrow over Crossrail feesProposals to run Elizabeth Line trains through Heathrow Airport have been jeopardised by a legal dispute over fees imposed by the airport. Heathrow, which spent £1bn building the five-mile line linking Heathrow to the Great Western main line 20 years ago, have argued that TfL should pay...
• High Speed Rail college calls on businesses to commit apprenticesBusinesses have been called on to “act soon,” to fill the remaining spaces left on the National College for High Speed Rail’s (NCHSR) apprenticeship schemes. In anticipation of the college opening in four months’ time, it has now called on companies to send their...
• Great Northern completes refurb of Fen Line Class 387s Great Northern has now replaced all the trains running between King’s Lynn and Cambridge with more modern, air conditioned carriages. The news comes a day after the new Cambridge North station was opened, which will serve both Great Northern and Greater Anglia services for the...

Transport Network

• Greens want transport boost to help us live 'larger lives'The Green Party has pledged to create ‘a people’s transport system’ that makes it easy for people to choose to leave the car at home – ‘or not have one at all’.

Aviation Industry

• AAPA chief: Laptop ban brings ‘no tangible security benefits’As airlines and airports steel themselves for a possible widening of the US ban on laptops and similar-sized personal electronics in the cabin, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has warned against falling into “the trap of knee-jerk reactions.” read more

Green Miscellany

• Latest cycling top boasts shape-shifting cellsThe best way to keep a cycling top smelling fresh is to cram it full of living cells. Scientists at America’s MIT have designed a breathable top with ventilation flaps lined with living microbial cells that shrink and expand in response to changes in humidity. The cells are so strong that they can induce bending of the ventilation flaps so… The post Latest cycling top boasts shape-shifting cells appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• ‘There was a glitch’ – Commuters left confused as trains ‘disappear’ amid Great Northern’s timetable updateCommuters were left confused as two train timetables giving different information were both available this morning – with some services apparently going ‘missing’.
• Manchester terror attack: Surrey Police calls for vigilance as Met and British Transport Police step up presence The force has called for vigilance in the wake of the attack, while the Met Police and British Transport Police say more officers are on patrol
• Gatwick and Heathrow airports: Passengers evacuated from two flights after 'suspicious white powder found in overhead locker' and 'bomb threat' Passengers on a flight due to depart from Gatwick were evacuated, while a plane destined for Heathrow was also emptied
• FTA urges government action over Calais migrantsThe Freight Transport Association has urged the government to lobby the French authorities to protect drivers passing through the Calais area, ...