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

Sunday, 23 July 2017

BBC News

• Merseyrail strike hits Open golf at Royal BirkdaleThe action over driver-only-operated trains coincides with the final day of the tournament in Southport.
• Manchester Metrolink trams suspended after faultA communications failure has led to the whole network being shut down, Metrolink said.
• First class could be cut on busy trains, says GraylingThe transport secretary is

The Guardian

• Drones will have to be registered in UK safety clampdownOwners of drones over 250g will need to show they understand safety and privacy laws as government acts after dozens of near-misses with aircraftDrones will have to be registered and users forced to take a safety awareness test under new regulations announced by the UK government.Dozens of near-misses with aircraft around airports have stoked fears over the safety of drone use. Continue reading...
• Full speed ahead for train builders as minister pulls plug on electrificationChris Grayling has axed promised upgrades, but in other areas the industry looks healthy. What’s going on?The bright, electric future of the railway has been dimmed: trains will now continue to run on diesel west of Cardiff to Swansea, as they will on the Midland mainline to Nottingham and Sheffield.An announcement sneaked out on the last day before parliament went into summer recess has sparked howls of betrayal, in Wales in particular. Rail electrification, the government had once boasted, would bring quicker, greener, more reliable services, jumpstarting the economy and creating jobs with i...
• Hanoi is choking on the fumes of 5m motorbikes, but can ban break its habit?The roads of Vietnam’s capital have been taken over by the two-wheeled horde, but bringing in a ban by 2030 will be a tough askIt is easy to spot a foreigner in Hanoi. Cowering at intersections, staring in awe as the traffic hurtles past, tourists wait for a break in the flow of motorcycles, bicycles, carts, cars and buses – or for a kind driver to stop and bestow them the right of way – so that they may finally cross the road.That break never comes, of course, which is why the Vietnamese capital’s chaotic congestion is a phenomenon that hotel concierges often address with first-time visitors....
• From the railways to the NHS – why can’t Britain think anything through? | Ian JackThe saga of delayed and failed rail electrification suggests our politicians and officials are more comfortable with talking than with deliberation• Ian Jack is a Guardian columnistThe line from Gospel Oak to Barking used to be one of London’s more obscure railways, looping 14 miles through the northern and eastern suburbs and never penetrating the capital’s centre. A railway enthusiast could have told you that the boat trains from Tilbury to St Pancras used to use it – for many visitors and migrants from the British empire, including MK Gandhi and some of the passengers from the Empire Windru...
• The moped menace: how the scooter became muggers’ vehicle of choiceThey’re used in phone robberies, bag snatches – and now even in acid attacks. They’re easy to steal and hard for the police to pursue. Is there a way to cut this crimewave?From her office window, Elizabeth O’Neill could see young men on scooters prowling for victims almost every day. “You’d see people waiting at bus stops staring at their phones as these lads were about to snatch them,” she said. “You’d think ‘don’t do it, put your phone away’. And then it happened to me.”O’Neill, a charity worker, was waiting for a bus “looking at my phone, figuring out where I was going”. It was all over ver...

The Herald

• Rail bosses warned that shake-up will increase sex attack riskRAIL passengers in Scotland face a higher risk of sexual assaults due to staffing changes and a controversial merger of the British Transport Police, campaigners have warned.

The Huffington Post

• Chris Grayling Backing 'One Class' Trains On Shorter Commuter RoutesFirst class train carriages will be cut on busy suburban routes to stop commuters having to stand, Chris Grayling has said. The Transport Secretary said he did not see the case for different sections on shorter routes and pledged that the Government will stipulate “you can’t start segregating” in future deals. Grayling, who travels to Westminster by train every day, said he was “absolutely” committed to scrapping first class carriages on commuter routes and wants train operators to take action if passengers demand it. The Government is working on “smart tic...

Times Online

• Glasgow’s tram-train link firmly on track [Subscription]There is growing optimism that a direct “tram-train” link between Glasgow airport and the city centre will get the go-ahead, according to Scottish government sources.
• Electric Range Rover plot [Subscription]Jaguar Land Rover is developing an all-electric Range Rover as a new crackdown on emissions looms, writes John Collingridge.
• Uber closes gender pay gap after sexism storm [Subscription]Uber has announced across-the-board pay rises in its latest bid to repair its image and draw a line under the sexism row that has engulfed the ride-sharing giant
• ‘Cycle wars’ fear as hire bikes litter streets [Subscription]A Singapore-based company was ordered this weekend to remove hundreds of pay-as-you-go bicycles that it has “dumped” on urban streets amid fears that “bike wars” are breaking out in Britain.

This is Money

• London Southend uses mobile data to reveal busiest routes London Southend Airport in Essex is using mobile phone technology to monitor where locals are flying as it embarks on an ambitious strategy to reach 2.5m customers by 2018.

Bolton News

• How long will bridge next to train station be closed for? WORK is continuing on a bridge next to a train station.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Council buys car park in multi-million pound deal as plans for rail station revamp progress A MASTERPLAN to expand the Interchange rail and bus station has moved a step closer, with Bradford Council buying up a key site nearby.
• Council van spotted on pavement just two days after bosses slam irresponsible motoristsA PASSER-BY has spotted this badly parked Bradford Council van, just days after Council bosses spoke out about the menace of drivers parking on pavements.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• RNLI kept busy with four rescues in five days The latest rescue saw the volunteers from Rhyl RNLI coming to the aid of a stricken vessel off Presthaven Sands Camp, Gronant

London Evening Standard

• Chris Grayling vows to ban first class on cramped commuter routes as golf fans struggle to get The Open over strikeFirst class train carriages will be banned on busy suburban routes to stop commuters having to stand due to "segregation", the Transport Secretary has said.
• Undercover police officers on bikes deployed on London's roads to catch motorists endangering cyclistsUndercover police officers will be deployed on London's roads to catch motorists who endanger cyclists.

Northern Echo

• Improved protection for pedestrians after boy, 6, struck near A66 slip road A SIX-year-old boy who was struck by a car on a 50mph stretch of a busy dual-carriageway has led to the installation of improved pedestrian safety measures.

Bucks Free Press

• MP: ‘It is important Wycombe can rely on a fast and reliable rail service’This week Wycombe MP Steve Baker writes exclusively to Bucks Free Press readers:

North Wales Live

• Liverpool road remains flooded after torrential rain Watch cars try to pass as water flows like a river down busy street

Other Regional Press

• RAC warn of road 'chaos' as 3.4m cars expected to head for the sun TODAY is set to be the busiest day of the summer for commuters, with an estimated 3.4 million cars taking to the road.
• Rail engineering work to affect late night servicesRAILWAY engineering work in the region this weekend will affect late night services on Sunday and into next week.
• Car park scheme for new Oxford Station masterplan could 'devastate' residential streetsHOUSEHOLDERS are calling for changes to the latest masterplan for Oxford Railway Station – fearing they will 'devastate' their quiet residential streets.
• Train track electrification will go ahead in OxfordshireTHE electrification of the railway between Oxford and Didcot will go ahead as planned despite the project being scrapped across parts of the country.
• Rail passengers set for disruption as nine-day engineering work starts Rail passengers set for disruption as nine-day engineering work starts
• Cowley favoured for new electric Mini OXFORD’s Mini plant is the favoured location for building the new electric version of the car despite Britain leaving the EU, it has been claimed.
• 10 fantastic cycle routes around the North-east - featuring a few on Teesside Sustrans has released routes for families looking to get active this summer - and those for the keener cyclist
• Southeastern could be forced to ditch first class seatsTrain operator Southeastern could be forced to ditch first class seats after a government minister pledged to remove them on busy commuter services.
• This is what Manchester Airport's new �1bn super terminal will look like Work began yesterday on terminal 2 which is to be vastly expanded
• WATCH: Timelapse video shows part of �800m rail upgrade getting underwayA timelapse video shows a new footbridge - part of an �800m upgrade - being built�at a busy station.
• 'You're well served by helicopters' - minister's response to concerns on coastguard aircraft coverage A GOVERNMENT minister has attempted to calm fears over the gap in coastguard helicopter coverage in Dorset following the loss of the Portland aircraft.
• UPDATED: The last bus... 'Appalling' cuts to transport service will leave communities isolated “Appalling” cuts to Dorset’s bus services will go ahead.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail urges commuters to 'consider working from home' during August construction work at London Waterloo The major work at London Waterloo is expected to cause severe disruption across South West Trains services between August 5 to 28
• Victims of fake bus ticket fraud will ‘not be left stranded’A BUS company has promised customers who were given fake tickets will not be left stranded.
• More cycle lanes could be coming to the city CALLS have been made for more cycle lanes across the city.