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

Tuesday, 20 February 2018

BBC News

• Metrolink problems: Trams still suspended on Bury lineGreater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has called for an urgent report on Monday's problems.
• London-registered minicabs 'working in other cities'Councils have no control over the number of London-registered drivers on their roads.
• Disney World holiday for boy with Down's syndrome left on busComedian Jason Manford shared Alex's story on Facebook, prompting more than £18,000 in donations.
• Probe after 'drone made helicopter crash'Investigations are launched after a helicopter reportedly crashed after swerving to avoid a consumer drone.
• New station and lifeboat for Loch Ness RNLIThe volunteer service will have improved facilities and equipment after its busiest year since it was formed.
• Carillion investors were 'fleeing for the hills'
• Manchester Metrolink tram users hit by overhead line problemsSome passengers say they had to walk alongside tracks after being stranded on trams between stops.
• Thameslink train seats likened to 'ironing boards'Passengers have voiced concerns about how comfortable the seats are on the new Thameslink trains.
• Signal problem and burst main cause Glasgow rail delaysA signalling problem at Glasgow Queen Street and a burst water main at Kirkhill cause cancellations and delays.

The Guardian

• Carillion directors ignored pleas to plug pensions gap, letters revealFrank Field says evidence shows that directors were ‘contemptuous of their pensions obligations’Carillion’s pension scheme trustees began urging the collapsed government contractor’s “contemptuousâ€� directors to provide more money to plug a yawning deficit in 2010 but were repeatedly refused, it has been claimed.Letters released by MPs conducting an inquiry into Carillion also reveal that trustees asked the Pensions Regulator (TPR) in vain to force the company’s directors to pump more money in. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Commuter chaos as rail services suspended in GlasgowA SIGNALLING fault has caused major disruption at both Glasgow Queen Street Station and Glasgow Central.

The Scotsman

• Donald Anderson: Why Scotland’s pothole problem is here to stayDonald Anderson, a former Edinburgh City Council leader, confesses he ended up swearing like Gordon Ramsay as he tried to improve the state of the Capital’s roads.

The Telegraph

• Woman, 26, charged with public order offence after note was left on ambulance windscreen mid-emergency
• Boy, 13, killed in £1.2m Ferrari when driver 'misjudged' supercar's power, court hears

Times Online

• Taxi customers describe filth, smells and poor drivers as complaints rise [Subscription]Complaints by members of the public about the standard of taxis more than doubled last year.
• Airline cashes in after rivals go down [Subscription]The collapse of Monarch Airlines last year is helping put rival holiday flyer Jet2 into orbit.

Mail Online

• Easter bank holiday: Many train routes closed Passengers travelling between London and Scotland will be forced to use replacement buses between Glasgow and either Carlisle or Preston over the Easter weekend.
• London train derailed by tracks neglected since 1994 EXCLUSIVE: Investigators have found that a 300 passenger train derailed just after leaving Wimbledon station because the decaying train track had been neglected since 1994.
• Tunstall woman arrested over angry note at paramedics West Midlands Ambulance Service said the resident also verbally abused staff members during the emergency call-out in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

The Mirror

• Uber driver suffers homophobic abuse from passenger who claims it's her vehicle and stamps on his phone Dashcam footage captures the shocking incident as the driver appeals to track down the unknown woman, referred to only as Jane

This is Money

• A £68m windfall for Jet2 airline boss who snubs complaints Philip Meeson, a former RAF pilot who set up Jet2 in 2002, saw the value of his 38 per cent holding in parent company Dart Group soar from £365m to £433m.
• Fast chargers for motorways to fuel electric car drive The Natoinal Grid National Grid has identified 50 sites across the country where drivers could just pull over and charge up in five to 12 minutes compared to the 20 to 40 minutes it takes at the moment.

Bolton News

• Almost three quarters of drivers would risk their lives in a floodMORE than half of all North West drivers would risk their lives in a flood, new figures reveal
• TRAM CHAOS: Metrolink services on the Bury line could be suspended all night COMMUTERS face lengthy delays after tram services were suspended due to damage to an overhead line.
• £260,000 scheme to resurface busy Egerton junctionA £260,000 scheme to resurface a busy junction will start in March.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Road closed due to 'unsafe building' A ROAD in Bradford is closed due to an unsafe building. 

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Additional Arriva bus services to run in Gwynedd The company took over some routes in January after the previous operator, Express Motors, was stripped of its licences

London Evening Standard

• DLR incident: East London's Pontoon Dock station evacuated after 'explosion' under trainAn east London DLR station has been evacuated following an electrical explosion underneath a train.
• Woman charged over abusive note on ambulance saying: 'you have no right to be parked here'A woman has been charged after an abusive note was left on an ambulance which read: "you have no right to be parked here."

Manchester Evening News

• RECAP: Passengers 'jumping off trams' after 'severe issues' across the Metrolink tram network Metrolink has apologised to passengers for the inconvenience.
• Trams 'unlikely' to run as normal between Bury and Victoria until midday after night of chaos on network TfGM said a special bus service would run from Bury to Manchester Victoria on Tuesday morning, calling at all Metrolink stops
• Metrolink services remain suspended on Bury line due to overhead line damage - updates There was widespread travel disruption on the tram network on Monday evening after overhead lines were damaged on two different sections of track.

Northern Echo

• Young North-East drivers take flood water risks, survey revealsFOUR out of five 18 to 34-yea-old drivers in the North-East would drive through floodwater, new figures have revealed.
• Hate travelling on Pacer trains? Well 'wrong routes' mean you won't be getting replacements RAIL firm Northern has claimed “some routes are not suitable for its new trainsâ€� after it was criticised for revealing they won’t in fact replace its decrepit Pacer trains.

The York Press

• Second man claims he was trapped in bus doors ANOTHER passenger has claimed he was trapped by the door as he was trying to get off a bus in North Yorkshire.

Wales Online

• This man is seeking up to £500k from Vauxhall after damaging hand trying to punch his way out of a burning carJason Williams claims he can't return to work as a trawlerman after injuring his hand trying to free himself and his daughter from a Zafira that had caught fire 

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• M6 to close overnight for repair workDrivers face delays from this week as the M6 closes overnight for urgent repairs.

West Sussex Gazette

• Confusion over bus fare increaseConfusion has arisen over an increase in fares on Horsham’s Park and Ride bus routes.

Other Regional Press

• Frustrated commuters call for better busesFrustrated campaigners have called for ‘better’ bus services around the smaller towns and villages.
• More than 100 drivers facing prosecution after ignoring motorway signs this morning More than 100 drivers will be prosecuted after ignoring red 'X' signs on a motorway this morning.
• Call to extend ExpresswayCAMPAIGNERS are pressing the Government to extend its £3.5bn proposed fast road between Cambridge and Oxford to Swindon, claiming it could cut the overall cost of the scheme.
• Motorists could see a 10 per cent increase in car park charges in Taunton A NEW scheme to change the way Taunton residents park their cars could see drivers paying around 10 per cent more. 
• Oxford parking charges will go up if council vote is passed tonight CITY COUNCILLORS will meet tomorrow to set Oxford's budget for 2018/19.
• Five-mile rush hour queues from Oxford to Kidlington as gas works continue DRIVERS had to endure 'hideous' delays during Oxford rush hour as emergency gas works continued in Woodstock Road.
• Burglars steal ‘very rare’ BMW in Stevenage Old TownA distinctive BMW has been stolen in Stevenage Old Town, and police have now released images of the car in the hope of tracking it down.
• Bus causes traffic chaos after getting stuck on road due to illegally parked carsA BUS caused traffic chaos this afternoon after becoming stuck on a Newport road today.
• Swindon 'should be included' in Oxford to Cambridge expresswayAN OPTION to extend a £3bn Oxford to Cambridge expressway to include Swindon must be considered, according to campaigners demanding a public consultation on the road.
• Five-mile rush hour queues from Oxford to Kidlington as gas works continue DRIVERS had to endure 'hideous' delays during Oxford rush hour as emergency gas works continued in Woodstock Road.
• Housing association to hold driver safety awareness classes for ALL staff who drive A housing association in Dorset is helping to make the roads safer, by holding driver safety awareness classes for all its staff who drive.
• Disruption on Weymouth-Waterloo line due to 'significantly damaged' track Commuters face rail disruption today due to 'significantly damaged' track at Winchester. 
• This is the million-mile impact of the Midlands' axed bus routesMassive drop in distances travelled by lifeline services across the city
• Kenilworth Railway Station opening delayed for fourth time The latest delay was announced by West Midlands Railways
• This is why you would want to work at Birmingham Airport The jobs come with perks

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Multimillion pound government funding boost for cycle safetyCyclists in a number of cities will benefit from a £7 million government investment in projects to improve road safety, helping create more bike-friendly areas. The funding has been announced as part of the Department for Transport’s cycle safety review, which will help ensure that our roads are as safe as possible for all who use them. Eight cities, which the government has already been helping to lead the way in promoting cycling, will be given the chance to bid for an additional £6.5 million of funding to trial new schemes which improve safety. This will support the gove...
• Successful signal testing brings huge transformation of Tube network even closer Another weekend of testing has been completed on the brand-new signalling system set to transform the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, Transport for London (TfL) has announced. More trains were run between Hammersmith and Edgware Road this weekend than had been run in any other weekend of testing. This represents another step forward for the programme before the first trains operate under the new system this summer. The new system, provided by Thales, will improve reliability and boost capacity on 40 per cent of the Tube network and has undergone significant t...

Rail Technology Magazine

• TfL completes biggest test of Tube's signalling upgrade Transport for London (TfL) has completed a weekend of testing on a brand new signalling system set to transform the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. More trains ran between Hammersmith and Edgware Road this weekend than any other weekend of testing. TfL says that...

Railnews

• Derailment blocked West Coast line near Glasgow An engineering train blocked the West Coast Main Line between Carluke and Carstairs for much of Sunday, disrupting ScotRail and Virgin Trains. The line has now been cleared and checked by Network Rail engineers, and services have returned to normal.

Railway Gazette

• Five-year rail supply contract signedRUSSIA: Steelmaker Evraz has signed a five-year agreement to supply Russian Railways with a total...

Other News Sources

• UK Port's Post-Brexit Health ConcernBritish Ports Association warned that without agreements on cross-border environmental health standards there could be major disruption at UK and EU ports. Richard Ballantyne, Chief Executive of the British Ports Association, said: “Perhaps…
• Electric car uptake in Herefordshire among highest in UKELECTRIC car technology is advancing rapidly, and the latest figures suggest that Herefordshire is getting on board the green revolution.
• Berrylands station fire: South Western Railway finally admits blaze was electrical fire on train after first denying it South Western Railway originally claimed the train was "categorically not on fire" and the incident was line side
• The ambitious plan to create science and research park, cycle hub and better markets to boost Mole Valley's economy Mole Valley District Council has laid out its proposals and has opened a public consultation
• Graduated Driver Licensing proposed for UK as figures show high number of young drivers involved in accidentsA new system could also restrict the engine size allowed for new drivers in hopes of stopping 'boy racers' on roads