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

Saturday, 17 March 2018

BBC News

• Job losses as north Wales car dealership group foldsThree car dealership businesses owned by Slaters in Abergele and Mochdre will close.
• Cardiff travel advice for Wales v France Six Nations gameSix Nations game with France and an unrelated march affect travel in Cardiff on Saturday.
• Parsons Green attack: The Iraqi fantasist who wanted attentionAhmed Hassan came to the UK for
• Biohacker fined for travel card implantAustralian biohacker fined for fare evasion despite having his travel card inside his hand.
• Call to raid HS2 budget to fix potholes in roadsLabour MP speaks out after figures show big rise in cyclist deaths and serious injuries.
• Middlewich canal collapse leaves up to 20 boats strandedA spokesman said between 15 and 20 boats
• Manchester Piccadilly HS2 upgrade plan revealedTwo terminals, a tram stop and a tree-lined boulevard would be built beside Manchester Piccadilly.
• Elizabeth Line fares same as those across TfL networkCity Hall has also confirmed Transport for London will take control of Heathrow Connect services from May.
• London wheelchair travellers get Google Maps helpUsers will be able to filter for
• Parsons Green attack: Iraqi teenager convicted over Tube bombAhmed Hassan is found guilty of attempted murder after injuring 30 commuters at Parsons Green.
• Biggin Hill Airport flight school axed after 70 yearsBiggin Hill Airport will not renew leases, in order to allow more private jets to land.
• Tesla boss in line for mega-pay dealIs the loss-making electric car firm's boss Elon Musk worth $2.6bn? Shareholders must decide.

The Guardian

• Former Carillion finance directors expected to face investigationFRC understood to have agreed there are sufficient grounds for probe conduct of Richard Adam and Zafar KhanThe accounting watchdog is expected to announce an investigation into potential misconduct by two former finance directors at Carillion, the failed government contractor.The Financial Reporting Council’s conduct committee is understood to have agreed that there are sufficient grounds for a probe into the conduct of Richard Adam and Zafar Khan. An announcement is expected early next week. A spokesman for the FRC declined to comment. Continue reading...
• Parsons Green tube bomber was referred to Prevent programmeConcerns raised after disclosure that Ahmed Hassan had taken part in deradicalisation schemeA teenage Iraqi asylum seeker who planted a bomb on a crowded London underground train had been involved in the government’s Prevent deradicalisation programme for more than a year, it emerged at the end of his Old Bailey trial. Ahmed Hassan was found guilty on Friday of attempted murder after his homemade device partially detonated at Parsons Green in west London during the morning rush hour in September. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Analysis: Speedy construction could have left the bridge vulnerable to failureI was shocked as a structural engineer and saddened to see the collapse of the bridge in Florida and the loss of lives.
• Glasgow's new low emissions zone will 'condemn city to illegal air for years'ENVIRONMENTALISTS have warned that plans to create Scotland’s first low emission zone in Glasgow will condemn the people of the city to breathing "illegal air" for years to come.

The Telegraph

• Miami bridge engineer left message about crack two days before collapse
• UK weather: Flights cancelled amid snow and ice warnings as 'Mini Beast from the East' hits Britain
• Miami bridge collapse: Four dead as new pedestrian crossing at Florida university crushes cars below

Times Online

• All bets are off in Melrose bid to land GKN prize [Subscription]In the penultimate race of the Cheltenham Festival yesterday, Melrose Boy was running in the handicap hurdle. Amid the excitement, punters had good reason to keep a close eye, too, on the horse’s near-namesake.
• Fierce fight for GKN too close to call [Subscription]A second top shareholder in GKN is prepared to back Melrose’s hostile takeover of the FTSE 100 engineering group, leaving its future on a knife-edge.
• Driverless cars on UK roads this year after rules relaxed [Subscription}Fully driverless cars could take to Britain’s roads this year under plans to scrap the requirement for a safety driver to be in control at all times.
• Rail union calls walkout for Easter bank holiday [Subscription]Rail passengers face huge travel disruption over Easter after union leaders called strike action in protest over who closes train doors.

City AM

• FTSE roundup: Easyjet soars while housebuilders temper blue chip index gainsThe FTSE 100 index has ended the day up 0.34 per cent, as Easyjet continued to climb after directors scooped up shares earlier this week.

Daily Record

• Probe after chopper crashes at Perth Airport Pilot taken to hospital with leg injury
• Bus driver crashed into building after drone of engine sent him to sleep at the wheelFrancis Cavin was disqualified for 12 months and given a £335 fine at Forfar Sheriff Court for crashing the vehicle into a building after he nodded off.

Mail Online

• Defence giant GKN receives triple takeover boost The battle to save defence giant GKN from a hostile takeover received a triple boost yesterday. In a dramatic intervention, an Airbus boss said it would be ‘practically impossible’ to work with GKN.
• Florida bridge collapses onto cars killing at least four people Six to 10 people have been killed when a newly installed pedestrian bridge spanning several lanes of traffic collapsed at Florida International University on Thursday, Senator Bill Nelson told CBS Miami.

The Mirror

• Petrol prices set to hit four-year high by Easter as supermarkets "less competitive" The cost of wholesale fuel is lower than this time last year but petrol in forecourts is a penny higher on average, the AA found

This is Money

• How the super-rich finance their supercars You've probably seen the finance deals offered by car manufacturers in TV adverts saying you can have their latest models for as little as £100 a month. But how about £26,000 a month?
• Porsche boss Oliver Blume apologises for Volkswagen diesel scandal Porsche executive board chairman Oliver Blume also raised fears of the effect of Brexit on sales to the UK – one of its biggest and important markets.

London Evening Standard

• Google Maps becomes more wheelchair friendly with launch of journey-planner tool for disabled peopleDisability campaigners have welcomed the launch of a new feature on Google Maps designed to help wheelchair-users find step-free routes around London.
• London will say 'bring on next one' when we open Crossrail, transport chief claimsTransport chief Mike Brown tells The Evening Standard why he's bullish over the Tube's future despite falling numbers of passengers
• Thames cable car set to be sold off and Boris bikes 'under review'The boss of Transport for London today revealed that Boris Johnson's cable car across the Thames is set to be sold off.
• London Elizabeth line fares to match TfL Tube prices... but Heathrow passengers set to pay £7 premiumFares on Crossrail's Elizabeth Line will match Tube prices across most of London, but Heathrow passengers will be charged a premium, it was announced today.

Manchester Evening News

• The new Manchester Piccadilly station: This video shows what it could look like... if the government listens to Manchester Andy Burnham calls for Government to scrap 'sub-optimal' choice for HS2 station - and build a new Piccadilly to boost northern routes too
• Metrolink passengers pulled emergency cord and jumped off tram - after being stuck in Piccadilly Gardens for 20 minutes 'TfGM would strongly advise against it'

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Car hire companies are DOUBLING the cost of repair says Which? - how to avoid getting ripped off Here are ten useful tips to stop a grand theft auto from happening to you

Northern Echo

• "Kids put the window out" - Buses stop running to part of Darlington after missile attacksBUSES were stopped form entering part of Darlington after a vehicle was attacked by youths throwing missiles.

The York Press

• Early morning buses stoppedAN EXPRESS bus between York, Boroughbridge and Knaresborough is being axed because of low passenger numbers.
• Road closed after large hole appears A LARGE hole has opened up on St James Road in Scarborough.
• Work to start on roundabout upgrade as part of £38m schemeWORK will start this summer on upgrading a roundabout on York’s outer ring road as part of a £38 million programme to tackle congestion.

Bucks Free Press

• Council plans to reduce free school transport for childrenThe county council looks set to push forward with plans to reduce free school transport for school children in Buckinghamshire in a bid to

East Anglian Daily Times

• Businesses and councils in bid to get crossing at ManningtreeLocal councils and businesses are to try to see if they can launch a bid to get a new rail crossing built near Manningtree station.

Other Regional Press

• New funding for roads could unlock improvements to Oxford's highwaysMILLIONS of pounds could be plugged into Oxfordshire’s road network as part of a new Government plan.
• Trains diverted while police deal with incident at East Malling railway stationTrains have been diverted while emergency services deal with an incident at a railway station.
• Boost for Dorset rail travellers as two multi-million-pound rail projects unveiledHSR unveils plans to bring direct rail access between Heathrow Airport and the South Coast:
• Largest used car showroom in Europe is coming to Coventry It will be located on the site of the Leekes furniture store
• 'Strategic corridor' is to greatly improve transport links for SwindonSWINDON is to join forces with towns and cities across the country to create a “strategic corridorâ€� that will improve transport links with the south midlands and east of England.
• Swindon bus driver named as Best in the WestA BUS driver working the roads of Swindon has been named as Stagecoach’s Best in the West.
• Confusion continues at M4 junction roadworksCONTRACTORS working on the M4 junction 16 upgrade have said sorry for the delays and confusion caused by changes to the lay out.
• Roadworks postponed this weekendPLANS to resurface a mini-roundabout in the centre of Bradford on Avon have been postponed this weekend because of forecasted wet weather.
• Government must provide certainty for Swindon's car makers, say industry bossesTHE South West is a vital part of the UK’s car sector and the government must do all it can to ensure it prospers post-Brexit, industry bosses have said.
• Mess left in Taunton car park is akin to a landfill site, commuter claims A WOMAN who commutes to Taunton has described the mess in a town centre car park akin to a “landfill site.â€�
• Cyclist fined £805 for riding on pavementA MAN was forced to pay £805 after being caught cycling on the pavement.
• Scores of pupils and staff take part in nationwide safety campaign SCORES of staff and pupils walked through a Hampshire town as part of a road safety campaign.

Rail Technology Magazine

• NR slapped with £730,000 fine for Gloucester freight derailmentNetwork Rail has been ordered to pay £733,000 fines after a court found that its failure to adequately maintain track had caused a freight train to derail near Gloucester station. The incident, which occurred in October 2013, saw the train partially derail and caused an empty container...
• Union to continue with controversial four-day Easter Weekend strikeUnion members working for South Western Railway (SWR) are to go through with a four-day strike running across both bank holidays over the Easter Weekend. RMT general secretary Mick Cash confirmed that the action would still go ahead between Friday 30 March and Monday 2 April as disputes continue...
• Multimillion-pound Alloa line electrification works beginMajor upgrade work on the Sterling-Alloa route is set to begin this weekend. Hundreds of engineers will work over 16,000 hours during the four-week works to deliver a multimillion pound upgrade to prepare the Alloa line for electrification. The work forms part of the Scottish government-funded...

Railnews

• RMT to stage Easter industrial action on South Western Services on South Western Railway are set to be disrupted over the Easter weekend, because the RMT has declared more industrial action in the continuing dispute over on-train staffing. The union has accused SWR of ˜refusing to engage in meaningful talks™. SWR has said that while it intends to roster a guard on every train, it wants to discuss what happens if a guard is not available to work a particular service.

Other News Sources

• Large 'sinkhole' appears in the middle of Dorking road Kevin Barton, owner of Dorking Blinds, said: "It's right outside our door and it's massive"
• Parsons Green Tube explosion trial: Timeline from arrival in UK, student of the year award to guilty conviction Ahmed Hassan Mohammed Ali was found guilty of planting a bomb that partially exploded on a Tube train at Parsons Green
• Weather forecast: Icy roads possible following a weekend of predicted snow showers A new yellow warning was issued for Monday (March 19)