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

Wednesday, 09 May 2012

BBC News

• Google gets driverless licenceDriverless cars are set to hit the roads of Nevada as Google is granted the first US autonomous vehicle licence.
• Has the airport experience become horrible?Rarely a week passes without passport queue woes in the UK or tales of overzealous security staff in the US. So has going through an airport become a horrible experience?
• Six road schemes given approvalThe government has given the green light to six new road development projects as part of its National Infrastructure Plan.
• Fuel drivers vote against strikeRe-balloted fuel tanker drivers at one company have voted against strikes but in favour of other forms of industrial action.

Financial Times

• German lenders cut exposure to shippingRickmers chief says shipowners are turning to private equity, sovereign wealth funds and shipbuilding countries™ import-export banks
• Shipping glut to persist, Braemar warnsCompany sees pre-tax profits fall 26% fuelled by losses in shipbroking division, where rates have been hit by a surplus of carriers

The Herald

• Rail chiefs sorry for year of disruption and delayspassengers on Scotland's worst-performing routes will be offered an "unprecedented" apology by rail bosses today after a year of disruption and delays.

The Scotsman

• Motorists back drug testing of driversMORE than four in five Scots would back giving police the power to carry out drugs tests on drivers by the side of the road.

The Telegraph

• Long distance commuters more likely to be fatLong distance commuters are more likely to be overweight, a study has found.
• Driverless cars approved by NevadaDriverless cars are to be allowed on the roads of Nevada, which has become the first state in America to allow the vehicles to licence their use.

Mail Online

• The most cultured flash mob in the world: Copenhagen Philharmonic strike up on busy trainWhat would it take to cheer up your commute? Flowers, chocolates, a new e-reader? How about a top-flight orchestra to serenade you on your way?
• Thousands of motorists are driving 'death-trap' cars because they are choosing cheaper second-hand tyresMore than four million second-hand tyres were sold last year, but many are unfit for the road, an investigation has discovered.
• Budget airline flights 'cost families £87 MORE per booking than with mainstream carriers'Once hidden surcharges for baggage, seat reservations, priority boarding and administrative services were added, the seemingly low-cost fares overtook those of their ‘expensive’ rivals.

The Mirror

• Aygo a "no-go": Toyota brings back vital safety feature after Which? slaps "don't buy" sign on carAfter pressure from customers and Which?, Toyota has relented and announced ESC would be on new models from this week

ATOC

• ATOC sets out high level overview on rolling stock numbersThe Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has set out the industry’s options for additional vehicles between 2014 and 2019 (Control Period 5)....

Network Rail

• NEW RAIL VIDEO AIMS TO CUT SHORT TRESPASS, NOT LIVESChampion athlete Dai Greene heads new campaign to prevent rail trespassNew video highlights dangers of taking a short cut across the tracks Last year, three trespassers died on Merseyside
• SCOTS WARNED: SHORTCUTS CUT SHORT LIVES

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham train chaos after fox gnaws through cableRAIL services between Birmingham and Derby were majorly disrupted following a signalling fault thought to have been caused by a fox biting through cabling.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus find solution for cracks in A380 wingsTHE thousands of Airbus workers in North Wales are “critical” to the  aerospace giant’s future. Speaking to Business Post at the company’s Toulouse headquarters, executive  vice president Tom Williams revealed the  6,000-strong Broughton factory was one  of the main reasons behind the decision  to ramp-up production of all planes in  2012. Mr Williams - the most senior UK  Airbus representative - admitted cracks  found in the wings of an A380 superjumbo earlier this year had led to an  “embarrassing” slowdown in m...

Liverpool Echo

• Ellesmere Port Vauxhall plant ’is safe’ amid reports of new Astra workTHE next generation of Vauxhall’s best-selling Astra car could be built at Ellesmere Port – a move that would guarantee the survival of the plant and the jobs of its 2,000 workers.
• Merseyrail train delays stretch into second day after power supply station fireMERSEYRAIL train chaos caused by a fire in a power supply station dragged on into a second day.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Villagers 'stranded' after cash-saving cuts to Shelton bus serviceCUTS to a bus service have left villagers with only seven minutes in town before they have to return home.
• tpegg commented Nottingham City Transport depot to be redevelopedNOTTINGHAM City Transport will be moving out of its depot on Lower Parliament Street and into new premises on Carlton Road.

This Is Local London Network

• Cycle rally will promote bike riding in Barnet A bicycle rally to raise awareness of the benefits of cycling will take place in Finchley on June 10.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Captured on CCTV: Shocking new Leeds station video highlights rail trespass Shocking footage has been released of people putting their lives on the line at Leeds Railway Station.

Blackpool Gazette

• New buses are just the ticketBLACKPOOL’S fleet of refurbished buses are just the ticket, according to campaigners.

Other Regional Press

• Is time running out for bus station?Plans to breathe new life into Preston’s iconic bus station “do not stack up”, according to Town Hall chiefs.

Global Rail News

• Londonderry LineIn recent years the need for major investment simply to keep the Londonderry Line operating on the section to the north west of Coleraine has become apparent. The modernisation of this line has now been approved. From mid-February the delivery of ballast by train has commenced as a preliminary to closure of the line between [...]
• Loughborough station improvements unveiledLoughborough station™s £8 million improvement scheme was officially unveiled on Friday, with local MP Nicky Morgan joining forces with Charnwood Borough Council, East Midlands Trains and Network Rail to celebrate the official completion of the scheme. The station has been revamped into a ‘brighter, more spacious and fully accessible travel hub, providing a welcoming environment [...]
• Indian Railways to build multi-functional complexes at stationsTo ‘meet passengers™ expectation of better services at stations’, Indian Railways has decided to construct multi-functional complexes at 198 railway stations. The complexes will provide rail users with facilities like shops, food stalls/restaurants, book stalls, PCO booths, ATMs, medicine and variety stores, budget hotels, parking facilities etc, Minister of State for Railways, K. H. Muniyappa [...]
• NIR™s Spanish trainsNIR™s 20 new CAF built railcars, the 4000 class, are now coming into service. This has allowed the older diesel electric ˜Castle™ class (or 450 class) railcars to be mostly withdrawn from service. A farewell tour was operated by the Model Railway Society of Ireland (MRSI) earlier this year however a few units remained in [...]
• MPs criticise Government rail plansMore than 100 MPs have signed an early day motion (EDM) criticising Government proposals for the future of railways in the UK, the TUC has said. The EDM warns that the Government’s plans will ‘worsen passenger services through the loss of thousands of frontline workers from trains, stations, ticket offices, safety-critical infrastructure and operational roles’, [...]
• Diamond Jubilee tribute train at c2cChelsea Pensioners David Donaghey and Marjorie Cole recently named a c2c Class 357 Electrostar ‘Diamond Jubilee 1952-2012′ at London Fenchurch Street as part of c2c™s contributions to the celebrations to mark the Queen™s Diamond Jubilee. Diamond Jubilee is one of five c2c Electrostars that are being wrapped in special vinyls to mark the Jubilee, with [...]
• Advice on Paris OrbitalThe UK™s largest planning and design consultancy, Barton Willmore, has been appointed to advise a French government agency planning a new Paris orbital railway. The project run by Société du Grand Paris (SGP) features 58 new stations and more than 100 miles of railway track in a loop around the French capital in a bid [...]
• ˜Record number™ of applicants for graduate transport schemeFirstGroup, the leading transport operator in the UK and North America, today revealed that its highly popular UK graduate scheme attracted more than 800 applications this year “ a record for the company. œThe number of candidates that have applied has been overwhelming, said John Evans, HR Director at FirstGroup. œ10% more graduates applied this [...]
• Crossrail™s first tunnel boring machine breaks groundCrossrail™s first giant tunnel boring machine (TBM), Phyllis, has broken ground at Royal Oak to construct the first section of tunnel between Royal Oak and Farringdon. Keith Sibley, Crossrail Area Director West said: œTunnelling for Crossrail has now commenced. Phyllis is now beginning to slowly disappear below ground and will steadily ramp up to the [...]

Railnews

• Pensions dispute disrupts EMT services Disruption is affecting East Midlands Trains as Aslef drivers stage another strike in protest at proposals to change their pension plans. Drivers are striking today after two 24-hour stoppages last week, and further walkouts are planned on Thursday as well as 15 and 17 May, although talks are set to take place this Thursday.

Aviation Industry

• Easyjet extends allocated seating trial Airline increases the number of routes testing new service
• Berlin airport opening postponedGerman capital™s new Brandenburg airport will not open on June 3

Other News Sources

• MP criticises council over bus cuts AN MP HAS slammed a local authority over its decision to withdraw a bus service linking villages with Bristol as ’unfair and short-sighted’.
• Six post-2015 priority Highways Agency schemes announcedRoads minister Mike Penning has announced six roads schemes will go under development to be considered for funding in the next spending review period.
• European passenger traffic for Q1 reveals two-speed aviation market European airports trade body ACI EUROPE today released its March/Q1 traffic report, providing the first substantial indication of how airport traffic is performing in 2012. The overall...
• Virgin Australia Adds More Flights to GladstoneVirgin Australia will add two additional return flights between Brisbane and Gladstone from 28 May bringing the total number of flights between the two cities to 58 on the airline's fleet of ATR ...