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

Wednesday, 21 May 2014

BBC News

• Bus pass use threatens Fareham bus servicesFree bus passes, meant to encourage people to use public transport, have proved so popular in Hampshire that some bus routes only carry a handful of paying passengers.
• Bus pass use threatens Fareham bus servicesFree bus passes, meant to encourage people to use public transport, have proved so popular in Hampshire that some bus routes only carry a handful of paying passengers.
• No prosecutions over Northern Ireland bus alcohol lawNo private bus or coach operator has ever been prosecuted for allowing a passenger to drink alcohol on board, despite a law introduced in Northern Ireland in 2011.
• Controversial changes to driving test are put on holdNewsbeat has found radical plans to change the driving test have been put on hold by the government.
• French embarrassment over rail errorThe French train operator SNCF has discovered that 2,000 new trains it ordered at a cost of 15bn euros are too wide for many regional platforms.

Financial Times

• Reed closes in on ‘black box’ tech dealAcquisition of Wunelli which counts several big insurers among its customers will allow the media group to study drivers’ behaviour for the first time

The Herald

• Glasgow to Oban rail service to doubleA TRAIN service linking Glasgow and a popular seaside town is doubling in time for the summer season.

The Telegraph

• Scooters pollute more than lorriesScooters give off thousands of times more smog-causing pollutants than larger vehicles, according to research
• Mobile connectivity: how does your commute fare?The average mobile user has 3G/4G internet connectivity only 72 per cent of the time when travelling around the UK. Check how your commute fares with our interactive maps

Network Rail

• Road closures signal vital rail improvements in Selby and KnottingleyMotorists and residents in the Selby and Knottingley areas are being made aware of a series of road closures and diversions, from mid to late May, to allow for essential improvement work to signals and level crossings.
• Grand Départ travel and transport advice releasedOfficial travel and transport information to help spectators enjoy watching the Grand Départ of this year’s Tour de France has started to be released today.

Birmingham Mail

• Food critic Jay Rayner threatens to 'storm first class' in Virgin Trains Twitter rant - then spends the journey sitting on the floorMasterchef and One Show personality tweets about sore bum and out of order toilet on Virgin service
• London Midland meets rail unions over jobs threat as summer of strikes looms RMT accuses Birmingham-based transport company of 'living in cloud cuckoo land' as talks over 200 job losses near collapse

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford MP David Ward calls for quad-bike registration A Bradford MP has met police in an effort to combat the anti-social use of off-road vehicles around the city.

This Is Local London Network

• Heathrow's second biggest shareholder calls for flights 24-hours a day A Heathrow director has told residents living under the flight path, “you will not even hear the aircraft passing over your house” as he called for the capital’s biggest airport to fly 24 hours a day.

Bucks Free Press

• Court call for HS2 data to be released AN HS2 campaigner is to apply for a court ruling demanding that withheld data is made public today.

Crewe Chronicle

• War memorial dedication at Crewe Station Railway chaplain Richard Cooke told of how many medals and honours had been won by Crewe men during the 1914 - 1918 conflict

East Anglian Daily Times

• Stansted: Thomas Cook Airlines adds eight routes to summer schedule using new Airbus A321Thomas Cook Airlines has added a brand new Airbus A321 aircraft to its operations at Stansted as part of an expansion which includes the addition of eight new routes.

North Wales Live

• Parcels venture opens at Liverpool John Lennon AirportThe Parcel Centre set to take off and create jobs

Other Regional Press

• Green transport ideas could win cash grants BUSINESSES in Headington could be awarded up to £15,000 for eco-friendly transport projects on their property.
• Eurotunnel ban on owning MyFerryLink reinforced in provisional decision by Competition and Markets Authority backing the Competition CommissionA government body has backed a decision by the Competition Commission to ban Eurotunnel from running three ferries under the MyFerryLink brand.
• Bus stop improvements made in Brickhill, thanks to ward fundsInformation for passengers has improved at bus stops in Brickhill, thanks to cash from ward funds.

Global Rail News

• EIB to fund double-track Beskyd rail tunnelThe European Investment Bank (EIB) is to help fund the expansion of a single-track rail tunnel in Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains. A new double-track railway is to be constructed through the[...]
• Metro-North to introduce track monitoring systemNew York’s Metro-North Railroad has announced plans to invest in an on-board track monitoring system. It is hoped the monitoring software, which will be fitted to Metro-North trains to check[...]

Other News Sources

• Blackburn potholes repairs: Timetable defended BLACKBURN'S environment boss has defended the list of 45 potholed roads being repaired in the next stage of a resurfacing programme.
• Haulage operators urged to go digitalThe DVLA and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) alongside the Department for Transport and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, are working in partnership with ‘Digital Radio’ to encourage motorists including haulage operators to keep up to date by using digital radio. The government recently announced that new national stations will soon be launched, increasing listener choice. At the moment, drivers can pick up: their available national digital stations local digital radio stations available in their area their available FM stations The government has also announced the b...
• Trainline launches mobile service for corporate travellersFacility available to majority of TMCs