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

Thursday, 11 June 2015

BBC News

• MP accuses Velothon Wales of 'lying'Organisers of a major bike race are accused of lying over its consultation of the event by a Welsh MP.
• VIDEO: The car that can detect potholesHow a car fitted with sensors might help stop cars being damaged by potholes
• VIDEO: Truckers 'becoming border police'Lorry drivers say they fear they will be attacked if more is not done to stop the number of migrants trying to enter the UK illegally.
• Business must 'embrace the railway'A report on the economic opportunities of the train line between the Borders and Edinburgh urges businesses to
• VIDEO: New MP 'already my new best friend' says PMA new MP who asks David Cameron about Cotswold line rail services is told he is
• FirstGroup shares up on profits riseTransport firm FirstGroup sees its shares rise by about 6% early on Wednesday after reporting a rise in annual profits.
• Airport expansion: Heathrow v GatwickTwo and a half years ago, the fledgling romance between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats was hitting the rocks.
• Is this the perfect size of carry-on bag?A global standard for the size of aeroplane hand luggage has been suggested. Will this help passengers?

The Guardian

• An elegy for the sleeper train – a waning symbol that Serco has made into a brandBritain should be grateful for the six sleeper services it has managed to retain – even if their survival points up how much else has been lost
• 'Exhilarating and surreal' – what it's like to fly for a livingFrom flying solo to commercial airline training, BA pilot Emily Lester talks about a career in the skies and how to get thereWhat is it like to spend your days gliding through the air, weaving through clouds and piloting an aircraft? It’s exhilarating – I love the feeling of being in the air. And taking off is a surreal feeling – watching the tarmac suddenly fall away beneath your feet. I still feel the same excitement as during my first ever training flights.One memory that has stuck with me is flying alone for the first time. I had been training for eight months and suddenly I was in a doubl...
• Postcode parking lottery sees some drivers paying 10 times national averageParking permits in Birmingham and Manchester cost three times as much as some in London, study showsMotorists in Birmingham and Manchester are paying three times as much as some London residents and more than 10 times the national average to park their cars as a result of a postcode lottery on residential parking permits.A new study has found a huge variation in parking charges across the country – and even street by street. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Scotland's biggest cities among the most expensive in UK for residential parking permitsPARKING permits in Scotland's two largest cities are among the most expensive in the UK, according to new research.

The Independent

• Why Uber drivers’ loo breaks are going out the window - literally The streets of London are no longer paved with gold but littered with bottles of discarded urine – and Uber cab drivers are getting the blame.

Mail Online

• Will Hyperloop replace the subway? Study into Elon Musk’s design reveals it could create transport loops for major cities Hyperloop is a 'cross between a Concorde, a railgun and air hockey table', That's the description Elon Musk gave of what he believes will be the 'fifth mode' of transportation.

Birmingham Post

• Sparkbrook tram depot to be reborn as conference centreNew plans lodged to transform century-old former depot and packaging factory into two-storey restaurant and banqueting hub

London Evening Standard

• Delaying runway decision will play into hands of opponents, say City chiefs City chiefs today warned the Government that delaying a decision on airport expansion could give opponents time to build their campaign to block another runway in the South-East.
• Evening Standard Comment: Electric cars give a boost to cleaning up our air Paris is ahead of the game when it comes to electric vehicles but now London is catching up with the unveiling of a £100 million scheme to extend electric car use.
• Old Street roundabout's £25m redevelopment to go ahead after public back ambitious transformation Boris Johnson has hailed ambitious plans to transform Old Street roundabout after it was announced work on the project will start next year.

Manchester Evening News

• More investment flying in to Airport City as US organisation backs shed Money put up to fund a 268,000 sq ft warehouse at Airport City

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Transport policy 'must go further and faster' if North East is to get boost from devolutionCouncillor Nick Forbes, transport lead for the North East Combined Authority, has welcomed a report from Passenger Transport Executive Group
• Scrapping Air Passenger Duty could create 61,000 UK jobs, says studyPwC finds abolishing APD would boost the economy amid fears giving Scotland the power to vary the levy could hit Newcastle Airport

Yorkshire Post

• Sheffield faces battle to win over HS2 stationSHEFFIELD is on the brink of losing its battle to persuade the Government to move South Yorkshire’s planned high speed rail station into the city centre as it struggles to win regional allies for its case.

Other Regional Press

• Preston Bus Station revamp to take up to three yearsThe £23m grand design for Preston Bus Station will be unveiled this summer . . . but it will be 2018 before travellers get to see it first-hand.
• Dorset BikeSafe continues to promote safer riding FOLLOWING the overwhelming success of this season’s early Dorset BikeSafe events, officers continue to encourage bikers to attend the safety events at West Bay and Wimborne.
• Bus managers came under pressure as passengers voiced concerns about service cuts in Weymouth BUS managers came under pressure as passengers voiced concerns about service cuts in Weymouth.
• Jaguar Land Rover unveils pothole detection technologyThe Coventry car maker says the MagneRide can also share information about the road with other drivers

C.N.N.

• The nylon wonderland of Carpets for Airports

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Air passenger figure ‘to top 3.5 billion’ for 2015The number of passengers carried by world airlines is expected to top the 3.5 billion mark for the first time this year. Passenger growth for 2015 is expected to be 6.75%, an improvement on the 6.0% growth last year, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) said. It added that global airlines were expected to make a net profit of 29.3 billion dollars (just under £19.2 billion) in 2015. For European carriers Iata is forecasting a collective profit of 5.8 billion dollars (just under £3.8 billion) in 2015. It added that the prospects for European airlines had improved slo...
• DFDS Seaways to expand capacity on Felixstowe-Rotterdam freight routeDFDS Seaways is to increase capacity of its Felixstowe-Rotterdam freight shipping route from next month with an additional departure per week in each direction direction. The additional services, which will operate on Fridays from July 3, are being launched in response to increasing demand which has resulted in record weekly volumes on the route. They will involve a departure at 9am from Rotterdam with arrival in Felixstowe at around 3.30pm before leaving again for Rotterdam at 8pm. This means thatthere will now be three round trips on Fridays, as on other days when three roll-on roll-off s...
• Record passenger numbers on London’s transport networkAround half a billion more public transport journeys are now taking place compared to five years ago, with all elements of the transport network seeing growing demand. New figures from TfL show: London Underground (LU) - a record of over 1.3 billion passenger journeys; Buses - a record of nearly 2.4 billion passenger journeys - over half of all bus journeys made in England; Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and the London Overground - on the DLR a record 110 million passenger journeys, nearly 10 million more than the previous year. On the Overground, nearly 140 million passenger jour...
• Number of cyclists in London reaches record highMore people are cycling in London than ever before, new figures from Transport for London (TfL) have shown. The statistics also said 432 cyclists were seriously injured or killed on the roads - the lowest level since records began. The total number of cycling journeys rose by 5% to 610,000 a day - 23 million a year, TfL said. Boris Johnson welcomed the figures, but campaigners said the number of fatalities was 'unacceptably high'. The mayor of London said: 'These figures are tremendously encouraging and will, I hope, give even more people the confidence to get on their bikes. 'Operation S...
• Airlines to reduce cabin bag size allowanceAirlines are set to adopt a new rule on cabin luggage that will reduce the size of bags passengers can take on planes. Aviation bosses introduced the guidelines last night and eight major carriers have already signed up, according to The Telegraph - with more expected to adopt the process in the coming months. New carry on bag sizes: 55cm (21.5 inches) tall 35cm (13.5 inches) wide 20cm (7.5 inches) deep The International Air Transport Association announced the measures at its AGM in Miami, saying that the new 'optimum' carry on bag size will clear up confusion and speed up check...
• London moves closer to unsafe lorry banFreight operators, councils and transport officials have met in London to discuss how to operate safer and more efficient deliveries.  Transport for London (TfL) asserted that these discussions are likely to bring the capital closer to banning unsafe lorries from its streets.  Indeed, the first of 600 signs for the Safer Lorry Scheme from TfL and London Council - which are due to be fully introduced in three months' time - have been erected across the city. A conference has also been held in London by the Freight Transport Association, with the aim of exploring how to effectivel...

Railnews

• Dutch franchise scandal triggers call for ScotRail probe A major scandal affecting Dutch Railways which has involved the departure of two senior executives has prompted calls for an inquiry into the recent award of the ScotRail franchise to Abellio -- the international arm of the state-owned Dutch operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen. Alleged irregularities and 'untrue statements' at NS have led to the withdrawal of a Dutch franchise to Abellio's subsidiary Qbuzz, which has now been given instead to runner-up Arriva. The RMT said the revelations about Abellio and NS merited a public inquiry into the circumstances of the ScotRail award, although Transpor...
• Transpennine electrification delayed indefinitely Electrification of the Northern Transpennine route between York and Manchester across the Pennines has been delayed indefinitely. An MP in the region has spoken of his disappointment, and is demanding a meeting with Network Rail and the DfT. The scheme had been due to be completed in 2019, but the DfT admitted that it was not presently possible to 'clarify the completion date'.

Aviation Industry

• Get ready for smaller airline carry-on bagsPeople who fly many U.S. carriers may not be happy with the idea because the proposed size is small than the current size allowed. The International Air Transport Association discussed the idea - called the IATA Cabin OK program - this week at its annual meeting.
• Lufthansa Surcharge Steps Up Fight for FaresA move by Deutsche Lufthansa AG to charge extra for airfares purchased through travel agents or travel sites like Expedia Inc. has opened a new front in the battle between airlines and their distributors over how customers buy plane tickets.
• Scrapping airline tax would create 61,000 jobsSCRAPPING the Air Passenger Duty airport departure tax could create up to 61,000 jobs by 2020, according to an airlines-commissioned report. APD abolition would also boost the UK economy, allow airlines to offer more routes and lead to a 7 per cent increase in overseas visitors by 2020, the report said.
• Passenger growth slows at European airports in AprilPassenger traffic at Europe’s airports grew by an average of 3.2% in April, a decline compared to previous months, according to a report published by the Airports Council International European branch, ACI Europe.  read more
• Scandinavian airline pilots connect with UK unionPilots from Norwegian Air Shuttle and West Atlantic Airlines will be represented by the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) on both the national and international level. read more
• Air France CEO: Capacity discipline on North Atlantic routes is crucialShifting too much capacity from unprofitable long-haul routes to North Atlantic networks could cause a drop in yield, Air France chairman and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said on the sidelines of the IATA AGM in Miami. read more
• Wizz Air negotiating ‘large’ aircraft orderRapidly expanding Central European budget carrier Wizz Air is in talks over a “large” narrowbody order, according to a source familiar with the situation. read more
• Flybe ‘on track to recovery’ despite £35.6m lossAirline CEO says “significant progress” has been made in turnaround plan
• Qantas and American Airlines expand joint businessDeal will see both carriers add routes between US and Australia
• Emirates to codeshare on Flybe flightsDubai carrier will place its code on 25 regional routes around the UK

Other News Sources

• Gatwick planes targeted with 'powerful torch'Two planes were targeted as pilots attempted to land at Gatwick Airport
• Delay in airport decision is failing freight industryFreight Transport Association (FTA) has urged the government not to delay a decision on airport expansion because of the negative impact it will ...
• 'Tories back Gatwick' says former transport minister Former transport minister and Conservative MP Steve Norris has said his party would likely favour another runway at Gatwick Airport over expansion at Heathrow.