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

Monday, 04 July 2016

BBC News

• Strike-hit Southern set to announce amended timetableSouthern Rail is to announce an amended timetable due to a dispute over the role of conductors.
• Transport old and new brings London's Regent Street to a standstillRegent Street is shut for a festival exploring London transport from the past, present and future.

Financial Times

• Tesla misses delivery targets againDifficulties come as carmaker prepares for more ambitious production goal with mass-market vehicle
• Southern rail to press on with changesGovia Thameslink defends plan to alter role of train guards

The Guardian

• 'Northern powerhouse' is smoke and mirrors, claim Lib DemsReport argues George Osborne’s project is a disguise for local government cuts which additional funding will not counterractGeorge Osborne’s “northern powerhouse” plan to rebalance the UK economy away from London and to the north of England has been dismissed as “smoke and mirrors”.A new report by the Liberal Democrats argues that without real investment, the northern powerhouse is just a buzzword that is stronger on rhetoric than substance. Continue reading...
• East London tops UK list of places with most uninsured carsInsurer Churchill says 216,000 of the capital’s near-4m cars are not insuredOne in eight cars on the roads in east London do not have insurance, according to analysis which names the capital as the worst place in Britain for uninsured drivers.About 216,000 of the capital’s 3.9m cars do not have insurance, with north and south-east London also featuring in the list of uninsured hotspots, research by the insurer Churchill found. Continue reading...
• Southern has go-ahead to cancel 350 trains a day, claims RMT unionSouthern blames staff sickness for cancellations while union accuses rail company of gross mismanagementThe government has given a beleaguered rail company permission to introduce an emergency timetable allowing it to cancel another 350 trains a day, it has been claimed.The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said it was given the figures at a meeting with company officials from Govia Thameslink, which runs Southern rail. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Brexit travel question of the day: Simon Calder on London's proposed airport expansionThe UK is in the departure lounge – destination unknown. So all this week Simon Calder is answering your questions about the impact of the EU referendum result on travel
• Southern Railway given permission to cancel another 350 trains a day, transport union saysThe service has received strong criticism for its strikes and cancellations

The Telegraph

• Southern Railway cancels 350 trains a day under emergency timetable�

Times Online

• Commuter misery as rail firm allowed to cut 350 trains a day [Subscription]The government has given a struggling rail company permission to introduce an emergency timetable allowing it to cancel another 350 trains a day, a union has claimed.
• Roundabout revolution urged for older drivers [Subscription]T-junctions should be replaced by mini-roundabouts under plans to make the road network more “pensioner-friendly”, a government-backed report has recommended.
• Remain campaign missed the target [Subscription]Heathrow got full up a couple of years ago and the UK aviation industry didn’t die.

Mail Online

• 'We must build that new Heathrow runway NOW - and show the world we aren't turning inwards', warns Airports Commission boss Sir Howard DaviesThe frustration is audible in Sir Howard Davies’s otherwise calm voice. Almost exactly a year after he recommended a major expansion at Heathrow airport, the issue has once again been kicked into the long grass.

Birmingham Mail

• New roadworks misery for Aston Expressway motorists as repairs begin Drivers are warned to expect delays during Monday morning rush-hour

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Zip World buys in fleet of electric vehicles to help save planet Company says it is committed to being environmentally-friendly and wins acclaim from AA for its drive toward going totally green

Manchester Evening News

• Transport strategy consultation launches today – have your say on underground rail tunnels, tram-trains and less trafficUnderground rail tunnels, tram-trains, less gridlock on the roads, more cycle paths - and finally a proper ‘Oyster’ card.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Major roadworks to improve key North East commuter routes to get under way Drivers are being warned to expect disruption as the multi-million pound road improvement scheme in South Shields begins

Northern Echo

• Naked cyclists turn heads in Newcastle city centre CYCLISTS had heads turning when they stripped off their clothes and pedalled naked though a busy city centre on Saturday.

Wales Online

• Flight from Heathrow to Chicago circles several times over Wales 'due to operational issue' Radar pictures shows the British Airways flight circling above Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire

Yorkshire Post

• Video: The verdict on the multimillion pound Leeds to Bradford cycle superhighwayThe opening of the first 14km section of the much-debated City Connect cycle “highway to health” was met with fanfare and scepticism. Reporter Jonathan Brown has saddled up to try the route himself.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Fewer rail passengers satisfied with Abellio Greater Anglia’s reliability and value for money, Transport Focus Spring 2016 report findsPassenger satisfaction levels in the region’s rail operator have dropped in key areas including value for money and punctuality, a new poll has revealed.

Lancashire Telegraph

• Take a look around Accrington's new multi-million pound bus stationACCRINGTON’s new multi-million pound bus station is now ready for its grand opening next week.

North Wales Live

• Mersey chamber chief hits out at delay to Heathrow runway decision Jenny Stewart CEO of Liverpool & Sefton Chambers of Commerce, says the Government has missed the chance to boost UK firms

Other Regional Press

• Auchtertool thrown a lifeline in bid to retain its only bus serviceThe Auchtertool community feared it would be left stranded after Stagecoach announced it was axing the X26, the only bus to serve the area.
• No buses in Queen Street is bad for St Aldates says pedestrians association PEDESTRIANS have urged the council to rethink plans to permanently close Queen Street to traffic over fears of air pollution moving to other streets.
• Volkswagen to pay �11bn to settle Dieselgate claimsGerman car manufacturer Volkswagen is to spend up to $15 billion (£11.3bn) to settle consumer lawsuits in the US after it admitted cheating on emissions tests.

Bus and Coach.com

• Oxford Bus extends airline service to Birmingham
• Chalkwell scales back commuter services because of London traffic issues
• Contactless phone charging system launched by Reading
• Striking Lakeland livery for new 555 service
• FlixBus acquires megabus continental operations

Rail Technology Magazine

• rail franchises operators & contractsEast Anglia MP warns Brexit could lead to loss of franchise funding

road.cc

• Leeds-Bradford Cycle Superhighway open for cyclistsConcerns have been raised about some of the route's design features but the delivery authority hopes it will encourage more people out of their cars and onto bikes...

Other News Sources

• Ciaran Scannell proposes cultural hubs in HS2 tunnelsGraduate shows 2016: the UK's high-speed railway network could incorporate an underground swimming pool, museum and concert hall, suggests Royal College of Art graduate Ciaran Scannell.
• Cambridge University to subsidise new city bus serviceCambridge University will subsidise a new city bus service, connecting Madingley Road with Cambridge Station and Addenbrooke's.
• Major rail upgrade at Huntingdon is just the ticket A bottleneck on the East Coast Main Line near Huntingdon railway station is set to be removed as part of a multi-million pound upgrade scheme by Network Rail.
• train services being reduced in bid to be on time SOUTHERN is cutting services in a bid to reduce delays and cancellations.