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

Wednesday, 29 March 2017

BBC News

• Stansted Airport: Three arrested after aircraft lock-inFlights were temporarily halted on Tuesday evening after protestors locked themselves in an aircraft.
• A6 upgrade: Environmentalist loses bid over 'Heaney' roadAn environmentalist loses a court case against the route of a major road scheme close to protected wetland.
• China's Tencent buys 5% stake in TeslaThe Chinese tech giant is spending $1.8bn on its stake in the electric carmaker.
• Ford to invest $1.2bn in Michigan plantsThe US car giant says the investment in three plants is part of a planned upgrade.

Department for Transport

• New route to provide better journeys in SomersetA358 upgrade to boost business and tourism in south-west.

Financial Times

• Japan gambles on Toyota’s hydrogen carAs rivals look to electric vehicles, the country’s leading carmaker is putting its faith in an alternative
• UK airlines warned on post-Brexit flight restrictionsGroups such as EasyJet and BMI could lose intra-EU routes, says European Commission
• HS2 under pressure to take �170m contract from CH2MRival Mace threatens legal action over links of new rail chief to engineering firm
• Mandelson joins port operator before expected IPOGlobal Ports appoints ex-EU commissioner and UK minister as it seeks London listing

The Guardian

• Cycle freight: why the bike is good for moving more than peopleBetter infrastructure for transporting people by bike is great. But cycle freight could free up roads and transform cities and towns too
• Stansted runway closed after anti-deportation protesters block flightEight activists attempt to stop charter flight scheduled to carry eight deportees to Nigeria and GhanaThe runway at Stansted was closed on Tuesday night after protesters ran out to prevent a plane carrying eight deportees from taking off.The campaign groups End Deportations, activists from Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants and Plane Stupid said 14 activists had locked themselves to a tripod to stop a “mass deportation charter flight” from the Essex airport to Nigeria and Ghana. Campaigners said that deportees on the flight included people who feared for their lives and had claimed asylum....

The Herald

• Major station redevelopment facing indefinite delays, warns rail bodyTHE body in charge of the UK's railways has said it cannot give a date for when the delayed redevelopment of one of Scotland's busiest stations will be completed.

The Telegraph

• Three held at Stansted Airport after deportation protesters lock themselves to plane

City AM

• Airline industry body IATA brands laptop ban ineffective and warns it will cause "commercial distortions"The laptop cabin ban brought in by the US and UK on some flights won't be effective as a security measure, the boss of industry body the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned.
• Transport for London (TfL) wants a partner to restore South Kensington Tube station and introduce step-free accessTransport for London (TfL) is on the hunt for a partner to help "sensitively restore" South Kensington Tube station.

Mail Online

• Does Uber owe the taxman hundreds of millions in VAT? Companies providing transport services are supposed to charge VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent on journeys. But Uber says it does not need to do this because it links passengers with drivers.
• London Stansted flight delays following activist demo The left-wing activists were trying to stop a flight taking up to 100 immigrants back to Nigeria and Ghana. The runway was closed at about 10pm, resulting in eight flights being diverted to other London airports.

The Mirror

• Banning laptops on planes 'ineffective security measure' says flight chief after stow ruling on gadgets bigger than phones The latest restrictions - on all electronic devices larger than a smartphone - apply to direct flights to Britain and the United States from certain airports in the Middle East and North Africa.

Bolton News

• New bypass could be the ‘first of many’ for borough TOWN hall chiefs are hoping that a new bypass for Westhoughton will be the first of many new road links across the borough.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Schools urged to be ‘Bike Friendly’
• MP calls for overhaul on car parking charges in town SHIPLEY MP Philip Davies has called for an overhaul of car parking charges in the town – including one hour’s free parking for visitors.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• A55 traffic queues for miles as 'ridiculous' Welsh Government carries out rush hour census Motorists were left furious as the census caused severe delays on the eastbound carriageway around the Britannia Bridge

London Evening Standard

• London Easter travel: Bank Holiday set for chaos as transport network grinds to a haltLondoners will face travel chaos over Easter as thousands of tourists descend on the capital amid Tube station closures, train cancellations and road works.
• Activists chain themselves to plane at Stansted airport in protest at deportation of failed asylum seekers from Nigeria and GhanaAn investigation has been launched after a dozen protesters evaded security at London Stansted airport to chain themselves to a plane on the runway.

Manchester Evening News

• Business leaders quiz mayoral hopefuls on The Hacienda days to better transport links The hustings, which took place at The Midland Hotel on Tuesday evening, saw six hopefuls debate the best way to support business.
• Manchester to San Francisco route takes off as Virgin Atlantic launch inaugural flight of new service Christening the new commuter trend as ‘Man-Fran’, experts say Manchester’s first flight to California will have a huge impact

Wales Online

• There will be no trains between Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street this weekend There will be works to replace track at Cardiff Central

Get West London

• Heathrow Airport and Sadiq Khan put aside expansion and unite to show #LondonisopenMillions of people will be welcomed by a new art piece at Heathrow Airport

Other Regional Press

• MP calls for innovative thinking and serious funding for Island LineMP ANDREW Turner has welcomed a government commitment to Island Line but has said a £3 million subsidy into the Isle of Wight service is unsustainable.
• M4 relief road plans have 'intentionally mislead' the public, inquiry told CALLS have been made for an investigation amid claims that the Welsh Government deliberately misled the public over the proposed M4 relief road around Newport.
• New ‘dragon’ will help fill potholes A MACHINE nicknamed the dragon because of its nozzle that blasts potholes with flames will soon be seen on Oxfordshire’s roads.
• Settlement reached in Oxford Bus Company dispute WORKERS at Oxford Bus Company have agreed a settlement in their long-running dispute over pay and Christmas working, the country’s largest union said today.
• VISION 2033: Thousands of homes and new �100m Thames bridge PLANS have been unveiled for 21,000 new homes to be built across South Oxfordshire by 2033 along with a package of major transport improvements.

Buying Business Travel

• Lufthansa Group and Cathay Pacific sign codeshare dealPassengers able to collect miles on codeshare flight segments
• American Airlines buys $200m stake in China SouthernUS carrier will own a 2.7% share in China’s largest state airline
• Virgin Atlantic braced for Brexit-linked lossesDrop in value of the pound cost the business �50 million

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• UK government ministers attend first maritime trade mission in ChinaA first of its kind, 27 of the UK’s leading maritime companies, including MJM Group and Survitec Group are expected to attend the forum which will include a UK maritime showcase. With the UK maritime industry directly supporting 500,000 jobs and contributing £22.2 billion to UK GDP the visit will be an opportunity for the UK government to strengthen maritime trade links between the UK and China and establish new partnerships between UK and Chinese companies. As the government’s champion for the maritime sector, Shipping and Ports Minister John Hayes will lead a number of ev...

Rail Technology Magazine

• HUBER+SUHNER to Demonstrate Latest Connectivity Solutions for Trains at Smart Rail Europe 2017 HUBER+SUHNER has announced it will showcase its latest connectivity solutions for trains at Smart Rail Europe 2017, taking place April in Amsterdam.
• Network Rail completes track replacement works at Waterloo UK Network Rail has completed key track replacement works at Waterloo as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan to help provide better services for passengers.
• Chela Launch Mixed Acid Iron Stain Remover for Rolling Stock Chela have announced a new product designed specifically for manually removing acidic iron stains from rolling stock.
• Conwy Valley Line set for mid-April reopening following Doris damage The Conwy Valley Line will reopen in mid-April following repairs that had to made after the line was damaged and subsequently closed following Storm Doris on 23 February. In an aerial assessment of the line, engineers found that a tree had fallen on the track and disturbed vegetation lineside on...
• MP apologises for failing to declare interest during HS2 debatesAn MP has apologised in the House of Commons for not declaring publicly that his house was set to be bought by HS2 Ltd when he opposed the high-speed rail project in a parliamentary debate. HS2 Ltd offered to buy properties that would be seriously affected by construction of the new line under...
• RMT writes to Liverpool mayor in attempt to end Merseyrail disputeThe RMT union has today penned a letter to the mayor of Liverpool asking to arrange an urgent meeting in a desperate attempt to get him to intervene and resolve its dispute with Merseyrail. The disagreement has been ongoing since the start of this year when RMT extended its dispute over...
• TransCityRail NorthOver 68% of attendees are Director level or above from organisations such as TfN, Network Rail, HS2, major contractors and the supply chain. Evening Dinner Agenda: Network with 650 key decision-makers responsible for procuring and delivering North

Railnews

• Liverpool Mayor intervenes over Merseyrail strike The RMT has revealed that the Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson contacted the union in a bid to resolve the dispute over driver-only operation on Merseyrail�s new fleet. He spoke to general secretary Mick Cash, and has since followed up this conversation with a letter in which he asks that the union cancels the strike it has called for 8 April, which is Grand National day. Strikes on Northern and Southern in DOO disputes have also been called on the same date. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said he now wants face to face talks with the Mayor as a matter of urgency.

Transport Network

• TfN working on strategic corridors for road and rail boostTransport for the North (TfN) is working to identify new strategic development corridors on the road and rail network as the basis for 'pan-Northern transport interventions'.
• New GTR pre-pay smartcard promises to be 'game-changer'Rail operator GTR, which operates Southern services as part of the biggest franchise in the country, is to extend its new prepay smartcard to nearly all the stations its trains serve, Transport Network has learned.
• Knowledge Hub marks 'new dawn' for local transport investmentA new Transport Knowledge Hub promises to equip Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), councils and others with the tools and expertise to make 'cost-effective and impactful' decisions on local transport.

Other News Sources

• Stephen Barclay MP takes train station disabled lady's fight to ParliamentMaria Stableford had her confidence knocked when she was told she wouldn't be able to board the train at her local station
• A6 go-ahead set to boost business nationwide, says FTANews that improvement work can now proceed for the A6 between Belfast and L’Derry is a welcome boost for businesses in the North West and ...