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

Friday, 14 November 2014

BBC News

• New Forest authority loses £1.6m cycle fundingMore than £1.5m in funding meant for improving cycling in the New Forest will be handed back to the government.
• 'We need an underwater train to Ireland,' says think tankAn underwater tunnel linking Wales to Ireland should be seriously considered, a transport think tank has said.
• Netherlands glow-in-the dark cycle path unveiledThe world's first glow-in-the-dark cycle path has been unveiled in the Netherlands.
• New UK Great Western Main line trains unveiled in JapanThe high-speed train which will be used on the Great Western Main Line through the Thames Valley has been unveiled in Japan.
• New tram line plans for BirminghamThree tram lines could be built in Birmingham, alongside high-speed bus routes, under a £4bn new transport plan.
• VIDEO: Eurostar unveils new 200mph trainA new 200mph train is unveiled at St Pancras for Eurostar's Channel Tunnel high-speed service.
• On your bike (half way down the page)Design student Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez is also interested in the possibilities of audio-tactile loudness illusions - but in a very different way.

Financial Times

• Branson makes £70m as Virgin Money floatsUK Treasury is also one of the biggest beneficiaries from £1.25bn London listing
• Eurostar’s high-speed stock unveiledNew trains can reach 320kph but are unlikely to cut journey times
• UPS plans bundled deliveries to cut costsParcel company to combat increased demand by combining orders from multiple retailers
• Virgin America gets IPO off the groundShares priced above the midpoint of its range to raise $307m and value the airline near $1bn

The Guardian

• Eurostar unveils new Channel Tunnel train - videoThe first of seven new 200mph state-of-the-art trains is unveiled in London on Thursday by Eurostar. Built by German firm Siemens, the e320 train is capable of carrying 900 passengers and will go into service at the end of 2015. Eurostar hopes the new trains can help it counter any future competition. Germany's Deutsche Bahn has planned a rival channel-tunnel service from Frankfurt to London via Brussels Continue reading...

The Herald

• Euro fares for match travelFOOTBALL fans will be able to pay their bus fares in foreign currency for the first time today as drivers accept euros.

The Telegraph

• Eurostar unveils new 200mph Channel Tunnel trainEurostar launch the German-built high-speed e320 train at St Pancras station in London before it goes into service at the end of 2015
• Do your Christmas shopping now, Transport Secretary warnsAmid fears of a shortage of lorry drivers to fulfil deliveries, Patrick McLoughlin says shoppers should buy their presents quickly

Daily Record

• John Curtis: Technology is the key to a better transport systemTransport is dead. Blindly moving people and things from point A to point B is as archaic a model as T-Rex was of animals with longevity.

Mail Online

• Booming economy leads to congestion and slower traffic: Motorway traffic levels reach all-time high as number of 'white van man' miles soars  Motorway traffic levels have reached an all-time high as the rise of ‘White Van Man’ delivering goods and services continues apace, according to the official Government figures.

The Mirror

• Fast track to Europe: Eurostar invests £55million on new 200mph trains New services, that will carry up to 900 passengers to be launched at the end of 2015, will mean a journey time of four hours to Amsterdam and six-and-a-half to Marseille

Birmingham Post

• Congestion charging for Birmingham on the table says Sir Albert BoreCity council chief refuses to rule out parking taxes and controversial charging scheme in a bid to alleviate traffic problems in Birmingham and boost public transport usage
• Perry Barr flood gridlock 'cannot be allowed to happen again'Birmingham highway bosses have been told to set up pre-planned diversions to avoid a repeat of A34 gridlock which brought commuters to a standstill after underpass was blocked

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Two-deck trains are the futureYOU might recall that previously I argued there wasn’t a case for High Speed Two, the proposed new rail link bringing the over-developed south closer to the north. I’m still not convinced that saving twenty minutes here and there on major rail journeys is of serious economic value, and the amount of carbon produced in its construction and use is unacceptable.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• LOOK: Chirk Aqueduct spruced up for winter as part of £80,000 clean-up projectCanal & River Trust workers clear canal structure of unwelcome weeds.

Liverpool Echo

• Call for train companies to install more ticket machines at Liverpool Lime St as commuters miss trainsCommuters are calling on train companies to install more ticket machines at Liverpool Lime St after huge queues have left people unable to catch their trains. Wirral South MP Alison McGovern is supporting a bid to get more machines at the busy station, after getting caught in rush hour queues on her way to London this week.

London Evening Standard

• Thousands of London commuters face travel cost price hike from next year Thousands of tube and bus passengers travelling into central London face a major hike in fares next year, the Standard can reveal.
• Eurostar launches new 200mph trains which will slash London-Paris journey times Eurostar marked its 20th anniversary today by unveiling the first of its new fleet of 200mph trains that will slash journey times from London to Paris.
• Horse-drawn hearse to travel through central London in road safety protest A horse-drawn hearse will travel through central London this weekend in protest at the numbers of cyclist and pedestrian deaths in the capital.
• It’s brum brum for motorcycle heaven If you want to see, touch or sit on  the latest motorcycles, try riding one for the first time, watch some amazing off-road antics or see all the latest gear, it’s time to get up to Birmingham.

Newcastle Journal

• Hitachi Rail Europe unveils Intercity Express Programme trainsThree pre-series trains will be shipped to the UK from Japan for testing in the first half of next year

Sheffield Telegraph

• Pioneering tram-train plan hit by design delayA start on tram-trains running between Sheffield and Rotherham has been delayed.

Burnley Express

• Tour of Britain coming to Pendle and the Ribble ValleyA stage of the 2015 Tour of Britain cycling race is set to start in the Ribble Valley and finish in Pendle.

Other Regional Press

• Transport Secretary warns: 'Get your shopping done' after fears of Christmas delivery delays due to shortage of lorry drivers A government minister has issued a stark warning to any culprits of last minute Christmas shopping: get it done now or risk delays to delivery.
• Northern Rail train drivers to strike for two days in November The drivers voted

Aviation Industry

• Strike set to affect Italy flightsAirlines cancel some services ahead of 24-hour general strike
• GBTA Berlin: Primary airports 'begging' Ryanair to use them Ryanair chief O'Leary talks low-cost long-haul, GDSs and the mobile revolution
• GBTA unveils Berlin CharterNew charter aimed to strengthen relationships between airlines and buyers

Other News Sources

• UPDATE: rail delays all day due to track failures in Winchester RAIL passengers face severe delays today between Winchester and Basingstoke following failed works on the line.
• Eurostar increases order for new trainsOperator holds preview of first e320 train in London