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

Tuesday, 18 November 2014

BBC News

• 'Stop £11m M4 relief road'Spending on a controversial M4 relief road should be stopped because it will cost £11m over the next two years, Plaid Cymru says.
• Uber and Spotify launch partnershipPremium Spotify users will be able to listen to their music in some Uber cars, the companies announce.
• One million passenger rail goal setFirst Minister Alex Salmond says one million passengers a year could be using the Borders to Edinburgh railway within five years of it reopening.
• Study raises train noise concernsAn independent study concludes that freight trains on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine line are causing a noise nuisance to residents.

Department for Transport

• Rural charities win hundreds of new minibuses as new £25 million fund made availableTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced that hundreds of vital community groups from across the country will receive additional support. £25 million will be made available to provide hundreds of new minibuses to community transport operators in rural and isolated areas.
• Patrick McLoughlin sees transport improvement projects in Apperley Bridge and Garforth.Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin visited West Yorkshire today (17 November 2014) to see transport improvements that will benefit thousands of local residents in Leeds and Bradford.
• Massive investment in new carriages for Gatwick Express and Thameslink routes to transform journeys for millions.Plans for hundreds of new carriages on Gatwick Express and Thameslink routes have been welcomed by Rail Minister Claire Perry, following more than £300 million of investment by the rail industry.
• Government confirms step-free access funding for CrossrailAll of the stations on the Crossrail project will now be ‘step free’ thanks to £14 million of investment announced by Transport Minister Baroness Kramer today (18 November 2014).

Financial Times

• HS2 chairman threatens 2016 walkoutSir David Higgins fears next government may not back his vision
• Monarch’s ex-owner warns of hard timesFabio Mantegazza fears for former charter airline as it looks to take on easyJet and Ryanair

The Herald

• Signs at Border to warn of new drink-drive limitELECTRONIC road signs near the Border with England are to be used to alert motorists entering Scotland to the forthcoming change in the drink-drive limit.
• Noisy night-time trains found to breach health guidelinesNIGHT-time freight trains ­operating through the Central Belt have been found to be disrupting residents and breaching noise guidelines set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), according to a new report.
• Toyota unveils plans to sell hydrogen-power carThere will only be a few hundred and they will not be cheap, but Japanese car giant Toyota is about to take its first small step into the unproven market for emissions-free, hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Network Rail

• Check before you travel through Wimbledon in the New Year as £7m investment project tackles railway reliabilityThe Network Rail-South West Trains Alliance has announced a £7m upgrade to the railway through Wimbledon, improving reliability and punctuality for hundreds of thousands of passengers each day on one of the busiest parts of Britain’s rail network.

Birmingham Post

• Jaguar Land Rover accused of £240m raid on pension pot by UniteUnite says JLR is 'trying to attack people's pensions' and warned that thousands of workers could take industrial action in protest

Manchester Evening News

• Chinese firm in 'advanced negotiations' over Airport City moveThe talks come as a result of a delegation representing the project carrying out a roadshow in the Far East earlier this year

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• 'Black Monday' road misery which plagued Tyneside commuters could continue for several weeksRoadworks in Newcastle and Gateshead blamed snail-pace traffic on Monday morning are to remain in place over the coming weeks

Northern Echo

• Rail report calls for new trains, better stations and zoned fares THE North should be given new trains, better stations and a zoned fare system to address the North-South divide, a new report claims.
• The Polar Express will return to County Durham A COUNTY Durham railway station will become a portal to the North Pole this month, as The Polar Express rides return to Weardale.

Sheffield Star

• New delay for £60m Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train schemeSheffield’s £60m tram-train pilot project has been delayed again – with a revised timetable still to be agreed.

Yorkshire Post

• Online petition calls for dualling of routePeople are being urged to get behind a campaign to speed up York’s outer ring road and sign a petition that will be handed in at Downing Street.
• McLoughlin offers Yorkshire commuters hope on PacersYorkshire COMMUTERS have moved a step closer to seeing the back of much-criticised Pacer trains after the Transport Secretary promised he was working to remove them from major routes.

Burnley Express

• New station opens it doorsBurnley’s new £2.3m. Manchester Road railway station finally opened its doors to its first passengers this morning.

Plymouth Herald

• Moves to re-open old railway line near Plymouth a step closer COUNCIL chiefs examining the environmental impact of reinstating a disused railway line.

The Shields Gazette

• Campaign to make road safety lessons part of children’s schoolingA PETITION has been launched to see road safety made part of the secondary school curriculum.

Other Regional Press

• Group opposed to Heathrow expansion says report highlights 'formidable' problemsThe Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (HACAN) today sent its briefing of the Airports Commission's consultation report to MPs and local authorities.
• Final leg for bus chief after 13 years in the driving seat IT really is quite a journey that Oxford bus boss Philip Kirk has been on.
• Tories demand a re-think on bus station repair costsTories have called for a major re-think on the £24m Preston Bus Station project, just three weeks after it was agreed in a blaze of publicity.
• Lancaster cycling project gains national recognitionA cycling project pedalled to national recognition as the Lancaster Youth Challenge was awarded Gold in the Sportivate Awards.
• Hartlepool cyclists’ road to nowhere challengeBUILDING society staff are getting nowhere fast – all in the name of charity.
• Follow parade upgrade with station webcamThe multi-million pound Bedford bus station regeneration project is preparing to start work on improving neighbouring shops – and keen residents can keep an eye on the work via a live webcam.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Government invests in community transport schemesThe Department for Transport (DfT) has created a £25 million fund to help charitable organisations provide minibuses for isolated and rural areas. Announcing the fund, Transport Minister Patrick McLoughlin said he had seen the value of these programmes as an MP with a rural constituency. He claimed that the minibus services would “help keep rural communities alive and independent”. Bill Freeman, Chief Executive of the Community Transport Association, applauded the scheme and said it would be of particular help to smaller operators, who, “serving their im...

Global Rail News

• T8 tram starts trial operationT8 tramway – a light rail network under construction in northern Paris – is to begin operating a test service ahead of its full commissioning next month.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Eurostar unveils new Siemens-built e320 train High-speed rail service provider Eurostar has unveiled its e320 train, which is due to start commercial service at the end of 2015.
• S3 Passenger: Booking, Reservation and Revenue Management Software S3 Passenger is a modular software suite for orientation, reservation and multi-channel ticket distribution. The system handles multi-segment and multi-stopover passenger transport services, with or without reservation, including sales of additional …
• Erlau-Outdoor Furniture for Railway Platforms Erlau AG founded in 1828 in Aalen, is a leading manufacturer of outdoor furniture (open space equipment). Erlau is a subsidiary company of RUD Ketten Rieger & Dietz GmbH u. Co. KG, which produces top quality chain systems and components.
• Hitachi unveils Class 800 intercity train built for UK DfT Railway system supplier Hitachi has unveiled one of the three pre-series Class 800 intercity train sets being built for the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) of UK's Department for Transport (DfT).
• Transport think tank proposes underwater tunnel between UK and Ireland A Welsh transport think tank has recommended an underwater tunnel running from Holyhead, UK, to Dublin, Ireland.

Aviation Industry

• GBTA Berlin 2014: Round-upThree-day European conference featured sessions on mobile, managing traveller behaviour and data security
• Emirates unveils iPhone appApp features includes seat reservations, check-in and online booking

Other News Sources

• Cheshire East councillors to discuss how to make the most of HS2 COUNCILLORS will discuss how Crewe and Cheshire East can maximise the economic benefits of HS2.
• 30-point plan to end train misery Rail bosses have unveiled plans to improve services for millions of disgruntled customers.
• London City introduces ePassport gatesAutomated immigration lanes are unveiled at airport
• Amadeus launches Rail DisplayBooking tool with full SNCF content