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

Friday, 21 November 2014

BBC News

• 'City deal' call to boost transportA "city deal" to boost transport investment in south Wales should be agreed by the UK government, the leader of Cardiff council has said.
• Bus stops 'block wheelchair access'More than one third of bus stops used by the UK's main coach operator cannot accommodate wheelchair users, despite its fleet being able to carry them.
• Rail electrification row settledA deal is struck to electrify railway lines in the south Wales valleys after a row between the UK and Welsh governments over who should pay.
• Crucial Network Rail data criticisedThe company running Britain's track, signals and train stations may be using flaky figures to plan its maintenance work, says a regulator.
• A44 safety work continues after major crash, says Edwina HartWork is continuing to improve safety on the A44 following the deaths of four people in a crash on the road in June, the transport minister has said.

Financial Times

• Icahn helps to choose new Hertz chiefFormer airline executive takes the wheel in the wake of restatements of three years of accounts
• Network Rail draws damning criticismRegulator faults infrastructure owner for failure to deliver train services and investment projects on time
• Gatwick hits back at runway criticsAirport chief responds to comments by easyJet and British Airways

The Guardian

• Expanding roads won’t solve transport problems, locally-led schemes willDespite the success of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, local and national governments are investing in more motorways instead of infrastructure for buses and green travel projects

The Herald

• Probe into boy's electric shock on railway lineREGULATORS are investigating whether a possible safety breach contributed to a 13-year-old boy suffering a severe electric shock at an Ayrshire railway line.

The Independent

• Network Rail slammed after dismal record on punctualityIn the wake of a dire set of performance figures, Network Rail’s chief executive, Mark Carne, has been warned by the industry’s top regulator that his organisation is failing passengers.
• If foreign state-owned companies can make enormous profits in the UK, why isn’t our Government competing? There can be no question that privatisation has brought much good to Britain – and in more than just financial terms. It seems strange to think that it was only a few decades ago that taxpayers owned a sizeable proportion of the country’s grandest hotels, its cross-Channel ferries and British Airways. Not to mention our dockyards and steel and car industries. The sale of these assets brought billions of pounds into the Exchequer and relieved Britain of the risks involved in playing the global capital game.

The Scotsman

• Network Rail told: improve rail track standardsENFORCEMENT action over the “declining standards” of Scotland’s rail tracks has been taken against Network Rail by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), it announced today.

The Telegraph

• Too many trains late this summer, says rail regulatorTrain services have got worse, with 45,000 more trains late than expected this summer
• Eurostar train breaks down in France with power failureEurostar passengers say the train broke down at Lille after suffering a broken cable leaving them in darkness, unable to open doors
• Driverless cars could be hacked by terrorists, warn transport expertsDriverless cars are likely to be on the road within 15 years, but they are vulnerable to hackers, transport experts have warned

Mail Online

• More than one in ten trains run late: Report finds passengers faced thousands of extra delays between April and October because of Network Rail's poor performance Poor performance by Network Rail is leading to thousands of extra cancellations and delays for millions of passengers as more than one in ten trains run late, rail watchdogs ruled today.
• The electric two-wheeler that's made from an ash tree The bike's German designers hoped to create an environmentally friendly way to travel, but with such a high price tag it is unlikely that commuters will ditch their cars any time soon.
• Chevrolet unveils 240mph concept car powered by LASER - and you can drive it for free (although only in the Gran Turismo 6 video game) Chevrolet say the car, unveiled at the LA Auto Show, is a glimpse of the future of racing cars - where lasers are used instead of combustion engines.

Birmingham Mail

• Breaking: M42 in 'gridlock' after smash between lorry and carMotorists facing hold-up of 30 minutes

London Evening Standard

• Gatwick boss claims Heathrow backing will be ignoredSir Howard Davies’s decision on airport expansion in the south-East is “whether you want a runway at Gatwick generating jobs, or just another report on Heathrow that will gather dust”, according to the finance boss of Britain’s second-biggest airport.
• London Underground network marks busiest day ever with more than 4.5 million passengers More than 4.5 million people travelled on the London Underground last Friday – marking it as the busiest day in the network's 151-year history.

Wales Online

• 'Too many people face too many delays': Rail regulators slam Network Rail over train cancellationsThe office of rail regulation said that there nearly 50,000 more delayed trains in England and Wales over six months than it had expected
• Tory AMs Antoinette Sandbach and William Graham at loggerheads over £1bn M4 relief road planAntoinette Sandbach questions the status of a report circulated by colleague William Graham
• Major urban transport policies in Wales set to benefit from the next round of EU fundsFinance Minister Jane Hutt cited the Metro project in South Wales and the A40 and A55 in North Wales as schemes that could benefit
• Cardiff Airport used by Welsh Government Ministers only five times out of 80 for trade missionsHeathrow, Birmingham and Manchester used instead
• South Wales rail electrification scheme finally gets the go-ahead with a £230 funding packageDavid Cameron confirms go-ahead for Valley Lines electrification after long-running dispute

Crewe Chronicle

• Crewe gridlock warning unless bridge is repairedCllr Dorothy Flude sought assurances the Manchester Bridge would be repaired before any work starts on the Sydney Road Bridge

East Anglian Daily Times

• Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary reveals acquition of Newmarket stablesRyanair boss Michael O’Leary has paid a visit to Suffolk to talk to local business leaders – and disclosed that he has bought a horse racing stables near Newmarket.

Other Regional Press

• Gatwick staff promise Wandsworth jobs and regeneration if allowed to expandAirport officials have been explaining why expansion at Gatwick will benefit Wandsworth.

Aviation Industry

• Gatwick warns of 'capacity crunch' after record resultsAirport records busiest six months in its history
• APA Summit: Airline CEO urges Africa to tackle market share decline Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said African governments’ collective failure to implement a single air transport market is damaging aviation growth on the continent.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail performance criticised by regulatorNetwork Rail has spent £40 million more than its own budget assumptions for the year to date, and forecasts an overspend of £112 million for 2014-15, according to the Office of Rail Regulation
• Passenger numbers rise at Stansted AirportThe number of passengers using Stansted Airport each year is growing at the fastest rate since February 2005 as over 19.4 million passed through the terminal in the 12 months ending October 2014 – an increase of 9.8 per cent over the previous year. Read more...
• Wheelchair user 'turned away' by taxi FIVE drivers at Brighton railway station DISABLED access to taxis at Brighton Railway Station has been criticised after a wheelchair user was turned away from five independent cabs.