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

Monday, 23 March 2009

BBC News

• End of the line for railway routeThousands of city commuters are having to change their way into work from Monday when the Farringdon to Moorgate branch line closes after 140 years.
• World's cheapest car goes on saleIndia's Tata Motors is due to launch the 100,000 rupees Nano car on Monday as it seeks to boost its own fortunes.

Department for Transport

• The Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics:* Bus and Light Rail Statistics: Q4 2008

The Guardian

• Dig for victoryHefty investment in transport, water and communications will help us out of the economic crisis
• There's a lot riding on Boris's busA Boris Johnson hallmark soundbite is that he'll make London safer, cleaner and greener. It doesn't refer only to transport issues, but if his polices in that realm fail to match up to his key pledge, then he'll have failed by his own measure in the department where he wields his greatest powers. The signs aren't looking good.
• Make cities greener, government told¢ Divert grey infrastructure cash to parks, say advisers ¢ Councils urged to invest in quality of life and buy landSwitching public spending from

The Telegraph

• New light dues distress shipping linesThe Government is embroiled in a second row with the British maritime industry after proposing that light dues, paid by ships to enter UK ports, should be increased by as much as 67pc.

Times Online

• Britain to have fastest train service in the world within 12 yearsTrain will travel between London and Birmingham in half an hour
• BAA could be made bankrupt if forced sell-off becomes fire sale BAA, the airports operator, could be pushed into bankruptcy or even be renationalised if its enforced disposal of Gatwick and Stansted becomes a fire sale.

Reuters News

• City-dwellers emit less CO2 than countryfolkLONDON (Reuters) - Major cities are getting a bad rap for the disproportionately high greenhouse gases they emit even though their per capita emissions are often a fraction of the national average, a new report said on Monday.

Mail Online

• Record-breaking 225mph trains to cut London to Birmingham journey to 30minsIt's hard to believe, but weary British commuters may soon experience the world's fastest rail travel, thanks to plans to run a record-breaking 225mph train service in the UK.

Transport Briefing

• Orient Express branch line and station close to trainsNetwork Rail has begun the formal process to close Folkestone Harbour station and the branch line from the main rail network.
• Cotswold rail dualling announced by transport ministerTransport minister Andrew Adonis has announced the start of work on the £50m project to redouble 20 miles of the Cotswold Line.
• Tees Valley public transport info service goes liveAn online information service providing details of all public transport services in the Tees Valley has been launched today (23 March).
• Edinburgh tram infrastructure work to start - updatedCivil engineering work to allow track laying along Edinburgh's main shopping street will begin this week after an eleventh hour agreement was reached between Transport Initiatives Edinburgh and the consortium contracted to build the new line.
• Haythornthwaite joins Network Rail as next chairmanNetwork Rail's next chairman starts work for the company today (23 March) as Rick Haythornthwaite takes up a non-executive director position before taking on the role of chairman in July this year.
• Thameslink rail transformation moves into next phaseThameslink Programme infrastructure work is to begin in earnest after the rail industry delivered Key Output 0 of the £3.5bn upgrade project over the weekend.

Birmingham Post

• Rail campaigners demand rail link to eco townCampaigners are calling on the Government to re-open rail links at the site of a proposed eco town in Warwickshire.

Derby Telegraph

• The cyclist is public enemy number one on city streetsDangerous and illegal cycling has topped the list of complaints from city centre residents.
• Free buses costing us £millionsDERBYSHIRE'S councils say they are millions of pounds out of pocket because they have been under-funded for running a free bus scheme.
• Time for Japan to lift its unfair ban on BombardierTHE head of an organisation representing rail companies across Europe has backed calls from the Evening Telegraph for Japan to lift trade barriers and allow companies like Bombardier to bid for contracts in the country.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Plug pulled on plans for electric car schemeA PIONEERING attempt to bring electric cars to the streets of the Capital has been scuppered by the city's tram project, one of its main backers said today.

London Evening Standard

• The mother of all rallies against bigger HeathrowNOVELISTS, film-makers and actresses are taking their children to Parliament to demonstrate against Heathrow expansion and coal-fired power stations.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Hoon dismisses bid to improve school bus safety A north-east grandfather™s campaign to improve school bus safety has suffered a major setback, it emerged last night.
• Airport price-cap plans droppedA watchdog has dropped proposals for price controls at Aberdeen Airport but wants better consultations on any future investment in the north-east gateway.
• Disabled air passengers to benefit from extra assistanceDISABLED air passengers using Aberdeen Airport will be able to benefit from extra assistance through a new service being launched next week.
• Deal reached over tram projectA resolution has been reached in the Edinburgh tram dispute that saw work on the £500million project temporarily halted, council chiefs said last night.

The York Press

• Bar cycle path idea abandoned TRANSPORT bosses have abandoned plans to lay a cycle path beneath York™s historic Walmgate Bar, after conservationists objected to the plans.

Wales Online

• Ieuan Wyn Jones wants high-speed trains in WalesNOW is the time to haul Wales out of the recession by investing in the communications infrastructure which will prove a foundation for future prosperity, Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones has declared.

International Herald Tribune

• Honda hybrid poses threat to costlier PriusIf the Insight™s introduction in Japan is any indication, Toyota Motor should be worried. The car went on sale here Feb. 6, and orders have soared, reaching 18,000 in the first three weeks ” topping Prius™s sales.

Washington Post

• Transit's Future? Trains and Transponders.Our nation faces a daunting challenge today: how to fund improvements to our transportation system and reduce congestion. While Fred Hiatt delved into the recommendations of the congressionally mandated National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission ["Breaking the Gridlock on Paying for Roads," op-ed, March 16], he overlooked a key source of congestion relief and infrastructure funding: freight rail.

Other News Sources

• American BRT expert to address UK conferenceDelegates at a conference in London next month will hear how bus rapid transit is transforming cities and communities around the world for the better.
• Labour urged to axe £170 flight taxTravel chiefs are demanding a Government U-turn on plans for a huge hike in air passenger duty which will add up to £170 to the cost of some long-haul flights.
• Bid to save Victorian train station may be at the end of the lineTHE two-year battle by hundreds of residents to save Victorian-built Crouch Hill Station House and adjoining ticket office from developers looked close to defeat this week.
• France's SNCF hopes to run high speed rail in USMERRILLVILLE, Indiana (AFP) — The United States is ready for a truly high-speed rail system and France's national railway SNCF would be "very interested" in operating a network, a senior executive said Thursday.
• Manchester Airports extends Norbert contractManchester Airport Group has extended its contract with Norbert Dentressengle.
• France's SNCF hopes to run high speed rail in USMERRILLVILLE, Indiana (AFP) — The United States is ready for a truly high-speed rail system and France's national railway SNCF would be "very interested" in operating a network, a senior executive said Thursday.
• Hottest electric cars soon to hit the roadsAmerica's roads could get a whole lot quieter in the not-too-distant future. Thanks to unprecedented tax incentives included in Obama's $787 billion stimulus package, plug-in electric vehicles are getting closer to the road than you might expect. Tax credits ranging from $2,500 to $7,500 for buyers of electric cars, the largest of which start in 2010, mean the race is on for automakers to produce moderately priced plug-ins for eager, eco-conscious consumers.
• Bombardier chairman apologises for late delivery of trainsBombardier Transportation’s UK chairman Colin Walton has apologised for the delayed delivery of new rolling stock to First Capital Connect which has seen several London commuter operators assist FCC in developing contingency plans.

Other Subscription Services

• K Line phases in larger car carriers as trade patterns changeUS DEMAND for secondhand construction equipment is helping to offset the slump in transatlantic car shipments that has hit the deepsea vehicle trades.