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

Friday, 08 May 2009

BBC News

• Anger over rail axe announcement [video]A railway campaigner has criticised a decision to cut a small number of services in the south-east of England following the introduction of new high-speed trains.
• UK 'lags on child road safety' Britain is still
• Recession 'hitting lorry numbers'Figures due out later are expected to show a dramatic fall in the number of heavy goods vehicles on the UK's roads.
• UK car sales 24% lower in AprilUK car sales fell by 24% in April compared with the same month last year, the latest industry figures show.

Financial Times

• Union weighs into row over East CoastRMT calls for urgent nationalisation of the line operated by National Express, saying it would be 'political suicide' for ministers to bow to its attempts to escape payment
• National Express given little sympathyMaking concessions in the dispute over the troubled operator's rail franchise could put at risk the UK government's ability to collect payments due from Stagecoach and FirstGroup

The Guardian

• Is Britain's best-known rail line no longer able to make a profit?The impact of the recession on one of Britain's most prestigious rail routes is deepening, National Express admitted yesterday, as the public transport group indicated that passenger numbers on its London-to-Edinburgh franchise are falling.
• Corporate welfare for car companies must stop nowNo 'green new deal', Peter Mandelson's bailout plan for the auto industry is just a retread of old-fashioned nationalisation
• Off track and off messageWhy is public cash being used to bail out Indian-owned Jaguar while our railways buckle from underfunding?When I was a child, I loved Jaguar cars and railways. Today I remain fond of railways and Jaguars, and yet what had once seemed the certainties of a world in which Jaguars were rakish, curvaceous cars made for selfish pleasure by a private firm in Coventry chaired by Sir William Lyons, and railways were a public service run in the national interest by a state-owned board from the ­terracotta Edwardian towers of 222 Marylebone Road, have been turned upside down, and inside...
• Cyclists killed in UK up by 11%The number of cyclists killed and seriously injured on Britain's roads rose by 11% between 2004 and 2007 despite no significant increase in cycling, a report by the National Audit Office has disclosed.It says despite an overall fall in the number of road deaths, the UK is behind other advanced industrial nations in terms of the number of cyclists and pedestrians who are injured and killed on the roads.The report says that after falling throughout the 1990s the number of cyclists seriously injured or killed increased by 11% from 2004 to 2007. In 2007 alone 646 pedestrians and 136 cyclists were ...

The Herald

• Fears capital’s tram project could ’run off the rails’A major component of Edinburgh's £512m trams scheme is running nine months behind schedule, prompting claims that the cost of Scotland's biggest transport infrastructure project could "run off the rails".
• Fears capital’s tram project could ’run off the rails’A major component of Edinburgh’s £512m trams scheme is running nine months behind schedule, prompting claims that the cost of Scotland’s biggest transport infrastructure project could “run off the rails”.

The Independent

• David Howarth MP : Trains are so unreliableCommuting by train is a fantastically variable experience. You can go weeks and weeks where everything goes well; then, suddenly, you can have a string of nightmare journeys. When it snowed a few months back I had one journey that took five hours.
• Stephen Joseph: We are still waiting for cheap public transportAfter the rhetoric, the reality. Labour came to power promising real change in transport, with improved and upgraded buses and trains, and less traffic and road building. But in reality, road traffic and short-distance flying continued to grow, until the recession – and now we see why.
• Britain driven on to roads by falling cost of motoring Labour's efforts to slash carbon emissions are being undermined by the simple but remarkable fact that the cost of motoring has fallen while the cost of public transport has risen since the party came to power. Official figures, seen by The Independent, show that the cost of motoring has fallen by 13 per cent in real terms since 1997, while bus and coach fares have increased by 17 per cent above inflation. Rail fares have risen by 7 per cent extra above inflation.

The Scotsman

• UK 'behind on child road safety'Britain is still some way behind other countries in child pedestrian safety, a Government spending watchdog has said.

The Telegraph

• Assessment scheme targets young driversVoluntary appraisals are aimed at improving the safety of the high-risk 17- to 24-year-old group.

Press Association

• Railcard increase sparks fresh rowA fresh row over "rip off" rail fares has erupted after it was disclosed that the cost of a Network Railcard is to increase by 25%.

Reuters News

• EU freezes airline take-off slot rulesAirlines hit by the economic slowdown will gain new flexibility in how they use take-off and landing slots after the European Union assembly agreed on Thursday to loosen "use-or-lose rules".

Mail Online

• Network Rail accused of 'daylight robbery' over inflation-busting railcard price hikesA new row has broken out over 'rip off' rail fares in Britain after Network Rail announced 25 per cent price hikes on railcards and fares.
• Why road safety is 'made worse by speed cameras'

The Mirror

• Latest: UK 'behind on child road safety'Britain is still some way behind other countries in child pedestrian safety, a Government spending watchdog has said.

Network Rail

• NEW CROSSING FOR FRINTON AS PART OF £104M RAIL UPGRADE
• A NEW CROWN FOR KING'S CROSS

Transport Briefing

• King's Cross roof upgrade contract scooped by KierKier Construction has been awarded a £27m contract by Network Rail to renew the large barrel-vaulted glazed roof at King's Cross Station.
• Blackpool tram jobs go to Bombardier, BAM and VolkerBlackpool's historic tram line is to be brought up to modern light rail standards following decisions on three contracts for a £100m upgrade of the system.

Belfast Telegraph

• Firms to get free flights in bid to win business British Airways and UK Trade & Investment are to offer small and medium sized businesses in Northern Ireland free flights to help them win business abroad.

Birmingham Post

• Government paves way for runway extension at Birmingham AirportPlans to extend the runway of Birmingham Airport to accommodate long-haul flights have received a resounding approval from the Government.
• Coventry Airport put up for saleCoventry Airport has been put up for sale by its shareholders and directors.
• Network of street power points needed for electric cars - ToriesEnergy companies could be given Government incentives to encourage them to install power points on street corners to fuel the electric car revolution, the Conservatives have said.

Bristol Live

• EasyJet won't axe flights from Bristol despite profit lossesBudget airline easyJet says it has no plans to axe further flights from Bristol International Airport despite posting losses of almost £130 million in six months.

London Evening Standard

• 'Dick Turpin' rail operators increase cost of railcard by 25%The cost of a network railcard, which offers families cheap tickets in the South East, is to rise by 25 per cent. It heads a list of other price rises affecting old people, students and the armed forces. The increase will add £5 to the annual £20 ticket, which gives up to four adults a third off tickets, and 60 per cent off the fare for up to four children.
• National Express may tear up East Coast rail deal in crunchNational Express signed up to run the King's Cross rail company two years ago in an aggressive outbidding of rival firms, in which it pledged to pay the Treasury £1.4 billion of profits over the seven years of its franchise.

Newcastle Journal

• Sea 'snake' generates electricity with every waveA flexible water-filled rubber tube that generates electricity from ocean waves, could be producing cheap, clean energy within five years

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Commuter bus services to be cutNorth-east commuters may have to find alternative routes around Aberdeen after it emerged several city bus services will be changed later this year.

The York Press

• Union leaders fear York rail job cuts UNION leaders fear more job cuts are on the way at York-based National Express East Coast (NXEC) after bosses revealed the full impact of the recession on passenger numbers.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Rail investments that will last for 200 yearsSince 1994, total passenger traffic between London and Paris has more than doubled, with 75 per cent of all travellers now using the tunnel instead of flying. Shorter journey times have created a Eurostar Generation of 300,00 French citizens working in London. Belgians now take day trips from Brussels to London, because the journey time is the same as York-London.

Blackpool Gazette

• Breakthrough in £100m tram projectONE of the world's leading engineering companies has been chosen to build Blackpool's fleet of 16 supertrams.

Bucks Free Press

• New Wycombe to Oxford rail link "would take 38 minutes" CHILTERN Railways has set up a website giving more information on plans to re-open the High Wycombe to Oxford route.

Carlisle News & Star

• ˜We™ll give under-19s cheaper bus travel™, says Lib Dem election manifestoThe Liberal Democrats are promising cheap bus travel for youngsters in their manifesto for the Cumbria County Council elections on June 4.

Sunderland Echo

• Escalator will soon be on the up and upTransport chiefs have apologised over the broken-down escalator at Sunderland's rail station and promised their £7million redevelopment is still on track.

Railnews

• Actors help rail staff cut toll of violenceFIRST TransPennine Ex-press and Northern Rail have embarked on conflict avoidance courses using dramatic role-play by professional actors to help protect their staff.
• Refreshed – but Super Voyagers still face West Coast strugglesHUNDREDS of early-afternoon passengers packed the concourse at London Euston on Tuesday 21 April, delayed by signalling failure on the West Coast main line’s recently upgraded Trent Valley route.
• News: £34 billion shopping list as project marathon starts Network Rail is about to embark on one of the biggest and most challenging investment programmes ever seen on the UK railway. Railnews writers David Ewart and Paul Whiting report on some of the huge projects to be tackled by the company over the next five years.
• News: Rail staff are impressive – but some stations are dire, says minister RAIL staff have great suggestions for improving the railway system, says rail minister Lord Adonis.
• News: Freight trains could move on to HS1 by next year CONTINENTAL-sized freight trains could be sharing the tracks of the London to Channel Tunnel HS1 route with high- speed passenger trains from early next year.
• News: Fight goes on as figures show kids at root of most rail crime BTP deputy chief constable Andy Trotter has pledged that the force will continue to work closely with Network Rail to stop youngsters trespassing and causing vandalism on the rail network.
• News: Sound’s down for £600m tramway A NEW piling rig using a technique that cuts the amount of noise disturbance has signalled the start of major construction work on Greater Manchester’s Metrolink expansion.
• News: Waverley revamp proposal has public’s approval A £130 MILLION scheme to completely overhaul Edinburgh’s Waverley station to make it lighter and brighter has been submitted to the city council’s planning department by Network Rail.

Other News Sources

• HSR emissions studiedHigh-speed rail lobby group Greengauge 21 has published research that, the organisation claims, “shows that high-speed rail has a central role to play in reducing carbon emissions from the transport sector”.
• Borders bus company loses out through EU directiveA JEDBURGH bus company is set to shed at least four of its drivers after losing out in a bidding war to a rival based outside the region, writes Andrew Keddie.
• New-look Brighouse bus station set to openTHE new Brighouse bus station will be fully operational from Sunday. Metro's £2.38 million development provides passengers with better waiting areas and improved security.
• Bus service proving popular at East Midlands AirportEast Midlands Airport has reported that its Skylink bus service has become increasingly popular with travellers in the past year, helping the hub to reduce its carbon footprint
• Oxfords's bus gate fines are ruled illegalDRIVERS have been unlawfully fined for going through Oxford High Street’s ’bus gate’, transport officials have ruled.
• D-day for city's bid for train plant jobsA BID to bring 500 hi-tech engineering jobs to Sheffield faces a crucial test today when senior executives from Hitachi visit a potential site for a new high-speed train plant in the city.
• Dewsbury train station security changesDEWSBURY train station's security guard has been replaced by a two-man 'rapid response team' covering a wider area.
• Compulsory purchase order for new West Lothian train stationWest Lothian Council is to pursue a compulsory purchase order to secure a new train station. The order will be for land for a station at Blackridge on the Bathgate to Airdrie line.
• Minister to open stationTHE official opening of Laurencekirk railway station will take place on Monday, May 18, when Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson alights from a special train from Aberdeen, to perform an opening ceremony.
• Rail link would boost Halifax [letter]Reconnecting Skipton to Colne would give access by rail from Halifax to West Craven and via Skipton to all the stations on the Leeds-Morecambe, Settle-Carlisle and the Aire Valley lines.
• Rail service pledge not honouredRAIL services are still being disrupted by engineering works despite a promise to keep lines open at weekends, Seaford's MP has claimed. Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrats' shadow transport secretary, said figures on the number of rail replacement buses showed there had been 'no progress' in the work to lines, including those which run through Lewes and into Seaford
• MSP challenges rail bosses to try out 'crush hour'AIL bosses have accepted a challenge to see first-hand what West Fife commuters put up with in the “crush hour” between Dunfermline and Edinburgh. Senior directors from First Scotrail and Network Rail accepted the invitation from Dunfermline East MSP Helen Eadie to gauge for themselves the quality of the service and will make a train journey between Edinburgh and Dunfermline in June.
• Rail passengers told no Sunday driversEAST Midlands Trains passengers are being told not to bother turning up to stations on Sunday – there will be "virtually no train drivers".
• Action call over railway landmarkHIGH Peak planning chiefs have demanded action over the deteriorating state of a prominent Buxton landmark.
• Royal Mail to trial 'safest truck on UK roads'Billed as possibly 'the safest truck on UK roads', a unique artic unveiled by Royal Mail will be trialled over the next 12 months to see which of the 44 pieces of additional safety-related equipment fitted to it could be specified as standard to the postal company's fleet trucks of the future.
• Carmakers hope scrapping works as sales fallNew car sales tumbled again last month, leaving carmakers hoping that the £2,000 car scrapping scheme is a success
• Thales lands airport contractThales UK has signed a contract to provide Cat III 420 Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) for Manchester Airport.
• BA Backs Business In Ticket GiveawayBritish Airways has announced the launch of a multi-million pound package of measures to help British SMEs beat the recession and regain their rightful altitude
• South east identifies M4, A34 and A2/A282/M2 corridors as priorities for investmentIncreased capacity on three major transport corridors and a replacement Dartford Crossing was today idenitified as critical to supporting housing growth in the south east, in a major revision to the South East Plan.
• Concrete Tyne Tunnel segments take shape Work was well underway this week on the four 90m long immersed tube tunnel segments for the new Tyne crossing.
• Tube MD faces money worriesLondon Underground™s next managing director faces huge financial pressures, outgoing incumbent Tim O™Toole warned last week.
• COSCO Corp's profits tumbleCOSCO Corp said today a customer in Europe has reduced its order for four Supramax bulkers at its Zhoushan facility to three ships, as the shipbuilder also reeled from a huge profits fall, according to Reuters.

News from Europe

• New EU directive for truck and bus driversIf you are a professional bus or truck driver you will now have to undertake a day’s training per year under a new Driver CPC EU Directive.
• New EU directive for truck and bus driversIf you are a professional bus or truck driver you will now have to undertake a day’s training per year under a new Driver CPC EU Directive.