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

Wednesday, 28 October 2009

BBC News

• No bridge toll rise for 18 months The government has approved a £6m grant to help cover maintenance costs on the Humber Bridge - ensuring a toll freeze for at least 18 months.
• Conservatives oppose parking levy The Conservative shadow transport secretary has opposed a proposed workplace parking levy in Nottingham.
• Airport decision 'backwards step' The managing director of Glasgow Airport has told MSPs the decision to scrap the proposed airport rail link was a "backwards step".
• Action call over road casualties An MP is demanding action to tackle the number of people killed and seriously injured in road crashes in Powys.
• Rail link 'must include Scotland' Scotland's two largest cities must be included from the outset in a new UK high-speed rail link, the Scottish government has warned.

Financial Times

• JAL hopes to end reliance on bail-outsPotential partners eye Japan's flag carrier even as it awaits a Y550bn government restructuring plan that will be split more or less evenly between new equity and debt waivers
• Braemar maintains optimism in rough watersThe shipbroking and shipping services group has reported a £7.02m pre-tax profits for the six months to August 31 amid one of the most severe downturns in its history
• Ministers under pressure to electrify railRail passengers would see enormous benefits from further electrification,Iain Coucher, Network Rail's chief executive said before launching a fresh strategy

The Guardian

• Boris's Bus (A Political Journey) Pt 17: A Small Case Of Cost Creep?A further item of interest from that written answer to Valerie Shawcross's question to the mayor about the cost of some of his transport projects:

The Independent

• Plans revealed for new south London links Plans for a possible extension to a busy Tube line and a new bridge across the River Thames were outlined today by London Mayor Boris Johnson.

The Telegraph

• Do not cut transport spending, BCC urges The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has urged the Government not to cut infrastructure investment as it seeks to bring national debt down, describing transport and energy projects as the "lifeblood of British business".
• Trolleybuses set to return to Britain after 40 yearsTrolleybuses could return to Britain for the first time in nearly 40 years under new plans.

Times Online

• BA cabin crew face £5,000 pay cut if bonus replaces allowancesBritish Airways cabin crew could see their pay docked by up to £5,000 each as part of proposals put forward by the airline to cut costs. BA wants to cap the amount its 14,000 crew members can claim in allowances for working long-haul flights.
• BP fuels hopes of dividend rise as profits outstrip City forecastsBP is expected to raise its dividend as early as February, after the oil group delighted the City yesterday with unexpectedly strong profits of £3 billion.

Daily Express

• BA warned it could lose Heathrow slotsSHARES in British Airways hit turbulence yesterday after European regulators warned that the flag carrier could lose valuable take-off and landing rights at London Heathrow in return for approval of a tie-up with American Airlines and Iberia.

Birmingham Post

• Friends of the Earth calls for more local rail stations in BirminghamTransport bosses must improve local rail services if the region is to attract businesses and kick-start regeneration projects, campaigners have said.
• Birmingham rail commuters face weeks of disruption as Cross-City line is repairedRail passengers in Birmingham will have to endure weeks of disrupted services due to engineering works.

Journal Live

• Day trip shows off Teesside Airport StationA GROUP of trainspotters doubled the annual number of passengers at a “ghost station” on a historic railway line in the North East.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseytram – let’s have one last try, one last push WHISPER it quietly, but a 10-letter word which has been batted back and forth between Liverpool and London for longer than anyone cares to remember may not be disappearing without a fight. It’s a word which brings to mind nightmarish memories involving frustration, inactivity – and colossal expense.

London Evening Standard

• Extra trains 'worth £24bn to UK' IMPROVING London's Tube and rail network will create vital extra transport capacity and generate £24billion in wider economic benefits for Britain, research claims today.
• Motorists facing record fuel bills over ChristmasMotorists are facing record rises in petrol and diesel prices in the run-up to Christmas despite a price war between supermarket fillings stations

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• New track for cyclistsA DISUSED railway line which once took coal from pit to port has been given a new lease of life as a quick route across Newcastle for cyclists and pedestrians.

Nottingham Evening Post

• New £1.5m Nottingham canal link to open A NEW £1.5m link between the Nottingham Beeston Canal and the River Trent is to officially open next month. The scheme will create a "green" traffic-free route between the existing canal towpath and Victoria Embankment for cyclists, boaters, walkers and the disabled.
• Premiere to expand Nottingham bus timetables A BUS company is to start running extra evening and Sunday services between Mapperley, Lambley, Woodborough and Calverton and the Nottingham city centre.
• Calls for six 20mph zones in West Bridgford A TRANSPORT group has started a campaign to expand 20mph zones to six areas of West Bridgford.

This Is Local London Network

• High speed rail through Chilterns is "inescapable" THE company behind plans for a 225mph train line between London, Heathrow and Birmingham has sparked outrage by saying a route through the Chilterns is “inescapable”.

Blackpool Gazette

• Traffic could be banned from square A DRAMATIC U-turn could see buses and taxis banned from the revamped St John's Square “ just a week after they were allowed to return.

Carlisle News & Star

• Contractors start work on western Carlisle bypassConstruction work on Carlisle™s long-awaited western bypass finally began yesterday.

Sunderland Echo

• Nissan Micra production up 40%Nissan's Sunderland plant has seen production of the Micra rocket 40 per cent under the Government's car scrappage scheme.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Mayor emphasises importance of transport investmentContinued investment in the transport infrastructure of the capital is essential to the quality of life of residents and the reputation of the city, it has been suggested.London mayor Boris Johnson stated that billions of pounds are being spent on the network in order to deliver improvements and declared: "My commitment to the Tube upgrades and Crossrail is fundamental and unwaivering."He insisted that enhancements to the London Underground must be carried out alongside construction of the Crossrail service to secure London's place "at the summit of world cities&...

Railnews

• News: Wrexham & Shropshire claims Arriva’s ’predatory’ behaviour could drive it out of business Open access operator Wrexham & Shropshire is warning that Arriva’s plan to run through trains between Aberystwyth and London could mean the end of the line for services between London and Wrexham. In a sharply-worded letter to the ORR, WSMR has accused Arriva Trains Wales of ’predatory behaviour’.

Other News Sources

• PepsiCo launches electric train from Scotland Cereal brand Quaker has begun using electric train services to ship goods from its factory in Cupar, Scotland, to its depot in Lutterworth, Leicestershire.
• MP's anger at cuts to rail service THE government has refused to improve rail services to Torbay despite a plea by MP Adrian Sanders. Mr Sanders, who is campaigning for better train links to the Bay, said Government ministers revealed it is quicker to travel the 400 miles north of the border than the 200 to Torbay.
• Transport minister 'not ruling out' bridge toll campaigners' case THE Humber Bridge is "one of the biggest issues in my in-tray", transport minister Sadiq Khan said yesterday as he pledged the toll would not increase for 18 months.
• Leeds goes retro with trolleybus scheme Leeds is hoping to return to the era of the trolleybus with a proposal for a 14km network of the vehicles in the city.
• Self-driving technology on a rollA new EU-funded project envisions future vehicles having the ability to drive themselves in long convoys on motorways.
• MP Heald Angry At Minister's Response Over Network Rail's Plans For Hitchin Rail LinkTHE Government has refused to step into the growing row over Network Rail's plans to transport equipment for the Hitchin Rail Link along many of Letchworth GC roads.
• European Noise Exposure Map PublishedEEA publish map showing extent of noise pollution in Europe.
• Thalys aiming to go ticketlessGoal by end of the year read more

News from Europe

• German rail firm pays €1.1m fine over employee snooping Germany's national rail company has agreed to pay a €1.1 million for spying on its employees for more than a decade.
• Regions confirm €7bn framework TER contract FRANCE: A framework contract for the supply of up to 1 000 low-floor trainsets to operate regional services was signed in Paris on October 27 by SNCF President Guillaume Pepy and the President of Alstom Transport Philippe Mellier. Within the overall package, orders were confirmed for an initial build of 100 trains which will be delivered from 2013.
• Noise pollution besieges Europe's cities PARIS — Half of urban Europe endures noise pollution from road, rail and air traffic loud enough to disrupt sleep, impair learning and trigger hypertension at night, according to a report released. More than 41 million people in cities of at least 250,000 people from 19 countries that submitted road transport data to the European Environment Agency (EEA) deal with road racket averaging 55 decibels or higher -- the World Health Organization threshold for health impacts.