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

Tuesday, 06 April 2010

BBC News

• Funding secured for Thornaby station footbridge A £1.3m project to replace an ageing footbridge at a Teesside rail station has been confirmed by council bosses.
• Lib Dems' rail plans 'muddled' [Today Programme - Audio]The Liberal Democrats plan to re-open thousands of miles of tracks that have been closed over the years. John Whitelegg, visiting Professor of Sustainable Transport at Liverpool John Moores University, analyses the pledge.
• Norman Baker on Liberal Democrat rail and road plans [video]Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Norman Baker explains the party plans to divert some road-building finds to rail.
• Pot holes in Northamptonshire may take longer to fill Pot holes in Northamptonshire will take up to six months to repair under plans to alter the road maintenance service.
• Toyota faces record $16m fine from US over pedal recall The US transport department is asking Toyota to pay a record fine of $16.4m (£10.7m) for holding back information about faulty accelerator pedals.
• A new seatbelt 'harness' could help pregnant women After a pregnant woman was prosecuted for failing to wear a seatbelt, inventor Stephen Weston's was inspired to try and find a solution.

Financial Times

• SNCF plan might derail freight initiativeThe introduction of a US cost-saving method in France looks doomed after the state-owned train operator said it wanted to stop serving customers with only small quantities of goods to move
• Tokyo bites the bullet on ShinkansenOnly now decades after the creation of Japan's high speed rail system are foreign buyers being targeted
• China on track to be world's biggest networkBeijing's staggering expansion plans for a high-speed rail network at a cost of as much as Rmb4,000bn has the country's airline sector looking on with trepidation
• Japanese rail chief hits at BeijingChairman of Central Japan Railway denounces China's growing high-speed rail industry for 'stealing' foreign technology and compromising safety

The Guardian

• East London line can only do so much The new line is billed as the regeneration railway, but delis and pilates classes won't really help those on low wages
• Tokyo to trial electric 'filling stations'First step in Californian firm's bid to build the world's first infrastructure networks for electric cars by next year The first public trial of a system that "refills" electric cars in minutes will be launched this month. The Californian company Better Place will test its automated battery-swap stations in Tokyo.
• Toyota facing $16m fineUS government rules company had failed to provide adequate notice regarding defective accelerator pedalsToyota was facing a $16m (£10.4m) fine last night after the US government ruled the company had failed to provide adequate notice regarding defective accelerator pedals.In a statement, US transportation secretary Ray LaHood confirmed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking $16.375m “ the maximum civil penalty.The NHTSA said documents obtained from Toyota showed the company had been aware of the accelerator problem since 29 September 2009, when it issued repair p...

The Herald

• Council™s ˜tram tax™ has raised £10m less than expectedA controversial œtram tax on builders in the Scottish capital has raised only around half the targeted amount placing more pressure on the troubled project™s spiralling bill.

The Telegraph

• Tory anger at rail minister's £5.4m bill for consultants The Department for Transport ran up a £5.4m bill for external consultants as part of an investigation into Britain's rolling stock companies that backfired on ministers.

Times Online

• Bulk carriers return to turbulent seasThe Baltic Dry Index plummeted 94 per cent over six heart-stopping months in 2008 and the world seemed irretrievably bleak for global shipping. The industry may have rebounded of late, but the message from analysts is clear: treat the recovery with caution.
• US Government set to fine Toyota $16m for hiding pedal defect$The US Government is seeking a record fine of $16 million ($£10.5 million) against Toyota, the troubled Japanese carmaker, for deliberately hiding a defect linked to a string of accidents involving runaway cars.

Daily Express

• Rolls-Royce should soar in air travel recoveryECONOMIES in the UK and Europe remain under pressure but on balance we believe that 2010 should see the global economy return to a more stable footing.

Belfast Telegraph

• Free wi-fi for Irish rail users Rail users can make use of free wi-fi internet access on selected Dublin to Cork services, Iarnrod Eireann has said.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford 'worst city in Britain for cycling' With just ten miles of car-free cycle routes and only six independent bike shops, Bradford has been rated Britain™s worst city for cycling.

Derby Telegraph

• Hope that planning deals could help to fund bypass DEVELOPERS could help pay for a bypass to ease traffic in Ripley and Codnor. Derbyshire County Council and Amber Valley Borough Council are working together to find firms to help fund the route as part of planning agreements. It could see the bypass built before 2019
• Lack of shop main setback in bus station launch week THE manager of Derby's new bus station has said its first week was a success, despite teething problems.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Traders' tram invite vetoedTRADERS in Leith say tram bosses have "vetoed" their bid to meet with a representative of the project's German contractor.

Liverpool Echo

• £160m of repairs still needed on Liverpool's streets after Big Freeze MORE than £160m of road repairs are outstanding on Liverpool roads.

Liverpool Post

• Plans to be submitted for crucial Thornton to Switch Island link road after 90% of people approve of the scheme FORMAL plans to build a new by-pass to divert motorists from traffic-clogged roads are due to be submitted later this month.
• Lib-Dems would deliver early electrification of Liverpool to Manchester line THE Liberal Democrats last night promised to reopen thousands of miles of railway track and stations across the country, in what they said would be the biggest expansion of the network since the Victorian era.

Manchester Evening News

• Transport leaders fight to ease train overcrowding The leaders of five major transport groups have joined Greater Manchester’s fight for extra train carriages.

Metro

• Nick Clegg showcases election buses despite rail funds promise Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg launched his election battle buses on Monday – the same day his party promised to divert £3billion of funding from roads to rail.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Newcastle Airport drop-off zone to be axed A FREE drop-off zone for passengers outside the entrance to Newcastle Airport is to be axed.

Northern Echo

• Labour of loaf for teamA £100,000 campaign has been launched to provide Britain™s first mainline steam locomotive built in 50 years with its own support coach.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Airport and train link bus axed A BUS service linking East Midlands Parkway and East Midlands Airport has been axed following a one-year trial.
• Fifth of firms lose business to poor transport, says Chamber study NEARLY 80% of Notts firms say they have been damaged by deficiencies in the transport network, ranging from lost hours to lost business. The finding was revealed by Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Chamber after a study into the key issues affecting local firms.

The York Press

• Pensioner row over York bus diversionElderly bus passengers will suffer due to bus diversions, a local councillor has claimed.
• York rail link could be boostedThe rail line from York to Leeds would be electrified under fresh plans by the Liberal Democrats.

Wales Online

• Cross-Wales bus service snubbed by long distance passengers A REVAMP of public transport for towns without train services has failed to persuade many more people to leave their cars at home.

Yorkshire Post

• Transport cuts 'threat to recovery' YORKSHIRE'S recovery from the recession is being put at risk by cuts to transport spending, business leaders have warned.
• City named best destination for bike facilities Bristol is Britain's best city for cycling, according to a poll. The West Country destination topped the poll in a survey by Cycling Plus magazine.

Other Regional Press

• Changes to the eligible age for a free bus passDacorum Borough Council is advising that the age at which female residents can receive their bus passes is changing.
• Council™s £100m pledge to repair potholes HAMPSHIRE council chiefs have announced a £100m seven-year plan to rebuild crumbling roads and prevent potholes.
• Injury sparks call to put first-aid kits on buses A PENSIONER has called for buses to be equipped with first-aid kits after she slipped over and cut her head open.
• Improvements planned to cope with increasing numbers of rail passengers RAILWAY stations need expanding to cope with greater passenger numbers, according to a report by Metro.
• Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman in motorcycle row: They should work with me MOTORCYCLISTS have rounded on Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman over comments he made about them.

Aviation Industry

• US Airways starts tarmac delay response earlyAt least two airlines are already sending flights back to the gate if they're caught in tarmac delays approaching three hours, the cut-off point for new fines that take effect on April 29.
• Airfares Rise 13% on Recovery in U.S. Summer Tourism, Travelocity.com SaysDelta Air Lines Inc. , American Airlines and other U.S. carriers are charging 13 percent more for the peak summer season as rising demand and fewer seats restore industry pricing power, Travelocity.com data show.
• JAL reportedly to cut up to 51 routesJapan Airlines will submit a reorganization plan by the end of June that includes cutting 47-51 routes, according to reports by multiple Japanese media outlets.

Other News Sources

• Ringwood-Bournemouth rail link is priority, say Lib Dems A MASSIVE rail expansion promised by the Liberal Democrats could include the creation of a new railway line between Bournemouth and Ringwood.
• US box forecast moderatesAMERICA™S containerised imports are expected to increase 10% in 1H10, according to the new Port Tracker survey released today.
• Teekay trio sold to siblingTEEKAY Tankers announced today that it will sell 7M shares to fund three ˜drop-down™ tanker purchases from parent Teekay Corp.
• Fears over major Norfolk road planFears have been raised that further delays to a major Norfolk transport plan could scupper the proposals and £90m of government cash - as an MP called for the scheme to be the subject of a public inquiry.