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

Monday, 07 June 2010

BBC News

• Government ponders report on lowering drink-drive limit Ministers have played down a report that they may drastically reduce the drink-drive limit for motorists.
• New York countdown zebra crossings in London trial A trial of New York-style "countdown" traffic lights will begin in London in late June, BBC London has learned.
• Liverpool City Council considers 20mph zones proposal Residential roads in Liverpool could be made into 20mph (32km/h) zones under proposals before the council.
• Weymouth's £9m Olympic transport works under way Work on a £9m scheme to relieve traffic congestion in Weymouth ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games is due to get under way on Monday.
• Eight hospitalised as Glasgow to Oban train derails Eight people have been taken to hospital after a train derailed, leaving its two carriages "precariously balanced" over a 15-metre embankment.
• Bus services to be hit by strikeBus services in the Borders are set to be disrupted during the first of three one-day strikes over pay.
• Police team to tackle bike theftsA new 30-strong police team specifically intended to target the problem of bike theft in London is launched.
• Passengers hurt as train derailsEight people are taken to hospital after a train with about 60 passengers onboard derails and catches fire near Oban.

Financial Times

• Radical transport thinking sparks dispute Britain’s key transport policymakers are embroiled in a heated dispute over how best to allocate limited resources in a debate that will shape Britain’s future transport networks. The dispute is particularly intense over the priority that should be given to construction of a dedicated high-speed rail network, which scores relatively poorly on traditional measures of value for money.
• Planners' dilemma as vision vies with cautious calculation The Jubilee line extension to the London underground - taking it from Mayfair to the fledgling financial centre in Canary Wharf - was highly controversial in the 1990s because on paper it looked far worse value for money than other potential transport projects, including the proposed Crossrail east-west line.
• Airlines in uproar over fraud riddleSeveral airlines are considering legal action against the International Air Transport Association after it said they must pay for $15m swindled from a payments system by an employee in its Thailand branch

The Guardian

• Trainline and First Great Western billed me six times for the same tickets [Letter]Online booking website took payment six times. Then Trainline added another £50 in cancellation charges
• Tube maintenance staff vote for strike Union claims members back industrial action by a margin of nine to one
• Train left hanging over precipicePassengers clambered out of train as lead carriage hung over precipiceA train derailed and caught fire in Scotland last night, leaving its two carriages

The Herald

• Move to drive down road tax for rural dwellers would be good start The new coalition Government’s declared intention of investigating ways of alleviating the high cost of road fuel in remote areas is to be applauded and the sooner they find a solution the better.
• Tram chiefs in dispute over revealing final cost of projectOfficials in charge of Edinburgh™s crisis-hit tram project are locked in an internal feud over whether to come clean about how much it will eventually cost.
• Halting airport rail link costs taxpayer £40mThe controversial decision to scrap the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (Garl) has cost the taxpayer £40 million.

The Independent

• Train carrying 60 passengers derailsAn estimated two dozen passengers were hurt when a train came off the tracks between Glasgow and Oban.

The Scotsman

• Train derails and catches fireEight people have been taken to hospital after a passenger train derailed and caught fire in a remote part of Scotland.
• BA cabin crew strike into 20th dayBritish Airways cabin crew are undertaking their 20th day of strike action, with no sign of a breakthrough in their bitter dispute with the airline.

The Telegraph

• BA strike: union boss flies off on holiday to Cyprus - with easyJet Tony Woodley, the union leader whose British Airways strikes are disrupting the travel plans of thousands, has flown to Cyprus.
• Passengers in miracle escape after train derails in remote Scotland A passenger car was said to be hanging "precariously balanced" over a 50 foot embankment after a train derailment in a remote part of Scotland.

Times Online

• Rail boss: I’m worth every penny of my pay The boss of Britain’s railways, who is paid more than four times as much as the Prime Minister, has said that he would refuse to take a pay cut and that he is worth every penny of his £613,000 salary.
• Derailed train hangs precariously over embankmentA train was precariously balanced over an embankment after derailing and catching fire last night. The 60 passengers on the two-carriage service from Glasgow to Oban were removed with no reports of serious injuries.

Reuters News

• Hitachi shares hit by reports UK train deal in doubt Shares of Hitachi Ltd plunged 7 percent on Monday after reports that a 7.5 billion pound ($10.9 billion) UK train deal may be canceled as Britain's new government tries to cut down on spending.
• German Transport Minister opposes DFS privatisation German Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer said he opposed the privatisation of Germany's air traffic authority Deutsche Flugsicherung

Daily Express

• THIS U-TURN ON METRIC IS MILES BETTERMETRIC measurements of distance have been banned by the new Transport Secretary in official communications dealing with Britain’s road, rail and air network.

The Mirror

• Transport Secretary Philip Hammond gets limo to pick him up from home for the one mile journey to work Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is another minister to fly in the face of David Cameron's crackdown on using official cars.

Manchester Evening News

• Airport allotment where they plot how to keep birds away Green-fingered Manchester airport workers have been banned from growing fruit at their workplace allotments “ because of the danger of attracting birds and causing a plane crash. The new allotments “ just yards from one of Europe™s busiest airports “ have proved a huge hit with staff, with 100 signing up for plots.

Sheffield Star

• £300K Sheffield road safety projects go aheadROAD safety improvements costing a total of £300,000 are set to take place around areas of south Sheffield

Other Regional Press

• School bus takes children into the classroomChildren in Watford will arrive at the classroom the minute they step onto their school bus as a company launches a new educational initiative.
• Video: Guide dogs and handlers travel free on Aberdeen busesGUIDE dog pups and their handlers are to get free travel across Aberdeen to help the animals socialise.

Other News Sources

• New player enters race for rail line to Las Vegas LAS VEGAS — There's a new competitor in the race to create a high-speed rail line connecting Las Vegas and Southern California.
• Bus service for Gautrain passengers unveiled Commuters using the new Gautrain will have the added convenience of a linked bus service that will transport passengers from Gautrain stations to surrounding suburbs, the Bombela Concession Company said on Thursday.
• Hitachi shares hit by doubts over UK train deal Shares in Hitachi plummeted earlier today amid fears that the possible cancellation of £7.5 billion worth of train orders by the British government could trigger similar capitulation by other countries
• Almost 200,000 items left on public transport on Transport for London network Passengers handed in 200,000 items found across the Transport for London network to the Lost Property Office last year. The number of items handed in increased by almost 15,000 to around 200,000 on the previous year.
• AM Paul Davies pressures Welsh Assembly to improve Fishguard’s rail services AM Paul Davies is putting pressure on the Welsh Assembly to consider improving Fishguard’s rail services.
• Kent's Crossrail extension 'hits the buffers' KENT NEWS: Budget cuts at the Department for Transport could hamper the chances of the £16 billion Crossrail project being extended into Kent.
• Rail link offers training opportunities THOUSANDS of training positions will be created in Ilford after construction plans were approved for the new Redbridge Crossrail Tunnelling Academy. The £12million academy is jointly funded by Crossrail and the Skills Funding Agency and will be constructed at the Aldersbrook Sidings on the border of Newham and Redbridge, close to Ilford town centre.
• Train carriage promise set to be broken Extra train carriages to ease overcrowding on First Great Western rail services face the chop after ministers ordered an "urgent reappraisal".

News from Europe

• In seach of lumbar support SEATS: Recognising that passengers travelling on high speed trains are likely to remain in their seats for between 2 h and 4 h, Compin's research and development unit has looking at ways to improve comfort by developing seats with an adjustable lumbar support.