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

Wednesday, 04 August 2010

BBC News

• How the art of enticing UK holidaymakers has changed Staycations - or holidaying in the UK - are rising. But in the first half of the 20th Century few would have gone anywhere else. And many would have travelled by train to a resort. These posters from the National Railway Museum hark back to that era.
• Wiltshire and Swindon speed camera unit to close The unit in charge of speed cameras in Wiltshire and Swindon is to close, with the loss of 40 jobs.
• Cuts 'could affect council gritting supplies' A council is warning that government spending cuts could mean less money to ensure roads are gritted in the winter.
• Veil video prompts Canada airline probe Canada's Minister of Transportation has ordered an investigation after a recent video showed two veiled women boarding a flight without showing security their faces.
• Harlow Town station revamp unveiled on 50th anniversary A £3m refurbishment has been unveiled at an Essex railway station on its 50th anniversary.
• Tram extension plans approvedPlans to extend Greater Manchester's tram network have been given the go-ahead.
• 'Case not made' for 7% fare risesThe London Assembly calls on TfL to justify Tube and bus fare rises which could be more than 7% in 2011.
• Strong demand drives BMW profitsCarmaker BMW sees a surge in profits, citing a recovery in global markets, demand from China and strong sales of new models.
• Ailing Mexicana airline bankruptMexico's biggest airline, Mexicana, files for bankruptcy after failing to reach a deal on cutting costs with trade unions.

The Telegraph

• Right turn ban on Olympic VIP lanes Traffic flows will have to be reconfigured on capital's major routes to make sure that competitors, officials and media get to events on time.
• Cycle hire scheme is a capital idea London's Cycle hire scheme: Anna Tyzack gets in the saddle to try out TFL’s latest transport initiative .

Mail Online

• Airline security probe after veiled women board Heathrow-bound flight without showing their facesA video captured a man boarding a flight with four women, two with face veils. The man hands their passports, and the veiled women are allowed to board, without showing their faces.

Liverpool Echo

• Northern Line rail delays should be Liverpool’s last for several years FRUSTRATED commuters are being assured that the current work on the Northern Line is likely to be the last major train track upheaval in Liverpool for at least two years.
• Peel pledges £18m for public transport as Wirral Waters goes to planners PUBLIC transport surrounding Wirral Waters would be boosted by £18m from Peel if the ambitious scheme is given the green light by planners tonight.

Liverpool Post

• Coach firm Selwyns Travel buys seven new coaches CHESHIRE-BASED coach operator Selwyns Travel has bought seven new vehicles that it will operate for National Express.

London Evening Standard

• Tube upgrade ’is a priority’ but fares could soar by 7%Commuters face steep rises in fares as Transport Secretary Philip Hammond fights to protect funding for the Tube upgrade, sources have warned

Newcastle Journal

• North-east Hitachi train factory plan backed A NORTH-EAST train factory for Hitachi could be the Japanese technology giant’s “springboard” for winning further contracts throughout Europe.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Highland village council enlists Facebook in roads battleA Highland village council has turned to the worldwide web for support in a local roads campaign.

The York Press

• Warning over future of bus services in York LOCAL bus services in York could be in jeopardy if Government plans on fuel duty are carried through, a councillor has warned.

Wales Online

• Government ’can afford to wait’ over Wales’ electric railway decision WALES is the only country in the economically developed world which has no electrified railway lines. This is not through want of trying, however.

Other Regional Press

• Cable thieves disrupt Oxford-London rail link TRAIN services between Oxford, Didcot and London are suffering delays of 30 to 60 minutes this afternoon due to the theft of signal cables near Reading.
• Lift scheme aims to cut county road congestion MOTORISTS are being asked to open their car doors to fellow commuters with a new lift-sharing scheme aimed at cutting the congestion on Oxfordshire™s roads.

Rail-News.com

• Funding agreed for Gillingham Station upgradePassengers in Gillingham will benefit from easier access to the railway and better facilities after funding was agreed for a significant upgrade of the station.
• New report shows local transport spending outside London could be decimated in spending reviewThe report shows that if transport takes a disproportionate hit, and if areas of the transport budget continue to enjoy high levels of protection (such as London and national rail) then unprotected areas of transport spend (like local transport outside London) could be decimated.

Green Miscellany

• Cargo bicycles and trikes join London Freewheel A large procession of Christiania cargo bikes and trikes will join over 50,000 other cyclists on Sunday 5th September on traffic-free central London streets as part of the Freewheel event. read more

Other News Sources

• National ExcessThe UK's largest scheduled coach operator has made modifications to its luggage policy, which sees an airline-style excess charge applied to oversized and overweight items. With very little publicity, this has become live only recently.
• Start on Farringdon ticket hall heralds next stage of Thameslink programmeWORK is about to begin on a new ticket hall at the railway station which will act as a hub for Thameslink passengers wanting to access Crossrail and the London Underground.
• Queues are long, so why are ticket machines idle?As pressure grows on the railway to tighten its belt, train operators will seek to reduce staff numbers at stations, including those in ticket offices. Train operators will claim that their customers can instead purchase tickets at ever more sophisticated and user-friendly ticket vending machines or TVMs. These machines have colour, touch-screen displays and can accept payment by cash or by credit or debit card. The problem is, as new research shows, that many passengers simply don’t like using them.
• Volo and First Great Western on track with first on-train TV entertainment system UK firm Volo TV is on track to deliver its ground breaking on-train TV entertainment system across First Great Western’s entire high speed fleet.
• China Plans Huge Buses That Can DRIVE OVER Cars (PHOTOS) China has overtaken the United States as the world's biggest producer of greenhouse gases and biggest energy consumer. But the country is also thinking in big and bold ways when it comes to how it will reduce pollution and a new plan to build a "straddling bus" is among the most space-age schemes yet.
• Bombardier wins Italian train contract In one of its hardest won battles, Bombardier (BBD.B-T4.57-0.09-1.93%) has beat France’s mighty Alstom SA for the right to supply €1.5-billion ($2.03-billion) of high-speed trains to Italy.
• Refurb for Broxbourne station footbridge and toilets IMPROVEMENTS planned at Broxbourne station are due to begin by next April.
• Wi-Fi Coverage on UK Trains ExpandsPublic transport Wi-Fi vendor, Icomera has announced that UK's National Express East Anglia (NXEA) has awarded the company a multi-year contract to install and maintain Internet connectivity on train services between London and the East of England by the end of 2010.
• Humber Bridge toll could rise to £3 by April – but bikers get good news Plans to increase the Humber Bridge tolls have been set in motion. Following yesterday's bridge board meeting in Hessle, board chairman David Gemmell admitted higher tolls could be in place by next April.
• Scrapping of the Western Congestion ChargeProposed Scheme to scrap the congestion charge of Western London covering ares such as Kensington and Chelsea.................