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

Tuesday, 10 August 2010

BBC News

• Contract signed for Swansea rail station Work is to begin on upgrading Swansea's railway station after the awarding of the first contract.
• Renovated Eleanor's Cross in Charing Cross unveiled A 145-year-old monument in Charing Cross, which was classed At Risk by the English Heritage, has been unveiled following renovation work.
• Transport police body camera clips to be used in court Video footage from digital cameras worn by British Transport Police (BTP) is to be used as court evidence for the first time in Scotland.
• County Durham 'first choice' for super trains Computer simulation of a new high speed train released by the Department for Transport About 1,000 jobs could be created in County Durham if Japanese firm Hitachi decides to build carriages for "super express" trains in the area.
• Stagecoach order for Falkirk firmTransport group Stagecoach says it has ordered about 340 new buses and coaches worth £50m, just weeks after reporting pre-tax losses.
• City's 'spider' road network planA linked up network of paths, cycle-ways and streets dubbed
• Heliport opens for 2012 OlympicsA new heliport facility has opened on Portland to support the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Chrysler cuts losses on sale riseUS carmaker Chrysler sees its losses narrow after higher sales, but says it still has work to do to turn itself around.
• Honda recalls 384,000 US vehiclesJapanese car maker Honda is recalling more than 384,000 vehicles in the US because of problems with the ignition.

The Guardian

• Construction industry expects government cuts to bite hard Morgan Sindall believes government will reveal cuts of 35-40% in construction spending in October
• Traffic police chief condemns speed camera budget cuts Mick Giannasi warns £38m reduction could lead to a rise in the number of fatal accidents on the roads
• Rebalancing the UK's transport policy [letter]Over-dependence on the City makes Britain unique in the western world. Other economies are more dispersed and less reliant on one capital. Much as I love London and recognise its importance to UK plc, there's a big country out there beyond the M25.

The Herald

• New bus orders at Alexander Dennis secure 900 jobsAlexander Dennis, the Scottish coach builder suffering tough times in the battered UK market for new buses, yesterday said the jobs of its 900 workers in Falkirk were safe after it won the œlion™s share of a £50m order from Stagecoach, the Perth-based transport giant.

The Independent

• Rail plan could be terminal for Merkel's coalition A €7bn scheme to rebuild Stuttgart station has turned deeply political, says Tony Paterson
• Better late than never - London's Tube gets air-con The London Underground, one of the world's most iconic subway systems, got its first air-conditioned train last week, over 40 years after its New York rival.

The Scotsman

• Dennis gears up on Stagecoach's £50m bus order TRANSPORT group Stagecoach yesterday provided a major boost to Scottish bus builder Alexander Dennis as part of a £50 million order for a fleet of new vehicles.

The Telegraph

• The setting of arbitrary speed limits brings them into disrepute Daily Telegraph readers share their views on speed limits, Parliament Square, alien invasion, the defence budget and email etiquette.
• Speed camera debate rekindled as Government re-examines casualty figures A study commissioned by the Department for Transport has uncovered a “lack of clarity” over the way in which the figures are compiled.

Press Association

• Restoration of railway station monument completed The restoration of a monument in central London, one of the railways' most historic landmarks, has been completed.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram chiefs' team-building bill attackedBOSSES at tram firm TIE have been accused of an "appalling" lack of judgement after spending thousands of pounds on a series of away days and team-building exercises.

London Evening Standard

• Tube staff throw the book at ’patronising’ transport boss Peter HendyTransport Commissioner Peter Hendy has started a row by joking that Tube ticket office staff are so underworked they have time to read books
• Big fare rises for rail commutersRail commuters face major fare increases next year, transport sources warned

Manchester Evening News

• Metrolink ’Big Bang’ moves ahead as contractors are named Manchester’s tram expansion is back on track – with contractors appointed for the last stage of the ’Big Bang’ extensions. Parts of the extension appeared under threat when the government announced it was slashing public spending. But Chancellor George Osborne confirmed the project would go ahead in its entirety, tripling the current network in size – with new lines to Oldham, Rochdale, south Manchester, Ashton under Lyne and Manchester airport.
• Bus passengers make 1,400 complaints about services in six months Bus passengers made more than 1,400 complaints about services in Greater Manchester in just six months “ a rate of over 50 a week. Figures show the bus was responsible for by far the most complaints by the region™s public transport passengers in the period January-July this year.

Metro

• Britain 'will oppose' new EU-wide taxBritish air travellers and bank customers could face a new European Union- wide tax, it emerged.

Newcastle Journal

• Bid to bring 800 rail jobs to the North East CIVIC bosses have backed a bid to bring train building back to the birthplace of the railways.

Wales Online

• Rail station aims to reopenA VILLAGE railway station could be reopened for the first time in more than 40 years. Trains last stopped in Bow Street, near Aberystwyth, in the 1960s, and a councillor has urged the community to support their reintroduction.
• Plans all set to get Swansea’s rail station on track WORKS to revamp Swansea’s railway station into a modern facility could be under way within weeks, according to officials.

Other Regional Press

• Metro welcomes eight millionth bus time text A PIONEERING mobile phone service has just notched up eight million texts.

Railnews

• News: Derby rail conference to be briefed on 'Value for Money' Advance bookings for this year’s Derby & Derbyshire Rail Forum conference are well ahead of expectations—following the early news that Sir Roy McNulty, who is heading the Government review of rail industry Value for Money, has agreed to be a principal speaker. Sir Roy’s participation in the conference on 4 November will follow the presentation of his report to the Secretary of State for Transport and the unveiling of the Government's pre-budget statement.
• News: Rail cuts 'threaten economy' Cuts in rail investment could damage the British economy, the government is being warned. Business leaders are increasingly concerned about the threats to such projects as electrification and the building of more rolling stock.

Aviation Industry

• New British Airways jumbo set for Stansted take offJust weeks after Stansted received Code F status to handle Boeing's new generation 747-8 aircraft, British Airways World Cargo has announced three of its new fleet will be based at London Stansted...
• Up, up and away at Stockton airportPassenger volumes at Stockton Metropolitan Airport in July shattered all records since Allegiant Air began its scheduled service in 2006, as nearly 7,700 travelers passed through the boarding gate, officials reported.

Other News Sources

• Top 4 things that will add value to your home1) Good transport links A new study by Nationwide Building Society has found that London properties situated close to an Underground or National Rail station can see their value jump by a frankly astonishing £20,000.
• Station named among safest on the railway Twyford train station has been named as one of the most secure just weeks after operators installed new CCTV cameras to combat vandalism and crime.
• Paisley Gilmour Street Station set for £9million roof revamp MILLIONS of pounds are to be spent on a massive facelift at Paisley’s main railway station.
• Buckshaw Village train station plans scaled down PLANS for a long-awaited railway station in a rapidly expanding Lancashire village have been scaled down with more than a third of park-and-ride spaces cut.
• 500 checked in East Lancs train stations sweepALMOST 500 train passengers were scanned for knives and drugs as Lancashire Constabulary and British Transport Police officers carried out checks on commuters at Blackburn, Accrington and Darwen train stations.
• UK van and truck registrations increase Sales of vans and trucks in the UK increased during July this year, new figures show.
• Drivers 'struggle to understand road signs' A significant proportion of drivers in the UK admit to not being able to understand all the signs they see on the road.