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

Friday, 20 August 2010

BBC News

• Derbyshire groups urged to apply for transport funding Community groups are being urged to apply for a share of £52,000 to help people without vehicles get about in Derbyshire.
• Residents quiz minister over high speed rail link route [video - Philip Hammond]High Speed 2 is destined to cut journey times between London and Birmingham to just 45 minutes. Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire is one of the communities that will be affected by the link.
• Penzance ferry plan feasible after pier consent granted Plans for a new ferry terminal linking Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly could be a step closer after planning consent was given to develop part of a harbour.
• Sharp drop in UK car productionUK car production fell by 8.9% in July compared with the same month last year, industry figures show, the first drop this year.
• Rail route compensation launchedThe compensation scheme for people affected by the proposed High Speed Rail link between London and Birmingham is launched.

Department for Transport

• Transport StatisticsThe Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics:

Financial Times

• Transport: Signal manoeuvre Oh, no: an accident ahead, or roadworks? Your car has just joined a motorway (or freeway or Autobahn) queue that stretches as far ahead as you can see. After half an hour crawling forward in a stop-start jam, suddenly you re-emerge into free-flowing traffic – with no sign of anything that could have caused the disruption.
• Minister steps into Network Rail dispute Philip Hammond, transport secretary, has intervened in the bitter row between Network Rail and the TSSA rail union, saying that he is taking allegations against some senior staff at the rail operator “with the utmost seriousness”. However, the TSSA is set to resist Mr Hammond’s calls in a letter for it to hand over to Network Rail its dossier of claims against the company.

The Guardian

• Bookmarked: Council leader's hopes for London to Cardiff high-speed rail line Council leader Rodney Berman expresses his concern for a continuation of talks for a high speed rail line to Wales
• Leeds goes Dutch as UK's first CyclePoint opens New facilities aim to encourage cycle use and a greener city - but will it really encourage more people to get on their bike?

The Herald

• Tilting train can™t tilt on east coast linePlans to introduce the first tilting trains between Edinburgh and London have been attacked as shambolic after it emerged they would not be able to tilt and could require a £100 million track upgrade.
• Former banking doyen steps up at StagecoachSir George Mathewson, the former head of Royal Bank of Scotland, is to become the new chairman of Stagecoach, it was announced at the opening of the transport giant™s annual meeting in Perth yesterday.

The Independent

• Heathrow attacks 'misleading' price comparison study London Heathrow has slammed a report from online price comparison site Kelkoo, which found that the British airport offered the worst tax-free prices in Europe.

The Scotsman

• Stagecoach revenues soar but it stays silent on rail fare increasesPERTH-based transport group Stagecoach cheered investors yesterday with a strong trading update unveiling across-the-board revenue increases as it stonewalled speculation that rail passengers face swingeing fare increases next January.

Reuters News

• UK transport pros favour upkeep over new capacity Britain should focus on maintaining its transport infrastructure instead of building new road capacity as spending cuts loom, according to the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).

The Mirror

• Car production fell by 9% in July Car production fell sharply last month after the government banger bonus reached the end of the road.

Belfast Telegraph

• Irish rail company Eireann looking to offload iconic intercity trains State railway company Iarnrod Eireann is to sell off dozens of trains left languishing in a railway 'graveyard' in Dublin.

Birmingham Post

• Scrap high speed rail to cut the deficit, voters urge George Osborne The Treasury has received hundreds of demands to scrap a planned high speed rail link between London and Birmingham, after it asked the public to suggest ways of saving money.

Bolton News

• Speed camera axe call to plug £1.6m deficit A BOLTON councillor has called for speed cameras across Greater Manchester to be scrapped”after discovering the partnership that runs them faces a £1.6 million blackhole next year.

Derby Telegraph

• Switch-off technology saves train fuel EAST Midlands Trains has launched a new fuel-saving initiative which will see the engines on its trains switched off when standing at stations.
• Response given to rail contract petition THE Government has finally given its response to a Derby Telegraph-backed petition which calls on Downing Street to reverse a decision to give a multi-billion-pound rail contract to a Japanese-led consortium. Last year, as part of its Change Track campaign, the paper launched a petition on Number 10's website calling on the Government to change its mind on a decision to name Agility Trains as preferred bidder for the £7.5 billion Intercity Express Programme (IEP).
• Shorterm help as train-maker wants 400 new workers for order overload IN a training room in the heart of Bombardier's sprawling Litchurch Lane site a group of new recruits are being given a riveting lecture.
• Teamwork by designers helps Bombardier secure £1bn order A GROUP of creative businesses in Derby have teamed up to help train manufacturer Bombardier secure a £1 billion order. David Gordon Ltd, which specialises in product design, called upon some of its creative neighbours in Friar Gate Studios, Ford Street, to work on the project to design new trains.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram chiefs make green power pledgeTRAM bosses have confirmed they are looking into securing energy from renewable sources to help power the project.

London Evening Standard

• Runaway train was 40 seconds from disaster on the TubeTube passengers were 40 seconds from a major disaster when a runaway train careered down a line
• Last bid to identify Tube and rail victimsStriking new images of 12 unidentified people killed after falling under Tube or overground trains in London published in a bid to end the suffering of their families and friends
• Man charged over crash at crossingA 38-year-old man has been charged with endangering safety on the railway after 21 people were hurt when a train hit a sewage tanker on a level crossing,

Manchester Evening News

• Tram services back in operation on Altrincham line Tram services between Altrincham and Old Trafford are have begun operating again this morning.
• Bolton MP Yasmin Qureshi banned from driving over mobile phone A new MP who went from law-maker to law-breaker days after getting elected was today banned from driving for six months. Yasmin Qureshi, the MP for Bolton South East, was spotted using a mobile phone while driving and when stopped by police was also found to have no car insurance, Bolton Magistrates' Court heard.
• Speed cameras could be switched off to save money Speed cameras across Greater Manchester may have to be switched off “ because there isn't enough money to keep them going. There is only cash to operate them for another eight months. Karen Delaney from Drive Safe “ the Greater Manchester Casualty Reduction Partnership which runs the roadside cameras “ said:

Sheffield Telegraph

• Fears for city's high-speed rail linkTHE South Yorkshire economy could suffer a "serious setback" if the region is missed out of government plans for a high speed rail link, business leaders and politicia

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• North-east transport boss urges action over potholed roadsNorth-east transport entrepreneur Sir Moir Lockhead bemoaned the state of Britain™s pot-holed roads yesterday as industry chiefs named their œpriorities for public spending.
• Flood fears hit bypass plan for Inverness HIGHLAND Council has been forced to rethink how the Inverness bypass will cross the Caledonian Canal because of the flood risk in the area of the proposed crossing.

Bucks Free Press

• Readers narrowly back Rye speed camera axe READERS have narrowly backed a move to switch off a speed camera on The London Road in High Wycombe.

Chester Standard

• TRUCE is called in city bus wars with companies pledging to work togetherA TRUCE has been called in a war between two rival bus companies over the right to serve more than 16,000 Chester residents.

Other Regional Press

• Leeds rail station trials cycle storage for free, in exchange for your viewsA new Cyclepoint at Leeds railway station is offering free secure cycle parking in return for customer feedback, during its trial phase.
• High Speed Rail link compensation hopeHomeowners affected by the proposed high speed rail link between London and Birmingham will be able to apply for compensation, it has been announced.

The Economist

• From him that hath shall be taken Railways are a form of middle-class benefit too
• From him that hath shall be taken Railways are a form of middle-class benefit too

Rail-News.com

• Road toll is good news for railwaysWeek day rail travel is increasing in Japan thanks to the decision to only allow road toll discounts at weekends. Last year discounts were available every day.
• Magnadata secures £24m UK rail ticket contractLincolnshire based Magnadata International, a division of Magnadata Group Ltd, has been awarded a five year contract by ATOC (Association of Train Operating Companies) to produce the iconic orange magnetic rail ticket and associated products for all the UK Train Operating Companies
• Transport professional’s poll backs spending for economic growthMembers of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, (CILT), believe that transport spending that supports economic growth or reduces congestion should be the key priority in the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review. 75% of participating members identified ’supporting economic growth’ as one of their top priorities where Government spending should be protected.

Other News Sources

• Call to maintain transport infrastructure spendingThe Government should give more priority to maintaining existing transport infrastructure than building new capacity, a survey of transport managers and experts revealed today.
• High Speed 2 rail link compensation scheme launchedA compensation scheme for householders affected by the planned High Speed 2 rail link has been launched today.
• Private ViewNew age of the trainBritain's rail network is a relic of a bygone era and lags behind its European counterparts, argues Jim Davies - we need to stop making do and instead let design take the strain
• Electronic signs to be tested on M6 JunctionNew electronic signs on the recently installed overhead gantries along the M6 between junctions 10A and 10 near Walsall will be tested during the last week of August. Although work will continue on the scheme, major construction works “ such as the gantry installation and construction of emergency refuge areas “ are expected to be [...]
• Telegrammed from ChapelLincolnshire is currently benefitting from some of the newest coaches to take to the country's roads, in the shape of the new Plaxton Elite-bodied Volvo B9Rs.
• Minimum FareA bus driver writes... I've been reading with interest your coverage of the likely train fare rises in January and I'm sure few will disagree that this seems the absolute worse time to increase them by almost 6%. I'd like to relate this to an experience I found myself witnessing on board the bus I drove today.
• Ryanair is the Aldi of the skies, says O'Leary Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has defended his strategy of introducing standing-room on flights and coin-operated toilets and has compared the budget airline to the equivalent of "Lidl" or "Aldi" supermarkets.
• Bids invited for £250m North Yorks highways dealNorth Yorkshire County Council is inviting contractors to bid for a 10 year £250 million highways maintenance contract.
• Rail 650: Villiers reforms leave empty feelingThe franchising system in the rail industry is rather like those cheap Chinese buffets that have become commonplace in places with little culinary tradition. It all looks rather good and tasty but once you tuck in, none of it is very satisfactory and what promised to be a feast turns out to be a rather inadequate lunch.
• How transport police are aiming to crack crime of our railways... British transport Police and Network Rail face a daily battle against adults and youngsters committing crimes such as placing objects on the line, throwing stones at trains and even playing chicken - standing in front of a train heading towards them at 125mph before jumping out of the way.
• Castleford interchange plan put 'on hold' AMBITIOUS plans to build a £14.5m state-of-the-art transport interchange in Castleford are "on hold" as the government looks at ways to save cash.
• High Speed 2 compensation scheme opens today HOMEOWNERS who could be affected by a planned high speed railway line through the Buckinghamshire countryside can apply for compensation from today.
• Network Rail ignores safety procedures and removes look out patrols in CumbriaBRITAIN'S BIGGEST rail union RMT has condemned Network Rail for ignoring normal safety practices by removing lookouts for patrolling in the Lancashire and Cumbria region and has advised members not to work if they feel it is unsafe.
• Air Transport Association Releases 2010 Economic ReportThe Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today released its 2010 Economic Report – “When America Flies, it Works.” The ATA...
• Pilots Committed to Highest Flight Communications StandardsThe Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA) brought the views of nearly 53,000 airline pilots to the FAA's Partnership for Safety Symposium, held this week in Washington, D.C., and made clear...

News from Europe

• “Super” speed camera to watch over Swiss roads Swiss motorists are bracing for the imminent arrival of the Trafistar SR590 - a new speed camera able to detect multiple traffic offences.
• Bombardier also wishes to build trams in Riga Canadian/French company Bombardier Transportation, one of the world's leading transportation and aerospace constructors, is also interested in manufacturing trams in Riga, according to the Latvijas Bizness newspaper.