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

Tuesday, 24 August 2010

BBC News

• Two-thirds of Scots drive to work Most Scots still drive to work, with two-thirds using a car or van to get to their destination, new figures show.
• Bombardier jobs event attracts 1,200 people Derby-based train maker Bombardier has said about 1,200 people attended its jobs fair at Pride Park.
• Forth Road Bridge cables to be excavated A report has recommended excavations of the Forth Road Bridge's main cable anchorages to check their strength.
• Major disruption to Nottingham's tram network Problems with control room equipment are causing major disruption on Nottingham's tram network.
• London Underground Tube strike dates to be decided Union bosses are due to meet later to decide the timetable for strikes on the London Underground network.
• Fears growing over car pollutionThere are growing concerns that air pollution from cars is damaging health in Wales.
• Disabled man films train refusalA train company apologises after a disabled passenger filmed one of the inspectors refusing to help him board one of the carriages.

Financial Times

• James Fisher sees upturn in shipping industryJames Fisher believes tide has turned for the shipping industry as its tanker division returns to profit
• India backs down on foreign pilots bar End-of-July deadline for removing 400 overseas pilots extended as airlines increase capacity amid intensifying competition and robust demand for air travel
• Norfolk Southern in 100-year issueRailway operator sells $250m in bonds, more than twice the minimum announced, with a yield of just 5.95% by reopening an existing century bond that it sold in 2005

The Guardian

• Jerusalem rail firm planning to segregate carriages along gender lines Pressure from city's ultra-orthodox Jews has already led to some bus lines confining women to the rear of vehicles

The Herald

• Bus route used by 10 people which costs £50,000 a year A bus service that costs nearly £100 in Government subsidy for every passenger is believed to be Britain’s most expensive public service.
• Forth Road Bridge owner still cautious over hopes of a clean bill of health The owner of the Forth Road Bridge has sought to dampen expectations that it will be given a clean bill of health within the next two years, despite evidence that anti-corrosion measures are working effectively.

The Independent

• Morning misery for Tube travellers Tube travellers endured Monday morning misery today after signal failures caused the part suspension of two lines and delays to two others.

The Scotsman

• More commuters drive to work despite millions spent on public transport SCOTTISH ministers were criticised yesterday for failing to cut the number of people driving to work despite spending millions of pounds boosting public transport.

The Telegraph

• Coalition ready to put brake on workplace parking charges Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, is planning new rules which would make it harder for councils to impose a new stealth tax on motorists and businesses without full consultation.

Press Association

• Road deaths down to record low The number of people killed on Scotland's roads last year fell to the lowest level since records began, a new survey has revealed.

Network Rail

• WORK TO START SOON ON NEW STATION

Derby Telegraph

• F1 boffin predicts bright future for LED headlamp technologyA FORMER Formula One electronics boffin from Derbyshire is hoping that an eco-friendly car headlight he is developing will propel his business into the fast lane.
• Open day sees 1,200 turn up to fill just 300 temporary jobs MORE than 1,200 jobseekers queued to find out more about just 300 positions at trainmaker Bombardier. And 390 unemployed people attended the firm's open day, held at Pride Park stadium, within the first 30 minutes.

Liverpool Echo

• Liverpool bus drivers charged up to £11,000 for idling engines CITY bus drivers who left their engines running while stationary were fined up to £11,000 last year as part of a tough new environmental crackdown.

London Evening Standard

• Transport minister rejects move to halve drink-drive limit Ministers are set to reject an official report calling for the drink drive limit to be halved, the Evening Standard has learned. Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is expected to rule that it would be too damaging to rural pubs despite evidence that tougher laws would save hundreds of lives.

Metro

• Tube travellers suffer morning miseryTube travellers endured Monday morning misery today after signal failures caused the part suspension of two lines and delays to two others.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Free family cycling course in PetersfieldFamilies can learn how to cycle safely together with a new free course.

The York Press

• More in North Yorkshire want speed cameras than anywhere else in the country RESIDENTS in North Yorkshire are more supportive of speed cameras than anywhere else in the country, a new survey has shown.

Other Regional Press

• Signalling the future of the railways AT FIRST sight it looks like just another of the business units that have sprung up around Didcot in recent years.
• Cabbies driven to despair THEY spend their lives ferrying passengers around Oxford™s congested roads and now cabbies have revealed their top three traffic blackspots in the city.
• Help name Weymouth Relief Road roundabouts DORSET residents are invited to have their say on the names of four new roundabouts on the Wey-mouth Relief Road.
• Concern over Weymouth's 'danger corner' A MAN who says he was hit by a bus has backed calls for action to tackle a ˜dangerous™ corner in Weymouth.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Workplace Parking Levy: you'd be mad not to consider it23 August: The Daily Telegraph has discovered that local councils across the UK are considering workplace parking levies. With so little money around, they'd be mad not to. read more

Other News Sources

• 'Bendy-buses' put to the test on Plymouth's roads THE much-debated "bendy-bus" is being tested on the streets of Plymouth by Citybus. The firm says it will test the bus on two routes in the city to determine whether it could become a permanent fixture.
• Report: Major changes needed to transport financingIf the transport sector is to cope with the rapid growth in motor vehicle traffic and the related environmental and health issues then major changes are needed to how transport is financed.
• Tube passengers miss out on £2.5m refundsTube passengers missed out on £2.5m worth of compensation for delayed London Underground trains in July, researchers claim.
• Eurostar Appoints Chief Financial Officer - James CheesewrightEurostar, the high-speed passenger rail service which links the UK with the continent, has appointed James Cheesewright as Chief Financial Officer.
• Eagle owl greens pest control at East Midland airports An eagle owl named Elliot will take off above East Midland airports in an environmentally-friendly bid to keep the skies free of other birds.
• Birmingham Airport: July Passenger FiguresDuring July, Birmingham Airport handled 928,283 travellers through its two terminals, including 664,311 scheduled passengers and 263,972 charter passengers. Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport's...
• Public sector suppliers at risk Travel companies have been warned not to rely on public sector work to keep their businesses profitable. A study by accountancy firm Wilkins Kennedy has found that the number of government suppliers going bust has increased by nearly 50%.

News from Europe

• Tram order announced as Spårväg City launchedSWEDEN: Trams returned to central Stockholm with ceremonies to launch Spårväg City on August 21, and free rides were provided before the start of revenue service two days later. The Spårväg City project has seen the 3·2 km Djurgårdsstaden heritage tram line modernised, rebranded as Line 7 and extended a short distance west to Sergels Torg from the previous terminus at Norrmalmstorg.
• Deutsche Bahn opens Chinese agency Rail operator Deutsche Bahn has started selling tickets at Bizhub International Travel Agency in Beijing.