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

Friday, 10 September 2010

BBC News

• London Tube trains sent on rush hour collision course A Tube train was sent into the path of another train during Wednesday morning's rush hour, it has emerged.
• Cambridge railway station plans submitted Plans have been submitted for a new island platform, footbridge and lifts at Cambridge railway station.
• Devon's winter gritting network 'improved and extended' Gritting on primary and secondary routes in Devon will be improved this winter, the county council has said.
• Fresh hopes for A1 road upgrade north of Newcastle An announcement on plans to upgrade the A1 is expected "imminently", according to the Liberal Democrat MP for Berwick.
• Transport plan for Games unveiledOrganisers of the 2014 Commonwealth Games unveil plans to keep athletes, spectators and staff moving during the event.
• Bmibaby luggage gauges too smallBudget airline Bmibaby has been charging customers to put bags in the hold when they are small enough for the cabin, the BBC learns.

Department for Transport

• THINK! Safety messages hit the roadA joint venture between the Government's THINK! campaign and one of the country's largest lorry fleets is taking safety messages to the roads.
• Transport StatisticsThe Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics:

The Guardian

• Obama urged to back 60mpg targetEnvironmental campaigners focus on more modest goals as hopes of US climate legislation dwindle ahead of expected Republican gainsAmerica's environmental groups have given up on getting climate change legislation through Congress at a time of Republican ascendancy, and have downsized to a series of more modest goals like fuel economy.In a sign of that strategy reshift, 20 environmental groups launched a new campaign yesterday to press Barack Obama to propose far more ambitious fuel efficiency and pollution standards for cars of 60mpg by 2025.Meanwhile, Clean Energy Works, a coalition of 80 gr...
• UK climate watchdog warns against raising renewables targets Committee on Climate Change urges the coalition to focus on existing targets rather than raising them
• The surprisingly complex truth about planes and climate change A new study suggests that planes cause more warming than cars, while ships are cooling enough to counteract them both
• Forget ecotowns, we need smarter cities [letter]Use of terms like smart cities to describe technological fixes for urban areas only shows the narrowness of UK thinking on cities and sustainability
• Edinburgh Airport drop-off fee to be debated at Holyrood Members of the public are being invited to a debate in the Scottish Parliament tomorrow evening on the Edinburgh Airport drop-off charge.

The Independent

• £4m of fake goods seized at HeathrowAlmost £4m of counterfeit goods were seized at Heathrow Airport in the last three months, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) said yesterday.

The Scotsman

• Haymarket railway station to have makeover to cope with extra passengers EDINBURGH'S Haymarket train station is to undergo a multi-million-pound revamp, creating a hub for the city's train and tram network, and increasing efficiency between Scotland's two biggest cities.

The Telegraph

• More wind turbines needed to meet climate change target The planning system must allow more wind farms or Britain will fail to meet key climate change targets, Government advisers have warned.
• Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary denies man-made climate change Controversial airline chief denies the existence of man-made climate change, striking a sour note with environmental campaigners.

Mail Online

• Faulty signal sends Tube train on rush-hour collision courseA Tube train was sent into the path of another train during yesterday morning's rush hour in a major safety scare, it emerged today.

Network Rail

• INVESTING TO BUILD BRITAIN™S ECONOMY

Liverpool Post

• Network Rail demands £500,000 to keep popular Liverpool cycle route open NETWORK Rail bosses are demanding up to £500,000 from charities and the council to keep a popular city walking and cycling route open.

London Evening Standard

• Stratford needs Eurostar, warns boss of Olympic mallThe boss of the huge shopping centre project by the Olympic Park reignited fears today that Stratford International station will become a white elephant.

Sheffield Star

• Fury after police are called in rail bridge rowTHE long-running battle over Sheffield station bridge came to a head when managers were forced to call in police to help them deal with residents who insisted on their "ri
• Potholes cash blow THE budget for repairing potholes and crumbling roads in Sheffield is heading for a triple whammy of funding cuts, The Star can reveal.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Speed cameras 'hypocrisy' claimPORTSMOUTH City Council's Conservative transport spokesman has accused council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson of speed camera hypocrisy.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Plea for 60mph limit at Brodiach to be cut A councillor has called for the speed limit on a stretch of rural road to be slashed following complaints from local residents.
• Kintore train station could cost nearly £19millionBUILDING a new train station in Aberdeenshire could cost nearly £19million, according to transport bosses.

The York Press

• MP fails in motorway lighting appeal THE Government has rejected a bid by East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight to keep motorway lighting switched on in the early hours.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Cycling network clocks up 407 million journeysThe National Cycling Network carried 407 million cycling and walking journeys last year, its co-ordinators said today.

Blackpool Gazette

• Railway suicide focusPOSTERS will be appearing at train stations around the North West in a bid to tackle the problem of male suicides.

Other Regional Press

• Airport passenger numbers fall PASSENGER numbers were down one per cent at Southampton Airport last month compared to August 2009.
• Traffic group on US video Warrington road safety campaigners are featured in a new video being filmed by a New York group.

The Economist

• A giant awakens Europe’s biggest engineering firm used to be known for two things: making everything but a profit; and scandal. Now things look very different

Wall Street Journal

• Talk, But No Chance, Of Single-Pilot Airline Flights From different corners of the aviation world, there’s been chatter recently about the possibility of single-pilot airline flights.

Railnews

• News: Action taken to correct 'wobble' on High Speed trains The Hitachi-built fleet of High Speed trains running from St Pancras International to various destinations in Kent is being modified after passengers complained that the Class 395 units were 'wobbling' at speed.

Railway Gazette

• DB Schenker Rail to spend €410m on fleet EUROPE: Freight operator DB Schenker Rail expects to spend €410m on fleet modernisation throughout Europe this year, DB Mobility Logistics board memb er Dr Karl-Friedrich Rausch said on September 2. 'This is a record amount which we plan to invest at exactly those points where there is increasing customer demand for our transport services and where modern equipment is required', he said. The focus will be on wagons for coal, steel. chemicals and automotive traffic. Around €190m will be spent purchasing 1 472 new wagons and repairing existing vehicles, and €167m on 71 locomotives. The r...

Transport for London

• Mayor hails half a million journeys on Barclays Cycle Hire schemeAround 18,500 journeys a day are now being made on London's iconic blue bikes.

Green Miscellany

• Digital 'third eye' helps drivers spot cyclists Technology designed to help drivers look out for cyclsits on the road are not new, but up until now most systems have been avialable only as an optional extra on new cars. The Mobileye C2-270 uses a dashboard-mounted camera that is as easy to install as a satnav to predict and warn of potential collisions.read more

Other News Sources

• Norwegian union says “no” to Ryanair flightsA Norwegian ITF affiliate has pledged not to use Ryanair for work- or union-related travel in a bid to force the airline to respect its employees’ right to organise.
• Are Londoners getting on their bikes? 10 September 2010 How successful are new initiatives like the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme and the Cycle Superhighways so far?  The London Assembly Transport Committee is conducting an early progress check to assess the initial impact of the new cycling schemes, looking at how any problems are being addressed and the potential for expansion and extension. womancycling.jpg Yes
• VIDEO - Loss of Pegasus buses causing 'gridlock' PARENTS and commuters have been facing frustration as children travel to and from school without Pegasus buses for the first time in almost five years.
• Estonian Air agrees in principle on Bombardier acquisitionEstonian Air has agreed in principle to acquire three Bombardier aircraft and is to disclose further details next week.The airline has long been a...
• Banks turn into ship operatorsMAJOR investment banks are increasingly becoming involved in the operational side of shipping companies, a top banker has told Fairplay.
• Rural public transport is "a shambles"Claims made by Central Beds councillor
• EU floats method for handing out free CO2 permits The European Commission's climate department yesterday (9 September) announced it had identified some 50 product benchmarks for allocating free CO2 emission permits to industry amounting to around €100 billion until 2020.  
• Budget airline Ryanair considers single-pilot flights From different corners of the aviation world, there is chatter about the possibility of single-pilot airline flights, The Wall Street Journal reported overnight.
• U.S. Steps Up Its Effort Against a European System of Fees on Airline Emissions The United States has stepped up pressure to prevent Europe from charging foreign airlines for greenhouse gas emissions when they take off and land there.
• Rail maintenance firm Bombardier to axe 155 jobs in Ashford THE loss of 155 jobs at a rail depot has "bucked the trend" in Ashford, the leader of the council has claimed.
• Tube signal puts trains on collision course in rush hourA Tube train was sent into the path of another train in a major safety scare, the Standard can reveal.
• Celebration at Bluebell's new station THE Bluebell Railway has reached another milestone in its attempts to extend its line to East Grinstead.
• Eastbourne railway station staff scoop top award EASTBOURNE Railway Station has scooped a major award. The station picked up the award at the first-ever Southern Stars and Tsars ceremony for its conductors' depot.
• Point your transport in the right direction PLANNERS are asking Romsonians for their views on ways to improve transport and other facilities in the town.
• Transport minister to raise airport drop-off fee with BAA Transport minister Stewart Stevenson is to meet Edinburgh airport executives to discuss its controversial plan to impose passenger drop-off charges.
• RMT motion at TUC calls for co-ordinated strike action, national demonstration and link up with community groups in fight against the cutsTRANSPORT UNION RMT has tabled a motion for the TUC Congress in Manchester next week which sets out a blueprint for a co-ordinated trade union and community fight back against the cuts programme and the 'class warfare' of the ConDem Government.
• Three knocked out of race for £200m Surrey roads jobJust two firms are left in the hunt for Surrey County Council™s £200 million highways maintenance contract after three of the shortlisted bidders were knocked out of the running.
• Travellers oppose mobile phone use on planesA new survey has found that many UK travellers are against the use of mobile phones on planes.read more
• Portman signs deal on public sector travelLeading independent TMC Portman Travel has signed a deal to enable it to manage public sector  travel.read more

News from Europe

• Council for Competitive Ability of Azerbaijani-Georgian Transport Corridor plans meetings in KazakhstanThe issues of current year, as well as perspective plans in the nearest future were under discussion at the first meeting of the Council for Improvement of Competitive Ability of Azerbaijani-Georgian Transport Corridor
• It's no joke when fear replaces the laughter MICHAEL O'Leary once wrote a letter to the Irish Independent in which he jokingly promised to stop being a "boorish capitalist" -- a label given to him after yet another of his ridiculous press conferences.