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

Tuesday, 05 October 2010

BBC News

• Both sides claim success in second Tube strike [blog]Strike two. So how was your journey in this morning? And are the RMT union and the TSSA getting their point across?
• Tyne and Wear transport operator Nexus to cut posts More than 60 posts are to be cut by Tyne and Wear transport operator Nexus as part of cost-cutting measures.
• Rail protest held near conferenceA demonstration is held near the Conservative Party conference against the proposed HS2 high-speed rail link.
• Disabled parking charges agreedControversial plans to charge blue badge holders for car parking are agreed by councillors in Carmarthenshire
• Two-line high-speed rail backedThe government will back plans for high-speed rail links to Manchester it is revealed.
• Second strike hits Tube servicesCommuters face severe disruption on the Tube as a war of words between unions and politicians intensifies during a 24-hour strike.

Department for Transport

• Transport Secretary suspends M4 Bus Lane to benefit all road usersMotorists and hauliers are to benefit from an extra lane on a key stretch of the M4 near London, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond announced today.
• Proposed high speed rail network North of Birmingham confirmedTransport Secretary Philip Hammond has today announced which network option the Government prefers for taking high speed rail north of Birmingham.

Financial Times

• Hammond gives high-speed rail line green light Philip Hammond promised to press ahead with a new £33bn high-speed rail line despite financial constraints on the government and concerns about the scheme’s timeframe.
• London commuters hit by Tube strikeMillions of commuters were scrambling for space on London's buses, boats and bikes as a 24-hour strike by Tube workers hit London's major transport arteries and sparked calls for changes to employment laws

The Guardian

• Network Rail agrees to independent review of safety culture Chairman Rick Haythornthwaite promises change as Unite says under-reporting of incidents was linked to directors' bonuses
• Transport chief welcomes Leeds high speed rail announcement: Updated Transport bosses have welcomed the news that the government is backing a 250mph London rail link for Leeds.
• Rail row threatens to derail MerkelChancellor Angela Merkel says planned refurbishment of listed train station could be decisive in regional pollOpponents of a multibillion-euro rail modernisation project in Stuttgart were gearing up to take to the streets tonight to demonstrate against a scheme that could determine the future of Angela Merkel's government.Riot police were bracing themselves for clashes with the protesters following demonstrations that turned ugly last week, when more than 130 people were injured after police used water cannon, batons and pepper spray to break up the crowds.Opponents of the 10-year scheme to re...

The Telegraph

• Tube strike in pictures: travel misery caused by London Underground industrial action Travel misery caused by London Underground industrial action.

Network Rail

• WORKS STARTS TO MAKE BLACKHEATH STATION MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE

Birmingham Post

• Centro claims high speed rail could bring 20,000 jobs to Birmingham A high speed rail network linking Birmingham to London would bring 22,000 jobs and an extra £1.5bn a year to the city, according to a new study.
• Plans for two high speed rail routes heading north from Birmingham Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has set out plans to build two branches to the planned new £33 billion high-speed rail network north of Birmingham.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Free rural rail travel scheme in North Wales set to continue A POPULAR free rail travel scheme is set continue over autumn and winter, the Welsh Assembly Government transport Minister said yesterday.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Buses needed to subsidise Haymarket tram lineEDINBURGH Trams chiefs are reportedly set to tell councillors this week that any line running from Edinburgh Airport to Haymarket will need to be heavily subsidised, potential
• £15m at heart of the trams fiascoIT'S already been described as a "Mexican stand-off" and now the stakes in Edinburgh's long-running tram dispute have been dramatically raised.

Journal Live

• Unveiling plan to cut airport’s carbon output PLANS have been unveiled to reduce the carbon footprint of the region’s biggest airport.

Liverpool Post

• Liverpool’s Three Graces canal link named UK’s best new public space LIVERPOOL’S stunning new waterfront canal link was named the UK’s best new public space at a ceremony over the weekend.
• Liverpool-London high-speed rail link gets go-ahead as Chancellor hints of good news on Mersey Crossing A HIGH-speed rail line from London to the edge of Liverpool will be the government’s top priority, the Tory conference will be told today – with planning work to start next year.

London Evening Standard

• High-speed rail link to be moved after battle of Primrose HillThe route of the planned high-speed rail link from Euston to Birmingham is being moved after a protest by Primrose Hill residents
• We need new laws to curb Tube strikes, say commutersCommuters back Mayor Boris Johnson's call for tough new anti-strike laws to prevent waves of crippling Tube walk-outs
• Funding cuts harm economy - JohnsonLondon Mayor Boris Johnson has issued a staunch defence of the capital's public transport system, stressing that funding cuts would harm the British economy.

Nottingham Evening Post

• The economy relies on tram extensions remaining on track CITY council officials were today due to take Transport Minister Norman Baker on a tour of Nottingham's public transport network.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Councillor™s concerns over public transportAn Aberdeenshire councillor vowed yesterday to press for alternative public transport services on the A947 Aberdeen to Banff route after plans for a park-and-ride were dropped.

Yorkshire Post

• Unique gantry to be dismantled this week Rail bosses have set a date for the removal of a unique signal bridge gantry, the last of its type in Britain, which is to be rebuilt to serve the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

Railnews

• News: HS2 benefits 'would be doubled' by other rail upgrades The economic benefits of a High Speed rail line between London and the West Midlands can be doubled according to an independent report unveiled today at the Conservative Party Conference. West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (Centro) commissioned the study, which says the already substantial boost to West Midlands economic output, average wages and job creation can be doubled if the High Speed line is combined with improvements to the region’s existing rail network.
• News: Rail 'transformation' ahead as HS2 is confirmed The transport secretary Philip Hammond has confirmed that the Government has decided to proceed with building the 'Y' shaped High Speed rail network network. It is also being reported that Eurostar is poised to invest in a new fleet of Siemens-built Velaro units for new routes to Amsterdam and Cologne.
• News: Eurostar chooses Siemens, but French tempers rise The board of Eurostar has voted to proceed with a deal worth at least 600 million Euros to acquire 10 Siemens Velaro-D trains, each 400m long. They would allow Eurostar to operate new routes between Britain and the Netherlands and Germany, but the proposal is causing ripples in France, where ministers are opposing the purchase of foreign trains by an affiliate company of the state-owned rail operator SNCF.

Railway Gazette

• Hammond backs high speed lines to Leeds and Manchester UK: Transport Secretary Philip Hammond announced the government's preferred option for a high speed rail network north of Birmingham in a speech to the Conservative Party conference on October 4. Development of proposals for a London - Birmingham line started under the previous Labour government, and the new government will announce its preferred route later this year. Early next year consultation will also be undertaken on extending this to form a Y-shaped high speed network. With the tail at London, one arm will run from the West Midlands to Manchester and a connection to the West Coast Mai...
• Alstom sole bidder in Polish high speed train tenderPOLAND: Alstom Transport has been named as sole bidder in the tender to supply 20 high speed trains to PKP Intercity, for which the bids were opened on September 30. Six consortia had expressed interest when the initial request for a fleet of 250 km/h trainsets was issued in August 2008. Alstom is bidding its New Pendolino design, similar to the ETR 610 units supplied to SBB and Trenitalia. As well as the 20 trainsets valued at €400m, which are to be suitable for 3 kV DC, 15 kV 16·7 Hz and 25 kV 50 Hz operation in Poland, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, the tender offer includes a â...

Transport for London

• Ian Brown, longstanding Managing Director of London Rail, set to retire Mayor and Transport Commissioner hail excellent record of delivery on Docklands Light Railway, London Overground and suburban rail network. Ian Brown, who has led Transport for London's (TfL's) London Rail organisation with distinction over the last ten years, has announced that he is to retire.

Aviation Industry

• IATA: Airlines earn $4.4 billion in second quarter; recovery slowingThe world's airlines posted a cumulative second-quarter net profit of $4.4 billion, reversed from a $620 million loss in the year-ago period and improved over a $1.9 billion loss in the 2010 first quarter, IATA reported.
• United-Continental merger completeThe merger of United Airlines and Continental Airlines to create the world's largest airline has been legally completed.read more

Other News Sources

• Optare wins £8.1m bus contractBUS manufacturer Optare has won an £8.1m contract to supply 65 buses to an East Midlands transport firm.
• New life for landmark station AN HISTORIC train station dating back to before Queen Victoria’s reign has undergone a revamp worth almost £1m to mark the 180th anniversary of the arrival of the railway.
• Preferred high speed rail route announcedTransport secretary Philip Hammond gives the green light on two high speed rail routes from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds