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

Wednesday, 06 October 2010

BBC News

• Solution for Isle of Wight coast road erosion A project is being considered to extend the life of an Isle of Wight coast road which is under threat of erosion.
• Most want London congestion charge extension scrapped Nearly two-thirds of people who responded to the public consultation into the western extension of the congestion charging zone favoured scrapping the scheme.
• Durham viaduct scheme 'still on track' Transport chiefs say they still want to reopen an old viaduct despite their original plans falling through.
• Yorkshire's high speed rail link - whose line is it anyway? [blog]There has been quite a queue building up to claim the credit for one of the rare announcements of major new public investment for Yorkshire made here at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.
• Waterbuses to serve 2012 ParkA hop-on hop-off waterbus serving the Olympic Park in east London is to be launched by next spring.
• Network Rail faces safety probeNetwork Rail agrees to an indepdent review of how it reports staff accidents amid fears of
• BA jumps 6.4% on traffic reboundBritish Airways shares jump 6.4% as the company reports rising traffic, putting the impact of the summer strikes behind it.

Financial Times

• Passenger boost propels BA higherShares in BA rose 6 per cent to their highest closing price in two years as the airline reported some of its strongest passenger numbers since 2008

The Herald

• Millions written off as ousted Garl firms move back Businesses who were paid millions of pounds to relocate in order to make way for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link are being offered the land back at a fraction of the original cost to taxpayers. Transport Scotland, the Government agency overseeing the ill-fated scheme, has confirmed it is in negotiations with a number of businesses whose properties were obtained using compulsory purchase powers and now have first right of refusal to buy back the land.

The Scotsman

• Business chiefs urge action over 'crucial' fast rail link Business leaders today urged the SNP and Conservatives to work together to ensure Scotland is not left behind when Britain builds its high-speed rail link.

The Telegraph

• RMT says 5.2pc pay rise sets 'benchmark' for future pay deals A rail union has raised fears of more strike action after hailing a 5.2 per cent pay deal for staff at one train operator as the "benchmark" for all future negotiations.

Network Rail

• NEW CAR PARK TREBLES SPACES AT WHITSTABLE STATION
• THAMESLINK TEST RUN OFFERS PASSENGERS VISION OF THE FUTURE
• TRANSPORT SECRETARY SEES NEW STREET PROGRESS

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• ˜Train link will have economic benefits™ A high-speed rail line from London to West Yorkshire will bring œclear economic benefits to Bradford, it was claimed.

Journal Live

• North East transport at the centre of Tory debate THE Government was last night urged to make good on its promises to improve the North East’s creaking transport infrastructure.

Liverpool Post

• Eddie Stobart clinches three-year Britvic distribution contract TRANSPORT group Eddie Stobart today announced a new three-year distribution contract with soft drinks company Britvic.

Metro

• Train fares ˜to rise 37% by election™, travellers are warnedRail season ticket prices could soar by more than a third by the next general election if the government lifts the cap on fare rises, campaigners warned.

Northern Echo

• Nearly 4,000 call for train work return NEARLY 4,000 people have signed a petition calling for train building to return to the region. The signatures were obtained by campaigners calling for the Government to award the £7.5bn Intercity Express Programme (IEP) to Hitachi.
• High-speed railway link ’is top priority’ HIGH-SPEED rail lines from London to the North will be the Government’s top priority, the Tory conference will be told today – with planning to start next year.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Tram campaigners offered hint of encouragement by Transport Minister TRANSPORT Minister Norman Baker has offered a hint of encouragement to campaigners battling to secure cash for transport improvements.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Fall in the number of speed cameras on Scotland™s roadsThe number of speed cameras on Scotland™s roads has dropped over the last five years “ as has the accident rate.
• Railhead ˜would take lorries off the town roads™A campaign has been launched to reduce the number of heavy-goods vehicles on the roads in Angus.

The York Press

• Operation car swap for York hospital workers HOSPITAL workers in York have pledged to swap their cars for bikes on their journeys to work after signing up for a cycling project.
• 80-minute train trip to London HIGH-SPEED rail links between the Midlands, Yorkshire and London could see a trip from our region to the capital taking just 80 minutes, writes Richard Catton.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Parents 'underestimate danger to teenage drivers'Most parents underestimate the dangers their teenage children could be in when they drive, or are driven, in cars, a survey showed today.

Blackpool Gazette

• Blackpool to London link by 2014BLACKPOOL is on track to win back its direct rail service to London.

Other Regional Press

• High-speed rail link would connect two Yorkshire stations A HIGH speed rail link connecting Yorkshire to London could be a win-win for local services, it is claimed.

Railway Gazette

• 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

• Mayor and TfL urge London's drivers to look out for motorcyclists in bus lanesNew advertising campaign launched and speeding enforcement stepped up to tackle motorcycle collisions in red route bus lanes.

Other News Sources

• Thameslink 12-car test First Capital Connect and Network Rail organised a 12-car test train on Sunday 3 October, which carried out stepping distance checks, levelling and heights of the train and newly-extended platforms on the Thameslink route.
• TfL to launch contactless payment system on buses Passengers on London's buses will soon have an alternative to cash and Oyster payments, following the news that Transport for London (TfL) plans to introduce contactless technology on the capital's bus network.
• Evidence shows that speed cameras do make roads saferPlacing speed cameras on roads really does reduce the number of road traffic injuries and deaths, Australian researchers have confirmed.
• Transport capital budgets could go to LEPs New local economic development partnerships could yet gain control of transport capital budgets, the transport secretary has said.

News from Europe

• Valenciennes orders Line 2 trams FRANCE: Valenciennes regional transport authority SITURV has ordered seven Alstom Citadis trams for the future Line 2. The contract announced on October 5 is worth €17m, and Alstom expects an option for one or two further cars to be taken up in November.
• Deutsche Bahn Adopts New Tamping Surveying Solution for Track Installation Deutsche Bahn Netz, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn (DB), has switched to a new tamping surveying solution from Amberg Technologies, supporting maintenance measures of automated tamping of tracks and points. Primary reasons for the move were the better performance and improved quality of survey data provided by the Amberg rail tamping surveying solution: the cost of tamping surveying can be reduced by 40% to 70%.
• Alstom, Bombardier eyeing Romanian train and rail signaling market Global transport giants Alstom (France) and Bombardier (Canada) plan to expand their presence in Romania on the market of regional trains and on the rail signaling market, representatives of the two groups told.