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

Thursday, 21 October 2010

BBC News

• Spending Review: North Yorkshire road schemes cancelled Five road improvement schemes in North Yorkshire have been scrapped as the county council comes to terms with a reduction in government funding.
• Spending Review backs Midland Metro and New Street plan The chancellor has given a firm commitment in his Spending Review to support the Midland Metro extension from Wolverhampton to Birmingham.
• Spending Review: A11 dual carriageway plan backed A plan to transform a stretch of the A11 into a dual carriageway in Norfolk and Suffolk is to go ahead.
• Mersey bridge plan gets go ahead in Spending Review More than £500m has been pledged for transport projects in Merseyside and Cheshire as part of the Spending Review.
• Dartford Crossing toll charge to be increased Toll charges are set to be increased for the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex, it was announced in the government Spending Review.
• Spending Review: Impact on London BBC London takes a look at how various sectors of the city have been affected by the government's Spending Review.
• Cycling surges in the land of the automobile America is known for its enduring love affair with the automobile. But in the last few years cities across the US have reported a surge in bicycle use, as people search for greener, healthier - and cheaper - transport options. The BBC's Daniel Nasaw looks at what Washington DC is doing to push two-wheeled travel.
• Chancellor backs tram extensionThe Spending Review backs plans to extend the Midland Metro tram line and upgrade Birmingham New Street.
• Cameras help reduce road deathsThe introduction of cameras on Scotland's roads leads to a fall in the number of accidents, new figures suggest.
• London transport 'escapes cuts'Key transport investment in London will escape major cuts in the Spending Review, BBC London learns.
• Eurostar train deal goes to courtFrance's Alstom is suing to stop Eurostar buying trains from Germany's Siemens
• BA crew face ballot on new dealBritish Airways cabin crews are to be balloted on a new deal that could end their long-running industrial dispute.
• US airlines see profitable periodDelta Air Lines, US Airways and American Airlines report profits ahead of expectations in the third quarter.
• Jet demand boosts Boeing profitsThe world's largest plane maker, Boeing, reports a bounce back into profit in the third quarter and takes a net 221 plane orders.

Financial Times

• Rail fare rises to fund investmentThe transport secretary said three years of fare increases well above inflation were necessary to allow a series of capital expenditure programmes as part of the comprehensive spending review
• French official ousted amid Eurostar rowFrance's top adviser on Channel tunnel safety has lost her job after the French government criticised rule changes that would allow German-built trains to use the tunnel
• BA makes new offer to settle crew rowHopes of an end to one of the ugliest bouts of industrial action British Airways has ever seen have risen after the company agreed fully to restore prized travel perks to striking cabin crew, though not for 2½ years
• Stobart expects to suffer in austerity Government austerity measures such as spending cuts and the VAT rise will hit full-year profits at Stobart, the logistics group said, in spite of announcing improved first-half sales and pre-tax profits
• Shares in US airlines take off after recovery in demand Shares in US airlines rose sharply after three of the largest carriers reported estimate-beating results that showed a continued recovery in demand for air travel and sparked optimism over the outlook for the industry.

The Guardian

• Stobart shares slide on profit warning Haulage firm announces 39% leap in profits but warns that cuts in spending at Network Rail and tax rises will hit earnings
• Rail fares to jump in 2012 but Crossrail and Mersea Gateway bridge spared Spending review: rail fares to rise by 5.8% in January but Campaign for Better Transport claims commuters will pay 30% more when cap lifted in 2012
• Boris Johnson secures funding for Crossrail from spending review Transport for London to receive £15.9bn for project to link Heathrow to Canary Wharf, which will be completed in 2018

The Herald

• Safety cameras saving 20 lives a year on roadsRoad safety cameras have helped save around 20 lives a year in Scotland according to one of the first comprehensive evaluations of their effectiveness.

The Independent

• Transport: Commuters buffeted by 10 per cent increase in rail faresRail users are to be hit with soaring ticket prices after the Government announced measures that will see fares rise at more than twice the rate of inflation for three years in a row.

The Telegraph

• Spending review: train fares to shoot up by 3pc above inflationTrain fares are to rise by far more than inflation, adding more than £1,000 to an annual season ticket, under plans unveiled in the Spending Review.
• Spending Review 2010: Bus and rail passengers face higher fares despite 'soft' measures A reprieve for bus operators over fuel duty rebates and a green light for major infrastructure projects prompted sighs of relief across the transport and construction sectors.

Birmingham Post

• Spending Review: Birmingham Metro extension to go ahead as planned Chancellor George Osborne’s surprise backing for Birmingham’s city centre Midland Metro tram extension from Snow Hill to New Street Station will come as welcome relief to local transport bosses who feared that the £130 million project was doomed.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Help find the most dangerous roads in North Wales ALMOST every week this paper reports the tragic deaths or serious injury of those unfortunate enough to be involved in a road accident.
• Wind turbines will close Caernarfon airport's main runway AN airport will have to shut its main runway if plans to build 150-foot wind turbines are approved by the local council

Liverpool Post

• Mersey Crossing and Liverpool rail electrification survive George Osborne's £83billion spending cuts, but axe falls elsewhere CHANCELLOR George Osborne today green-lighted both the Mersey Gateway suspension bridge and rail electrification from Liverpool.

London Evening Standard

• London commuter fares will rise by up to £1,200 Instead of fares going up by one per cent more than the rate of inflation — the formula since British Rail's privatisation in 1995 — they will rise by three per cent over the cost of living from 2012. It means that an annual season ticket from Milton Keynes will rise by £1,194 to £5,026 by 2014. A Gillingham commuter will have to pay £4,995, a rise of £1,187.
• Tube chiefs urged to investigate ’disgraceful’ network meltdown [video]Tube bosses were under pressure today to launch a full inquiry into why thousands of passengers were trapped in tunnels during two days of travel misery this week.
• The Tube in disarray — it’s a never-ending saga To have passengers led along dark tunnels from abandoned Underground trains two days running is an acute embarrassment for Transport for London.
• London escapes the worst with Crossrail and Tube guarantees London emerged as one of the winners of today's spending review but Boris Johnson warned it would still have to bear its share of the pain. The capital won funding for key capital projects, including Tube upgrades and Cro

Northern Echo

• MP calls on neighbour to support train bid THE Foreign Secretary has been urged to support a bid to bring train-building back to the region.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Cycle path to link edges of town to stationA scheme that aims to reduce the number of cars in Elgin by removing the barriers to walking and cycling was approved yesterday.

Other Regional Press

• Metro Chairman responds to Chancellor's Comprehensive Spending ReviewWe should be able to expect positive trolleybus announcement next week, says Cllr Greaves.
• Alliance Rail unveils more details of Huddersfield-London link plans A COMPANY planning to run direct rail services from Huddersfield to London has set out more details of its plans.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Our initial reaction to spending review - hikes to fares and service cuts The Chancellor has just revealed the extent of cuts to public spending. A few big projects have been announced but there are deep cuts to support for buses and massive train fare hikes.
• Breaking news: £1.3 billion A14 cancelled20 October: The Government has confirmed that the A14 is unaffordable. Could that be a contender for worst-kept secret of the year? read more
• What's happening to local authority transport schemes?20 October: More updates from the bonfire of the budgets. read more

Railnews

• Transport keeps biggest share of funds, after defence THE Chancellor has told the House of Commons that a number of major railway upgrades have survived the government's spending review.

Aviation Industry

• City Car Club expands fleet to cover Edinburgh AirportEdinburgh Airport has teamed up with City Car Club to provide on-site businesses and visitors to the city with 24/7 access to pay-by-the-hour self-service cars.
• Southampton Airport launches instant customer feedback serviceSouthampton Airport has launched a new instant customer feedback service, to further enhance the easy, fast and friendly service...
• Heathrow construction staff break records with 4 million safe hoursConstruction workers across Heathrow are being commended for having worked more than 4 million hours without a reportable injury...

Other News Sources

• On eve of savage cuts to transport budget RMT exposes massive increase in top salaries at private operating companiesOn the eve of the government's expected announcement of savage cuts to the transport budget, specialist transport union RMT has produced new figures showing that at a time when passengers are being warned to expect fare increases of up to 40% over the next four years it's bonanza time in the boardrooms of Britain's main private transport operators.
• Newham and Ashford court Deutsche BahnLeaders in Ashford, Kent, and Newham, east London, have called on German train operator Deutsche Bahn to stop trains at stations in their areas when it begins services from London to Frankfurt in 2013.
• Crossrail to proceed 'in its entirety'London's new east-west rail line will proceed 'in its entirety', the Government has announced.
• From the oil fields of the US comes a new king of the railroadMEET the American engineer charged with reinventing Reading’s station and railway.
• Spending review: Transport investment takes 11% hitMost threatened major infrastructure projects have got the go-ahead in the spending review, but the Department for Transport is still facing capital spending cuts of 11% in real terms.
• Bus chiefs told to help Blackburn disabled manTHE family of a severely disabled man wants more disability-friendly buses to be put in place.
• Passenger numbers drop at Gatwick AirportGatwick Airport has announced it saw a drop in passenger numbers during September due to the continuing effects of the economic downturn.The London travel hub experienced a 2.6 per cent fall in traffic last month compared to September 2009, which was blamed on lower numbers of leisure travellers.Long-haul travel to destinations other than North America was the only sector to see any increase in passengers, recording growth of 7.1 per cent.The number of people taking flights to Ireland decreased by more than ten percent, while travellers on services to north Atlantic destinations fell by just o...
• Transport grants cut in numberTransport grant streams to councils cut from just under 30 to only four
• New Aviation Platform to address challenges for the European aviation sector European Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, responsible for of transport, today met top-level representatives of the European aviation sector to discuss future challenges for aviation in...