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

Saturday, 20 November 2010

BBC News

• Birmingham airport remains closedBirmingham Airport closes until at least Saturday lunchtime after a small private jet carrying a liver for transplant crashes.
• Tram bicycle ban 'should remain'Transport bosses in Greater Manchester are told that the ban on taking bicycles on Metrolink trams should remain in place.
• Train derailment driver honouredA train driver is honoured for his part in securing the safety of 60 passengers following a derailment in Argyll.

Financial Times

• Gloom greets opening of Dublin terminal Dublin airport's second terminal was meant to be a symbol of Ireland's modern, outward-looking economy “ but now it is in danger of becoming yet another example of the overblown optimism of the Celtic Tiger years

The Independent

• Donor organ plane crash closes airportBirmingham Airport was closed yesterday after a light aircraft carrying a liver for an organ donor transplant crashed in fog.
• Minor British Institutions: Driving on the left Traffic round this island has kept to the left for 2,000 years. Although the scything techniques of the Ancient British charioteers do not suggest lane discipline, there is good evidence for it in the contrasting ruts left by Roman carts at a quarry near Swindon.

Daily Record

• Award for train driver who prevented rail disaster in Argyll A HERO train driver who helped lead passengers to safety after it came off the track and caught fire has been presented with a top transport industry award.

Mail Online

• Sailing into the sunset: The valiant Ark Royal aircraft carrier heads to her final resting place after 25 years of heroic serviceHMS Ark Royal sailed into the sunset for the last time after 25 years of valiant service. The flagship of the Royal Navy is being decommisoned as part of the Government defence cuts.

Bolton News

• Road scheme put off for Christmas work on a major scheme to improve the flow of traffic through Bolton town centre has been put on hold until after Christmas.
• Campaign under way to tackle ˜menace™ road A CAMPAIGN is being launched to relieve traffic problems on a œmenace rat-run road.

Journal Live

• Tornado thrills on a whirlwind tour of region RAIL enthusiasts from around the North converged on the Tyne Valley yesterday as the Tornado steam train made a trip along one of the country’s most scenic lines.
• Car club gets a jump start ASCHEME which lets people get the most from a car without actually having to own one has been launched.
• They’re worth their salt THE gritting fleet intended to keep North East roads open during a harsh winter has been unveiled.

Manchester Evening News

• Chancellor opens Alderley Edge bypass after 90 year wait After nearly a century of planning MP George Osborne opened the Alderley Edge and Nether Alderley bypass and said it would be a new lease of life for the village. The  £52million relief road was unveiled in a grand ceremony attended by 200 invited guests who have been involved in the project's long history.
• Metrolink ban on bikes and mobility scooters to stay Transport leaders have upheld controversial bans on mobility scooters and bicycles on Metrolink trams. Disabled passengers, cyclists and green campaigners have been lobbying for both bans to be repealed.

Metro

• Man jailed for setting bus passenger on fireA man has been jailed for three-and-a-half years after setting fire to a fellow bus passenger in a seemingly random attack.
• New Tube delays caps month of chaosLondon Underground passengers have suffered fresh delays because of problems including a defective train, capping a

Northern Echo

• Would increase in precept pay for bus service? PARISH councils have been advised that they could raise their precepts to preserve threatened bus services.

Sheffield Star

• Faster train line plan hits buffersA PLAN to speed up rail journey times between Sheffield and London by electrifying the Midland Mainline is to be shelved after the Government made clear there is not enough mo

The News (Portsmouth)

• Hampshire bus pass scheme changes agreedHAMPSHIRE County Council has pressed ahead with changes to bus passes for elderly and disabled people.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Transportation to bear brunt of council cutsA service responsible for road maintenance could shoulder the biggest share of the proposed cuts to a north-east council™s budget.
• Nearly £1m spent on bridge bidNearly £1million has been spent by Aberdeen City Council on a controversial transport development before planning permission has been granted.

Wales Online

• Wales Office spent £76k on car hire in four months THE Wales Office claimed £76,000 for car hire from taxpayers over a four-month period, Government department spending figures released for the first time yesterday reveal.
• Decline in traffic over Severn bridges means profits are ’uncertain’ DWINDLING traffic on the Severn bridges could mean shareholders in the firm that runs the crossings may not receive an anticipated dividend when the bridges finally return to public ownership, it has emerged.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds City Council's u-turn on car parks closuresAn urgent review of Leeds city centre car parking will go ahead after YEP readers came out in force to criticise plans to shut seven all-day car parks.

Sunderland Echo

• Business secretary Cable™s boost to Sunderland™s Nissan plantBUSINESS secretary Vince Cable has promised to work closely with Nissan.

Other Regional Press

• Yournextbus real-time problemOnly scheduled times showing on shelter displays but text and web services working.
• Southern Bypass delays set to go on for another four months WORK TO improve Oxford™s Rail network is driving city motorists loco.
• Breaking news: Crash causes miles of tailbacks A FOUR-CAR smash on Teesside’s busiest road resulted in miles of tailbacks last night.

Campaign for Better Transport

• National Audit Office criticises M25 widening19 November: The Government's spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, has just concluded a study of the M25 widening deal. It's conclusion? One and a half billion pounds wasted. read more

Railway Gazette

• World infrastructure market November 2010Australia: Seymour Whyte Constructions and Baulderstone have been awarded contracts worth A$68m for enabling works on the 13 km Gold Coast light rail corridor. Egypt: National Authority for Tunnels has appointed Systra to lead design work for Phase IV of Cairo metro Line 3. France: Sersa and Laurent Membrez have been awarded a contract to build the 5·3 km Puy-de-Dôme rack railway, expected to open in 2012. RFF has awarded the Dodin Campenon Bernard Construction joint venture of Spie Batignolles, Vinci and Cegelec a €1843m contract for the 7·5 km Lot 47 of LGV Est Phase 2, including a ...

Aviation Industry

• Aviation emissions up 110% since 1990EU Transport emissions are up 34% since 1990 and aviation emissions up 110%, a report by Transport & Environment (T&E) shows.      1990 is the base year against which emissions of greenhouse gases are reported in the Kyoto protocol and succeeding agreements. Annual data is compiled by the EEA (European Environment Agency) and submitted to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework [...]
• First passengers pass through Dublin Airport's Terminal 2Passengers passed through Dublin Airport's Terminal 2 today as the new a 600m project was officially opened amid protests from Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary. Mr O'Leary, a long-standing critic of the project, marked the occasion by dressing like an undertaker with a hearse, a coffin and carrying a wreath with the words Irish Tourism RIP.

Other News Sources

• Now, zoom around in a $100K Jetsons-like jetpack of your own!Conventional air carriers may soon become a thing of the past, for now you can buy your very own jetpack and fly it too.
• ABP begins 10-year agri-bulk operationAssociated British Ports has built a new bespoke warehouse in the port of Hull as part of a 10-year deal with Frontier Agriculture
• Crew Expenses Big Factor, Ship Operating Costs Set to RiseAccording to Moore Stephens LLP, a shipping and insurance adviser, vessel operating costs are expected to rise by 3.2 per cent in 2010 and by 3.5 per cent in 2011,
• Threat to unique Winchester bus charity A UNIQUE Hampshire heritage charity is set to be homeless after being told its Winchester base will be demolished.
• London™s Mayor, business leaders and councils call for urgent action to tackle roadworks 19 November 2010 The Mayor of London, business leaders and London Councils have joined forces to call on the Government to urgently approve regulations that would mean utility companies could be charged for digging up the capital™s busiest roads at the busiest times. They have written to the Secretary of State for Transport to ask him to do all he can to hasten the introduction of regulations for a lane rental system. roadclosed2.jpg Yes ...
• Jet2 announces more flights from Newcastle AirportJet2 has revealed it intends to add more flights to its schedule at Newcastle Airport and is even instating a new Boeing 737 so passengers will have more choice.This comes as the carrier announced another record summer and reportedly carried 2.8 million passengers from its UK bases.The cut-price airline intends to sell another one million seats to passengers in 2011 and has introduced new flights to Madeira, Geneva, Salzburg and Budapest, to name a few."We see Newcastle Airport as a really key location for us, hence we are introducing another aircraft, to operate additional destinations a...
• Southampton Airport announces new routes to FranceSouthampton Airport has announced three new routes to France starting from summer 2011.The flights will be available through airline Flybe and will fly to Beziers, Clermont-Ferrand and Pau. Seats are now on sale from £39.99.Flights to France are always popular; it has a booming tourist industry and is the most visited country in the world.Flybe’s chief commercial officer Mike Rutter said that Southampton is "the most convenient gateway into the south of England from France and [these flights] also serve to underpin inbound tourism that is so key to local economies, especially ...
• PFI Deal Costs Highway Agency An Extra £660 Million To Widen 22 Miles Of M25 Says NAOThe Highways Agency could have potentially saved £660 Million by using the hard shoulders during peak times rather than going through a covoluted and delayed PFI contract, according a report by NAO published today.
• Delta Air Lines, JFKIAT and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Break Ground on $1.2 Billion Enhancement and Expansion of Terminal 4 at JFK AirportDelta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL), JFKIAT LLC, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today broke ground on the $1.2 billion project that will enhance and expand Terminal 4 at John F....

Other Subscription Services

• Blackfriars shuts down for Thameslink track slewBlackfriars station closes tonight (19 November) for two months to allow track and platforms to be reconfigured as part of the Thameslink Programme.The National Rail station will be shut from 2230...