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

Friday, 28 January 2011

BBC News

• George Osborne considering axing planned fuel duty rise Chancellor George Osborne has said he is considering cancelling the fuel duty increase due to take effect in April.
• Transport projects cost £226m above estimates - audit [video]Many major transport projects in Wales have cost substantially more and taken longer to complete than expected, according to a report by the auditor general.
• A90 dual upgrade given go-aheadA scheme to make the A90 between Balmedie and Tipperty in Aberdeenshire a dual carriageway is to proceed.
• Rail plan 'to create 8,000 jobs'Chancellor George Osborne says 8,000 jobs will be created as part of High Speed 2 (HS2).

Department for Transport

• Transport StatisticsThe Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics:

Financial Times

• Shipping braced as key group strugglesBankers and shipowners throughout the dry bulk shipping market are bracing for widespread knock-on effects after Korea Lines filed for bankruptcy protection
• UK shipping 'faces devastation' over payUK shipping minister has accused the European Union of unfairly penalising Britain after it started legal action over seafarers' pay to ensure different countries' nationals were paid the same rates

The Guardian

• Climate change could spark UK rail revival and tourism boom, research finds Reports from Network Rail and Natural England say disused railways could reopen if higher summer temperatures foster greater domestic tourism
• George Osborne hints at delay to 1p rise in fuel duty Motorists could be spared £500m extra contribution to Treasury as unleaded hits £1.30 a litre
• Boris Johnson: transport promises Yesterday's irritable Mayor's Question Time showed that Labour has deduced that Boris is vulnerable on transport, the policy area he correctly described in his 2008 manifesto as, "The Mayor's biggest area of responsibility." The Assembly Labour group's transport lead Val Shawcross, who is also Ken Livingstone's 2012 running mate, threw back at Boris a remark that appeared on one of his 2008 campaign fliers - "How come you pay more every year and yet things just seem to get worse?"

The Herald

• Passengers say service has gone off the railsPoor toilet facilities, overcrowding and train frequency have caused ScotRail™s approval rating to fall.

The Independent

• Fuelling anger [blog]Rumours growing that George Osborne is going to cancel the planned 1p + inflation hike in fuel duty scheduled for April.

The Scotsman

• £64m road upgrade agreed but long wait is still far from over THE Government yesterday gave approval for the long-awaited plan to complete the upgrading of the 17 miles of road which will take golfers to Donald Trump's new golf resort.

The Telegraph

• Fuel tax rise could be shelved, George Osborne indicates A rise in fuel duty due to come into effect in April could be shelved, George Osborne has indicated.
• Britain's most popular rail company folds With a passenger satisfaction rate of 96 per cent, Wrexham & Shropshire is Britain's emerged as Britain's most popular train operator in a survey published yesterday.

Press Association

• No relief for railway passengers Mr Hammond said the Government was tackling overcrowding on trains by investing in more carriages - but "relief" for passengers "will not be able to come in the next couple of years". His Labour counterpart, Maria Eagle, said he did not understand the "anger" from commuters that ticket prices were rocketing while overcrowding was getting "worse".

Network Rail

• ATHERSTONE STATION TO BECOME MORE ACCESSIBLE

Birmingham Mail

• Drop in passenger figures at Birmingham Airport Birmingham Airport recorded a 5.8 per cent drop in passengers last year as the economic downturn, extreme weather and volcanic ash cloud took their toll.
• £200m rail depot site raises hopes for ex LDV and Alstom workers MORE than 2,000 former LDV and Alstom workers forced onto the dole queues following the closure of their factories could be thrown a new jobs lifeline by a £200 million scheme.

Birmingham Post

• Jobs and businesses at risk after closure of Wrexham & Shropshire railway Dozens of jobs are at risk at the small businesses and food producers which supply the highly-acclaimed Wrexham & Shropshire railway company, which is to cease operating on Friday

Bolton News

• Rail passengers are dissatisfied with overcrowded trains ONLY two out of five passengers travelling from Bolton to Manchester are satisfied with room on the train, a new survey shows.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Welsh transport hampered by rising costs and delays to projects, says auditor MANY major transport projects in Wales cost substantially more than expected and took longer to complete.
• Wrexham and Shropshire rail service axed A DIRECT rail service from Wrexham to London is being axed.

Edinburgh Evening News

• 'Workshops' to clear air over car banHOMEOWNERS concerned about plans to ban traffic from Shandwick Place to make way for the tram project are set to meet councillors tonight as they push for a public inquiry.
• Audit questions city management of trams projectA LONG-awaited audit of Edinburgh's tram debacle is set to raise fresh questions over the city council's handling of the project, it emerged today.

Journal Live

• MPs may let Mersey take our cruise business THE Government has indicated it could bow to Merseyside pressure and let Liverpool bid to take cruise ships away from Tyneside.

Manchester Evening News

• Ryanair hopes to land 5 MILLION extra passengers at Manchester Airport The boss of low-cost airline Ryanair has revealed he is in talks with Manchester Airport to introduce new routes which could see up to five million extra passengers flying out.
• Ghost station Reddish South has only had one train a week for 20 years - now a second train is on the timetable A ’ghost station’ which has had just one weekly train for the past two decades is to get a one-off visit. Since 1991, the only service calling at Reddish South station has been the one-way 9.26am Friday service from Stockport to Stalybridge.
• Manchester Airport flying high in new food awardsManchester Airport has been named one of the best in the world for food and drink. The airport was a finalist in the first ever global food awards, celebrating the best in airport grub.

Northern Echo

• Concern for ˜vital™ airport as passenger numbers hit a low PASSENGER numbers at Durham Tees Valley Airport have slumped to their lowest for 35 years, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Wales Online

• Transport works arrive late and 61% too costly MAJOR transport projects funded by the Assembly Government were completed £226m over estimate and many months behind schedule, a report reveals today.

Carlisle News & Star

• Cumbrian town's transport plans withdrawn by county council Plans for Whitehaven™s new £2.5 million transport interchange have been withdrawn.

Reading Evening Post

• Cycle bridge over Thames? Improvements to the cycle network and pedestrian routes will be a priority in a council bid for Government transport cash.
• Commuters face 'most crowded' trains in the country Commuters travelling between Reading and Paddington suffer some of the most overcrowded train carriages in the country, according to Department for Transport (DfT) figures.

Sunderland Echo

• Praise for rail service to LondonSUNDERLAND’S rail link to London is on the right track with travellers, a new report shows.
• Residents get hump over planA COUNCILLOR’S 20-year campaign to make a road safer has hit the brakes – after residents lobbied against the plans.

Other Regional Press

• Threat to shops revamp - Regeneration of Langtry Walk halted by HS2 high-speed rail link A REGENERATION project that would have seen a group of dilapidated shops given a new lease of life has been halted by controversial plans for the HS2 high-speed rail link from London to the North.
• City MP speaks out against HS2 GEOFFREY Robinson has branded the controversial HS2 plans a "waste of money." The Coventry North West MP hit out at the plans for a high speed rail link between Birmingham and London during a public meeting in Meriden.
• Petition hope for Wrexham & Shropshire train service A petition has been launched to try to secure the future of the Wrexham & Shropshire Railway.
• Consultation on county's three-year Transport Plan underway.Opportunity to influence county™s transport priorities.
• Calls for two cycle lanes under Botley Road rail bridge CAR lanes under an accident blackspot railway bridge should be narrowed to make way for two cycle lanes, according to a Green councillor.
• Bus routes could face axe under council cutsTHE two main bus companies in Northamptonshire have issued a stark warning that some services will have to be scrapped following the announcement by Northamptonshire County council of plans to end bus subsidies.
• Dark times ahead as plans to switch off more streetlights revealedDRIVERS and road safety campaigners have expressed serious concerns about council plans to turn off half of Northamptonshire’s street lights.
• Kent's train bosses get six-figure salariesRail bosses in charge of Kent™s train services are being paid six-figure salaries and received hundreds of thousands more in perks and bonuses in 2010.

Green Miscellany

• Doing craft wheels I love anything that can make cycling more glamorous . So I™m all for these beautiful handmade crocheted dress guards that are becoming all the rage in Holland.read more
• Segway conviction ends legal limbo The conviction of a man for riding his Segway on the road is being seen as legal test case that ends years of legal limbo for the Electric Personal Vehicle (EPV). It can now be used legally only on private land with the owner™s permission. read more
• 10 million parking bays for electric cars The supporters of electric cars often cite the lack of widespread re-charging facilities as one of the reasons the technology has been slow to evolve, but Chinese government, which is seeking to reduce its dependence on oil imports and reduce its emissions from transport, is considering tackling the issue of infrastructure by building 10 million electric car parking bays by 2020. read more

Other News Sources

• 1,500 driving offences on A23 and M23 in week More than 1,500 driving offences are being committed every week along one of the county™s busiest roads.
• Fare dodgers caught out at Blackburn Railway Station FARE dodgers were caught out today in a crackdown at East Lancashire™s biggest railway station.
• News from Mike Tuffrey - Can Boris Cut It?.......on carbon emissions 26 January 2011 More than a year after the Mayor signed City Hall up to the 10:10 campaign to reduce carbon emissions Mike Tuffrey, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly environment spokesperson, has raised questions about the Mayor's real record on tackling emissions.He further questioned the Mayor as to why parts of the GLA ˜family™ such as the London Fire Emergency and Planning Authority only belatedly signed its 10 fire stations up to the 10:10 campaign right at the end of 2010, in December, more than a year after the ayor made h...
• FTA and RHA welcome Chancellor™s comments on fuel dutyThe Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association have welcomed comments made today by Chancellor George Osborne that the ...
• Insurance law 'will save motorists money'Transport minister Norman Baker has told the Commons that a new offence of keeping a vehicle with no insurance will come into force in the spring.
• Eurostar encourages customers to 'tread lightly' Most businesses are getting to grips with the need to drive forward a sustainable agenda. The financial benefits are clear: using less energy costs less.