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

Saturday, 29 January 2011

BBC News

• New British Transport Police team for Oxford railway stationBritish Transport Police have launched a new team at Oxford railway station to cope with a rise in passenger numbers.
• Sea defences will keep a railway line 'viable' in DevonSea defences will keep the Dawlish to Teignmouth railway line viable according to the Environment Minister.
• Wrexham & Shropshire rail cuts worry business leaderShropshire MPs and business leaders have voiced their disappointment at the loss of the Wrexham & Shropshire direct rail service to London.
• Rail firm considers strike injunctionArriva Trains Wales (ATW) is considering court action to prevent the rail strike planned on the opening day of the Six Nations rugby tournament.
• 575 homes approved for rail sitePlans for hundreds of homes on an ex-industrial site that a council had earmarked for a hospital are approved by the assembly government.
• New boss for city's tram projectA new chairman is set to be appointed to the controversial Edinburgh trams project.
• Thames cable car given go-ahead A planned cable car across the Thames to link Olympic venues moves a step closer after approval from a council.
• New hope for hydrogen fuel planesNew Glasgow University research could pave the way for hydrogen to replace conventional fuels.
• Diesel price reaches record highThe price of diesel at the pump has reached a new high - reaching an average of 133.26 pence - figures suggest.
• Ford sees best profit in 11 yearsUS carmaker Ford reports a profit of $6.6bn (£4.1bn) in 2010 - its best performance in more than a decade.

Department for Transport

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

Financial Times

• Shares of tanker lines soar on Suez crisis fearsThe growing political turmoil gripping Egypt has sent shares of tanker owners rocketing on fears that the protests will lead to the Suez Canal being shut down

The Guardian

• Highest bidder asks why it lost Channel tunnel rail link sale• Freedom of Information request for details of £2.1bn auction • Sources confirm that top High Speed One bid failed to win

The Herald

• Government may ˜override™ fuel tax increase planChancellor George Osborne has hinted that motorists could be spared a planned increase in fuel duty due in April.
• Bid to introduce new traffic rules for GlasgowPlans to pedestrianise part of Glasgow™s iconic George Square and introduce new traffic restrictions will be voted on by councillors next week.

The Telegraph

• Network Rail: inquiry launched into 'misuse of public funds and illicit payments'An inquiry has been launched into allegations that Network Rail, which runs the country's track infrastructure, has been misusing public funds and claims senior officials received illicit payments.

Birmingham Mail

• Safety warning at Sandwell railway crossing DRIVERS who put their lives at risk and ignore safety signals at a notorious level crossing on a busy West Midlands train line could be prosecuted by railways police.
• Chancellor Osborne backs London to Birmingham high-speed rail link THE £18 billion London to Birmingham high-speed rail link will go ahead despite public sector cuts – and “change the economic geography” of Britain, Chancellor George Osborne said.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Your views sought on public transport Residents across the Bradford district have been invited to give their opinions on a draft plan that will set out the county™s transport priorities for the next three years.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• MP wants assurance on London rail links TRAIN services between North Wales and London must not be sacrificed by a need to save money on a key rail franchise, Labour MPs have warned.

London Evening Standard

• Lord Coe: We will keep the traffic moving in 2012Lord Coe stakes London's reputation on ensuring the city's roads keep moving during the Olympics
• 'Avoid Victoria station in rush hour': Tube warning for year of chaosMillions of commuters were today told to stay away from Victoria Underground station at evening rush-hour for an entire year
• Thousands forced to stand on 10 worst rail commutesTens of thousands of rail commuters are forced to stand for hours because train companies refuse to provide extra carriages, it was revealed

Manchester Evening News

• North Manchester road scheme 'will bulldoze heart of community’ in Angel MeadowsA quiet suburb of north Manchester will be ˜ruined™ if plans to re-route a major road go ahead, residents claim. Plans for a £1bn redevelopment of the city centre will see the inner ring-road moved north, meaning that Angel Street will be redeveloped into a three-lane highway.
• Hologram security guards go on duty at Manchester AirportPassengers at Manchester Airport will be greeted by holograms of staff from next week in a bid to reduce security check queues. The images of customer service workers John and Julie were created by the same company which brought the chart-topping animated band Gorillaz to life on stage.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Children™s bus fares set to rise by 25%CHILD bus fares look set to rise for the first time in eight years – jumping by 25% in April.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Dual-carriageway finally approved for Aberdeen-Ellon bottleneckPLANS to make improvements to a major north-east road bottleneck have finally been approved.

Bucks Free Press

• Pothole bill could top £100mMOTORISTS are being urged to report potholes as it emerged the cost to fix the county™s roads could top £100 million.

Other Regional Press

• Railway station work is slammed as ’shambolic’A RAILWAY worker has branded construction projects at Burton’s station ’shambolic’ and ’devoid of any planning whatsoever’.
• Savage funding cuts planned for children’s free transport budgetMORE youngsters look set to miss out on free school transport as the council slashes its spending.
• Consultation on county's three-year Transport Plan underway.Opportunity to influence county™s transport priorities.
• 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.
• Grand Central scores for passenger satisfaction A TRAIN company operating services to London from Brighouse has received a thumbs up.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Kingskerswell Bypass tests Gov't commitment to green transport28 January: Next week the Government will decide whether the Kingskerswell Bypass can apply for funding. It's a test of their commitment to sustainable transport. read more

Aviation Industry

• Banning night flights would give a net economic benefitA report by independent consultancy CE Delft was launched at the House of Commons on 27th Jan. It shows that banning night flights would almost certainly give a large net economic benefit. The study looked at the economic costs and benefits using an approach called Social Cost Benefit Analysis (SCBA). This approach places economic values [...]
• SunExpress to double its fleet to 50 by 2015; German subsidiary to launch in MaySunExpress, the Antalya-based joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, is setting the stage to launch its new subsidiary, SunExpress Germany, and plans to double its fleet to 50 aircraft by 2015.
• Here are the safest U.S. airlinesDelta Air Lines Inc. was the fifth-safest airline in 2010, according to a new study released by USNews.com. Atlanta-based Delta had 77 documented incidents out of approximately 1,994,725 flights, the report said.
• Hammond: œWe will not agree.Secretary of state for transport Philip Hammond has acknowledged he and airline bosses are likely to disagree on some key issues, but called on the industry to back a new government strategy for aviation
• The interview: Peter HillABTN speaks to Oman Air™s CEO Peter Hill, about future plans for the airline
• Government signals no change on premium economy APDThe Government has indicated it may stand firm on keeping airlines™ premium economy class under the higher rate of Air Passenger Duty
• Airlines mull Egypt flights as protests escalateBritish Airways has delayed its 17.00 Heathrow-Cairo flight while it assesses the increasingly volatile situation in Egypt

Other News Sources

• Government committed to extending high speed railScottish secretary Michael Moore said the Government is committed to extending the planned high-speed rail network as far north as Edinburgh and Glasgow. Shadow Scottish minister Tom Greatrex had accused the Government of sending out “confusing” messages over proposals to construct high-speed rail north of the border.
• Last train tonight on Wrexham and Shropshire railways - the UK's most popular rail service killed off by corporate greedALL STAFF employed by Wrexham and Shropshire railways will be on board the final 18.30 service from London Marylebone to Wrexham as corporate greed kills off Britain's most popular railway.
• 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.
• Women dominate business travelMore than 65% of people who work in the business travel industry are female, a new survey has revealed
• Comment: Travel buyers require mission-critical, proven travel distribution solutionsKevin P. Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, shares his views on the latest moves in the air fare distribution conflict between American Airlines and Sabre
• Face-to-face time vital for businessConference calls simply don™t cut the mustard, according to a new survey of business travellers in the UK