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

Wednesday, 23 February 2011

BBC News

• Thousands sign Shropshire to London rail link petition More than 7,000 people have signed a petition to get a direct rail link from Shropshire to London reinstated.
• Potholes: Councils get extra £100m to fix winter damage The government is giving local authorities in England an extra £100m to repair potholes caused by last year's freezing conditions.
• Forth bridge BP compensation scheme backed MSPs have approved a compensation scheme for BP, in case one of its key pipelines is damaged by the building of the new Forth Road Bridge.
• A step forward for the outer London rail orbital I've just found out that the crucial rail link between the East London Line and the rest of the Overground rail network is due to open next week.
• BAA sees losses narrow to £317mUK airports operator BAA reports a loss of £317m for 2010 after a year of volcanic ash, strikes and snow.
• BA cabin crew in new ballot moveA new ballot of cabin crew at British Airways is to be held in their long-running dispute with management.

Financial Times

• BAA / Ferrovial: sale plans boostedThe sale is key to reducing Ferrovial's own debt, swollen by the BAA acquisition
• High-speed rail link affects '10 homes'Only 10 properties in England will suffer from high noise levels as a result of the new fast railway linking London to Birmingham, the government is to claim
• Rosy outlook at Ferrovial's BAA unitThe owner of Heathrow airport has predicted record passenger numbers and a jump in profits this year as it reported that an improving global economy had helped narrow losses sharply for 2010

The Herald

• Ministers in secret ferry talksMINISTERS were prepared to give a private company an effective monopoly on a key Clyde crossing despite a campaign pledge to support its publicly funded rival.

The Telegraph

• £100m pothole repair fund The cash, which will supplement the £831 million local authority road maintenance budget, comes after one of the coldest winters in living memory.
• Number of homes to be hit by high speed train noise cutThe number of homes which will be hit by noise from a planned high speed rail line from London to Birmingham has been slashed.

Press Association

• Council quizzed on tram project MSPs are set to quiz executives from Edinburgh City Council over concerns that it has become "overwhelmed and unable to contain and manage the costs" of the capital's troubled tram project.

Mail Online

• £100m drive to fill in potholes from the 'big freeze' as insurers claim they've cause 3million crashes An extra £100million is to be spent on filling the potholes in the nation’s roads caused by the severe winter weather.

Bristol Live

• Call to pull transport scheme bids togetherCALLS have been made to consider merging five major transport schemes for Greater Bristol to stand a better chance of winning crucial Government money. The West of England Partnership – the body that represents the four local councils – is hoping the government will put £160 million towards £271 million of projects to improve transport in the area. These are the £50 million Ashton Vale to Temple Meads bendy-bus route; the £102-million north fringe to Hengrove route; the £45-million south Bristol link road; the £59-million package of transport works for Bath and the £15-mi...

Edinburgh Evening News

• Trams facing land delays TRAM bosses have been forced to admit they still do not own all the land needed for the first phase of the project.

Liverpool Post

• Government to proved extra funding to deal with potholes THE Government is to provide more than £100m of extra money to deal with potholes, it was announced today.
• RMT in privatisation warning over Merseyrail train tracks scheme A TRANSPORT union last night warned that Merseyside could be a pilot case for government plans to privatise the UK’s rail infrastructure.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Budget airline easyJet 'unfairly axed staff' BUDGET airline easyJet unfairly axed cabin crew, a tribunal ruled. The careers of 10 seniors based at Newcastle International Airport were grounded in December 2009 when the company put the group on gardening leave because of alleged unruly behaviour by some during a redundancy consultation process.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Fears council is on path to banning parking on pavements RESIDENTS have raised concerns over new powers making it easier for councils to ban parking on pavements.

This Is Local London Network

• Faulty train track making life 'unbearable' Residents have suffered months of early morning wake up calls caused by a faulty track on a railway line.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Reduced annual loss for airports groupAIRPORTS group BAA today announced a reduced annual loss for its Heathrow and Stansted operations during 2010.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Deepings: Bus route axed in council cutsCommuters in the Deepings will be left with fewer travel choices after Stagecoach announced it will be cutting its hourly Deeping to Peterborough service.

Other Regional Press

• Lichfield MP urges transport chiefs to clarify HS2 figures on potential increase in rail capacity Lichfield’s MP has asked the Secretary of State for Transport to look again at whether a new high speed rail route is needed to ease congestion on trains in the future.
• Cycle path regeneration back on trackA guided bike-ride along a former railway line linking Watford to Rickmansworth, took place today.
• Criminals tackled on town's railways ANTI-SOCIAL and criminal behaviour on the region™s railways has been tackled during a week-long operation by British Transport Police.
• New traffic lights set for busy roundaboutA £300,000 scheme to reduce congestion at a busy M55 roundabout in west Lancashire is due to start later this month.
• Kirklees Council to spend £50k to extend bus lane by 300 metres A £50,000 project to extend a bus lane by 300 metres has been slammed by a Waterloo resident.
• Beacons to be lit along HS2 route CAMPAIGNERS against a planned high speed rail line will light 28 “beacons” along the planned route next week.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Maersk pledges to cut emissions with ship orderA major new order has been placed by Maersk Line for ten new container vessels.The company claims the move will help it to tackle carbon emissions across its operations, with each of the Triple-E class ships offering the capacity of 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.Measuring 400m long, the container carriers will be the largest in operation, with Maersk spending a total of $5.7 billion (£3.5 billion) on the purchase from the DSME shipyard in Korea if it chooses to exercise an option to purchase a further 20 vessels.The move is a response to growing trade between Europe and Asia, w...

Global Rail News

• Network Rail release statement regarding their National CentreFollowing Network Rail’s announcement on the creation of devolved business units at route level, they state that they have been asked by local media what the impact will be on their new National Centre in Milton Keynes. A Network Rail spokesperson said: “This week™s announcement represents a significant change of emphasis to give our people on the routes the ability and the means to deliver a bigger, better, more affordable railway. At the same time, ...
• ScotRail announce investment in East of Scotland stationsScotRail has announced a series of investments at stations in the East of Scotland. They include the refurbishment and reopening of a former waiting room on the North Berwick-bound platform at Drem. In addition, a cycle rack will be provided at Drem. In addition, seven stations in the East of Scotland will be repainted during 2011 under the roll out of the new consistent brand for Scotland™s railways. The stations in the new ‘ScotRail, Scotland™s ...
• East Midlands Trains website wins top awardEast Midlands Trains™ online Best Fare Finder scooped the award for Information Technology Excellence at the Rail Business Awards on Thursday 17 February. Beating off competition from other train companies throughout the country, East Midlands Trains™ new and improved Best Fare Finder provides a quick and easy way for passengers to access the cheapest available fare for around 450 different UK train journeys. East Midlands Trains™ Best Fare Finder compares ticket prices from multiple times ...
• Northern Rail is Train Operator of the YearNorthern Rail is celebrating after winning the title of Train Operator of the Year at the prestigious Rail Business Awards. Northern, Serco’s Joint Venture with Abellio, was praised for going the extra mile to deliver more for its customers and for improving the punctuality and reliability of services, which helped secure a two-year extension to its franchise. The judges also recognised that at a time when people are watching what they spend, Northern’s value for ...
• Metrolink proposals for Oldham MumpsGreater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) is preparing to submit a planning application for Metrolink proposals in the Oldham Mumps area, including a new road layout. Under the proposals, the temporary Metrolink line from Featherstall Road to Oldham Mumps will run at ground level through a new junction at Mumps roundabout, until the town centre Metrolink extension opens in spring 2014. The plans also include the construction of a tram stop, creating an interchange with ...
• ˜Good Times™ by Eva Rothschild to appear on Pocket Tube Map coverArtist Eva Rothschild’s new art work, ‘Good Times’, commissioned by Art on the Underground will be displayed on the front cover of millions of Pocket Tube Maps from March 2011. ‘Good Times’, which will be available for customers to pick up from stations across the London Underground network, derives from and shares its title with a recent sculpture by the artist. Eva Rothschild, who often uses a rainbow spectrum of colours in her work, has ...
• CrossCountry announce extra trains to DevonCrossCountry Trains has announced that Torquay and Paignton are to receive two extra trains on Saturdays this summer, including the return of a direct connection with Scotland. Between 28 May and 10 September, train operator CrossCountry will be redirecting to Paignton two trains that would normally travel to Plymouth. These extra services are specifically intended to carry tourists to Torbay from Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland. In addition to Torquay and Paignton, the new ...
• Amtrak announce expansion of free WiFi serviceFollowing its well-received introduction on high-speed Acela Express trains between Boston and Washington, D.C., and last month™s addition of AmtrakConnect® on Amtrak Cascades trains in the Pacific Northwest, Amtrak has set the stage for further expansion of its popular on-board free Wi-Fi service in 2011. Amtrak plans to install AmtrakConnect on Northeast Corridor services and on more West Coast trains by the end of this year. With the recent selection of Nomad Digital as its ...
• A top down approachFor most of its route, the railway between Dundee and Aberdeen snakes through the undulating foothills of north-east Scotland or runs along the coast. This was demanding terrain for railway builders who had to construct many embankments, cuttings and viaducts. It continues to present an asset management challenge to Network Rail, attracting serious investment to ensure its ongoing integrity. At Carillion™s Bishopbriggs offices near Glasgow, Network Rail™s Project Manager Billy McKay explains some of the ...
• Measurements on the moveNetwork Rail is not just the infrastructure controller. It manages more than 100 rail vehicles for roles as adverse as weather mitigation and incident response. Although part of this fleet was inherited from British Rail, in recent years the company has made a significant investment in its infrastructure monitoring trains, operated by DB Schenker. Amongst them is the multipurpose New Measurement Train (NMT), converted from an HST set and maintained at Heaton and Craigentiny depots. ...

Aviation Industry

• Ash and snow temper BAA resultsBAA made a pre-tax loss of £317 million in 2010, a £505 million improvement on the previous year

Other News Sources

• Another four years to wait for A14 funds No Government cash will be available to improve the A14 until 2015 at the earliest, the News can reveal.
• Manchester needs HS2 One hundred and eighty years ago, Manchester led the way with the world's first modern passenger railway. Today, Manchester should be at the heart of the development of a high speed rail network in the UK.
• New Ryanair hangar opens at Glasgow PrestwickScottish First Minister Alex Salmond has opened a new £8M Ryanair maintenance hanger at Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
• No government cash for Woolwich Crossrail station fit outTransport secretary Philip Hammond has confirmed that no government funds will be made available to pay for the fit out of the Crossrail Woolwich station box.
• Green claims guide overlooks tyresDefra's updated green claims guidance is welcomed; however EPUK are surprised it fails to reference to the EU tyre labelling regulation.
• Minister pledges cash to cut highspeed rail link noiseExclusive: The Transport Secretary battles to head off a ministerial revolt over the new high speed rail link, spending £215m on noise reduction measures along the route.