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

Monday, 28 February 2011

BBC News

• Surrey road network 'needs £400m' ahead of Olympic race About £400m needs to be spent to bring Surrey's roads up to scratch at a time when the county is under pressure as it hosts next year's Olympic cycle race.
• Battle in Tory heartlands over £30bn north-south rail link enters new phase Transport secretary Philip Hammond launches consultation citing poll showing public support for network
• Thornaby train passengers to get free books Train passengers are to to be given free books as part of a campaign to promote libraries.
• Overcharge possibility 'a drawback' of Oyster card [blog]Oyster is fast and convenient but the system is not perfect. I've been given a break-down by the Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly
• Second day of Welsh train strikeRail passengers are being advised to make alternative travel arrangements as strike action in a row over pay by drivers for Arriva Trains Wales enters a second day.
• Potholes cost councils millionsCouncils across England are paying out millions to repair potholes and compensate road users affected by them, BBC research finds.
• Views sought on high-speed railThe government is to begin consulting the public on the proposed £17bn high-speed rail line from London to Birmingham.
• Geneva car show aims for recoveryHigh-powered gas guzzlers and ultra fuel efficient models get ready to drive Europe's motor industry out of recession.

Financial Times

• Network Rail chief in push for opennessDavid Higgins says the company must move from the conflict-driven relations with train companies and suppliers that have dogged the industry's efforts to improve performance and save costs
• The high cost of high-speed rail in UKIn an ideal world the London to Birmingham line might be a wonderful thing to have; at a time of tough choices on public spending it looks hard to justify

The Guardian

• London week ahead: Boris Johnson's enlarging claims about transport crime [blog]London's Mayor has been busy pre-campaigning for next May's election. On Saturday he spoke at a Conservative Party regional conference in Eric Pickles's favourite London borough, Hammersmith and Fulham. According to the local party's blog he told those present:

The Herald

• Transport consultant calls for review of traffic light numbersTHE number of traffic lights on Britain™s roads should be reduced in order to cut congestion and speed up traffic, an influential motoring think-tank has discovered.

The Independent

• Crossrail signal speed is essential in the search for a new chief executive The search for the next chief executive of the £15bn Heathrow-to-Essex Crossrail megaproject has moved one step closer with the appointment of City headhunter Odgers Berndtson.
• King's Cross facelift: A peak behind the bandages Taking a peak at the nearly completed redevelopment of one of London's busiest railway stations. Matilda Battersby dons the orange overalls
• Move to raise motorway limit to 80mph 'will boost economy' Motorway speed limits could be raised to 80mph and those on city and town roads be reduced, with the decision on restrictions being made as much on cost as on safety. The Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, said yesterday that decisive factors could include the economic benefits of faster travel as well as environmental concerns.
• Engines run smoothly again as Rolls-Royce is named top brand It experienced a wretched year that saw its chief executive step down and the failure of one of its engines that could have resulted in the crash of an Airbus plane carrying 469 passengers. Then last week one of its bosses accompanied David Cameron on his ill-fated tour to bang the drum for Britain's defence industry.

The Telegraph

• The city transport chief earning £540,000 a year Britain's highest-paid public sector boss is the head of an organisation overseeing transport in Manchester, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.David Leather, the chief executive of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE), is receiving £45,000 a month, or £540,000 a year, according to sources.
• Motorway speed limit could be raised to 80mph Speed limits on the motorway could be increased to 80mph in a bid to increase productivity, Philip Hammond, the transport secretary, has suggested.
• Copper thefts reach all-time high A record surge in copper thefts poses such a threat to Britain’s infrastructure that it is deemed the second highest priority after terrorism, police have warned.

Mail Online

• Drivers see red after 30% rise in number of traffic lights Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1361295/Traffic-lights-numbers-increase-30.html#ixzz1FEihjCkdThe number of traffic lights on our roads has increased by nearly a third in eight years, researchers have found. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1361295/Traffic-lights-numbers-increase-30.html#ixzz1FEij7Npw
• Government considering raising motorway speed limit to 80mph 'to shorten journey times and help economy'The Transport Secretary is concerned 'safety' has been used as an excuse to stop raising the limit from 70mph, and to push for more 20mph zones in urban areas.
• Tories launch broadside against the 'Nimby' rail-link protestersTransport Secretary Philip Hammond will launch a five-month consultation into the £30billion scheme and will stress that the ‘national interest’ must come first.

The Mirror

• Views sought on high-speed rail bid The Government has launched a consultation exercise on plans for the controversial £30 billion HS2 high-speed rail project.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL WELCOMES THE START OF HS2 CONSULTATION

London Evening Standard

• Consultation on £30bn rail line bidAn important stage in controversial Government plans for the HS2 high-speed rail (HSR) line will be reached on Monday when Transport Secretary Philip Hammond launches a six-month consultation on the £30 billion project.
• Views sought on high-speed rail bidThe Government has launched a consultation exercise on plans for the controversial £30 billion HS2 high-speed rail project.

Metro

• Government denies 'speed limit cut plan'The government has denied that it is planning to cut speed limits in a bid to force drivers to use less petrol, as a Sunday newspaper reported.

Yorkshire Post

• We still support high-speed rail link to region, insists MilibandED Miliband has stepped in to insist Labour will still back high-speed rail lines from London to Yorkshire after his transport spokesman appeared to suggest the party could dump their commitment to the policy.

Bucks Free Press

• HS2 consultation due 'tomorrow' as 13 Councils slam 'not at all credible' planTHIRTEEN English councils have joined forces to oppose the Government's œnot at all credible plans for High Speed 2.

Other Regional Press

• Is the council now about to make a mess of the transport service?First the council was going completely to cut its provision of Argyll’s public transport service. Then it was going to cut 50% of it. Now it seems it is going to cut 50% of what are described as ’enhanced services’ – such as add on seasonal journeys to Ganavan Sands, north of Oban.
• Eight new office spaces created at town railway station SMALL businesses are lining up to move into Sleaford railway station. North Kesteven District Council (NKDC) is set to officially open eight new workspaces, following an eight-month programme converting part of the Sleaford railway station.
• Kingston train users charged £109,000 for incomplete journeys Oyster card passengers at Kingston Station were charged £109,000 for incomplete train journeys last year, according to new figures.
• Downham Market’s MP slams Network Rail over railway crossing saga South West Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss has written a letter to the organisation’s chief executive David Higgins expressing her concerns about the “absence” of a safe and suitable crossing at Downham Market train station.
• Exact-fare option for LeedsCityBus to be investigated.Small charge may be way of keeping city centre shuttle bus running.
• Be seen on the roads, urges bike safety teamFRESH advice for youngsters while they are out and about on their bikes has been issued by the county council. Gloucestershire's Road Safety Partnership, a group which includes the police, say the lighter evenings do not mean young cyclists should forget about road safety. Don Muir, cycling co-ordinator for the partnership, said wearing high-visibility yellow jackets was vital for cyclists. He also said adults could help by trying to get out and about with their children cycling as much as possible. The partnership offers training schemes for cyclists at schools across the county. Mr Muir...

Global Rail News

• High impact engineeringThrough Yorkshire™s rugged Pennine hills, the Penistone line links Huddersfield – the former capital of the woollen industry – with the steel city of Sheffield, some ...
• Transport links to Stratford International Station key for Olympics 2012The announcement that London had been awarded the 2012 Olympics saw the start of a huge redevelopment programme in many parts of the capital, with the ...
• Signal sighting: A new viewSignalling design is going through many changes and one of the overriding aspects of this is the integration and expansion of software tools. Desktop signal sighting ...
• Telent: Maintaining rail™s communication assetsLiverpool to Penzance using any route across London and taking in the sights of Norwich on the way – a bit of a strange trip even ...

Railnews

• News: HS2 consultation unveiled, but protests go on The Department for Transport begins its consultation over the route of HS2 today. Although protestors have continued to make their voices heard, the start of consultation has been welcomed by many.

Other News Sources

• Crossrail appoints two non-executive directorsCrossrail has appointed two non-executive directors in a bid to increase railway operations experience at board level.