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

Monday, 14 March 2011

BBC News

• Northern Rail brings in mobile CCTV to cut crime Train operator Northern Rail has introduced a mobile surveillance vehicle in an attempt to cut crime on trains and at stations.
• Protests over railway radio masts in Devon and Cornwall MPs and people in Devon and Cornwall living near planned railway radio masts have criticised the structures which do not need planning permission.
• Guildford station site to be redeveloped Residents of a Surrey town have welcomed plans for a multimillion-pound housing and commercial redevelopment at its railway station.
• Offenders scrub London Tube in time for royal wedding A group of offenders will be scrubbing Tube tunnels in Westminster in an attempt to get them gleaming in time for the royal wedding.
• TransWilts campaign group celebrates extra trains trial Campaigners for extra train services in Wiltshire are celebrating after First Great Western agreed to trial extra services in the county.

The Guardian

• The flying car – landing near you soon Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a flying car, and it could be yours next year for a cool £120,000

The Observer

• FirstGroup may give up First Great Western franchise three years early FirstGroup considers saving over £800m by handing back London-Wales-West Country deal as weak demand and delays in new rolling stock hit revenue

Reuters News

• FirstGroup could exit key rail franchise early - paper British transport operator FirstGroup (FGP.L) could hand back its First Great Western rail contract three years early in a bid to save 800 million pounds ($1.3 billion), the UK's Observer newspaper reported.

Daily Express

• easyJet joins Nectar schemeShoppers will be able to earn points towards flights as they fill their trolleys after easyJet joined the Nectar loyalty card programme.

The Mirror

• Speed limit on motorways could be hiked up to 80mph before summer THE motorway speed limit could be raised to 80mph in months.

Manchester Evening News

• No-frills and Middle East fuel airport growth STRONG demand on Middle East routes and new no-frills services, including expansion by easyJet, fuelled growth in Manchester Airport passenger numbers for the fifth month in a row during February, new figures show.
• Manchester Airport may be high-speed rail network hub The airport has been identified by government as a preferred location for a hub that would accommodate a new 186-mph network for England. A Manchester line would allow commuters and travellers to reach Heathrow from the city centre in 70 minutes and central London in 73 minutes.
• £3.6m grant to help plug electric carsElectric cars will soon be a regular sight on our roads after the region won Whitehall cash. The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities has been awarded £3.6m to set up a network of 300 plug-in points where motorists will be able to charge battery-powered cars. The system is expected to be up and running by October.

This Is Local London Network

• TV stars back Transport for London road safety campaign A ROAD safety campaign aimed at teenagers has been relaunched with the support of young TV stars.

Wales Online

• First Group considering future of rail service TRANSPORT company FirstGroup could give up its contract to run Great Western train services three years early, it was reported yesterday.
• Hopefuls aim to cash in on train driver’s salary Jobseekers have been peppering Wales’ rail company with applications – after high-profile strikes revealed train drivers’ £39,000 annual salary.

Sunderland Echo

• Rail vandals in the pictureNORTHERN Rail is taking its war on railway vandals to the streets.

Other Regional Press

• Quiz rail firm bosses RAIL users are to quiz management of two railway companies at a forthcoming meeting in Lincoln.
• Minister favours station overhaul A NORTHAMPTON MP has met with the transport secretary to lobby the Government over funding for new plans for Northampton’s railway station. Northampton South MP Brian Binley, who is also chair of Northampton Rail Users’ Group, met with Philip Hammond on Thursday to try to pressurise the Government into providing funding for the plans for the redeveloped station, which were first revealed in 2004.
• Wiltshire rail users to get big boost Train campaigners have welcomed plans to electrify the Great Western Main Line which will see improvements for rail users in North Wiltshire.
• Train campaign on track for changes THE Gazette is part of a campaign to get Kent's rail network back on track. At the moment Southeastern trains' service isn't good enough and action needs to be taken to put this right.
• Conservative chairman learns of HS2 plan anger CO-CHAIRMAN of the Conservative Party, Lord Feldman, learned the strength of feeling against the government’s planned high-speed rail line (HS2) when he attended the Buckingham Conservatives’ annual meeting last Thursday.
• Are speed limit cuts really necessary? WHAT is happening to speed limits? First it was the Laceby Bypass, and whilst the death of the two girls was tragic, do people really think that a 50mph speed limit would have prevented it?
• 'Humber Bridge bond plans will strengthen the region's economy'CHEAPER fruit and vegetables, better access to jobs and a stronger economy. These are just three of the benefits that people will gain if the Humber Bridge tolls are scrapped, according to the business community. As reported, businessman Malcolm Scott is proposing to buy the bridge for £100 million, with £20 million coming from investment by local people in the form of buying bonds. He outlined his plans during day two of the public inquiry into raising the cost of the tolls. Business people in the region today signalled their support for the plan – which they say will boost the regi...
• Call to slow down made to drivers after 19,000 caught speedingMORE than 19,000 people were caught speeding in Lincolnshire last year, new figures reveal. Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership has revealed a total of 19,424 people were caught speeding – four times as many as in 2008. Most were fined £60 and had their licence endorsed with three penalty points, but a fraction were offered educational driving courses instead, at £65 a go. Road safety partner- ship spokesman John Siddle said drivers in Lincolnshire covered 3.59 billion miles on the county's roads last year. He said:

Other News Sources

• North prospects "worryingly bleak" without action - PwCThe prospects for the North look "worryingly bleak" without sufficient resources and a commitment to tackling inter-regional disparities, according to research by the Smith Institute in association with PwC and Newcastle University’s Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies.
• Sainsburys welcome easyJet in Nectar points partnership Nectar points will soon be able to be exchanged for easyJet flights, following the creation of a new partnership between the UK’s largest loyalty programme and the UK’s largest airline. The initiative is backed by Nectar founding partner, Sainsbury’s.
• Humber Bridge toll hike A public inquiry into plans to increase the Humber Bridge toll fees to more than £40 for a return trip for HGVs has heard that the price hike is unnecessary and unjustified.