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

Thursday, 17 March 2011

BBC News

• Scottish Borders Council pilots electric car pool Scottish Borders Council has approved a pilot scheme to provide a small pool of electric cars for social work staff.
• Future of London transport revealed at secret site [video]A vision of the future of transport has been built at a secret location in Bedfordshire - a life-size model of a Crossrail station platform.
• London mayor criticised over release of transport figures Boris Johnson has been criticised for releasing figures showing a drop in crime on London's public transport, ahead of their official publication.
• Airline scraps Manchester routeAn airline scraps flights from Kent International Airport to Manchester because of low passenger demand.

Financial Times

• Johnson attacks 'crazy' airport policiesLondon's mayor has criticised the government's contentious aviation rules and its refusal to discuss any new runways, adding that soaring taxes are an 'absolute disgrace'
• Lufthansa orders 30 Airbus 'Neo' jetsThe German flag carrier has ordered 30 of Airbus's new 'neo aircraft “ a more fuel-efficient version of its A320 family of single-aisle shorthaul jets “ 25 A320neos and five of the larger A321neos

The Guardian

• Magic roundabouts search launchedA contest aims to find which ones make motorists' heads spin, and which are quite pleasant “ in a roundabout wayBlooming flower beds, velvety lawns, graceful silver birches, the gentle background hum of happy cars “ to Tom Hemmingway, earth hath very little more to show more fair than a little patch of paradise, the roundabout in Nottingham outside the BBC's offices.He is so impressed by it “

The Herald

• Stagecoach takes eco-friendly route to fuel efficiency BUS drivers at Stagecoach will get bonuses of up to £65 if they use less fuel as part of a multi-million-pound scheme that Stagecoach hopes will save it more than seven million litres of diesel annually.
• Stena bus plan puts ferry rail link in jeopardy THE future of rail services to Stranraer are looking increasingly precarious after ferry operator Stena Line confirmed it would no longer use the station as an interchange from this autumn.

The Scotsman

• Fuel prices 'top transport concern'The spiralling price of fuel is a "critical issue", with the public placing it top of their transport concerns, a new survey has revealed.

The Telegraph

• Sale of railway cottages crippled train services The sale of thousands or railway cottages crippled the country’s train network when Britain was blanketed by snow, the Government has been told.
• Fuel prices: Ed Balls says George Osborne is too rich to understand motorists' painGeorge Osborne and other Coalition ministers are too rich to understand the hardship motorists face from high fuel prices, Ed Balls has said.

Press Association

• Fuel prices 'top transport concern' The spiralling price of fuel is a "critical issue", with the public placing it top of their transport concerns, a new survey has revealed.

Mail Online

• £1.25bn in a year: How Treasury milked drivers paying 5p a litre more VAT on petrol as prices soarMotoring organisation AA argued with extra tax pouring into the Treasury George Osborne has the flexibility to abandon a planned increase in fuel duty.

The Mirror

• Fuel prices 'top transport concern' The spiralling price of fuel is a

Network Rail

• NORTHWICH RAIL PASSENGERS GET THE HUMP

Belfast Telegraph

• Heathrow slips to 4th busiest airportRelated StoriesKraft chief snubs Cadbury inquiryThe 50 best delicatessensDekko to close two Northern Ireland storesDrink licence row halts Asda Belfast storeMinister hopeful on corporate tax cut

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Plan to make Bradford a capital of cycling Roads will be safer, people will be healthier, and Bradford could be become a key destination for cycle tourism “ if a new cycling strategy gets the thumbs-up from other riders.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram scheme's mediators prepared for the long haulefforts to get Edinburgh's troubled trams project back on track now seem certain to drag on beyond the Scottish Parliament elections in May.

Journal Live

• Axing Durham 773 bus will save 'piffling' amount A COUNCIL transport boss has admitted that axing a rural bus service will only save around £10,000.

London Evening Standard

• Fuel prices 'top transport concern'The spiralling price of fuel is a
• David Cameron hints at help for motorists struggling with 'painful' fuel billsDavid Cameron gives strongest hint yet that the Government will help motorists struggling with the 'painfully' high cost of petrol

This Is Local London Network

• WALTHAM ABBEY: Residents' anger at Oyster Card delay A YEAR after the people of Waltham Abbey were promised cheaper rail fares they are still paying over the odds.

Wales Online

• Welsh railways are unified for first time in their history THE railway lines of Wales are to be managed as a single entity for the first time in their history, under a “one-Wales” strategy by Network Rail.

Bucks Free Press

• Ex-Lib Dem to stand as anti-HS2 council candidateA FORMER Liberal Democrat who quit the party last month will stand as an independent this May - as an anti-High Speed 2 candidate.

Other Regional Press

• Forum to promote rail industry excellence BUSINESS leaders have teamed up to boost Plymouth's profile as a centre of excellence in railway engineering. The rail industry and the city's Chamber of Commerce today launch the Plymouth Railway Forum. Plymouth is a key UK base for the rail signalling industry and is home to a cluster of skilled rail engineers and advanced engineering companies at the forefront of signalling technology.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• London 'to become first contactless transport city'Consult Hyperion has unveiled details of a scheme it is working on that will enable London to become the world's first city to permit contactless payments across its travel network.Under the plans with Transport for London (TfL), the technology advisor is aiming to ensure bank and credit cards can be used by 2012 by any passenger in the capital with a single tap.The universal contactless payments initiative will bring together payment scheme providers, terminal specialists and card issuers in order to rollout the "touch in" systems throughout the city.Consult Hyperion...

Freight on Rail

• Strategic planning gap threatens the economy and the environment Commenting on the Communities and Local Government Select Committee report on the abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies:

Global Rail News

• Secretary of State Philip Hammond confirms that Intercity Express Programme would press ahead and the Great Western Main Line will be electrified Two major projects receive the green flag this month as the coalition government ramps up its support for the railway industry.
• Erail launch new Train Tour HolidaysSpecialist rail tour operator Erail has this week announced the launch of its forthcoming new 2011/12 Train Tour Holidays brochure in which they unveil their largest ...
• Dunrobin Castle Station stops begin 2 months earlyRequest stops at Dunrobin Castle Station are being introduced two months earlier than in previous years. The stops on selected ScotRail services at the station on ...
• ˜Harrington Humps™ to be installed at Northwich stationPassengers using Northwich rail station on the Manchester to Chester line are going to find it a whole lot easier to get on and off trains ...
• Edinburgh tram project back on track?The much-anticipated project to bring trams to the streets of Edinburgh has recently been fraught with difficulties, and work has been on hold since October of ...

Other News Sources

• Average emissions of new cars decrease further in 2010A report from the SMMT shows that emissions from new cars fell 3.5 per cent in 2010 and more than 20 per cent since 2000.
• Brighton bus company reported to consumer watchdog Brighton and Hove Bus Company has been reported to Britain™s consumer watchdog over allegations it has œunfairly targeted a smaller competitor. The Big Lemon, which runs on waste cooking oil, accused the company of œpredatory pricing in a letter to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
• Rising fuel costs 'squeezing millions'Millions of people in the UK are beginning to
• Rolls-Royce wins Trent 900 contract from Asiana AirlinesRolls-Royce has won a contract for Trent 900 engines to power six Airbus A380 aircraft from Asiana Airlines. The order includes a TotalCare® long-term service agreement. Asiana Airlines,...