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

Wednesday, 23 March 2011

BBC News

• Heathrow expansion grounded indefinitely? [blog]Here's a piece I've done on the Labour Party reconsidering its support for a third runway at Heathrow. While Labour say they are merely reassessing their policies, campaigners believe they are paving the way to drop support for expansion at Heathrow completely.
• Port Talbot rail station upgrade 'long overdue' Plans are being drawn-up for a multi-million pound upgrade of Port Talbot Parkway railway station.
• Scheme to dual final stretch of A11 gets final approval A scheme to widen the last single carriageway section of the A11 through Norfolk and Suffolk has been approved.
• Devon council gives government bus warning Devon County Council has warned the government that the future of local bus services would be affected by any national spending cuts or price rises.
• Stoke-on-Trent platform 'too short' for Pendolino train Network Rail has applied to extend a platform at a listed Staffordshire railway station to cope with planned longer tilting trains.
• Trains restart after signal chaosPower is restored on the south Wales rail network after a blown fuse affects some 20,000 passengers, with many stranded on 30 trains between stations.
• Seat belts law for school busesSeat belts will be compulsory on school buses from 2014 under legislation passed by the Welsh assembly.
• Borders railway loan deal agreedA £100m loan agreement is put in place to help fund the construction of a rail link between Edinburgh and the Borders.
• Lothian Buses raise fare pricesLothian Buses is planning to raise the cost of an adult single fare next month as a result of rising fuel costs.
• Forth Ports backs £745m takeoverDirectors at Forth Ports agree to a sale of the firm to a private equity investment fund based in London, valuing it at £745m.
• VIDEO: Victorian railway hotel restoredThe St Pancras Hotel, part of the golden age of rail, has been restored to its former glory
• 'Narrow' train seats criticisedSouth West Trains is criticised for introducing seats with a width of 43cm (18in) on some of its mainline trains between Portsmouth and London.
• Carmaker restart hits supply bumpCarmakers Toyota and Honda say they will not restart production this week as they struggle to get parts supplied.

Financial Times

• Quake dents Pacific air travel demandAirlines have been scrambling to cope after the earthquake and nuclear power crisis in Japan discouraged tourism and caused widespread disruptions to commerce
• Forth Ports agrees £751m takeoverThe owner of the Port of Tilbury on the Thames has agreed to sell itself to Arcus Capital, its largest shareholder, for £751m
• Prospect of 'Learjet levy' runs into flakThe head of London Executive Aviation said such a stealth tax misunderstood the importance of private jets to time-pressed business executives

The Guardian

• What do you want to ask Philip Hammond, the transport secretary? Everyone's got a gripe about transport. Philip Hammond, the transport secretary, is the man in charge of dealing with them. I've got an interview with him on Thursday and I'd like to know what you want me to ask.
• Air travel is no privilege for the poor If you're in any doubt that the class war is raging in the field of transport design, try travelling in the same week from London St Pancras International on the Eurostar, and then from Luton airport on a low-cost airline.
• Power surge leaves thousands of rail passengers stranded Routes in south Wales brought to a standstill after signals, points and level crossings damaged

The Herald

• New Forth bridge may cost £700m less than expected INDUSTRY observers and opposition politicians were left stunned yesterday after Finance Secretary John Swinney announced the cost of building a new Forth road bridge will be up to £700 million less than expected.
• Young motorists facing ban on driving at night YOUNG drivers could face curbs on late-night driving, have to go through post-test training, and have “black box” monitoring equipment fitted to their vehicles as part of radical proposals to cut the number of deaths on Scotland’s roads.
• Pressure on Chancellor as fuel prices hit record high FUEL prices have reached a record high at the pumps increasing pressure on George Osborne to offer relief for hard- pressed motorists in today’s Budget.
• Rising costs put up capital bus faresBUS passengers in Edinburgh are facing the first fare increase in two years from Lothian Buses after the publicly-owned company said it was forced to pass on the costs of fuel and rising inflation.
• Borders rail link boosted by £100m European loanPLANS to reconnect the Scottish Borders to the UK rail network have been boosted after a £100 million loan was agreed with the European Investment Bank (EIB).
• Ferry fare scheme lures more visitorsA FERRY subsidy scheme that has halved fares to the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree has boosted visitor numbers but produced mixed results among islanders and businesses, a report has found.

The Telegraph

• High speed rail At least 21 ancient woods will be lost to accommodate the 140 mile long high speed rail line from London to Birmingham, it has been claimed.

Mail Online

• Budget 2011: Petrol prices reach record high as George Osborn brings reliefThe AA said last night that the average cost of petrol was 133.46p a litre, with diesel at 140.01p a litre. Just a year ago, drivers were paying 116.71p a litre for petrol and 117.42p for diesel.
• As the last British-owned port is sold abroad... What kind of nation sells its soul to the highest foreign bidder?Yet despite their vital importance to our economic and military security, barely a murmur of protest has been heard as the great publicly-quoted companies that own them have been sold to foreign-based firms one by one.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham based Green Bus Company wins innovation award A COLOURFUL Midland bus firm has developed award-winning technology allowing parents to keep track of their children’s school journeys.

Liverpool Post

• Merseyrail seeks expression of interest for companies to build new fleet of trains THE much awaited replacement of Merseyrail’s train fleet has taken a major step forward with manufacturers being asked to come forward with expressions of interest.

London Evening Standard

• Pain at the pumps: Petrol prices hit record highsFuel prices at the pumps reach new record highs, with diesel passing the 140p a litre mark for the first time, the AA said

Manchester Evening News

• £85m train link between Piccadilly and Victoria stations set for go ahead Manchester's two main train stations are set to be joined by an £85m direct train link.
• Manchester Airport lobbies government over tax jobs threatHundreds of jobs could be under threat at Manchester Airport unless the government reforms its controversial aviation tax, owners Manchester Airports Group have warned. It is rumoured chancellor George Osborne is gearing-up to hike Air Passenger Duty (APD) - is passed-on to travellers through ticket prices - for the fourth time in three years in Wednesday's budget.
• Manchester Airport bosses rule out any fresh compensation pay-outs over second runwayIt is understood that around 700 people living in Mobberley and Knutsford were preparing to lodge compensation claims, alleging their properties had been devalued by noise and fumes from aircraft over the past decade. But airport chiefs today told the M.E.N. they will NOT consider new claims because all applications had to be made within a six-year legal time limit.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Row erupts over bypass as Labour ˜lets cat out of bag™ A row erupted last night after Labour transport spokesman Charlie Gordon admitted that the Aberdeen bypass may not be the top funding priority for his party if it forms the next Scottish Government.

Wales Online

• Arriva Trains Wales apologise as power surge causes South Wales train disruption Passengers were left stranded this morning after a power surge brought the South Wales rail network to its knees.

Burnley Express

• Burnley MP's pedal power messageBURNLEY MP Gordon Birtwistle used pedal power to support an energy saving campaign.

Other Regional Press

• Croydon Mayor learns of rail improvements on ride to Brighton The Mayor of Croydon, Councillor Avril Slipper and her husband realised lifelong ambitions when First Capital Connect gave them a ride in a train driver’s cab.
• Letter: Why not spend £17bn on existing railways? What is this obsession with getting from Birmingham to our capital 10 minutes earlier devoiding other manufacturing towns/cities (Wolverhampton/Coventry/Telford) of the same privilege?
• Dockers' union pledges support to People's Port in Dover THE People's Port bid was given a major boost on the eve of the public referendum on the community scheme when key dock workers' union Unite pledged its support.
• Bus routes axe on the agendaA boss from the transport giant which provides the majority of bus services across central Lancashire will be quizzed by MPs today amid fears that less profitable routes face the axe.

Wall Street Journal

• Cosco Pacific 2010 Net Profit Doubled HONG KONG—Chinese ports investor Cosco Pacific Ltd. said Wednesday its 2010 net profit doubled from a year earlier due to an increase in container-handling volume as international trade continued to recover from the global financial crisis.

Global Rail News

• Widened rail bridges in Reading to benefit road and rail usersWork to widen the two rail bridges on Cow Lane to provide more space for Reading™s road and rail users begins later this month. Once complete, ...
• Port Talbot Parkway refurbishment plans unveiledPlans have been unveiled for a multi-million pound investment to revamp Port Talbot railway station. Neath Port Talbot Council in partnership with Arriva Trains Wales and ...
• Madrid Metro Line 2 expansion completeThe President of the Regional Government of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, inaugurated the Metro™s new Line 2 section which connects La Elipa station to Las Rosas neighbourhood ...
• Interest in rail Freight Facilities Grants 10 times current budgetTransform Scotland and the Rail Freight Group have today welcomed the news that the grant requirement of recent Notes of Interest in applying for rail and ...
• ˜National Network, Local Service™ day a successKendal Mint Cake, Eccles Cakes, and Morecambe Rock were just a few of the homegrown favourites that rail passengers up and down the country were treated ...
• Borders Railway gets European financial boostA £100 million loan agreement by the European Investment Bank (EIB) will ensure the Borders Railway project can secure the best value finance, said Transport Minister ...
• Chiltern cancel work day engineering in AprilChiltern Mainline engineering work taking place in April has been revised and minimised to reduce the impact on passengers. The work was due to be conducted ...
• Alstom responds to ERA Channel Tunnel safety reportFollowing the earlier release of the ERA’s report on its recommendations for changes in safety regulations in the Channel Tunnel, Alstom have release this statement: “The ...
• Thameslink station platforms extended by 50%Passengers at Elstree & Borehamwood station can look forward to longer trains and more seats after two of the station™s platforms were extended by more than ...

Aviation Industry

• Labour may abandon support for 3rd runway at HeathrowReports are emerging that the Labour Party is close to ditching its long-standing support for a third runway at Heathrow. Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle is quoted in today’s Times (c18th March) as saying: “Ed Miliband has always been clear that he is sceptical about a third runway at Heathrow. So I do not start [...]

Green Miscellany

• New research bolsters case for 20mph speed limits New research by Royal Holloway College, London University, studied the perceptual limitations of children and concluded that they had difficulty detecting cars approaching at speeds over 20mph. read more
• The bicycle lock worn as a belt The idea of wearing a bicycle lock around the waist or across the shoulder is not new; bike couriers have been doing it with heavyweight chain and cable locks for years, but the Hiplok is the world’s first bicycle lock developed specifically to be worn on the body. read more

Other News Sources

• Heathrow ’Land Grab’ Looms as Branson Mulls Virgin Atlantic Fate Richard Branson may create a “once-in-a-generation” chance for Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) and Air France-KLM Group to grow at London Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport.
• BUDGET: Osborne to plough extra £100m into potholes fundAdditional cash to the tune of £100m has been added by the Chancellor George Osborne to the pothole fund, as part of his plans for a ’Budget for growth’.
• Manchester Metrolink starts Phase 3b UK: Construction work has started on a 3·9 km extension of the Manchester Metrolink light rail network from Droylsden to Ashton-under-Lyne, following a groundreaking ceremony held on March 8. This is the first of the projects included in Phase 3b of the network expansion programme to get underway.
• BAA™s IT overhaul to make Heathrow more resilientHeathrow is investing hundreds of millions of pounds in IT to share real time information, better respond to crises and offer improved services to passengers and airlines...

News from Europe

• Consumer backing key to electric cars, say motorists Europe's leading motoring consumer group argues that muscular public policies are needed if consumers are to switch to electric cars, citing in particular the establishment of infrastructure networks for recharging stations, environmental labelling and tax incentives for green consumption.