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

Thursday, 24 March 2011

BBC News

• Thameslink project on the right track [blog - video]It does seem to bob along below the headlines - there is probably a little Thameslink fatigue because it has been in gestation so long.
• Manchester rail link is a 'boost'Funding for a new link between Manchester's main rail stations is welcomed as a boost to the region.
• 'Understaffing' caused derailmentA crumbling infrastructure and staffing cuts led to a Tube derailment last year, the RMT says.
• Oil tax 'won't raise fuel prices'Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander denies the windfall tax on oil companies could be passed on to motorists in higher fuel prices.

Financial Times

• DP World sees benefits from Mideast unrest Head of the Arab world's biggest port operator predicts governments become more open to trade
• Air industry has no fear of 'Learjet levy' Lobbying by some of the world's biggest carriers and tourism authorities paid off for many, as the chancellor announces consultation into the 'arbitrary' APD bands
• Fresh blow for China's high-speed railwayAuditors have uncovered cases of embezzlement and irregularities amounting to $30m from a three-month period of construction on the Beijing-Shanghai line last year

The Guardian

• Budget 2011: Government to reduce stake in Nats air traffic control business Treasury confirms plan to reduce 49% stake in Nats amid warnings from airlines of 'highly damaging' consequences
• Budget 2011: Airlines startled at 'delay' to air passenger duty increase they knew nothing about • 'What increase do they mean?' asks airline industry body • Treasury forecasts suggest growth expected in APD revenue
• Leeds reacts to George Osborne's budget * Manchester station links to benefit Leeds travel to North West * Chamber welcomes Leeds 'enterprise Zone' plan but says funding might be spread too thinly
• Osborne's message: forget the cuts, fill up your tankGeorge Osborne bowed to growing concern with instant 1p fuel duty cut for 'Ford Focus' voters and tax raids on banksGeorge Osborne has bowed to growing concern over the biggest squeeze in living standards since the second world war with an instant cut in fuel duty, but had his claim to be delivering a budget for growth undermined by the ominous prospect of lower growth, rising unemployment and higher borrowing.While insisting the government was sticking to its austerity plan despite a gloomier outlook for the economy, the chancellor levied a surprise £2bn windfall tax on North Sea oil companie...

The Herald

• Tourism boost as Kintyre ferry link restoredIt may be just 35ft long and have room for only 12 passengers, but a new fast rigid inflatable launch carries the hopes of economically fragile communities in Kintyre as it restores the ferry link between the peninsula and Northern Ireland.

The Independent

• Aviation tax: Flights tax increase is grounded for a year Holidaymakers were spared an increase in flight taxes after George Osborne delayed a with-inflation rise in Air Passenger Duty (APD) until April 2012. The Chancellor said he would propose clawing back some of the money by imposing a tax on private jet users, who are currently exempt from APD.
• Rail: £200m boost for regional trainsA £200m investment in regional rail schemes was announced by the Chancellor yesterday.
• Roads: £100m more to tackle potholesAfter the cut in fuel duty, motorists had further reason to cheer as an extra £100m was promised for tackling potholes.
• Fuel tax: Respite from the relentless rise in fuel prices “ for nowThere was some relief for motorists after the Chancellor announced a surprise reduction in fuel duties alongside an expected delay in a planned rise due next week.

The Telegraph

• Budget 2011: Air Passenger Duty frozen until 2012 Plans to increase Air Passenger Duty (APD) have been delayed until 2012, George Osborne has announced in today’s Budget Statement.
• Duty cut as Chancellor unveils fair fuel stabiliserMotorists were finally granted some respite from the spiralling cost of petrol yesterday when the Chancellor scrapped next month's planned fuel duty increases and instead announced a surprise 1p cut in tax per litre.
• Budget 2011: Company car drivers face tax riseMore than a million people who drive company cars will see their tax bill rise as a result of the Budget.

Press Association

• Rail franchise action applauded Terminating a key rail franchise will result in the Department for Transport (DfT) receiving between £330 million and £380 million less in premium payments, a report by a Whitehall spending watchdog has said.

ATOC

• ATOC response to rail investment announced in the BudgetIn response to the Budget announcement on track improvements in Manchester and the Swindon to Kemble line, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies said: ...

Network Rail

• Boost for Liverpool Economy WelcomedPeople in Liverpool could see journey times to Manchester and Leeds slashed after the Government backed a five year plan to provide faster, more frequent trains across the Pennines.
• Network Rail Awards Major Crossrail Design ContractNetwork Rail has awarded a major contract to Atkins Ltd to design the bulk of works planned on the north-east section of the Crossrail route, between Stratford in east London and Shenfield in Essex.
• Boost for Manchester Economy Welcomed as Chancellor Announces £85m Plan to Speed Up Trains Across the PenninesPeople in Manchester could see journey times to Leeds and Liverpool slashed after the Government backed a five year plan to provide faster, more frequent trains across the Pennines.
• Boost for Leeds Economy Welcomed as Chancellor Announces £85m Plan to Speed Up Trains Across the PenninesPeople in Leeds could see journey times to Leeds and Liverpool slashed after the Government backed a five year plan to provide faster, more frequent trains across the Pennines.

Birmingham Post

• Wealthy campaigners could scupper High Speed Two A fast-growing campaign bankrolled by wealthy business leaders in the Home Counties could persuade the Government to delay or even scrap the HS2 high speed rail project, a Birmingham transport summit has been told.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Budget 2011: Osborne cuts fuel duty but growth is down CHANCELLOR George Osborne today gave a helping hand to motorists and the lower paid in a budget he said would boost

London Evening Standard

• BUDGET 2011: George Osborne raids oil firms to cut petrol pricesFuel duty is being cut by one pence per litre at 6pm - funded by a massive tax raid on North Sea oil giants.
• TfL rethink over closure of Blackfriars cycle laneAn outcry from cyclists has forced Transport for London to reopen a consultation on removing a cycle lane from one of the capital's most notorious bridges.
• City Spy: When Ed was trying to get third runway bid airborne Labour is planning to ditch its support for a third runway at Heathrow. Maria Eagle, the shadow Transport Secretary, says: "Ed Miliband has always been clear that he is sceptical about a third runway at Heathrow."

Manchester Evening News

• George Osborne confirms £85m Piccadilly - Victoria rail link in BudgetTransport chiefs have welcomed Chancellor George Osborne's £85m budget bonanza for the 'Ordsall Chord' railway scheme which will be a direct train link between Manchester's two main stations - Piccadilly and Victoria.

Metro

• New, hybrid buses to be introduced as part of guideway improvementsNew vehicles kinder to the local environment and quieter.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• European bank boost for Borders railwayThe project to create a rail link to the Borders was given a financial boost from Europe yesterday.

The York Press

• Congestion charging in York ˜not on traffic agenda™ YORK™S transport chief said congestion charging will not be included in a blueprint for the future of dealing with increased traffic in the city.

Yorkshire Post

• Faster rail journeys across Pennines signalledFASTER and more frequent trains will be running across the Pennines after an £85m funding boost was approved by the Government as part of a £200m package of rail improvements.
• Road repairs money welcomed but councils still facing £10bn backlogTHE £100m pledged by the Government to repair some of Britain’s pothole-blighted roads was welcomed by transport chiefs but they warned the country faced a backlog of nearly £10bn in road repairs.
• Taxpayers foot up to £380m bill over rail franchise failureTHE collapse of the National Express East Coast rail franchise in 2009 will have cost taxpayers up to £380m in lost revenue by the end of next year, a report reveals.
• Osborne vows to get UK economy motoring again as fuel duty cutHARD-UP motorists have finally got some breathing space from soaring pump prices after Chancellor George Osborne cut duty on diesel and petrol in a business-boosting Budget which he vowed would “put fuel into the tank of the British economy”.

Carlisle News & Star

• Four week road closure as Carlisle bypass linked in to existing routes A stretch of road on the edge of Carlisle will be closed for up to four weeks while work continues on the city™s new £176 million western bypass

East Anglian Daily Times

• Budget 2011: Chancellor George Osborne cuts fuel tax by 1pBRITAIN’S motorists were given a small crumb of comfort today as George Osborne cut fuel tax by 1p a litre instead of putting it up 5p from next week.

Other Regional Press

• Budget gift to rail users CHANCELLOR George Osborne had a special present in his budget when he gave the go-ahead for converting the railway line into a dual track between Swindon and Kemble.
• £200m boost for regional railways Regional rail services across the country, including from Yorkshire, will be boosted by a £200 million investment announced by the Chancellor. One of the projects will involve a new stretch of track that will improve journey times in the Liverpool and Manchester area.
• Stourbridge to Walsall train-tram plan is on the right lines A TRAM-TRAIN line linking Stourbridge to Aldridge is a step closer after a business plan for the new route was handed to Network Rail.
• Plymouth to spend an extra £750,000 tackling the city's potholes A BLITZ on Plymouth's potholes and pavements is set to be launched after The Herald highlighted the dire state of the city's roads.
• High speed trains could lure Open golf fansVisitors to this year's Open golf championship could be speeding to the tournament on bullet trains.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Budget won't help end dependence on oil23 March: We knew that today's Budget would offer help for motorists with rising fuel costs but it's still a shock that there was so little on helping the UK move away from dependence on oil. read more
• 'Train journeys from hell'? What's to be done?22 March: Last night's Dispatches programme painted a pretty grim pict read more

Global Rail News

• Campaign for Better Transport responds to Budget statementReacting to the Budget, Campaign for Better Transport slammed the cut in fuel duty and the lack of help for public transport users. Chief executive, Stephen ...
• First step for Deutsche Bahn™s ICE services to LondonDeutsche Bahn has welcomed the report published by the European Railway Agency (ERA) as an important milestone towards the introduction of ICE-trains in the Channel Tunnel. ...
• c2c tops the punctuality table in FebruaryNational Express train operator c2c, was the best-performing train operator in the country in February with 96.5% of trains on time according to the latest official ...
• Southern announce works to Clapham Junction “ Milton Keynes routeSouthern have announced that from 28 March to 21 April there will be mid week planned track works taking place north of Clapham Junction platform 2 ...
• Malcolm Rail enjoys 10 years growthMore than 130 lorries a day have been removed from Scotland™s busy motorway network thanks to the burgeoning transport group Malcolm Rail which was launched 10 ...
• Network Rail awards Atkins Ltd with major Crossrail contractNetwork Rail has awarded a major contract to Atkins Ltd to design the bulk of works planned on the north-east section of the Crossrail route, between ...
• Institution of Railway Operators™ courses lead ˜quiet revolution™More and more railway employees are taking control of their careers, courtesy of the Institution of Railway Operators™ increasingly popular course provision. As the IRO launches ...
• Alstom Transport plans to adjust European manufacturing sitesOn 22 March, Alstom presented to the members of its European Works Forum (EWF) a draft adaptation plan focused on some industrial sites of its Transport ...
• TfL travel advice during TUC march & rallyOn Saturday 26 March 2011 a large number of people are expected in central London to take part in a march and rally organised by the ...
• East Coast launches plane for train ticket giveawayTrain operator East Coast has launched a special ticket giveaway aimed at attracting new customers to its services between Newcastle and London, following an airline™s decision ...
• Budget boost for Northern Hub rail plansFunding to pave the way for major rail improvements in and around Greater Manchester has been welcomed by the region™s transport leaders. The Chancellor announced in ...
• Network Rail welcome Budget boost to North WestPeople in the North West could see journey times between Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool slashed after the Government backed a five year plan to provide faster, ...

Railnews

• News: Rail union warns of pay battles as inflation surges As the nation waits to learn the details of today’s Budget from the Chancellor, the largest rail union is warning that the latest inflation figures are set to ignite a new round of battles for higher pay.
• News: Rail schemes get green light in Budget The Chancellor of the Exchequer has confirmed that the long-awaited redoubling of the Great Western line between Swindon and Kemble is to go ahead, as part of his Budget proposals.

Sustrans

• Harrogate Connect2 scheme closer to reality A new pedestrian and cycling link between Bilton and Ripley moved a step closer to reality last week, as the Planning Inspectorate granted a Bridleway Creation Order, following the recent public inquiry.
• Budget still failing poorer households Charity Sustrans accuses the Chancellor of delivering a disastrous budget which focuses on short term gains to get popular support. His measures to reduce and limit the cost of fuel mean that once again we are incentivising people to use their cars while failing to offer alternatives that would provide a transport lifeline to poorer households without access to a car.

Aviation Industry

• Budget: Good news on private jets, but otherwise a wasted opportunityPRESS RELEASE – 23.3.11 AEF has commented on the budget statement of 23rd March 2011. Budget: Move on private jets welcome, but otherwise a wasted opportunity The Aviation Environment Federation (AEF) has welcomed Chancellor George Osborne™s plan to tax private and business jets. [note 1] AEF Director, Tim Johnson, said: œWhen ordinary people on business or [...]
• UK passengers still highest taxed “ IATAThe new Budget has started to address the œfailing competitiveness of the British aviation sector, but œmuch more must be done

Other News Sources

• Budget 2011: Fuel duty cut by 1pGeorge Osborne surprised MPs by announcing a cut in fuel duty which comes into force this evening.
• Biofuels a carbon con says study A study by environmental charities and groups says that African biofuels will result in up to six times more carbon emissions than fossil fuels.

News from Europe

• Brussels wants no oil-fuelled cars in cities by 2050 The European Commission plans to step up its battle against oil- and gas-fuelled cars, and is drawing up strict targets to halve their urban usage by 2030 and "phase them out by 2050," according to an EU road map on transport to be published on Monday (28 March) and seen by EurActiv.