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

Thursday, 31 March 2011

BBC News

• What the Tube upgrade is doing for Oxford Street... [blog]This is what the Tube upgrade actually looks like to many people. This is Oxford Street and it is closed to one lane because of the work to build the new Bond Street station.
• Wrightbus wins £50m bus contractBallymena company, Wrightbus, wins bus building contract worth more than £50m.
• Late-running Tube for the OlympicsThe Tube will close an hour later than usual during the 2012 Olympics

Department for Transport

• Government proposes longer lorries to help cut carbonSome lorries could be allowed to use longer trailers after independent research showed that this could cut carbon without compromising safety. The research is being published today by Roads Minister Mike Penning alongside a consultation seeking views on the proposed changes.
• Greener Growth - Views sought on new aviation policyBritain's aviation industry should be able to grow and prosper but not at any price, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said today as the Government set out to define the debate for a new sustainable UK aviation policy.

Financial Times

• Environment to be at heart of aviation policy rethink A change in night flight times and other aircraft noise measures will be considered as part of the government's protracted efforts to forge a fresh aviation policy
• Qantas cuts flights to offset high fuel pricesQantas said it was facing its toughest environment since the global financial crisis as the Australian flag carrier announced plans to cut international and domestic flights to counter the corrosive effects of high fuel prices
• Ruling confirms BAA must sell more airportsThe owner of Heathrow airport will have to sell two of its other UK airports following a provisional decision by the Competition Commission that confirmed its earlier ruling
• Yorkshire puts case in battle over fast rail linkBusiness leaders, MPs and Yorkshire council leaders have stepped up the battle for the £32bn high-speed rail link from London amid fears it could be scuppered by village residents
• Nat Express investors face Elliot demandsShareholders are on a collision course with US hedge fund Elliott Advisors, which is demanding a boardroom shake-up at the transport company
• 'Excessive' debit card fees face OFT probeA diverse group of merchants including budget airlines, estate agents, and taxi and insurance companies are accused of charging artificially high fees for transactions

The Herald

• There is no evidence that Crossrail would attract enough passengers K A Sutherland’s assertion that the £20m Budget Barnett railway consequential would finance Glasgow Crossrail phase one at a stroke, and still be achievable for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow is wide of the mark (Letters, March 28).
• 800 ferry sailings without passengers in one month CalMac blames Government for lack of timetable flexibilityCALMAC is making hundreds of ferry crossings with no passengers on board, prompting calls for an urgent review of services provided by the publicly-funded operator .
• Scots airport must be soldTHE owner of Scotland™s two largest airports is to be forced to
• Fuel only slightly dearer than 1980MOTORISTS are paying only slightly more for fuel than they did in 1980 due to improvements in vehicle efficiency, consumer group Which?

The Independent

• Tube to run later during Olympics Tube trains will run around an hour later during next year's London Olympics, Transport for London (TfL) said today.
• Rail firm pleads guilty over crash Rail infrastructure company Network Rail (NR) pleaded guilty today to breaching safety regulations over the 2002 Potters Bar train crash which claimed seven lives.
• Man arrested over fake bomb on planeA man has been arrested by police investigating how a fake bomb was transported on a cargo plane from London to Istanbul.

The Scotsman

• Union calls for halt to rail bonus The UK government was yesterday urged to halt a new bonus scheme for Network Rail (NR) executives which a union complained would give performance payments of 60 per cent on top of their salaries.

The Telegraph

• Heathrow only 99th best airport in the world Britain's main flight hub is rated as inferior to Calcutta, Moscow and Johannesburg, coming in at 99th in the table of the world's 146 principal airports, with passengers complaining of long security queues and poor “ambience”.

Mail Online

• Petrol price to reach £1.50 a litre 'within weeks'Despite a recent cut in fuel duty, oil prices have continued rising and will add 1p to the price of petrol at the pumps every week, the RAC has warned.
• Ryanair to impose new passenger charge to pay for YOUR right to compensationThe airline said the charge was to fund 'unfair and discriminatory' pay-outs to stranded passengers who face delays or cancellations following disruption.
• Heathrow rated 99th in airports world table, worse than CalcuttaThe industry league table shows the west London airport at 99 in the rankings of the world's 146 main airports, lagging behind Humberside and Mississippi.
• Potholes increase by 60% in a year as 1 in 5 roads in bad stateIt would take an estimated 11 years to fully clear the backlog of cracks on English roads outside of London.

Birmingham Mail

• Plans to close ticket offices dealt blow LONDON Midland has been dealt a blow to its plans to shut five Birmingham ticket offices after the government rail watchdog objected.

Birmingham Post

• High speed rail will cause 'slower, less frequent' trains, claims Taxpayers' Alliance Many train passengers will face slower and less-frequent services if the Government’s HS2 high-speed rail scheme goes ahead, a report from the Taxayers’ Alliance said.
• National campaign launched in favour of HS2 high speed rail link A national campaign in support of the Government’s £32 billion high speed rail plan has been launched, with outspoken support from Birmingham Airport.

London Evening Standard

• Transport Secretary Philip Hammond looks at more Heathrow flights More late night and early morning flights at Heathrow may be allowed under a shake-up of aviation rules.
• Bob Crow blasts 'biased BBC' after being dropped from Question Time with Boris Johnson The BBC has been accused of political "bias" after rail union leader Bob Crow said an invitation to appear on the flagship Question Time programme alongside London mayor Boris Johnson was withdrawn at short notice.

Manchester Evening News

• No U-turn on A6 traffic scheme that left motorists in Salford fumingThere will be no U-turn on a road scheme which has caused traffic chaos, a council boss has said. Work costing £10m to turn a busy dual carriageway in Salford into a pedestrian-friendly boulevard started last week.
• Out of bounds: Schoolchildren to lose cheap bus faresSchoolchildren in eight towns and villages across the border from Greater Manchester are to lose their early-morning concessionary bus fares. Transport chiefs have redrawn the boundary of the scheme to exclude Glossop, Poynton, Belmont, Edgeworth, Edenfield, Stubbins, Bacup and Whitworth.

Metro

• Meeting was chance to show Minister proposed trolleybus routesLeeds welcomes opportunity to ensure the Secretary of State properly informed about the NGT trolleybus scheme.

The York Press

• Press readers get chance to name locomotive READERS of The Press are being given a unique opportunity “ to name a train locomotive to represent the city of York.

Yorkshire Post

• BAA loses battle to retain control of two airportsAirport operator BAA will still have to sell two of its UK airports following a provisional ruling yesterday by the Competition Commission (CC).
• Minister praises Yorkshire Post over fight for high-speed rail linkTRANSPORT Secretary Philip Hammond has warned business leaders in Yorkshire “the deal is not done” for a high-speed rail link to the region and they will have to fight for it.

Burnley Express

• Ticket office plan for Burnley train station A NEW ticketing office and community hub should form part of Burnley™s new Manchester Road campaigners, according to rail campaigners.

Freight on Rail

• Coalition Government puts lorry industry interests ahead of road safety & carbon reduction Responding on the Government’s proposal, announced today, to increase lorry trailer lengths by up to 7 feet on UK roads

Global Rail News

• Rail infrastructure investment to drive economic recoveryAn event today organised by the British Property Federation (BPF) and Network Rail, ˜On the right track “ linking transport infrastructure, property investment and economic growth™, ...
• Network Rail finalises plans for Norbury station refurbishmentThousands of passengers who use Norbury station every day are in line for better journeys after plans were finalised for an upgrade of facilities. The improvements, ...
• High speed set of points installed on Chiltern MainlineChiltern Railways completed a major milestone over the weekend at Aynho Junction when a new high speed set of points was installed to increase the line ...
• Northern Rail honour charity campaigner Jane TomlinsonYorkshire charity champion, the late Jane Tomlinson, has been honoured by Northern Rail, who have named a train after the inspirational campaigner. Northerner Jane was diagnosed ...
• Crossrail confirms shortlist for rolling stock and depot facilitiesCrossrail today confirmed the shortlist for new rolling stock and depot facilities. The following organisations will be invited to tender: Alstom Transport; Bombardier Transportation (UK) Ltd.; ...
• Richard Price named as ORR™s new chief executiveThe Office of Rail Regulation today announced that Richard Price is to be its next Chief Executive, succeeding Bill Emery who steps down in June. Richard ...
• ASLEF explain dispute with London MidlandASLEF have released a statement regarding their dispute with train operators London Midland: “We have had a number of enquiries about the reasons for the dispute ...
• Harpenden station to benefit from new cycle parkingFrom Monday 4 April Harpenden Station will benefit from a number of new bike sheds as part of a £57,000 investment by First Capital Connect, in partnership ...
• Rail link in Cambridgeshire gets green lightCommuters in Cambridgeshire received another rail-related boost today with the news that Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has approved Network Rail™s scheme to remove a major railway ...
• Finsbury Park station improvements beginThe first phase of a major project to improve facilities and access at Finsbury Park station and ultimately provide extra capacity for more trains into central ...
• Tramlink Nottingham selected as preferred bidder for tram extensionWork began yesterday on a five month programme to finalise details of the high-profile contract to deliver a major extension to Nottingham™s tram system. Nottingham City ...
• London Underground announces plans for new District line timetableAs part of work to improve the reliability of the District line, London Underground (LU) announced its intention to introduce a new timetable in December 2011. ...

Aviation Industry

• BAA responds to Competition Commission™s provisional decisionBAA will carefully consider the Competition Commission™s provisional decision before making any decisions or further statements.
• Qantas starts charging for seat selectionInternational economy passengers flying with Qantas can now choose their favourite seats in advance online, for a fee of A$20 per flight

Other News Sources

• Crossrail confirms shortlist for rolling stock and facilities London rail project Crossrail has confirmed the shortlist of organisations it will invite to tender for new rolling stock and depot facilities as follows: Alstom Transport; Bombardier Transportation (UK); Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles SA; Hitachi Rail Europe; and Siemens.
• New waiting room for historic Wymondham train stop Passengers on the Mid-Norfolk Railway can now enjoy the comfort of a new waiting room thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Wymondham Rotary Club.