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

Tuesday, 19 April 2011

BBC News

• Northamptonshire council asks bus users about £2m cut bid Bus passengers in Northamptonshire are being asked their views on how to best to provide public transport at a time of budget cuts.
• Candidates clash over fuel pricesPoliticians face questions about what they would do to help motorists with rising fuel prices.
• VIDEO: 'Yellow road' baffles residentsA council has painted yellow lines along a pavement to remind pedestrians where to walk
• Heathrow child detentions warningChildren are being held overnight in "degrading" conditions at Heathrow Airport, a watchdog has warned.
• Road and rail audit after M1 fireAn audit of road and railways that could be at risk from industrial accidents is ordered after the fire that caused major disruption on the M1.
• Train is evacuated after stabbingHundreds of people are evacuated from an East Coast train in Lincolnshire after a passenger is stabbed.
• AUDIO: M1 'damaged beyond repair'Roads minister Mike Penning says parts of the M1 are
• Cable car work to start in summerConstruction work on London's new cable car, linking two Olympic venues on opposite sides of the Thames, will start this summer.
• Toyota resumes Japan productionToyota resumes production at all of its car plants in Japan for the first time, but only at half capacity.

Department for Transport

• Uninsured driving crackdown moves step closerA new system to tackle uninsured driving moved a step closer today as Road Safety Minister Mike Penning laid the final regulations in Parliament.

Financial Times

• Sparks fly over fast trainsThe cost of upgrading the west coast rail line as an alternative to building the proposed High Speed 2 line has almost doubled in12 months, making HS2 appear better value than previously believed
• 'Nimbys' begin struggle over High Speed 2Opponents of the fast train line deny the nimby label and are building a case against the project that some in Westminster say could gather momentum as with the forests sell-off U-turn
• Nat Express faces further scrutinyThe troubles at National Express deepen after a leading US shareholder lobby group voices concerns over the bus and rail operator's corporate governance procedures

The Guardian

• M1 reopens but Easter motorists face speed restrictions and narrow lanes Holidaymakers told to expect delays over Bank Holiday weekend after scrapyard fire forced part-closure

The Telegraph

• Virtual journey across Thames on-board new cable carTransport for London has confirmed construction on a cable car across the Thames will start this summer.

Press Association

• Bombardier wins big German train order BERLIN — German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said Monday it has placed an order with Canada's Bombardier for 200 diesel locomotives worth up to 600 million euros (CAN$826 million, $862 million).

Daily Express

• Eurotunnel boostTOUR operator fuel surcharges have boosted Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel.

Mail Online

• Drivers who don't renew their insurance in time face having their car clampedThe new clamp-and-scrap powers are being given to the DVLA by ministers and are a new weapon in the Government’s armoury against uninsured drivers.

ATOC

• Bids invited for new £100m station improvement fundStations of any size across England, Scotland and Wales could benefit from a new £100m station improvement fund launched by Network Rail and the Association of Train Operating Companies today....

Network Rail

• RAIL FREIGHT UPGRADE COMPLETE AS OXFORD ROAD REOPENS
• Bids Invited For New £100m Station Improvement FundStations of any size could benefit from a new £100m station improvement fund launched by Network Rail and the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) today.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Railway company resubmitting plans to launch new services in 2013 A train company bidding to run direct services between London and Bradford along the West Coast Main Line is preparing to resubmit plans after the rail regulator refused its original submission.
• Wharfedale line to get extra train services A rail users™ group has given a cautious welcome to timetable changes on the Wharfedale line as a result of additional carriages arriving in West Yorkshire.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Hawaii tram plan to learn from Edinburgh fiascoIT'S fair to say the tram project has been making headlines here for quite some time.

London Evening Standard

• Taxi drivers 'threaten lives of cyclists': I have been forced off road, says Green Mayoral candidateThe Green Party's Mayoral candidate risked angering thousands of taxi drivers today by suggesting they were putting the lives of cyclists at risk.
• Race to build £50m cable car across Thames in time for the 2012 Olympics Construction of a cable car link across the Thames is to begin this summer, Transport for London announced today.

Other Regional Press

• Railway Children protesters to 'dodge fares'Rail fare protesters are vowing to fare dodge their way to Kent dressed as the Railway Children today.
• Council U-turn over Bedworth bus service plan RESIDENTS have won their fight to keep their “lifeline” bus service which had been threatened with being affected by Warwickshire County Council spending cuts.
• High Speed Rail to cost Bedford residents £77mFigures released by the Department for Transport (DfT) show that Bedford taxpayers will be contributing 77m to the proposed High Speed Rail (HS2) line from London to Manchester and Leeds. The

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Regulations outlined to crackdown on uninsured motoristsIndividuals who do not have insurance for their vehicles could face a greater risk of being caught in the future, as government plans progress.Under the final regulations outlined in parliament by Mike Penning, the road safety minister, it will become an offence to have a vehicle without cover.This extends the current rule that it is illegal to drive without insurance in place and is expected by the Department for Transport to catch many more people breaking the law each year.Under the new system of Continuous Insurance Enforcement, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will be able t...

Global Rail News

• Bids invited for new £100m station improvement fundStations of any size could benefit from a new £100m station improvement fund launched by Network Rail and the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) today. ...
• Atkins to advise DfT on InterCity West Coast franchiseAtkins has been appointed technical adviser to the Department for Transport for the InterCity West Coast franchise replacement programme. The existing franchise, operated by Virgin Trains, ...
• Bombardier signs contract with DB Regio AG for 200 locomotivesBombardier Transportation and DB Regio AG have signed a nine-year frame contract valued at approximately €600m. The contract compromises of 200 BOMBARDIER TRAXX diesel locomotives with ...
• Rail freight upgrade complete as Oxford road opensOld Abingdon Road in South Hinksey reopens this week, marking the completion of Network Rail™s project to get up to 50,000 lorries a year off the ...
• FCC launch priority seating card for rail travelRail passengers who have difficulty standing will find travel with First Capital Connect easier thanks to the launch of a priority seating card. All First Capital ...
• First Hull Trains: ˜Catastrophic signalling problem™ caused delaysFirst Hull Trains has issued a statement to its customers who were affected by the major delays on Friday 15 April which then overran into Saturday. ...
• Students on track for career in Railway EngineeringFrom 11th to 14th April, one hundred students gathered at the University of Nottingham to attend a specially designed Railway Engineering residential course. Sponsored by the ...
• Secure Station status for FulwellFulwell station has become one of the latest South West Trains™ stations to receive Secure Station status. Local MP Vince Cable (MP for Twickenham and Business ...
• Crossrail confirms shortlists for remaining central London stationsCrossrail today announced the shortlists for the remaining central London stations “ Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel stations. The following organisations will ...

Railnews

• News: Station Champions' grant is restored – and doubled A new £100 million grant to improve stations has been announced by Network Rail and the Department for Transport. It effectively replaces the £50 million fund which had been made available following the Station Champions' report in 2009, but was then axed as a result of the financial crisis.
• News: East Coast takes off gloves over Network Rail failures East Coast has spoken out over continuing problems on its core route from London to Edinburgh, urging Network Rail to improve its standard of maintenance. A fatality in Bedfordshire caused major delays on Friday afternoon, but then matters were made even worse by the failure of a signal cable. One result was that Radio 4's live Any Questions discussion had to be cancelled, because most of its panelists were stranded by the delays.
• News: Cable theft now major issue, warns route director A Network Rail route director has warned that cable theft is now posing a major threat to railway performance, after the company came under fire from East Coast following major delays on Friday. Many trains were held up after a fatality at Biggleswade was followed by a signal failure at Retford, and East Coast has said Network Rail's performance must improve.

Aviation Industry

• Scottish expansion for Bmi RegionalBmi Regional has announced plans to increase services from Edinburgh and Glasgow this summer
• LOT retires Embraer 145 fleetLOT Polish Airlines is replacing its fleet of Embraer 145 aircraft with Embraer 170, 175 and 190-200 planes
• Asia traffic down 25% “ DeltaThe Japanese earthquake and tsunami has caused the number of passengers travelling with Delta through Asia to decline significantly

Other News Sources

• Village roads to be fixed SEVERAL roads in Compton and Shawford will be resurfaced this month, parish councillors heard at their latest meeting.
• Crossrail shortlist for remaining central London stations announcedCrossrail has confirmed the shortlisted bidders for the four remaining central London stations.
• Balfour Beatty wins £315m West Sussex maintenance jobBalfour Beatty is set to be named preferred bidder for West Sussex County Council™s £315 million highways maintenance contract.
• Cambridge University Solar Car Team launches national design competition for school pupilsTo celebrate their new solar car design, Cambridge University Eco Racing (CUER) are launching a national competition, for school pupils aged from 6 to 14, to design a car for the future. Unlike CUER's car, the designs will not be restricted to solar power, but the team will still be looking for some exciting and innovative ideas. 19/04/11

Other Subscription Services

• Pirates target Indian seafarers in backlash against Delhi™s tough stanceShipowners slam latest move by Somali pirates
• Siemens places second platform order at Nordic Yards Shipbuilder to start construction of offshore platform in May