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

Sunday, 22 May 2011

BBC News

• Pothole repairs 'may cost £13bn'Repairs to potholes on England roads could cost up to £13bn, the Labour Party claims

The Observer

• Iceland volcano eruption shuts main airportKeflavik airport closed after Grimsvotn volcano erupts, but ash plume not expected to cause widespread travel disruptionIceland has closed its main international airport after a volcanic eruption sent a plume of ash, smoke and steam 12 miles into the air.The airport and air traffic control operator Isavia said no flights were taking off or landing at Keflavik airport.A spokeswoman said the ash plume from the Grimsvotn volcano was covering Iceland, but

Derby Telegraph

• 120-mile run and cycle challenge to hand in petition at Downing Street A TRUSTEE of the Lewis Mighty Fund is to run and cycle 120 miles in 24 hours to raise awareness of childhood cancer neuroblastoma. The challenge will take Stuart Holness from Derby to London where a petition calling for the treatment of the disease to be debated in Parliament will be handed in at Downing Street. The 35-year-old, of Mickleover, will be flanked by a support team as he gets in the saddle for the first 60 miles before pounding the pavements to finish the last 60 on foot. He said:

Journal Live

• Railway campaigners welcome extra trains to North East RAILWAY campaigners have enthusiastically welcomed new timetables that bring 22 more trains to the North East each week.

Metro

• Councils facing '£13bn pothole repair bill'Pothole repairs on England's roads could cost more than £13 billion, according to a new report.

Other Regional Press

• Northamptonshire lollipop staff could be given stay of executionLOLLIPOP men and women in Northamptonshire facing redundancy in July, could be given a last-minute reprieve after the county council announced it was “exploring opportunities” of maintaining the school crossing patrol service.
• Rail timetables change, Sunday 22 MayThe Summer/Autumn National Rail timetable starts on Sunday 22 May, There will be major changes to all rail services along the East Coast route.

International Herald Tribune

• Iceland Shuts Main Airport After Volcano EruptionOfficials said Sunday that it appeared there would be no wider threat to European air travel for the next 24 hours.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Government pledges to review transport industry red tapeThe government has outlined a series of transport regulations that could be scrapped as part of the Red Tape Challenge initiative aimed at reducing bureaucracy.According to transport minister Mike Penning, current rules requiring bus companies to keep perishable items left on their vehicles for 48 hours before disposing of them are among those that could be scrapped.In excess of 400 rules are currently up for consultation on the Red Tape Challenge website, including instructions regarding the installation of speed humps - such as the minimum and maximum heights of the traffic calming items - a...

Global Rail News

• East Midlands Trains announces cheaper First Class faresEast Midlands Trains, the UK™s ‘most punctual long distance train operator’, has announced that passengers in Sheffield and Chesterfield are set to benefit from cheaper First ...

Railnews

• Goodbye to the Guard: McNulty wants 'default' DOO Sir Roy McNulty has told a news conference in London that the railways must reduce their costs by 30 per cent within the next eight years, so that they gain a sustainable 'licence to grow'. Sir Roy has quashed fears that the price of rail travel is set to soar, although he is recommending that the balance of peak and off peak charges is reviewed.
• McNulty: union declares war on DOO proposals Sir Roy McNulty's recommendation that trains in Britain should be worked by one person as a 'default' in future have been met with an angry response from the RMT union. The proposal is one of a number of key reforms published as part of Sir Roy's objective to achieve a 30 per cent cut in railway costs by 2019.

Railway Gazette

• East London Line to Clapham Junction underwayUK: TfL announced on May 19 that its contractor Birse Metro had begun work to build the 1∙3 km of new track, using a disused alignment, that will enable East London Line services to reach Clapham Junction. The new corridor will run from south of Surrey Quays station to join Network Rail™s South London Line between South Bermondsey and Queen™s Road Peckham. The section of the orbital line between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction will have six stations. ˜Birse Metro is happy to continue working with Transport for London following the recent successful delivery of the extension to Highbury &am...

Aviation Industry

• Mercedes-Benz Helicopter Makes Public DebutEurocopter will soon deliver its first twin-engine EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style helicopter, after it made its world debut at the 2011 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Geneva this week.
• Airlines compete for customers, good reviewsAnother day, another industry laurel for Southwest Airlines. The company, which was rated as the best airline by Consumer Reports last week, was the highest-ranked carrier in a customer experience survey conducted by Nunwood, a global marketing research company.

Other News Sources

• British Airways Releases its Best Value Holiday Escapes for May BookingsBritish Airways launches great value holiday escapes to over 100 destinations worldwide for bookings made by May 24, 2011.
• RMT members at Heathrow Express to strike over payMORE THAN 300 members of Britain's biggest rail union working at Heathrow Express are set to strike after voting overwhelming for action in a dispute over pay.
• DfT to speed up accident investigationsMotoring research charity RAC Foundation says it welcomes plans to tackle the