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

Friday, 03 June 2011

BBC News

• Plans revealed for 'difficult' Stroud canal extension Plans for a "particularly difficult" canal extension through Stroud have been revealed to the public.
• Bristol bus services facing council cuts Cuts totalling £2m are to be made to the transport budget in Bristol meaning services such as the yellow school bus in Henbury could be axed.
• DfT error labels A428 near Cambridge 'worst for jams' The Department for Transport (DfT) has admitted an error in describing the A428 in Cambridgeshire as England's least reliable road.
• Three quarters of UK workers 'half an hour from work' Three-quarters of UK workers have journeys to work of less than 30 minutes, according to the Office for National Statistics.
• Only 35% of Londoners drive to workA report by the Office for National Statistics highlights the discrepancies between those commuting to jobs in London and the rest of the nation.

Department for Transport

• Transport StatisticsAn error has been identified in the congestion statistics that were published by DfT earlier today. The error affects the A428 which was identified in the statistics release as a poor performing route.

The Herald

• FirstGroup buries the hatchet with US union Teamsters to pen bus driver deal ON one side were managers from Aberdeen-based FirstGroup, which has grown out of the former council-owned bus business Grampian Regional Transport.

The Independent

• The other North/South divide: why Londoners have worst commutesThree out of four Britons commute for less than half an hour “ but those travelling to work in London take far longer, almost one in five of them taking more than hour to get in. And, while workers in most parts of the country can still enjoy the comfort and convenience of a car to ease the journey, those heading into London are forced on to congested tubes and

The Telegraph

• Is there less congestion on the roads? Your ViewStatistics from the Highways Agency have shown that congestion is easing on major roads because drivers are apparently leaving their cars at home due to soaring petrol prices.
• Road congestion falls as motorists leave cars at home amid soaring fuel pricesCongestion drops as more motorists choose to leave cars at home.

Mail Online

• Long commute? Don't fret - you are likely to earn more than people who live round the corner from work SThe further you commute the more you are likely to earn, new figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal.
• Parking metres £2.4bn a year overspend by British motoristsThe astonishing figure is part of a study that has revealed the amount the nation's motorists overspend in car parks across the country each year.

Network Rail

• WORK STARTS TO IMPROVE ACCESS AT SITTINGBOURNE STATION

Birmingham Mail

• Virgin train tickets rise for Birmingham services A TRAIN firm has been accused of a 45 per cent ticket prices hike by the backdoor on services in and out of Birmingham.

Derby Telegraph

• Airline moves base to save money and help keep cost of flights lowLOW-COST airline BMI Baby has moved into the base of its parent company in order to cut costs. The budget operator has moved 80 staff who were based at Pegasus Business Park, next to East Midlands Airport, to Donington Hall, which is home to the BMI Group. The airline had been at the business park, in offices dubbed Tiny Town, since it first launched in 2002. BMI Baby is now housed across a floor of Hastings House, adjacent to the main Donington Hall building. The airline's managing director, Julian Carr, said the move was designed to make cost savings and to be closer to its parent company BM...
• Campaigners get up steam to fight £32bn railway projectWITH the backing of all three major political parties you might assume plans to build a high-speed rail network are welcomed by all. Yet when the Government announced the detailed route of the first stage running from London to Birmingham, a sizable campaign opposing it sprang up. In part, it is driven by people who believe the line will ruin landscape near their homes but the campaign has also won support from other political and economic groups. With details of the route serving Derby set for publication by the end of 2011, opponents have now issued a warning for people here – when...

Edinburgh Evening News

• More tram chaos 'will do damage'THE new ten-month closure of Princes Street will leave Edinburgh's public transport infrastructure irreparably damaged if track repairs go ahead, the Confederation of Pass

London Evening Standard

• National Express calmed by new appointments National Express today drew a line under the ugly spat that emerged with its biggest shareholder when it filled the remaining positions on its non-executive board.

Manchester Evening News

• Return ticket: Congestion charge mastermind Roger Jones set to return to transport committee Transport supremo Roger Jones is set to make a triumphant return to the body which decides travel policy in Greater Manchester. Coun Jones, who masterminded the congestion charge bid, was the chairman of the organisation until 2008, when he was ousted after losing his council seat.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Ken praises A453 plans RUSHCLIFFE MP Ken Clarke has backed Notts County Council's plans to contribute £20 million towards widening the A453.

Bucks Free Press

• Rare bats discovered on HS2 route in Bucks A RARE species of bat has been discovered living in woodland in Buckinghamshire close to the planned route of the controversial High Speed 2 rail project.
• New county leader: My £25m pothole busting driveNEW Buckinghamshire County Council Leader Martin Tett explains his policy on roads and potholes in an open letter to readers.

Carlisle News & Star

• CHRIS HUHNE ISN’T REALLY UP TO SPEED ON THIS It might actually be a good idea to raise the speed limit to 80mph on the motorways, as suggested by Transport Secretary Philip Hammond.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Fuel cost a threat to school transportRISING fuel costs are putting school bus routes in peril, a county transport chief warned last night.

Other Regional Press

• Polegate MP given new railway responsibilities POLEGATE and Seaford MP Norman Baker has been given new ministerial duties, including rail performance, in a change to responsibilities at the Department for Transport.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Young people speak out against bus cuts Today a delegation of young bus users delivered a protest video to the Department of Education, calling for more to be done to support public transport options for young people. Their message is clear: young people want buses to be a positive transport option now and into the future. read more

Global Rail News

• Unions say commuting costs are a ˜huge barrier to work™Commenting on the latest figures for commute times, published today by the Office for National Statistics, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “The link between long ...
• Statistics show 75% of people commute under 30 minutesThe Office for National Statistics has released new statistics today showing the latest figures for commuting times. In October to December 2009 three out of four ...
• Dresden, Germany celebrates tram line extensionThe regional transport company of Dresden in Germany, Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG (DVB) held a celebration on May 29 for the official opening of the extension of Dresden ...
• China introduces real-name ticketing for high speed rail servicesIn a bid to improve security and ticketing fraud, China has introduced real-name tickets nationwide on its high speed services. Those wishing to purchase tickets for ...
• Railways score gold with Olympic timetableThe rail industry is pulling together for the 2012 Olympics by running longer trains at an increased frequency and later into the evening to make sure ...
• Birse Metro awarded final London Overground contractBirse Metro has been awarded the contract to complete the final part of the London Overground network. Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction link will ‘orbit the ...
• Deutsche Bahn and Russian Railways aim to create JV logistics companyIn Sotchi (Russia) yesterday, representatives of DB Schenker Rail and TransContainer, a subsidiary of Russian Railways (RZD) reaffirmed their intentions to cooperate closely in future in the ...
• Translink NI Railways welcomes Transport Minister to preview new trainsTranslink today welcomed Transport Minister Danny Kennedy MLA to Fortwilliam Train Care Centre for a special preview of the new ˜Class 4000™ train. To date, three ...
• Caltrain completes bicycle rail car projectThe Californian commuter rail line, Caltrain,  has completed a project to ensure that every train is equipped with two bicycle cars. The $300,000 project was completed ...
• Daniel Buren to create permanent artwork at Tottenham Court Road Tube stationArt on the Underground has announced that the renowned French artist Daniel Buren has been selected to create a new permanent installation for the upgraded Tube ...
• Work starts to improve access at Sittingbourne stationMajor work starts next week to make long-lasting improvements to access and facilities for more than two million passengers who pass through Sittingbourne station every year. ...
• Gatwick Express enhances First Class serviceGatwick Express, the non-stop rail-air link between central London and Gatwick Airport, has enhanced its First Class service by offering free access to a No.1 Traveller ...

Aviation Industry

• April sees air traffic reboundIATA has revealed that international air traffic grew by 16.5% last month, compared to April 2010
• Easyjet to drop GDS fees?The move is likely to be popular with business travel bookers, but will only be made if the figures add up, says CEO

Other News Sources

• National Express Adds Former Heads of Ferrovial, NYC TransportNational Express Group Plc (NEX) hired the former chiefs of Spanish builder Ferrovial SA and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority as non-executive directors as the U.K. bus-and-train company seeks to boost overseas sales.
• At least £250,000 wasted on Tube victimisation, says RMTLONDON UNDERGROUND has thrown at least £250,000 down the tube trying to defend its indefensible victimisation of train operator Arwyn Thomas, RMT has estimated.
• News from Caroline Pidgeon - Dodgy statistics on bus crime once again from Boris Johnson 1 June 2011 Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, has challenged the Mayor of London™s claim about bus crime statistics, accusing him once again of using misleading figures. In newspapers being distributed by the Mayor's re-election campaign across London, Boris Johnson has put his name to claims that bus crime has significantly fallen over the last three years and that "across London crime on buses has fallen by 30%" and buses are some of the "safest in Europe". ...
• MP calls for rethink on train service shake-up AN MP is demanding an urgent rethink on rail services after trains were cut. The new East Coast Main Line timetable sees the number of northbound CrossCountry services to Chester-le-Street station reduced from 14 trains a day to 11, with only four services on Sundays.
• A1 dual campaign steps up a gear CAMPAIGNERS fighting to upgrade the A1 north of Morpeth have welcomed news that it has been re-classified as a key national route.