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

Thursday, 09 June 2011

BBC News

• Bristol night buses face axe in cuts plan Evening bus services in Bristol could run hourly with night buses scrapped entirely under proposals to cut £2m from the transport budget.
• High-speed rail backers in Birmingham sought by Hammond Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is in Birmingham later to gather support from the business community for the proposed high-speed rail link (HS2).
• Oxford cyclists win Cyclox commuter challenge Cyclist have decisively beaten other modes of transport in a commuter challenge run by Cyclox, the cycling campaign for Oxford.
• Weston rail line electrification 'not viable', says DfT The Department for Transport has officially ruled out electrifying the rail line between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare.
• Kent County Council in talks over A21 funding Discussions have been held with the government over a road widening project in Kent which was postponed in the Spending Review.
• Doncaster mayor Peter Davies slams park and ride scheme A park and ride scheme in Doncaster which cost £16.2m has been branded a "white elephant" by the town's mayor.
• 'Inconsiderate' drivers in Cornwall face penalty fines Drivers in Cornwall who park too far away from the kerb face being fined.
• BMW to invest £500m in UK factories BMW has announced a plan to invest £500m in UK car production over the next three years.
• Risk-taking drivers: despite what insurance premiums may suggest, young motorists are not the most reckless According to conventional wisdom, young motorists are the reckless risk takers - and this is reflected in the insurance premiums they pay.
• Union announces Tube strike datesStrike dates are announced by the RMT union in an ongoing dispute involving the sacking of a union activist.
• Longer trains during bridge workExtra capacity is to be added to two rail services while emergency repairs are made to a major road bridge.
• Second tram link 'vital' for cityA new cross-city tram link in Manchester will create major disruption but is
• Jobs to combat rail fare dodgersTrain operator ScotRail plans to create 69 new jobs to oversee the running of automated ticket gates being installed in Glasgow stations.

The Guardian

• TfL releases real time bike hire information London's transport authority provides application developers with real time updates about availability of its hire cycles
• Train link from Mersey to Milan may be back on track New plan to transform Liverpool's docks and Manchester Ship Canal

The Telegraph

• British Airways pays £54m to settle air cargo lawsuit British Airways has agreed to pay $89.5m (£54m) to settle a class-action lawsuit in the US over fixing the price of air cargo.
• Nissan to build new Qashqai in Britain, saving 6,000 jobs Nissan is to invest £192m in the UK and safeguard 6,000 jobs by designing and building the next version of its Qashqai car in this country.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham Airport wants to talk to its "neighbours" about night flying BIRMINGHAM Airport wants to talk to its “neighbours” about night flying.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham commuters to be offered free wi-fi on Chiltern trains Commuters will be offered free wireless internet in trains in a battle to win business customers.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 850 sign protest petition over Greengates bus route changes More than 850 people have signed a petition protesting about changes to a bus route.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Transport improvements a double-edged sword for North Wales warns expert GOOD transport links are vital for attracting foreign firms to areas such as North Wales – but cannot guarantee they will come, MPs have been told.

London Evening Standard

• £192m Nissan boost for UK car jobsJapanese car giant Nissan has announced plans to invest £192 million to build the next version of its Qashqai model in Britain, helping to safeguard 6,000 jobs.

Metro

• London Tube map 'sends people the wrong way', says researchMillions of tube users are being tricked into taking longer journeys “ because London Underground™s iconic map sends them all round the houses.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Four jobs axed at Oban Airport as council moves to cut running costsFour of the 13 jobs at Oban Airport will go under Argyll and Bute Council plans to cut running costs.

Other Regional Press

• Bus operator cannot afford park and rideThe future of a city park and ride service has been thrown into doubt after its operator announced it could no longer afford to run it.
• Rail report calls for better train service between Birmingham and Nuneaton OVERCROWDED trains on the Nuneaton to Birmingham route may soon be a thing of the past.

Global Rail News

• Bombardier to design & build Gold Coast Rapid Transit systemBombardier Transportation announced today that the GoldLinQ consortium, of which is it a member, has been awarded a contract by the Queensland Government to design, build, ...
• Freight traffic in U.S. increasesThe Association of American Railroads has reported that carloads in May 2011 increased 0.5% compared with the same month last year, for a total of 1,159,328 ...
• VIA Rail Canada brings back bicycle schemeVIA Rail Canada has announced that as in previous summers, its bike trains are back. With more departures and more destinations to choose from there are ...
• RAIB investigating FCC incident at Kentish TownThe RAIB is investigating an incident which took place between London St Pancras International (Low Level) and Kentish Town stations, on 26 May 2011. At approximately ...
• CSX cuts greenhouse gas emissions ahead of scheduleCSX Corporation announced that the company reached its voluntary goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 8% per revenue ton mile ahead of schedule. The achievement, ...
• Automatic ticket gates bring new jobs to GlasgowAlmost 70 jobs are being created by ScotRail at four Glasgow stations. They are in connection with the introduction of automatic ticket gates at Anderston, Argyle ...
• Passengers call for rail industry to make report card publicPassengers have thrown their support behind the Government™s push for a transparent, accountable and value for money rail industry by publishing more information about train performance. ...
• The revival strategy “ Cotswold LineWritten by Collin Carr. Progress with the redoubling of the 86-mile Cotswold Line has featured in previous issues of the rail engineer with David Northey, Network ...
• Red is for Gantry “ Arnside ViaductWritten by Mungo Stacy. Arnside Viaduct is the subject of major activity. Close to hand in the give-away-the compound, four sets of double-decker cabins indicating the ...
• Railway veteran honoured for emergency responseScotRail train driver Willie Dickson was honoured by an entire town this week for his ‘outstanding act of courage and bravery’ in securing the safety of ...
• London Midland fits trains with electricity metersLondon Midland has become the first UK train operating company (TOC) to equip 100% of its electric train fleet with energy meters. Traditionally, TOCs buy electricity ...
• More bins on London Underground for a tidier TubeLondon Underground (LU) has launched a campaign, in partnership with the Mayor of London, Metro newspapers and Keep Britain Tidy, to encourage Tube customers to dispose ...
• Sabre Rail appointed as distributor of Atlas Copco™s GAR rail vehicle compressorsRail rolling stock component specialist, Sabre Rail, has been appointed by Atlas Copco Compressors as an authorised distributor for its GAR range of rail vehicle rotary ...

Aviation Industry

• Airport car park scheme reopens for rail commutersA limited edition car park season ticket for rail commuters is being re-launched at Stansted Airport this week...
• Hertz debuts electric bike rentalThe scheme is initially only available in London, but if successful it could be rolled out in other cities

Other News Sources

• Wincanton's CE is a former judo champEric Born, the man at the helm of Wincanton, was a judo star before joining the world of logistics, Roadtransport.com reveals.
• Assembly to question the need for future fare rises 8 June 2011 Transport for London is suggesting bus and Tube fares will need to rise by two per cent above inflation each year until 2015 [1]. Is this really necessary and what is being done to keep fares to a minimum? The London Assembly™s Budget and Performance Committee will tomorrow question senior members of Transport for London (TfL) about its Business Plan and the Mayor™s 2012 fares decision. Members will discuss the annual fare rises assumed in the plan, the implications for Londoners of proposed increases, and recent trends in fa...