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

Saturday, 13 August 2011

BBC News

• High cost of petrol defended as oil price falls The forecourt industry has defended continued high petrol costs at a time when oil prices have fallen.
• Thousands expected at cycle eventThousands of people are expected to watch up to 140 top cyclists take part in a London 2012 test event on Sunday.
• Praise for riot transport workersTransport workers are praised by Prime Minister David Cameron for their bravery in
• Rail theft death brothers jailedTwo brothers are jailed for their part in the theft of copper cable from a railway line in south London in which a man was electrocuted.
• Heathrow faces 2012 'busiest day'The day after the London 2012 Olympic closing ceremony is predicted to be the busiest in Heathrow Airport's history.
• Honda plans new Mexican car plantJapanese car maker Honda is to invest $800m (£500m) to build a new factory in Mexico to produce more small cars for the North American market.

The Guardian

• Overcrowded trains: which are the most cramped journeys? London Paddington has been labelled the station worst for trains overcrowded with passengers. Which are the worst journeys and which are the busiest commuter cities?

The Herald

• Streetcar closes its Glasgow armA CAR hire club that offered residents up to £80 to hire out their driveways has closed its Glasgow operation only 14 months after it launched, and scaled back its Edinburgh project.

The Telegraph

• Britain's reliance on sea trade 'set to soar' Britain will become increasingly dependent on its maritime industries as globalisation drives a six-fold rise over the next 20 years in the value of UK international trade, a new study shows.

The Mirror

• Heathrow named official airport of London Olympics Heathrow has been appointed the official airport of the Olympics.

Belfast Telegraph

• Bullet trains on hold after crashChina has halted the manufacturing of high-speed bullet trains after the collision last month that killed 40 people.Related StoriesBusy quarter for buy-to-let lendersNews Corp up despite scandal BY ELLA PICKOVERSiblings ban over unfit tradingIT 'at risk' from workers' devicesNews Corp up despite scandal

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• MSP angry at slow progress in dualling Inverness-Nairn roadA Highlands and Islands MSP says he is œangry and frustrated over the lack of progress in upgrading one of the north™s most notorious roads.
• Councils plan government crunch talks on congestionNorth-east council leaders will hold crunch talks with the Scottish Government to discuss the funding and timetable for the Aberdeen bypass and other key transport projects.
• Ruling clears obstacles on route to bypass “ by 2017Drivers could be on Aberdeen™s long-awaited bypass by 2017 after a judge cleared the way for the road to be built.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds train passengers cursing the crush hour Rail users in Leeds have to put up with some of the country’s most overcrowded trains, new figures revealed today.

Yorkshire Post

• Jayne Dowle: We’re missing the bus on proper public transport THEY have been messing with the buses again. My friend Michelle came round on Monday morning with a tale of confused woe. The route of her bus home from town has been changed for about the fifth time in as many years.

Other Regional Press

• Major work on Chiltern Railways line MAJOR works on the railways between Birmingham and London are set to have an impact on train users in Warwick and Leamington over the next few weeks.
• ˜Iconic™ gateway for £51m revamped Northampton train stationA MAJOR redevelopment of Northampton Station has reached an “important phase” of the planning process, according to the chief executive of West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC).

Bus and Coach.com

• MPs: Greatest challenge for generationAhead of even deeper cuts to subsidised bus services expected next year, MPs have warned that the current round of œextensive cuts are hitting vulnerable groups as rural, evening and weekend services are either reduced or eliminated altogether.
• More coach passengers for ParisNational Express is operating around one hundred additional coaches during peak months to meet demand on its London to Paris service.
• New trams due for BlackpoolThe first of 16 new Bombardier Flexity 2 trams for Blackpool Transport is to be unveiled next month.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Does ˜Hubgate™ spell more trouble for the Norwich Northern Distributor?12 August: Campaigners and councillors in Norfolk have asked the Audit Commission to investigate council money spent on a private development linked with a £120m ring road project. read more

Global Rail News

• East Coast launches new loyalty scheme for its customersEast Coast trains are launching a new customer loyalty scheme, East Coast Rewards. Customers who use East Coast™s website to purchase any train ticket worth more ...
• EU funds rail improvements in FinlandThe European Union has selected two Finnish rail projects for co-financing under the 2010 TEN-T Calls which will see the overall modernisation of two key rail ...
• Morgan Sindall JV appointed to £750m Network Rail frameworkA Colas Rail Morgan Sindall joint venture has been appointed to carry out works under Network Rail™s Enhancements Multi Assets Framework Agreement (MAFA) to improve the ...
• Italian intermodal hub to become a reality thanks to EU supportThe preliminary study to realise a modern intermodal hub at the Fontanarossa International Airport in Catania (Italy) will receive €1 million in EU support from the ...
• Prime Minister thanks London™s transport staffThe Prime Minister has written to London’s Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy, to express his gratitude to transport staff across the Capital for their efforts to keep ...
• Passengers benefit from early arrival of NXEA™s new Class 379 trainsAll 30 of National Express East Anglia™s new Class 379 trains are now in service ahead of schedule, following the delivery of the last two of ...
• Greater Manchester commuters to benefit from more train carriagesGreater Manchester transport leaders have ‘cautiously welcomed’ the Department for Transport’s announcement that Northern Rail will receive a further 22 extra train carriages this December. This ...
• ScotRail customers to benefit from new coffee kiosk at Croy stationScotRail customers from Croy station can now grab breakfast on the go thanks to a newly opened coffee counter at the station. Bean2Cup is run by ...

Aviation Industry

• Labour transport policy reviewThe Labour party is currently undertaking a complete review of its policy on transport, and has published a consulation on the way forward. Already, we  have seen signs of a new policy direction for aviation, with leader Ed Milliband (the former Energy and Climate Change Secretary) having stated publicly that the decision of the previous [...]
• Proposed changes to Heathrow noise management benefit only a fewAEF has responded to a BAA consultation on noise at Heathrow. While the consultation refers specifically to Heathrow, it raises a number of issues that  are of wider relevance. Heathrow makes a significant contribution to the total aircraft noise exposure in the UK. Our analysis of the proposals shows that  there some improvements when compared with the existing [...]
• Virgin to invest £100m in product innovationFollowing pre-tax profits of £18.5m over the last year
• Heathrow named Olympics host airportA temporary Olympics Terminal may be built, to cope with the additional volumes of passengers and bags

Other News Sources

• Save money to rescue bus services, councils toldCouncils must come up with “imaginative” approaches to save money through procurement to prevent cuts to bus services, according to transport minister Norman Baker.
• Tramlink start up helps Croydon bounce back and Mayor calls for Londoners to support their local businesses 12 August, 2011 - 15:00 Free travel on the Tram network next weekend The Mayor of London today joined Croydon residents and business owners as the restoration of Tramlink services to the town centre helped boosted its recovery from the disturbances suffered just four days ago. Track and overhead wiring were severely damaged in the fires lit by rioters on Monday night. Assessment of the damage and work to repair it were not able to begin until police had examined the arson scenes...
• Stansted Express boosts fleetNational Express has taken delivery of 30 new trains, to be used on Stansted Express and Cambridge services