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

Tuesday, 04 October 2011

BBC News

• Buckshaw Parkway railway station opens Lancashire's new railway station, the Buckshaw Parkway station, has opened.
• Rail upgrade priority for Derry City of Culture 2013 The chairman of Londonderry's year as City of Culture wants the executive to prioritise an upgrade to the Derry to Coleraine railway line by 2013.
• Mersey Gateway given £470m by government The government has said it will pay up to £470m towards the cost of building a second bridge across the River Mersey.
• Hydrogen-powered H2EV car launched in Coventry A Coventry vehicle manufacturer has launched a hydrogen-powered car. A fleet of the H2EV vehicles will be used in a trial of low-carbon vehicles across the West Midlands.
• Scotland's £15m winter roads plan gets under way A £15m plan to keep Scotland's transport system moving this winter has been revealed by the country's transport minister.
• Leicestershire bid for £5m to fund congestion scheme Leicestershire County Council is asking businesses to help secure £5m in government funding to tackle congestion and pollution.
• Tube rule change for guide dogsGuide dogs will be allowed on moving escalators on the Tube for the first time under changes to an
• Tube workers offered 5% pay dealRMT general secretary Bob Crow tells London Underground workers a 5% pay deal may be the best on offer in the public sector.
• West End Sunday traffic ban callBusiness in London's West End call for a ban on traffic in Oxford Circus on Sundays throughout the year.
• American Airlines shares plummetShares in American Airlines' parent company have closed down by 33% on fears the airline may have to seek bankruptcy protection.

Department for Transport

• New bridge over the MerseyTransport Secretary Philip Hammond today gave the green light for up to £470m of funding for a new bridge across the River Mersey between Runcorn and Widnes.
• Government proposes 80mph motorway speed limitTransport Secretary Philip Hammond has announced his intention to consult on raising the national speed limit on motorways from 70 to 80 miles per hour. The Government plans to launch a full public consultation on the issue later this year with a view to implementing any change in early 2013.

Financial Times

• AMR shares fall 33% on bankruptcy fearsAmerican Airlines' parent company denies claims that the company will file for bankruptcy in order to carry out a corporate restructuring
• Turbulence hits EU airline pollution schemeRisk that carriers will be caught in a trade war if non-European countries take retaliatory action against the carbon emissions trading plan
• Airlines urged to throttle back on seat capacitySome analysts say flag carriers should be responding to falling demand for their services by abandoning plans to increase seating capacity

The Guardian

• Public spending on transport is investment in growth, says Philip Hammond 'To those who say Britain cannot afford to invest in infrastructure, I say we cannot afford not to invest in our future,' transport secretary tells Tory conference

The Herald

• Weather network to expand in time for winter SCOTLAND’S network of weather stations used to detect snow and ice on key roads is being expanded as part of a £15 million winter preparation programme.

The Independent

• The train on platform 2 has already departed. Why? Leaves on the line Autumn may have arrived late, but the trains should be more punctual as rail companies use a new tactic in their battle against the seasonal blight of leaves on the line: Earlier trains.
• Guide dogs cleared to use Tube escalatorsGuide dogs will be allowed on moving escalators in the London transport system for the first time from tomorrow, in a change to an

The Telegraph

• Tube drivers set to net £50,000 a year Tube drivers are set to see their pay burst through the £50,000 a year barrier.
• Soaring commuting costs will kill dormitory towns Soaring rail fares will mean it is longer worth moving out of London to cut costs, a study has found.
• Scrapping of M4 bus lane leads to shorter journeys Figures produced by the Department for Transport have shown that its removal has cut a minute off the time needed to get into London from Heathrow – 20 seconds more than had been anticipated.

Mail Online

• London Underground and RMT deal: Bob Crow discusses £50,000 salaries for Tube driversSome London Underground workers would benefit from a £10,000 pay rise over four years. 'I doubt you will find a better offer than this anywhere else in the public sector,' said union boss Bob Crow (pictured).

The Mirror

• Bombardier cut 250 apprentice places because of Thameslink contract loss AROUND 250 youngsters will be “slung on the scrapheap” today as part of the huge job lossesat Bombardier.
• British Airways to offer courses in surviving plane crashesIF flying gives you the jitters, British Airway’s course on how to get out of a plane crash alive could be just the thing to calm your nerves...

Network Rail

• 200 MORE APPRENTICES GET ON-TRACK FOR SUCCESS
• MORE APPRENTICES GET ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS IN BEDFORD
• MORE APPRENTICES GET ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS IN HERTFORDSHIRE
• MORE APPRENTICES GET ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS IN GREATER LONDON
• MORE APPRENTICES GET ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS IN LINCOLNSHIRE
• MORE APPRENTICES GET ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS IN THE NORTH EAST
• MORE APPRENTICES GET ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS IN YORKSHIRE
• MORE APPRENTICES GET ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS IN KENT
• MORE APPRENTICES GET ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS IN BRIGHTON AND THREE BRIDGES
• MORE APPRENTICES GET ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS IN WOKING AND GUILDFORD

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Friar Gate bus lane is completely unnecessaryArticle

Liverpool Post

• Vintage buses and trams celebrate Birkenhead’s transport history (GALLERY)WIRRAL Transport Museum played host to this year’s Wirral Bus & Tram Show.
• New Mersey Gateway bridge wins £150m funding packageTHE flagship Mersey Gateway bridge will be built after the government pledged to pump an extra £150m into the stalled project, ministers will announce today.

Manchester Evening News

• Rail bosses call for lessons to be learned after train derailed in tunnel by block of ice after Christmas cold snap Rail bosses should show staff how to inspect tunnels in extreme cold weather after a train ploughed into a huge block of ice that had fallen from a ventilation shaft, an accident report says. More than 40 passengers were on board the train from Manchester when it derailed in the Summit tunnel, near Todmorden, early on December 28 last year.

Metro

• Motorists who fail to use their indicators most irritating on the roadMotorists who fail to use indicators are the biggest irritant on the road, a new survey has discovered, with other pet hates including tailgating and refusing to let others out at junctions.
• Tube drivers' wages to top £50,000 after 20% pay risesLondon Tube drivers are to receive a pay rise that will see their salary top £50,000, it has been revealed.
• British Airways to offer course on how to survive a plane crash for £125British Airways has joined Virgin Atlantic in providing air-safety lessons after it was revealed most passengers struggle to remove their seat belt in an emergency.

The York Press

• Accident rate soars at busy York roundaboutTHE accident rate at a busy York roundabout has rocketed since it underwent a £9 million upgrade, The Press can reveal.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Peterborough railway station’s £2.5m facelift is underway MULTI-MILLION pound work to transform Peterborough railway station into a bright, welcoming and modern place for tourists and commuters begins today

Other Regional Press

• UK & World News: Tube drivers to get £50,000 a yearTube drivers in the capital will see their pay go over the £50,000 a year mark under a four-year wage deal negotiated between London Underground (LU) and union leaders, it has emerged.
• Railway cleaners set to ballot for strike actionRailway cleaners are set to ballot on strike action over pay and union recognition.

Bus and Coach.com

• Savelli quits FirstIn a surprise move Mark Savelli has resigned from his position as regional managing director of First™s Scottish bus business.
• Go-Ahead south coast shuffleAlex Carter, managing director of Go South Coast, has stepped down in what Go-Ahead describes as a temporary break from his duties.
• Plaxton offers Scania for 2012New for UK coach operators in 2012 is the availability of the Plaxton Panther body on the Scania K360 underframe.
• First abandons EuropeFirstGroup has sold its 130-vehicle German bus operation to Marwyn European Transport, the business headed by former First UK Bus managing director David Leeder and former FirstGroup finance director Ian Lanaghan.
• First warns of bus challenges aheadFirstGroup is warning of œmore challenging trading conditions for its UK Bus division as a result of the continuing economic downturn.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Our new study shows 80mph would only boost the treasury3 October: Philip Hammond's 80mph 'stealth tax' would benefit the government's coffers, not drivers or the economy. read more

Global Rail News

• Only two out of nine officials advising on Bombardier/Thameslink had engineering backgroundOn the first day of the Tory Party conference rail union RMT revealed that more accountants than engineers were involved in the ConDem betrayal of UK ...
• Improvements to make Wellingborough Station more accessible and speed up journey times completeMajor improvements to provide passengers at Wellingborough train station step-free access between the station entrance and platforms for the first time have been completed. The project, ...
• Early retirement for Greater Manchester™s first Metrolink tramsPlans to ˜retire™ Metrolink™s oldest trams have been approved by Greater Manchester™s transport leaders today, in a move that will lead to significant improvements for passengers. ...
• Glasgow Subway™s Kids Go Free promotion a ˜big success™Strathclyde Partnership for Transport’s Kids Go Free summer Subway promotion has proved a big success with families and ticket sales are up by £68,000. During the ...
• Official opening for new £1.5m Southend East StationThe Mayor of Southend-on-Sea, Councillor David Norman today officially opened the new and upgraded Southend East station. National Express train operator c2c™s Southend East station has ...
• Train companies respond to Labour™s claim they are œripping people offResponding to Ed Miliband™s claim that train companies are œripping people off, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said: œEd Miliband ...
• Options for growth “ Rail industry unveils plans for the future of the railwayThe rail industry today publishes its vision for how it can deliver better value for money and play a key role in driving sustainable economic growth ...

Aviation Industry

• ˜Air traffic demand slowing up™ August figures down IATA reports

Green Miscellany

• Solar bridge puts railways on right track to sustainability Blackfriars station to host London's largest solar array when it opens next year

Other News Sources

• Don't discourage foreign suppliers, Siemens warns UK gov't Amid calls from UK politicians for more public contracts to be awarded to British companies, a leading Siemens executive has warned the government against favouring the selection of British suppliers over their foreign counterparts.
• Only two out of nine officials advising on Bombardier/Thameslink had engineering backgroundOn the first day of the Tory Party conference rail union RMT revealedthat more accountants than engineers were involved in the ConDem betrayal of UK train building over the Thameslink contract.
• News from John Biggs: Mayor Supports Increasing the Dartford Toll 3 October, 2011 The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has written to the Department of Transport to delay their plans to increase the tolls at Dartford. The Mayor has recommended that the increase do not begin until after the Olympic Games and that the toll is removed during the games period. 360-house-thumb.jpg Yes read more