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

Tuesday, 11 October 2011

BBC News

• London West End pedicabs need licences, peers say Several peers have called for pedal-powered tricycles, known as pedicabs, to be licensed in London.
• Half a line at double the costWhat went wrong with Edinburgh's tram project?
• RMT meets transport minister to discuss ferry services Union leaders seek assurances from the transport minister on the future of lifeline ferry services in Scotland.
• Tram contractor defends its workThe firm building Edinburgh's controversial tramline explains the dispute which brought work on the project to a standstill.

Department for Transport

• Community Rail designation in the ˜Heart of Wessex™Passengers in the South West will see a greater community involvement with the designation of the Heart of Wessex Line between Bristol and Weymouth as a community rail service, Rail Minister Theresa Villiers announced today.

Financial Times

• Canadian business aviation hits turbulent timesCorporate aircraft operators start to go to the US to register aircraft after new government rules create delays in issuing private operator certificates
• Ferrovial sells BAA stake for €325mThe infrastructure operator said that it had sold 5.88 per cent to the investment group Alinda Capital Partners for €325m, taking its stake to 49.99 per cent.

The Scotsman

• I was out of my depth, admits trams councillor THE politician at the centre of Edinburgh's tram fiasco has admitted that he and his colleagues were out of their depth and failed to oversee the project properly.

Mail Online

• Just how badly do you want that train seat? A guide to psychological warfare on the railsBrendan Nelson has concluded that standing in the long aisle away from the 'barren, seatless inter-carriage zone' is key to securing a prized seat.

Derby Telegraph

• City's station 'was dark and forbidding, nothing less than shocking'Derby's railway station has been transformed over the past few years into one people can be proud of, says Marketing Derby director John Forkin.
• Derby Telegraph commented The £340,000 electronic bus stop signs that just don't...MORE than £300,000 of public money has been wasted on electronic bus stop signs that may never be used.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Airport in swoop for new routes Bosses at Edinburgh Airport have taken part in a drive to bring new routes to the Capital.
• Inquiry into trams fiasco 'the sooner the better' Pressure is mounting to speed up the promised inquiry into the trams fiasco following the harshest criticism yet from the Scottish Government.

London Evening Standard

• Ex-commuter's military tactics for nabbing a Tube seat during rush-hourOne man has applied military style planning to devise an online guide, complete with graphics, on the best way to ensure getting a seat on the Tube
• Boris backing Heathwick lineBoris Johnson has given cautious backing to plans for a high-speed rail link between Heathrow and Gatwick
• Transport staff told to learn politeness from John LewisTransport staff in London should be trained in 'John Lewis' style politeness to reduce the rudeness commuters face on their journeys, a new report says

Manchester Evening News

• Transport bosses ready to pay millions to make sure bus schemes go ahead Transport bosses are offering to pay millions of pounds towards two projects in a bid to win government approval, the M.E.N can reveal. They have told ministers they will contribute nearly £8m more towards the cost of Manchester™s £54.5m cross-city bus scheme, saving Whitehall from splashing the cash.

Other Regional Press

• Millions paid to train consultants The Government has spent millions of pounds on advisors involved in a lucrative train-building contract, which has led to the threat of 1,400 job losses, a Leicestershire MP has said.
• Rail station plans hit new snag Detailed plans for the multi-million pound redevelopment of Wokingham railway station have been submitted to Wokingham Borough Council but town centre groups say extra work around the area will be needed to draw more visitors to the town.
• Cash shortage means road tolls may solve region’s transport bottlenecksMotorists in the Westcountry could face toll roads built by overseas companies as businesses attempt to overcome the soaring economic cost of the congested and crumbling highways network.
• Campaign to repair road branded ˜worst in Aberdeen™MORE than 1,000 people have added their names to a petition calling for repairs to a road dubbed the œworst in Aberdeen.

Campaign for Better Transport

• One week left to make your voice heard on planning reforms10 October: There's just seven days left to let the government know what you think about planning. To make it easy, we've set up this simple action to give your views directly. read more

Global Rail News

• Passengers ˜want honesty™ when they face rail delaysIn a report released last month, the independent passenger watchdog Passenger Focus has found that some passengers ‘do not believe the reasons given to explain delays ...
• Crossrail begins procurement for major tunnel fit-out worksCrossrail recently announced that a contract notice has been placed in the Official Journal of the European Union seeking expressions of interest for the major fit-out ...
• BBC™s Apprentice stars unveil ˜The Entrepreneur Express™Claire Young, Melody Hossaini, Palomo Vivanco and Dr Shibby Robati, stars of the BBC™s Apprentice teamed up with Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains ...
• Government awards nearly £10m towards Reading station improvementsThe Government has awarded almost £10 million to the station improvement works at Reading station. Full approval has now been given for the scheme following work ...
• London Overground upgrade named project of the year at Rail AwardsThe recently upgraded and expanded North London line, part of the London Overground network, has been awarded the prestigious Project of the Year gong at the ...
• Road salt moved by rail to help keep transport moving this winterThe annual movement of salt to make stockpiles for use in gritting the road network during the worst of the winter weather has received a sustainable ...
• Lancashire™s newest station at Buckshaw Parkway opensRail travellers can now board the first trains to stop at Buckshaw Parkway following the opening of Chorley’s newest train station between Chorley and Leyland. The ...
• Network Rail launches biggest ever consultation in Greater ManchesterNetwork Rail has launched its biggest ever consultation exercise to gather the views of the public on its vision for rail in the North. The consultation, ...
• New York™s Empire Corridor receives $150m for upgradesU.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced $149.3 million for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to upgrade high speed and intercity passenger rail service ...
• Community designation gives passengers a say on rail linePassengers in the North West will be able to have more of a say on how local rail services are run with the designation of the ...
• Work underway at Wallasea Island to receive excavated material from Crossrail tunnelsWork is now underway at Wallasea Island in Essex to prepare for the arrival of excavated material from Crossrail tunnels next year. Crossrail has begun constructing ...
• South West Trains™ Station Pride winners announcedStaff at South West Trains™ stations are celebrating after the winners of the company™s annual Station Pride Awards were announced. Now in their 14th year, the ...
• Technology & innovation to ˜deliver a better railway™A unique approach by Network Rail to use technology and innovation to provide a better and more cost effective railway is on course to deliver savings ...

Railnews

• Airline chief rejects high speed 'Heathwick' rail link Plans for a high speed rail link between Heathrow and Gatwick airports have received a bleak reception from the chief executive of British Airways. Willie Walsh said the proposal, which is reported to be under development by the Department for Transport, would face 'significant challenges'.

Aviation Industry

• Scrapping air tax 'would cost 3m'Abolishing the duty would be a price worth paying to preserve the link with North America and attract investment, Sammy Wilson told the Assembly.
• American Airlines capacity to dip in fourth quarterAmerican Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp , said fourth-quarter mainline capacity will dip 3 percent due to an adjustment in its schedules and that it will retire up to 11 Boeing 757 aircraft in 2012 in response to high fuel costs and an uncertain economy.
• American to expand Gogo Vision to 400 aircraftAmerican Airlines (AA) will expand deployment of Gogo Vision to approximately 400 aircraft by the end of 2012.
• OpenSkies puts iPads onboardTransatlantic airline OpenSkies will begin to offer iPads to travelers as part of its inflight entertainment (IFE) offering.
• "Heathwick" proposals renounced by airlinesHigh-speed train linking Heathrow and Gatwick rejected as possible solution to airport overcrowding

Other News Sources

• Rigby Road is still Central Pier – sometimes!The new ruling which Blackpool Transport introduced mid way through the season this year, stating that all trams returning to the depot must unload passengers at Central Pier, appears to have been inconsistently applied since its introduction and now confusion has arisen, with some tram crews rigidly enforcing the decision whilst others believing it has been rescinded.
• Bombardier’s ’Freedom’ in North America Bombardier have launched their latest product to the light rail market, the ’Flexity Freedom’, which has been developed specifically to appeal to the North American market.
• Transport boss calls for 'century of cycling' Transport for London commissioner Peter Hendy has outlined a 25-year plan to make cycling the preferred method of transport for local journeys. In front of an audience of professional planners and policy makers at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, he made the case for a programme of measures to herald what he called "the Century of Cycling"