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

Friday, 25 November 2011

BBC News

• Country 'ready for bitter winter'Local Government Minister Carl Sargeant says Wales will start the winter with bigger supplies of road salt than ever.
• Islington gets 20mph speed limitAbout 20 main roads in Islington, north London, will become 20mph zones after the council agrees the move.
• Strike threatens 'Heathrow halt'There are fears Heathrow could

Department for Transport

• Transport Statistics: Road goods vehicles travelling to mainland Europe: Quarter 3 2011The Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics:

Financial Times

• Arriva seals Stockholm transport deal Arriva, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, has won a 12-year contract to become Stockholm’s biggest public transport operator, a key step in its European expansion strategy.

The Herald

• Transport Minister needs to be more ambitious in plans for rail network It is disappointing that Transport Minister Keith Brown has set his sights for Scotland’s railway so low (Letters, November 24).
• Scottish roads at top of UK potholes leagueSCOTLAND has the highest level of potholes in the UK and the second worst rate of road deterioration, according to an AA report.

The Telegraph

• Britain facing pothole plague Britain is facing an epidemic of potholes even before the winter sets in, the AA has warned.

Daily Record

• Scotrail to use heated tunnels and power showers to ensure no repeat of winter chaosHEATED tunnels and power showers will be used to help keep trains moving if snow and ice grips Scotland again this winter.

Mail Online

• A plague of potholes: Roads are more broken up now than last yearA study has found that roads are now more broken up than they were 12 months ago – and it will only get worse when winter sets in.

The Mirror

• UK roads 'plagued with potholes'Roads are

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL APPOINTS NEW HR DIRECTOR

Birmingham Post

• Faltering economy could still derail HS2, warns Network Rail chairmanA high speed train service between Birmingham and London is far from a done deal and could be thrown off course by further deterioration in western economies, the chairman of Network Rail has warned.
• Birmingham Airport in row with CBI over London expansion plansBirmingham Airport is at loggerheads with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) over its outspoken support for expansion of aviation services in London.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New look Ilkley railway station unveiled A new-look train station has been unveiled following a £625,000 revamp.

London Evening Standard

• Justine Greening urges Westminster rethink on parkingNew Transport Secretary Justine Greening described Westminster council's plans for extra parking charges as a money-raising measure

Metro

• Lego Christmas tree unveiled at London's St Pancras stationA Christmas tree that's ten metres high and made completely out of Lego bricks has been unveiled at St Pancras railway station.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Minister gives pledge on east coast rail line and sleeper servicesScottish Transport Minister Keith Brown has given an assurance over the future of the east coast rail line and sleeper services.

Yorkshire Post

• Toll road proposal for new motorways The Government should consider making all new motorways toll roads to reduce delays and put road users first, a Whitehall-commissioned report recommended yesterday.

Bucks Free Press

• Parents to quiz council chiefs over paying for school busPARENTS have the chance to quiz council chiefs over cost cutting plans to make them pay for school bus travel in 17 forthcoming public meetings.

Burnley Express

• East Lancashire Sunday trains cancelled for work on signalsRAIL passengers are facing weeks of disruption while repairs are carried out on a busy line through East Lancashire.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Chambers urge firms to back A14 upgrade petitionBUSINESSES across Suffolk are being urged to sign a new online petition calling for improvements to the A14, as speculation mounts that Ministers could be about to do a U-turn on plans for a major upgrade of the key cross-country route in Cambridgeshire.
• Additional trains in National Express East Anglia™s final timetableTRAIN operator National Express East Anglia today unveiled its final timetable before handing over to new franchise holder Abellio next February.

Other Regional Press

• East-West rail line could intersect with high speed line and Justine Greening sends rail message to HS2 opponents CALLS for a new railway station at Winslow, featuring a spur line down to Aylesbury, have been heard in Parliament – meanwhile transport secretary Justine Greening has sent a personal message to anti-HS2 campaigners
• Osborne urged to re-think huge rail hikesThe Chancellor is said to be coming under pressure to re-think steep rail fare increases facing rail passengers from January next year.
• End of the road for Dartford tolls rises?A controversial double increase in the Dartford toll will now not go ahead, we can reveal.

Campaign for Better Transport

• DfT pushing Chancellor to abandon extra fare hikes24 November: Excitement in the office this morning as we™ve heard that Transport Secretary Greening is lobbying the Chancellor to scrap plans for further rail fare hikes. read more

Global Rail News

• Radical Scottish rail proposals receive chilly receptionScottish rail passengers could see cross border trains cut back to Edinburgh and sleeper services operated as a standalone franchise if Transport Scotland chooses to implement ...
• Silentbloc UK scoops rail sector award from SiemensSilentbloc UK, part of polymer technology solutions provider Icon Polymer Group, has won a prestigious award from Siemens for its work with the company in the ...
• Spain™s Renfe to submit bids for UK rail franchisesRenfe, Spain’s national rail company, has said that it plans to submit bids for all the UK rail franchises that are due to come up for ...
• Over £10,000 raised for Railway Children by 150 farewell tourOver £10,000 was raised for the Railway Children charity by big-hearted rail staff and passengers on London Midland’s farewell to the class 150s tour. With enough ...
• TfL™s Lost Property Office donates hundreds of toys to childrenTransport for London’s (TfL) Lost Property Office (LPO) is donating hundreds of toys to The Salvation Army to give to disadvantaged children in south London over ...
• ScotRail unveils winter equipmentScotRail today unveiled new winter equipment to keep more trains running and enhance access at stations during severe weather. It showcased two 75-metre ˜polytunnels™ – to melt ...

Railnews

• Slipping deadlines trigger speculation about rail policy With several key rail decisions postponed until undetermined dates in the New Year, speculation is growing that the government's rail plans are in tatters. A union leader is also claiming that the growing financial crisis in the Eurozone is now contributing to the uncertainty.

Aviation Industry

• Gatwick goes after the business travellerThe London airport has decided it is time to engage with the corporate travel community
• Comment: A London airport solution?Mike Platt compares the inability to solve the London airport conundrum to a poorly performed tango “ inefficient and downright embarrassing
• Qantas attempts to reassure passengersThe troubled Australian carrier is taking measures to try and restore customer confidence after industrial action
• Gatwick CEO dismisses Heathwick plotœAny discussion on capacity is a good discussion, said Wingate, but the idea is both impractical and expensive

Other News Sources

• Bombardier CEO rides out the stormBombardier Inc. president and CEO Pierre Beaudoin has his hands full these days: July’s loss of a $2.18-billion deal to build trains for London’s Thameslink line, putting into doubt the very future of the company’s Derby factory; the continuing threat of reduced government spending on rail projects; and flagging sales of the workhorse CRJ regional jet. Beaudoin tells Bertrand Marotte that, despite it all, he’s confident the global train and plane maker will pull through the turbulence just fine.
• Price rise in Dartford tolls postponedNews that the Dartford Crossing toll rises planned for this month and next spring have been scrapped, has been welcomed by the Freight Transport Association (FTA). However, the leading trade body warns that the government™s final decision on the timing and scale of future rises, expected early in the New Year, must be proportionate and a serious commitment given to invest in reducing congestion for this key piece of infrastructure. Heavy goods vehicles are currently charged £3.70 to use the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing; the proposed tolls would have seen this charge rise to £5.00 in late 2011 an...