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

Thursday, 01 December 2011

BBC News

• VIDEO: Scotland to receive an extra £433mScotland is allocated an extra £433m for new roads, schools and other capital spending.
• Rail strike warning over shiftsScotRail train drivers could strike in the New Year if a dispute over shifts cannot be resolved, union leaders warn.
• MPs urge UK-only passport lanesUK citizens should have their own passport controls at domestic airports and ports, a group of MPs say.
• TfL plays down 2012 travel fearsLondon Bridge and Canary Wharf to be very busy but 65% of Tube stations 'unaffected'
• Concern over air route to LondonMPs have expressed concern that the air link between George Best Belfast City Airport and London could be in jeopardy.
• Travel warning on 2012 hotspotsOlympics organisers publish a list of hotspots that businesses, Londoners and visitors to the capital should avoid during the Games.
• Strike hits schools and servicesMore than 2,000 of London's schools close, hospitals and courts are disrupted but feared long queues at Heathrow Airport are avoided, as workers strike over pensions.
• Could 'green gloop' meet fuel needs?Could pond life meet the world's insatiable appetite for energy?
• Japan's carmakers apply talents to world's problemsJapan's carmakers apply talents to world's problems

The Herald

• M8 misery as bridge work starts MOTORISTS face delays of up to an hour on a busy section of the M8 near Glasgow Airport as a major programme of bridge strengthening work gets underway after Christmas.

Daily Express

• IAG backs its ailing flight pact partnerTHE owner of British Airways and Spanish flag carrier Iberia has backed debt-laden American Airlines after the US group filed for bankruptcy.

Daily Record

• SNP plans show dangerous A9 route won't be upgraded to dual-carriageway for 14 yearsMOTORISTS will have to wait until 2025 before all the A9 is upgraded to dual-carriageway, under SNP plans revealed yesterday.

Journal Live

• North East loses out on Treasury's transport cashTHE North East was the UK’s biggest loser as the Treasury announced there would be no new rail or road projects for the region as part of the £5bn infrastructure pay out.

London Evening Standard

• Commuters warned of 30-minute wait for a train during OlympicsTube and rail travellers will routinely wait at least half an hour to board trains at

Manchester Evening News

• Protesters force a Metrolink re-think over Wythenshawe tram compoundFurious residents surrounded contractors when the arrived at the site off Simonsway, Wythenshawe, on Friday morning. They refused to move until Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) agreed to consider relocating the 200m long compound “ which will contain machinery and a workers™ canteen and be floodlit at night.

Metro

• Transport for London outlines Olympic congestion hotspotsWhen the Olympics come to London in 2012, there may very well be a case for keeping in the mood of it all by jogging to work, as an official report warns getting to the office for everyday commuters will be a nightmare.

The York Press

• Network Rail training centre is unveiled THIS is a computer generated image of a major new rail operations centre and training centre which is set to open in York, bringing hundreds of jobs to the city.

Peterborough Telegraph

• New funds for roadsRESIDENTS can apply for grants to help improve road surfaces in their community.

Other Regional Press

• Crawley News published Eight Crawley bus routes threatened in new round of cutsArticle

Bus and Coach.com

• More green bus cash in bleak outlookIn a surprise move the government has announced a third tranche of funding to support the purchase of low carbon buses by operators in England.

Campaign for Better Transport

• So what did we learn from the Autumn Statement?30 November: The Chancellor's Autumn Statement marks a shift in government policy. But what does it mean for efforts to make our transport system more sustainable? read more

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Motoring expert warns of 'inevitable national road charging'A nationwide system of charging drivers to use the roads will be implemented in the UK sooner or later, an expert has said.Head of the RAC Foundation Professor Stephen Glaister stated that a series of measures will see fuel duty fall in the coming years, forcing the Treasury to act, the Guardian reports.He made the claim after a report from the Institution of Civil Engineers advocated several steps to reduce carbon emissions.Among the measures suggested are flattening roads that go up and down hills, replacing busy roundabouts with bridges and a system of booking time on the roads."It...

Global Rail News

• Network Rail responds to Chancellor™s Autumn StatementResponding to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, Network Rail’s Group Strategy Director Paul Plummer, said: ‘The Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered his Autumn Statement in the House ...
• Metro Chairman welcomes cross-Pennine electrificationMetro Chairman Cllr James Lewis has welcomed news that the electrification of the cross-Pennine rail route connecting Leeds and Huddersfield with Manchester, Merseyside and the North ...
• First Great Western signs three lease deals with Angel TrainsAngel Trains has agreed three leases that will provide an additional 4,500 seats for passengers on Great Western services between London and the Thames Valley to ...

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow, UK airports avert strike-induced gridlock Reports from London indicate that Wednesday's UK public sector strike, in which a large number of Border Agency immigration officers are participating, has not caused gridlock at London Heathrow (LHR) and other major UK airports as had been feared (ATW Daily News, Nov. 29). 
• Boeing selects Renton for Max productionBoeing plans to build the new 737 Max at its Renton, Wash., facility pending union approval, the company announced Wednesday.
• Arik Air to relaunch London-Abuja linkNigeria's flag carrier will recommence flights between Abuja and London Heathrow next month with increased capacity

Green Miscellany

• Wireless charging for electric cars and bicycles Mayor Boris Johnson has often referred to his hopes of London becoming the ˜electric car capital of Europe™ and now plans are underway for a network of wireless charging points for electric cars and bicycles in London. read more

Other News Sources

• Bombardier names new TRAXX multi engine locomotive as its top innovation of 2011 Bombardier, the world™s leading rail technology innovator, has announced the next generation BOMBARDIER TRAXX diesel electric multi-engine locomotive as its top technology solution of the year. The concept was selected from a strong field of innovations at the company™s 2011 Bombardier Transportation Innovation Awards. Criteria in judging the innovations included feasibility, risk, competitive advantage and environmental impact.The new locomotive has already proven to be a game changer in the European railway market, contributing to Bombardier signing a nine-year frame contract with DB Regio ...
• What a relief: Stockport finally to get A555 link roadThe announcement that Stockport will finally get its airport relief road has been hailed as a ˜momentous occasion™ by council leader Dave Goddard. Chancellor George Osborne announced the government had approved funding for the A555 link road that has been planned for almost 30 years. The government has agreed to part fund the £290m scheme, which will connect the M56 to the A6, south of Stockport.
• £25 million new terminal at GrimsbyNew deal with VW means Humber port will be able to handle larger ships
• Green light for second ferry terminal at DoverApproval for £400 million project to double capacity at key UK gateway
• M6 | Cheshire | Northbound | Incident | Expect Delays On the M6 northbound between J20-J21 there are currently 3 lanes closed due to an on-going incident involving an overturned HGV.Lane 1 remains open past the scene, although delays on the approach can be expected.Further updates will be posted as available. For live traffic information, please select www.highways.gov.uk/traffic
• Dial-a-Ride vehicles trialling biodieselTransport for London is to use an environmentally friendly biofuel in 12 of its Dial-a-Ride vehicles in a year-long trial. It is estimated the vehicles will produce 25 per cent less carbon emissions than a normal diesel-powered vehicle and if the trial is successful, it could be extended further across the DAR fleet in future. The biodiesel, which will be supplied by Argent Energy, is a renewable, clean-burning fuel made from used cooking oil from the catering industry and tallow, which is a residue from the meat processing industry. The 12 minibuses will trial B30 biofuel “ a high quality ble...
• Newest main line steam locomotive pulls in at Hereford railway station THE newest main line steam locomotive in Britain thrilled county rail enthusiasts when it passed through Hereford for the first time.
• Are environmental safeguards for City Airport strong enough? 30 November, 2011 - 09:25 What measures are being put in place around London City Airport (LCY) to reduce air and noise pollution for local residents now and in the future? Building on its previous work[1], the London Assembly™s Environment Committee will hold a public meeting tomorrow[2] to look at how well new environmental controls are currently working, and if they would continue to be effective if the number of flights increases.  360-house-thumb.jpg ...