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

Tuesday, 17 January 2012

BBC News

• Gillan sells home near HS2 routeWelsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan defends the sale of her home close to the planned High Speed 2 rail route after criticism from Labour.
• Problem road fix could cost £70mA solution to overcoming a problematic Highlands road could cost up to £70m, a senior councillor says.
• Rail trip to assess wind projectHighland councillors are to travel on a funicular railway to help them consider plans for a planned new wind farm.
• VIDEO: How cruise ship deviated from routeFollowing the deadly capsizing of Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy, the value of shares in parent company Carnival Cruise Lines fell some 20%.
• Luton airport planning expansionPlans to increase annual passenger capacity to 18 million at London Luton Airport and create 6,000 new jobs are revealed.

Financial Times

• HS2 barely touches total journey time [Letter]Sir, Spending £30bn on High Speed 2 to shave 30 minutes off the London to Birmingham journey time completely ignores “total time of journey”.
• UK rail operators brace themselves for shake-upWith more than half the 19 franchises coming up for renewal, the transport department is set to start the process with the contract to run the west coast mainline
• Safety on the high seas faces scrutinyCarnival Corp seeks to pin blame on ship™s captain for the Costa Concordia disaster, saying he decided to enter into waters he did not know in advance
• Ship disaster sparks safety rules rethinkThe International Maritime Organisation said it would ˜seriously consider™ the lessons from the Costa Concordia incident, which killed at least six people

The Independent

• Business lounges' set to open in Shell petrol stationsThe serviced office group Regus has struck a deal with the oil giant Shell that could see its business lounges opened on petrol forecourts across Europe.
• Shares in cruise firm Carnival drop 15% Carnival has estimated the cost of the disaster at approaching £100 million but shares slumped today on fears the final figure will be much higher.

The Telegraph

• 'Frustrated' police officer confronts lawyer cyclistThis is the moment a police officer tries to pull a head camera from a cyclist after stopping him for allegedly jumping a red light.

Mail Online

• Disabled businessman refused entry to EasyJet plane because he couldn't walk to emergency exitParalysed Dr Martin Sabry was told at Gatwick Airport that he could board a flight, but then the captain overruled the decision and he was forced to stay behind.

The Mirror

• EasyJet throws disabled businessman off flight as he cannot walk to emergency exitA disabled businessman has been thrown off a budget flight – because he could not walk to the emergency exit.

Network Rail

• RAIL FUNDING TO SUPPORT REGENERATION OF WAKEFIELD KIRKGATE CONFIRMED
• COMMUNITY INVITED TO HAYMARKET PUBLIC MEETING

Birmingham Mail

• Moseley councillor Martin Mullaney to return to tram depotA SENIOR politician once suspended from Birmingham City Council for trespassing at a historic tram depot is set to return to the scene of his crime.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Neil White: Public transport we can all use is route we need to...Article

Journal Live

• Metro's massive revamp busts its budgetMETRO bosses have admitted they are millions of pounds over budget just 18 months into a huge refurbishment programme.

London Evening Standard

• Hammersmith flyover could be shut for four monthsRepairs to the Hammersmith flyover are likely to cost tens of millions of pounds and take up to four months, Transport for London revealed
• Boris pledges to fight for more concessions over high-speed railBoris Johnson has attacked the Government over the high-speed rail project, saying the plan as it stands is

Manchester Evening News

• Revealed: How Virgin Trains' plan to bring Cockneys to Manchester's Christmas markets stalled Rail bosses had to cancel two trains they had chartered so that Londoners could travel to Manchester to do their Christmas shopping. Bosses at Virgin Trains planned to charge up to £200 for the return trip from Euston to Manchester Piccadilly on December 3 and 17.

Metro

• Graffiti vandal jailed for 15 months after £100,000 rail and Tube damageGraffiti vandal Adam Clement who waged a £100,000 war on the rail and Tube network has been jailed for 15 months.

Sheffield Star

• Buses blocked as parents park cars outside schoolBUSES are struggling to get past streets clogged with cars parked by parents and people using community sports facilities at a Sheffield school, say surrounding residents.

The York Press

• Overnight closures planned for A64 DRIVERS using the A64 to the south east of York should be aware of a month-long programme of overnight road closures for maintenance work.

Yorkshire Post

• Dubious figures show rail plan is £32bn fast track to folly [letter]YOUR local economist, Professor Guiseppe Fontana of the University of Leeds, dented the university’s reputation for intellectual rigour by signing a letter in support of the High Speed Rail proposal (HS2) (Yorkshire Post, January 6).
• £1.5m boost for railway station revamp schemePLANS to transform disused railway station buildings at Wakefield Kirkgate are a step closer after Network Rail secured £1.5m towards the project.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Queensgate Bus Station works beginMonday, 12.20pm: Works which will see parts of Peterborough’s bus station closed to passengers will started this morning, (16 January).

The Shields Gazette

• Minister hits rival with £21m ultimatumPORT of Tyne bosses have received a boost to their bid to protect the Tyne’s multi-million pound cruise business.

Other Regional Press

• Campaigners suspicious of tax rebates for aircraft noise pollution proposalsPROPOSALS to slash council tax for residents affected by aircraft noise have been met with suspicion. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) last week suggested a council tax rebate for those living under busy flightpaths might help mitigate the impact of the din.
• Tactran vows to resist any threat to smaller railway stationsTayside's regional transport partnership has promised to ''strongly resist'' any attempt to close low-use stations between Broughty Ferry and Carnoustie.
• Change trains at Edinburgh - 'a silly idea'Direct train services between Inverness and London should be increased — rather than facing the threat of being axed, according to a leading rail campaigner.
• Olympic transport plans get the go-aheadDesignated pedestrian routes, park and ride sites and cycle parking are among the transport measures designed in Weymouth and Portland for the Olympics.
• Bus concerns for care usersCOUNCILLORS have backed a new adult care strategy – but warned that transport problems could prevent people accessing services.
• Luton Airport plans could create 6,000 new jobsNearly 6,000 new jobs could be created at Luton Airport if the capacity was increased to accommodate 18 million passengers a year generating millions of pounds in investment.

Global Rail News

• Eurotunnel holds annual safety exerciseBetween 00:30 and 04:30 on Sunday 15 January, Eurotunnel held its 22nd annual binational safety exercise, BINAT 22. Emergency services from both Britain and France were mobilised, including firefighters, paramedics and police. A fullscale, real-time exercise, BINAT is run at least once each year to test the planning and preparedness of the French and British [...]
• STAMP and other acronymsNetwork Rail held a Signalling Suppliers™ Technical Conference in the Royal York Hotel on the 16 November 2011. This was one of a series of conferences which aim to bring together the signalling function and associated interests at joint events to encourage, communicate with and brief suppliers. Delegates were welcomed by Ken Peters, Principal Engineer [...]
• MEPs call for a ˜level playing field™ across rail industryMEPs and stakeholders gathered on 11 January 2012 at the European Parliament in Brussels to discuss the topic European rail industry: latest trends in international rail markets and the way forward. The state of play of market access in third countries and potential solutions for improvement were presented by the European rail industry and the [...]
• First TransPennine Express stations ˜secure™All of First TransPennine Express’ (FTPE) 30 managed stations have been accredited to the government’s Secure Station Scheme. Nearly 20 million passengers use FTPE stations every year, and the Department for Transport (DfT) have measured and assessed them against a demanding set of criteria. This includes the number of reported crimes compared to the number [...]
• Rail funding to support regeneration of Wakefield Kirkgate confirmedThe transformation of Wakefield Kirkgate station is a significant step closer after Network Rail successfully secured more than £1.5m of new industry funding. Ambitious plans to transform the listed station building have been drawn up by Groundwork Wakefield with support from Network Rail, Northern Rail, West Yorkshire PTE (Metro), Wakefield council and Railway Heritage Trust. [...]
• Passenger numbers on Russian Railways rise by 4.8%According to the latest figures, 82.1 million passengers travelled on Russian Railways’ infrastructure in December 2011, a 5.6% increase over the same month last year. 73.4 million passengers were suburban commuters, (+6.5%), while long-distance passengers amounted to 8.8 million (1.4%). Passenger turnover in December 2011 amounted to 10 billion passenger-kilometres, up 0.5% on the same [...]
• Samsung holds ˜flash kick™ in London™s Victoria stationAs part of an advertising campaign for the new Galaxy Note, Samsung recently held a ‘flash kick’ at London’s Victoria station. A voice can be heard saying: ‘May I have your attention please. The football pitch is now open’. A man in ordinary clothes then enters the small pitch and begins to show off his [...]

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail signs £1.5bn signalling framework deal Network Rail in the UK has signed a series of framework contracts worth £1.5bn for implementation of railway signalling projects over the next seven years.
• Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) is a set of enhancement works being carried out on the Edinburgh to Glasgow rail corridor.
• Next Generation Westermo Ethernet Switches Improve Onboard Railway Communication Network Reliability To meet the growing demand for reliable onboard railway communications networks, Westermo has introduced a new generation of industrial Ethernet switches that provide highly robust networks and long term field operation.

Railnews

• 'Most trains will run' promise as signallers' strike looms Signallers at a major signalling centre in Scotland are to go on strike again for four more days, but Network Rail has said that most trains will run. The dispute concerns the right of a staff member serving as a general purpose relief to be given a fixed job when one becomes vacant.

Aviation Industry

• Video: Ridiculously Great Cockpit Footage Aboard an Airbus A320Amazing angles from the flightdeck of an Airbus A320 flying around Brazil.
• JetBlue CEO Says American Bankruptcy is Evolutionary, Travelers Need Education On CostsIn an interview broadcast on Bloomberg Television on Monday, JetBlue Airways CEO David Barger said the bankruptcy of AMR and potential consolidation of American Airlines into another carrier is an
• Airlines seek first fare hike of 2012Airlines began a round of fare hikes this week, their first of 2012, according to Farecompare.com. Delta Air Lines Inc.
• Etihad expansion pays off as passenger numbers rise 17%Abu Dhabi airline's UK services show double-digit growth
• Virgin Atlantic pleads for UK authorities to probe BA-Bmi dealCarrier says domestic flights will by hit by BA parent takeover

Other News Sources

• The Chron looks at what it will mean to Northamptonshire if the HS2 is createdTHE term NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) has been frequently thrust at those fighting the Government’s controversial high speed rail plans.
• Progress check on expanding river services and extending the Tube 16 January, 2012 - 09:30 The London Assembly Transport Committee will tomorrow hold back-to-back sessions on what progress is being made on expanding services on the Thames[1], and when proposed extensions to several Tube lines will go ahead.  At the beginning of the meeting, the Committee will also receive an update on repairs to Hammersmith Flyover from Transport for London. From 10am: River services River thames 60x60.jpg Yes ...