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

Wednesday, 07 March 2012

BBC News

• Telford & Wrekin Council in low carbon travel scheme plans A new "low carbon, low cost" transport programme is set to be launched by a council in Shropshire.
• London 2012: Parking permits to control Games' traffic A million parking permits are to be issued to help control traffic at Olympic venues during the Games.
• London residents 'ignored' over high-speed rail link plan Residents in London who could lose their homes to a high-speed rail link said they were being ignored by the government.
• Delays for Easter rail travellers in southern England Easter rail travellers in southern England face delays due to scheduled engineering work on the lines.
• Ferry misery ahead of Brown visitA car ferry that had been helping to ease travel in part of the Highlands after a road was shut has broken down ahead of minister's visit.
• The secrets of Nissan's successNissan's decision to build a new car in Sunderland will create 2,000 new jobs. Yet three years ago the company was cutting back, so what is behind the transformation?
• Tunnel proposal for M4 bottleneckA former transport minister says ambitious proposals to widen the M4 at Newport were deemed unnecessary while he was in office.
• Airport capacity to be reviewedWhile opening Southend airport's new terminal, Transport Secretary Justine Greening reveals details of plans for the forthcoming aviation discussion paper.
• Closed rail link may be restoredThe government is to hold talks on reopening a commuter rail line from east Lancashire to Manchester.
• HS2: a long way to go for housingResidents in Ealing say they do not know what is going to happen to their homes
• VIDEO: 'I'm a petrol millionaire'A businessman from Herefordshire says he has become a
• Nissan to build new model in UKCarmaker Nissan is to build a new model at its Sunderland factory, with investment of £125m, which it says will create 2,000 jobs.

Financial Times

• Nuclear clean-up body looks to run trainsPassenger services along Cumbria™s coast would be run by the state-owned group under offer in response to rail overhaul plan

The Guardian

• Eurostar cancellations continue after customers endure nine-hour journeys Four cross-Channel trains withdrawn on Tuesday as broken cable slows models down on way to Paris fashion week
• Will Boris Bikes keep Johnson in saddle in London, or puncture his campaign? As the mayoral election nears, the capital's cycles for hire are spreading east. But the deal that brought them has few fans

The Herald

• Subway staff strike threat over reformsGLASGOW'S Subway staff are pushing for strike action over modernisation plans which they say will erode pay and lead to the service being privatised.
• Panel to consider new bridge name ideasTHE thorny question of what to call Scotland's biggest infrastructure project in a generation was handed to an advisory panel yesterday who will sift through public suggestions for something with more appeal than the current Forth Replacement Crossing.
• 'No bus routes to be axed'FIRST Group has said it will not cut any bus routes in the capital after a ruling by the Competition Commission gave the company only weeks to respond to the chaos caused by tram works on Princes Street.

The Scotsman

• Fresh rap for Ryanair™s ˜attack™ adsBUDGET airline Ryanair has been rapped once again for misleading customers – this time for falsely implying rival Thomas Cook was likely to go into administration.

The Telegraph

• Eurostar delays leave passengers stranded for hoursFour services cancelled after overhead power cable fails causing chaos for those travelling to Paris Fashion Week.
• Eurostar passengers tell of being trapped on trains for up to 11 hoursTravellers have spoken of

Press Association

• MP calls for rail ticketing reform Train companies should look at introducing new ticketing systems to cut the cost of travelling by rail as working patterns change, a Tory MP has said.

Daily Record

• Fears over traffic lights on busy road that give pedestrians just eight seconds to get acrossFEARS have been raised over traffic lights that give pedestrians less than 10 seconds to cross a busy high street.

Network Rail

• STREET VIEW BECOMES STATION VIEW
• STREET VIEW TO BECOME STATION VIEW IN LEEDS
• LONDON'S BUSIEST STATIONS TO FEATURE ON GOOGLE STREET VIEW
• ALLIANCE AGREEMENTS SIGNAL WAY TO SAVINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS

Bristol Live

• Transport association gives Greater Bristol councils more cloutGREATER Bristol councils are “at the top table” when it comes to transport discussions, after joining a new body.

Metro

• Paris Fashion Week models stuck on Eurostar as snow brings down powerThousands of Eurostar passengers “ including some of Britain™s top models “ spent up to 11 hours trapped on their trains after snow brought down power lines.

Sheffield Star

• Good news for train companytrain operator East Coast – which runs trains between London, the North East and Scotland calling at Doncaster – has won an award for its campaign to keep passengers informed of disruption during freezing weather.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• BMI airline sale review ruled outThe UK™s main consumer watchdog has ruled out direct intervention in the planned takeover of BMI™s mainline business by the parent of rival British Airways.

Wales Online

• Rail electrification crucial to regeneration in South Wales - says Cross Party Rail Group ELECTRIFICATION of the South Wales Valleys rail network and Swansea mainline is crucial to the regeneration of the region, leading figures have claimed.
• Group claims rail electrification is 'once in a generation' chance to boost Welsh economy THE electrification of the main rail line to Swansea and the wider Valleys network would play a key role in the regeneration of South Wales, leading figures have claimed.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• HS2 route will avoid Midlands villages, says MPDetailed plans for the second phase of the controversial HS2 rail project will be made public within weeks, a Staffordshire Conservative MP has revealed.

Yorkshire Post

• Transport chiefs join call for local decision-making on railwaysPUBLIC transport bosses in South and West Yorkshire have joined in a call to the Government to devolve rail funding for the region from Whitehall and place decisions with elected local councillors.

Other Regional Press

• http://www.cambstimes.co.uk/news/forget_wisbech_to_march_rail_link_and_a47_dualling_says_melton_as_he_supports_campaign_for_whittlesey_bypass_1_1229115THE boss of HS2 has hit back at claims that digging a tunnel through the Chilterns will create a ’large spoil dump’ – saying the soil will ’be dealt with adjacent to the M25’ and away from the Chilterns.
• Forget Wisbech to March rail link and A47 dualling says Melton as he supports campaign for Whittlesey bypassCAMPAIGNERS were told to forget about the Wisbech to March rail link and dualling of the A47 when council leader Alan Melton threw his weight behind calls for a Whittlesey bypass.
• Medway councillors snubbed by transport secretary over Estuary airport meeting Medway's political parties have been snubbed by Transport Secretary Justine Greening, who said she does not have time “at present” to meet with them about an airport in the Thames Estuary.
• Aberdeen Airport plans take step forward PLANS for a hotel and business park at Aberdeen Airport have moved a step closer.
• Speed camera torched on road to Aberdeen A POLICE probe has been launched after a speed camera was torched today next to one of the North-east™s busiest roads.

Global Rail News

• Cable fault causes Eurostar disruptionsThousands of Eurostar passengers have faced disruption after services were delayed by an overhead power cable fault in France. Last night, some passengers were delayed or ‘stuck on trains’ for up to nine hours and disruptions are expected to last well into today. Four services were cancelled yesterday on the London St Pancras to Paris [...]
• Train named for Mick WinnettDrivers past and present of First Capital Connect gathered to name a train ˜Driver Mick Winnett™ in honour of one of their number at a ceremony in Bedford station on Monday 6 February. The widow of retired Bedford driver instructor Mick Winnett unveiled the name plate on a Class 319 unit berthed in platform 1A. [...]
• Morgan Sindall awarded Tube cooling projectMorgan Sindall has been awarded a £9 million contract by London Underground. The project involves creating a system to cool the platform areas at Green Park Tube Station and will involve the installation of eight air handling units on the platforms. The work is taking place on an ‘accelerated timescale’ in order to meet the Summer [...]
• Google Street View moves into rail stationsThe Google Trolley has been making its way around some of Network Rail’s biggest stations over the past two weeks, including London Liverpool Street, Manchester Piccadilly and Leeds. Network Rail teamed up with Google to add some of its largest stations to the online 360 degree Google Street View application. Passengers and station users will soon [...]
• Just the TicketThis month a total of £18.7m is being made available to fund improvements to stations. Projects must be able to deliver a financial return over and above cost. The money is the final tranche of a £100m fund to improve stations in England and Wales. Since the idea was launched by the DfT, Network Rail [...]
• Atkins to prepare concept report for Danish rail upgradeRail Net Denmark has awarded Atkins a contract to prepare the preliminary concept report for an upgrade of the major rail line between Aarhus and Hobro. The project, ‘Speed Upgrade Aarhus – Hobro’, is planned to improve services on the existing rail line and ‘avoid the need for an additional high speed rail link’. The upgrade [...]
• Extra train for school childrenScotRail is providing an early morning train to ensure that Plockton High pupils can get to school – free of charge – while the Stromeferry bypass remains closed. The A 890 Lochcarron “ Kyle/Plockton road has been closed since 22 December as the result of landslides and the continuing danger of further rock fall. The [...]
• ˜Vast majority of passengers will be unaffected™ by rail worksThe Association of Train Operating Companies and Network Rail have said that the ‘vast majority’ of rail passengers should experience ‘no disruption’ over the Easter bank holiday because of planned rail works. ATOC said the number of replacement buses has ‘dropped by over a third compared with last Easter.’ On routes that will be affected [...]
• Rail passengers to use mobile phones in Channel TunnelEurotunnel has announced it is investing in new technology which will allow Le Shuttle and Eurostar passengers to use their mobile phones and WiFi inside the Channel Tunnel. Eurotunnel will install a 2G (GSM 900,DCS1800) and 3G (UMTS 2100) GSM-P telephone system ‘in time for the Olympic Games’. The installation, which will cost of €14 [...]
• Vital Rail recognised for commitment to apprenticeshipsSalford-based Vital Rail has received national recognition from Transport for London (TfL) and the National Apprenticeship Service for its support and commitment to apprenticeships. Vital Rail, in conjunction with Vital Skills Training, which is one of the largest suppliers of training services to the rail, energy, mechanical & electrical and construction sectors, recently recruited its [...]

Aviation Industry

• IATA: Safety at all-time high but regional divideLast year was the safest in history to fly commercially, IATA reported, though some developing regions lag the low accident rates achieved in North America, Europe and Asia/Pacific.
• Demand for London drives IAG's premium growthBA owner benefiting from the capital's 'strong economy'
• American Airlines and Travelport extend distribution dealFlights will continue to be sold through Travelport's GDSs
• Southend Airport opens new terminalEssex airport gets ready for launch of Easyjet services

Other News Sources

• airberlin on growth path in the social webPassengers on airberlin, the airline with a heart, are also at the heart of communication in the social web. During the ITB professional visitor days from 7th to 9th March, the airline will be...