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

Saturday, 17 March 2012

BBC News

• 'Metro' rail plan for south WalesPlans for a metro-style rail system covering 10 council areas are outlined but electrification of the valleys lines are essential, say a transport body.
• Plant DNA map gives bio-fuel hopeScientists in Wales and the US are joining forces to complete the first genetic map of a bio-fuel called elephant grass.
• Station taxi and car ban delayedPlans for a permanent ban on taxis and cars inside Edinburgh Waverley Station are delayed.
• Delays warning for Forth bridgeEmergency repairs being carried out on the Forth Road Bridge over the weekend are likely to cause lengthy delays, its operators warn.
• Lane charges for roadworks agreedLondon will make utility companies pay for the amount of time they take digging up the busiest roads, the city's mayor says.
• Second union rejects Games offerAnother transport union rejects the £850 bonus being offered to London Underground (LU) staff for working during the Olympics.
• More strikes on Heathrow ExpressWorkers on the Heathrow Express are to stage more strikes in an ongoing dispute over disciplinary action taken against two employees.
• Branson in Heathrow runway callHeathrow expansion would be better than building airport in the Thames estuary, Virgin Atlantic owner Sir Richard Branson says.
• Fiat plants shut over fuel strikeItalian carmaker Fiat halts production at all five of its plants in its home country, as it struggles to cope with a transport strike.

Financial Times

• Air industry argues against EU carbon levyAeroplane manufacturers have called for their industry to be excluded from Europe™s emissions trading scheme
• Airlines raise concerns over Olympics delaysAirlines are calling for their scheduled flights to be prioritised during the Olympics if there are any security incidents or bad weather

The Guardian

• Environmental regulations set to be slashedEnvironmentalists angry over government plans to 'cut red tape' on rules over air, land and noise pollution and wildlife protectionScores of environmental regulations are to be slashed under government plans to be announced on Monday, the Guardian has learned.The rules affected include controls on asbestos, invasive species and industrial air pollution; protection for wildlife and common lands; as well as restrictions on noise nuisance and deadly animal traps.Ministers are expected to say the cutting of red tape will save businesses £1bn, but the move has shocked campaigners, who argue that th...

The Independent

• Jubilee line may not cope with Olympic demandHeavily delayed upgrade work threatens London Underground's most important Olympic route, politicians have warned.Related StoriesMan loses toe after trapping foot in escalatorWilliams resigns: but who'll accept the poisoned chalice?Heathrow line faces more strikesExtreme weather warning: Britain's heritage buildings feel the heat “ and coldFormer UK border chief agrees pay-off

The Telegraph

• Miles of hard shoulder opened to cut jamsHard-shoulders on more than 100 miles of Britain's motorways will be permanently opened to traffic under Government plans to reduce congestion.

Daily Express

• Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson on tax that is crippling the air industryTHE Chancellor will unveil his strategy next week for growing the UK -economy to reduce our crippling budget deficit. The size of the challenge will make many of the measures unpalatable to -consumers and businesses alike but they must not be counter-productive.

Network Rail

• LINCOLNSHIRE COAST RAIL IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETE

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Llandudno railway station to get £5m revampA £5.2m overhaul of a rundown railway station in Llandudno yesterday got the green light.
• New £35m Porthmadog bypass will have to shut for quarry blastingA NEW £35m bypass will have to shut during quarry blasting – because of fears drivers may be distracted by rock fallout.

Journal Live

• More cruise ships expected to dock on TynesideA RECORD number of families will sail into the North East this year, making millions for the region’s economy.

Liverpool Echo

• Arriva under fire for child price hikes on Merseyside busesPLANS by bus company Arriva to increase child fares by 32% have been slammed by Merseyside’s transport boss as “fundamentally unfair”.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Times lifeline road will be openHighland Council last night published the timetable for the partial re-opening of a Wester Ross lifeline road which will see cars diverted on to the railway tracks.
• Osborne tax breaks to fuel new oil boomTHE UK Government is working to win back the trust of the North Sea offshore industry and, in the process, pave the way for tens of billions of pounds of new investment.

The York Press

• Cyclist ˜could have died™ in roadworks A CYCLIST claims he was nearly killed when he emerged from a cycle path on to a York street where traffic was travelling on the wrong side of the road.

Yorkshire Post

• Northern rail links set to be greatly improvedThe Transport Secretary has pledged to improve rail links between Yorkshire cities and across the North of England as a new report suggests the proposed Northern Hub rail project could deliver £4bn of economic benefits.

Other Regional Press

• Independence a threat to jobs warns city MPSHIPBUILDING and the defence industry would suffer from independence, the Shadow Scottish Secretary has warned in a Glasgow speech.
• CLYDE TUNNEL Roadworks are predicted to cause œsignificant congestion on busy commuter route get set for five months of miseryCOMMUTERS will be hit by five months of traffic misery as roadworks close a major Glasgow route.
• Union anger over privatisation plan for subway repairsTHE owner of Glasgow™s Subway is considering privatising maintenance of its train fleet, despite the move raising the prospect of a damaging strike by workers.

Railnews

• Network Rail promises action over crossing risks NETWORK RAIL chief executive David Higgins has promised to do 'what is necessary' to improve level crossing safety, after the company was fined £1 million for health and safety offences following the deaths of two teenage girls at Elsenham level crossing in 2005. In the wake of the case, the ORR has warned that if the regulator continues to intervene, or bring prosecutions where things have gone wrong, then 'it is clear that Network Rail has significant work still to do'.
• Engineer sets out plan for more trains on HS2 THE chief engineer of High Speed 2 has told an audience in Derby that sophisticated signalling, plus dedicated 'acceleration lanes', could increase headways from 18 to 30 trains an hour. Ian McNaughton said the future was based on the use of dedicated Very High Speed Trains rather than compromise rolling stock like Eurostar, adding that with a new railway 'you can optimize every feature to maximize capacity'.

Transport for London

• Victoria Coach Station celebrates its 80th birthdayTen million passengers travel to 1,600 destinations across UK and Europe annually.
• Excellence and bravery recognised at London Bus Awards Excellence and bravery were honoured at Transport for London's Bus Awards in Covent Garden last night.

Aviation Industry

• Walsh and Branson attack UK aviation policy's effect on growthBritish Airway's Willie Walsh has given a damning verdict of the UK's current aviation policy, which includes the continued rise in Air Passenger Duty , calling it an
• 'Bonding' with United AirlinesLast week saw a milestone event for the 787 program. It might go unnoticed by most aviation fans, but this was a grand slam in the world of aircraft financing.
• BA and UK leading airlines warn Government of impending chaos during...Millions of passengers face air chaos during this Summer's Olympics unless the Government acts now to prevent a disaster, British Airways and the UK's leading airlines have warned Transport Secretary Justine Greening.
• Cityjet to set up Edinburgh baseFrench carrier will also increase flights between Scottish capital and London City

Other News Sources

• RMT confirms further action on Heathrow Express over sacking of driver and continuing victimisation of RMT activistFollowing two rock-solid strikes that led to cancellation and disruption of all Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect services, rail union RMT today announced an escalation of industrial action in support of sacked driver Zahid Majid and victimized RMT representative Liaqat Ali;
• Network Rail faced with possibility of further £6.1bn efficiency driveNetwork Rail could be faced with finding £6.1bn more in savings over the next five year control period than it has planned, if the government accepts the recommendations of the rail regulator.