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

Saturday, 24 March 2012

BBC News

• £25m to improve public transportTransport Minister Carl Sargeant announces a £25m grant to improve public transport across Wales.
• Town prepares for railway arrivalNew shops and cafes are opening in Corwen as a heritage railway extension is expected to attract an extra 90,000 visitors a year.
• Belfast airport pulls runway planThe management of Belfast City Airport withdraw their plans to extend the runway at the east Belfast site.
• Third of Tube 'step-free' pledgeLondon's Green Party mayoral candidate has pledged to make one third of the Tube network step-free by 2018.
• Crossrail dig finds shipyard siteCrossrail archaeologists uncover evidence of the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company that closed down a century ago.

Department for Transport

• £101 million bus boost for passengersMore low carbon buses and better partnerships to increase growth and cut emissionsCommuters and bus passengers across England will see more eco-friendly buses on the roads, congestion reduced and services upgraded, thanks to a new £101 million package of improvements approved by Local Transport Minister Norman Baker.

The Herald

• Delay fears for £1bn rail programmeA £1 billion rail investment programme, described as the biggest in Scotland for a generation, may not be delivered on time because of delays in awarding contracts.

The Independent

• Petrol hits a record high of 140p a litreJust two days after the Chancellor refused to cancel a fuel duty rise, and five months before it kicks in, petrol prices have reached a record high. The average price of petrol has for the first time exceeded £1.40 per litre “ it now stands at 140.20p per litre “ while diesel is even higher at a record 146.72p per litre.Related StoriesFree schools are 'shameful waste of public money'Is Cameron's alcohol plan a good way to make us forget bad news?Tories attack Osborne over 'inept' BudgetTax avoidance is impossible for people in 40p bracketHundreds of thousands ˜will get caught™ in 40p tax net

The Telegraph

• Pain for motorists as filling car with petrol touches £100The cost of filling a large family car with petrol rose to almost £100 yesterday as forecourt prices reached record heights of 140.2p a litre.

Birmingham Post

• HS2 could see Birmingham Airport renamed as London-Birmingham, claims chief engineerHigh speed rail will lead to the creation of an entire new city based around “London-Birmingham Airport”, the chief engineer of the new line has predicted.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Dozens hit by Menai Bridge railway disruptionDOZENS of passengers were disrupted yesterday after a track problem temporarily stopped trains.

Manchester Evening News

• Commuter at Mauldeth Road Station near Levenshulme has miraculous escape after he falls under trainA man escaped with minor injuries after falling in front of a commuter train as it stopped at a station. Police were called to Mauldeth Road Station near Levenshulme after the man was seen falling from a platform at 6.30pm yesterday.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published Tram's on right track in Post town pollArticle
• Nottingham Post published Kangaroo price rise 'will put people off public transport'CAMPAIGNERS fear people may be put off from using public transport by a rise in the cost of an unlimited daily travel ticket.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Caravan owners take fight against upfront fees to MPConcerned caravan owners who fear they are being œheld to ransom over fees at a troubled Moray leisure park met their local MP yesterday.
• Cyclist seriously injured in crashA cyclist was in a serious condition in hospital last night after an accident involving a van on a busy Moray road.
• Coast-to-coast Scottish canoe trail launchedScotland™s first formal canoe trail “ a breathtaking journey through the Great Glen from coast to coast “ was launched yesterday and is expected to draw thousands of additional tourists to the Highlands.

Yorkshire Post

• £13m boost to bring ˜Oyster™ cards to regionLondon-style ’Oyster’ cards are to be introduced on buses across large parts of Yorkshire after the Government announced almost £13m in funds to upgrade passenger services in the region.

Bucks Free Press

• Chiltern Railways tweaks its timetableCHILTERN Railways will make some minor changes to its timetable in May, saying it will œimprove capacity, efficiency and punctuality.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Menace of the uninsured driverWITH the cost of living continuing to soar, honest motorists will be enraged to discover that every time they use the city’s roads, they could be surrounded by one of 6,563 uninsured vehicles. CARLY LEWTHWAITE reports.

C.N.N.

• Japanese boat washed away in tsunami spotted more than a year laterA fishing trawler swept away more than a year ago by a tsunami off the east coast of Japan has been spotted floating near British Columbia, Canadian officials said Friday.

Global Rail News

• Network Rail™s future ˜Vision for Safety™…a handful of rules together with the right Safety Culture Written by Colin Wheeler I met with Gareth Llewellyn late last month. As Director Safety and Sustainable Development for Network Rail he has an interesting and useful past. He spent eleven years as Head of the National Centre for Risk Analysis and Options Appraisal at [...]
• £1m investment in Merseyrail networkMerseyrail has announced that almost £1 million is going to be invested across its network. A £625,000 grant under the Department for Transport Access for All programme “ with an additional £100,000 each from Merseytravel and Merseyrail – will provide 17 stations with new DDA compliant toilet facilities. Merseyrail was also allocated £153,000 DfT funding [...]

Aviation Industry

• US Airways expands inflight Wi-Fi to more planesMore US Airways aircraft, including regional jets and its ubiquitous Airbus fleet, will soon have in-flight Wi-Fi service.
• US Airways said to discuss takeover of American AirlinesIn this 2010 file photo, a US Airways Express flight takes off from Washington's Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
• Airbus and Boeing unite against ETSAircraft manufacturers call for ETS to delayed to find global solution
• DB Schenker Rail unveils Royal Train locomotiveIn recognition of the first Royal Train service as part of Her Majesty The Queen™s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, a locomotive was unveiled arriving into Manchester Victoria Station today in a specially commissioned Jubilee design. The locomotive, which will haul the Royal Train to Jubilee events this year, is painted in silver with an image of [...]

Other News Sources

• Hapag-Lloyd pleased with 2011 performance Précis:  Hapag-Lloyd has announced revenues of €6,103m for 2011, a fall of 1.6% year on year. EBITDA was €367m, down by 59.4%. The company attributed the decline to exchange rate fluctuations and considered its performance an "excellent result in a challenging year", pointing to a 3.2% increase in revenues in US dollars; its main operational currency.   Although the company's transport volumes increased 5.1% to 5.2m TEU, increased fuel prices hindered the profitability of Hapag-L...
• Highways Agency reveals £500m supplier winnersThe Highways Agency has announced the winning suppliers on its £500m pavement and concrete framework.
• EC seeks tighter rules on shipbreakingTHE EC today unveiled plans to tighten the EU™s rules on shipbreaking.