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

Thursday, 05 April 2012

BBC News

• Call to target flight emissionsGreenhouse gas emissions from international flights and shipping should be included in the UK's carbon budgets, the Committee of Climate Change advises.
• Plans for 'arms-length' bus firmEast Lothian council is considering setting up an 'arms-length' bus company following the announcement First Scotland East is withdrawing services.
• Heathrow unveils Olympic terminalHeathrow unveils a new Games Terminal to cater for athletes and officials involved with London 2012.
• Greens in London transport pledgeThe Green Party London mayoral candidate pledges to cut the cost of fares and invest in public transport, if she is elected.
• Death spot 'cannot be made safe'A roundabout where two cyclists were killed in a single month will never be completely safe for bikes, a Transport for London boss admits.
• Network Rail fined £4m over crashNetwork Rail is fined £4m over the Grayrigg train crash in Cumbria, which claimed the life of Glasgow woman Margaret Masson.
• Venezuela rejects EU airline banVenezuela says it is weighing reciprocal measures after the European Union banned state-run carrier Conviasa from EU airspace because of safety concerns.
• Airlines fear Easter 'gridlock'The home secretary is warned by 11 airlines that Britain
• Acas fuel dispute talks to resumeTalks to try to head off a possible strike by fuel tanker drivers are expected to resume later.
• Jaguar to build F-type sports carJaguar Land Rover is to build a successor to its previous sports cars called the F-type at its factory in Birmingham.

Department for Transport

• New safety helmet ratings published ahead of Easter bank holidayAn extra 14 motorcycle helmet ratings from the Department for Transport's Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme (SHARP) have been published today by Road Safety Minister Mike Penning ahead of the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Financial Times

• Salary freeze for IAG chief WalshThe UK airline group™s annual report says Willie Walsh himself made the proposal for his pay, which increased by 12.2% in 2011, but it didn™t say why
• Night flight ruling hits LufthansaIndustry figures warn the ruling could leave Frankfurt airport at a disadvantage as competition intensifies with rival air traffic hubs

The Guardian

• Fuel tanker drivers and hauliers start peace talks at Acas Hopes for progress on safety but Unite union call for national pay bargaining is a sticking point
• Blackpool tram derailed by sand on first journey after £100m upgrade Despite six months of testing on the new tracks, the first tram to run was stuck for three hours in sand driven by stormy weather
• Government urged to include aviation and shipping in UK carbon targets Climate change committee says that continuation of exclusion would be a watering down of carbon goals
• Grayrigg derailment: Network Rail fined £4mNetwork Rail fined for health and safety failings that led to 2007 crash in Cumbria that left one dead and 28 seriously injuredNetwork Rail has been fined £4m for health and safety failings leading to the 2007 Grayrigg train crash that killed one passenger and injured 86.Mrs Justice Swift imposed the fine on the rail infrastructure company at Preston crown court. Network Rail pleaded guilty last month to breaching health and safety law ahead of the derailment of the Virgin train in Cumbria, in which an 84-year-old woman died and 28 people were seriously injured.The service from London Euston h...
• Airlines warn of Easter queues at passport controlBA and Virgin sign letter demanding Theresa May addresses shortage of Border Agency staff, causing airport delaysAs about one and half million people dodge the British weather this Easter by heading abroad, warnings suggest the longest queues may be awaiting those returning at the airports.While motoring organisations anticipate a relatively jam-free holiday weekend, airlines are expecting lengthy waits at passport control due to a shortage of Border Agency staff to carry out the rigorous passport checks demanded by the Home Office.British Airways and Virgin Airlines are among 11 companies th...

The Herald

• New funding cuts threat for bus firmsBUS companies are braced for further funding cuts as the Scottish Government tries to bring its troubled free travel scheme under budget, The Herald has learned.
• Cost criticismsA PRIVATE company that is paid £3.6 billion a year by the taxpayer, Network Rail has continually struggled with the contradictions it inherited from privatisation.
• Rail death victim's family call £4m fine 'offensive'THE daughter of a Scots pensioner who died in a train crash has spoken of her disgust at having to

The Independent

• Network Rail fined £4m for Grayrigg train crash Network Rail was fined £4 million today over safety failures in the lead-up to the fatal Grayrigg train crash.Related StoriesSavings and loans on the increaseCargo ship leaking oil near Colwyn Bay after storm rescueFirefighters tackle Chingford warehouse blazeNetwork Rail fined £4m over 'preventable' crashYouths cleared over M1 blaze
• Gridlock at airports set to hamper Easter getaway plans Theresa May, the Home Secretary, was accused last night of leaving Britain's borders
• Fanny takes the Tube: new London victory for the Flying Dutchwoman The
• Network Rail fined £4m over 'preventable' crashNetwork Rail was fined £4m yesterday for safety failures that led to a train derailment which killed a pensioner and injured 86 other passengers.Related StoriesSavings and loans on the increaseCargo ship leaking oil near Colwyn Bay after storm rescueNetwork Rail fined £4m for Grayrigg train crashFirefighters tackle Chingford warehouse blazeYouths cleared over M1 blaze

The Telegraph

• Grayrigg train crash: how 'shambolic' maintenance record of Network Rail led to fatal accidentIt was a set of faulty points that five years ago caused a 95mph Virgin Pendolino train to come off the tracks near the village of Grayrigg on a pitch-black, rain and windswept winter's night in the bleak Cumbrian countryside.
• Grayrigg train crash: 'Network Rail pay-off is offensive'Soyab Patel, a lawyer representing the family of Grayrigg crash victim Margaret Masson, says his clients are offended by having to contribute taxes to fines levied on Network Rail.
• Wet weather and expensive fuel means quiet Easter on roadsWet and windy weather is set to put a damper on this year's Easter getaway with the sun making only a fleeting appearance over the weekend.
• Going off the railsTelegraph View: We wish the Blackpool to Fleetwood tramway a speedy recovery.

Mail Online

• Airport and travel chaos: The UK Border Agency rears its ugly head to wish us all a very unhappy EasterApparently there will not be enough people to check passports at airports this Easter. At first thought it seems incredible that this could happen. Airlines seem to remember to hire people to man their check-in desks. They tend to have at least one pilot for each plane. Even railway companies usually manage to provide roughly the same number of trains and drivers.

The Mirror

• Petrol peace talks: Fuel tanker drivers and haulage firms hold crunch talks to try to avert crippling strikeDrivers and employers sat in separate rooms while a team of officials from conciliation service Acas relayed messages between them
• Brought to a sandstill: £100m tram system derailed... due to sand on the tracksBlackpool™s state-of-the-art new carriages were launched by Transport Minister Norman Baker after a four-year project
• On yer bike: Jobcentre to offer people a bicycle to get to work after transport cuts leave many strandedLabour MP Phil Wilson said a lack of train and bus ­services had forced some of his constituents to quit jobs
• Bikers beware - April 5 is most dangerous day to ride your motorcycle If you're called David, you live in London and are aged between 41 and 48, the data shows you should definitely leave the bike at home today

ATOC

• ATOC responds to ORR capability reviewIn response to the publication of the ORR’s capability review, Michael Roberts,...

Network Rail

• RAIL INVESTMENT SIGNALS START OF REVAMP ON GREAT WESTERN
• NETWORK RAIL STARTS WORK FOR HEATHROW CROSSRAIL SERVICES
• NETWORK RAIL STATEMENT ON GRAYRIGG CASE

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham Airport boss says BHX extension better than Heathrow solutionBIRMINGHAM Airport’s chief executive has rubbished calls for a “Heathrow solution” to the UK’s air problems calling for better use of the Midland complex.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Leeds Bradford Airport set for Easter getaway Holidaymakers will be heading for the sun during Easter according to the latest figures released by Leeds Bradford Airport.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Miliband slams Bombardier decision as he sees Derbyshire's...LABOUR leader Ed Miliband has urged Derby voters to remember the "betrayal" of city train-maker Bombardier when they go...

Edinburgh Evening News

• Road users face fines in city™s safety bidMOTORISTS and cyclists are to be fined for failing to observe traffic signals and road markings under a new crackdown.
• Council chiefs to rescue after First axes bus routesA STATE-RUN bus service is to be set up to plug gaping holes in the Lothian travel network, amid huge cutbacks to operations at First Scotland East.

Liverpool Echo

• Wirral Council to introduce to 20mph speed limits on residential roadsWIRRAL Council is set to bring in 20mph speed limits across its residential roads.

Manchester Evening News

• All change: £20m revamp gives Stalybridge railway station a bright future Plans have been unveiled for a £20m refurbishment of Stalybridge station. The massive programme of improvements is being carried out by Network Rail between now and November.
• Pictured: Trains delayed after storm blows warehouse roof onto railway lines at Belle VueThree trains were cancelled and 34 delayed after the corrugated roof toppled on an embankment at Belle Vue station shortly after 6.30am today
• 260,000 head for Manchester airport in great Easter getaway Tens of thousands of holidaymakers are jetting abroad from Manchester this Easter “ leaving petrol panic and barmy weather at home. Airport bosses say 260,000 holidaymakers will pass through the terminals over the extended weekend “ with Dubai, Tenerife and Orlando are among the favoured hotspots.

Metro

• Britain must add ships and planes to its gas emissions, say expertsJohn Higginson Emissions from international flights and shipping must be part of Britain™s target to cut greenhouse gases, climate advisors say. The UK's records of gas emissions should include those produced by planes, advise experts (Picture: PA) The Committee on Climate Change has called for both sectors to be formally included in the government™s plans to cut pollution. Currently, the figures are not taken into account, despite aviation making up five per cent of our greenhouse gases and shipping up to 1.5 per cent. Legally-binding targets mean Britain has until 2050 to reduce its greenh...
• Acas talks begin between government and fuel tanker drivers™ unionMETRO WEB REPORTER Union officials have moved to avert a potential strike by tanker drivers, as talks began between Unite and distribution company bosses. Many forecourts ran dry after panic buying broke out (Picture: Getty) Members of Unite met the heads of seven distribution companies under the watchful eye of conciliation service Acas. Further talks are due to take place at an undisclosed location tomorrow. The tanker drivers™ dispute is mainly to do with their terms and conditions and health and safety rules. It has been brewing for more than a year but flared up last week when Unite ann...
• Jaguar confirms two-seater F-Type is set to go into productionRichard Yarrow British car-maker Jaguar has confirmed that it will launch a new two-seater car in tribute to the classic E-Type, called the F-Type. The F-type invokes the spirit of the classic E-type, named Britain's favourite car in a survey (Picture: Jaguar) The spirit of the Jaguar E-Type, one of the most iconic British sports cars of all time, is to be reborn. The Midlands company has confirmed it will launch an all-new two-seater next year, to be called the F-Type. The new model will be available as a coupe and convertible, and cost from around £50,000. A number of different versions wi...

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Bus wars erupt in fury over council route changesDEFIANT bus bosses today vowed to fire all staff rather than let councils “steal” their routes. The claim was made during crunch talks between council transport bosses and bus companies such as Stagecoach and Go North East.

Sheffield Star

• Risk of road accidents higher in poorer areas of SheffieldPEOPLE living in poorer parts of Sheffield are up to 20 times more likely to become victims of road accidents, according to a city-based academic.

Sheffield Telegraph

• South Yorkshire bus drivers give children a big giggleSMILES will be brought to the faces of poorly children thanks to a generous donation by staff at South Yorkshire’s biggest bus company.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Minister signals new railway possibilitiesRailway stations across the north and north-east could be in line for a boost thanks to a £30million national programme of improvements.

Yorkshire Post

• Rail firm fined £4m for deadly crash on faulty lineNetwork Rail was fined £4m yesterday over safety failures in the lead-up to the fatal Grayrigg train crash.

Blackpool Gazette

• Back to the future for Blackpool A BID to route Blackpool’s iconic trams back along town centre streets has won Government support.

Bucks Free Press

• Report on High Speed 1 raises serious questions about HS2A REPORT on Britain's first high speed railway raises serious questions about High Speed 2 and shows crucial flaws, technology and engineering experts say.

Crewe Chronicle

• UK & World News: Target call for flight emissionsEmissions from international flights and shipping should be included in the UK's targets for cutting greenhouse gases, the Government's climate advisers have said.

Other Regional Press

• Fight to save Stevenage bus serviceA fight is on to save a bus service users say is necessary to get them around Stevenage.
• Foreign truckers 'to get cheaper fuel'A motoring body has criticised a plan to offer foreign lorries discount fuel in Kent while hard-pressed drivers are being priced off the road.
• Kirklees Council Highways chief tells of gritting challenge: What was it like near youTHE council's Highways chief has said the gritters are doing all they can to clear roads and minimise disruption.
• £30m fund could mean new rail stationsA £30 MILLION programme of railway station improvements has been announced by the Scottish Government.
• Aberdeen™s first car club signs up 75 peopleTHE first of a new breed of car club in Aberdeen has already signed up more than 75 members for its congestion-beating scheme.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New bus and lorry driver safety rules come into force in 2013A series of new regulations governing licences for bus and lorry drivers may come into effect from January 19th 2013.The change is part of efforts by the Department for Transport – in conjunction with the Driving Standards Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) - to improve road safety.Proposals have been placed before Parliament and include measures to strengthen driving examiners requirements and tighten regulations regarding the largest and most powerful motorcycles, as well as new limits for trailer towing.Under the new rules, all bus and lorry licences will ha...

Global Rail News

• Signalling upgrade to cut rail delays ˜by 50%™Network Rail has said the four-year scheme to upgrade signalling infrastructure on the Great Western main line could ‘help cut delays by 50%’. The £400m improvement will ‘significantly benefit’ services travelling through Bristol, Bath, Chippenham, Swindon, Didcot, Reading, Newbury and Oxford. Network Rail said around 25,000 minutes of delays on average each year on the [...]
• Alstom wins order from Deutsche BahnAlstom has been awarded a contract by Deutsche Bahn to manufacture 28 Coradia Continental regional trains. The contract is worth approximately €140 million. This is the first stage of the frame contract signed in 2011 with DB Regio for the delivery of up to 400 trains. Alstom said the trains will run on the Rhine-Ruhr [...]
• Railtex announces dates for 2013Railtex 2013 will take place from 30 April to 2 May next year at the Earls Court exhibition venue. This will be the 11th in a series of trade shows covering railway equipment, systems and services. Covering the entire railway market “ both fixed infrastructure assets and rolling stock, plus all related products and services [...]
• We ask the rail safety experts¦ Part 8 “ Many staff travel large distances to work, does this increase the risk of accidents? What can be done to reduce the travelling?In preparation for this year™s Rail Safety Summit, we sat down with leading figures from the rail safety industry and asked them a series of pressing questions about safety practices within the rail industry. Today™s question is: Many train-crew, contractors and agency staff still travel large distances to work. Does this increase the risk of [...]
• Network Rail begins work for Heathrow Crossrail servicesNetwork Rail has begun work on the Stockley Interchange in west London, a ‘crucial part’ of the Crossrail network that will allow Crossrail services to operate to and from Heathrow. When Crossrail services begin, even more trains will travel along the Great Western main line so work is needed to improve capacity. The current junction [...]
• Jubilee Line TransformedLondon Underground™s Jubilee Line has had an interesting history. The Stanmore section was originally part of the Metropolitan Line but became a branch of the Bakerloo Line in 1939 when the deep level tube was opened from Baker Street to Finchley Road to relieve congestion on the Met. Subsequent overcrowding on the Bakerloo central section [...]
• Network Rail fined £4m over Grayrigg derailmentNetwork Rail has been fined £4 million over the Grayrigg train derailment in Cumbria in 2007 which killed one person and injured 86 others. On 23 February 2007, the 17.15 Virgin Trains service from London Euston to Glasgow Central derailed on the West Coast Mainline. The train travelled over a set of ‘degraded’ points at [...]

Railnews

• £30m fund to improve Scottish stations THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT has provided a new fund of £30 million which will be used to upgrade stations and could also provide some new ones. The move follows a major controversy surrounding the Government's consultation into the shape of Scottish rail services after 2014 which suggested that some stations could be closed – either because they are barely used or because they are near another one.
• £350m to boost Great Western capacity Network Rail has revealed that it is to spend £350 million on renewing signalling systems on the Great Western Main Line, giving the route a capacity boost and accelerating the move towards regional control. The company said the work could also reduce delays by up to half, because ageing signalling is currently being blamed for up to 25,000 delay minutes annually, and that the upgrade will prepare the route for its imminent electrification.
• New Blackpool tram derailed by sand on first day A new Bombardier Flexity tram was derailed at Fleetwood this morning, on the first day of Blackpool's new modernised tram system. Operator Blackpool Transport has attributed the derailment to sand on the tracks. Staff have been trying to clear it, but were hampered by the wind blowing more sand from the nearby beach.

Aviation Industry

• Air traffic control strikes should be banned - RyanairNo-frills airline wants change in EU law to prevent disruption to flights

Other News Sources

• Transport Secretary welcomes new rail recruits Transport Secretary Justine Greening today met 85 young graduates from across Britain at Network Rail’s training and development centre near Coventry, to welcome them onto Track and Train - the new cross-rail industry paid work placement scheme.