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

Tuesday, 07 August 2012

BBC News

• New Jersey bus firm wants islanders' vote on designs People are being asked to vote for the design they would most like to see used across the fleet
• Train breakdown in Severn TunnelA freight train is removed after it broke down in the Severn Tunnel, causing delays for passenger services.
• Jump in new car sales in ScotlandThe number of new cars registered in Scotland in July increases by almost a quarter, according to an industry body.
• TfL's stats and the 'ghost town'Have TfL's figures dispelled the notion central London has become a 'ghost town'?
• Games helps Tube break recordsThe record for most number of people using the London Underground in one day is broken three times in succession.

The Telegraph

• We must spend more on Britain's infrastructure to build a better futureThe Government needs to invest in badly needed transport links and cut day-to-day bills, believes Tim Laurence
• Nissan unveil new design for London black cabTraditional London taxi design faces new rival as Nissan unveils its new van-based NV200 vehicle, which its manufacturer claims is 50% more fuel efficient than existing cabs.

Daily Express

• Boost in new cars casts doubt on official gloomMOTORISTS are buying new cars to keep costs down, boosting July car registrations to their highest this year and lifting the economy, according to the industry's trade association.

The Mirror

• Off the rails: £1.4bn Thameslink train deal set for further delay Awarding the deal to Siemens cost 1,400 jobs at Britain’s last train maker Bombardier in Derby and put the long-term future of the works in jeopardy Siemens today admitted the controversial £1.4 billion Thameslink deal might not be signed until the autumn.

ATOC

• Olympic National Rail travel bulletin: Monday 6 AugustAs the Olympics enters its final week train companies are providing significant amounts of extra capacity to get hundreds of thousands of spectators to events and home again today....

Network Rail

• NEW LEVEL CROSSING SYSTEM TRIAL A SUCCESS

Bolton News

• MP calls for catering jobs on trains to be protected BOLTON MP David Crausby is calling for the Government to reject any plans by train companies to axe workers and remove catering services on the West Coast mainline.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Chiefs float night-shift plan for Leith reparation worksTRANSPORT chiefs are considering carrying out the planned Leith Walk reinstatement works at night to 
prevent a repeat of the disruption which plagued the area for two years.
• Lesley Hinds™ tram route dispute leaves city footing £1.4m billA STAND-OFF between city leaders which led to work on the tram project being suspended for eight days cost taxpayers more than £1 million, the Evening News can reveal.
• Lesley Hinds™ tram route dispute leaves city footing £1.4m billA STAND-OFF between city leaders which led to work on the tram project being suspended for eight days cost taxpayers more than £1 million, the Evening News can reveal.

Journal Live

• Shake up in service for East Coast rail passengersEAST Coast rail passengers face yet another rail shake up as the Government prepares to off-load the franchise.

Liverpool Post

• Top liner visit heralds enhanced Liverpool waterfront events for publicTHE arrival of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth tomorrow marks the first serious attempt to turn Liverpool liner visits into true waterfront events.

Manchester Evening News

• Flights delayed after power surge causes system failures at Manchester Airport A power surge at Manchester Airport lead to delays of about an hour for holidaymakers this morning. The outage took down all systems across all three terminals at about 7am. Flights set to depart before 9am were expected to be delayed for an hour.
• Greater Manchester town hall bid to charge utility firms for digging up road wins green lightWater, gas and electricity firms will soon be forced to pay nearly £5m a year to dig up Greater Manchester™s roads in a bid to cut congestion.
• Hundreds back call for ban on Manchester airport ‘naked scanners’ Hundreds of people have signed a petition vowing to boycott Manchester Airport unless controversial body scanners are removed. As families prepare to jet off for summer breaks, a campaign against the so-called ˜naked scanners™ has been launched.

Metro

• Black cabs get a greener and meaner Nissan rivalThe iconic black cab in London has been given an environmentally friendly makeover “ but still has the obligatory space for a hay bale. Eco-friendly: Nissan unveils a new Hackney Carriage for the Capital A more fuel-efficient version of the vehicle was unveiled as a  rival to the traditional model. Built by Nissan, it meets the strict  requirements of London cabs to have room for hay “ to feed the horses of the cabs of yesteryear “ and a turning circle of less than 7.6m (25ft). Nissan executive vice-president Andy Palmer, who launched the new cab, said London™s rules are the strictest for ta...

Wales Online

• Cardiff Bus fares could be cut, says new company chairman Cardiff Bus is considering slashing the price of its fares for shorter journeys, the company’s new chairman has revealed.

Other Regional Press

• Better bus links between Brighton and Crawley planned More buses will run from Brighton to mid and north Sussex from September.
• City tram line could be running by end of yearThe company behind plans to bring trams back to Preston said it wants its demonstrator line up and running by the end of the year.
• Bus station ˜blocks growth™, says designerA key figure behind Preston’s controversial bus station has said it is blocking the city’s ability to grow.

Global Rail News

• Gateway: Employing Birmingham™s lost youthBirmingham is suffering more than any other major city in the UK to get its young people into work, with one in 10 claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance. But within the rail and construction sector there is a ray of light – the Birmingham Gateway Project. The work at Birmingham New Street station has so far brought [...]
• Mace on target to hit New Street apprentice pledgeFifty-six apprentices are now working on the ambitious Gateway project at Birmingham New Street station and Mace, Network Rail’s delivery partner, looks set to achieve its target of bringing more than 100 unemployed young people into work by 2015. While the Gateway Project will modernise a station which is struggling to serve growing passenger numbers [...]
• Chiltern Railways begin £2.5 million car park deck at Warwick Parkway stationChiltern Railways has started work on a £2.5 million car park deck at Warwick Parkway, creating an extra 222 spaces. The new decking area, which is due to be opened in December, will bring the number of spaces at the station up from 737 to 959. Malcolm Holmes, general manager Mainline at Chiltern Railways, said:  [...]
• Station parking projectsPassengers are set to benefit from £15m of improvements to car parking facilities at stations across England after four schemes made successful bids for rail industry funding. The successful projects, to be delivered by the train operators, will see single and multi-decked car parking extensions at four stations where demand for car parking has outgrown [...]
• Crossrails Wallasea Island RSPB nature reserve ready thanks to BAM NuttallCrossrail has taken another step towards the creation of a new 1,500 acre RSPB nature reserve with the completion of a new 180 metre jetty at Wallasea Island in Essex.  The jetty will receive in the order of 4.5 million tonnes of material excavated during Crossrail™s tunnelling operations in London. Wallasea Island Wild Coast project [...]

Aviation Industry

• Walsh confirms the demise of BmibabyNo-frills subsidiary will stop flying on September 9 after failing to find a buyer
• Passengers up for Easyjet and RyanairNo-frills airlines both boosted by traffic rise during July
• Hong Kong Airlines™ Gatwick service in doubtBookings for flights from September have been closed as route™s future is under scrutiny

Other News Sources

• RMT Slams Fresh Chaos over Thameslink Fleet Contract The RMT has today slammed a catalogue of Government incompetence lasting well over a year after it emerged this morning that German contractor Siemens has admitted that the Thameslink fleet sign off will drag on into the autumn, apparently due to “contractual stuff” although the union remains convinced that it is down to the financial chaos in Europe.
• NEWS FROM JOHN BIGGS; John Biggs calls for further easing of Olympic Road Restrictions to help Residents in East LondonFollowing the announcement by TFL last week that there are to be alterations to the Olympic Route Network to reinstate some banned turnings and closed pedestrian crossings in the City of London and the West End, John Biggs has called for further changes to be extended into East London.