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

Tuesday, 18 September 2012

BBC News

• Rail ticket office cuts overruledPlans to close ticket offices at five West Midlands railway stations are overruled by Transport Minister Norman Baker.
• Town's new uni road link opensA new circular road route linking Aberystwyth University and the National Library of Wales opens, along with a new bus service.
• MPs in flights deal with EasyjetA deal is announced between the Houses of Parliament and Easyjet, intended to bring down the cost of MPs' and peers' travel expenses.
• 'Dick Turpin' rail firms attackedAn MP has compared some train companies to latter-day "Dick Turpins" in a debate on the future of the West Coast Mainline rail franchise.
• Rush hour delay as bus lanes openCommuters in private cars faced rush hours delays on Monday after new bus lanes began operating in Belfast city centre.
• Heathrow expansion: The alternativesWhat options will the government review of how to expand airport capacity in the south east look at?

Department for Transport

• High Speed Rail: Phase 1 Consultation Update The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport (Norman Baker): The Government’s decision on 10th January 2012 to take forward proposals for a national high speed rail network followed a major public consultation exercise that attracted around 55,000 responses.
• Passenger benefits secured through ticket office decisionChanges to the way passengers buy tickets at London Midland stations will improve facilities to reflect changing needs while making efficiency savings.
• Additional service from Uckfield to London Bridge for commutersAdditional morning service set to be introduced from December 2012 between Uckfield and London Bridge.

Financial Times

• ˜Airbus™ mooted as new name for BAE-EADSSome argue new brand would not be welcome in the US, where France-based aircraft maker is biggest rival to Boeing in commercial aerospace
• Rail equipment demand set to jumpSector shows resilience as governments in Latin America and the Middle East plan investments in infrastructure
• Indian reform may not help KingfisherAirline could find it tough to find a willing partner without a substantial infusion of capital from its owner and a debt restructuring
• ANA says JAL™s tax breaks were ˜not fair™Airline chief demands rebalancing of competitive landscape as its rival enjoys huge profits thanks to tax advantages as it prepares for an IPO
• Oil unit™s woes hit sales at Global PortsGroup™s terminal arm faces competition but management insists business is booming in Russian container shipping business
• EasyJet strikes travel deal with MPsThe contract offers discounts and more flexibility to change booked journeys as the airline looks to attract more business customers

The Guardian

• City urged to ditch the car and talk transport How long could you cope without your car? A day? A week? A lifetime? How should a city be built for the transport of the future? Those debates and more will be getting underway in Leeds at the end of this week
• Crossrail earth to help create biggest man-made nature reserve in Europe Almost 5m tonnes scooped from rail tunnels will transform Wallasea Island from farmland into a 670-hectare wetland

The Herald

• Bilingual road signs for A9 after safety fears allayedBILINGUAL road signs will be erected along a 120-mile stretch of the A9 after research concluded that having English and Gaelic place names alongside each other does not increase the risk of accidents.
• Rise in passengers at regional airportsPassenger numbers at regional airports are slightly up on last year despite service reductions, weather disruption and the tough economic climate.

The Independent

• 4.5m tonnes of earth excavated for London's Crossrail project used to create Wallasea Island nature reserve Everyone knows that when a dog digs a hole, it throws up a big pile of dirt behind itself.Related StoriesRussian businessman Vladimir Slutsker loses legal fight over London houseGay couple Michael Black and John Morgan sue bed and breakfast owner Susanne Wilkinson over room refusalSir Ranulph Fiennes to attempt record winter Antarctica expeditionFrench court to decide on Kate topless photographs injunctionFrench court to rule on Kate topless photographs injunction

The Telegraph

• EasyJet signs up MPs for Parliamentary travel A year after offering free flights to Members of Parliament returning to deal with the summer riots, easyJet has been added to the list of preferred airlines for both Houses of Parliament.
• Government team in place to run West Coast Main LineA team of officials has been put in place to run the West Coast Main Line on behalf of the Government, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
• Christmas chaos fear over West Coast rail swap Train passengers could face chaos on the West Coast line in the run-up to Christmas because there may be insufficient time to transfer the franchise from Virgin Rail to a new operator.

Bolton News

• Manchester Airport to stop using "naked" body scanners MANCHESTER Airport have announced they will stop using œnaked body scanners next month.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Wrexham councillor calls for rethink over bus service cutsA LEADING councillor has called on a council to re-think a timescale following proposals to cut bus services.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Safety is paramount in motorway speed limit planTRANSPORT Secretary and Derbyshire Dales MP Patrick McLoughlin says the safety of the roads would be his overriding concern when...

London Evening Standard

• Taxpayers should 'not be held to ransom by Dick Turpin rail firms', MPs toldControl of Britain's railways should not be handed to "Dick Turpin" train operators, MPs were told today in a debate responding to thousands of ePetition signatures.
• £50bn fund could go to build third runway at Heathrow A £50 billion fund to kick-start the UK economy could be used "in principle" to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said today.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester Airport chiefs forced to ditch ’naked’ scanners in red tape rowControversial ˜naked™ body scanners are being scrapped at Manchester Airport in a red-tape wrangle set to cost more than a million pounds, the M.E.N. can reveal. They will be switched off on October 31 “ meaning the airport will have to splash out £1.1m on new scanners and the recruitment of an extra 55 full-time security officers, who will manually frisk passengers.

The York Press

• Bargain tickets offer cheaper travel on buses YORK™S biggest bus operator is launching two money-saving ticket offers for passengers.
• Wishlist for traffic improvements is revealed by council A NEW Park&Ride at Clifton Moor , a railway station in Haxby and hopes of dualling at least part of York™s northern ring road are included in a wishlist of schemes to improve transport in York over the coming decades.

Wales Online

• Cardiff news: Cardiff bus stops could be internet hotspots in 'super-connected' bidInternet hotspots offering high speed broadband could be installed on streetlights, CCTV poles and at bus stops as part of a scheme to make Cardiff a “super-connected city”.

Other Regional Press

• Train firms urged to commit to Parkway station TRAIN companies bidding for the Great Western rail franchise have been urged to make a firm commitment to providing a new railway station for the county at Norton.
• Deputy London mayor to visit for airport talksLondon mayor Boris Johnson's deputy is to visit Kent for talks about controversial plans for an estuary airport.

Campaign for Better Transport

• The Climate Change Act is being ignored by transport decision-makersCouncillor Andrew Boswell writes about how the proliferation of new local road proposals will breach clear requirements to cut carbon. read more
• Councils and bus companies need to cooperate to save our buses17 September 2012: We welcome the recommendation of the last Transport Committee report read more

Global Rail News

• Gold Standard for Games TrainsRailways have been praised for rising to the challenge of delivering 1000s of sports people and spectators to and from the 2012 Olympics in London and associated venues across Britain. Over five million people used the railway, an increase of 18.5% on normal services. This is thought to be the most sustained rise in capacity [...]
• Welcome to the Show!Civil engineering is heavy work. Whether it is digging ditches, moving muck, removing rocks, shifting sand, carrying concrete, grading gravel or levelling the landscape it is all hard work, and needs some powerful machinery. When that work has to be carried out on the railway, things get even more complicated. Access may only be possible [...]
• Southern adds new early morning commuter serviceSouthern Railway is adding a new early morning commuter service between Uckfield and London Bridge in response to continued high levels of growth on the line. The new service, which is to to be introduced from December 2012, is part of an agreement between Southern Railway and the Department for Transport. The service will operate [...]
• Industry prepares for start of InnoTrans 2012The world’s leading rail innovators putting the finishes touches to their exhibits ahead of this year’s InnoTrans trade fair. For the first time in the shows history the grounds are fully booked, with 2,515 exhibitors from 49 countries presenting their latest rail technology products and services this year, 272 exhibitors more than at InnoTrans 2010. [...]
• Six railway detonators stolen from line in SunderlandSix railway detonators have been stolen from a line in Sunderland – this follows a teenager who lost the sight in his right eye after stealing detonators from a depot in Essex. Police believe the detonators were stolen from the line near Villette Road between around 22.55 on Saturday, September 15, and 01.00 on Sunday, [...]

London TravelWatch

• Passenger watchdog calls for the removal of obstructions on London™s pavements London TravelWatch this week called for TfL and borough councils in London to do more to get obstructions removed from pavements which make it difficult for pedestrians to get around the capital. This week™s Transport Services Committee heard from representatives of blind and disabled travellers who described the problems they face as pedestrians from pavement obstructions such as advertising boards, barriers and items for sale on the pavement.
• London TravelWatch response to South Eastern franchise consultation seeks a wide range of improvements for passengers in and around LondonLondon TravelWatch has responded to the Department for Transport's (DfT) consultation on the South Eastern franchise, due to start in April 2014. Top priorities for the passenger watchdog include more services, increased capacity and improved station standards.

The Business Desk

• National Express doubles inspector numbers to beat fare dodgers BIRMINGHAM transport group National Express is clamping down on ticket cheats on its Travel West Midlands buses.
• Manchester Airport ramps up China links with Hallé and UKTI MANCHESTER Airport's drive to persuade a Chinese airline to launch direct flights is being stepped up by support of and participation in a key cultural and trade mission to China this autumn.

Aviation Industry

• Canceled flights up at American AirlinesFlight cancellations have spiked at American Airlines, which is fighting with unhappy pilots, and the carrier will reduce flights at least partly because of staffing shortages.
• Manchester airport to replace body scannersNew security scanning machines will ensure more privacy for passengers
• BA confirms delivery dates for first A380s and DreamlinersBritish Airways has confirmed delivery dates for its long-awaited A380 superjumbos and Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The airline said that it was “expecting” delivery of its first B787 in May 2013 with a further three aircraft set to arrive by the end of next year. BA should also receive its first A380 in July¦

Other News Sources

• Merton councillors' station closures warning amid Thameslink Wimbledon loop service The closure of south London train stations would be “fiercely opposed” by councillors if controversial plans to make services terminate at Blackfriars station are approved next year.
• UK business is calling on the government to step up its investment on infrastructure construction, with the message that there has been enough talking and it is now time to act. Businesses are concerned that critical infrastructure improvements are not happening quickly enough. That is the main finding of the second annual CBI/KPMG infrastructure survey, Better connected, better business, published today.