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

Thursday, 20 September 2012

BBC News

• Jersey bus talks encouraged by minister Talks between Jersey's outgoing and incoming bus companies are being encouraged by the island's transport and technical services minister.
• Conon Bridge railway station to reopen in 2013 A railway station will be reopened in time to help ease travel disruption caused by works to a road bridge, the Scottish government has said.
• Lay-by notices could be removedA council could be set to remove
• Graphic road safety advert debutsA new hard-hitting road safety campaign is launched in Northern Ireland, with the message that the vast majority of serious crashes are
• Heathrow runway referendum callA referendum-style vote over Heathrow expansion plans will be held for people living in Richmond, the council leader pledges.
• Airport staff seize giant snailsUK Border Force officers seize 36 live giant African land snails from a man at Glasgow Airport.
• Electric car money 'only for few'Government spending of £11m to encourage people to drive electric cars has benefited only a

The Guardian

• Boris's Bus (A Political Journey) Part 38: The Language of Accountancy Transport for London and the city's Greens take differing views on the economics the "Boris Bus" roll out
• French railway firm SNCF to launch pan-Europe e-travel website State-owned company aims to provide easier and faster booking for passengers travelling across continent
• Heathrow third runway: London councils to hold local referenda London mayor, Boris Johnson, backs poll plan and signals possible London-wide vote on the issue

The Herald

• Officials expressed doubts on rail fundsOFFICIALS expressed private doubts about the Scottish Government's ability to pay for its ambitious five-year programme of rail improvements before cuts were announced in summer, a report has confirmed.
• Rail debt repayment rowMINISTERS have been accused of over-committing to rail investment programmes they could not afford after it emerged they made an extraordinary attempt to defer loan repayments on more than £2.5 billion of railway debt.

The Independent

• Boris Johnson 'mobilising and alerting' people of London over Heathrow third runwayBoris Johnson aggravated tensions with David Cameron today as he backed staging referendums over the expansion of Heathrow - and even suggested they could be held over Britain's membership of the European Union.Related StoriesNick Clegg: I'm sorry for breaking tuition fee promiseGay marriage opponents are bigots, says former Clegg aideClegg eats humble pie over broken promisesSteve Hilton's 'nudge unit' goes globalHunt paves way for U-turn on casualty unit closures

The Telegraph

• Green car scheme subsidising wealthy motorists A scheme to promote electric cars has led to taxpayers contributing more than £6,000 towards the cost of second vehicles for wealthy families, MPs have warned in a report published today.

Reuters News

• UK needs more ambitious electric car grant scheme - MPsLONDON (Reuters) - Britain needs a more ambitious programme to encourage the uptake of low-carbon vehicles, as sales of the cars have disappointed, a committee made up of MPs said on Thursday.

Mail Online

• Boris Johnson backs London referendums on Heathrow and warns David Cameron a third runway would be 'foolish'The London Mayor suggested a London-wide poll could also include a question on Britain's membership of the EU.
• Electric car grants worth £5,000 'benefit the well off' as just a third of government pot is used for schemeThe government’s green car subsidy is doing little to help the environment - and is simply allowing rich families to buy a second car on the cheap, a damning report said yesterday.
• Diesel differential nears record: Price to fill up is 5p a litre more than for petrol vehiclesOil giants and City speculators are ‘profiteering’ by charging up to 4.4p a litre more for diesel at the pumps than they should be, says the AA.

Bristol Live

• 'Council should have more control of bus services'THE city council should look further into taking more control of Bristol's bus services, councillors have agreed.

London Evening Standard

• Cyclist injured on Sunday dies - bringing cycling deaths to 14 in September alone A cyclist in his 40s has died two days after suffering serious head injuries in a crash in Chertsey in Surrey on Sunday, bringing to 88 the number of cyclists killed on Britain's roads this year.
• Mayor’s aide: Osborne’s team are deluded over third runway Boris Johnson’s aviation adviser today accused the Treasury of “delusion” in a withering attack on government plans to resurrect the Heathrow third runway plan.

Manchester Evening News

• Metrolink passengers will be first to use new ’Oyster’ cardMetrolink passengers will be at the forefront of a public transport revolution in Greater Manchester with plans to roll out Oyster-style smart cards by 2014. Transport leaders say tram passengers could be the first to experience ticketless travel by using swipe cards, e-tickets and contactless bank cards within two years.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Bus named after Paralympic hero carries first passengersNOTTINGHAM City Transport's official "Richard Whitehead" bus has begun its first week in service.

Sheffield Star

• Rail depot plan for road schemeSHEFFIELD’S £2 billion Streets Ahead scheme to revamp the city’s crumbling roads and pavements is to be helped with investment in a new rail depot which will create around 30 jobs.

The York Press

• City™s 20mph limit ˜works™ TRANSPORT bosses say plans for a blanket 20mph speed limit on York™s streets have been backed up by falling accident rates in a city which has championed a similar scheme.

Wales Online

• Carwyn Jones slams 'Boris Island' plan at David Cameron meetingFirst Minister Carwyn Jones today branded London Mayor Boris John’s proposals for an airport east of London as “fanciful” and warned that future Severn crossing tolls must not be set solely by a Whitehall department.

Plymouth Herald

• Transport plans to be decided by local 'experts'FUNDING for major transport schemes in Plymouth will be decided closer to home rather than by Whitehall in future.

Other Regional Press

• Extra seating for rail usersCOMMUTERS in West Wales will have more seats on local train services from this week.
• Estate gets new bus link to the rail station RESIDENTS have welcomed the extension of a popular bus service to Oxford railway station.
• New manager to help develop railway's futureA NEW operations manager will help the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway (GWSR) develop in the future. Neil Carr, who has been operations director on a voluntary basis, has been appointed as its new full-time operations manager to oversee its daily work.

Global Rail News

• Bombardier ˜confident™ it will find orders to sustain Derby siteThe president of Bombardier Transportation, André Navarri, has said he is confident the company will obtain the orders needed to secure the future of its site in Derby. Speaking at the international rail trade fair InnoTrans, Navarri said “It’s clear that we need additional orders and so that is the reason why we are in [...]
• £3 million upgrade for Greater Anglia trainsGreater Anglia has announced a £3 million upgrade to its fleet of local trains in Norfolk and Suffolk. The train operator™s nine two-carriage Class 156 vehicles will receive a complete interior overhaul, including new carpets, dado panels, seat covers and a deep clean as well as the installation of a new passenger information system which [...]
• Siemens present Desiro trains to Russian RailwaysSiemens presented a Desiro RUS regional train for the Sochi network to Russian Railways president Vladimir Yakunin. Yakunin said: “Siemens has a long history of cooperating with Russia since right after he revolution. So they have nothing to be afraid of since then. That’s why our collaboration went so smoothly because we have known each other [...]
• InnoTrans gallery: day twoFresh images from the second day of action at InnoTrans 2012.

Aviation Industry

• Lufthansa will create budget brand to cut costs in Europe In a bid to save money on its short-haul routes, German airline Lufthansa will unveil a new budget airline with effect from January 1 next year.

Other News Sources

• Secret costs of railway upgrade THE company in charge of Swindon’s railway forecourt upgrade has refused to divulge how much a series of delays to the troubled project will cost taxpayers.