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

Tuesday, 20 November 2012

BBC News

• Essex County Council to look at free travel for young idea Essex County Council has set up a group looking at giving free travel passes to unemployed young people.
• Thames Estuary airport a 'stupid' idea says Ryanair boss [Video - Transport Select Committee]The chief executive of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, has described the idea of a hub airport in the Thames Estuary as "stupid" and "hair-brained".
• Congestion charge greener vehicles rule change planned More than 19,000 motorists who avoid London's congestion charge because they drive greener vehicles have been warned they may have to pay in future.
• Aberdeen 'growing success' The Granite City performed well for jobs, income, health and transport, the environment and households providing for the future with savings.
• Railway link plans are unveiledPlans for a viaduct linking three of Manchester's major railway stations are unveiled.
• More Tube strikes over pensionsUnions announce a new wave of strikes by London Underground maintenance workers in a long-running row over pensions and benefits.

Financial Times

• Ryanair ridicules ˜insane™ plan for estuary hubMichael O™Leary, ceo of Ryanair, told a Commons committee that Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports should each get an additional runway
• SAS averts bankruptcy as crews agree cutsShares rise 23% as unions accept wage reductions of up to 15% “ clearing the way for the airline Scandinavian airline to receive a new SKr3.5bn credit facility
• Lufthansa in talks with Turkish AirlinesCarriers seek to deepen their co-operation and are considering several options, including a share swap and expanding their code-share tie-up
• Legacy airlines struggle amid competitionReliance of Europe™s former state-controlled flag carriers on long-haul flights for their revenue and profit is at the heart of their vulnerability

The Herald

• Rest and Be Thankful reopens after major landslipA landslip at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll and Bute yesterday left motorists facing a 50-mile detour by road or ferry journey between Dunoon and Gourock as between 100 and 150 tonnes of mud and earth fell on the A83 after being dislodged from the hillside by heavy rain.

The Telegraph

• Michael O'Leary calls for three new South East runways Three new runways should be built at South East airports to create excess capacity, increase competition among airlines and reduce fares, Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, has told MPs.
• MPs want expenses rule change so they don't have to catch London night busMPs want expenses rules to let them rent homes within
• Plan to tackle 'silent killer' electric carsCarmakers are be compelled to install artificial noise on new electric and hybrid vehicles to prevent people being run over by

Reuters News

• UK postpones auctions of EU aviation CO2 permitsLONDON (Reuters) - The British government said on Monday it will postpone two auctions of European Union emissions permits for the aviation sector, after the European Commission proposed freezing its airline emissions law for non-EU flights last week.

Bristol Live

• Bus conductors and fewer islandsTHE key to solving Bristol's traffic congestion is by tackling the problem on two fronts – public transport and traffic flow.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Future of Prestatyn rail crossing under reviewTHE future of a rail crossing is under review because of safety fears.

London Evening Standard

• Monday tube and rail services hit by long delaysTens of thousands of mainline South West Trains (SWT)commuters into Waterloo suffered an horrendous start to the week as two separate lots of over-running engineering work and a signal failure caused major delays.
• Engineer strike to hit Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines on Friday Tube engineers are to stage a second 24-hour strike this month  and again threatening services on the Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines.

Manchester Evening News

• Just the ticket: Fares on First buses slashed by up to 27 per centHundreds of commuters will see their bus fares cut by more than a quarter from today after the region™s biggest firm slashed ticket prices

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post commented 'Older cars damaging attempt to reduce air pollution level in...RECESSION and older cars on the roads are helping to prevent air pollution levels in Nottingham from falling enough to meet legal...

Sheffield Telegraph

• Sheffield road deaths lowest everLast year 30 lives were lost on the county’s roads and 441 people were seriously injured - down from 34 fatalities the year before, 59 in 2008, and 63 in 2002.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Rich young racers raise accident rateWealthy young men have been blamed for a high rate of traffic accidents on Scotland™s rural roads.

The York Press

• Transport police deal with 700 incidents POLICE have had to deal with about 700 incidents and crimes at York Railway Station so far this year “ including drunks, violent attacks, trespassers on the line and suicide attempts.
• Residents ˜will be left stranded by bus change™ PLANNED cuts to a York bus route will leave Fulford residents unable to travel to the university™s new sports village, a councillor has claimed.
• Longer car-free zones approved for York's city centre CITY-CENTRE streets in York are to become car-free for longer in a bid to keep shoppers and pedestrians safe - while transport bosses are to look at whether a road branded an accident blackspot can become a 40mph zone.

Wales Online

• New Cardiff Bus boss announces review of route network for first time in a decade The new boss of Cardiff Bus says she wants to draw a line under the controversy which led to the resignation of her predecessor.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Wakefield: Council chief in winter grit stocks pledgeHighways bosses in Wakefield say they are “well prepared” for harsh winter weather over the next few months.

Other Regional Press

• Crawley News published Gatwick Airport lost and found department: 'We had four wedding...MOST of us have misplaced an item or two in our rush to get from A to B – an umbrella or a pair of sunglasses, perhaps.
• Marsden and Slaithwaite could “lose out” following electrification claim campaignersFEARS have been expressed that proposed electrification plans may affect the future of some local rail services including Marsden and Slaithwaite.
• New 20mph zones get green lightDRIVERS will have to put the brakes on in several Hartlepool roads after new 20mph speed limits were approved.

Airportwatch

• Thameslink contract needs full review - Letter, Chris Williamson MPI was surely not the only one who was optimistic that Patrick McLoughlin's appointment as transport secretary might offer a glimmer of hope to Bombardier (Doubts raised over Siemens Thameslink contract, 31 October).

Global Rail News

• What do they do? British Transport Police (BTP)The British Transport Police looks after Britain™s rail network including the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, Midland Metro tram system, Croydon Tramlink, Sunderland Metro and the Glasgow Subway. Modern technology and traditional visible policing reassure staff and passengers and have led to a reduction in crime of 9.1% over the last 12 months. This enviable [...]
• New Russian locomotive contract signedRussian rail officials have signed a contract that will see the delivery of around 900 locomotives onto the country’s network by 2020. Last week, president of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin, president of Sinara Group Dmirtiy Pumpyansky and president of Siemens AG Peter Löscher signed the new contract in the presence of the Russian Federation and [...]
• Rail freight operator fined £180,000 three years after teen was electrocuted at abandoned depotA rail freight operator has been fined £180,000 after a 13-year-old boy was electrocuted and killed at a rail depot in Liverpool. Liam Gill had climbed onto the roof of an abandoned train wagon at Allerton rail depot on August 9, 2009, and was electrocuted by a 25,000 volt overhead power line. Liam and two [...]
• Irish Rail fares to rise next monthIrish Rail ticket prices are to rise by an average of 10 per cent on short commuter services, the operator has announced. Single, return and season tickets are to increase by around three per cent on intercity and long-distance services of 41km or more, while fares for shorter distances are set to rise by an [...]
• New Citadis trams unveiled at Lyon inaugurationTwo new Alstom Citadis trainsets took centre stage in the inauguration of Lyon’s T5 tramway. Bernard Rivalta, president of the transport union of the Lyon urban area (SYTRAL), Gérard Collomb, Senator and Mayor of Lyon, and Hubert Peugeot, vice-president, sales, Alstom Transport France, all attended the event on November 17. The new trams, which will [...]
• ˜Taking the train, but not in the usual sense¦™Canada is a gargantuan landmass littered with lakes, mountain ranges and stunning vistas, but at 4,430km wide it’s not a country that lends itself to coast-to-coast rail vacations. And yet the Vancouver, British Columbia, to Halifax, Nova Scotia route remains a popular way to see the country. For photographer Jeff Friesen, these trips where ‘the [...]
• More Tube strikes planned in row over pensionsTube Lines engineers are planning to strike for a second time this month in a dispute over pensions. Union members will walk out for 24 hours at 6am on Friday, November 23. Rail union RMT is campaigning to allow new Tube Lines employees to join Transport for London’s (TfL) pension scheme instead of the “inferior” [...]

Other News Sources

• An electric bus that wirelessly charges at each stopOne of the challenges with electric buses used for public transit is keeping them on the road all day without putting them in the garage for long charging sessions.
• News from John Biggs - call to Tower Hamlets residents to identify dangerous junctions and streets 19 November 2012 Labour London Assembly Member John Biggs is calling on local residents to identify dangerous junctions and streets in Tower Hamlets as part of Road Safety Week, coordinated by the charity Brake. The campaign GO 20 launches today, Monday.   John Biggs AM has joined the campaign™s call to increase safety on local roads for people on foot and bicycle. No read more
• News from Navin Shah - Call to identify dangerous junctions and streets in Harrow and Brent 19 November 2012 Labour London Assembly Member Navin Shah is calling on local residents to identify dangerous junctions and streets in Brent and Harrow as part of Road Safety Week, coordinated by the charity Brake. The campaign GO 20 launches today (Monday).   Navin Shah AM has joined the campaign™s call to increase safety on local roads for people on foot and bicycle. Road Safety Week, GO 20, Living Streets ...
• News from Dr Onkar Sahota - Call to identify dangerous junctions and streets in Ealing and Hillingdon 19 November 2012 Labour London Assembly Member Dr Onkar Sahota is calling on local residents to identify dangerous junctions and streets in Ealing and Hillingdon as part of Road Safety Week, coordinated by the charity Brake. The campaign GO 20 launches today (Monday). Dr Onkar Sahota AM has joined the campaign™s call to increase safety on local roads for people on foot and bicycle. Road Safety Week, GO 20, Living Streets ...
• News from John Biggs - John Biggs calls on residents to identify dangerous junctions in Barking & Dageham 19 November 2012 Labour London Assembly Member John Biggs is calling on local residents to identify dangerous junctions and streets in Barking & Dagenham as part of Road Safety Week, co-ordinated by the charity Brake. The campaign GO 20 launches today, Monday.  John Biggs AM has joined the campaign™s call to increase safety on local roads for people on foot and bicycle. No read more