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

Saturday, 24 November 2012

BBC News

• Princes Street to fully reopenPrinces Street will reopen fully to buses, taxis and bikes on Saturday following months of tram works.
• Tube map confuses Beatles fansWhy some Beatles fans are heading to east London

The Herald

• Train operator hits back in sacked ticket inspector rowSCOTRAIL has hit out at union claims a ticket inspector was dismissed with
• Concern at lack of taxi cabs for rural disabledWHEELCHAIR users outside major cities are being left stranded because councils have failed to license enough accessible taxis, a leading disability charity has claimed.

The Scotsman

• Death crash survivors ˜told everyone on the coach trip was accounted for™SURVIVORS of a bus crash that killed a teenage girl were told everyone involved in the accident had been accounted for, an inquiry has heard.

The Telegraph

• Elderly couple claim they are 'held to ransom' by potholed road owned by Earl of ElginElderly couple 'held to ransom' by Earl of Elgin's potholed private road.
• 100mph drivers face having to take tougher driving test to get licence backMotorists caught driving at more than 100mph on motorways face being forced to take an extended driving test before getting their licences back under Government proposals.

The Mirror

• The Parliament globetrotters: Hundred of MPs enjoy fact-finding trips abroad worth £1.5m Several have spent months out of the country on overseas visits paid for by lobbyists, governments and business groups
• Hot wheels: Land Rover Defender is top target for car thievesA theft index shows Land Rovers, Audis and BMWs are more likely to be targeted by thieves than ordinary family saloons

Network Rail

• National train performance for period 8 is 88.9%Period 8 of 2012/13: 14 October 2012 - 10 November 2012Punctuality on the railways reached 88.9% during period 8, according to monthly performance data released today by Network Rail. The data for Britain's train services covers the period from 14 October 2012 - 10 November 2012. This compares to 89.3% for the same period last year. The moving annual average is now at 91.7%.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Warning that high speed rail link may damage Bradford by Chris Holland Business Reporter Extending the proposed High Speed Rail 2 link to West Yorkshire would damage Bradford's regeneration and accelerate the city's decline, a former rail industry chief has claimed.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post published Sunday charges 'designed to trick motorists'A CHURCHGOER believes she was unfairly ticketed by council parking wardens after leaving her car on a city centre street on a...

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Electrification business case is top priority of North Wales rail taskforceA TEAM of private and public sector leaders were yesterday tasked with putting together a business case for the electrification of the North Wales mainline.
• Call for investigation into why floods closed A55 for 12 hoursWELSH transport minister Carl Sargeant yesterday ordered an investigation into the flood nightmare which closed the A55 for almost 12 hours.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Christmas comes early: Princes Street reopens as tram works are removedPRINCES Street will reopen fully to buses, taxis and cycles from midnight tonight as the last of the tram works affecting the Capital’s most famous thoroughfare are removed.

London Evening Standard

• London Midland performance 'absolutely atrocious', says MPThe problems of the London Midland train company, including a driver shortage, contributed to a dip in national rail punctuality in the mid-autumn period.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Bus fire drama causes hold-ups on A96Commuters faced traffic delays last night after a bus burst into flames on a busy north-east road.
• Transport chief to hail historic start on AWPRAfter more than 60 years on the drawing board, a lengthy public inquiry, three court appeals and £115million of public money, work on the Aberdeen bypass will finally begin next week.

Bucks Free Press

• £1.1million winter road gritting plans outlined THE transport boss charged with keeping drivers moving on Buckinghamshire's roads this winter is confident he has the resources to cope, as the £1.1m operation gets underway.
• MP wonders 'how on earth' HS2 was shortlisted for analysis award HS2 Ltd and the Department of Transport have missed out on a Civil Service 2012 award “ after MP Cheryl Gillan this morning wondered ˜how on earth™ they could have been shortlisted in the first place.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Signalling fault causes more rail delaysRAIL passengers experienced more delays on Friday night following signalling problems between London and Stratford.

Sunderland Echo

• Traffic chief grounds lorry fleet over safety failingsA REFRIGERATED transport firm’s expansion plans have been put on ice after it failed vehicle maintenance and safety standards.

Other Regional Press

• Transport cuts are œattack on faith and education The headteacher of Cardinal Newman School spoke emotionally about the impact the council’s withdrawal of denominational transport will have on their Catholic school, at the council executive committee meeting last night (November 22).
• Driver jailed for 15 months for driving wrong way down dual-carriagewayA motorist who took his ex-partner’s car and then drove the wrong way down a dual-carriageway was jailed for 15 months.
• London Midland œworst performing rail company for autumn punctualityAlmost one in five London Midland trains failed to be on time in the four weeks to mid-November, new figures showed today.
• Dramatic picture of overturned car transporter causing delays on M40 THIS overturned car transporter has caused gridlock and delays of up to two hours on the M40.
• Aberdeen bus strike looms as pay talks break downLAST-DITCH talks to avoid a possible Christmas bus strike in Aberdeen have failed and a formal ballot will now be held.
• Road traffic changes in central AberdeenCHANGES are to be made to the roads network in the centre of Aberdeen.
• Bus fire drama on Aberdeen to Inverurie roadA BUS was destroyed in a fierce fire which caused traffic chaos and long tailbacks on the Aberdeen to Inverurie road.

Bus and Coach.com

• York announces stronger partnershipYork city council is to strengthen its partnership with local bus operators in a £6million programme which has been supported by £2.
• Regions lagging in transport spendingAnalysis of treasury public spending figures by the Passenger Transport Executive Group shows that spending on transport in London now stands at £644 per head which is more than treble the figure of £198 per head in the West Midlands.
• NCT named UK Bus Operator of the YearNottingham City Transport was named UK Bus Operator of the Year 2012 at the annual UK Bus Awards this week with Reading Buses as runner-up.

Global Rail News

• Edinburgh tram contractors visit project siteSenior directors from Siemens, CAF and Bilfinger have been in Edinburgh to see the progress of the city’s tram project. Dr Jochen Keysberg from construction company Bilfinger SE, Dr Jörg Schneppendahl of Siemens AG and Antonio Campos from CAF met with Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown during their visit to the Scottish capital. Brown said: “This [...]
• Stansted sets out plans to improve rail linksReducing journey times between Stansted Airport and central London to 30 minutes and creating a new link to Crossrail could attract an extra 1.4 million passengers a year, airport bosses have said. Launching the airport’s rail vision today (November 23) at Stansted’s annual Transport Forum event, managing director Nick Barton also outlined aims to improve [...]
• Manchester Metrolink interchange approvedA new £6.7 million transport hub in Manchester has been given the go-ahead by city officials. The Wythenshawe Interchange, which is due to open in 2015, will be built next to the Metrolink stop in Wythenshawe town centre. Councillor Andrew Fender, chairman of the Transport for Greater Manchester committee (TfGM), said: œIt will give the [...]

London TravelWatch

• Passenger watchdog launches webpages which deal with frequently asked questions about the withdrawal of the London Bridge “ Peckham Rye “ Victoria serviceLondon TravelWatch has launched a website section (insert link) which provides passengers with answers to many frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the withdrawal of the London Bridge “ Peckham Rye “ Victoria rail service when the new London Overground (East London line) section from Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction via Peckham Rye opens on 9 December 2012.

Railway Gazette

• Join the Young Railway Professionals social rail networkEUROPE: UK-based development and networking association Young Railway Professionals has relaunched its website to include a social networking function to facilitate joining the organisation, attending events and debating industry topics. Taking its inspiration from high-profile social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, YRP Chairman Paul Cooper believes the community should help the organisation better meet the needs of its members. 'We have invested in the creation of a bespoke website, designed to provide young people with access to a calendar of networking events in the industry, as...

Aviation Industry

• Vueling to start Heathrow-Majorca servicesSpanish carrier will increase its routes from the UK to nine for summer 2013

Other News Sources

• News from Jenny Jones AM: Boris must make dirty cars pay in review of Congestion Charge to cut asthma among Southwark kids 23 November 2012 Responding to Transport for London™s consultation on the Congestion Charge (1) and its proposal for replacing the ˜Green Vehicle Discount™ with a new ˜Ultra Low Emission Discount™, London Assembly Member Jenny Jones visited the Southwark part of the Congestion Charge Zone to highlight the potential impact of diesel vehicles emissions on local schools. No read more
• News from Darren Johnson AM: Silvertown Crossing "not needed" as car ownership drops 23 November 2012 A report by London Councils has highlighted the fact that car ownership in London is dropping, even as the population is rising. They use figures from a report commissioned by the RAC to show that London™s population has risen by 603,000 since 2000, but car ownership dropped by 117,000. Separate figures from Transport for London show that traffic has fallen by 7% since 2000. If the trend continues, there could be 15%-20% less traffic in London by the time the proposed new road is finished. ...

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• UK Chamber of Shipping inches open its doors to PMSCsMembership will demand ˜fairly rigorous™ vetting