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

Saturday, 01 December 2012

BBC News

• Westerleigh rail landslip: Delays and cancellations to continue Work on repairing a landslide which has affected rail services through Bristol is likely to take until next Tuesday.
• Westerleigh rail landslip: Delays and cancellations to continue Work on repairing a landslide which has affected rail services through Bristol is likely to take until next Tuesday.
• A14 Cambridgeshire: lower toll favoured by study The consultant's report said halving the charge to £1 for cars and £2 for lorries would reduce the number of drivers diverting to local free roads.
• £4m spent on delayed Londonderry to Belfast upgrade A new road designed to shorten journey times between Londonderry and Belfast has cost the taxpayer more than £4m yet officials still do not know when construction work will begin.
• Businesses want Dartford Crossing toll booth removal speeded-up The government has been urged to speed up plans to remove toll booths from the Dartford Crossing to "improve growth" in the South East.
• Car premiums for young women soarThe youngest female drivers face significant increases in their insurance costs from this month, according to new figures.

The Herald

• Engineer shortage threatens infrastructure projectsSCOTLAND will not have enough civil engineers to deliver major infrastructure projects such as dualling the A9 and building a high-speed rail network unless training levels are increased, a professional body has warned.

The Scotsman

• Women to lose out on cheap insuranceWomen are being urged to act swiftly to renew their car insurance policies ahead of European rules which will ban insurers from taking gender into account.

The Telegraph

• Soaring speed awareness courses paying for new camerasMore than half of motorists caught breaking the speed limit are now taking driver awareness courses with their fees of £100 being used to pay for a new generation of enforcement cameras, the Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Meadowhall favourite for high speed stationMEADOWHALL emerged this week as the likely location for a station for the high speed rail network when it passes through the Sheffield region.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Rail probe bid to trace youthsPolice investigating the derailment of a train are trying to trace four youths seen near the track the night before the incident.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Road campaigner makes his own speed limit signA CAMPAIGNING pensioner has made his own speed limit sign after years of battling in vain to get an official version erected outside his home.

Sunderland Echo

• Community rallies round struggling transport lifelineA COMMUNITY has rallied round to help a lifeline service fighting for survival. The Echo revealed how Community Transport, which provides minibus travel for 50 groups in Sunderland and Washington, could close if it can’t find funds to pay for its services for the next year.

Other Regional Press

• Transport staff set to join strikeTRANSPORT workers in Swansea were due to strike today over pay, job cuts, privatisation and closures of offices and coastguard stations.
• Free shuttle bus to run for Christmas shoppersA free shuttle is set to be available in Ampthill during the last weekend before Christmas.

Global Rail News

• India and China sign rail sector partnershipChina has been added to the growing list of countries choosing to sign rail sector partnership agreements with India. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has now been signed between the two countries, following partnerships with Spain, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland. The MoU was signed between Vinay Mittal, chairman of the Railway Board, Ministry of Railways, Government [...]
• Tonkin appointed as RIA chairmanAtkins’ UK chief executive has been appointed as the new chairman of the Railway Industry Association (RIA). David Tonkin will now lead the RIA council, which is made up of senior representatives of the member companies and directs the activities of the association. Tonkin takes over from Colin Walton, formerly chairman and chief country representative [...]
• New York engineering consultancy opens Brazil officeNew York-based engineering consultancy Thornton Tomasetti has opened an office in Sao Paulo to take advantage of Brazil’s infrastructure investment boom. Although best known for its structural design work on some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, including the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, Thornton Tomasetti is targetting rail infrastructure opportunities ahead of the 2014 World Cup and [...]
• Italian train operator agrees order for 23 new EMUsTrain operator Trenord is planning to exercise an option for 23 new electric multiple units totalling 190 million euros. The order includes nine three-car and four-five car AnsaldoBreda TSR units and 10 four-car Stadler GTW diesel multiple-units. The new TSRs would be added to the existing fleet of 80 units already driving on suburban lines [...]
• Handover ceremony for first Sochi 2014 passenger locomotiveRolling stock manufacturers Transmashholding and Alstom have handed over the first series production EP20 electric passenger locomotive to the Russian Railways (RZD). The presentation took place at Novocherkassk Plant (NEVZ)  in the Rostov region, where the locomotives are being manufactured. RZD plans to operate the fleet on the Moscow-Sochi route for the 2014 Winter Olympic [...]
• RailStaff Awards span rail industryArmed gangsters and flappers in feather boas welcomed guests to this year™s RailStaff Awards at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. The theme of the evening was the Roaring Twenties in the United States, the era of prohibition, speakeasies and guns in violin cases. Over 800 people – more than ever before – attended the [...]
• Simone Carter wins Outstanding Customer ServiceSimone Carter, who works in the Travel Centre at Worcester Foregate Street for London Midland, won this year™s Outstanding Customer Service award. ˜Simone is an absolute celebrity at Foregate Street,™ said Alex Hynes, former commercial director of London Midland and now Go- Ahead™s Managing Director – Rail Development. Many passengers and colleagues wrote in nominating [...]

Other News Sources

• Hold your breath: Europe's deadly transport regimeEurope's transport regime is killing its citizens but cycling-friendly policies and funding can reverse this trend – argues campaigner You would be surprised just how dangerous air pollution is in Europe. A new report from the European Environment Agency shows that in many countries, air is simply becoming too toxic to breathe. Harmful nitrogen dioxide and particulate matters have been found to exceed limits in more than a third of testing areas. You may be wondering what these substances are.
• Council pledge over Blackburn late-night bus provision A COUNCIL has insisted late-night bus services in Blackburn will not be affected because of a change in provider.