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

Tuesday, 04 December 2012

BBC News

• Heathrow begins trial of noise relief zones Early morning planes arriving at Heathrow are being directed to more defined flight paths, in a trial aimed at giving residents respite from noise.
• York railway line gap risked tragedy - RMT A gap in the railway line near York which was created by a cracked rail could have caused a "major tragedy", the RMT union has claimed.
• VIDEO: Legal bid against high speed railCampaigners have taken their battle against the planned High Speed Rail Link from London to Birmingham to the High Court.
• Which way forward for Britain's car and rail travel?If we are driving less should we spend less money on roads?
• A5 group may face £20k court billThe group leading a challenge against the new A5 road between Londonderry and Aughnacloy will face a maximum £20,000 legal bill if they lose.

Financial Times

• Singapore Air / Virgin “ buyer bewareAny buyer of the Asian carrier™s stake in the transatlantic airline will have to be about strategy, not cash flow
• Monarch upbeat over European competitorsTwo-year turnround on course to deliver a profitable airline next year on the back of higher passenger numbers, constrained capacity growth and cost-cutting
• HS2 opponents take case to High CourtGovernment consultation on high speed line was flawed because it failed to to do a full environmental assessment of the project, judge told
• North Atlantic venture eyes Virgin assetsDelta is considering buying a 49% stake in the UK airline which could lead it to joining a venture between the US carrier and Air France-KLM
• Weak demand for coal puts rail plan on iceCompany to take $180m pre-tax charge for the fourth quarter for the project™s costs after it put off indefinitely plans to build the 260-mile long line

The Herald

• Christmas rail strike threat after last-ditch talks fail THE threat of a rail strike in Scotland is still hanging over passengers this Christmas after last-ditch talks between unions and management ended without agreement.

The Telegraph

• Airport chiefs clash over third runway for Heathrow Heathrow and Gatwick airport bosses clashed on Monday over aviation policy and competition as they appeared before MPs.
• Safety row erupts over cracked railA safety row has erupted over a crumbling rail on one of the country's key rail lines.
• A blight on rural England: 170,000 homes already hit by high speed railAn estimated 172,000 homes have been blighted by plans to build a high speed rail line from London to Birmingham, the High Court has been told, as a challenge to the plans is launched.
• BBC embroiled in cycling rowBBC documentary on cycling condemned as

Daily Express

• Delta Airlines looks at Virgin Atlantic swoopUS CARRIER Delta Airlines and its European partners are set to launch a bid to take control of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic.

Mail Online

• End of the road for the Black Cab? They're a British icon - but now the factory that makes London taxis has run out of cash. And without a rescue, it's doomedThe entire production line has stopped mid-flow as if someone has pressed a giant ‘pause’ button. Time stands still — literally. The clock above the factory floor has conked out, too.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented MP wants fuel price rise plan scrappedDERBY North MP Chris Williamson has called on Chancellor George Osborne to scrap the 3p-a-litre fuel duty rise planned for...

London Evening Standard

• Opponents seek to block HS2 schemeOpponents of the Government's HS2 high-speed rail scheme have asked the High Court to declare the £34 billion project legally flawed and send it back for reconsideration.

Manchester Evening News

• Over-running engineering works stop trams on the Eccles to Piccadilly line All tram services between Salford and Manchester have been suspended this morning after weekend maintenance work over-ran.

Northern Echo

• Row over "potentially lethal" broken rail on the East Coast Mainline NETWORK Rail has denied it compromised safety over costs following criticism from the RMT rail union over a broken rail on the East Coast Mainline.

Nottingham Evening Post

• MP's concerns over tram worksBROXTOWE MP Anna Soubry has written to the Transport Secretary about the closure of two roads in Beeston to allow for construction of the new tram line.

Sheffield Star

• Doncaster-built locomotive gets fresh lookA DONCASTER-built steam locomotive has gone on display at the National Railway Museum in York after crossing the Atlantic.

The York Press

• Union claims rail passengers put at risk by five-inch gap in track PASSENGERS on the York to London line were placed at serious risk when a five-inch gap developed in the track just south of York, a rail union claimed today.

Wales Online

• Five vehicles badly damaged in fire at Newport bus depotThree buses and two heavy goods vehicles have been badly damaged in a fire at Newport bus depot.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Speed bumps added to busy Wolverhampton roadSpeed bumps are set to be installed on a busy road in Wolverhampton in preparation for extra traffic due to the new £355 million Jaguar Land Rover engine plant.

Yorkshire Post

• Court fight to derail HS2 rail plansOpponents of the Government’s HS2 high-speed rail scheme have asked the High Court to declare the £34bn project legally flawed and send it back for reconsideration.

Bucks Free Press

• HS2 Judicial Review starts today THE long-awaited judicial review into HS2 is to start at London's High Court today.

Other Regional Press

• Bus shake-up angers Weymouth communities A SHAKE-up of bus services in Weymouth has angered communities.

Global Rail News

• Paisley Canal electrificationWith 235 route miles, Glasgow boasts the UK™s largest electrified network outside London. Since the introduction of the Blue Trains on the 50 miles of the north Clyde electrics route in 1960, it has progressively expanded with the latest addition, the Airdrie to Bathgate line adding a further 32 miles to extend it to Edinburgh [...]
• Britain™s railway history in picturesThe National Railway Museum has launched a new online railway image archive. The archive includes 3,500 photographs from the museum’s massive collection of 1.75 million images. View more images from the archive here.
• Crossrail™s Phyllis marks tunnelling milestoneCrossrail™s first tunnel boring machine, Phyllis, has reached a milestone after constructing her 1,000th tunnel ring. A total of 12,000 concrete segments, manufactured at Old Oak Common, have now been used to construct the western tunnels between Royal Oak and Farringdon. The first of eight Crossrail tunnelling machines, Phyllis, is currently tunnelling under Hyde Park [...]
• Video: London™s orbital networkLondon’s orbital network will finally be complete on December 9 when the overground extension between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction officially opens.  
• New metro cars for Rio de JaneiroBrazilian train operator SuperVia has ordered 80 Metropolis metro cars from Alstom in a deal worth around 105 million euros. SuperVia, the main railway operator for Rio de Janeiro state, is aiming to add 480 new passenger cars to its fleet by 2020. The company is currently investing $2.4 billion in Rio’s passenger rail system [...]
• Rail Engineer triumph for Chris HooperChris Hooper of communications company, telent, has won this year™s Rail Engineer of the Year Award. Chris, a development engineer at telent, is based in Coventry but often finds himself hard at work in London. The Rail Engineer of the Year was sponsored by BridgeZone, top civil engineering company specialising in Difficult Access Inspection. Unstinting [...]
• New post for PowellDavid Powell will be overseeing the procurement of new trains for the Merseyrail network. Powell, 44, has been appointed Project Director, Rolling Stock. David has been involved with many rail and urban mass transit projects worldwide for more than 20 years, most recently in senior roles within Manchester™s Metrolink expansion programme where he oversaw the [...]

London TravelWatch

• London TravelWatch Board member vacanciesThe London Assembly is advertising for London TravelWatch Board members.
• Stephen Locke takes over as new London TravelWatch ChairStephen Locke has taken over as the new Chair of London TravelWatch, the independent watchdog for transport users in and around London.

Other News Sources

• £300m transport boost for London A £300 million transport fund has been announced by Mayor of London Boris Johnson in order to give the capital an economic boost. Eight projects will share the fund, all in deprived areas, ranging from Barking to Battersea and Croydon to Tottenham.
• SJ signs up for Amadeus rail platformSwedish train operator becomes latest major European railway to join 'GDS for rail'