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

Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Cogitamus

• The TransportInfo team would like to wish all of you the very best for the seasonWe will be taking a little break over the holidays. TransportInfo will not be updated on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and also on 1 January 2013. Well, that's unless something epoch making happens and we can't stop ourselves... Thank you for your continued interest and support.

BBC News

• Nissan to invest £250m in the UKJapanese carmaker Nissan says it will build its next Infiniti premium model in its UK factory.
• New offer after rail strike talksScotRail makes a formal offer to the the RMT union after further talks aimed at avoiding pre-Christmas strike action.
• Full speed test for city tramsContractors are due to run an Edinburgh Tram at full speed later as part of efforts to have the system ready for service in summer 2014.
• Welsh government to buy airportThe Welsh government aims to buy Cardiff Airport and says it wants to see it run on a commercial basis with no subsidies.
• Train strike emergency meetingTalks take place between union officials and managers at rail firm CrossCountry ahead of strike action planned for Friday.
• VIDEO: TUC on Christmas rail and Tube strikesUnions want to hold talks about a series of planned strikes affecting rail and London Underground services over the festive period, the incoming general secretary of the Trades Union Congress said.
• London airports 'need expansion'Heathrow and Gatwick airports should be expanded to improve the UK's business links with the rest of the world, the Institute of Directors says.

The Herald

• Barriers backed in bid to stop further closure of A83A STUDY commissioned by the Government has recommended installing barriers alongside the Rest and Be Thankful to prevent further closure of the road from landslides.
• ScotRail tables offer to avert staff walkoutsSCOTRAIL has tabled an offer aimed at averting two strikes before Christmas which will be considered by union leaders today.

The Telegraph

• Peace talks begin to settle Christmas rail disputeHopes are rising that two rail disputes which threaten the festive travel plans of more than 300,000 could be settled.
• East Coast Main Line passengers frustrated by long train delaysEast Coast Main Line passengers suffer severe delays and cancellations as disruption to services continues because of overhead wire problems.

Mail Online

• AA warns on rising peril of potholes...to pedestrians: Numbers affecting Britain's pavements is growingSome pavements have up to four potholes in every mile, according to an AA report, while roads have more than twice that number.
• Driven to distraction: Motorists spend a FIFTH of their time not looking at the roadResearchers used eye tracking technology to study exactly where drivers were looking - and found they took their eyes off the road every nine seconds.

Belfast Telegraph

• Improved city interchange 'will help drive economy' A freight transport body has said improvements to a city centre interchange will benefit the economy by improving links to Belfast Harbour. Related StoriesHeathrow 'needs more runways'Father and son design disaster zones shelterEngineering company lays off 40Derry firm on the road to ChinaCompany Snapshot: Killultagh Estates Ltd.

Birmingham Post

• Report into West Coast Main Line fiasco 'redacted by Government'The independent report into the fiasco of the franchise for the West Coast Main Line, which runs through the West Midlands, was altered by the Department for Transport (DfT) before it was published, MPs were told.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Highways boss says motorists, not roadworks, to blame for majority of M62 snarl ups The boss behind a £150 million scheme to upgrade the M62 in West Yorkshire has insisted the roadworks are NOT the main cause of continual traffic misery, instead blaming poor vehicle maintenance and drivers running out of fuel for causing huge delays.

London Evening Standard

• Department of Transport redacted report into West Coast rail franchise fiascoThe independent report into the West Coast rail franchise fiasco was altered by the Department for Transport (DfT) before it was published, MPs were told today.
• West Coast Rail fiasco probe 'cost £3.2m'An inquiry into the collapse of the West Coast mainline franchise deal cost taxpayers £3.5 million, the Government has said.
• Nissan plant to build luxury modelCar giant Nissan is to build a new luxury model in the UK, creating 1,000 jobs with a £250 million investment.

Northern Echo

• Councils get £18m to fix potholes TOWN halls across the region were handed more than £18m of government cash yesterday (Tuesday, December 18) for road maintenance - amid warnings of a looming

Yorkshire Post

• Yorkshire™s pothole riddled roads are worst in BritainROADS in Yorkshire are riddled with more potholes than anywhere else in the country, with an average of 8.5 per mile, a survey has found.
• Government rules out funding Yorkshire™s 2014 Tour de FranceThe Government will not provide any direct public funds to support Yorkshire’s staging of the first stages of the 2014 Tour de France, the Culture Minister has confirmed despite pressure from MPs on all sides of the Commons.

Blackpool Gazette

• Traders blame roadworks for fall shoppersROADWORKS and gridlock are adding up to a very unmerry Christmas for some resort traders.

Peterborough Telegraph

• £835,000 boost for Peterborough roadsExtra funding totalling £835,000 has been allocated for road maintenance in Peterborough, it has been announced today (Tuesday, December 18).

Other Regional Press

• HS2 challenge decision on track for new year A judicial review decision on five separate appeals over the Government™s High Speed Rail project is expected to be made early in 2013.
• Bus fares rise sparks outcryANGRY bus users face fresh woe after hikes in fares were announced just a month after controversial changes were made to routes across the network.
• Cash boost for county's roads Hertfordshire has been given almost £5m in extra funding by the government to help restore and maintain roads.

Transport for London

• London Bridge bus station closed for emergency Thames Water repair worksLondon Bridge bus station has been closed to allow Thames Water to make emergency repairs to a collapsed sewer that was discovered on London Bridge Street over the weekend.
• London Underground condemns ASLEF leadership demands over Boxing Day disputeAslef Tube drivers set to strike on 26 December, after their leadership rejects all attempts to resolve the dispute.
• To minimise disruption for passengers upgrade work will be carried out during Christmas Day closureTransport for London working non-stop on Christmas Day to continue vital upgrade of several Underground lines and other maintenance work.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair to offer new UK flights to CroatiaAirline will open 54th airport base at Zadar from April 2013

Other News Sources

• Full details of £215m road maintenance fund published Local authorities have been allocated £215 million additional capital for roads maintenance announced in the autumn statement, with the south of England and London to receive an £80m windfall.
• Crossrail gets £30m TfL public space funding boost Transport for London has put up £30 million for Crossrail to pay for public space outside its train stations.