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

Saturday, 19 January 2013

BBC News

• Commuters face delays from snowCommuters in the West Midlands face delays in their journeys home after heavy snowfall caused widespread disruption to the transport network.
• Classic car venture takes to roadA Perthshire firm teams up with the Cognoscenti, a new organisation set up to bring classic car enthusiasts together.
• OFT in Western Isles fuel probeThe Office of Fair Trading launches an investigation into the distribution of petrol and diesel on the Western Isles by GB Oils.
• BA sorry for luggage and flight woeBritish Airways apologises to passengers stuck on planes at Heathrow and to others unable to get their luggage as the snow sees hundreds of flights delayed and cancelled.
• Boeing halts Dreamliner deliveriesBoeing halts deliveries of its new 787 Dreamliner - which has been suspended from flying due to concerns about its batteries - until the problem is resolved.
• Stansted Airport sold for £1.5bnLondon's Stansted Airport is being sold to the owner of Manchester Airport for £1.5bn, it is announced.

Financial Times

• Boeing faces Dreamliner compensation woesUS aircraft maker is braced for claims from several airlines after regulators order the global grounding of passenger jet amid safety scare over batteries
• Chicago gets airport plan off the groundThe move is a rare instance of a local government taking up Federal Aviation Administration pilot programme that allows for airport privatisation
• Manchester Airport wins Stansted auctionThe £1.5bn sale will leave one-time owner of London™s three biggest airports with just Heathrow and a handful of regional facilities

The Guardian

• Stansted airport to be sold for £1.5bn to Manchester Airports GroupSale of UK's third largest air hub by the company formerly known as BAA was demanded by Competition CommissionStansted airport, one of the prime contenders to supplant Heathrow as part of an expansion of airport capacity in the southeast of England, is to be sold by the company formerly known as BAA in a £1.5bn deal.The sale of the UK's third largest airport to Manchester Airports Group (MAG) is expected to be completed by the end of February and marks the continued rise of the group, whose three existing airports and property business contribute around £3.2bn to the UK.The breakup of BAA also...
• Taxi driver fined £35 after cyclist's deathLow fine leaves family of cyclist Tom Ridgway questioning legal process in which details of crash remain unknownA taxi driver who collided with a young cyclist and crashed into a tree carrying the body on his vehicle's bonnet has been fined £35.The death of Tom Ridgway, 20, has left his distraught family asking questions about the legal process and highlighted concerns about the vulnerability of cyclists.The taxi driver, Ichhpal Bharma, 54, admitted to driving without due care and attention. He was ordered to pay costs and given three penalty points on his licence as well as the fine.The accid...

The Herald

• Speed cameras are going digitalMotorists beware: Scotland's network of road safety cameras is to go digital.
• Angry islanders reject plan to remove £5.5m car ferryFIVE island communities the Scottish Government says will benefit from the redeployment of a £5.5 million vehicle-carrying ferry, are gearing up to oppose the plans.

The Independent

• easyJet denies organising whip-round to pay passengers to leave overweight plane There was more than the usual tension in the Liverpool departure lounge: easyJet™s morning flight to Geneva could not take off because it was too heavily loaded.Related StoriesGovernment urges councils to cut speed limits to 20mph in residential areas and busy town high streetsEasyJet denies organising whip-round to pay passengers to leave overweight planeAtos told incontinent woman to 'wear nappy': Firm condemned by MPs for pressuring sick and disabled into returning to workUrban diabetes: bishop's stark warning for Government on how cuts are affecting British citiesHundreds of passengers st...
• Snow: travel chaos with flights and trains cancelled, roads closed, 36 hours of blizzards and 10,000 without electricity across Britain Motorists were stranded in cars across the UK today as heavy snowfall left thousands of people without power, closed schools and caused widespread disruption across the travel network.Related StoriesEasyJet denies organising whip-round to pay passengers to leave overweight planeAtos told incontinent woman to 'wear nappy': Firm condemned by MPs for pressuring sick and disabled into returning to workeasyJet denies organising whip-round to pay passengers to leave overweight planeUrban diabetes: bishop's stark warning for Government on how cuts are affecting British citiesHundreds of passengers s...
• Hundreds of passengers stranded at Heathrow as heavy snow causes travel chaos Britain faces another day of travel disruption today as heavy snow that blankets much of the country turns to ice. Related StoriesGovernment urges councils to cut speed limits to 20mph in residential areas and busy town high streetsEasyJet denies organising whip-round to pay passengers to leave overweight planeAtos told incontinent woman to 'wear nappy': Firm condemned by MPs for pressuring sick and disabled into returning to workeasyJet denies organising whip-round to pay passengers to leave overweight planeUrban diabetes: bishop's stark warning for Government on how cuts are affecting Briti...

The Scotsman

• Minister injects £4.6m to regenerate Scots waterwaysAN INITIATIVE encouraging more people to live on canals is one of several projects sharing £4.6 million in funding to ­regenerate Scotland’s waterways.

The Telegraph

• Flights from Heathrow cancelled as snow brings travel woesAirlines have warned of flight cancellations and severe delays as snow was forecast to fall around the country over the weekend.

Mail Online

• Motorists paid £22MILLION in compensation for pothole damage as councils ¿claim on insurance rather than fix roads properly¿Local authorities in England and Wales forked out millions last year to drivers who made claims for vehicle repairs or injury caused by badly maintained roads.

The Mirror

• Hole lot of cash: Taxpayers pay £2m compensation every month for cars damaged by potholes The £22.8million annual bill “ met by council tax payers “ has pushed road repair costs from £53.2million in 2009 to £61.3million last year

Network Rail

• Network Rail: Transparency updateNetwork Rail refreshed and expanded the data available on its website™s transparency portal today: www.networkrail.co.uk/transparency.
• Join as a West apprentice to earn your degree, says Network Rail chiefThere are 85 places available on the 2013 Network Rail advanced apprenticeship scheme in the south and south west of England, the company announced today.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post published MP Liam Fox signals high hopes for Portishead rail line returnTHE clearest sign yet that Portishead is to get its long-awaited rail link within the next four years has come from a former...
• LouisEmanuel commented Stranded bus contributes to decision to suspend all servicesGallery created by LouisEmanuel

Daily Post (North Wales)

• North Wales man to row across the AtlanticA DAD-of-two will row across the Atlantic Ocean non-stop – facing 50ft high waves, whales and giant ships – possibly in the nude.

London Evening Standard

• Government urges councils to cut speed limits to 20mph in residential areas and busy town high streetsThe Government is urging councils to cut speed limits to 20mph in residential areas and busy town high streets.Related StoriesEasyJet denies organising whip-round to pay passengers to leave overweight planeAtos told incontinent woman to 'wear nappy': Firm condemned by MPs for pressuring sick and disabled into returning to workeasyJet denies organising whip-round to pay passengers to leave overweight planeUrban diabetes: bishop's stark warning for Government on how cuts are affecting British citiesHundreds of passengers stranded at Heathrow as heavy snow causes travel chaos
• Boeing halts Dreamliner deliveriesBoeing is halting deliveries of new 787s to customers until its electrical system is fixed.
• Stansted to be sold for £1.5bnThe company formerly known as BAA is to sell Stansted airport to the Manchester Airports group for £1.5 billion.

Manchester Evening News

• Commuter revolt forces rail bosses to back-track over morning time changeA commuter revolt has forced rail bosses to back-track over a decision to change a morning departure time by one minute. Northern Rail announced in December that the 9.30am train from Mauldeth Road to Manchester Piccadilly would instead leave at 9.29am on a new timetable.
• Mirror, (hand) signal, manoeuvre: Meet the driving instructor teaching deaf people to drive through sign languageWhen driving instructor Paula Carr talks about hand signals, she doesn™t mean the sort of rude gestures you sometimes get on the roads. The 46-year-old is qualified in British Sign Language “ and all three deaf pupils she™s taught since taking up the hobby have passed their test first time.Paula, who runs Swift School of Motoring in Droylsden, says being profoundly deaf is no barrier to being a good driver.

Northern Echo

• £92m needed to fill in North East potholes NORTH East councils would have to fork out £92m to fill in a backlog of potholes, £22m more than was needed in 2009, a new survey has found.

The York Press

• York and North Yorkshire celebrate Tour de France announcement COMMUNITIES across York and North Yorkshire are celebrating after it was announced they will be right at the heart of the world™s biggest annual sporting event next year.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Green light for new £8 million Wakefield rail stationPlans for a new £8.1m rail station at Westgate in Wakefield have been passed.
• Leeds couple boast 35ft railway viaduct in back gardenEven the most avant-garde designer would struggle to beat Mike and Liz Ward’s back garden.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Gallery: Rail misery for commuters as snow sweeps parts of the countyCOMMUTERS in Essex faced a day of rail chaos yesterday - even though the county escape the worst of the weather.
• Suffolk: Delay to road management privatisationPROPOSALS to transfer Suffolk’s road maintenance contract to a private contractor have been put on hold.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Cars stolen after drivers leave them with keys in the ignition while de-frosting windowsPolice have issued a warning after three vehicles were stolen in the county during the last two days as a result of people leaving their vehicle unattended with the engine running to defrost windows.

Sunderland Echo

• Sunderland car parts plant announces £15million expansionA CAR parts firm has announced a £15million investment in its Sunderland plant after a successful Regional Growth Fund (RGF) bid.
• Drivers warned of delays as Sunderland ˜gateway™ project gets underwayDRIVERS face months of delays as city centre roads undergo a multimillion pound revamp.

The Shields Gazette

• Job hunters urged to use free busesCOUNCiL bosses are urging job hunters in South Tyneside to take advantage of a free bus travel scheme.

Other Regional Press

• Essex Chronicle commented Rail minister Simon Burns listens to critics and takes trainCHELMSFORD MP and government rail minister Simon Burns says he has listened to the criticism concerning the use of his ministerial...
• Popular park-and-ride site expansion begins WORK has begun on creating 500 extra parking spaces at Thornhill Park- and-Ride.
• Stevenage BMX riders launch skatepark petitionA BMX rider is launching a petition in a bid to whip up support for a second skatepark.
• End of the line for disused rail trackA disused railway line which runs through the centre of Northampton has finally been declared non-operational by railway officials.
• UK may collaborate ¨with Australia for new frigate designSHIPBUILDERS in the UK and Australia could work together on the design of the Royal Navy’s new Type 26 frigates.

Global Rail News

• Singapore to double rail network by 2030Plans to double Singapore’s rail network by 2030 have been announced by government officials. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be constructing two new lines and extending three existing lines to improve rail links around the city-state. Proposed infrastructure improvements would expand the current rail network from 178 kms to 360 kms, and eventually put [...]
• Euston, we have a problem: Buzz takes East Coast after flight is groundedAstronaut Buzz Aldrin found himself on an East Coast train to Edinburgh this afternoon after becoming one of the thousands affected by snow-disrupted flight schedules. Buzz – who was the second man to walk on the moon during the Apollo 11 space mission on July 20, 1969 – tweeted a picture of himself onboard, saying: [...]

Railnews

• Five-car Overground plan moves ahead London Overground is set to have its fleet enlarged by the end of next year, if plans now being considered by Transport for London go ahead. There have been discussions about more trains and vehicles with Bombardier in Derby, which built the present Class 378 fleet a few years ago. The additional investment is being proposed because Overground passenger figures are rising sharply and are projected to increase by another 25 per cent within a decade.

Railway Gazette

• Alstom to test onboard flywheel energy storageENERGY: Alstom Transport and Williams Hybrid Power signed an agreement on January 17 to test Williams™ energy storage technology on a Citadis tram. Under the exclusive relationship, the two companies will adapt Williams™ composite MLC flywheel energy storage. Trials will start in 2014, with a view to installing a prototype system on an existing vehicle by the end of that year. Williams™ flywheel technology was originally developed for the 2009 Williams Formula One car, and has since been introduced into London buses. It offers fuel savings of up to 15% by recovering braking energy that is ...

Other News Sources

• Efficient sensor could find use in airport-security technologyEngineers have developed a sensor claimed to be more efficient and versatile for potential use in airport-security scanners or collision-avoidance systems for cars.
• RMT to ballot for action on Wilts and Dorset buses over all-out attack on working conditionsTRANSPORT UNION RMT confirmed today that it will be balloting nearly 500 members across Wilts and Dorset buses for both strike action and action short of a strike in response to an all-out attack by the company on working conditions.
• 20 years after rail privatisation RMT launches new drive for renationalisation as great rail rip-off hits £1.2 billion a year20 years after legislation paving the way for the privatisation of Britain's railways was passed by John Major's Tory Government on the 19th January 1993, rail union RMT has set out the case for public ownership with a pledge to step up the campaign for renationalisation:
• Osborne tops Network Rail's supplier listContractor Osborne topped a Network Rail suppliers™ performance list released this week while contractor Buckingham Group and consultant Aecom prop up the list.
• German export freight index discussedGERMANY™S VHSS is discussing whether to introduce a freight index for European exports.

News from Europe

• Green cars legislation faces 'dilution', says Irish presidency (News) Tough new EU carbon dioxide emissions targets for cars are facing "dilution" due to heavy pushback from member states with strong auto-industry lobbies, such as Germany, according to an Irish presidency source, who was speaking on condition of anonymity at a press briefing on 16 January.

Other Subscription Services

• Local authority grants replace bus fuel subsidy Wales' transport minister Carl Sargeant has announced a new funding mechanism to support bus operators, community transport and local authority bus services across Wales.The Regional Transport...
• Maersk emission missionWell-prepared shipowner urges Hong Kong to launch tougher rules