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

Tuesday, 22 January 2013

BBC News

• EU carbon price hits all-time lowThe price of carbon under the EU Emissions Trading System hits a record low as Europe's economic weakness contributes to an over-supply of permits.

Financial Times

• Japan probes Boeing battery supplierRegulators search GS Yuasa™s office for clues to whether the manufacturing process played a part in problems with batteries in Dreamliners
• Stobart outsources non-exec chairmanshipCan the interests of investors be served by selective blindness to guidelines meant to protect them?
• Heathrow and BA did not act on snow alertA committee involving airlines and Heathrow airport agreed that flights should not be cut even though they knew snow was forecast
• Rail and road show resilienceWhile rail users in many parts of the country faced delays and cancellations, the impact was not as bad as in December 2010
• Projects ˜do not guarantee stimulus™Transport experts have warned Patrick McLoughlin the assumption that new transport projects will provide an economic stimulus are misplaced

The Guardian

• 'Snowman cars' add to travel headaches as cold snap spreads north and east More flights cancelled, trains delayed and roads closed, and AA warns over drivers failing to clear snow from car roof
• Stobart under fire for appointing executive chairman Corporate governance group says Avril Palmer-Baunack's promotion is 'continuation of poor governance standards'
• Boeing faces lengthy Dreamliner delay, former US transport chief warns Mary Schiavo says quick fix looks unlikely as regulators appear split on what caused battery defects in Dreamliner 787s
• Gatwick boss wants Heathrow to cut number of flights in winter monthsStewart Wingate has written to transport secretary in bid to avoid the chaos at UK's biggest airport

The Herald

• Transport policy is attackedDOZENS of leading academics have attacked the UK's transport policy.

The Scotsman

• Scottish firms in the money with new Forth crossing projectCONSTRUCTION of the new Forth bridge, nearest the bottom in this artist’s impression, will provide increasing opportunities for Scots firms for the next three years, the transport minister has said.

The Telegraph

• Snow travel chaos leaves commuters angry over train delaysFrustrated passengers arriving at London's Cannon Street station describe their disrupted journeys and ask why the snow has caused such havoc on the railways.
• Snow: commuters voice anger at rail websitesTrain operators are under fire for misleading passengers over the state of the network.
• Diplomats owe millions in parking and congestion charge finesOverseas diplomats owe nearly £1.4 million in parking fines according to figures released by Westminster council.
• Professors back pay as you drive chargingPay as you drive road charging should be introduced to tackle congestion and cut carbon emissions, leading academics have told Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary.

Mail Online

• Most people can no longer navigate with a map as we become more reliant on satnavsTwo thirds of people feel more comfortable navigating to a new location with a car navigation system to find their way, a study of 2,000 people found.
• Stop promising that controversial road and rail building will give Britain an economic boost without any 'evidence', transport planners tell MPsSlashing journey times on the HS2 rail system and getting the private sector to build more road tolls will not necessarily boost the UK economy on the scale ministers were pledging, they say.

Network Rail

• Job and skills charter for Grand Central BirminghamBirmingham City Council, John Lewis and Network Rail have signed a Jobs and Skills Charter today which will help local people access more than 1,000 new jobs created by the development of the new Grand Central Birmingham shopping centre and Birmingham New Street station.
• Planning application submitted for Brayford Wharf level crossing footbridge, LincolnNetwork Rail has submitted plans for a footbridge to reduce the risk of misuse at Brayford Wharf level crossing in Lincoln. The company is also seeking to improve pedestrian access around the city through provision of two new footbridges at Brayford Wharf and High Street crossings.
• ERTMS train for Hertford National Integration Facility takes shapeWork on preparing for the latest test facility on the national rail network is progressing well, with the refurbishment of the train at Wembley and training of signallers at King™s Cross.
• 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.
• Network Rail holds information centres for West Coast worksNetwork Rail is holding a series of ˜drop-in™ information sessions in Staffordshire in support of a proposed programme of improvement works in the Norton Bridge and Stafford area.

Bolton News

• Bus routes altered due to heavy snow HEAVY snowfall overnight has caused disruption for motorists and public transport.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Soapbox Peter Dolby: Is work on cycle track necessary when money...Article

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram contractors go off the rails with latest blunderTRAM contractors were forced to dig up tons of concrete after they poured it in the wrong place.
• Transport chiefs may cut 40mph speeds limit to 30mph40mph zones across Edinburgh would be axed under new plans being considered by transport chiefs. Around 25 main roads could be reduced to 30mph to safeguard pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

London Evening Standard

• Gatwick boss: 'Heathrow can't cope so send flights to us instead'Heathrow is damaging London™s reputation with its inability to cope with snowy weather and should run far fewer flights in winter, bosses at rival airport Gatwick said today.

The York Press

• Anger over York bus service A YORK bus firm has defended its performance after being accused of ignoring passengers™ concerns about one of its services.

Bucks Free Press

• Electrification for Bourne End and Marlow rail MARLOW'S railway is set to be upgraded and electrified by 2019, the Free Press has been told..
• Rail fare increase tough to take, says commuter THE latest increases in rail fares and car parking charges will be hard to swallow for Beaconsfield commuters, says Andy Pinto.

The Shields Gazette

• Bollards could drive out parking problemA SCHEME costing £11,000 could drive badly parked cars off footpaths and driveways in South Tyneside.

Other Regional Press

• More than 10,000 potholes reported to Kirklees in 2012KIRKLEES Council was inundated with reports of potholes in 2012.
• BREAKING NEWS: Misery on trains after fatality and bridge crashRail journeys between London and Bedford are expected to be disrupted following a death on the line and a crash at Leagrave.

Global Rail News

• A new lease of lifeThe sheer cost of buying a new fleet of trains is enormous, and in these times of financial hardship there is a strong case for looking for other solutions. Recently, Eversholt Rail announced plans for two projects which will refurbish existing trains to a high standard and allow them to continue operating for the next [...]
• What do they do? The Rail Delivery GroupSet up in the wake of the McNulty report, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) was tasked with analysing the 77-page document and working out how the recommendations could be applied to save the industry money whilst delivering a better service for passengers. Sir Roy McNulty’s thoughts are just the start for a group that is [...]
• SYSTRA chosen to rennovate Cairo Metro Line 1French engineering consultancy SYSTRA has signed a contract with the Egyptian government to upgrade Line 1 of the Cairo Metro. The contract was signed on January 16 by Pierre Verzat, chief executive of SYSTRA, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Transport and the Egyptian Ambassador of France in Egypt. The deal is part of a [...]
• Detroit streetcar project wins federal fundingThe U.S. government has backed a community-led light rail project in Detroit, pledging $25 million to kickstart construction of the new network. It is hoped the new 3.3-mile tram system, which will include 11 stations, with connections to Campus Martius, Comerica Park  – home of the Detroit Tigers – the Detroit Medical Center area, and [...]
• New paint job for historic viaductOne of Britain’s oldest railway bridges has been repainted as part of a £10 million renovation project. Pyeroy has completed a two-year £1.5 million refurbishment of the Ouseburn Railway Viaduct in Newcastle upon Tyne. The viaduct, which towers 108 ft above the River Ouseburn, was built in 1839 using laminated timber before being replaced in [...]
• Bidding opens for Brasília-Goiânia rail link studyThe Brazilian National Transportation Agency (ANTT) has invited bids to carry out initial feasibility studies for a new regional rail link between Brasília and Goiânia. ANTT has said six consortia, led by Brazilian, Spanish, French and Portuguese firms, have until the beginning of March to submit proposals to conduct technical, economic and environmental studies for [...]
• Gallery: Winter railwaysSnow has a habit of catching Britain’s public transport network off guard, but for some rail networks the white stuff is a daily challenge.
• Canary Wharf station approaching major construction milestoneCrossrail has released new images of Canary Wharf station, showing the progress of what will become one of the route’s largest stations. Canary Wharf Group began work on the new station in May 2009. This spring, another significant step will be taken when the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) breaks through into the Canary Wharf [...]

London TravelWatch

• Read our correspondence relating to the lack of step free access at Alexandra PalaceOur correspondence with Network Rail, the Department for Transport and Office for Rail Regulation about the lack of step free access at ALexandra Palace Station.
• Passenger watchdog welcomes Government™s decision to reverse plans to end Wimbledon loop services in 2018London TravelWatch has welcomed today™s decision by the Government to retain services on the Wimbledon Loop which were scheduled to end in 2018 as part of the major works taking place on the Thameslink programme. Under the previous Thameslink plans, the service would have terminated at Blackfriars and passengers would have had to change if they wanted to continue their journeys.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair raps O'Leary for 'pathetic personal abuse' after...RYANAIR chief executive Michael O'Leary has been rapped by his own chairman for likening the Aviation Commissioner, Cathal Guiomard, to a
• Naked-image scanners to be removed from U.S. airportsThe Transportation Security Administration will remove airport body scanners that privacy advocates likened to strip searches after OSI Systems Inc.
• Stansted sold to Manchester Airports GroupEssex airport will change hands for £1.5 billion
• Weather causes Heathrow to cancel more flightsAirport says it has no choice but to cancel services due to œlow visibility

Other News Sources

• Plans to overhaul the Caledonian Sleeper train Plans have been announced to overhaul the Caledonian Sleeper service, which runs between Scotland and London, and turn it into a luxury train.
• Gang targets ticket machine at Micheldever Railway Station DETECTIVES are investigating a series of attacks on railway ticket vending machines across England including at Micheldever.
• Sussex rail services disrupted by big freeze All of Sussex's rail services are likely to face disruption as the icy weather continues to grip the county.
• easyJet comment on the sale of Stansted AirportCommenting on the news that Manchester Airports Group will be the new owner of Stansted Airport, Hugh Aitken, easyJet UK Commercial Manager said: