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

Saturday, 02 March 2013

BBC News

• Rail line reopens after line damageTrain services between Birmingham and London Euston are disrupted after power lines are damaged at Hanslope Junction.
• Ryanair makes 9% flight cut threatAirline Ryanair says it plans to cut the number of flights from Stansted Airport by nine per cent.
• UK 'using less petrol but more gas'A report from the Office for National Statistics shows that Britons are becoming more economical with vehicle fuel but more profligate with gas.

Financial Times

• A reversal for the great railway robberyThe 50th anniversary of the Beeching report, which slashed Britain™s rail network, is being marked in surprising fashion, writes Matthew Engel
• Crossrail private finance plan scrappedThe order for 600 carriages was the flagship scheme for a guarantee unveiled by the chancellor in July that was designed to unlock lending by banks

The Herald

• Warning £350m rail link not economically viableONE of Scotland's biggest transport projects is no longer economically viable due to the failure of a local property boom and steep drop in projected passenger numbers, the Government has been warned.

The Independent

• Fuel consumption plummets as slump drives motorists off roadsConsumption of diesel and petrol in Britain has plunged by a fifth since the start of the credit crunch, according to a new analysis. Related StoriesGlencore traded with Iranian nuclear firmQueen forced to cancel Wales visit due to gastroenteritisOffice relations guide: how to avoid being a sex pest in the workplaceQueen forced to cancel visit to Wales due to gastroenteritis and spends weekend at WindsorHome ownership sinks to 25-year low and could continue shrinking

The Scotsman

• Forth Road Bridge: Original builders back togetherTHIRTY men who helped build the Forth Road Bridge 50 years ago were reunited yesterday for a special visit to see progress on the adjacent Forth Replacement Crossing.

The Telegraph

• Passengers angered by decision not to sack train operatorPassengers have attacked a Government decision to allow a train company to continue operating on one of the country's busiest rail lines despite inflicting months of misery on passengers.
• Giant cranes arrive at new London Gateway portThe largest cranes ever to be delivered to the UK have sailed up the Thames Estuary to their final deep-sea port destination after a three month voyage from China.

Daily Record

• Schoolgirl Anna Livesley becomes Scotland's youngest qualified pilot at just 17 ROSS-SHIRE teenager first flew solo at 16 after paying for lessons by working in a baker's and studying for her Highers. 
• Fury as MS victim is wrongly stopped from boarding bus after being told she had to pass a scooter ramp testROSANNA Proudlock, 55, says she was humiliated by the Stagecoach bus driver and was forced to pay £20 for a taxi from Inverness to her home on the Black Isle.

Mail Online

• Kerb your enthusiasm: New drivers take three-and-a-half years to get the hang of motoringTwo-thirds of drivers under 25 still lack confidence on the roads with many frequently struck by nerves on roundabouts, motorways and in the dark.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph published Funding decision gives boost to Bombardier in bid for...DERBY train-maker Bombardier's chances of winning a £1 billion contract have been given a shot in the arm after ministers...

Liverpool Echo

• Dutch warships dock at Liverpool River Mersey cruise terminalTWO Dutch warships have docked at Liverpool's cruise terminal on the River Mersey for the weekend.
• Merseyside bus operator Arriva hikes fares by 10pMERSEYSIDE’S biggest bus operator Arriva is to hike its fares by 10p from tomorrow – in a huge blow to already hard-pressed passengers.

London Evening Standard

• Cyclists get the hump with safetyIf a large part of staying safe on a bike is all about being seen, you could do a lot worse than the latest version of the Respro Hump; the dayglo cover you™ve probably seen cyclists and motorcyclists strapping over their backpacks, to both make themselves more visible and to add an extra waterproofing layer.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post commented Girl turfed off bus after bus pass failedArticle

Sheffield Telegraph

• £18.3m Government grant for Sheffield city busesA PACKAGE of improvements to bus services in Sheffield is being firmed up in the light of an additional £18.3m Government grant that was announced this week.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Traffic chaos after man badly injured in crash DRIVERS faced rush-hour traffic chaos after a road was closed for most of the day following a serious crash.
• New attack sub joins fleet Britain™s most advanced attack submarine, Ambush, has officially joined the Royal Navy fleet following a ceremony.

Wales Online

• Man dies after car collides with a tree in Merthyr TydfilA 20-year-old man has died after a car hit a tree in Merthyr Tydfil during the early hours of this morning.

Yorkshire Post

• Fierce competition as region bids for two new rail stationsPlans to build two new railway stations for commuters in Yorkshire face stiff competition from across the country after the Government revealed its funding competition has been massively oversubscribed.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Police appeal to find man after inspector was assaulted on city trainPolice have released CCTV images of man after a ticket inspector was verbally abused and assaulted on a Peterborough to London train.
• Video/gallery: Mainline link for Nene Valley RailwayThe Nene Valley Railway has officially opened a new link to the East Coast mainline.
• Fed-up drivers closer to getting flyover at King™s Dyke rail crossingA £15 million flyover for a notorious congestion trap on the A605, east of Peterborough, could soon ease drivers’ woes.

The Shields Gazette

• Port™s cargo trade hits 23-year highTHE Port of Tyne achieved its highest cargo volumes in two decades last year.
• SLIDESHOW: Remembering the Shields Ferry in picturesTRANSPORT bosses are gathering a photographic archive about the history of the Shields Ferry.

Other Regional Press

• Bus station closed for 12 weeks for new roofThis image shows the design of the new roof canopy which is under construction at Paignton bus station.
• Team's 300-mile target... on a bicycle made for sixThis six-seater bicycle was specially made for all half a dozen members of a team undertaking a challenge for charity.
• Police recover bikes in Stanmore WINCHESTER police have recovered two bike frames they believe to have been stolen.
• Worry over unequal speed on dual carriagewayA call has been made to cut speed on a busy commuter route.
• Virgin flights set to take off at Aberdeen airportVIRGIN Atlantic flights are set to take off from Aberdeen Airport next month.
• Aberdeen residents slam drivers for parking on their streetFURIOUS residents today hit out at commuters using their Aberdeen street as a free car park.

Forbes

• How Traditional Automakers Can Still Win Against Google's Driverless Car: Part 5Cars are such a mature technology that we™ll soon reach the 250th anniversary of the first automotive accident”a Frenchman who rigged up an early steam engine to pull artillery, lost control and ran into a wall in 1771. As a result, automakers, even more than most companies, are sure they know the trajectory of their industry and who their competitors are. After all, for almost a century, pretty much the same set of companies has been going at each other, hammer and tongs”plus, nowadays, power socket wrenches and industrial robots.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Invensys Rail Appoints New Vice President, Delivery Invensys Rail has announced the appointment of Paul Copeland to the position of VP, Delivery for Northern Europe.

Other News Sources

• UK engineers launch build-it-yourself electric race carEngineers from Birmingham University and Westfield Sportscars have joined forces to develop what is claimed to be the world™s first self-build electric racing car kit.
• Seafarers™ Charity Welcomes National Ferry FortnightSeafarers™ charity the Apostleship of the Sea has welcomed the 2013 launch of National Ferry Fortnight and the focus it gives to the hard work of ferry crews.    Each year,
• ILO civil aviation forum opens way for regular social dialogueThe ILO has reported that its tripartite meeting on civil aviation concluded with a call for a “sustainable civil aviation industry” as a “common goal for governments, employers and workers” and noted that to achieve this goal “the industry needs a sustainable workforce, sustainable enterprises and a balanced value chain”.
• National Express Germany snubs unionsGerman unions EVG and Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (ver.
• London Underground fined for runway trainThe Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has this week ordered London Underground and two other companies to pay £300,000 of fines after an engineering train ran out of control on the Northern Line in 2010.
• RMT calls for urgent talks with Network Rail on overhead lines maintenance as latest failure in three weeks causes chaos on West CoastRAIL UNION RMT today called for urgent talks with Network Rail over a spate of overhead line failures which has seen three major breakdowns on Intercity routes out of London in the last three weeks with the latest happening this morning just after 5am on the WCML at Wolverton near Milton Keynes.
• Pirates face life sentencesFIVE SOMALIS convicted in the US of piracy and other offenses will face life in prison when sentenced in July.

EIN News Subscription

• One of Europe™s most modern Air Traffic Control Centres inaugurated in Budapest … centre will further advance the air transport infrastructure of both Hungary … representatives from the European Commission, EUROCONTROL, the Trans-European Transport Network Executive … realisation, mentioning the importance of EU support in stimulating the …
• EU Passenger Rights Extended To Bus And Coach Transport … in the EU. European Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said: "The EU is now … similar to those for air, train and boat transport. They include Non-discrimination … EU legislation establishing general rights for this mode of transport. Today the EU …