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

Saturday, 09 March 2013

BBC News

• Bridge partly closed in safety fearPart of a road bridge in Wrexham is closed after steelwork supporting its cantilevered footpath is found to be in a worse condition than previously thought.
• Airport considers north-south routeAn airport in Flintshire is a step closer to setting up a new north-south Welsh air route as part of its expansion plans.
• Sign error may mean speeding let-offThousands of motorway speeding convictions could be overturned because the font used on some traffic signs may have failed to meet regulations.
• Trip marks tram section handoverThe first completed section of the tram route is handed over from the contractor to Edinburgh City Council.

The Guardian

• 'Mind the gap' Tube announcement returns after 40 yearsTfL tells widow of Oswald Laurence, who recorded the phrase in the late 60s, that it will be restored to Embankment stationIt is the three word instruction that is as much a part of London's identity the world over as black cabs, red buses and Big Ben.Yet after 40 years, one of the original

The Telegraph

• The baby now arriving on the 18.18 train service from VictoriaThe mother of a baby born on a train with the help of fellow passengers told tonight of her joy after her surprise 15 minute labour on a packed commuter service.
• Royal Navy engineer told she could not fly in uniformA Royal Navy engineer who risked her life in Afghanistan was told to by Virgin Atlantic that she had to remove her uniform before she was allowed to fly back to her posting.

Mail Online

• Council to deny 'non-believers' at faith schools free bus passes unless pupils can 'prove their religion'In a move thought to be the first of its kind in the country, Flintshire Council will demand evidence such as a note from a priest or a baptism certificate from pupils.
• The original voice of 'mind the gap' returns to London Underground 12 years after his death... in tribute to his widow who still uses the tubeOswald Laurence's iconic recording of 'Mind the gap, please' can now be heard on the Northern Line at Embankment.

ATOC

• More than 90% of trains arrived as planned in Period 12Responding to the publication of the latest rail performance data covering the four weeks from 03 February to 02 March,...

Network Rail

• National train performance for period 12 is 91.0%Punctuality on the railways reached 91.0% during Period 12, according to monthly performance data released today by Network Rail.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh trams to carry public from AprilTHE public will get their first chance to ride on Edinburgh’s trams from next month after an inaugural passenger run today on the first completed section.

London Evening Standard

• London's Crossrail: welcome to the underworldOccasionally, I look at London from the top deck of the No 243 bus and wonder how anyone found the time and inclination to build something so massive.
• Rail staff avert tunnel disasterPrompt action by rail staff averted a possible major disaster when two huge construction drills came through a tunnel wall on a major commuter route.

Sheffield Star

• Cash boost for transport linksEach of Derbyshire’s seven community transport schemes will get a share of a £1.491 million grant from Derbyshire County Council to help with day-to-day running costs.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Offenders targeted in Leeds road crime crackdownMore than three dozen drivers found themselves without cars as a result of a West Yorkshire Police operation against criminals using the county’s road network.

Yorkshire Post

• Drivers urged to ˜think biker™the Government has launched a £1.3m safety campaign urging drivers to think of the biker beneath the helmet.

Peterborough Telegraph

• First class trips are surging aheadTrain operator East Coast has seen a 50 per cent rise in demand for First Class travel on its route in 10 years - despite tough economic times.

Other Regional Press

• A government was established by these Barbary corsairs to help control the pirates who lived thereAndy Morgan from Porthcawl has joined the rail cops after spending 29 years with South Wales Police, where he served in a variety of roles including, most recently, as chief inspector of operations
• A government was established by these Barbary corsairs to help control the pirates who lived thereAndy Morgan from Porthcawl has joined the rail cops after spending 29 years with South Wales Police, where he served in a variety of roles including, most recently, as chief inspector of operations
• Railway footbridge ramps battle looks lost COUNCILLORS have been asked to approve the replacement of a railway footbridge in Oxford, despite the fact that the design does not include ramps.
• UK & World News: Rail staff avert tunnel disasterPrompt action by rail staff averted a possible major disaster when two huge construction drills came through a tunnel wall on a major commuter route.
• Preston Bus Station inspires T-shirt competition entriesIts iconic look is permanently etched on the mind of many a proud Prestonian.
• Let’s speed up cycling ideas in Kirklees, Clr Martyn Bolt saysCYCLISTS highlighted future plans and local requirements to encourage more people to get out on their bikes.
• Huddersfield bus station has no litter problemCONCERNS about litter at Huddersfield Bus Station have been dismissed by passengers.
• 239 sets of roadworks in Kirklees at any one timeTHEY may be a minor inconvenience or a major headache – but they always prompt comment.
• Electric cars should be noisy says Bedfordshire MP Richard HowittBEDFORDSHIRE Euro MP Richard Howitt has joined campaigners to make some noise for road safety.

Campaign for Better Transport

• A clear vision for cycling at last8 March 2013: It™s rare that we get the chance to welcome something almost without reservation, but the new cycling strategy for London is full of initiatives and projects we can applaud. read more

Global Rail News

• Rail Safety Summit: Building a safer railwayInfographic showing some of the stats that highlight the need for a continued focus on rail safety.  
• Southeastern train baby ˜doing well™Several passengers onboard the 18.18 Southeastern service to Ashford found themselves delivering a baby after a pregnant traveller went into labour in the middle of the busy carriage. A midwife and a nurse, who happened to be on the train at the time, responded to a call for medical help over the driver’s tannoy yesterday [...]
• First section of Edinburgh tram handed overThe first section of Edinburgh’s new tram route between the Gogar depot and the international airport has been handed over to the city council. The 2.8 km stretch has now completed a commissioning process which began in November 2012. Handing over the segment keeps the project in line with its summer 2014 completion date and [...]
• McLoughlin visits Crossrail siteTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has gone underground to see the progress Crossrail’s tunnel boring machines are making on London’s new underground railway tunnels. McLoughlin, a former miner, visited the Plumstead site to see the work underway on the Thames Tunnel. The Crossrail project, which is expected to cost up to £14.5 billion, will carry around [...]
• Resignalling the Victoria LineMuch has been written about the excellent way in which public transport performed during the 2012 London Olympic Games. This was due to detailed planning and to making sure that major improvement projects by both London Underground and Network Rail were completed in advance of the competitors and spectators arriving. The Rail Engineer has looked [...]

Railnews

• New challenge for DfT as TOCs prepare to sue The Department for Transport is facing a new legal challenge, with four train operators reported to be claiming a total of some £40 million after the Great Western franchise competition was cancelled at the end of January.

Aviation Industry

• Iberia, unions meet on proposal to end strike actionIberia workers protest in front of the Palau de la Generalitat over job and pay cuts, the third of three five-day stoppages planned for February and March, in central Barcelona, March 6, 2013.
• Cheaper air travel comes at real costPLAN AHEAD: Pare back extra costs by using public transport, travelling light and minimising the add-on options.
• Vueling™s board urges rejection of IAG bidSpanish carrier says that €7 per share offer is not high enough

Other News Sources

• Edinburgh trams: First completed section of track handed overThe tram backers hope to clear the city of works associated with the project.

Other Subscription Services

• London transport procurement schedule mapped out Barely a month will go by over the next year without at least one major contract award or invitation to tender being issued by Transport for London.According to TfL's draft budget for 2013/14, April...
• LU to nurture SME links in overhaul of stations London Underground is to build more direct relationships with tier three and four contractors as part of plans to slash the cost of modernising its station estate.The agency is embarking on a £363m...
• Johnson sets out major cycle infrastructure push Mayor of London Boris Johnson has unveiled radical plans for new cycling infrastructure which serve to highlight the inadequacy of the existing Cycle Superhighways.To mark the publication of a...
• Edinburgh tram line section handed over by BBS Edinburgh tram line section handed over by BBSThe first section of completed Edinburgh tram line has been handed over by the construction team to City of Edinburgh Council.A 2.8km stretch of track...