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

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

BBC News

• Stoke-on-Trent bus station opening date announced A new £15m bus station in Stoke-on-Trent will open on March 26, the city council has announced.
• Judge 'minded to quash' A5 decisionA High Court Judge says he is minded to quash the regional development minister's decision to proceed with the A5 dual carriageway.
• Dreamliner plane fixes approvedThe US airline regulator approves a set of fixes to the battery of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, clearing the way for the aircraft to resume flights.

Financial Times

• Boost for Boeing as FAA agrees 787 fixRay LaHood, transportation secretary, said there would be a programme of testing of aircraft fitted with a prototype version of the proposed fix
• Fire riddle remains despite 787 all-clearFederal Aviation Administration approves Boeing™s plan to avoid future incidents still unsure what caused the short circuits

The Guardian

• UK transport companies 'held back by lack of government strategy' Survey finds fewer than a third of senior figures in transport organisations believe government has clear vision

The Telegraph

• EU to overhaul passenger rightsAirlines who cancel flights will have to book passengers on rival carriers if they cannot offer one of their own within 12 hours, under a new package of EU consumer measures to be unveiled today.
• BA cuts cost of Gatwick carry-on baggage flightsPassengers who travel with only hand-baggage are being offered cheaper flights from Gatwick by British Airways.

Mail Online

• Transport minister urges oil giants to delay introduction of 'green' petrol amid fears 8.6million cars could be incompatible with the new fuelEstimates suggest E10 petrol could add around £80 to the annual driving costs of a family and might even cause some components on the engines of older cars to melt.
• You're too late, Jeremy Clarkson! Japan unveils single-passenger robot cars that drive themselvesThe Top Gear presenter unveiled his P45, allegedly the world's smallest car, recently. But Japanese firm Hitachi today revealed Ropits, a tiny robotic vehicle that also drives itself.
• Hundreds of passengers stranded on ferry in English Channel for more than 24 hours as bad weather causes travel chaos in EuropeAround 500 passengers, mainly French schoolchildren, were stuck on Irish Ferries ship after it failed to dock at Cherbourg because of bad seas and then the doors failed to open (file photo).
• Sainsbury's to spark supermarket petrol price war by cutting unleaded by 4p and diesel by 3p from todayIt will likely spark a response from rivals as latest petrol price figures show the cost of filling up is continuing to put the squeeze on motorists.

ATOC

• Train companies helping disabled passengers 'get the most out of rail travel'Transport Minister Norman Baker MP will today launch an improved website designed with the help of disabled people for rail passengers who may need assistance when travelling by rail....

Belfast Telegraph

• Blu Marine lands £500k ferry upgrade contractShip outfitting company Blu Marine has been awarded a £500,000 contract to fit out P&O Express, the vessel which operates the Larne to Troon Irish Sea route.Related StoriesSo who is Wozniak?Lloyds sells part of St James stakeFirms 'too lax over sickness absences'German inflation rate falls to 1.5%Napoleon hosting equipment open day

Edinburgh Evening News

• Lothian Buses to raise fares againLOTHIAN Buses today confirmed it was raising the cost of adult single tickets by 10p from later this month.

Journal Live

• Anger at Arriva's refusal to reinstate Blyth to Newcastle bus routeRESIDENTS have reacted with anger after a bus firm rejected calls to divert a service through their village – because it would add three minutes to the route.

London Evening Standard

• TfL ˜could save £17m™ by axing free travel for partners of staff Transport for London today came under pressure to scrap a benefit scheme which provides free travel to partners of staff and others.
• Train firms invited to submit their bids for £2bn Crossrail contract Train companies were today given the first chance to bid for the £2‰billion contract to run Crossrail trains and stations for the next decade.
• The big freeze brings chaos to roads, rail and air travel after hundreds were left stranded for 14 hours on motorwayThousands of motorists were trapped in their cars for hours by heavy snow on the coldest March day for 27 years.
• Cold weather disrupts transportTravellers have endured another miserable March day with the bitterly cold weather causing havoc on the roads, rail and air and sea journeys.

Northern Echo

• Initiative to prevent deaths at Northallerton railway station could be extended to other areasAN initiative designed to prevent further deaths at a railway station on the busy East Coast Main Line could be extended to other parts of the country.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Long awaited Sheffield pedestrian crossing has green light - at lastPEDESTRIAN crossings are to be expanded at a busy Sheffield junction - three years after first being proposed.

Blackpool Gazette

• Weighty matters of public transport Now here’s a rare sight. A tram trundles up the incline on Lytham Road Bridge, South Shore, heading towards Blackpool.

Bucks Free Press

• HS2 Judicial Review results to be announced on Friday THE result of five Judicial Reviews into the controversial HS2 project will be announced at London's High Court on Friday.

Carlisle News & Star

• Tourism in Cumbria set to be hit by Easter rail repairs Frustrated tourism bosses have called on rail bosses to think twice when scheduling engineering works.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Folding cycle hire hub coming to PeterboroughA new cycle hire scheme based at Peterborough railway station, that allows commuters to take the bicycles anywhere in the county is to be launched in Peterborough.

Other Regional Press

• Heathrow night flight trial will end in MarchI am writing to update you on the issue of early morning flights over Brockley following the public meeting on aircraft noise in New Cross on Friday. I attended this along with a number of local residents and we heard from representatives of both Heathrow Airport and HACAN, the campaign group on aircraft noise.
• Funds to keep transport volunteers on the move ASHBOURNE Community Transport is set to get a share of a £1.491 million grant from the county council.
• Drink warning after crimes revealed at Manchester AirportPolice were called to Manchester Airport to deal with a family bust up, fights between drunken passengers, a bomb hoax and passengers smoking on planes.
• M62 digital speed signs are legal - despite challenges on M42 modelMOTORWAY chiefs have vowed that digital signs on the soon-to-be-completed M62 upgrade are legal.
• Heavily-congested and sometimes likened to a car park, Ainley Top roundabout speed to be cut to 40pmhSPEED on Ainley Top roundabout is to be cut to 40mph.
• North Warwickshire MP Dan Byles' HS2 depot claim rebuked by council leaderA COUNCIL leader in Warwickshire has attacked an MP’s claims Labour would “dump” a maintenance depot for high speed rail in the county.
• Rail delays after Sussex snowSnow in Sussex affected Bedford commuters on their way to work this morning.

Global Rail News

• High Speed recruitment essentialAndy Ridout, managing director of specialist railway recruitment company advance-TRS, has backed HS2. Recent government undertakings to extend High Speed 2 through to Manchester and Leeds mean the need for skilled railway engineers will become more urgent. Traditionally short-term contracts and stop-start investment cycles have seen training and recruitment suffer. That’s all changing now as [...]
• Trough-Tec move for Gary ElliottGary Elliott has joined Trough-Tec Systems, part of the Hird Group. Rail specialist, Gary Elliott, has moved from his position as commercial director at LB Foster, the specialist wheel-rail friction management and insulated rail joint company, to head up the introduction of Trough-Tec Systems across the UK and European rail markets. Gary has over 30 [...]
• MTR sees international and domestic revenue increaseHong Kong transport authority MTR has recorded a 6.9 per cent increase in its total annual revenue in 2012. One of the biggest areas of growth was the organisation’s international businesses which grew to £1.1 billion – more than a third of the total revenue. Passenger figures for the company’s Hong Kong transport operations also [...]
• Station fund announcement expected this monthThe Department for Transport has said it expects to make an announcement later this month revealing which station projects have been successful in winning state funding. Following the launch of the £20 million new stations fund, 14 bids have been submitted to the department. Bids including a parkway station near Worcester, a new station at [...]
• SSS “ Sub Surface SignallingLondon Underground is 150 years old this year. The first train on the Metropolitan Railway ran between Paddington and Farringdon on 9 January 1863. Today, the Metropolitan line is one of the four lines that make up the sub-surface railway (SSR), the others being the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City. Although they have been [...]
• Crossrail operator contract launchedTransport for London (TfL) has issued a call to operators interested in overseeing Crossrail services from 2015. Similar to London Overground services, Crossrail trains will be let as a concession by TfL, with the London transport authority remaining in charge of setting hours of operation and staffing levels. A notice has now been issued with [...]
• Rail Safety Summit: Big character leadershipMature receptive leadership from the top by individuals with a presence and credibility is what our industry needs. Writes Colin Wheeler Following the failed General Election in Italy and down- grading of this country’s credit rating, it seems a little odd to be writing about the expanding success of rail in Britain. But Crossrail is [...]
• Station dig to uncover secrets of Northampton Castle siteAn archaeological study is set to be carried at the site of a proposed £20 million railway station where a Norman castle once stood. Detailed investigations need to be completed before construction can start on the new Northampton Railway Station later this year. Last October, an initial trench gave a glimpse of the site™s history, [...]

Railnews

• Crossrail operator competition gets under way The competition to run Crossrail trains has been launched, and Transport for London has revealed that the contract will take the form of a concession rather than a franchise. The decision means that TfL will control every aspect of the service.

Aviation Industry

• Delta continues with plans for Virgin Atlantic stake despite grim forecastDelta undeterred by reports of record losses at prospective transatlantic partner
• BA spreads two-tier fares to all Gatwick short-haul routesDiscount targets Easyjet

Other News Sources

• Committee wants to know: How can community transport systems be improved?How people are travelling in their communities outside of commercial public transport systems is to be the focus for a Scottish Parliament Committee inquiry.