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

Thursday, 14 March 2013

BBC News

• Electrification 'local jobs' hopeFirms working on the biggest investment in Welsh railways since the Victorian era will be encouraged to employ local labour, say project managers.
• Paisley street 'de-pedestrianised'Councillors in Renfrewshire back plans to let cars back into a pedestrian-only zone of Paisley town centre.
• VIDEO: Is the UK in a whiplash claim epidemic?Whiplash payout make up £1 in every £5 of an average car insurance premium according to the Association of British Insurers.
• Henrik Fisker resigns from carmakerHenrik Fisker, the founder of the Californian carmaker Fisker Automotive, leaves the company after falling out with its executives.
• EU unveils new air passenger rightsNew rights for air passengers are unveiled by the European Commission, including rerouting travellers with rival carriers if a flight is delayed for more than 12 hours.

Financial Times

• Unions edge closer to deal over Iberia strikesStrikes called off but pilots hold out over redundancy terms
• Payment for some air delays cutEU rules will enshrine air passengers™ rights in law but cut some of the compensation payments that they are currently entitled to
• Korean Air buys stake in Czech airlineAsian airline™s purchase of a stake in CSA is its first such investment abroad, as it pursues ambitions to become one of world™s top 10 airlines

The Independent

• Airline passenger rights weakened by EU as new rules will make it harder to claim compensation Airline passengers whose flights are delayed will get fewer rights under new proposals from the European Commission.

The Telegraph

• Rail minister appeals for peace and quiet on trainsTrain operators have been accused of
• Fifth of the country's roads have potholesOne in five roads have been affected by potholes because of the bad weather, a study has found.

Mail Online

• Airline passengers must be placed on rival carriers' flights after 12 hour delay: Big shake-up of flight rights by BrusselsThe new rules, which should become law in 2015, cover passenger rights with regard to mis-handled baggage, long delays and runway delays.
• Osborne 'is set to scrap fuel duty in the Budget' to help with the cost of livingChancellor George Osborne (pictured) is set to scrap a fuel duty rise scheduled for the autumn in next week’s Budget, according to Government sources.

Bristol Live

• It really does have a great deal going for it WITH regard to the recent item from R. Hawdon concerning Bristol Airport I have to say that the Airport is in the wrong place. Filton had the proper transport links, with an on-site railway and close proximity to two major motorways. Sadly our politicians, local Nimbys and the airfield's most recent owner, BAE Systems, have put paid to that ever happening.
• The Bristol Post published Drivers urged to THINK! of bikesCAR drivers are being urged to see the person behind the helmet and take longer to look for motorcyclists in the latest THINK!...

London Evening Standard

• You can rise to a knighthood like me, transport chief Sir Peter Hendy tells young LondonersTransport for London boss Sir Peter Hendy has challenged young Londoners to emulate his success after he collected a knighthood at Buckingham Palace.
• MPs warn Cameron to stop ˜dithering™ over new Heathrow runwayA major revolt against government œdithering on Heathrow was gathering steam today.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Councillors want to switch HS2 station from Toton to Parkway THE high-speed rail station that will link Nottingham with London and the North should be built at East Midlands Parkway, according to two Rushcliffe councillors.

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.

The York Press

• Mapping out the transport of timber in North Yorkshire A ROUTE map for transporting timber through North Yorkshire has been published online with the aim of protecting roads and communities.
• Threat to cheap fares on buses in North Yorkshire BUS operators in North Yorkshire have warned they may be forced to increase their fares if the amount of council cash they receive for offering concessionary rates is cut.
• North Yorkshire bike safety scheme launched BIKERS in Selby have been urged to stay safe on the roads as the better weather approaches, as North Yorkshire Police launched a new biker™s guide to the county.

Wales Online

• 107 years: The astonishing length of time it takes for the average road in Wales to be resurfacedThe number of potholes filled in Wales increased by nearly half last year, as extra funding poured in to councils, but the average frequency of road resurfacing is now every 107 years.

The Shields Gazette

• Port cruises into another busy yearPort of Tyne bosses are launching a mission to Miami as they build on their record-breaking success in 2012.

Other Regional Press

• British Transport Police officers in Wales get new body-worn video camerasRAIL cops in Wales will be keeping an electronic eye on passengers thanks to new personal video cameras.
• Stansted Airport: MP’s rail link plea ESSEX MPS have called for improved transport links to Stansted to be part of a major rail project planned for London.
• UK & World News: £10.5bn needed to fix UK's roadsCouncils need as much as £10.5 billion to bring Britain's
• Complaints over Luton Airport™s plane crash Facebook postA picture of a plane crash has been taken down from Luton Airport’s official Facebook page after readers voiced concerns.
• Kirklees Council to appoint traffic tsar to tackle the jamsA TRAFFIC ’tsar’ is set to take control of Kirklees roads.
• School buses fail safety checksCOACHES and minibuses which carry children to school have been checked by police in Hartlepool - with seven vehicles slapped with prohibition notices.
• Transport firm goes green on energyA transport firm predicts its drive to become more energy efficient will soon be delivering significant benefits.
• Transport minister rejects Aberdeen tunnel planPROPOSALS for a tunnel to unclog Aberdeen™s roads have been rejected by Scotland™s Transport Minister.

Global Rail News

• 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, [...]
• Navarri steps down as head of Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation has appointed Lutz Bertling as its new president and chief operating officer. Bertling, a president and chief executive officer of Eurocopter Group, will replace André Navarri from June 3. However, Navarri will take on an advisory role for 12 months following his departure in the summer. Pierre Beaudoin, president and chief executive officer [...]
• Rail Safety Summit: Everyone home safe, every dayGareth Llewellyn, Director of Safety and Sustainable Development for Network Rail, talks us through the journey from safety targets to a safety culture. Two years ago, Network Rail was running the very successful Safety 365 campaign, a hard- hitting look at safety aimed specifically at our frontline employees. It had been in place for almost [...]
• First wheel testing site approved by Indian RailwaysIndian Railways is set to build its first railway wheel testing facility at its factory in Yelahanka in Karnataka state. One sample wheel from each lot currently has to be shipped to America to be tested and certified before they can enter service. Wheels and axles are tested to assess their chemical composition, micro and macro [...]
• Loughor Viaduct replacementConstructed in 1852, the Loughor viaduct is a 220 metre long, eighteen span railway structure, constructed mainly of timber, which carries a single track railway line over the Loughor Estuary between Swansea and Llanelli in South Wales. Originally one of Brunel’s once numerous timber viaducts, the superstructure has since been entirely replaced and it has [...]

Aviation Industry

• Scandinavian Airlines to move forward with fleet plansScandinavian Airlines (SAS), which has made strong progress toward the airline™s 4 Excellence NG turnaround plan, is moving forward with plans to harmonize its fleet.
• Leased aircraft expected to grow to 50% by end of decadeLeased aircraft are expected to grow from 38% to 50% of the world™s total fleet by the end of the decade, according to CIT™s Jeff Knittel.
• EC unveils controversial air passenger rights packageThe European Commission has introduced a controversial package of measures aimed at strengthening the rights of passengers traveling by air.
• FAA gives approval for 787 testsBatteries redesigned following fires
• Cathay sees profits plummetHong Kong carrier warns of challenging times
• EC plans approval for back to back ticketing Proposals would hit airlines
• Iberia staff abandon strike planNext week™s strike by Iberia has been called off after the airline scrapped a plan for mass redundancies.

Other News Sources

• Innovative new partnership to warn young people of rail dangers Network Rail is joining forces with Young Scot, Scottish Youth Theatre and North Lanarkshire Council’s Active Schools Programme to take its rail safety message to children and young people across the Central Belt.
• Mayor of London confirms his key tests for airport options The Mayor of London has confirmed the criteria that he will be using to provide the fairest possible evaluation of the multiple proposals for solving the UK's aviation capacity crisis in the southeast of England. The six criteria cover: Economic impact, airport infrastructure, airspace, surface access, environmental impact, and deliverability.They are the result of an open consultation with the public and members of the aviation, business and political communities, and come with the backing of an independent Peer Revie...
• Sussex transport bosses 'proud of response' to snow crisis Transport bosses claim they did everything they could and were prepared for snow which left Sussex at a standstill

Other Subscription Services

• Finance in place to build Wokingham relief road Housing and local government minister Mark Prisk has announced that £25m will be made available to construct Shinfield Eastern Relief Road in order to unlock a major housing development in Wokingham,...
• Opening date for Vinci built Stoke bus station Stoke-on-Trent's new £15m bus station will open on Tuesday 26 March.The Grimshaw designed structure includes a sweeping curved roof, V-shaped columns and an enclosed, glazed concourse which wraps...