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

Saturday, 16 March 2013

BBC News

• MPs to examine whiplash claim levelsThe Commons Transport Committee is to examine the impact that claims for whiplash injuries are having on the cost of car insurance.
• Carrier pulls out of Cardiff AirportSwiss carrier Helvetic is pulling out of Cardiff Airport, two years after the Welsh government spent £500,000 marketing Wales in Switzerland.
• Supersonic car 'ready by autumn'Work on a car capable of driving beyond 1,000mph is on track to finish in the autumn, says one of its designers.
• Rail project finds 'Black Death' pitExcavations for the Crossrail project in London reveal 13 bodies in a burial ground believed to date from the early days of the Black Death.
• HS2 ruling 'a landmark victory'A High Court ruling into consultations on the planned HS2 high-speed rail scheme is hailed as

Financial Times

• High-speed rail legal fight to drag onJudge™s ruling is setback for opponents of project but owners of property and land affected by route could get more generous compensation payouts
• Boeing in strong defence of DreamlinersUS group says the overheating events posed no danger to the integrity of the aircrafts involved and a new battery fix would make it still safer
• Move to save bus station hits buffersThe brutalist edifice will almost certainly be demolished if councillors follow their officers™ recommendation to decline an offer to buy it for £1
• Turkish Airlines orders 82 Airbus jetsAmbitious operator has an option for 35 more as part of a rapid expansion drive for the carrier, which flies to 219 cities in 98 countries

The Herald

• Government claims HS2 court victoryThe UK Government has claimed victory in a High Court battle over its HS2 high-speed rail scheme “ despite a ruling it conducted a legally flawed consultation process.

The Independent

• Full speed ahead for HS2 - but ruling of an 'unlawful consultation' means it comes at an even higher cost Residents along the route of the planned HS2 high-speed rail route are in line to receive bigger compensation payments after a court ruled that ministers broke the law in consultation over the scheme.

The Telegraph

• High speed rail: commentaryThe spin machine was out in force following Mr Justice Ouseley's ruling.
• Government forced back to drawing board on high speed rail compensationMore than 300,000 home owners whose properties have been blighted by plans for high speed network could be eligible for compensation.

Network Rail

• New Street's half time switchover date unveiledNetwork Rail today announced that the first half of the new concourse at Birmingham New Street station will open to passengers on Sunday 28 April.

Derby Telegraph

• MPs urged to back city firm in bid for rail dealA Derby MP has tabled an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to award the £1 billion Crossrail rolling stock...
• Motorcycles move into former airline's home over at Donington...The former Castle Donington headquarters of airline BMI has been sold to a motorcycle manufacturer.

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield bus gate fines a ˜licence to print money™CONTROVERSIAL bus gate restrictions on the Wicker have been branded a ’licence to print money’ - after generating up to £440,000 in a year for Sheffield Council.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Cycling numbers rise as Tour effect gets into gearNUMBERS of cyclists on Sheffield roads are continuing to climb - with another surge predicted surrounding the arrival next year of the Tour de France.

Wales Online

• Cardiff Airport 'on the up' despite 15-year low in passenger numbersCardiff Airport recorded its lowest passenger numbers since 1997 last year, new figures confirm, but experts believe the terminal is now on the up.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Scheme will put cycling ˜at the heart™ of Leeds townplans to put cycling “at the heart” of Otley have been rubber-stamped.

Sunderland Echo

• £4million investment helps boost at Port of SunderlandINVESTMENT in the Port of Sunderland has increased by almost £4million as the once “forgotten asset” becomes the jewel in Sunderland’s crown.

Other Regional Press

• Winchester railway district redevelopment could lure national HQ to city WINCHESTER could attract the headquarters of a national company if the area around the railway station is redeveloped, a meeting heard.
• Changes to Stagecoach timetables from April 2 STAGECOACH is altering its bus schedules across Winchester to help improve punctuality.
• Bus routes and jobs could be cut in NorthamptonJobs could be lost and bus routes cut in Northamptonshire following an announcement by First Buses.
• Students to tackle charity cycle challenge A STUDENT is gearing up for a cycling challenge to help raise more than £10,000 for charity.
• Rail firm may appeal over footbridge block NETWORK Rail is considering an appeal after councillors rejected plans for a replacement footbridge needed to make way for electrification of Oxford™s railways.
• A new window on the world of railway travelPreston’s tired-looking railway station has been given a much-needed makeover – with help from an adopted Lancastrian.
• Bus station listing hintThe listing of a bank building across the Pennines could point the future of Preston’s bus station, an architecture expert has said.
• Preston bus station to feature on BBC2™s Culture ShowPreston’s iconic bus station will feature in a TV programme next week.
• Man jailed for driving car at ex-partner in AberdeenA MAN has been locked up for driving towards his former partner at speed on an Aberdeen road.
• Estuary airport planner blasts homes claimsNo more than 1,300 people would lose their homes under plans for a huge airport in the Thames Estuary, according to the company behind the scheme.

Railway Gazette

• Airline training for railway staffUK: Train operator First Great Western has reached agreement with low-cost airline Flybe for more than 1 000 of its staff to participate in a purpose-designed customer service training course at the Flybe Training Academy near Exeter and at FGW's training unit at London Paddington over the next nine months. The course will combine elements of Flybe's training programme with FGW's 'five guiding principles of customer service'.

Aviation Industry

• Boeing unveils B787 Dreamliner battery enhancementsAircraft manufacturer says improvements œcould be ready for initial installation within next few weeks

Other News Sources

• Assembly calls on Mayor for funding clarity so Woolwich station is ready to open by Crossrail launchThe London Assembly™s Transport Committee has called on Mayor Boris Johnson to clarify funding to enable a station at Woolwich to be up and running in time for Crossrail™s launch in 2018[1]. While the station box at Woolwich “ equivalent to the size of 32 Olympic swimming pools “ is now in place ready for tunnelling to commence[2], there still remains no agreement about funding the fitting-out of the new station.
• HS2 Judicial Review: No logic in ruling, says BostockFormer Arup rail director Mark Bostock has said that the High Court ruling dismissing all but one of the objections to the High Speed 2 rail project had no logic.
• RMT slams two-tier workforce plans at London Underground/TfLTube union RMT has slammed plans to transfer some Tube Lines clerical and project staff back in-house to London Underground without pension or travel facilities and has threatened industrial action to defend the terms and conditions of its members.

Other Subscription Services

• Crossrail awards comms and control systems deal Siemens has been awarded Crossrail's communications and control systems contract.The C660 package is worth in the region of £43m. Siemens will design, test, install and commission key...