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

Tuesday, 09 April 2013

BBC News

• Tyre firm drives forward salesBorders online tyre firm Blackcircles.com reports a 30% increase in sales and has ambitions to grow into a £100m business.
• Jet2 stops flying from InternationalThe airline Jet2 temporarily ceases flying from Belfast International Airport because of what is says are increased safety concerns during a runway maintenance programme.
• Judge rules against A5 road projectA High Court judge confirms he is quashing the decision to press ahead with a new £330m dual carriageway project - but put his order on hold for one week.
• Branson flight lands in ScotlandSir Richard Branson has flown from Heathrow to Edinburgh to publicise Virgin Atlantic's Little Red flight.

Financial Times

• China’s airlines: mind the bumpsAs on flights, there is no way of knowing whether the turbulence is over – and disease is not the only threat the sector faces
• Climate change poses air turbulence riskRisk of aircraft hitting bumpiness on transatlantic routes likely to double because of global warming in coming years, says landmark research
• Gol unveils offering for air miles unitGol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, Brazil’s second-largest airline, said the offering of its Smiles frequent flyer unit would raise up to R$1.35bn

The Guardian

• Richard Branson insists rail franchises should kick out underperformersSir Richard Branson has said Virgin Rail could provide 'massively' better value than state-run East Coast

The Herald

• Branson: Air venture will not affect East Coast bid Little Red will replace the former BMI services on 26 flights a day between Heathrow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Manchester, carrying up to one million passengers a year and creating 375 jobs, including 130 in Scotland.

The Independent

• Branson claims Heathrow slots are 'crumbs off the table' as his new airline brand Little Red launches Sir Richard Branson has claimed that his Virgin Atlantic carrier had been given just some "crumbs off the table" as he launched a new domestic airline brand.

Mail Online

• Victoria cyclist death: Crushed bicycle is a stark reminder of the danger faced by city centre cyclistsA cyclist has died in central London after being hit by a lorry in front of horrified commuters during rush hour. It is thought her bicycle was caught under the wheels as she and the driver turned at the same time.

Network Rail

• Details revealed for new railway station in RochesterPlans for a new £26m railway station in Rochester have been revealed. Network Rail is proposing to build the new station as part of its commitment to increase capacity on the railway and deliver better facilities for passengers in Medway and Kent.
• Reading rail depot opens its doors to showcase education and career opportunities in engineeringLife-size railway track, rail inspection helicopter presentations and apprentices talking about their work experience will all be part of an open evening for parents and young people hosted by Network Rail as part of its partnership with UTC Reading – a new University Technical College specialising in computer science and engineering for 14-19 year olds, opening this September.
• Manchester Victoria station transformation gets underwayPassengers arriving at Manchester Victoria will see the start of the station’s £44m transformation from Monday (8 April) as work begins to build a spectacular new station roof.
• The final test for the new Birmingham New StreetNetwork Rail opened the doors to the first half of the new concourse at Birmingham New Street station this weekend, in advance of its partial opening at the end of April.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Changes planned for school buses in Bradford A cost-cutting plan to change how transport to school is paid for looks set to be rubber-stamped by Council bosses.

Journal Live

• 100 miles of cycling planned along scenic Northumberland sandstone spineA NEW 100-mile cycle route is set to follow the sandstone spine of Northumberland taking in some of the county’s finest scenery.

London Evening Standard

• Woman killed in central London rush hour cycle horrorA woman cyclist was killed when she was hit by a lorry during the rush hour in central London today as horrified commuters looked on. 

Northern Echo

• Damaged railway to finally re-open A FULL service will finally start running on one of the region’s heritage railways this weekend after it endured a disastrous start to the season.

Sheffield Star

• South Yorkshire public transport cuts Passengers who use public transport in South Yorkshire are being warned front-line services will be affected by the next round of funding cuts.
• South Yorkshire public transport cutsPassengers who use public transport in South Yorkshire are being warned front-line services will be affected by the next round of funding cuts.

Blackpool Gazette

• Virgin u-turn on rail linkRail campaigners were today celebrating after train giant Virgin announced its Blackpool to London services will stop at Poulton station after all.

Other Regional Press

• New lease of cycling life for Bath's old railway tunnels Thousands of people have turned out to witness the reopening of two neglected railway tunnels in Bath.
• Further delay to transport hub in west Cornwall 'could hit tourism' Significant delays to work on a controversial transport hub in West Cornwall could have a negative impact on tourism, it has been claimed.
• Writer calls for reopening of Minehead to Taunton rail service A NEW book calls for the return of modern through trains to Minehead, after the line fell victim to the Beeching Axe in 1971.
• Kirklees Council kept busy by pothole and street light woesPOTHOLES have overtaken street lighting as the main problem affecting Kirklees’ roads.
• Kirklees and Calderdale pumping millions into the Leeds City Region scheme – but what is it?THE ideas are sky-high, from running northern rail lines to making homes energy-efficient and creating a new junction of the M62.
• Action called for over blind bend BRIDPORT: A steep slope and a blind bend with parking restrictions on only one side of the road equals a dangerous traffic hazard, says Bridport Town Council.
• EXCLUSIVE: New Coventry/Nuneaton railway delayedLONG-AWAITED plans for a new Coventry-Nuneaton train service stopping at the Ricoh Arena have hit severe delays due to budget problems.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Serious flaws in Heysham Link Road planning decision8 April 2013: Local campaigner David Gate is astonished that the green light was given to this road after the Examiner found so much to criticise about the plans. read more

Global Rail News

• DLR breaks ridership recordThe Docklands Light Railway (DLR) has carried one-hundred-million passengers in the past year, breaking all previous records for passenger numbers on the system. The figures, which cover the financial year April 2012 to March 2013, include the 7.2 million passengers who used the service during the Olympic Games. At the height of the competition, 500,000 [...]
• Sir David Higgins: The view from the topSir David Higgins has been chief executive of Network Rail for just over two years. In early March, he invited our very own Nigel Wordsworth to his office in Kings Place, overlooking the Regent’s Canal in London. Over the next couple of issues, Nigel’s in-depth interview will cover how Sir David got to grips with [...]
• Military conducts terrorist drills on Rio’s railwayBrazilian special forces has simulated a terrorist bombing on Rio de Janeiro’s rail network, as the city prepares to become the centre of the world’s attention for the World Cup and Olympic Games. Officers carried out training drills on the city’s metro system and the railway which carries tourists up Corcovado Mountain to the Christ [...]
• Plans announced for new Rochester stationNetwork Rail has unveiled plans for a new £26 million railway station in Rochester. The new station, which is planned for land at Corporation Street, is part of a wider £135 million investment programme in the county by Network Rail as the number of passengers using the railway continues to grow. A formal planning application [...]
• First new Citadis tram arrives in BordeauxAlstom has delivered the first of 26 new Citadis trams to Bordeaux. The new fleet, which was ordered by the Bordeaux Urban Community (CUB) in 2011 at a cost of 80 million euros, will serve lines A, B and C of the city’s tram network. Over the next 12 months, the remaining 25 trams will [...]
• Bombardier announces variation order for high-speed ICx contractBombardier has signed a variation order worth 336 million euros for the production of parts for Deutsche Bahn’s (DB) new fleet of high-speed trains. Under the agreement, Bombardier will supply Siemens with the body shells and trailer bogies for each of the 300 ICx vehicles ordered by DB since 2011. Bombardier will also carry out [...]
• Moscow metro and tram concepts showcased at trade fairDesigns for new Moscow trams and metro trains have been unveiled in Hannover by project partners Bombardier and UVZ. The concepts, which have gone on show at the Hannover Trade Fair this week, are part of a programme at the centre of growing industrial relations between Germany and Russia. Russia is rapidly modernising its transportation [...]

Aviation Industry

• United Airlines puts 787s in schedule for May 31A Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft operated by All Nippon Airways taxies at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Jan.
• Carriers set dates for Dreamliner return Boeing completes successful test flights on new battery system
• Branson marks Virgin Atlantic's Edinburgh debutEntrepreneur vows to "restore consumer choice" on domestic routes
• Etihad wins clearance for Aer Lingus codesharesUS regulator allows Abu Dhabi carrier to add code to transatlantic flights

Other News Sources

• Walton and Leatherhead get cycle routes funding NEW segregated cycle lanes will be built in Walton and Leatherhead with more than £1m government funding.

Other Subscription Services

• Britain's (new) longest cycle tunnel now open Two former railway tunnels have been reopened as part of a showcase cycle route which now has the longest cycle tunnel in Britain.On Saturday (6 April) the 0.4km Devonshire Tunnel and 1.6km Combe...