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

Wednesday, 01 May 2013

BBC News

• St Albans rail freight depot plan 'concerns voters' Concerns over plans for a £300m rail freight depot in Hertfordshire have been raised in the run-up to this week's local elections.
• Mobile phone data redraws bus routesA competition which released billions of mobile call records in Africa has been used by IBM to redraw bus routes in Ivory Coast.
• Pier opens after £8m extensionA pier in Orkney that will serve as a support and logistics base for marine energy developers opens after an £8m extension project.
• Greater Manchester launches electric vehicle scheme A scheme to encourage drivers to use electric cars by giving wider access to public charging points is launched in Greater Manchester.
• Disability ramps at 19 Tube stationsRamps to help wheelchair users bridge the gap between a platform and train are extended to an additional 19 Tube stations in London.
• 'Later Tubes' needed in the West EndLondon's West End should have an extended weekend Underground service, a fleet of electric buses and more traffic-free days, says a new report.
• 'Smarter' airport capacity neededAirports in the South East need to use their capacity in a "smarter way" to maximise potential, the London Assembly has said.
• Airports face new airline fee capsPlans for new limits on how much London's major airports can charge airlines have been put forward by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority.

Financial Times

• Regulator proposes cuts to Heathrow chargesCivil Aviation Authority says UK hub airport’s aeronautical charges should rise by inflation minus 1.3% during each of the five years from April 2014
• Loss-making Sealine put in administrationSealine’s difficulties come as the biggest UK luxury yacht builders lobby for a relaxation of the coalition government’s tough new visa rules
• Dreamliner grounding hits carriers’ profitsLost earnings at ANA and Japan Airlines underline the potentially significant scale of the compensation claims that manufacturer Boeing is braced for

The Herald

• Stagecoach expects to hit £207m profits forecasts STAGECOACH has signalled it is on track to meet analysts' profits forecasts when it delivers its full-year results on June 26.

Reuters News

• Regulator tells Heathrow airport to cut chargesLONDON (Reuters) - London's Heathrow Airport must cut the fees it charges airlines to reduce the substantial market power it has built up, the industry's regulator said on Tuesday, in a move which could lead to lower air fares for travellers.

Daily Express

• Fury at Nick Clegg bus pass snubNICK Clegg sparked anger last night by vowing to veto any further cuts to Britain’s bloated welfare budget unless benefits to pensioners are slashed.
• Airliner ‘almost hit UFO’ over ScotlandA PASSENGER jet came within 300 feet of a collision with an unidentified flying object as it came in to land at a Scottish airport, an investigation has revealed.

Mail Online

• Airlines launch online upgrade auctions for spare seats in business classAustrian Airlines has followed Air New Zealand, El Al of Israel, Etihad of Abu Dhabi and Virgin Atlantic in starting to auction upper-class seats to economy passengers.
• Is this monstrosity of a roundabout coming to a road near you? Scientists test radical ideas that could save cyclists' livesIdeas currently being mooted at Transport for London’s research centre include roundabouts which prioritise cyclists over motorists.
• Airbus pilot on moment passenger plane came close to crashing into 'UFO' flying over GlasgowThe plane was within 10 seconds of hitting the unidentified flying object which passed about 300ft below the A320 as it approached Glasgow Airport.

Network Rail

• Work starts to deliver quicker journeys on the Midland Main LineThree bridges in Northamptonshire are to be rebuilt by Network Rail as part of a £70 million investment to speed up journey times on the line between London and Sheffield.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway turns back the clock Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, near Skipton, will return to its days as a 1950s branch line over the bank holiday weekend.

Journal Live

• Radical plans for Newcastle Central Station are revealedRADICAL plans to redesign roads and pavements outside Newcastle’s Central Station have been revealed.

London Evening Standard

• We must have 24-hour Tube to boost London, says major new reportLondon transport bosses today came under intense pressure to launch round-the-clock Tube services in a major new report on the future of the West End.

Northern Echo

• Bike stolen from train station POLICE have released CCTV footage of the moment a cycle thief stole a bike at a railway station.

The York Press

• Selby rail bridge closure put back THE planned closure of the Selby swing bridge, which was expected to cause further access problems for the town this summer, has been delayed.
• Flying Scotsman hold up is costing NRM millions A FORMER boss of the National Railway Museum has hit out at the “awful” management of the Flying Scotsman restoration.
• Petition launched against Lendal Bridge traffic ban A PETITION has been launched against plans to close York’s Lendal Bridge to cars and motorbikes, and a former council leader has described the proposals as “badly timed and ill-considered”.

This Is Local London Network

• Larger planes would 'avoid third Heathrow runway' A report into airport capacity across London has suggested using larger aircraft would avoid the need for a third runway at Heathrow.

Wales Online

• The future of transport and infrastructure investment in Wales will come under the spotlight at three conferences Cardiff Airport can become a sixth terminal for Heathrow with a new high speed rail link says Stuart Cole

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Rail use set to take off as bosses signal growthTHE number of passengers heading to Liverpool Street from Suffolk and Essex is set to rise by 75% over the next 30 years according to new figures from Network Rail.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Railway bridges to close for demolitionThree bridges in the Kettering area will be rebuilt by Network Rail as part of a £70m investment to speed up journey times between London and Sheffield.

Other Regional Press

• Rail boss given key role in setting up Western Rail Access to Heathrow projectA GROUP spearheading the Western Rail Access to Heathrow (WRAtH) project has welcomed Network Rail's appointment of a senior programme development manager.
• Railway team’s efforts to protect wildlife As work to the Borders Railway continues apace, the project team has been working hard to ensure they are doing all that they can to help protect the environment and local wildlife that live along the route.
• New railway planned to serve North Lincs nature areaCROWLE and Thorne Moors Peat Railway Society has been set up to develop a railway on the moors.
• Larger planes would 'avoid third Heathrow runway', says Greater London Assembly reportA report into airport capacity across London has suggested using larger aircraft would avoid the need for a third runway at Heathrow.
• Major rail bridge rebuilding programme in Northamptonshire will speed up trainsThree bridges in Northamptonshire will be rebuilt by Network Rail as part of a £70 million investment to speed up journey times between London and Sheffield.
• Luton Airport bus ban ‘not in passengers’ interests’Bus company Arriva says it is taking legal action over its Green Line 757 service being “excluded” from serving Luton Airport.
• Key player in decision to list Preston Bus Station visitsFor the first time, a key minister involved in the fight to get Preston Bus Station listed, has spoken.
• Estuary airport plans 'not viable'An £80bn hub airport planned for the Thames Estuary could be grounded... after an influential report says it's not needed.
• HS2 set to play big part in Warwickshire County Council electionsANTI-HS2 campaigners are claiming the high speed rail line could be a major factor in this week’s elections at Warwickshire County Council.

Global Rail News

• More from the topLast month, Network Rail chief executive Sir David Higgins described how he approached his first few weeks in the rail industry. In this second part he looks at the longer term issues facing the industry but, first of all, he reflects on a topic that, regardless of organisational structure, nobody can ignore. An area which [...]
• More from the topLast month, Network Rail chief executive Sir David Higgins described how he approached his first few weeks in the rail industry. In this second part he looks at the longer term issues facing the industry but, first of all, he reflects on a topic that, regardless of organisational structure, nobody can ignore. An area which [...]

The Business Desk

• Manchester reports 3.6% year-on-year passenger growth FULL year passenger figures for Manchester Airport have confirmed a strong performance with year-on-year growth of 3.6% to 19.81 million people.

Other News Sources

• RailEurope’s B2B and UK sites are rebranding as Voyages-SNCF On April 24, RailEurope.eu, the B2B website in Europe serving all trade customers of French rail giant SNCF Group outside of France and the UK, was rebranded and became Voyages-sncf.eu.
• RMT May Day protests target rail cuts and social dumping in shipping industry as union's build for General StrikeTransport union RMT will be turning the spotlight on rail cuts and social dumping this May Day as the fight to stop the savagery of the McNulty rail review, and the exploitation at sea, is ramped up.
• New Wear Crossing £118m contract delayedThe contract award for the £118 million New Wear Bridge in Sunderland has been delayed after one of the bidders requested more time to submit its final tender.
• New Flight Simulator to Open at Budapest AirportConstruction is nearing completion at Budapest Airport on a new flight simulator and training centre which will be installed and inaugurated next month (May). Dutch Flight Simulation Company b.v....