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

Thursday, 30 May 2013

BBC News

• Appeal launched against HS2 rulingA protest group is to appeal against a High Court ruling that effectively gave the HS2 high-speed railway the green light.
• New trains urged for electrified Swansea to London line Wales must not receive "hand-me-down" trains from around the UK when the railway between Swansea and London is electrified, Plaid Cymru says.
• Call for railway line to reopenTransport campaigners call for the reopening of a direct rail link between Edinburgh and Perth to cut journey times.
• New bus lane for Belfast city centreA new bus lane is due to come into operation on Friday as part of changes to the traffic flow in Belfast city centre.
• Heathrow noise ranking plannedBosses at London's Heathrow Airport are to rank airlines according to how noisy their aircraft are as part of a plan to counter noise disturbance for people living nearby.
• Train operator expands for 2014Virgin Trains promises a major expansion in capacity in time for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
• Network Rail execs get pay bonusesNetwork Rail's top five executives have been awarded bonuses equivalent to 17% of their annual salaries.

Financial Times

• Bonuses for rail chiefs despite missed targetsTop five managers at Network Rail share bonus of £350,000 despite missing punctuality targets, prompting criticism from MPs as fares rise for customers
• Heathrow to identify noisiest airlinesLondon airport’s plan to name and shame as well as increase fines for jet noise are part of the hub’s campaign to gain approval for expansion

The Herald

• Minister gets rough ride after 'insulting' local bus serviceEDUCATION Secretary Michael Russell is at the centre of a row over whether he made
• European-style trains could slash journey time to LondonJOURNEY times between Glasgow and London could be slashed to as little as three-and-a-quarter hours with European-style upgrades to existing infrastructure on the West Coast Main Line, a rail boss has said.

The Independent

• Beauty of bus depots: The Design Museum celebrates London's overlooked architectural gems Lesser Known Architecture aims to celebrate the capital's ignored, unknown or derided buildings that you walk past a thousand times without noticing.

The Scotsman

• Virgin propose non-stop rail link to London VIRGIN Trains yesterday underlined its determination to win more passengers from the airlines by pressing ahead with plans for the first non-stop train service between Glasgow and London since the 1930s, which would cut the journey time to under four hours.
• Campbeltown bus chief slams Mike Russell comments IT BEGAN as an off-the-cuff remark by a travelling musician on CalMac’s newest ferry route between Campbeltown and Ardrossan and ended up in a row between SNP minister Mike Russell and West Coast Motors bus chief Colin Craig.
• Rail bosses get bonuses despite missing targets The chief executive of Network Rail (NR) is to receive an annual bonus of nearly £100,000 even though the railway infrastructure company failed to meet some of its performance targets.

The Telegraph

• Network Rail chiefs pocket bonuses as punctuality falls and maintenance worsensNetwork Rail's top five directors have pocketed more than £350,000 in bonuses and been rewarded with a 2.5pc pay rise despite train punctuality falling and being criticised by the industry regulator.    

Mail Online

• Network Rail boss gets £100,000 bonus in 'reward for failure' as one in 10 trains is lateChief executive Sir David Higgins receives bumper payout on top of £577,000 salary, but it could have been much higher if targets had been met on punctuality and safety.

Network Rail

• Network Rail announces reduced bonuses for its directorsA year that saw some successes as well as some targets missed has resulted in a significantly reduced annual bonus for Network Rail’s five executive directors.

Belfast Telegraph

• Boost in public transport numbers despite fare hike Passenger numbers on Northern Ireland's public transport network have soared despite a hike in fares, official figures revealed.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh bus lane cameras for all main routes inA MAJOR crackdown on drivers using bus lanes to beat the traffic will see controversial enforcement cameras deployed at all main roads across the city, the News can reveal.

London Evening Standard

• £60 fines and CCTV crackdown on drivers who stop in bike boxes at lightsDrivers who stop in bicycle boxes at traffic lights face fines of £60 and three penalty points on their licences as City Hall plans a crackdown.
• Trains run late, but railway bosses net £350,000 bonus pot for 'satisfied passengers'Rail bosses faced a backlash today after pocketing bonuses of up to £100,000 despite failing to meet key punctuality targets.

Manchester Evening News

• Trains services halted after worker finds suspected war-time shell The discovery led to the closure of a section of railway line in the Clayton area of Manchester.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Air link lobbying gets new backingCouncillors in the Western Isles yesterday backed the campaign to save the Inverness to Gatwick services.

Wales Online

• Councils' capital spending to slump by £111m, hitting investment in buildings, roads, transport and social servicesFinance officers are braced for a 56% reduction in EU grants, affecting the amount of cash councils have to spend on a range of projects
• Deaths on Welsh roads at an almost-record low as safety improves Statistics released by the Welsh Government show deaths on Welsh roads are at their second-lowest level since the mid 1920s

Carlisle News & Star

• Driver praised after Stagecoach service bus catches fire A Stagecoach driver has been praised for his quick actions after a fire broke out under the bonnet of his bus.

Plymouth Herald

• Fresh concerns over Plymouth's transport link as Exeter Airport comes under spotlight TRANSPORT links to Plymouth have once again come under the spotlight as speculation mounts over the future of Exeter International Airport.

Reading Evening Post

• Tories call for new A3290 link road Tory transport boss Richard Willis has called for a new road to be built connecting East Reading with the town centre.

Other Regional Press

• Kent and East Sussex Railway sources coal from outside UK for first timeA railway has been forced to travel further afield to source its supplies of coal... from Russia, with love.

Bus and Coach.com

• Long StreetLites for Yellow BusesRATP-owned Yellow Buses of Bournemouth has ordered eight 11,5m-long Wrightbus StreetLite Max models for delivery in June.
• Hendy elected UITP presidentTransport for London commissioner Peter Hendy has been elected president of UITP.
• Wales seeks more transport powersMore public transport powers should be devolved to the Welsh government, according to the enterprise and business committee of the National Assembly for Wales.
• Stagecoach attacks Scots regulation planPlans for a new regulatory system for buses in Scotland have been attacked by Stagecoach.
• Luton busway set for August openingTest running of buses on the Luton Dunstable Busway is to start next week, following the completion this week of the 7,4-kilometre guided section.
• Hybrids still rule, but other fuels gainThe government has announced £12million of support for the purchase of 213 low-carbon buses under the fourth round of its Green Bus Fund.

Campaign for Better Transport

• What the spending review could mean for transport In under a month, George Osborne will set out the next wave of cuts to spending. What will it mean for transport?

Construction Enquirer

• Glow-in-the-dark hard hats will save lives Safety wear specialist JSP has launched a new range of hi-vis hard hats to protect workers on dark sites.
• Tube bosses plan to cut out main contractors London Underground is planning a procurement revolution which could see tier one contractors bypassed on £331m worth of station upgrade work.

Global Rail News

• Crime levels rise on Tube network despite record low statsCrime on London’s public transport system has fallen to its lowest ever level despite an increase in criminal activity on parts of the rail network, according to new figures released[...]
• Waratah train project reaches halfway pointA joint venture between Downer and Hitachi is half way to delivering Sydney’s new fleet of Waratah trains. Thirty-nine new CityRail A set trains have now arrived in the city[...]
• Thales wins signalling contract to aid South African rolling stock programmeThales has been awarded re-signalling contract in the Western Cape province in South Africa worth 136 million euro. A consortium made up of Thales and construction company Maziya will upgrade[...]
• Redhill station plans await decisionA joint venture looking to improve Redhill station as part of a £40 million regeneration scheme have submitted plans to Reigate & Banstead Borough Council. Solum Regeneration, a collaboration between[...]

The Business Desk

• Centro schemes win hat-trick of awards TRANSPORT authority Centro is celebrating a hat-trick of awards for two milestone projects in the West Midlands.

Stagecoach Group

• STAGECOACH ANNUAL GREEN WEEK TO FOCUS ON ENERGY REDUCTION Transport group Stagecoach is focusing on energy reduction as part of its fifth annual Group-wide Green Week programme next week.

Other News Sources

• Police say crime is falling on London’s transport network Crime on London’s transport network has fallen by 2.3 per cent in the past 12 months according to figures released by police.
• Virgin Trains adds capacity on Birmingham-Scotland routesRail operator will increase seats by 34 per cent from later this year