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

Wednesday, 26 June 2013

BBC News

• Heathrow warns of investment threat As the chancellor prepares to announce tomorrow a modest shift of public expenditure away from current spending towards capital projects, a business unusual for the scale of its infrastructure investments is threatening to pull the plug.
• VIDEO: 'Little to no proof HS2 will boost economy'There was "little to no proof" the HS2 high speed rail plan would boost the economy or bridge the north-south divide, the New Economics Foundation think tank has reported.
• Airport opens tower on anniversaryManchester Airport celebrates its 75th anniversary with the opening of a new £20m control tower.
• UK electric car breaks speed recordDrayson Racing sets a new world land speed record for a lightweight electric car at a racetrack in Yorkshire, travelling over 200mph.
• Runway skid plane was going too fastA plane skidded off the runway at Birmingham Airport as it was being taxied at twice the speed it should have been, an accident report finds.

Financial Times

• Shortlist of four to operate CrossrailTransport for London has picked a shortlist of four companies to compete for the contract to run the capital’s newest rail line Crossrail
• Gatwick chief bullish on expansionStewart Wingate raises doubts for third runway at Heathrow saying second runway at leading rivals is best placed to solve looming capacity crunch
• AirAsia and ANA abandon joint ventureThe Malaysia-based no-frills carrier admits defeat in a two-year attempt to break into Japan’s low-cost airline market and abandons struggling venture
• Heathrow levy cut plan angers investorsCivil Aviation Authority proposes a real terms reduction in airline charges, which puts the London airport at risk of losing shareholders

The Guardian

• Gatwick second runway 'more feasible' than Heathrow expansion Airport chief says solution would affect fewer people and distribute benefits as well as environmental impact of air travel
• Crossrail shortlist revealed Remaining bidders for the £14.8bn project are National Express, Keolis/Go-Ahead, Arriva and MTR - with FirstGroup losing out

The Herald

• Cruise industry value due to rise to £50mThe value of the cruise industry to the Scottish economy is projected to rise to almost £50 million this year, a near 65% increase in the past three years.
• Capital 'should model transport on Copenhagen'THE Scottish capital should model itself after Copenhagen by restricting car access into the city centre and enlarging cycle lanes, a leading transport commentator has said.
• Concern as Scottish cycling casualties hit five-year highTHE number of cyclists killed or injured is at its highest level in five years with figures showing they now account for one in every 14 people killed or injured on Scotland's roads.

The Independent

• Treasury gives £12bn Crossrail 2 project funds to get started George Osborne and Danny Alexander put new London rail link at centre of multi-billion pound infrastructure plan

The Telegraph

• Cutting Heathrow charges would be bad for passengers and bad for the UK Despite much remaining to be done at Heathrow, things have changed. Six years ago its then chief executive said it was “held together by sticking plaster”. Passengers don't say that now.

Daily Record

• Road casualty figures in Scotland at record low but transport minister warns against complacency GOVERNMENT stats released today show deaths and injuries decreased last year but the number of pedestrians and cyclists killed increased.

Mail Online

• British Airways becomes first airline in Europe to let passengers use mobile phones moments after landingUntil now, passengers have been forced to wait until their plane has come to a complete stop and the doors were opened before they could use their devices – though many try their luck beforehand.
• Error on your flight ticket? £160 please! Airlines use small print to charge for name changes even when there is a spelling errorConsumer champions at Which? found many firms are using smallprint rules to impose a charge for name changes where there has been a mistake or spelling error.

The Mirror

• Gatwick wants higher charges to fund £1bn investment planIt wants to be allowed to jack-up the fees by between 1.5% and 2.5%-a-year above inflation over the next seven years
• Prince Charles and Camilla ride on double-decker bus on visit to Northern IrelandThe buses are destined for London where they will take passengers around sights including Parliament and Trafalgar Square

Network Rail

• Network Rail launches ‘Live Wire’: new electrification safety education campaignNetwork Rail this week launched a new safety education campaign - ‘Live Wire’ - to increase awareness among schoolchildren about railway electricity and how to stay safe around the railway.The initiative coincides with the electrification of a number of key routes across the north west of England between now and 2016. The first electrified line will be switched on in August 2013.
• First passenger services start using Hitchin flyoverWork on £47m scheme to remove major bottleneck completed to help reduce delays and increase future capacity Driver training programme has begun ahead of December 2013 timetable change, when more passengers will start feeling benefits of investment

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Changes set to improve Bradford city centre bus route Shoppers, commuters and traders will all benefit from changes to a main bus route through the city centre, a business forum was told last night.
• Transport bosses meet to discuss progress on Low Moor station plan Transport bosses will meet tomorrow to progress plans for a new railway station in Bradford which has suffered a series of delays.

London Evening Standard

• Throw Tube strike leaders in jail, says the man who wants to run New YorkNew York's former transport boss has said that the right way to handle Tube strikes is to make them illegal — and put militant union bosses in jail.
• Traffic chaos as 11 bridges are closed for cycle raceOrganisers of the RideLondon100 today warned of major disruption on London streets when the UK’s largest mass cycle race takes place later this summer.
• National Express sole UK firm on Crossrail shortlistOne fully-British company has made the shortlist for the £2 billion contract to run services on Crossrail, it was announced today.

Northern Echo

• Electric car sets new world speed record at North Yorkshire airbase A NEW world land speed record for a lightweight electric car was last night set at a North Yorkshire racetrack.

The York Press

• Demand for rethink over Lendal Bridge closure as city-centre congestion falls FRESH doubts have been raised about the need to close a York bridge to cars and motorbikes – because city-centre congestion has fallen.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Hauliers sign up for free M6 Toll passesUp to 7,500 extra lorries will be using the M6 Toll next month as an experiment to give free use to drivers gets under way.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Objectors to voice views on Leeds trolleybus routeThe Leeds trolleybus route will today (June 25) come under scrutiny at a special planning meeting.
• Dozens of MPs sign anti-HS2 motionAlmost 30 Tory MPs have signed a motion aimed at derailing legislation to pave the way for a new high speed railway line.

Yorkshire Post

• A64 traffic blackspot could at last get £315m upgradeFRESH hopes have been raised that a long-awaited scheme to upgrade a notorious stretch of road which has one of the worst accident records across England’s largest county could become a reality.

Blackpool Gazette

• Plans revealed on town’s new two-way bus laneBusiness bosses, motorists and bus users are being encouraged to have their say on a proposal to make Central Drive a two-way street with a new bus contraflow system.
• £40m work project for West Coast LineNetwork Rail has revealed details of a series of projects, worth nearly £40m, aimed at improving the reliability of the infrastructure and punctuality of train services on the West Coast MainLine.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Suffolk: Passenger group calls for improvements to train stations on the line between Ipswich and LowestoftA passenger group has called for a raft of improvements to stations along a stretch of railway track.

Other Regional Press

• At last! Railway set to reopen after landslip Trains will be able to run through the Isle of Axholme again next month for the first time since a landslip in Doncaster caused the line to close.
• Gamesley Railway Station is back on track Following years of speculation, Gamesley could soon have its own train station after a bid for £5 million of Government funding.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• FUEL PRICES CREEP UP IN JUNE, AA FIGURES SHOW The AA has confirmed that fuel rates have been much more stable in June, following a few months of wildly fluctuating prices.
• HS2 COULD TRANSFORM RUN-DOWN PARTS OF LONDON The controversial High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project could provide the catalyst for a major regeneration of some of the poorest parts of London.

Global Rail News

• Work to start on San Francisco subway stationsConstruction is set to begin on four new subway stations as part of San Francisco’s $1.6 billion Central Subway extension. U.S. construction giant Tutor Perini has begun preparatory works after[...]
• Crossrail operator shortlist announcedA shortlist of potential operators for London’s new Crossrail service has been announced by Transport for London (TfL). Arriva, Keolis/Go Ahead, MTR and National Express are all in the running[...]
• New images show New York subway extension taking shapeA new selection of photos from MTA photographer Patrick Cashin show the progress being made on a $2.1 billion extension of one of New York’s subway lines. The 7 Line[...]
• Hitchin flyover welcomes first trainsPassenger services have begun to travel along the the £47 million Hitchin flyover. The project was designed to remove a bottleneck caused by trains travelling on the East Coast Mainline[...]

Aviation Industry

• Gatwick reduces losses as traffic risesAirport says it has benefited from new routes to emerging markets
• Air France to revamp long-haul seatsCarrier plans to upgrade seating across all four classes

Other News Sources

• Crossrail submits Farringdon office plans Crossrail has submitted a planning application to the City of London Corporation for a five-storey office development to sit above Farringdon station in Lindsey Street in London's EC125
• EU deal on cars could halve CO2 emissions by 2025 The EU Parliament and Council have agreed a deal that could lead to a doubling of the fuel-efficiency of new cars by 2025 and a halving of CO2 emissions.