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

Friday, 12 July 2013

BBC News

• Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin inspects Lincoln infrastructure [video]Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin visited Lincoln on Thursday to see how the city's infrastructure could be improved.
• Severn toll plan for M4 relief roadConstruction of an M4 relief road in south Wales could be paid for by the Severn Bridge tolls, the Welsh government says.
• VIDEO: City where a third of travel is on a bikeBritain's top cycling city is Cambridge where one in thee journeys is on two wheels, and where there are more cycle lanes and bike parks pars than anywhere in Britain.
• Booze crime reports on trains doubleThe number of alcohol-related crimes recorded on trains has almost doubled since ScotRail banned drinking after 21:00.
• VIDEO: Daughter died on 'suicide' bike pathMother talks after daughter's death
• Flotilla passes under £32m bridgeA flotilla passes under the new £32m Walton Bridge - the first new road bridge over the Thames in more than 20 years.
• Glasgow Airport surge in passengersGlasgow Airport enjoys its busiest June in five years with many of its 775,000 travellers flying to the sun to escape poor weather.
• Nine sue after Heathrow emergencyA group of British and Norwegian passengers begin legal action following an emergency landing of a British Airways airliner at Heathrow in May.

Financial Times

• EasyJet investors approve fleet growthDeal to buy 135 Airbus aircraft with the option of purchasing more will go ahead despite opposition from the airline’s founder and largest shareholder

The Herald

• Drink-related crime doubles on railwaysThe number of alcohol- related crimes on Scotland's railways in the year since a post-9pm ban on alcohol was introduced have more than doubled.

The Scotsman

• Ex-Scotrail boss to help National Express rail bid FORMER ScotRail chief Mary Grant is to attempt to win back the franchise for National Express – nine years after she led FirstGroup’s successful bid, The Scotsman has learned.
• ScotRail booze ban sees alcohol crimes double Alcohol-related crimes have nearly doubled to 240 since ScotRail introduced a night-time booze ban last July, the train operator revealed today.
• Better transport links can keep North-east moving Infrastructure projects are vital to growth, writes James Bream of the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce

The Telegraph

• New campaign group wants Tories to freeze fuel duty and loosen planning rules in northern citiesConservative MPs are backing a new campaign group to appeal to northern voters by freezing fuel duty until 2015 and loosen planning restrictions in northern cities.    

ATOC

• Passenger growth helps drive big rise in money to reinvest in rail services Train operators are generating more than four times as much money for Government to reinvest in rail services than 15 years earlier.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Plea to bring HS2 to DerbyA LABOUR politician is supporting calls for an alternative High Speed 2 rail route straight through the centre of Derby, saying the original route is the "worst of all evils".Helen Clark, secretary of the Mid-Derbyshire Labour Party group, agreed with Derby City Council leader Paul Bayliss's alternative path for the HS2.The Government's proposed high speed rail route would carry 250mph trains from London, through Birmingham and to Leeds via the East Midlands.Its route would see the...

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh Airport want direct link to M8BOSSES at Edinburgh Airport are calling for the hub to be directly linked to the M8 – as they said the existing access road could not cope with growing passenger numbers.

Liverpool Post

• Come fly with me says Liverpool airport boss keen to boost passenger numbersPeter Elson speaks to Matt Thomas, chief executive of Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

London Evening Standard

• TfL chief’s pay plea cut from reportA change was made to the Transport for London annual report after Sir Peter Hendy, the Transport Commissioner, appeared to try and justify large pay packets made to transport chiefs during Olympic year.
• How we can make roads safer for London's cyclistsThree days before the awful death of French student Philippine de Gerin-Ricard, I stood at the precise spot where the cyclist was killed, outside Aldgate East station, watching the cyclists and the rest of the traffic.
• Police investigate if road design led to French student's Boris Bike death Police are investigating if the design of the road may have caused the French student cyclist to collide with an HGV lorry in Aldgate.
• Oyster cards too complicated and 'overcharge' passengers, says watchdog The Oyster payment system is too complicated and is leading to overcharging of passengers, London’s public transport watchdog said today.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Overnight tram track replacement ‘has to continue’Overnight work to replace Supertram tracks in the Manor Top area will continue for the next two weekends, despite protests from residents.

The York Press

• Lights-out move cuts speeds on North Yorkshire road TRAFFIC speeds on a major road in North Yorkshire have fallen since hundreds of street lights were switched off for part of the night to save money, council chiefs have said.
• 7 out of 13,000 back 20mph zones - but council to press ahead with plans FRESH calls have been made for York’s controversial city-wide 20mph plans to be scrapped - after only seven out of 13,000 residents asked supported the scheme.

Blackpool Gazette

• Free trams? Only for localsOut-of-town pensioners could be restricted from travelling for free on Blackpool trams in future as the council battles to rein in the cost of the concessionary fares scheme.

Burnley Express

• Fears for Worsthorne as it loses its bus service A HEADTEACHER says parents are concerned how they are going to get their children to school when a bus service is axed later this month.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Government considers rail split when Greater Anglia franchise comes up for renewalRail services in East Anglia could be split between different companies when the next franchise is awarded in 2016, we can reveal today.

Other Regional Press

• Transport minister visits Northampton as part of town MP’s pothole campaignThe transport minister has been given a tour of one of the most pothole-filled roads in Northampton.
• Durham Tees Valley Airport misses out on Regional Growth Fund round four cashDurham Tees Valley Airport bosses say they're
• Cycle route plans to go on show PLANS for a new cycleway and footpath will go on display in Weymouth next week.

Bus and Coach.com

• First stage of BSOG reform announcedThe government has announced reforms to the Bus Service Operators Grant designed to give some freedom to local councils.
• Tender losses force Munro's closureMunro's of Jedburgh has closed.
• NatEx and Centro announce upgradeSmartcards, new buses and new infrastructure are coming under an £80million two-year Partnership Plus agreement signed by Centro, the West Midlands PTE, and National Express West Midlands, the region's dominant bus operator.
• Stagecoach adopting fleet-wide AVLStagecoach is to fit all 7,000 buses in its UK regional fleet with automatic vehicle location from VIX Technology.
• Temperatures fuel Borismaster criticsHigh temperatures on the top deck of London's new Borismasters have been attracting criticism from users.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Last chance to tell the Government we need Fair Fares Now!11 July 2013: In March 2012 the government published its consultation on Fares and Ticketing and promised to end above inflation fare rises once they had taken the time to identify efficiency savings on the costs of running the railways. read more

Global Rail News

• Contract awarded for Kuala Lumpur control centreIndra has been awarded a 28 million euro contract to design and build an integrated control centre in Kuala Lumpur. As well as overseeing the existing monorail, Ampang and Kelana[...]
• SBB plans loco fleet overhaulSwiss rail operator SBB has announced a major overhaul of its fleet of Re460 locomotives. The locomotives are the only vehicles in Switzerland capable of reaching speeds of 200km/h and[...]
• São Paulo launches Line 18 consultationSão Paulo residents are being asked for their thoughts on the city’s latest plans to extend its busy metro system. A consultation has been launched into Line 18 – a proposed[...]
• Consortium aims to join up European transport networkThe European Commission (EC) has appointed an Amadeus-led consortium to develop a pan-European information and booking system to better integrate air, road and rail services. The ’All Ways Travelling’ consortium,[...]
• Delivering dramatic DalmarnockGlasgow’s east end, like the east end of London, has suffered urban decay with the closure of its major industries. Dalmarnock, 2 miles south-east of the city centre, was one of Glasgow’s earliest industrial centres due to its extensive river frontage along the Clyde. Industries included various weaving factories, a cotton mill, gas works, iron [...]
• Plans for Cambridge science park station go on showPlans for a new station at Britain’s oldest science park are to go before Cambridgeshire County Council. The Cambridge Science Park Station will sit on the Breckland Line between Cambridge[...]
• Franchising massively increasing railway investment, says ATOCTrain operators are paying back £1.3 billion more to the government since the beginning of privitisation. Research by ATOC suggests that the amount paid by TOCs to the government for[...]
• SNCF targets greater international involvmentSNCF has said it aims to increase the share of its revenue coming from international projects and operations to 30 per cent by 2017. As well as operating national and[...]
• Canadian Pacific agrees potash freight dealCanadian Pacific (CP) has signed a deal with a mineral mining company to transport potash out of a new site in central Canada to the country’s west coast. More than[...]

London TravelWatch

• London TravelWatch research on passengers’ purchasing and journey experiences shows need for staffed stations and clear information about Oyster faresResearch published by London TravelWatch today shows that two years on from its Oyster incomplete journeys research passengers still have knowledge and information gaps about Oyster Pay As You Go and confirms the importance placed by passengers on staffed stations.

Railnews

• Government claims franchising is back on track The transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has confirmed that franchising is back on track, following the collapse of the West Coast franchise competition last October and the two critical reports which followed. His statement has come just 24 hours since the Association of Train Operating Companies published data which sets out how much franchising has contributed to the success of the rail industry since privatisation began 20 years ago. The transport secretary said the government had made 'significant progress' strengthening its rail franchising programme after it had accepted key recommen...

Aviation Industry

• US Airways shareholders to vote on American Airlines merger FridayAs US Airways Group shareholders hold what will probably be their last annual meeting, the underlying question is whether they think the deal is fair to them.
• Easyjet wins battle with Stelios over new aircraftMajority of shareholders vote in favour of Airbus deal at meeting

Other News Sources

• New Walton Bridge officially opened with car parade and Thames flotillaBridge between Walton and Shepperton took more than a year to build at a cost of £32.4m
• Official opening marks end of three-year station regeneration projectEpsom and Ewell Mayor officially opened the new Epsom railway station this week after a three-year regeneration project which also included building more than 100 new homes and a 64-bedroom Travelodge
• 'Quick death' might be better for Stanwell Moor in Heathrow debateThe chairman of Stanwell Moor Residents' Association said she would rather see a