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

Tuesday, 23 July 2013

BBC News

• Call for probe into Crossrail 'blacklisting' allegationThe Scottish Affairs Committee says London's Crossrail project should be investigated after it heard "compelling evidence" of blacklisting of construction workers.
• Call for probe into Crossrail 'blacklisting' allegationThe Scottish Affairs Committee says London's Crossrail project should be investigated after it heard "compelling evidence" of blacklisting of construction workers.
• Jersey Consumer Council investigates public transport A survey aimed at understanding what islanders want from public transport has been launched by the Jersey Consumer Council.
• Frome doctors petition against First Bus route changes More than 1,000 people in Somerset have signed a petition opposing the reduction in a bus route serving a £10.5m health centre, it has been claimed.
• Nottingham Station: Commuter's tales of closure chaos during rush hour Confused bus drivers have emerged as one of the problems for commuters during the first rush hour since the closure of Nottingham railway station.
• Commuters face St Chad's and Queensway tunnel closure test Motorists were caught in congestion on the first full working day after Birmingham's A38 tunnels were closed for six weeks of repairs.
• Gatwick to announce expansion planGatwick Airport is due to announce its preferred location for a second runway later.
• Airport 'missing out on passengers'More than 50,000 passengers a year are being lost to Inverness Airport because it has no link with Heathrow, research suggests.
• Belfast International Airport soldBelfast International Airport is to be sold by its Spanish owners to the US-based firm, ADC & HAS Airports Worldwide.

Financial Times

• Arctic shipping set for record yearArctic shipping is set for record year underlining how melting ice is raising prospect of a much shorter trade route between Europe and Asia
• Albertis sells airports to ADC & HASDeal for Stockholm and Belfast assets is latest in series of recent transactions in which smaller European airports have changed hands
• Eurotunnel and Eurostar clash over costsClash illustrates tensions between the two as Eurotunnel faces pressure to lower fees it charges operators and Eurostar is threatened with competition
• Airlines reject Heathrow offer on feesBritish Airways and Lufthansa brand airport’s proposal for levy on airlines to increase by inflation plus 4.6 per cent from next year as unacceptable
• NY airport cancels flights after plane’s nose gear collapsesSouthWest said eyewitness reports indicated the landing gear of the aircraft – carrying 150 passengers and crew – collapsed on landing

The Guardian

• Boeing 737 landing gear collapses at LaGuardia, injuring passengersEight hurt and travellers evacuated by emergency exits at New York airport in latest Boeing mishapEight people were injured on Monday when the landing gear on a Southwest Airlines jet collapsed on touchdown at New York City's LaGuardia Airport, officials said.The airport was closed for more than an hour after the Boeing 737 jet landed with its 150 passengers and crew about 5.45pm local time (22.45pm BST).Emergency vehicles surrounded the aircraft and emergency passenger exits were lowered, TV images showed.

The Herald

• Call for probe into Crossrail 'blacklisting' The Government has been urged to launch a probe into claims of blacklisting against workers on the prestigious Crossrail project after "clear proof" the practice is continuing.
• Female cyclist killed in car crash on same day campaigners call for new safety measuresA female cyclist has died in a crash with a car on the day campaigners gathered to call for investment in cycle safety measures.

The Independent

• Heathrow looks to increase charges by £1 a year Bosses at Heathrow airport have submitted a new, lower figure for the amount they say they should be allowed to charge airlines for using it from 2014 to 2019.

The Telegraph

• Parking judgment commentaryWhile motorists across the country will be raising a glass to Mrs Justice Lang over her ruling on the cost of parking permits, many town hall treasurers will be sticking pins into a wax effigy of the learned judge.    
• Park and riseTelegraph View: The use of controlled parking zones as a form of taxation could be about to end    

Network Rail

• Successful completion of West Coast Main Line improvement workMajor improvement work on the railway between Warrington and Preston was successfully completed this morning after nine consecutive days of intensive engineering. Four life-expired junctions were replaced and three miles of track re-laid to help increase line speeds and make journeys more reliable and punctual for passengers.

Belfast Telegraph

• Ministers 'must probe blacklisting' The Government has been urged to launch an investigation into claims of blacklisting against workers on the prestigious Crossrail project after "clear proof" that the practice is continuing.
• Belfast International Airport sold to US firmBELFAST International Airport has been sold by its Spanish owners to an American operator.Related Storiesclass of 2012: a new breed of executive directorAudio hire firm to create new jobs as loan hits the right noteStaff shocked as UTV head of news is made redundantFirst-timers and women bring new skills to FTSE boardroomsPensions warning    

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post published MetroBus scheme to be delayed if pressure group's request is...A PRESSURE group has called for a public inquiry to be reopened over the MetroBus which is planned to run from the Long Ashton park-and-ride site to Temple Meads.If the inquiry is reopened, the introduction of the £49 million scheme will be delayed for several months.Mayor George Ferguson, with the support of city councillors, has decided that the route should be changed so that it no longer runs in front of the M shed museum and over Prince Street Bridge.Instead, it will run along...
• The Bristol Post published Is this the first edible bus stop?AN EDIBLE bus stop has been created by volunteers in Westbury-on- Trym.Runner beans, Swiss chard, parsley, beetroot and nasturtiums now greet the number 508 bus in the High Street.Judges from the South West in Bloom competition visited the area yesterday to judge Westbury's green offering.Volunteers from Westbury in Bloom decided to plant around the bus stop after the Royal Horticultural Society launched the national Britain in Bloom competition 2013. Community groups were encouraged to plant...

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Bus service to replace trains as Nottingham station closesCOMMUTERS taking replacement bus services to Nottingham railway station are concerned about whether the system will cope with rush hour.This weekend, all trains to and from Nottingham station were cancelled until the end of August as the station was closed for an upgrade.The plans will see the complete closure of the Robin Hood Line to Mansfield and Worksop and replacement buses on most journeys out of the city as part of a £100m programme of engineering works – including replacing...

London Evening Standard

• Councils can't use parking to raise revenues, after landmark ruling by judge in Barnet Campaigners today won a landmark High Court victory which could save drivers millions of pounds in parking charges in residential streets.
• Ministers 'must probe blacklisting'The Government has been urged to launch an investigation into claims of blacklisting against workers on the prestigious Crossrail project after "clear proof" that the practice is continuing.

Newcastle Journal

• ’War’ on the way over Tyne and Wear bus route takeoverRepresentatives of the five Tyne and Wear councils will be recommended to back a controversial plan to take over bus routes

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published Service 'running well' as commuters adjust to busesCOMMUTERS stayed on track yesterday as rail replacement coaches mostly ran smoothly on the first working day since Nottingham's train station closed.Coaches and buses transported passengers to and from a variety of places, including Derby, East Midlands Parkway, Newark and Beeston.This will be the routine for the next five weeks for the 20,000 passengers who use the station each day.An East Midlands Trains spokesman said: "The bus replacement operation has been running well over the...

Sheffield Star

• £82,000 fund approved so bus lanes can be enforcedFunding has been set aside for more bus lane enforcement in areas of Sheffield.
• High speed rail risk to Sheffield’s heritage and homes revealedPlans to create a high speed rail station in central Sheffield could mean the loss of the city’s oldest hotel, major changes to the Grade II*-listed Wicker viaduct and demolition of more than 40 homes, writes Richard Marsden.

Yorkshire Post

• Pressure for inquiry into ’blacklisting of building workers’ THE Government has been urged to launch an investigation into claims of blacklisting against workers on the Crossrail project after “clear proof” that the practice is continuing.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Lord Marlesford’s litter legislation to clear up A12 and A14 moves a step closer in House of LordsA Suffolk peer has put forward legislation which aims to tackle the blight of people throwing rubbish out of vehicles along major roads like the A12 and A14.

Other Regional Press

• Major train delays Major delays were reported on the trains in Oxfordshire yesterday after engineering works between Oxford and Didcot Parkway stations over-ran.
• Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney selected for cycling role A local MP has been told to “Get on yer bike”. But Colne Valley Tory Jason McCartney is highly delighted.

Global Rail News

• Tunnel contract secures future of New York rail expansionTutor Perini has won a tunnelling contract worth $133 million which will ensure future plans to construct a rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River can go ahead. A 250-metre long,[...]
• What can trains learn from planes?The designer of the Virgin Pendolino, Paul Priestman, talks about the passenger experience and what rail can do to catch up with the aviation industry. Passenger experience today rules supreme[...]
• New routes underline Eurostar growthEurostar has seen a resurgence in business class passengers, with the high-speed service benefiting from ’greater economic stability’ in the UK. The cross-channel train operator has announced ’strong’ growth in[...]
• Skoda to supply Bratislava tramsTransport leader in the Slovak capital, Bratislava, have rubber stamped a 39 million euro order for 15 bidirectional trams. Å koda Transportation will build the new vehicles, with an option in[...]
• More passengers using high-speed Russia-Finland rail linkCross-border services between Russia and Finland rose by more than 20 per cent in the first half of 2013. More than 283,500 people have used the St Petersburg-Helsinki service so[...]

Aviation Industry

• Virgin Atlantic launches Guest List serviceUpper Class ground facilities made available to all passengers

Other News Sources

• Park Street rail freight: 'My constituents are being treated like fools', says St Albans' MP Anne Main St Albans' MP met with the Minister of State for Transport to discuss the possible problems the rail freight proposal could have on commuters.
• UntitledThe Government has been urged to launch an investigation into claims of blacklisting against workers on the prestigious Crossrail project after "clear proof" that the practice is continuing.
• MPs urge Vince Cable to probe Crossrail blacklisting claims A committee of MPs have written to business secretary Vince Cable urging his department to investigate accusations of blacklisting of workers on Crossrail.