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

Friday, 26 July 2013

BBC News

• Swindon to Kemble railway upgrade work to shut line for three weeks Engineering work that will close the railway line between Swindon and Kemble for more than three weeks, will be "complex", according to Network Rail.
• Railway signal boxes granted Grade II listed status Twenty-six of the UK's "rarest" railway signal boxes have been granted Grade II listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
• Tyne and Wear Metro cleaners end two-week strike Cleaners working on the Tyne and Wear Metro have ended a two-week strike over a long-running "low" pay dispute.
• Meet the Author: Richard Furness Engineer Richard Furness has spent the last decade compiling a series of books about railway posters.

Financial Times

• Birmingham sets out £7bn airport plans Birmingham airport on Friday set out plans for a second runway and new terminal that would cost £7bn and enable it to handle up to 70m passengers a year.
• Speed and safety system face scrutinyThe focus for investigators trying to establish the cause of one of Spain’s worst rail disasters will first fall on why an automatic safety system did not engage
• Fuller aircraft send United earnings higherAirlines are benefiting from the lower costs that many achieved through Chapter 11 bankruptcies over the last decade.
• Eurotunnel chief hits at regulatorsThe head of the cross-Channel link said the biggest threat was a European Commission call to cut fees it charges for operators to use the tunnel in half

The Guardian

• Historic railway signal boxes get listed status Twenty-six boxes across England that 'provide a window into how railways operated in the past' get statutory protection
• 'Railway accidents happen because someone makes a mistake' Human error cannot be eradicated even with the best warning systems, experts say after two major rail accidents within two weeks in Europe

The Herald

• Horrific video captures rail crash that killed 80 peopleTHE full horror of one of Spain's worst rail disasters has been revealed after CCTV footage was released that captured the moment the train came off the rails and struck a wall.
• Minister warns rail bosses on delaysRAIL bosses have been told to up their game by Transport Minister Keith Brown after sunshine, lightning and vandalism caused a series of delays over the past two months.

The Telegraph

• Spain train crash: Expert baffled why safety system did not slow down Spanish trainA leading rail expert was baffled how the Spanish express which hurtled off the track was not slowed down by modern automatic protection systems.    
• Cost of rail travel rapidly outstripping inflation, official figures showThe cost of travelling by train has soared over the last nine years according to the latest official figures, with fares rising much faster than inflation.    
• Heavy rain threatens motoring getawayMotorists are facing the

Daily Express

• Heathrow claims take-off and landing fees hike is vital HEATHROW airport defended its take-off and landing fees as it posted an 18 per cent rise in first-half profit to £610million.

Mail Online

• Crackdown on uninsured drivers boosts government offers by £5MILLION in just two years as police seize 2,500 carsMinisters say uninsured drivers are a serious danger killing 130 people and injuring 26,500 every year while pushing up the insurance premiums of innocent law-abiding drivers.

The Mirror

• Spain train crash: Arrested driver going twice the speed limit warned "I'm going to derail"Francisco Jose Garzon, who has previously boasted on Facebook of his 124mph speeds, said: “I hope there are no dead because they would fall on my conscience”

Belfast Telegraph

• Minister: I'll end illegal drinking on buses Stormont's new Environment Minister has vowed to tackle illegal drinking on buses.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Overhanging tree branch smashed bus windscreen Passenger cut by glass

Liverpool Echo

• Mersey transport chiefs bid to bring HS2 line all the way to Liverpool Merseytravel: "There’s a compelling case to have a complete line into Liverpool city centre"

Northern Echo

• Airport unveils take-off plans NEWCASTLE International Airport will create more than 2,000 jobs and double passenger numbers by 2030 if a bold masterplan gets the go ahead.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Major cash boost for airportThe Scottish Government has awarded £12million to repair a crumbling runway at Sumburgh Airport on Shetland.

The York Press

• National Railway Museum in old telegrams quest THE National Railway Museum has urged members of the public to help them collect old telegrams for part of a major new exhibition.

This Is Local London Network

• What can be done to improve transport in Sutton? Sutton Council is looking at ways to develop a sustainable transport strategy for the borough.

Wales Online

• Big drop in number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on Welsh roadsNew figures reveal 84 cyclists either killed or seriously injured in 2012, compared with 118 in the previous year
• Road safety campaigners welcome move on young driver restrictions in Wales Transport Minister to examine case for 'graduated licensing' for young drivers in  bid to reduce deaths and serious injuries on roads

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Rare Yorkshire signal boxes are given listed statusSome of Yorkshire’s signal boxes are more likely to be protected for future generations after they were awarded listed status.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Peterborough bus services still under threat after angry council meeting Thursday, 8am: The future of Local Link bus services remains uncertain after the council’s cabinet set up a cross party group to discuss proposed cuts.

Other Regional Press

• Crossrail holds archaeology digs in Stepney where Tudor Worcester Manor was unearthed Historic finds made in London’s East End going back to Tudor times unearthed during the Crossrail construction could become a unique heritage site.
• Confusion reigns in Crossrail car park rowTHE leader of Brentwood Borough Council has been accused of dressing up a Conservative party plan to build a new car park in Shenfield as official council policy – although she claims her opponents just don't get the facts.
• Gloucestershire Airport handles more flights than Bristol and London City, stats show MORE planes went through Gloucestershire Airport in May than London City and Bristol.
• Croxley Rail Link said to boost economy by £219m Croxley Rail Link will boost Watford's economy to the tune of £219 million.
• Bus firm pulls services out of NorthamptonThe First bus company is in talks to withdraw all its services from Northampton.
• Plan in place to improve punctualityRail punctuality is top of the agenda for First Capital Connect (FCC) bosses who have unveiled a new 
improvement scheme.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Combe Haven rally brings home the damage caused by new roads25 July 2013: Campaigners from across the country joined us at the first national Rally Against Road-Building and saw the damage already being done by preparations for the Bexhill-Hastings L read more

Global Rail News

• Station design competition launched in MelbourneMelbourne is being asked to vote for its favourite design in a competition to decide the future of Flinders Street Station. State premier Denis Napthine launched the poll yesterday (July[...]
• Jobs protected at Austrian rail contractorSwiss contractor Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group has secured the future of Universale-Bau employees following an announcement in October last year of plans to acquire the Austrian firm. Chief executive of[...]

Railnews

• Death toll rises in Spanish derailment THE death toll in the Spanish train crash has risen to at least 80, and more than 140 people have been hurt. Official mourning has been declared in Spain, and a festival in the city of Santiago has been cancelled. The derailment affected a train approaching Santiago in the north west of the country last night, and appears to have been caused by excessive speed on a curve. Unconfirmed reports have spoken of an 80km/h limit at the site of the crash, but the train is believed to have been travelling at more than twice that speed.

Aviation Industry

• Stelios increases shareholding in FastjetEasyjet founder takes bigger stake in African no-frills carrier

Other News Sources

• Didcot to Southampton railway to re-open RAILWAY enthusiasts are hoping to reopen a long-closed Hampshire railway line.
• Crossrail Woolwich funding package agreedThe long-awaited funding package for the fit-out of the Crossrail station at Woolwich has finally been agreed, just in time to avoid expensive cost hikes to the project.