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

Saturday, 27 July 2013

BBC News

• Manston airport reveals 40-year expansion plan Plans to attract 16m passengers a year by 2050 and a proposal for a new high-speed rail link in north Kent have been revealed by Manston Airport.
• Average speed cameras for A9 from Dunblane to Inverness An average speed camera system should be in place on the A9 between Dunblane and Inverness by next summer, the Scottish government has said.
• Willington waggonway found next to River Tyne A timber railway track dating back to the 18th Century has been unearthed in a Tyneside shipyard.
• Tyne and Wear bus takeover plan views sought Transport chiefs are to consult on plans to take back control from private companies of bus routes, timetabling and fares across Tyne and Wear.
• Rail Freight Group calls for Perth-Inverness line upgrade The Rail Freight Group says upgrading the railway line between Perth and Inverness would help to ease travel on the A9 trunk road.
• Transport - an Olympic legacy?What is London's transport legacy?
• Iran write-off hits Renault profitsFrench carmaker Renault reports a huge fall in profits for the first half of 2013 after writing off the entire value of its business in Iran.

Financial Times

• Air France-KLM targets fresh cost cutsAirline’s incoming chief says despite return to operating profit, revenues are below target and turnround in two key areas taking longer than expected
• Tyne and Wear eyes control of bus serviceRegion is the first to plan to take back control from private operators since the market outside London was opened to them in 1986

The Herald

• Another blow to prestige airlinerBoeing's Dreamliner suffered another blow to its reputation when a leading airline took it out of service after a technical problem.
• Driver arrested as Spain mourns rail crash victimsA train driver suspected of causing Spain's deadliest rail disaster for 70 years has been arrested.

The Telegraph

• Heat hits train punctuality: tracks to be painted white to counteract hot weatherKey stretches of rail track are being painted white to counteract the hot weather which led to more trains running late last month.    
• Rail passengers plea for same rights as farm animalsRail passengers want the same legal protection as farm animals after it emerged that train operators can carry commuters in temperatures that would be illegal for cattle, goats and pigs.    
• London Underground in the 1970s/80sTwo decades of the London Underground in the 1970s/80s caught on camera by photographer Bob Mazzer.    

Daily Express

• Backlash at camera plan for killer roadPLANS to install cameras along Scotland’s deadliest road to catch speeding drivers were yesterday criticised by motoring campaigners

Mail Online

• Dreamliner nightmare continues for Boeing as Qatar Airways pulls plane out of service 'after smoke reported near electrical compartment'It is the latest in a spate of mishaps for the 787, including a fire on an Ethiopian Airlines-owned 787 earlier this month which caused Heathrow airport to be shut down for an hour and a half while firefighters battled the blaze.

Network Rail

• Groundbreaking factory train to cut years off Great Western electrificationA factory on rails – the first of its kind to be used on Britain’s railways – will slash years off the time it will take to electrify the Great Western main line.
• National train performance for period 4 is 91.1%Punctuality on the railways reached 91.1% during period 4, according to monthly performance data released today by Network Rail.
• Rebuilding Nottingham’s railway: significant progress made in first seven daysThe first week of the work to rebuild the railway around Nottingham is coming to an end, with the project running well on time and significant progress made.
• England's railway signalling heritage recognisedTwenty six of England's rarest and best preserved signal boxes have been given Grade II listed status by the Department for Culture Media and Sport as a result of a joint English Heritage and Network Rail project to safeguard the nation's railway signalling heritage.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post commented Traders furious about parking restrictions outside their shopsTRADERS in Bishopsworth are furious over parking restrictions in a lay-by outside their shops.The long lay-by in Queen's Road can accommodate up to 12 cars – but single yellow lines have been painted in two stretches.Bob Stevens, who runs Autoworld, said: "It means no one can park outside my shop which is very awkward for customers."It just seems a nonsense to me that they did not put in parking restrictions for the whole lay-by instead of what we have got now."He said he...

London Evening Standard

• Let’s stand up and fight for HS2 link, says railway chief Sir David HigginsThe outgoing boss of Britain’s railways today put himself at the centre of a counter-offensive against critics of the Government’s proposed high-speed rail link, saying it was “time to stand up and fight” for  it.

Manchester Evening News

• £200m plan to overhaul Greater Manchester's transport Transport bosses have selected a dozen key road and rail projects for development by 2025 – including three new interchanges.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published Bus crash sparks fresh anger over tram worksArticle
• Nottingham Post published Station shut after bus hits toilet blockA BUS station was closed after a double-decker crashed into a toilet block.People living near to the station in Beeston blamed the accident on roadworks being carried out to lay tram lines in the town.The crash happened on Thursday night but the bus station was closed for several hours yesterday until a large piece of overhanging concrete had been removed from the toilet block.No one was inside the loos at the time.Page 2

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Rail chiefs praised for resurrecting stationA Highland railway station that helped reduce the potential for traffic chaos during the recent Kessock Bridge repair work, has been praised at a top UK transport awards.
• Bid to cut A9 carnage with new speed trapsMore than 100 average-speed cameras are to be installed on the notorious A9.

The York Press

• Every York child to have access to a bike EVERY child in York could have access to a bike thanks to a project launched ahead of the Tour de France’s visit to North Yorkshire.

Wales Online

• 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

• Video: Locomotive on track for Yorkshire coastA summer Wakefield to Scarborough steam train service set out on its first journey.

Yorkshire Post

• East Coast named and shamed for late trainsPassengers on train services along Yorkshire’s main route to London endured more delays than anywhere in the country this month.

Bucks Free Press

• HS2 campaigners slam 'insulting' Transport Minister TRANSPORT Minister Simon Burns has incurred the wrath of HS2 opponents after this week telling them to stop opposing the scheme through the courts.

Crewe Chronicle

• UK & World News: Train driver snubs police questionsA train driver suspected of causing Spain's deadliest train disaster for 70 years has refused to answer police questions.

Plymouth Herald

• Labour's Shadow Transport Secretary visits Plymouth about affordable transport network Read more: http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Labour-s-Shadow-Transport-Secretary-visits/story-19573286-detail/story.html#ixzz2aEQnrrL8 Follow us: @thisisplymouth on TwLABOUR'S Shadow Transport Secretary visited the city to discuss options for an affordable transport network for the future. Read more: http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Labour-s-Shadow-Transport-Secretary-visits/story-19573286-detail/story.html#ixzz2aEQowyCB Follow us: @thisisplymouth on Twitter | thisisplymouth on Facebook

Other Regional Press

• Bicycle security event Kidlington police will hold a bike security event on Monday.
• Sussex Courier commented 'We're poor relations' say Crowborough's motoristsMOTORISTS in Crowborough have seen red at a decision to snub the town's roads and not repair potholes.A £1.5 million plan to repair and pothole-proof roads in the county was announced last week, but Crowborough was left out.Residents are outraged that "appalling" roads in and around Crowborough have been overlooked.Work to improve and seal road surfaces and repair potholes on 30 roads will begin at the end of the month.But roads in Crowborough are not on the list of those to be...
• High hopes riding on the re-opening of Cullompton and Wellington train stations COUNCIL bosses are “genuinely hopeful” of re-opening two disused railway stations.
• First bus passengers fear axed routes will cut off West Somerset ANGRY bus users in West Somerset say the area risks being cut off when a series of routes are withdrawn next week.
• Aberdeen road to close for more than a weekMOTORISTS have been advised a section of Baillieswells Road in Bieldside in Aberdeen will be closed for more than a week.
• Gridlock sparks demands for traffic lights rethink LONG queues at roadworks in Weymouth town centre have sparked anger.
• Free shuttle bus to hospital for parentsShuttle buses will take parents and children from Bedford A&E to Milton Keynes and Luton.

Railway Gazette

• Croxley Rail Link approvedUK: The government has granted legal powers for the Croxley Rail Link project to extend London Underground’s Metropolitan Line to Watford Junction. Under the Transport & Works Act Order, the...
• SNCF orders double-deck TGVs FRANCE: SNCF confirmed a €300m order for a further 10 Alstom Euroduplex double-deck high speed trainsets on July 25. This is the final order to be placed under June 2007 framework contract which...
• Variable Train Wash Control software installed GERMANY: Factory control system specialist AIS Automation Dresden has won a contract to supply its Variable Train Wash Control software to upgrade a train washing plant in Leipzig. VarTWC operates...
• Unilever launches ice cream train ITALY: Unilever launched Green Express on July 5, a dedicated train running three times a week between its Algida ice cream factory in Caivano near Napoli and a logistics hub 700 km away in Parma....

Aviation Industry

• Airlines told to take action on Dreamliner beaconsFAA issues directive on transmitter which may have caused fire on empty 787

Other News Sources

• Engineers called on to develop new low-carbon ship propulsionMore nuclear, battery and gas-powered vessels are needed to cut shipping emissions in the absence of a single magic bullet solution, according to a new report.
• Bentley's first SUV to create 1,000 UK jobsAround 1,000 jobs are to be created in the UK following Bentley’s decision to invest over £800m over three years in product development at its base in Cheshire.
• Winchester residents will be first to trial new 20mph pilot schemes HAMPSHIRE civic chiefs given the green light for 20mph pilot schemes to be rolled out across the county.
• Concur signs up three new Perfect Trip partnersExpenses firm invests in trio of emerging travel technology companies