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

Friday, 23 August 2013

BBC News

• North Wales suffering from delays in road and rail upgrades, AMs warn A row has broken out as assembly members accuse ministers of failing to tackle delays in road and rail projects to boost the north Wales economy.
• Surrey Drive Smart safety campaign as cyclist injuries rise A rise in cycle casualties in Surrey has led to a new safety campaign.
• Nottingham Station: 'Five weeks of pain' and how it affects you It has been called a modern transport hub for the East Midlands.
• Darling has change of heart over HS2Former Labour Chancellor and Transport Secretary Alistair Darling has written an article for the Times in which he reveals he is now against the proposed HS2 high-speed rail link.
• Girl, 4, hit in bus stoning incidentA four-year-old girl is injured after a stone is thrown through the window of a moving bus in Dundee.
• Railway offenders to be prosecutedTranslink have said 16 motorists who tried to
• Tube strikes cost London £1bn, Conservatives claim Strikes on the London Underground cost the capital more than £1bn over six years, according to the Conservatives who also want a ban on Tube walkouts.
• Rail bridge rips top off school busA school double-decker bus has its roof ripped off after passing under a railway bridge near Dalry in North Ayrshire.
• Tata re-positions 'cheap' Nano carTata's Nano, promoted as the

The Guardian

• Privatising the railways was a disaster. It's time to renationalise Passengers are paying a fortune to travel in overcrowded trains, so Labour, like the Greens, should seize the initiative

The Herald

• BA apologises after Scots lose out on long haul air miles offersBRITISH Airways has apologised to frequent fliers from Scotland who have been left out of pocket because of problems trading in their air miles for long haul routes.

The Scotsman

• UK motor industry in rude health Car production motored ahead last month, in a further boost for Britain’s recovering manufacturing sector.

Reuters News

• Analysis - Gas, power hub to trump London's top airport projectLONDON (Reuters) - The London mayor's preferred plan for a new airport is likely to fall flat, because it would force relocation of one of Europe's biggest liquefied natural gas terminals at a time when Britain relies ever more on overseas gas.

Daily Express

• Heathrow's runway was so HOT during heatwave, airport bosses had to delay resurfacing workTEMPERATURES soared so high during Britain’s sizzling summer heatwave last month that bosses at London’s Heathrow airport were forced to delay the resurfacing of a major runway because it was too hot to lay the asphalt.

Mail Online

• Sir Peter Hendy: Boris's £600k transport chief accused of having nine-month affair with £140-an-hour prostituteRachael Grundy said she had a nine-month relationship with married Sir Peter Hendy, whose taxpayer-funded salary and bonus last year totalled more than £650,000.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Wrexham Bidston rail improvements back on the agenda Welsh Secretary David Jones keen for enhancements to improve business links between North East Wales and the North West of England

Edinburgh Evening News

• Council cracks down on bad utility repair firmsBUNGLING utility firms have been named and shamed in a damning city report revealing almost 800 fines have been dished out for shoddy workmanship in a single year.
• Borders rail link: Steam trains for touristsSTEAM trains are to return to the Borders Railway, offering passengers an “unforgettable experience” when it reopens in two years.
• Edinburgh to be first 20mph city to boost cyclingEDINBURGH is set to become the first 20mph city in Scotland under pioneering plans to boost walking and cycling.

London Evening Standard

• Peter Hendy, Boris's Tube boss, 'didn't use public cash' in fling with escort girl London's transport boss Sir Peter Hendy did not spend any public money on a fling with an escort girl, friends said today.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Petrol sales crash after hikeA surge in pump prices led to last month’s petrol and diesel sales crashing to winter levels, an AA analysis of UK Government figures shows.
• Kirk urged to back duallingThe Church of Scotland has been urged to use its “substantial influence” to try to speed up plans to dual the A9 Inverness to Perth road.

Wales Online

• Aviation expert Martin Evans on proposals to expand Cardiff Airport and a new airport at SevernsideTen years ago I was involved in a debate in this newspaper over the merits of closing Cardiff and Bristol Airports and replacing them both with a new airport on the banks of the River Severn.

London24

• £20million makeover of Heathrow’s southern runway moves to final stagesFinal installation of new lights as part of a £20million make-over of Heathrow’s southern runway has started.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Peterborough Local Link bus service bidder chosenPeterborough City Council has announced Stagecoach are their preferred bidder to run subsidised bus services.

Other Regional Press

• MP’s ’positive’ talks with jobs-axe factory bossesSOUTH Tyneside MP Stephen Hepburn has had a “very positive” meeting with factory bosses after it was revealed that 90 jobs face the axe. Workers at Siemens Protection Devices (SPDL) in North Farm Road, Hebburn, have been warned their work could be transferred to Goa, India.
• MIDDLETON RAILWAY HOST FESTIVAL OF TRANSPORT 2013If you’re a fan of vintage transport you’re in for a treat this weekend at Middleton Railway.
• Boris Bikes to transform East Grinstead transport"BORIS Bikes" could soon be parked across East Grinstead as London's popular cycling scheme looks set to ride into town.
• Leicester Mercury published Drivers still over the speed limitLarge numbers of motorists are continuing to speed on a busy dual carriageway where the limit has been reduced.A speed camera van caught 150 people breaking the new 40mph limit on the A50 at Field Head, Markfield, in 90 minutes one day this month.In two 90-minute sessions last week, a further 180 drivers were monitored by the van breaking the speed limit.Sections of the stretch between the M1 and the crossroads at Lena Drive, Groby, remain at 50mph, meaning motorists switch from 50mph to 40mph...
• Cyclist accident report adds new drive to improvements TODAY the Oxford Mail can reveal the most dangerous roads for cyclists in the city.
• Bus station fight captured to a teeIT’s the latest in designer wear - and it could help in the fight to save Preston’s iconic bus station.
• Community celebrates 1.7million trips on new cycle route THE spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is being kept alive through a new Weymouth transport route which has seen more than 1.7 million trips.
• Police chief calls top-level meeting on highway safety after 18 deaths on Dorset's roads this year A TOP level meeting has been called by Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner to review road safety following the latest death on the county’s roads.

The Economist

• European railways: The quest for a Ryanair of rail freightIN AVIATION the arrival of privately owned low-cost airlines has shaken up the market and sent the traditional flag carriers into retreat. But in Europe’s railway business there is still little competition in passenger services. Even in freight, where there ought to be more scope for rivalry, the market is still dominated by state-owned incumbents. The European Commission’s “Transport 2050” plan, adopted two years ago, promises to get half of all the continent’s medium-distance goods transport off the roads and on to rail (or water) by 2050. But although some progress has been made in designat...

Global Rail News

• Mixed fortunes for California’s high-speed rail plansThe first section of California’s first high-speed rail line remains on course but court rulings threaten to delay the first shovels breaking ground. The authority overseeing the construction of the[...]
• Vancouver Evergreen Line achieves milestoneThe first guideway column of Vancouver’s 11-kilometre Evergreen Line is now in place. Due to open in 2016, the new $1.43 billion rapid transit line will extend the city’s SkyTrain[...]
• Moscow Metro signs rolling stock maintenance dealMoscow Metro has inked a contract with Transmashholding subsidiary Metrovagonmash to maintain the network’s fleet of 81-760/761 trains for the next 30 years. The contract, which covers 29 trains currently[...]
• Huawei to power Express Rail Link communications networkHuawei has won the contract to power the communication systems on Hong Kong’s Express Rail Link – a new high-speed line connecting the territory with mainland China. The Chinese company[...]
• GLA seeks ban on Tube strikesThe GLA Conservatives have recommended the government ban strike action on the London Underground. In a report entitled ’Struck-Out: Reforming London Underground’s Strike Laws’, the political group estimated that industrial[...]
• Bluebell’s ‘Big Dig’ completedAnyone familiar with Boston in the USA ten years ago may know of the project to put the city’s overhead viaduct road system into tunnels. Known as the ’Big Dig’, it became notorious because of its late running and huge overspend. Equally notorious has been the Bluebell Railway’s own Big Dig – to clear Imberhorne [...]

The Business Desk

• Sobart appoints new chair as 'solid progress' continues LOGISTICS group Stobart has reported "solid progress" in the first half of its financial year, as it moves from its investment phase into value optimisation, and appointed ex-Tate & Lyle chief executive Iain Ferguson as its chairman.

Aviation Industry

• Mitsubishi again delays MRJ program by over a year Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. (MITAC) has announced a second major delay to its Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) program, postponing its first flight and entry into service by over a year. read more
• Edinburgh airport unveils £25 million terminal planExtended terminal aims to help airport compete on “international stage”
• American Airlines has no ‘plan B’ to US Airways mergerCarrier admits it has no alternative strategy if deal is blocked

Other News Sources

• Sleepless nights for neighbours of Three Bridges railway worksLabourers and machinery at railway works at Three Bridges Station are still keeping people awake at night, residents have claimed.
• Intercity Passenger Rail Transport in the UK Industry Market Research Report Now Updated by IBISWorldThe outlook for the Intercity Passenger Rail Transport industry is positive, with revenue expected to increase over the next five years through 2018-19 supported by higher passenger numbers, steady population growth and a return to growth in international tourism. For these reasons, industry research firm IBISWorld has updated its report on the Intercity Passenger Rail Transport industry.
• Minister dismisses HS2 budget fearsControversial rail project could cost less than current £42.6 million budget