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

Tuesday, 03 September 2013

BBC News

• East Sussex school transport cuts considered by county council Cuts to school transport, including for students with special educational needs, are being considered by East Sussex County Council.
• VIDEO: 'Better ways of spending £50-80bn'The HS2 high speed rail line has an
• Unofficial strike hits Belfast busesBelfast's Metro bus services were disrupted for a time on Monday due to what Translink described as
• VIDEO: Central London cycling 'not safe'A model who was seriously injured when he was using a London hire bike has said cycling in the centre of the capital is not safe.
• Rail petition gets 4,000 signaturesA petition calling for a direct rail link between Shrewsbury and London to be restarted is signed by about 4,000 people.
• Trolley pushed on to railway tracksCCTV footage reveals the moment a train struck a suitcase trolley pushed on to the tracks at Euston station in central London.
• 'Walkie-Talkie' skyscraper melts carA new London skyscraper dubbed the
• A38 Birmingham tunnels reopen after improvements A six-week project to make improvements to the A38 tunnels in Birmingham has ended.

Financial Times

• UK ˜driverless" buses attract councilsCambridge and Manchester lead the way as councils look to help commuters by converting disused railway lines into dedicated guided busways
• Global Ports agrees $1.6bn deal for NCCPurchase by Global Ports brings together Russia’s two biggest container operators, in a market better equipped than most for the shipping downturn

The Guardian

• Bus test case looms as Tyne & Wear seeks to wrestle back routes Council seeking better value for public money appears on collision course with private operators such as Arriva and Stagecoach
• The cycling revolution needs to start now – MPs, don't put the brakes on Cycling improves health and the economic benefits are plain to see. Space for cycling must be central to a bold transport policy
• Thousands of cycling protesters surround Parliament Square in LondonThousands of cyclists rode slowly past parliament on Monday evening in one of the bigger two-wheeled protests seen in Britain in recent years, timed to coincide with a Commons debate on measures designed to significantly boost cycling around the country.

The Independent

• Walkie Talkie skyscraper is 'melting cars' on the streets of London A new fixture of the London skyline has incurred the wrath of commuters in the City because, according to reports, it is melting cars on the street below.    
• Shocking footage shows man pushing trolley onto tracks in front of train The British Transport Police has released shocking footage of a man casually pushing a large metal baggage trolley onto the tracks moments before a train came into Euston station.    
• Inside Whitehall: The British first complain about big infrastructure projects, then come to revere them. HS2 will be no different It was a little under 200 years ago when the idea of a high speed inter-city rail link between London and Birmingham was first proposed. Allowing trains to travel at record speeds of 20mph, the line, its supporters claimed, would provide “cheap and expeditious travelling” and “the rapid and economical interchange of the great articles of consumption and commerce”.    

The Scotsman

• £500m shortfall in transport costs ‘a mistake’Scotland’s top civil servant will tomorrow admit that mistakes were made over the reporting of the costs of multi-million-pound transport projects.

The Telegraph

• Britain should stay on track with HS2Telegraph View: The high-speed rail link will display national ambition and help to rebalance the economy    
• Man shoves trolley into path of oncoming train at EustonThe British Transport Police have released footage of the moment a train struck a trolley after a man deliberately pushed it onto the track.    

Reuters News

• London driver says skyscraper 'melted' his carLONDON (Reuters) - A cluster of new skyscrapers transforming the London skyline are often blamed for spoiling the view. Now one has been accused of

Mail Online

• George Osborne: HS2 rail link IS going to happenChancellor George Osborne said he was ‘passionate’ about the planned high-speed rail line which will link London to the North of England and West Midlands.

The Mirror

• Watch CCTV footage of horrifying moment passenger pushes trolley in front of train Police are appealing for help to catch the man who who recklessly put lives at risk at one of the UK’s busiest stations

Network Rail

• 2 September: Update on work to recover rail services following derailment at CarltonWork to stabilise ground conditions under a level crossing in Colton, Nottingham will take at least the rest of this week to complete.Network Rail apologises to passengers that rail services between Newark and Nottingham are subject to continued disruption as a result.
• 'You're Hired' - latest Wales apprentices take to the tracksNetwork Rail Wales/Cymru today welcomes its new intake of 12 apprentices. Ten of the apprentices are from the south Wales valleys and have been recruited following a targeted campaign to attract more people from across the M4 corridor, including the valleys - in readiness for the electrification of the railways in the area.

Bolton News

• Horwich Parkway train station to get 90 extra parking spaces A STATION at the heart of Bolton’s commuter belt is to undergo a major park and ride expansion.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• North Wales bus services saved from axe by 'regional cooperation' Reduced administration costs and better management of funding has “mitigated” the 25% cut in passenger transport funding

London Evening Standard

• The moment man pushes trolley on to tracks in front of train at Euston stationThe moment a train struck a suitcase trolley deliberately pushed onto the tracks at one of the busiest stations in the UK has been revealed in CCTV footage.
• Skyscraper glare 'melted my Jaguar'Bright light reflecting from an unfinished skyscraper in the City of London is so intense it has melted part of a Jaguar car, it has been reported.

Sheffield Star

• New link road could bring a decade of economc growth for DoncasterDoncaster’s business community is predicting a new link road to the airport will really help the town to take off.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Controversial link road to cost £60m – ‘if we’re lucky’Cost estimates for the controversial Inverness West Link Road have risen by more than £7million – and opponents claim the price could rocket even further before the road is built.
• Super Pumas could carry passengers by end of weekSuper Puma passenger flights could resume before the end of the week, operators said last night.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Taxpayers’ cash funds HS2 battleMore than £100,000 of taxpayers’ money has been spent by two authorities in the West Midlands – to both promote and fight against controversial high-speed rail.

Blackpool Gazette

• Bus company facing inquiryBlackpool Transport chiefs are being hauled before an inquiry after concerns were raised about vehicle maintenance.

Bucks Free Press

• Osborne plays down HS2 cost fears CHANCELLOR George Osborne insists the controversial HS2 railway project will be produced under budget, despite fears over spiralling costs.

Other Regional Press

• Bus shake-up could be a ’tax timebomb’, warns firm SOUTH Tyneside taxpayers risk living with a financial “ticking timebomb” if a bus shake-up gets the go-ahead, it has been claimed.
• Massive truck will travel at 10mph on motorwayA truck will be using two lanes and travelling at 10mph on the motorways this Sunday morning (September 8).
• easyJet flies in to save Luton’s Christmas lightsLuton will be lit up again this Christmas as budget airline easyJet flies in to sponsor the festive lights.
• Medway-to-London commuter Darren Bramley pays just £1 day with electric car as more charging points to be set up around KentMeet the electric car driver with a commute to London that costs him just a pound a day - as dozens more charging points are to be set up across Kent.
• Bus firm to increase services on routes in AberdeenA BUS firm today rolled out plans to increase the frequency of its services and run promotions on its network in Aberdeen.
• North-east oil chief admits making bomb threat on Aberdeen flightAN OIL executive who claimed there was a bomb on board an Aberdeen-bound flight has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.

Global Rail News

• Passenger numbers rise but revenue falls for VIAVIA Rail has seen its income continue to fall in 2013, despite a small increase in ridership across the network. Total passenger revenue slid from $63.1 million in the second[...]
• First Tours tram goes into operationTours transport officials have officially opened the city’s new tram system. The 21 new light rail vehicles, which have been designed and built by Alstom, feature a reflective exterior designed[...]
• SBB introduces greater controls following Granges-Marnand crashSwitzerland’s national rail operator, SBB, has set out a series of new safety measures in response to the Granges-Marnand train crash in July which left one of the drivers dead.[...]
• How high-speed rail will bring Hong Kong and China closer togetherTunnelling works are almost complete on a new high-speed line designed to open up Hong Kong to mainland China. It is a project not short of critics, with some who[...]
• Video: Designing a biomass wagonThe UK’s biggest freight wagon, designed for the transportation of biomass, has been launched. This video outlines the process of designing and building the 18.9 metre-long wagon, which is around[...]

Railnews

• Swindon to Kemble line reopens Trains are running again between Swindon and Kemble after a blockade during August in preparation for redoubling the route, which has been single since 1969. The closure allowed the single track to be slewed back into position, so that a second line can now be laid alongside. The £45 million scheme is due to be completed next Easter.

Aviation Industry

• Winston Aldworth: Kiddy-free class could be good for all passengersAccording to my colleague, budget airline Scoot, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, are on to a good thing.
• Virgin Atlantic-Delta venture moves step closerUS regulator provisionally clears the proposed transatlantic joint business