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

Thursday, 05 September 2013

BBC News

• Coal mine road transport bid madeA change is sought in operating conditions at a large open cast mine in southern Scotland to allow its coal to be transported by road.
• Rail bridge 'deliberately damaged'Police appeal for information after a bridge being built on the new Borders to Edinburgh railway is deliberately damaged.
• VIDEO: Should we press button to cross road?Many of us use them every day to cross the road in towns and cities across the world.
• VIDEO: 'Cyclists a danger to themselves'As the Mayor of London announces road charges for unsafe lorries, a lorry driver says some cyclists are a danger to themselves.
• Sensors to test plane 'noise stress'People living under the flight path of Heathrow Airport are being invited to wear body sensors to monitor stress caused by aircraft noise.
• Ryanair warning over weak profitsLow cost airline Ryanair says that full year profits may be below its forecast due to lower fares and demand.
• US car sales at near six-year highUS car sales surge to a near six-year high in August as consumers grow more confident about an economic recovery.
• Northampton bus depot plan 'to create 150 jobs' A multi-million deal to redevelop land around an Edwardian tram depot with the creation of up to 150 jobs goes before councillors next week.

Financial Times

• European airlines: losing altitudeA warning from Ryanair that 2013-14 profits will be at the lower end of a previously advised €570m-€600m range ripples through the sector
• Ryanair warns it may miss profit targetShares tumble as leading low-cost airline feels the effects of increased competition in European markets and depressed ticket pricing

The Herald

• Icelandair announces extra flightICELANDAIR is launching a fifth flight from Glasgow to Reykjavik next year to meet demand for its popular transatlantic service.
• Senior civil servant under fire over project costsSCOTLAND'S most senior civil servant has come under fire over a £500 million difference in the reported costs of five key transport projects.
• Call for upgrade of key rail junction at CarstairsGREEN campaigners are calling on the rail industry to prioritise a long-overdue modernisation at a key bottleneck on the West Coast Main Line.
• Land bought for doomed rail link sold at loss of £800,000THE final piece of land bought by the Scottish Government for the doomed Glasgow Airport Rail Link project has been sold back to its original owner for £50,000 - just five years after ministers paid more than £840,000 to acquire it.

The Independent

• Air "so polluted it can't be worsened" Volume of flights over UK leave atmosphere thick with greenhouse gas The ozone pollution caused by flights over the UK is among the lowest of any country in the world - but only because the sheer volume of flights to and from the country have already left the atmosphere so thick with the greenhouse gas that it has become relatively much more difficult to generate more of it, a new report finds.    

City AM

• Car registrations up for 18th month ahead of September plate change Car registrations are up for the 18th successive month in the UK, according to new data from...

Mail Online

• Still driving with 42 points on her license: Woman is among nine motorists who have 30 or more and are still on the roadEight more motorists are still driving with 30 or more points, figures reveal today. Another 7,000 drivers have 12 points or more.

This is Money

• Legal loophole airlines use to refuse flight delay compensationCourts will allow compensation to be paid out for flight delays dating back up to six years, but some airlines have been telling customers the limit is just two years.
• New car prices have risen by less than inflation over 25 yearsThe average price of a new motor has risen from £12,207 in 1988 to £27,219 today, according to data from Auto Express.

Network Rail

• Rail services through Carlton to resume on Monday 9 SeptemberWork to stabilise ground conditions under a level crossing in Colton, Nottingham are on schedule to complete at the end of this week. Full passenger rail services will resume between Newark and Nottingham from 0600 on Monday 9 September.
• Network Rail responds to ORR draft determinationNetwork Rail today published its response to the Office of Rail Regulation’s draft determination for the period 2014 to 2019, CP5.
• Delays down at Birmingham New Street thanks to special engineering teamPassengers travelling through Birmingham’s New Street are experiencing fewer delays thanks to a dedicated team of engineers who have reduced the number of track faults at the station by 80% over the last 12 months.

Belfast Telegraph

• Low carbon transport hub opensNorthern Ireland's first sustainable low-carbon bus and train station has been opened.
• Marine fit-out firm scoops £2m cruise ship dealsA BELFAST based fit-out company has scooped almost £2m worth of business from cruise ship operators in Germany and Spain.    
• Ryanair cutting flights and faresLOW-COST airline Ryanair is to reduce its flying schedules and cut fares this winter after seeing its profit hopes dented by growing headwinds.    

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented After 16 years, council decides that it can do better job of...POTHOLES in Derby will now be filled by city council workers – saving £300,000 every year.For 16 years, gritting the streets and repairing potholes was completed by an outside company, most recently construction firm Carillion, at a cost of just over £4 million a year. From this week, however, these works will be undertaken by Derby City council workers.The council says that work can be done more efficiently by the in-house team and reduce management costs. It says the move...

London Evening Standard

• Woman cyclist killed on day Boris reveals plan to fine HGVs not fitted with safety gearA woman cyclist died today after a collision with a lorry as moves were announced to require all HGVs to be fitted with safety devices to cut the death toll on London’s roads.

Sheffield Star

• Cash to fix our broken roadsDoncaster’s battered roads are set to be revamped - with the way being paved for a £1 million overhaul.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Is it end of the road for traffic wardens? TRAFFIC wardens could be abolished in Aberdeenshire’s biggest town – and may even disappear from the region’s streets altogether.

Burnley Express

• Twenty is plenty if you’re driving close to a schoolChildren returning to hundreds of Lancashire schools this week will have safer journeys thanks to new 20mph speed limits and flashing signs warning drivers to slow down.

Doncaster Free Press

• Traffic congestion and parking problems in Epworth – a hair salon stylist speaks outProblems with parking and traffic congestion in Epworth is causing many businesses in the village to lose trade.    

East Anglian Daily Times

• Ipswich: “Attention-seeking” tourist who sparked seven-hour train delay at a cost of £1m is jailed for 16 monthsA tourist who disrupted the journeys of 40,000 passengers in a seven-hour railway rooftop stand-off was today jailed for 16 months.

Other Regional Press

• MP calls for no service reductions at Haringey train stations under new franchise There must be no service reductions at Hornsey train station when a new rail franchise contract is awarded, according to MP Lynne Featherstone.
• Transport bosses look to boost cycle links between Reading and Wokingham Councillors want to seize a “golden opportunity” to boost cycling in the area and entice people away from their cars
• Transport committee backs bus station sale The Viking Bus Station building should be sold to an unnamed “local business interest”, it was agreed at a meeting of the council’s environment and transport committee today.

Bus and Coach.com

• Daimler and Wrightbus Indian partnershipDaimler Buses today confirmed a partnership with Wrightbus International to build vehicles for the Indian market.

Freight on Rail

• Government lorry safety measures ignore longer lorries. Reacting to the Government’s announcement today1 on improving cycle safety in relation to HGVs, Freight on Rail called for the Government to review its longer semi trailer trial2 to maximise cycling safety

Global Rail News

• ORR’s funding cuts ‘unbalanced and unrealistic’Network Rail has described the ORR’s plans to cut funding for Britain’s railways by £2 billion over the next five years as “unbalanced” and “unrealistic”. In January, Network Rail published[...]
• Bidding to begin on next phase of Madrid-Extremadura-Portuguese border high-speed lineThe Spanish government has given the green light to begin tendering for three sections of the planned high-speed line between Madrid and the Portuguese border. The three sections cover a[...]
• Connaught Tunnel restoration completeCrossrail has completed work to restore sections of the Connaught tunnel, re-flooding the Royal Docks in time for its September deadline. The Victorian-era tunnel will be brought into use for[...]
• How HS2 could transform Manchester Piccadilly stationManchester City Council have produced a report which looks at how HS2 could transform Piccadilly Station and create a ’world-class intermodal transport facility’ in the city. Working alongside Arup, HS2[...]
• Public views sought on Midland Metro extensionTransport Authority Centro has launched a consultation into the £31 million plans to extend the Midland Metro tram network into the centre of Birmingham. Work is already underway on a[...]
• Strong half-year results for RATPThe operators of Paris Métro, RATP, have reported revenues of € 2.62 billion in the first half of 2013. As well as a 4.1 per cent rise in revenue on[...]
• Alstom to complete Baltimore LRV overhaulBaltimore’s entire fleet of light rail vehicles are to be upgraded by Alstom in a contract worth around $150 million. The overhaul programme will be carried out over the next[...]

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair shares fall 15 per cent over rare profits warning, airline cites weak autumn demandShares in Ryanair have suffered their biggest drop in four years after the budget airline issued a rare profit warning over weaker-than-expected autumn ticket sales.
• Ryanair may miss profits targetAirline says it has been hit by increased competition and weak economic conditions

Other News Sources

• FTA ‘Getting Britain’s Cities Moving’ – at party conferenceLeading the way on behalf of the transport and logistics industry at the annual political party conferences this year, will be the Freight ...
• UK firm plans £42m AIM float to boost German bus expansion BRITISH investment group Marwyn Management has confirmed that it is looking to float its transport subsidiary and raise around €50m (£42m) of new capital.

News from Europe

• European Voice: MEPs split ahead of vote on biofuel targets http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/meps-split-ahead-of-vote-o...