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

Wednesday, 18 September 2013

BBC News

• New Bristol train stops explored in feasibility study A feasibility study has been started by the city council to explore whether new train stations can be built in Bristol.
• Northampton's £7m bus station a 'confident statement' A new £7m bus station in Northampton will make a "confident statement" about the future of the town, a business leader has said.
• A14 road toll plan a 'worrying precedent' A plan to set up the UK's first road toll in 10 years sets a "very worrying precedent", the Road Haulage Association (RHA) has said.
• Norman Baker MP wants end to town centre parking [video]Shoppers should be priced out of their cars in town centres and encouraged to use public transport, according to Transport Minister Norman Baker.
• Trams 'will be running by next May'Edinburgh's trams will be running by May 2014, after six years of construction work, the city council announces.
• Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria rail link plans submitted Plans for a viaduct to connect three Manchester railway stations are submitted by Network Rail.
• European car sales slide in AugustUK the only bright spot as European car sales slide 5% in August compared to the same month last year.

Financial Times

• Tesla joins race to build self-driving carsMusk predicts robot cars will be on the road in three years. A successful attempt would see the company overtake Google, which has struggled to find a partner on the project
• Newcastle makes case for bus reformTyne and Wear companies are fighting for business as the local transport authority becomes the first to attempt to win back control of buses
• Air France to cut 2,600 more jobsThe fresh cost-cutting measures come as low growth in Europe and high fuel prices have left the airline with more to do on top of its savings plan

The Guardian

• Stretched 787-9 Dreamliner makes first flightNew version of 787 carrying up to 290 passengers debuts in wake of battery problems – while Bombardier trials its rival planeBoeing has successfully test-flown the stretched version of its 787 Dreamliner as the planemaker tries to move forward from battery fires that culminated in worldwide grounding. The 787-9 jet landed at 4.18pm at Boeing Field in Seattle. It has room for 290 passengers, 40 more than the original 787-8 jetliner, and about 300 more nautical miles of range. Boeing hopes it will be more profitable to sell, and for its customers to operate, than the current production model.In ...

The Herald

• Jet2 airline expansion at GlasgowAN airline is to base a fifth plane at Glasgow Airport as it expands its services.

The Telegraph

• Hospitality chiefs demand travel chiefs 'sort out' London congestionTransport chiefs in London have been urged to
• Edinburgh's trams 'will be running by May'EDINBURGH'S troubled trams project will start transporting passengers by next May, according to the city council.    
• Cost of single walk-on rail tickets to be slashedThe price of one way tickets is to be slashed by half under plans unveiled by Norman Baker, the rail minister    

Mail Online

• Cut petrol prices now, garages told after 6p fall in wholesale costsThe RAC said the price suppliers pay for fuel had dropped since the end of August as a result of a strong pound and positive developments in Syria.

Network Rail

• Network Rail submits plans for faster, more frequent rail services across the NorthPlans to deliver faster, more frequent rail travel across the North of England progressed today as Network Rail submitted an application for a new link connecting Manchester’s Piccadilly and Victoria stations – the Ordsall Chord.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented VIDEO: Speeding motorists made to face school kidsMORE than 20 drivers were forced to explain themselves to schoolchildren after being caught breaking road laws.Police spent more than an hour working with pupils from Lakeside Community Primary School to catch motorists who were either speeding, using a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt.The exercise was carried out near the Alvaston school in London Road – and one driver was clocked at 48mph on the 30mph road.Drivers were pulled over at a rate of about one every three minutes....

Sheffield Star

• Airline holding open day to recruit cabin crew staffEmirates Airline is hosting a cabin crew open day in Sheffield for anyone interested in joining the firm.

The York Press

• Train cleaners strike in ‘living wage’ row TRANSPORT cleaners have taken their pay battle to the streets of York and a rail company’s city offices as fresh talks aimed at ending a bitter dispute are due to be held.

Yorkshire Post

• Claire Haigh: The bus route to a greener and more prosperous futureBRITAIN is a country facing big and important challenges. The recession is having a profound impact on the people of the country and they way they work and live. While there are signs that the UK economy is showing “green shoots”, many regions still face high unemployment and stagnation. There are nearly 2.5 million unemployed people, with 1.71 million economically inactive 18-24 year olds.
• ‘Mix and match’ fares on cards for rail passengersRail passengers could see an end to single-journey fares costing almost as much as return tickets under plans to be announced by the Government today.

Daventry Express

• Consultation on HS2 compensation launchedA NEW consultation on compensation for HS2 has been launched.

Doncaster Free Press

• Anger over Cadeby bus withdrawalSchool children have been left stranded after the withdrawal of the only village bus service.    
• New winter sun destination from Doncaster AirportThomson and First Choice holidaymakers from across the region are set to benefit from an additional flight to Lanzarote this winter from Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield.     

East Anglian Daily Times

• Suffolk: More than 200 lorry drivers caught breaking the law on roads during week-long operationMore than 200 offences were recorded and thousands of pounds of fines were handed out during a week-long crackdown on lorry drivers whose actions could put the lives of motorists at risk.

London24

• Government losing ’Paralympics’ momentum on transport access for disabled people The Department for Transport (DfT) is losing a “Paralympic Games” momentum for improving access to transport for disabled people, according to a parliamentary committee.

Sunderland Echo

• Sunderland Nissan plant hailed ‘one of Britain’s greatest success stories’SUNDERLAND’S Nissan plant is “one of our greatest industrial success stories in modern times”, says the region’s top business minister.

Other Regional Press

• Anger at £2.5m for Ebbw Vale rail link plan A BRYNMAWR Town Councillor has hit out at Blaenau Gwent council for spending £2.4 million on a mechanical lift while cutting jobs and services to address its £10 million deficit.
• Topping-out ceremony held at Northampton’s new £7 million North Gate Bus StationA topping-out ceremony has been held at Northampton’s new £7 million bus interchange, which will be called the North Gate Bus Station.
• Parade to save Preston Bus StationCampaigners fighting to save Preston Bus Station from demolition are to parade through the city.

C.N.N.

• Bombardier CS100 jet takes on Boeing and Airbus

Global Rail News

• Network Rail seeks Ordsall Chord approvalPlans to deliver faster, more frequent rail travel across the North of England progressed today as Network Rail submitted an application for a new link connecting Manchester’s Piccadilly and Victoria[...]
• Controlling CrossrailAt nearly £15 billion, Crossrail is Europe’s largest current construction project. It will provide faster, more frequent main-line trains right into the heart of London, linking Heathrow directly with the City and Canary Wharf, connecting towns in the East and the West to central London, and delivering faster cross-city journeys between stations like Paddington, Liverpool [...]
• Edinburgh Tram to open in May next yearEdinburgh’s new tram network will be up and running in May 2014, the City if Edinburgh Council has announced. Councillors today (September 17) confirmed that the system would open in[...]
• Trapeze to overhaul Frankfurt metro and tram control systemTrapeze is set to begin a three-year project to upgrade the train management and communication systems across Frankfurt’s metro and tram network. As well as supplying a the management and[...]
• ‘TGV of the future’ to arrive in 2018The next generation of France’s high-speed TGV will begin serving passengers in 2018, says French President François Hollande. The latest incarnation of the world-famous high-speed rail service will consume 20-30[...]
• First Capital Connect fined for train breakdownFirst Capital Connect (FCC) has been fined £75,000 for failing to protect the safety of passengers who were trapped in a broken down train in 2011. The operator has also[...]

Railnews

• Train operator fined for dangerous 'shambles' A train operator has been fined £75,000 after admitting a breach of Health and Safety law. Blackfriars Crown Court heard that a First Capital Connect train bound for Bedford had become stalled between St Pancras International and Kentish Town, and that some passengers forced open the doors and walked along the tunnel. The judge described the three-hour crisis as a 'shambles'.

Aviation Industry

• Sabre joins fight against air taxesTech firm puts its weight behind campaign to cut APD

Other News Sources

• Disabled access to public transport inadequate, say MPsDespite nearly one in five Britons living with a recognised disability, the provision of disabled access on public transport is unacceptably poor, according to the Transport Committee.
• Edinburgh trams: Start date for passenger service by end of May 2014The exact date of the first service will be announced in January but passengers will be on the trams by next May.
• MPs say 'No Go Britain' must end for disabled peopleAccess to public transport for disabled people is still unacceptably poor, despite the hoped-for Paralympic legacy, a committee of MPs warns.