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

Friday, 04 October 2013

BBC News

• Redhill railway station revamp given go-ahead The redevelopment of Redhill station in Surrey, along with a supermarket and new homes, has been given the go-ahead.
• Bristol bus fares reviewed after campaign started by Daniel Farr Bristol's biggest bus operator is to cut some of its fares in the city following a protest started by one man.
• US rethinks take-off gadget banA committee set up by the US aviation regulator has recommended relaxing a ban on gadgets being used during take-off and landings.
• FirstGroup keeps Great Western lineFirstGroup's First Great Western train company will keep the right to run trains into Wales and the South West for another two years.
• Road bridge consultation closingA public consultation on proposals to build a new road bridge over the River Dee in Aberdeen is closing.
• Shrewsbury misses train to LondonThousands of people, including local MPs, sign a petition asking for a direct rail service from Shrewsbury to London.
• Double-decker bus catches on fireFire crews extinguish a fire on a double-decker bus near to a university campus.
• Heathrow criticises price-cap plansHeathrow Airport criticises the Civil Aviation Authority's proposed price controls on the fees it can charge airlines.
• Indian cabinet backs Jet Etihad dealIndia's cabinet approves Etihad Airways' plan to buy a 24% stake in Jet Airways for $379m (£248m).
• Hydrogen: The car fuel of the future?Could hydrogen power the cars of tomorrow?
• VIDEO: Criminals using cheap flightsEuropol is warning that criminals gangs are using budget airlines to fly into cities to carry out illegal activities - and then flying out the same day.

Financial Times

• EasyJet upbeat ahead of annual resultsLow-cost airline predicts annual profits will be at the upper end of an earlier forecast but warns of sharp rise in fuel costs in first half
• Heathrow attacks regulator over chargesCAA rejects airport operator’s request for a real-terms increase in charges it imposes on airlines, saying levy should only rise by rate of inflation
• Air France faces dilemma on AlitaliaAirline faces three choices over what to do with 25% stake in the Italian flag-carrier, which bleeds money and needs a €100m capital increase

The Guardian

• FirstGroup extends Great Western franchise for £32m Transport group negotiates 23-month franchise to run commuter and long-distance services from London Paddington

The Herald

• Rain sparks seventh landslip in five years on crucial Argyll roadThe A83 near the Rest and Be Thankful was closed by a landslide for the seventh time in five years as torrential rain deluged Scotland.
• Demise of shipyards blamed for nation's ill healthThe man in charge of the health of Scotland's five million people has blamed the demise of shipbuilding in the 1970s for the nation's poor health.

The Independent

• Great Western Line deal extended Passengers have been promised improvements on a key rail route after a train company was given a 23-month extension to its franchise.
• Passengers at Heathrow 'face £1bn fares hike' Airlines yesterday warned that passengers at Heathrow would be hit by £1bn in extra fares over five years after the regulator ignored their demands for a 10 per cent cut in landing charges.

The Scotsman

• Direct Kilmarnock-Edinburgh train proposed Rail passengers may soon be able to take a single train from Kilmarnock to Edinburgh, the Transport Minister has said.
• Charge tolls on Scotland’s roads, say engineers ROAD tolls should be considered for Scotland to help pay for the upkeep of highways as money becomes tighter, engineers have urged.
• Survey calls for reclining seat ban on flights MORE than nine in ten passengers want reclining aircraft seats banned on short-haul flights or their use restricted to set times, according to a poll by Edinburgh-based flight comparison website Skyscanner.
• Salmond concerns over Rest and Be Thankful road Scotland’s landslide black-spot presented a fresh headache yesterday when rockfalls blocked the A83 in a new location – and also hit a recently completed diversionary route designed to bypass such blockages.

The Telegraph

• Era of Inflation-busting train fares is coming to an end, minister saysNorman Baker, the Liberal Democrat transport minister, said that the Coalition intends to ban companies from hiking fares by more than 4 per cent a year.

Mail Online

• Heathrow and Gatwick airports increase fares for departuresBosses at easyJet criticised the above-inflation charges at Gatwick, while Virgin Atlantic claimed that passengers at Heathrow had to pay 'some of the highest charges in the world'.

Network Rail

• Network Rail launches public consultation in Huyton on plans to increase rail capacityNetwork Rail today launched a three-day consultation giving members of the public the opportunity to comment on plans to construct a new section of railway track near Huyton railway station.

Bolton News

• Campaign lainched to save under-threat Edgworth bus service A THREATENED bus service in Edgworth could be saved after a local MP launched a campaign to stop it being axed as part of cost-cutting plans.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post published Airport's £6.5m project to ease passenger congestionWORK has begun on a £6.5 million project to ease departure-lounge congestion during peak times at Bristol Airport.Once completed, a new central walkway – including four new pre-boarding zones – will serve up to six departure gates.The building will also include new passenger facilities such as food and drink outlets, extra toilets and lifts.The design of the new walkway takes into account the latest generation of wide-body passenger jets. And the plans include the possibility...

London Evening Standard

• Women, ride for your life: how to cycle safely in LondonSometimes I just can’t help myself. If a motorist is being particularly inconsiderate to cyclists on the road occasionally I decide to set him or her straight. It happened earlier this week. One elderly gent in his great big Mercedes was speeding down New Cavendish Street, beeping his horn at every cyclist he passed and making gestures like Moses trying to sweep aside a tide.
• Heathrow passengers facing £1bn in extra faresAirlines today warned that passengers at Heathrow would be hit by £1 billion in extra fares over five years after the regulator ignored their demands for a 10 per cent cut in landing charges.

Sheffield Star

• Trains delayed after police chase near railway lineTrain services out of Sheffield were delayed on Monday night after police received reports five suspects they were chasing were on the tracks.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Speed cameras cut road death toll by 46% Fatal accidents on a major trunk road controlled by average speed cameras have been reduced by 46%, it emerged yesterday.

Wales Online

• Rail passengers promised improvements on South Wales to London line as First Great Western wins two-year franchise extension Greater wifi coverage and additional steep carriages are among the improvements being promised by First Great Western rail bosses

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Fresh chaos warning on £3m Wolverhampton Vine Island worksA busy road will close next week in the next phase of a £3 million project to cope with traffic travelling to and from the i54 business park.

Bucks Free Press

• Cameron 'wrong' on HS2 stance DAVID Cameron is wrong in his stance on HS2, a senior Chiltern Tory said this week after the Prime Minister gave his full backing to the controversial project.

North Wales Live

• Easyjet revises profit forecast 'Excellent' update welcomed by analysts

Northamptonshire Telegraph

• Rail union calls off industrial actionThe National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers has today (October 3) confirmed that all industrial action being taken by its members will be suspended with immediate effect.     

Peterborough Telegraph

• Rare Peterborough railway poster goes up for auctionA rare pre-war railway poster advertising Peterborough as a tourist destination is set to fetch around £500 at an auction in America later this month.

Other Regional Press

• Western Morning News published Rail deal brings stability, wi-fi and new sleeper train carriagesArticle
• Drivers to get tamper-proof screws fitted to car licence platesPolice and car technicians will be on hand to fit tamper-proof screws to number plates on vehicles in Northampton next week.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• CAA CALLS FOR REAL-TIME PRICE FREEZE The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has proposed a real-time control on prices at Heathrow.
• NEW TRACK IMPROVES RAIL-FREIGHT FOR FELIXSTOWE Network Rail has announced a new track that will help move freight from road to rail, with direct links to the Port of Felixstowe. Construction will start on Saturday (October 5th) and end on the subsequent Monday, with a new bridge being installed over Sproughton Road alongside an existing one. This will form an important part of improving the area's railway network as it forms a direct line freight route between the Stowmarket and Felixstowe lines.

Global Rail News

• FirstGroup awarded Great Western franchise extensionFirst Greater Western (FGW) has been given a 23-month extension to continue running services between the London, South West and Wales. FGW will continue running trains out of London Paddington[...]
• European rail freight operator announces global joint ventureEuropean wagon hire and rail logistics company VTG Aktiengesellschaft has agreed to merge some of its activities with global firm Kuehne + Nagel. The agreement, which is subject to approval[...]
• €830m construction tenders launched for Austria-Italy rail tunnelTwo tenders have been launched worth €830 million for the construction of a 55 kilometre railway tunnel between Austria and Italy. The €8.6 billion Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) will be[...]
• Cyclist makes lucky escape from oncoming trainA cyclist in Cambridgeshire narrowly avoided a collision with an oncoming train after running a level crossing barrier.
• Parsons Brinckerhoff appointed design consultant for Detroit streetcar projectParsons Brinckerhoff (PB) has been awarded a consultancy role on Detroit’s M-1 Streetcar project. PB will deliver design review and quality assurance services to the programme, which will involve the[...]

Railnews

• First celebrates last-minute Great Western deal FirstGroup has won a 102-week contract extension of its Great Western franchise, as the Department for Transport continues with its bid to rescue the floundering franchise programme. The news has come exactly a year since FirstGroup's victory in the West Coast contract was reversed, following a challenge by Virgin. As with c2c earlier this year, the agreement has only been announced a few days before the existing Great Western franchise ended.

Aviation Industry

• Easyjet profits from strong summer salesNo-frills carrier on course for record annual results
• BA and Virgin attack Heathrow charge increaseAirlines condemn proposal to allow UK hub to raise passenger fees

Other News Sources

• Extension of low carbon emission bus fund given the green lightCities across the country are to receive brand new low carbon green buses following a government decision to extend the Green Bus Fund, the Transport Minister has announced.
• City’s crackdown on verge parking A council is cracking down on drivers who park on grass verges and footpaths.
• Transport the main topic as Hove residents Meet Your Argus A plea for a second train line to the capital prompted conversation between shoppers at yesterday’s Meet Your Argus.
• First Group retains Great Western franchiseRail company will keep running trains from Paddington until 2015

Other Subscription Services

• Western rail direct award to First confirmed First Great Western has been awarded a stop-gap franchise deal that will see it continue to operate train services out of Paddington until after the next General Election.The new 23 month direct...