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

Tuesday, 22 October 2013

BBC News

• Northampton disused rail line bought by WNDC A disused rail line in Northampton has been bought for £1.5m to create a cycle and pedestrian path.
• Week ahead at Westminster [Thursday] Transport Select Committee's report on aviation strategy - which urged the government to push ahead with an extra runway at Heathrow, and encouraged Gatwick Airport to develop its business case for expansion - as well as dealing with Air Passenger Duty.
• Wiltshire rail changes have two years to prove success Extra rail services planned for a line in Wiltshire will be scrapped within two years if not enough passengers use them, the county council has warned.
• Northamptonshire road consultation begins A consultation on plans to ban cars from some Northamptonshire roads and reduce street signage has begun.
• Dartford Crossing discount: 'More people should benefit' A discount scheme for local people to have unlimited use of the Dartford Crossing should be widened, according to the Federation of Small Businesses.
• Liverpool bus lanes suspended for nine month experiment A nine-month experiment has begun to see what Liverpool will be like without bus lanes.
• Passenger numbers rise at airportsPassenger numbers grew by more than 11,229 at Scotland's regional airports last month, according to Highlands and Islands Airports Limited.
• 'Unchanged' Skegness Jolly Fisherman unveiled After months of wrangling over a new design for the Skegness Jolly Fisherman mascot, councillors have agreed to use the existing one.

The Herald

• Call for suspension of Glasgow bus lanesSCOTLAND'S largest local authority should follow the example set be Liverpool and temporarily scrap the city's bus lanes, a motoring expert has said.
• Punctuality targets for London rail routes lower than rest of UKSCOTLAND'S main line train services to and from London are to be given lower punctuality targets over the next five years than every other route in the UK.

The Independent

• Opportunist thieves, disgraced perverts and crooked railway staff: Mugshots of notorious early 20th century transport criminals released British Transport Police have released dozens of mugshots of early 20th Century transport criminals, including a sorry array of opportunist thieves, disgraced military perverts and crooked railway staff.    
• What happened when Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary went on Twitter? He crash-landed spectacularly Four days after the head of British Gas received a torrent of abuse on Twitter as he answered questions about the company’s latest price rise, so Europe’s biggest budget airline put up its chief executive to field questions today – apparently without briefing him.    

The Telegraph

• CCTV of shocking roadwork accidents released by Highways AgencyCCTV footage which shows the shocking consequences of motorists not slowing down or paying attention when driving through roadworks has been released by the Highways Agency.    
• Councils must do their 'duty' and give motorists 30 minutes free parking, Eric Pickles saysTown halls that do not offer motorists free parking for up to 30 minutes near local high streets are

Mail Online

• End of the line: Rogues gallery of early 20th century criminals reveals how thieves targeted railway stations for whiskey, rabbits and even a Japanese basketThe British Transport Police's History Group has published mug shots of those frequently caught stealing at stations across the country.
• Network Rail covered up investigation into my daughter's death, father of girl killed at level crossing tells MPsChris Bazlinton told MPs he had received ‘shabby’ treatment at the hands of the rail firm following the death of his daughter and her best friend.

Network Rail

• Rail photo goes Forth to win national competitionA stunning image of a steam train caught in a web of iron as it crosses the Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland has won the Network Rail-sponsored Lines in the Landscape Award at this year’s Take a View’s Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.
• North Yorkshire is commended in national photography competitionTwo striking images of Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire were commended in the Network Rail-sponsored Lines in the Landscape Award at this year’s Take a View’s Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.
• Runcorn image commended in national photography competitionA striking image of the rail and road bridges crossing the River Mersey at Runcorn has been commended in the Network Rail-sponsored Lines in the Landscape Award at this year’s Take a View’s Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.
• Network Rail awards two major Crossrail contracts for west London and BerkshireNetwork Rail has awarded a contract to VINCI Construction UK Ltd. for the design and upgrade of 13 stations in west London and Berkshire and a separate contract for overhead line equipment to Balfour Beatty.
• Dorset railway image commended in national photography competitionA striking image of a steam train travelling through Parkstone in Dorset has been commended in the Network Rail-sponsored Lines in the Landscape Award at this year’s Take a View’s Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.

Birmingham Mail

• 'Birmingham needs HS2 - and criticism is coming from Londoners' Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin says critics are happy to spend money in south east but oppose scheme to help other cities

Birmingham Post

• Jaguar Land Rover to open factory in Brazil Chief executive confirms plans for South American factory as major growth continues for car giant
• Chiltern Railways celebrate Mainline birthday Chiltern Railways celebrated the birth of Mainline with a reception at Birmingham Moor Street.

Liverpool Echo

• Mayor launches scathing Twitter attack on Arriva in bus lanes controversy Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson accused bus company Arriva of
• Merseyside haulier forced into administration after 126 years in operation Haulier and shipping group Charles Gee called in restructuring firm FRP Advisory after suffering “acute cashflow pressures”

London Evening Standard

• Baby buggy and wheelchair roll onto train tracks due to 'wrongly sloping platform'The “wrong sort” of railway platforms may have caused two separate incidents in which a baby and an elderly woman were tipped onto the tracks, according to a rail safety report.
• Rail safety: 'More changes needed'Network Rail needs to do a "massive amount" to make level crossings safer, the parent of a teenage girl killed by a train told MPs.

Sheffield Star

• Transport body scoops recognition at awards event South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive has been honoured at the National Transport Awards.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• How this train could cost you £220m a yearThe UK Government is under fresh pressure to extend its high speed rail plans to Scotland after a leaked report revealed it could cost the north-east economy hundreds of millions of pounds.

The York Press

• Rail safety: 'More changes needed' Network Rail needs to do a "massive amount" to make level crossings safer, the parent of a teenage girl killed by a train told MPs.

Yorkshire Post

• HS2 line ‘could be built sooner than timetabled’THE new high-speed rail line to Yorkshire could be completed several years earlier than planned if the Treasury agrees to quicken its spending on the project, a rail executive has said.

The Shields Gazette

• Red Ken gives his backing to bus shake-upFORMER London mayor Ken Livingstone has offered his support for a controversial bus shake-up in South Tyneside ahead of a visit to the borough.
• D-day looms for bus shake-up plansA DECISION on who runs South Tyneside bus services should be made before the end of the year, it has emerged.

Other Regional Press

• £500,000 station facelift under way WORK is under way on a £500,000, six-month project to extend the station building at Haddenham & Thame Parkway to cope with growing passenger rail traffic.
• Renationalise railways, says former councillor A former Oxford councillor who ran for Parliament in the city is launching a bill to bring Britain’s rail network back into public ownership.
• Disused railway line in Northampton could become new cycle pathA former railway line in Northampton could become a new walking or cycle path.
• Huddersfield University to host HS2 conferenceRail experts will make tracks to Huddersfield University to debate the merits of the controversial £50bn high-speed rail scheme
• Fighter jet in near-miss with passenger aircraft from AberdeenA FIGHTER pilot activated his weapons system in an attempt to locate a passenger plane from Aberdeen carrying 31 people.
• EXCLUSIVE: Council staff bus cost £70,000 over five months A MINIBUS service taking council workers between offices in Weymouth and Dorchester cost more than £70,000, it has been revealed.

C.N.N.

• World's worst airports to sleep in
• Heavy smog closes schools, airport in northeast China

Global Rail News

• Zürich light rail line given the go-aheadZürich’s Limmattalbahn light rail project has received approval from the Swiss federal government. The new 13.4 kilometre line will serve the city suburbs of Alstetten, Dietikon and Spreitenbach from 2019,[...]
• Chiltern to trial new Boxing Day serviceChiltern Railways is to trial Boxing Day services between Bicester and London, becoming the latest operator hoping to meet the demand set by sales’ shoppers. Trains will travel from Bicester[...]
• Russia plans major upgrade to Trans-Siberian RailwayRussia’s Ministry of Transport has ordered initial studies to be conducted into upgrading the Trans-Siberian and Baikal-Amur railways. With freight traffic levels expected to grow substantially over the next few[...]
• Network Rail announces major rail dealNetwork Rail has agreed a five-year deal which will see Tata Steel’s site in Scunthorpe manufacturer 95 per cent of Britain’s new rails. Tata Steel will supply around 140,000 tonnes[...]
• Edinburgh tram system takes step closer to completionTraffic has returned to Edinburgh’s West End, completing another milestone toward the opening of the new tram network next year. This weekend not only marked the end of work at[...]
• LTA awards S$1.04bn station contractsSingapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded contracts worth S$1.04 billion for the construction of three new Thomson Line stations and the Mandai maintenance depot. The contracts cover the construction[...]
• RailStaff Award winners: Part IIIFollowing the RailStaff Awards event on October 5, Global Rail News is taking a look at each of this year’s worthy winners. Southern stars win Depot Team of the Year[...]

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow sees healthy profits rise but calls for fees increaseAirport says investment levels not sustainable
• Airbus order underlines Mexico's aviation growthViva Aerobus signs biggest Airbus deal in Latin America

Other News Sources

• Barclays contract reveals how TfL sees the media’s interest in cycling accidents After three and a half years of refusing to do so, Transport for London has finally published its contract with Barclays for sponsorship of the capital’s cycle hire scheme.
• Interconnectivity will enable smarter systems for energy and transport The 'internet of things' and the roll-out of the 4G network is enabling businesses to create smarter systems for energy, transport and food, says O2's head of sustainability.
• Firework displays - CAA launches new location guide for pilotsThe UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced details of a new streamlined procedure for informing pilots of large firework displays which may affect their flight. A dedicated webpage-will now list all displays taking place outside of Controlled Airspace that are expected to reach heights of between 300ft-500ft, during the peak display period in early November. Displays happening inside Controlled Airspac
• Upgrade Stansted rail link says pressure groupCutting travel time would relieve Heathrow pressure