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

Tuesday, 29 October 2013

BBC News

• Turkey's Bosphorus tunnel to open sub-sea Asia linkA railway tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait is due to open in Turkey, creating a new link between the Asian and European shores of Istanbul.
• Ryton car plant site becomes new Network Rail depotA £25m national road haulage distribution centre on a former car plant site in Warwickshire has been opened by Network Rail.
• HS2 needs broad political consensus, says transport secretaryThe high speed rail link HS2 needs broad political consensus or it will end in nothing, says Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.
• Bus terminal 'unavoidably delayed'The opening of a new bus terminal in Newport is
• Union bid to save 46 bus jobsUnion officials and local assembly member meet in a bid to save 46 jobs with Arriva Buses Wales.
• Rail track hazard vandals huntedVandals who placed a ramp and a railway sleeper across train tracks are being hunted by police who say there had been the potential for
• Over half motorists suffer road rageMore than half of drivers in Wales say they have been the victims of road rage, a survey for BBC Wales finds.
• Cyclists promised tram track fixEdinburgh City Council promises to look at a fix for tram tracks at Haymarket junction after cyclists raise concerns about wheel snagging accidents.
• MSPs to debate cycle crash lawThe issue of compensation for cyclists and other vulnerable road users involved in accidents is to be debated at the Scottish Parliament.
• Reform Scotland calls for vehicle excise duty and fuel duty to be abolishedFuel duty and vehicle excise duty should be abolished in Scotland and replaced by a pay-as-you-drive system, a think tank has suggested.
• Thameslink upgrade 'taking too long'MPs have condemned the "excessive" length of time it has taken to upgrade Thameslink, the north-south cross-London rail line.
• Call for political consensus on HS2The transport secretary calls for a broad political consensus on the HS2 high speed rail link, as the government prepares to set out its business case.

Financial Times

• Taxpayers lose out on ‘Crossrail effect’Some say policy makers should have worked harder to make sure commercial benefits that will go to landowners near the stations were passed on to taxpayers
• McLoughlin tries to revive HS2 supportMcLoughlin says new cost analysis will win over high-speed rail critics and ensure parliamentary majority for bill allowing preparatory work to start

The Guardian

• MPs criticise DfT over handling of Thameslink rail projectPublic accounts committee report raises concerns over department's capacity to complete upgrade programme by 2018
• HS2 pressure builds on LabourCoalition intensifies push for Labour to clarify stance on high-speed railway saying infrastructure needs cross-party supportEd Miliband and Ed Balls are to be challenged by the government to offer clear support for Britain's proposed high-speed rail line by March or risk the cancellation of the entire project, the transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, will indicate on Tuesday.In an intensification of the government's pressure on Labour, which is planning to subject the HS2 line to a series of tests, McLoughlin will warn that the project will be nothing without cross-party support.Speaking ...

The Herald

• Labour 'taking wrong route with HS2'Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin is accusing Labour of
• Council acts over accidents on tram tracksCOUNCIL chiefs have unveiled plans to prevent further cycling accidents after a number of riders were hurt on Edinburgh's tram track lined roads.
• Bus prices are cut in a bid to help jobseekers find workSCOTLAND'S biggest bus operator is cutting fares for jobseekers to help people find work in the run-up to Christmas.
• Logic of Queen Street Station redevelopment plan questionedA plan to spend millions of pounds re-modelling one of Scotland's busiest railway stations is an unnecessary expense, transport officials have warned.

The Independent

• HS2 rail link may run beyond the Department for Transport’s abilities, warns Margaret HodgePublic Accounts Committee criticises how department handled £3.55bn Thameslink job. Further doubt has been cast on the Department for Transport’s ability to deliver the £50bn High Speed 2 rail line on budget following a critical report into its handling of the £3.55bn Thameslink rail project.

The Telegraph

• Cameron appears to question the number of train cancellationsThe Prime Minister said train companies would be examined over whether they made the right decision in cancelling so many services during the storm    
• Labour is failing Britain with its games over HS2Telegraph View: Ed Miliband is putting politics before country with his stance on high-speed rail    
• Row as train operators set to make millions out of hurricane chaosTrain companies have faced accusations of profiteering from the wave of cancellations as heavy winds battered Britain    

Daily Express

• Rail shut-downs after storm because 'staff hacked to bone’TRANSPORT union chief Bob Crow blamed the closure of rail networks yesterday on staff numbers being “hacked to the bone”.

Mail Online

• UK storm: Fury of the stranded commuters - Millions suffer as trains and roads are hit by stormHigh winds also prompted officials to close the port of Dover in Kent and cancel ferry services running from other ports on the South Coast.

The Mirror

• HS2: Labour bosses urge Ed Balls to get on board and not derail High Speed rail link Shadow Chancellor has been accused by northern MPs of treating the issue like a political football and taking
• UK weather: Rail operators 'will make MILLIONS' out of Storm St Jude chaosTrain firms can claim compensation from Network Rail for having to cancel services - and it's paid for by the taxpayer

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham bus lane fines to be reviewed by council Multiple fines for same stretch of road could be reduced to single penalties

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford promised two-hour link to London if HS2 goes ahead Bradford will today be offered the prospect of a two-hour direct rail link to London, if the troubled HS2 scheme goes ahead.

Northern Echo

• Three councils get cash to cut bus pollutionTHREE of the region’s councils have been awarded £300,000 to cut pollution from buses.
• We are not wanted, says Thomson holidays as it announces flights from Durham Tees Valley Airport to be axed FLIGHTS to popular summer holiday destinations have been axed from Durham Tees Valley airport by Thomson.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published Bus stop removed for safety reasonsArticle

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• MPs attack DfT over ThameslinkIn a highly-critical report, the MPs questioned the way the Department for Transport (DfT) had gone about the north-south cross-London project which is due for completion in 2018.
• 14 years of delays threat if no HS2, report warnsTrain passengers will suffer 14 years of ‘hellish’ rail delays if HS2 is scrapped for a cheaper alternative, a government report warned today.

Yorkshire Post

• Warning of delays lasting 14 years if HS2 axedThe Transport Secretary will throw down the gauntlet to Labour over HS2 today as he publishes a major new report which warns of years of delays for Yorkshire’s rail passengers if the new high-speed line is not built.

Other Regional Press

• Mayor's plans to cut staff at Tube stations is a safety issueKaren Buck, Labour MP for Westminster North, warns that Tube stations could become less safe under cost cutting plans to close ticket offices
• Preston Bus Station will be refurbished not demolishedPreston Bus Station will not be demolished after it was revealed the city council now intends to refurbish the building.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• £1.4m to help reduce bus pollutionThe Department for Transport (DfT) will spend £1.4 million to reduce bus pollution at a number of areas in the UK.

Global Rail News

• Trafikverket pushes for further development of Sydostlänken linkTransport agency Trafikvervet has urged the Swedish government to consider a new freight link between Älmhult and Karlshamn in the country’s next national transport plan. A new study by Trafikverket[...]
• Mediterranean Corridor funding approvedAlmost €200 million worth of rail improvements have been approved by the Spanish government for the realisation of the Mediterranean Corridor. Funding for a series of contracts totalling more than €198[...]
• UK rail storm damage ‘more severe than expected’Network Rail has described the damage caused by storm winds as “more severe than expected”. More than 100 trees have been downed along Britain’s rail network creating disruption around the[...]
• Contracts awarded for Santiago Metro upgrade and expansionBombardier’s INTERFLO 250 ERTMS signalling solution is to be installed on a metro line between the centre of Santiago and Rancagua. The introduction of the €15 million in-cab signalling system system[...]
• Boston looks to buy new Red and Orange line trainsBoston subway operator MBTA has launched a procurement competition to replace the city’s ageing fleet of Red and Orange Line trains. The MBTA is looking to acquire 226 new rail[...]

Aviation Industry

• ‘Olive branch’ offered to IATA over NDCTravel groups ask airline association to join “collaborative process”
• UK looks to increase China flightsTransport secretary plans meetings to discuss increased bilateral agreement

Other News Sources

• Keolis strengthens management teamUK public transport operator Keolis has further strengthened its management team with the appointment of Ruud Haket as Chief Operating Officer.
• MPs says Thameslink progress hampered by lack of civil servantsThe £3.5bn Thameslink rail project is taking more than 30 years to deliver because there are not enough civil servants in the Department for Transport.
• Government unveils green funding to reduce bus pollution£1.4 million will be provided by government in a bid to reduce bus pollution and to improve air quality in cities and towns across England.