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

Wednesday, 11 December 2013

BBC News

• Bus cuts reaching 'critical levels'Networks of bus services in England and Wales could disappear due to funding cuts, warns a report by the Campaign for Better Transport.
• Boxing Day Tube strike avertedA Boxing Day strike on the London Underground is averted for the first time in four years after Tube drivers are offered a £350 bonus.
• First woman boss for General MotorsUS car giant General Motors says Mary Barra, its product development chief, will become the next chief executive.
• Barclays cycle hire deal to endBarclays will not renew its sponsorship of the cycle hire scheme in London after the deal ends in 2015.

Financial Times

• Airlines tap capital markets for financingAirlines outside the US are adopting the American technique of issuing asset-backed bonds to pay for their jet purchases, according to figures from Boeing
• Bus routes cuts ˜reaching critical levels"Campaigners warn of profound consequences after half of regional authorities cut their funding for non-commercial bus services in 2013
• First Group under attack from US activistGreyhound and UK bus and rail group feels the heat from Sandell, after a grim year for the debt-laden company following the loss of a major UK rail tender

The Guardian

• Heathrow closure would create 70,000 job losses, report saysClosing Heathrow for a new hub airport would lead to the loss of up to 70,000 jobs in the surrounding area, according to research for three neighbouring borough councils. A report for Hounslow, Ealing and Slough councils claims that recent studies have underestimated the impact on employment from the potential disappearance of London Heathrow.
• Heathrow third runway being pushed ahead by government, says GoldsmithA Conservative MP has claimed the government was trying to push through a third runway at Heathrow by hiding behind initial recommendations made by the independent airports commission led by Sir Howard Davies, whose interim report is due out next week. Zac Goldsmith, the MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston, accused George Osborne of "yearning for a China-style government", saying on Twitter: "Osborne has spent public money on a review whose only purpose is to make a 3rd runway decision look like it was reached independently."

The Herald

• Cheaper fuel for rural motorists plannedThousands more ­motorists in rural parts of Scotland could benefit from cheaper fuel next year, the Coalition has indicated.

The Independent

• Barclays to discontinue its sponsorship of 'Boris Bikes' as cycle deaths on London roads increase They were the gleaming pay-as-you-ride cycles designed to steer the capital towards a two-wheeled revolution. Now, just three years on, Barclays is preparing to part company with Boris Johnson's bicycle hire scheme in wake of increased public safety concerns and a mounting cycling death toll.    
• Buses in crisis: Cuts see routes dwindle - despite people using them more than all other forms of public transport in Britain Cuts to bus services across the country are now reaching “critical levels” as councils look to make easy savings to cope with falling Government subsidies, a new report warns today.    

The Scotsman

• Heathrow fog hits Scottish passengersSCOTTISH passengers travelling to and from London faced travel woes this morning after heavy fog caused delays and cancellations at Heathrow Airport.

The Telegraph

• Heathrow closure 'risks 70,000 jobs' Up to 70,000 jobs would be at risk in west London if Heathrow loses its hub status, according to a report commissioned by a trio of councils surrounding the airport. Ealing, Hounslow and Slough published the study today as Sir Howard Davies’ Airports Commission prepares to issue its recommendations for expanding capacity next week.
• Infra-red system wakes up sleeping driversA safety system which detects when drivers are struggling to stay awake by watching suspicious eye movements will be tested in a fleet of coaches to prevent
• Barclays 'withdrawing sponsorship for Boris Bikes'Barclays will reportedly withdraw its sponsorship for Boris Johnson's flagship bicycle scheme by 2015    
• Relations between Britain and China strained over naval ship's visit to JapanRelations between Britain and China are once again strained despite David Cameron's high-profile visit earlier this month, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.    

Times Online

• Closing Heathrow 'would cost 250,000 jobs'The closure of Heathrow in favour of a new hub airport to the east of London would cost up to 250,000 jobs and turn the most prosperous region outside the capital into an economic wasteland, a report claims today.

Mail Online

• End secrecy over HS2 rail project, say senior ToriesConservative Vice Chairman Michael Fabricant (pictured) broke ranks and warned that failure to come clean about the project would fuel ‘growing mistrust about HS2’.

The Mirror

• UK weather: Heavy fog delays flights and ferry services across South East England Visibility has dropped to less than 50 metres in some places, with cancellations at Heathrow Airport and delays to Isle of Wight ferry services

Network Rail

• Network Rail to hold level crossing awareness event at Narborough crossingNetwork Rail staff will be joined by representatives from Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service, Leicestershire Police, British Transport Police and the ward Councillor Kim Richardson for a level crossing awareness event tomorrow, Wednesday 11 December, from 7.30am to 12pm at Narborough level crossing in Leicestershire.
• £15m to improve the railway at Whiteball tunnelPassengers between Tiverton and Taunton are set to benefit from a better performing and more reliable railway as Network Rail invests in a major scheme at Whiteball tunnel.

Birmingham Post

• 1,000 sign petition over city speed hotspotAround 40 people gathered at Kyotts Lake Road last month in a campaign sparked after two fatal crashes in the last 18 months

Bolton News

• Woman locked in petrol station after RBS bank system failure leaves her unable to pay A WOMAN was locked in a petrol station because she was unable to pay for her fuel — because of the RBS and Natwest system failure.

Bristol Live

• LouisEmanuel commented Bristol Cycling Campaign forces council debate over new network...COUNCILLORS look set to debate proposals to create a raft of improvements to cycling in the city, including a network of Dutch-style lanes. The proposals, drafted by the Bristol Cycling Campaign, will be presented at a meeting of full council after the campaign group gathered over 3,500 signatures on its petition. It is council policy that petitions which breach the 3,500 mark are debated at City Hall. Members of mayor George Ferguson's cabinet have already spoken of their support for the...

Derby Telegraph

• Derbyshire MP accused of 'shabby' bid to block report on HS2UKIP has branded as “shabby politics” an alleged attempt by two cabinet ministers to ban publication of a damning report on the controversial £50 billion HS2 rail project. And the Stop HS2 organisation said the blocking, allegedly by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, also Derbyshire Dales MP, and Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, was “absolutely disgraceful”.
• Derby Telegraph published Mobile speed camera locations in Derbyshire week commencing...MOBILE speed cameras will be in force along the following routes from Monday, December 9 to Sunday, December 15. A6 Milford to Belper A6 Duffield A624 Chunal to Little Hayfield A5004 Long Hill, Buxton near Fernilee A57 Snake Road, Glossop A57 Snake Road, near Woodlands Valley B6057 Sheffield Road, Stonegravels A6175 Northwingfield A609 Stanley Common A514 Swadlincote A52 Mackworth A52 Ednaston
• Derby Telegraph published Free internet service on Derby busesPASSENGERS on about 700 Derby bus journeys per day are benefiting from a new free Wi-Fi service. The ability to connect to the internet from laptops or phones has now been introduced on The Sixes, 60, X38, The Harlequin, The Mickleover and the 33 and 36 services, run by either Trent Barton or Arriva. The new service has been created as part of Connected – a Government-funded travel scheme aimed at encouraging more people to choose environmentally-friendly travel. Both Trent Barton and...

London Evening Standard

• Barclays calls the day on its Boris Bike sponsorshipTransport for London (TfL) will have to look for a new sponsor for the so-called Boris Bike scheme after Barclays announced it is discontinuing its sponsorship deal at the end of its contract in 2015.
• Huge crowd at Euston sparked by double fire alert hours after biker crash on Tower BridgeA man was today fighting for life in hospital after being hit by a motorbike on Tower Bridge in a night of rush-hour of chaos for commuters.
• No Tube strike this Boxing Day as bosses agree £350 bonus for driversThe traditional Tube strike action on Boxing Day has been avoided after transport chiefs agreed a £350 bonus for drivers.
• Traffic 'disaster' looms as Putney Bridge faces six months of repairsA threatened six-month closure of one of London’s busiest bridges will bring a traffic congestion “disaster” to much of the west of the capital, motorists were warned today.

Manchester Evening News

• Easyjet's Manchester to Moscow direct flights to be cut next summer The airline launched the route on March 28 with the expectation of carrying around 60,000 passengers during the first year, with four flights every week. But from May 12 to September there will be just two.

Northern Echo

• Inquest hears how road sign warning of hazard was hidden at site where motorcyclist was killed AN INQUEST has heard how an experienced motorcyclist was killed trying to negotiate water draining on to a road – moments after a similar accident was narrowly avoided at the spot.

Sheffield Star

• Police in South Yorkshire advertise for volunteer to help with car maintenancePolice chiefs are looking for a volunteer to work as a vehicle maintenance assistant to help the county’s Road Policing Group team maintain police vehicles and ensure they are equipped.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Western Link could disappear from mapCOUNCILLORS have voted to remove all mention of a controversial planned link road from a blueprint for Moray’s future development.

The York Press

• Rail officials searching for tractor driver after near collisionA tractor driver almost collided with a moving freight train near Selby this weekend, British Transport Police have said.
• Road safety work ˜risks lives of cyclists"A cyclist claims lives are being endangered by motorists darting into a cycle lane to avoid new speed cushions on a York road.

Wales Online

• Wales exceeds its first annual climate change emissions target by 7%, report revealsBut green organisation WWF Cymru warns 10% reduction in emissions in 2011 could be due to recession rather than policy

Yorkshire Post

• Ministers to seek green light for rural fuel discountMINISTERS will make a landmark request to Brussels next month to allow the first ever fuel discount for England’s most remote areas after receiving dozens of extra applications from rural petrol stations across the country.

Carlisle News & Star

• New Stobart depot will help breed confidence in Carlisle - claim A massive new Stobart Group depot will breed confidence in Carlisle and encourage further growth, according to councillors.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Safety barrier to be installed on North Bank in WhittleseyTuesday 1.20pm: Safety barriers will be installed on North Bank following a series of crashes on the road in the space of a month.

Sunderland Echo

• 25th anniversary of closure of Sunderland’s last shipyardNOISY and smoky, Sunderland’s shipyards were once the most successful in the world, producing, at their peak, a quarter of all the ships in the entire world.
• Train bosses sorry after London to Sunderland passengers complain of being “packed like sardines”A TRAIN operator has apologised after passengers were “packed like sardines” into carriages for a journey from London to Sunderland.
• Police hunt railway crooks operating across Sheffield, Newcastle, Sunderland, Huddersfield and DurhamBRITISH Transport Police are asking for help to spoil Christmas for railway crooks caught helping themselves to other people’s belongings.

Global Rail News

• Electric train services to begin between Manchester Airport and GlasgowCompletion of phase one of the North West electrification project has been marked with the commissioning of the newly-electrified route between Newton Le Willows and Castlefield. Siemens-built Class 350/4 EMUs[...]

Aviation Industry

• More concessions from kinder, cuddlier Ryanair as airline halves controversial excess baggage feeRyanair chief executive Michael O'Leary's hearts-and-minds mission to win back disenchanted travellers and deal with the budget airline's image problem took a further step forward yesterday as it offered passengers an

Other News Sources

• Bristol Harbor Group Commissioned for LNG/CNG InitiativeBristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) was awarded a task order for an Alternative Fuel (LNG/CNG) Initiative through its Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)
• Winchester 'delivery hub' idea abandoned THE idea of a transport hub where goods destined for businesses in Winchester city centre could be put on to smaller vehicles have been dropped.
• Bus crash involving two cars causes disruption on M8 in rush hourThe smash occurred on the motorway eastbound at junction six Newhouse.
• M65 motorway roundabout lights at Guide to go back on this week TRAFFIC chaos at a motorway roundabout in Blackburn is to end as repairs are carried out on traffic lights at Guide this week.
• In Pictures: transport secretary visits Laing O'Rourke Steetley factoryThe transport secretary and chief executive of Crossrail have visited Laing O’Rourke’s Explore Industrial Park in Steetley where they urged companies from across the UK to seek work on Europe’s largest construction project.
• Virgin Australia to invest in next generation of engineers Virgin Australia today announced it will make an investment in the future of aviation trade skills, with a new aircraft engineer apprenticeship program. The new apprenticeship program...

Other Subscription Services

• China’s scrapping subsidies still favour shipyards over shipowners Cash-for-clunkers plan is trying to kill too many birds with one stone, say critics