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

Saturday, 14 December 2013

BBC News

• Protest at chancellor's HS2 stanceProtestors against plans for the HS2 rail link in Cheshire attempt to lobby Chancellor George Osborne outside a meeting about the scheme.
• London's cycle-hire scheme extendedNew cycle-hire stations in south-west London are officially launched by the London mayor.
• MP challenges leaders over HeathrowThe main party leaders should

The Guardian

• Heathrow residents gag as third runways threatens to swallow up boroughThe people of Stanwell, bordering Heathrow to the south, have a proud record of rooting out the untrustworthy. Beryl Wilkins, a local historian, lives a stone's throw from a former school built in 1624 as a bequest from the lord of the manor, Lord Knyvett – the man, she says, who felt the collar of one Guy Fawkes.
• US and Chinese warships nearly collide amid tensions over airspaceUSS Cowpens was near Liaoning aircraft carrier in South China Sea when another Chinese ship closed in, officials sayA US guided missile cruiser operating in international waters in the South China Sea was forced to take evasive action last week to avoid a collision with a Chinese warship, the US Pacific Fleet has revealed. The USS Cowpens had been operating in the vicinity of China's only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, at a time of heightened tensions in the region following Beijing's declaration of an air defence zone farther north in the East China Sea, a US defence official said. Another C...

The Herald

• More late trains due to severe stormsTRAIN punctuality dipped last month as services were hit by the severe storms.
• Battle against idling engines targets drivers on school runDRIVERS on the school run in Scotland are facing £20 on-the-spot fines as they become the key targets in a new campaign to stop engines running unnecessarily while stationary.

The Telegraph

• HS2 will bring 'economic benefits'Louise Ellman, chair of the Transport Select Committee, says the case for HS2 is a
• Network Rail release CCTV of escalator tumblesNetwork Rail release a safety video featuring CCTV of escalator trip ups in stations    
• Boris Johnson: Airport review is a front for backtracking on HeathrowBoris Johnson claims commission on future of Britain's airports set up by David Cameron is
• Zac Goldsmith threatens to leave Tories over HeathrowThe Conservative MP has attacked all three party leaders, claiming they do not have the

Reuters News

• UK owner of crashed helicopter finds fault in other craftLONDON (Reuters) - A number of helicopters from the same fleet as one that crashed into a Scottish pub last month killing 10 people have a problem with their fuel indicators, their owner Bond Aviation said on Friday.

Mail Online

• Mother-to-be blames crash with elderly cyclist on her unborn babyMother-to-be Rebecca Knowles-Dixon, 28, lost control of her car and drove into pensioner Graham Walden, 74, on a county road near Ashburton, Devon.

Network Rail

• National train performance for period 9 is 84.4%Punctuality on the railways reached 84.4% during Period 9, according to monthly performance data released today by Network Rail.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post commented Oyster-style bus cards trialled ahead of introduction at Bristol...AN Oyster-trial travel card is being trialled this month in readiness for a roll-out on Bristol's park and ride services early next year. The card, which has been developed by the council with bus operators, allows passengers to buy tickets online in advance. They then simply load tickets onto their smartcard at collection points at park and ride sites before swiping it against the ticket machine as they get onto the bus. Passengers can top up their smartcard as often as they like and regular...

London Evening Standard

• Drivers distracted by in-car technologyCar-makers spend millions developing under-bonnet technology that — almost without us knowing — performs the miracle of keeping us out of trouble on a daily basis. Take the clever Active City Stop, for instance, on the Ford Kuga Titanium.
• Heathrow U-turn 'would be betrayal'A U-turn by David Cameron over Heathrow expansion would represent an "off-the-scale betrayal" which would cause voters across the country to question whether he could be trusted, a Tory MP has said.
• New safety plan to save lives of London cyclistsNew measures to save the lives of cyclists on London’s roads have been given the go-ahead after Boris Johnson persuaded ministers to agree a major overhaul of safety rules.
• Stansted: Expansion must not be 'two-horse race'The owners of Stansted airport today insisted that the bid to build a new runway must not be a “two-horse race” between Gatwick and Heathrow.

Northern Echo

• 3,000-mile race rowers battle back after being hit by mid-Atlantic storm A SURVEYOR who is aiming to break the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing in a rowing boat is battling to make up time after being caught in a three-day storm.
• Development company says it will consider new cycleway and pedestrian routes to proposed supermarket on outskirts of town A DEVELOPMENT company that wants to build a supermarket on the outskirts of a town has said it will create a cycleway and improve pedestrian routes to its proposed store.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Man seriously injured after blackspot crashA man was cut free from his car and taken to hospital with serious head injuries after a collision with a lorry at an accident blackspot in Aberdeenshire.

Wales Online

• Welsh Battle of Atlantic flying boat is raised from the deep with help from its last pilotA deep sea diver accidentally discovered the ghostly wreck by chance after a lobster-pot became snagged on the plane 65ft below the waves.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Bus fares to rise by 10p in West MidlandsBus fares in the West Midlands are going up 10p in the new year, it was confirmed today.
• 2,335 drivers fined for illegal use of bus lanes in WalsallMore than 2,300 motorists have been fined for illegally using bus lanes in Walsall in just three months, council chiefs have revealed.

Blackpool Gazette

• Vital tourist road route set to get £2.5m repairsThe government has today announced £2.5m in funding to repair one of the main roads into Blackpool.

Bucks Free Press

• New HS2 report favours spin over analysis, says MP A SELECT committee report saying the controversial HS2 project is essential for the UK and that its benefits “significantly outweigh” its risks has been accused of favouring spin over analysis by Chesham and Amersham MP Cheryl Gillan.

Carlisle News & Star

• Major roads scheme key to unlocking new jobs in north Cumbria Click here for larger image' src='http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/polopoly_fs/penrith-road-improvements-graphic-1.1104927!image/164426544.jpg_gen/derivatives/smallTeaser/164426544.jpg' />A major roads scheme could be the key to unlocking 730 new full-time jobs, says the county council.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Suffolk: Minister’s pledge as rail task force to start workMinisters at the Transport Department are now well aware of the problems on the main rail line from London to East Anglia – and are determined to see services improve.
• Suffolk: Councils introduce new cashless way to pay in town’s car parksA system which should make it easier for people to pay for car parking in some of Suffolk’s market towns has been introduced by the two district councils.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Four-car crash and string of accidents after lorry overturned in PeterboroughPolice have said a four car accident on a junction of the Fletton Parkway, Peterborough is one of 14 minor accidents that have happened in the area since a lorry full of oranges toppled over earlier today (Friday, December 13)

Reading Evening Post

• More Reading buses on the road for Christmas and New Year celebrationsMost routes will run to a Saturday timetable on New Year’s Eve with NightTrack buses running until about 2am

Other Regional Press

• 'We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't see a long-term future': Durham Tees Valley Airport chiefs discuss plans with publicDurham Tees Valley Airport chiefs meeting the public in Stockton and Middlesbrough to discuss their ambitious blueprint to save the airport
• Shipyard petition forces a response from governmentTHE government has answered 10,000 people who signed a petition calling for shipbuilding to remain in Portsmouth.
• PM’s thumbs up to Lancashire link roadDavid Cameron says the building of the Heysham to M6 link road will be a “game changer” for the county.
• Search on for firms who will find new bio-fuel sources IN THE film Back to the Future II, inventor Emmett Brown arrives in his Delorean car powered by rubbish.

International Herald Tribune

• Toyota Seeks a Settlement for Sudden Acceleration CasesAnalysts said a recent legal setback pushed the carmaker to enter talks to resolve hundreds of cases over the sudden acceleration of its vehicles.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Almost 50 per cent of Local Authorities are cutting spending on buses13 December 2013: This week we have published our annual research into supported bus services across England and Wales. read more

Global Rail News

• Open access operator aiming to launch new London-Edinburgh service in 2016Alliance Rail Holdings has unveiled plans to resurrect the Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) brand and launch a new ’high-speed’ service between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh in 2016. The company,[...]
• EIB agrees £500m loan for new Crossrail trainsThe European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved a £500 million loan to finance the future fleet of Crossrail trains. Six hundred carriages are being procured to operate on the new[...]

Railnews

• New Warwickshire station gets green light at last A Warwickshire town which has been on the edge of regaining a rail service for years has been given funding for its station at last. Trains should start calling at Kenilworth in late 2016, after a gap of more than half a century.
• New boost for railway electrification schemes The railway linking Bolton and Wigan is to be electrified by 2017 at a cost of £37 million, the Department for Transport said today. In addition, a task force is to be set up to explore the next steps for railway electrification in the north of England. The routes to be investigated in detail include Sheffield to Leeds and Doncaster, Crewe/Warrington--Chester, Selby--Hull and Leeds--Harrogate--York.

Railway Gazette

• Taskforce to study electrification in northern England UK: The Department for Transport is to establish a joint taskforce with infrastructure manager Network Rail to study options for further electrification in northern England. Announcing the plan on...

Aviation Industry

• UK CAA to relax PED rulesOver the next week, UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) plans to issue guidance to airlines detailing how to apply for gate-to-gate use of personal electronic devices (PEDs). read more

Green Miscellany

• Skyscraper cyclingA shortage of space and a paucity of good-quality cycling facilities are problems that face many large cities, but rarely can they be solved by a single piece of design. Swiss architectural practice Bureau A has transformed a tricycle into a mobile seven-floor building that it has little need for the refuge from traffic offered by segregated cycle lanes –…

Other News Sources

• Moment lorry crashes into bus shelter in Hove captured on video This is the  terrifying moment a bus shelter crashed to the ground after being hit by a delivery lorry.
• Skanska to start on M1 job after finalising £128.5m contractImprovements to Junction 19 of the M1 will begin in January, after Skanska finalised the £128.5m contract for the work with the Highways Agency.
• MPs seek joined-up construction phases on HS2The government should consider building the northern and southern sections of High Speed 2 at the same time, according to MPs.
• Kidnap attempt on Greek shipping heirGreek police are searching for a group of individuals believed to have been involved in an attempt to kidnap Greek shipping heir, Andreas-Ioannis Martinos, in Athens yesterday afternoon.
• Twenty dead in Bangladeshi shipbreaking this yearAt least 20 people have lost their lives this year in the Bangladeshi shipbreaking industry, according to Brussels-based campaign group NGO Shipbreaking Platform.