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

Tuesday, 07 January 2014

BBC News

• It’s all change again at Oxford railway stationPLANS for the multi-million pound redevelopment of Oxford’s railway station are set to be unveiled early this year.
• Grimsby bus station closes for redevelopmentGrimsby bus station has closed for two months as part of a £6m transformation of the town's transport system.
• Football fans cause train upsetA group of football supporters who punched windows and shouted racist abuse on board a Dundee-bound train are sought by police.
• Campaign to save ticket officesA campaign is launched to turn London's council elections in May into a referendum on plans to close all Tube ticket offices by 2015.
• Congestion charge may rise by 15%The price of London's Congestion Charge could rise by 15% under new proposals by Transport for London.
• Thousands fined in cycle safety bidMore than 13,800 fine are issued to drivers and cyclists during a road safety operation in London.
• New black cab designed for LondonA new version of a black cab is unveiled by a car manufacturer in London.
• Singapore A380 in emergency landingAn Airbus A380 plane operated by Singapore Airlines makes an emergency landing in Azerbaijan due to loss of cabin pressure.
• Boeing reports record orders in 2013Boeing has revealed record deliveries and orders for 2013, putting it on track to become the world's largest plane maker for a second consecutive year.
• Car sales to hit five-year highThe UK's car industry body, the SMMT, is expected to announce that 2.26m vehicles were registered last year, the industry's best year since 2007.

ITV News

• Air and rail bosses quizzed after weather chaosThe Chief Executive of Gatwick Airport is due before the House of Commons Transport Committee today to answer questions about pre-Christmas disruption at the airport.

The Guardian

• Transport minister one of coalition's leading users of chauffeur-driven carsStephen Hammond, minister for buses and rail, lives six miles from Westminster but used 'top up' vehicles 138 times in a year• Datablog: which ministers are getting a free ride? A transport minister is one of the most frequent users of chauffeur-driven cars which carry ministers or their red boxes across the UK, according to official documents.Stephen Hammond, the minister for buses and rail, who lives six miles from Westminster, used the government's
• Speed limit on 34-mile stretch of M1 to be limited to 60mph to cut air pollutionHighways Agency says local air quality would be further damaged if motorway continued to operate at current limitMotorway drivers are set to be limited to a speed of just 60mph for a 34-mile stretch of the M1 in a bid to meet European standards on air pollution.The Highways Agency is proposing introducing the new lower maximum as part of an upgrade to the UK's major north-south motorway in Yorkshire and the Midlands.The new curb on speed comes less than two years after coalition proposals to increase the motorway speed limit to 80mph, which were quietly dropped in the face of safety concerns. ...
• How we made the Reliant RobinIts steering wheel came off, its doors cracked in the wind, and it was voted the worst car ever. But the Reliant Robin was a design classic, say its creators – and even Princess Anne wanted oneTom Karen, designerI always get annoyed when people talk about the Trotters driving a Reliant Robin in Only Fools and Horses. It's actually a Reliant Regal van – a big ugly thing that had been around since the 1950s. In the 1960s, while I was working for a company called Ogle Design, I got the job of designing its replacement, the Robin.The biggest challenge was coming up with a three-wheeled car that qu...

The Independent

• Green campaigners welcome 60mph motorway speed limit but motoring groups say it will confuse drivers Speed limits could be lowered to 60mph on sections of several British motorways in moves to meet European Union rules on fighting dangerous levels of air pollution.    

The Scotsman

• Lord Steel: Dawdling forced Borders Railway closureTHE £300 million expenditure being spent on the Borders Railway could have been avoided if politicians had worked together to save the northern half of the Waverley Line in 1969, according to former Liberal Party leader Lord Steel.

The Telegraph

• Google wants an Android in every Audi and HondaThe search giant has created a new organisation, with the backing of several of the world's largest car makers, to promote the Android operating system as a common standard for in-car computers    
• Nissan launches new London black cabNissan Executive vice president Andy Palmer launches the new version of the iconic London black cab    
• Singapore Airlines A380 makes emergency landingA Singapore Airlines Airbus A380
• Motorists face 60mph speed limit on motorwaysMotorists could face 60mph speed limit on hundreds of miles of motorways to meet EU air pollution targets, the AA warns    

Mail Online

• Train firms to be banned from allowing 'utterly disgusting' toilets to flush sewage on to the tracksMinisters want to rewrite future franchise deals to end the revolting practice of toilet waste being dumped on to the rails but they admit it could take years to enforce.
• Nissan launches taxi for London claiming engine is cleaner than diesel rivalsThe new Nissan taxi comes with a 1.6 litre petrol engine instead of the 2.5 litre diesel one fitted in the majority of the capital's cabs.
• 60mph 'green' speed limit on the motorway: Slower stretch on M1 to meet EU pollution targetThe first ‘environmental’ speed limit is set to be imposed within months on a 32-mile stretch of the M1 – for seven days a week, from 7am to 7pm
• 45 points... and still on the road: Driver clocks up record in just nine months after failing to say who was caught speeding in their carThe motorist, from Liverpool, got the points for eight offences of either failing to disclose the identity of the driver or for speeding between October 1 2012 and June 20 2103.
• 526 empty car trips just to carry papers for ministers: Figures show Clegg among worst offendersThe figures released by the Department for Transport showed taxpayers funded hundreds of the journeys which ministers can arrange to fetch items including briefcases.

Network Rail

• Christmas rail upgrade completed in SaxilbyRail engineers working throughout Christmas and the New Year have completed a major package of improvements on the Great Northern Great Eastern (GNGE) railway line in the Saxilby area.
• Gravesend station improvement unlocks capacity improvements in KentThe £19m upgrade of Gravesend station completed over the Christmas and New Year period has unlocked capacity improvements in Kent which will provide more space and seats for passengers.

Belfast Telegraph

• RAC warns on motorway speed limitsMotoring campaigners have warned that speed limits on motorways across the country could be cut after the Highways Agency announced plans for a 60mph zone on the M1.

London Evening Standard

• Video: New London black cab is unveiled by Nissan - and it will be fully electric by end of 2015Car giant Nissan unveiled its new black cab for London today - hailing it as a key “stepping stone” towards the capital’s first all-electric taxi.
• Oyster Card users 'overcharged' more than £60 millionOyster Card users were “overcharged” more than £60 million last year with rail travellers most likely to be hit in the pocket.
• London congestion charge set to rise by 15 per centLondon’s congestion charge daily fee is set to rise by 15%.
• Singapore Airlines plane forced to make emergency landing in Azerbaijan during flight from LondonA superjumbo jet was forced to make an emergency landing during a flight from London to Singapore after a dramatic loss of cabin pressure over Asia.

Manchester Evening News

• Trainee teacher visits all 2,548 railway stations in United Kingdom, but he's no trainspotter Andrew Dowd, 23, began his mission after taking a family photo with a station sign in the background

The York Press

• Bus cut talks put on hold CAMPAIGNERS fighting for bus services in isolated rural parts of North Yorkshire and in county market towns will have to wait until later this month to hear the network’s future.

Wales Online

• Westminster denies it is planning to leave North Wales out of rail electrification schemeDepartment for Transport rejects speculation it is considering stopping the electrification scheme at Chester

Blackpool Gazette

• Two-week reprieve amid more bus talksA last-gasp transport lifeline means residents of rural villages left stranded after a key bus service was axed were able to get to work and college today.

Carlisle News & Star

• Sea causes more damage to Cumbria coastal rail line More damage has been caused by the sea to the coastal rail line between Carlisle and Barrow.

Other Regional Press

• New bus service planned for villages west of Cambridge Read more: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridge/New-bus-service-planned-for-villages-west-of-Cambridge-20140107053000.htm#ixzz2ph9a5ecVA new bus service for villages west of Cambridge is set to launch in April. The bus, which would mix a timetabled route with a dial-a-ride service, is planned to replace existing routes which are subsidised by taxpayers.
• Pörksen opposes student transport chargeLiberal Democrat campaigner Julie Pörksen has stepped up her campaign to force the county council to rethink controversial plans to abolish free transport for 16-18 year olds.
• Stagecoach spends £5.6 million on 37 new buses for NorthamptonStagecoach Midlands has invested £5.6 million in 37 new buses for some of its major routes in Northampton.

Global Rail News

• New group to explore timetables and costings for additional Welsh rail servicesWelsh transport minister Edwina Hart has announced that an implementation group is to be set up to draw up timetables and costings for the introduction of an hourly service between[...]
• Virgin and East Coast fight for top spot in 2014The December timetable change marked the heating up of competition between West Coast operator Virgin and government-run East Coast for passengers on the London to Scotland route. Virgin hopes to[...]
• Tunnelling contract awarded for Kashmir RailwayHindustan Construction Company (HCC) has been awarded a Rs  442.52 crore (€52 million) contract to build a tunnel and two bridges along the Dharam and Qazigund section section of the Kashmir[...]
• 25 years after Clapham – A review of signalling proceduresThe UK signalling profession took a long hard look at itself at a recent seminar in London organised by the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE). This was a chance to reflect on the recommendations and lessons following the enquiry into the tragic event that occurred on 12 December 1988 and to see whether these [...]
• Design/build contract winner announced for Dutch railway stationStrukton and VenhoevenCS have been awarded a design/build contract for a new station in Alkmaar. Awarding authority ProRail is leading a redevelopment of the station as part of a wider[...]
• EBRD to support L’viv tram extensionInvestors have committed millions of euros to extend and modernise a tram system in the historic Ukrainian city of L’viv. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has committed[...]

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail completes major renovation works during festive period Network Rail has completed major renovation work over the Christmas and New Year period in an effort to enhance rail capacity and provide better services for the UK passengers.
• Indian Railways may run Metro-like trains on intercity routes Indian Railways is likely to place a proposal to run electric multiple units similar to those currently operated by Delhi Metro on intercity rail routes in 2014, as part of its plans to provide faster and comfortable journey for passengers.

Railnews

• TfL 'increasingly successful', but fare rises loom Transport for London is described as 'increasingly successful and efficient' in its provision of services in the third annual report of the Independent Investment Programme Advisory Group, but TfL is bracing itself for a reaction from passengers when many fares rise later this month. The average increase is less than originally planned as a result of the lower cap on National Rail fares, which went up last week.
• Labour urged to make up its mind over HS2 HS2 should not be treated as a political football, the general secretary of ASLEF has warned. Mick Whelan is concerned that Labour is not giving the project unqualified support, and is urging party leaders to clarify their position over the controversial scheme.

Aviation Industry

• Gatwick boss to face grilling from MPsAirport chief executive will answer questions on Christmas disruption
• Easyjet to end Southend-Edinburgh flightsRoute to Scottish capital will be axed during summer 2014

Other News Sources

• Revised Brighton parking permit plans published Revised plans for a resident parking scheme near Brighton's Preston Park Station have been unveiled.