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

Thursday, 09 January 2014

Government

• MPs debate inter-city rail investmentOn Thursday 9 January, MPs will take part in a general debate on inter-city rail investment. This debate was scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee following representation from Ian Swales.

BBC News

• New Dumfries and Galloway railway station funds pursuedA bid is to be made to secure funding to build new railway stations across Dumfries and Galloway.
• Wirelessly charged bus hits UK roadsNew electric buses about to begin service in Milton Keynes can run all day, say their developers.
• BMW demos 'drifting' self-drive carAs BMW shows off a self-driving car that can
• Driving records to be put onlineMoving all driving records online should push down the cost of car insurance, ministers are to announce.
• Rolls-Royce reports record salesLuxury car maker Rolls-Royce delivered 3,630 cars last year - its fourth year running of record sales.

Financial Times

• Moody’s cuts Qantas’ credit rating to junkCredit rating downgraded two notches to junk status, in a move that piles further pressure on the Australian flag carrier amid intensifying domestic competition
• China offers to build rail links to HS2Railway Group ready to connect Birmingham interchange to airport and to towns and cities further east, such as Coventry and Peterborough

The Guardian

• The Manchester bus lane which made the council richHow dodgy signs on a tiny stretch of road in Manchester earned the town hall £24,000 from fines in 40 days
• Car insurance premiums may fall as driving licence records go onlineDVLA to launch a system in March that will allow insurers to check the information online, making deception and mistakes less frequent

The Scotsman

• Several injured in crash as A9 closed to trafficA number of people have been taken to hospital following a serious crash on the main road to the Highlands.

The Telegraph

• China offers to invest in HS2China has pledged to invest in the high speed railway network in a sign of Beijing's commitment to the UK's infrastructure    

Daily Record

• Network Rail chief axed after claims he favoured female pal by promoting her to senior Commonwealth Games' roleDAVID SIMPSON was fired after being accused of failing to follow procedures by putting Anne-Marie Harmon in charge of transport for the Commonwealth Games.

Mail Online

• British-built Nissan Qashqai named Car Of The Year at prestigious award ceremonyThe new Nissan Qashqai, which goes on sale next month and starts at £17,595, has been named What Car's Car Of The Year at an annual awards ceremony.

Network Rail

• Uckfield investment to provide passengers with new car parkA new commuter car park which will provide an additional 150 parking spaces in Uckfield has been proposed by Network Rail.
• Second phase completed for removing major bottleneck in IpswichA vital part of the Ipswich rail chord project which will provide more capacity for freight and fewer delays for passengers was delivered over the Christmas break moving the project a step closer to completion.
• Platform improvements to reduce congestion at East Worthing stationPassengers at East Worthing station can look forward to more space and reduced congestion after Network Rail engineers started work to widen both platforms.

Birmingham Mail

• China backs bid to reopen old rail line after 100 years £280m project could boost HS2 scheme by offering direct link to proposed interchange

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Bangor to Caernarfon train driver says it was a mistake to close the line Railway enthusiasts are keen to re-open the popular railway that was shutdown in 1972

Liverpool Echo

• Liverpool takes HS2 rail fight to governmentity leaders met with a government minister to fight for a high-speed railway line running into Liverpool. They want the current High Speed 2 (HS2) plans changed so a 250mph train track runs into Merseyside, instead of only coming as close as Crewe.

London Evening Standard

• Branching out: London overground to get 25 new stationsTwenty-five stations will be added to the Overground when two east London suburban rail services are incorporated into the Transport for London network.
• George Osborne snubs Boris Johnson's plea for millions of pounds to limit rise in rail faresGeorge Osborne appears to have thrown out Boris Johnson’s plea for millions of pounds in extra funding after the Mayor was forced into a chaotic last-minute rethink over fares.
• Hundreds of rail travellers stranded in London as floods halt trainsHundreds of travellers found themselves stranded in London today as flooding brought chaos to the country’s transport network - and forecasters warned of more disruption to come.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Journey will mark rail line's reprieveA SPECIAL train is to run through Notts to mark the 25th anniversary of a famous railway line being saved.
• Bassetlaw MP John Mann's shock as cops are seen on buses A NOTTS MP has criticised the Prime Minister in Parliament over Government cuts to police budgets.
• New tram route in Kimberley may be on way after homes go-ahead PLANS to extend Nottingham's tram network to include Kimberley have rolled forwards. The idea of a tramway connecting the town and Nottingham was first considered in 2001 when the existing system was in development.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Appeal after £1,000 bike stolen at Sheffield stationPolice are asking people to help trace this man after a high value bicycle was stolen from Sheffield railway station.

The York Press

• Clarence Street may be widened YORK’S Clarence Street could be widened to reduce congestion and improve conditions for buses and their passengers.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Jaguar Land Rover announces start of i54 jobs campaignJaguar Land Rover has announced the long-awaited start of major recruitment at its new engine factory in Wolverhampton, aiming to take on 600 production workers over the next four years.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Campaigners battling to beat the Leeds trolleybusThe trolleybus is one of the biggest, most controversial transport schemes to affect Leeds in years and it is set to become a political football this may.
• Leeds and Wakefield: Passengers given new ticket prices deal on the busesBus bosses have unveiled plans for a ticket price shake-up which they say should put passengers on the right road for 2014.

Yorkshire Post

• Tracsis on right track as firm secures £2.2m order for monitoring softwareA YORKSHIRE-based company that helps the trains to run on time has secured a major order from a UK client.
• Leeds trolleybus spending hits £5m ahead of inquiryalmost £5m has already been spent on the Leeds trolleybus scheme – without any guarantees that it will go ahead.

Bucks Free Press

• Handy Cross signal upgrade to begin on Monday WORK to help alleviate congestion on the busy Handy Cross roundabout will begin next week with the installation of a new traffic signal system.

Carlisle News & Star

• Engineers working round clock to reopen Cumbria coastal rail line It is hoped the Cumbria coastal railway line, closed after tidal surges destroyed 400 yards of sea wall and track, will reopen on Monday.

Crewe Chronicle

• Record-breaking sales year for Bentley Crewe-based firm reveals more cars than ever were sold during 2013

Doncaster Free Press

• Motoring firm raises concerns over plan to widen M1 motorway in South YorkshireA road safety specialist has raised ‘obvious and worrying concerns’ about plans to scrap the hard shoulder on the M1 through South Yorkshire.    

East Anglian Daily Times

• Colchester: Council agrees to waive up to £1m of penalty charges due to bus lane confusion.Essex County Council has granted an amnesty on penalty charge notices totalling £1 million issued to motorists confused by new bus lane signs.
• Ipswich: New rail line nears its spring completion dateWork on the most significant new rail line in Suffolk for nearly 40 years is nearing completion after weekend engineering saw the installation of a new bridge on the East Suffolk line.

North Wales Live

• World's biggest car ferry in for Cammell Laird refit Irish Ferries’ mega-ferry MS Ulysses in for her annual winter refit

Other Regional Press

• Rail campaigners’ work recognisedA group campaigning for better rail transport in south east Northumberland has been honoured in the prestigious Railfuture awards for the best local rail campaign group.
• Scots rail boss leaves top job after 'unscheduled leave'The boss of Network Rail in Scotland has left the company weeks after The Evening Times revealed he was on unscheduled leave.
• Train operator meets silver standard for investment in peopleLONDON Midland has earned the Investors in People (IiP) Silver Award, making it one of six train operating companies in the UK to hold the status.
• Campaign launched in bid to help disabled train passengers ’stranded’ in CambridgeshireThe Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton rail user group is calling for disabled access at Meldreth station to be improved. Yesterday (Wednesday), residents who use the station gathered there to launch the campaign and send a message to Network Rail, who fund major improvements to station infrastructure
• Shadow transport minister visitsThe Crawley Labour Group joined shadow transport minister Gordon Marsden at Three Bridges Railway Station on Monday (January 6) to gather commuters’ views about rail fare increases.
• Cyclists want Transport Plan to include those on two wheelsA CYCLING club is urging Dorset County Council to consider the needs of those on two wheels as it moves forward with the Dorchester Transport and Environment Plan (DTEP).
• Transport: Consequences of bus cutbacksThe key question about timetables for bus users is: “Will I be able to get there and back, with enough time at the destination to complete the purpose of my journey?”
• Hull £10m Paragon transport interchange is 'absolute joke' says City Councillor Steve Walker HULL’S £10m Transport Interchange has been described as an “absolute joke” by a city councillor. Opened in 2007, the combined bus and rail station is used by thousands of commuters and shoppers every day.
• ‘Network Rail must find a solution to bridge closure’ NETWORK RAIL should not be allowed to shirk its responsibility over the closure of the A338 for a £1bn electrification project, says Wantage MP Ed Vaizey.
• Rat run drivers ignoring ring road left turns ban A BAN on traffic taking a rat run from Oxford’s ring road through the Cutteslowe estate in North Oxford is not being properly enforced, according to a leading city and county councillor.

Aviation Industry

• Gatwick blamed for Christmas Eve chaosEasyjet says a lack of communication and poor contingency exacerbated festive suffering at the Surrey airport

Other News Sources

• EE building 4G network in Channel Tunnel, use superfast data on Eurostar and Eurotunnel trainsEE has announced that it is building a 4G network inside the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France. The service will open in summer this year and will cover the entire 35 minute journey while passengers are in the tunnel itself.
• Network Rail 'holds feet to the fire' with contractor deal guaranteesNetwork Rail has agreed to “hold its feet to the fire” by committing to compensate contractors if it fails to provide them with enough work on four new route-based deals worth £1.2bn.
• Air Serbia's First Female Pilots take to the Skies Starting 6 January, pilot Danijela Mileti is commencing an extensive training program in Germany to fly Air Serbia's Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft. The training will be conducted by...