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

Friday, 17 January 2014

BBC News

• London gets smart parking sensorsSensors embedded in the roads to help drivers find parking spaces in busy London streets could also cut pollution, the council hopes.
• FirstGroup places £70m bus orderAberdeen-based transport operator FirstGroup places a £70m order for 425 new buses as it looks to upgrade its fleet.
• Bombardier in aircraft order boostA Saudi Arabian airline agrees to buy 16 aircraft from Canadian-based Bombardier in a £733m deal.
• NI firm wins major bus contractWrightbus, the County Antrim bus building firm, has won the lion's share of a £70m contract to provide 425 vehicles to the UK firm FirstGroup.
• Docklands rail staff to strikeStaff on London's Docklands Light Railway vote to go on strike in a dispute over pay and industrial relations.
• Airports debate 'like Bafta awards'In a speech approved by London mayor Boris Johnson, the process of choosing where Britain's next runway should be is like a

ITV News

• Howard Davies giving public talk on runway expansionThe next steps to decide on the future of UK runway capacity will be outlined today, with Heathrow and Gatwick airports shortlisted for new runways.

Financial Times

• Long commutes show London’s UK dominanceWith a job in the capital and a home 300 miles away, more and more people are squaring the circle of career fulfilment and quality of life

The Guardian

• Boris Johnson: commission's stance on airport expansion contradictoryLondon mayor accuses body of favouring Heathrow despite its own evidence and turning decision into contest akin to X Factor

The Herald

• Average prices stay above 130p per litre of fuelAVERAGE petrol prices at the pumps are staying
• Revealed: Scotland's highest earning speed camera sitesA MOBILE speed camera site on a section of one of Scotland's most notorious roads has been responsible for £250,000 in fines handed out to motorists in the past year.

The Independent

• Let cyclists use pavement to avoid dangerous stretches of road, says Transport MinisterCyclists should be free to go on to a pavement to avoid hazardous stretches of road, Transport Minister Robert Goodwill has told police.    
• Former Labour transport secretary Lord Adonis warns of more London airport ditheringLabour’s last transport secretary has urged the Davies Commission on airport expansion to make a strong economic case for additional runway capacity. Lord Adonis, who favoured a third runway at Heathrow while in office, said that the next government could otherwise duck a decision until 2020.

The Telegraph

• £2.5m bill for driving theory test 'fiasco'Failure to conduct adequate checks on new provider means current contract extended by two years    
• David Cameron and Boris Johnson delve into Crossrail tunnelsDavid Cameron and Boris Johnson are pictured in new images as they inspect Crossrail tunnels beneath central London as project reaches half way stage    
• Don't fine cyclists for using pavements at dangerous junctions - ministerPolice are urged not to fine cyclists for using the pavement to escape dangerous junctions after complaints about heavy-handedness    

Reuters News

• Crossrail's army working underground for new London railwayBomb disposal experts, archaeologists, tunnellers and eight very special machines with names like Phyllis, Ada and Elizabeth help make up the army working underground to build a new underground railway cutting through historic London.

This is Money

• Boris Johnson aide in X-Factor jibe at airport tsar Sir Howard DaviesMayor of London Boris Johnson was at the centre of a new ’Boris Island’ row yesterday after his top aviation adviser accused Government airport tsar Sir Howard Davies of acting like X-Factor judge Simon Cowell when deciding on new runways.

Belfast Telegraph

• 'Boris island' decision 'in autumn'A decision on whether or not the so-called "Boris island" option of a new Thames Estuary airport is to be added to an official airport expansion shortlist will be made in autumn 2014, the head of the Whitehall-appointed Airports Commission said today.

Birmingham Mail

• UK Mail forced to leave Birmingham by HS2 and move to Coventry Postal group moving 450 jobs out of city after its Erdington base was compulsorily bought

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph published Derby motorists and cyclists in war of words over riding on...A WAR of words has broken out between motorists, cyclists and pedestrians in Derby over discourteous road manners.The debate was sparked by two letters published in the Derby Telegraph.The first, sent in by Frank Dunne, of Reginald Street, saw him complain after he told how he became "a victim of three young cyclists riding along a pedestrian footpath" in the city.Mr Dunne did not go into detail about the exact nature of the incident, but in his letter he said: "I made contact...
• Derby Telegraph published Derby could still get its own HS2 station, says Transport...TRANSPORT Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has promised to look at proposals for a High Speed 2 station to be built in Derby.Speaking on a visit to a site earmarked for a rail station in Ilkeston, Mr McLoughlin insisted he was not hell-bent on the 250mph route passing through Toton Sidings.His comments came after Derby City Council called for HS2 to pass through Derby, rather than Toton.This, the authority says, would see the demolition of 11 homes, mainly on the east side of Railway Terrace, as...

London Evening Standard

• Crossrail 'breathes life into London' says PM as dig reaches half wayDavid Cameron hailed London’s changing skyline as “new life being breathed into the city” as the Crossrail link reached its half-way mark.

The York Press

• Bus company sponsors sporting hero Sianagh as she joins Team GB A TEENAGE paraclimber from York has been given a ticket to carry on competing in international competitions by York’s biggest bus operator.
• Education bosses to review school bus cuts plan EDUCATION bosses will look again at cuts to York school bus services after dozens of parents and staff attended a meeting.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Objectors are urging Wakefield Council to reject HS2CAMPAIGNERS fighting the proposed HS2 rail link yesterday handed a 700-signature petition to Wakefield Council’s leader.

Bucks Free Press

• Motorway pub set to open doors JD Wetherspoon will officially open the country's first motorway bar and restaurant at Beaconsfield services on Tuesday.

Daventry Express

• Town to host £10m UK transport trial?Tonight (Thursday) councillors will consider bidding for a £10 million project to become the UK base for a pioneering transport trial.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Ipswich/Felixstowe: Rail line shut between towns due to ‘operating incident’Trains running between Ipswich and Felixstowe have been cancelled with disruption expected until mid-morning.

Sleaford Standard

• Rail line re-opens after bank slipTrains are running again between Sleaford and Lincoln after a bank slip led to days of suspended services.     

Other Regional Press

• Plans to reopen Waterside railway set to be shelved COUNTY transport bosses are set to formally shelve a multi-million pound plan to reopen a railway line that closed almost 50 years ago.
• Has the UK turned the corner after years of transport decline? Despite yet another increase in rail fares Professor Jon Shaw suggests the Government might finally be taking note of what is actually needed to improve our transport system
• Newport council gives qualified backing to M4 Relief Road NEWPORT council is set to give qualified support to the M4 Relief Road amid environmental concerns and worries it could bypass the city, a council document shows.
• New North Gate bus station nearing completionThe finishing touches are being put to Northampton’s new North Gate bus station which will open its doors to passengers for the first time in March.
• Villagers warned to use new bus service or lose itCountry folk have been urged to “use it or lose it” after their lifeline bus service got a temporary stay of execution.
• Freight train hits car at level crossingA freight train hit a car on a level crossing in Lancashire.
• High Court challenge by Lydd Airport Action Group and RSPB could halt Lydd Airport expansionA new public inquiry on the expansion of a Kent airfield could be triggered by campaigners opposing its expansion.
• Heathrow to poll villages on 'north-west' third runway bidHeathrow is launching a consultation on their third runway proposal being carried forward for further consideration.
• Clegg Insists Lib Dems Against Heathrow ExpansionConservative MP Zac Goldsmith phoned Call Clegg to ask for a Liberal Democrat position on Heathrow expansion - and was not happy with the answer he got.
• Heathrow to consult about expansion plansAirport to ask people's views on how a third runway should be operated were it to get the go-ahead

Global Rail News

• Crossrail construction reaches halfway pointUK Prime Minister David Cameron has visited Crossrail’s Tottenham Court Road station to see the progress being made on London’s new £14.8 billion railway. The visit coincided with the project[...]
• NSB awards contract for timetable information systemHaCon has won a tender to supply its HAFAS timetable information system to the Norwegian state railway operator NSB. The real-time journey planner will be able to warn passengers about[...]
• Swedish State Railways to overhaul high-speed train fleetSwedish State Railways (SJ) has said it plans to spend SEK 3.5 billion (€400 million) overhauling its fleet of high-speed SJ 2000 trains. The operator will upgrade all 36 of[...]
• Alstom to open tram factory in BrazilAlstom is to set up a new manufacturing facility in Brazil to coordinate the delivery of light rail equipment across Brazil and South America. One of the first orders to[...]

London TravelWatch

• London TravelWatch urges transport operators to take action to improve the London travelling environment for transport usersIn depth qualitative research published by London TravelWatch has identified a number of actions that transport operators need to take to improve consumers’ view of the London travelling environment.

Railnews

• Virgin's Shrewsbury plans delayed again Efforts to introduce a through service of Virgin Trains between London and Shrewsbury in May have been abandoned, after it became clear that the only paths which Network Rail could make available would not be attractive to passengers. Virgin wants to restore direct London services to both Shrewsbury and Blackpool, but so far discussions with Network Rail have foundered because the West Coast Main Line is so congested.

Aviation Industry

• UK government urged to create a noise authority Airports Commission chairman Howard Davies has strongly urged the UK government to act quickly to establish an independent noise authority to help re-establish trust and improve the quality of the airport capacity debate. read more
• Bombardier delays CSeries service entry to 2015; signs order with Al Qahtani Bombardier has pushed its service-entry target for the CSeries airliner back by at least 12 months, saying it will take longer than planned to complete certification flight testing. read more
• New Saudi carrier to launch with CSeries SaudiGulf Airlines—a new, full-service airline created to bring competition on domestic Saudi Arabian routes—was unveiled at the Bahrain International Airshow Thursday. read more
• Ryanair to target business travellers in 2014Carrier to offer flexible tickets, reserved seating and fast-track through selected airports

Other News Sources

• Brighton bus emission zone approved Brighton and Hove bus bosses will have to own up if their polluting vehicles are not meeting strict new guidelines.
• Virgin Australia Appoints New Chief Operating OfficerVirgin Australia today announced the appointment of Gary Hammes to the role of Chief Operating Officer, commencingnbsp;11 February 2014. nbsp; The role has responsibility for Virgin...
• Heathrow Rethinks New Runway Site to Avoid M25, Medieval BarnHeathrow Ltd. said it’s exploring plans to shift the site of a proposed third runway in an effort to minimize the impact of construction work as Europe’s busiest hub ramps up efforts to win support for its expansion.
• Heathrow Rethinks New Runway Site to Avoid M25, Medieval BarnHeathrow Ltd. said it’s exploring plans to shift the site of a proposed third runway in an effort to minimize the impact of construction work as Europe’s busiest hub ramps up efforts to win support for its expansion.