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

Thursday, 23 January 2014

BBC News

• Kent Lydd Airport bird threat claims 'unmerited'Complaints that expansion of Lydd Airport will threaten birds are unmerited, the High Court has heard.
• Supreme Court rejects HS2 legal bidThe Supreme Court rejects a legal bid by objectors to the HS2 high-speed rail link to force further scrutiny of the government's plans.
• Extra £1m for major canal projectsAn extra £950,000 is awarded to put the finishing touches to two major canal projects in central Scotland.
• Bombardier says 1,700 jobs to goCanada's Bombardier says it will cut 1,700 jobs in its aerospace division in an attempt to save money.

Financial Times

• Leasing fuels Boeing’s China pipelineAircraft maker says robust sales to leasing companies, subject to less stringent government approvals, will help sustain record sales in China
• Anti-HS2 campaigners lose court challengeRuling means opponents to the £50bn project, which will connect London to Manchester and Leeds, have exhausted their final avenue of appeal in the UK

The Telegraph

• Car insurance premiums in record fallCar insurance premiums continue to fall but likely to rise later this year, AA report suggests    
• HS2 Supreme Court bid dismissedHS2 campaigners see last remaining legal challenges against the project thrown out by Supreme Court    
• Taxpayer faces £100m bill after collapse of Tube signalling contractThe collapse of a major Tube signalling contract has left taxpayers facing a massive £100 million bill after the Canadian firm Bombardier said it was unable to complete the project    

Mail Online

• Why you may have to pack a passport to visit Scotland: Families would face Calais-style checks when returning to England if country wins independenceFamilies would be forced to undergo Calais-style identity checks as they returned to England by car on roads such as the A1, A68 and M74.

Network Rail

• World’s largest solar-powered bridge makes Britain’s biggest brew for commutersNetwork Rail, First Capital Connect and Solarcentury surprised passengers arriving at Blackfriars station this morning with a free cuppa drawn from Britain’s biggest tea cup to celebrate the launch of the world’s largest solar bridge.

Belfast Telegraph

• Volunteers to cover in Tube strikePlans have been announced to deploy hundreds of volunteer staff to cover for London Underground workers who go on strike next month in protest at Tube ticket office closures.

Birmingham Mail

• Government wins key court victory over HS2 Supreme Court unanimously dismisses accusations corners were being cut to push £50 billion project through Parliament

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Arriva launches new Urban Zone bus fare scheme for Bradford City centre A group of Arriva Yorkshire bus drivers are taking to the streets of Bradford this week to let passengers know about the bus company’s new Urban Zone tickets.
• Derelict railway tunnel could become cycleway A derelict railway tunnel in Queensbury, blocked for decades, could soon become one of the longest underground cycleways in Europe, and link Halifax to Bradford.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post commented Most of us think the new 20 mph speed limits in Bristol will be...MOST people think other drivers will ignore 20mph speed limits in Bristol – because they do not believe there is any chance of being caught.Those are the findings of two professors from the University of the West of England who have been analysing results from a national survey.Professors Alan Tapp and Clive Nancarrow said the new zones, which come into force in Bristol this week, will have to be enforced by the police to make them workable. While 63 per cent of drivers questioned...

London Evening Standard

• Tube fiasco prompts fear that signal upgrade will miss 2018 deadlineThe collapse of a major Tube signalling contract has left taxpayers facing a bill of at least an extra £100 million.
• Thames cable car takings 35 per cent lower than predictedBoris Johnson today faced pressure to overhaul Thames cable car ticketing “urgently” as it emerged that the project faces a financial black hole.
• In pictures: the best Tube sign pranksAnyone who has used London's Tube network will know there are some unwritten rules about how to behave on the Underground.
• 3% rise in car production reportedThe number of cars built in the UK topped 1.5 million last year, the highest for six years, amid "surging" demand at home and abroad, with vehicles rolling off a production line every 20 seconds, new figures have revealed.

Manchester Evening News

• Kewill signs up for office at Manchester Airport International software company Kewill has taken a 10,000 sq ft office in the 4M building, at the heart of the Airport City north site.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham's transport vision for the next 20 years - but what's in it for car drivers? THE A453 upgrade is under way, ring road improvements have started, the railway station is being transformed, HS2 is on the drawing board and tram lines two and three will open this year.
• Nottingham Post published Public transport is great – if you have the choiceArticle

Sheffield Star

• M1 plan puts lives at riskDrivers using the M1 in South Yorkshire will be put at risk of ’serious injury and death’ under a new traffic scheme, the county’s top police officer has warned.

The York Press

• Praise for Grand Central in National Rail Passenger Survey A YORK train operator has some of the most satisfied passengers in the country - while another has some of the least, according to a new survey.
• Campaigners’ anger after bus cuts are approved CAMPAIGNERS have reacted angrily to a decision by North Yorkshire County Council to axe bus services, saying many people will lose a vital lifeline.
• Most Lendal Bridge fines given to visitors TRANSPORT bosses have revealed their concerns about the number of drivers issued with fines from York’s controversial Lendal Bridge trial.

Wales Online

• Will space travel become a reality for anyone but the privileged few?Space tourism could now be just months away after Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo reached an all-time high of 71,000 ft

Yorkshire Post

• Region ’could get left behind if it fails to support rail project’YORKSHIRE will lose out on the economic benefits of HS2 unless the region gets fully behind the controversial £50bn project, it is claimed.
• Route clear for HS2 rail line as Supreme Court challenge failsThe Government has vowed to “press ahead” with the new high-speed rail line to Yorkshire after winning a crushing legal victory in the Supreme Court.
• New Nissan Qashqai set to create 500 jobsA new Nissan model has come off the production line in Sunderland in a move which will help create 500 new jobs at the Japanese car giant’s UK plant in the coming months.

Crewe Chronicle

• Council gets students on board for rail hub bid Engineering students believe the new HS2 hub station and new transport system would provide jobs for their generation and beyond

London24

• Tube strike: Volunteers to cover services during 48-hour walkoutsHundreds of volunteers could be deployed on the Underground next month if two 48-hour strikes go ahead.

Sleaford Standard

• Concerns raised over transport strategyThe transport strategy covering Sleaford has come under fire with one councillor declaring it could have “dire consequences” for the town.    

Other Regional Press

• Stevenage MP calls for inquiry into Luton Airport expansionAn MP has written to a government minister asking him to call in the application to expand Luton Airport after owners Luton Borough Council granted planning permission.
• More calls for Newport relief road after M4 traffic chaos CALLS for a relief road to the M4 were renewed yesterday when an early morning accident in Brynglas Tunnels caused traffic chaos across the city – closing the main artery for four hours, and leaving other routes into the city jammed with traffic.
• ‘National bus stop may be just the ticket here’ A BICESTER councillor plans to write to bus companies calling for airport and London city services to stop at the town’s new park-and-ride.

Airportwatch

• Wake up First buses and put your customers firstLike many people our recently graduated son has to rely on public transport to get to job interviews. In High Green we are served by several bus companies but he mainly uses the 13 to Sheffield city centre.

Global Rail News

• London Bridge platforms to reopenTwo platforms that have been out of service for almost a year will be reopened in March as the second phase of London Bridge’s massive redevelopment begins. Between March 28-30,[...]

Rail Technology Magazine

• Dr D Wehrhahn-Non-Contact Measuring Systems for the Railway Industry Dr D Wehrhahn specialises in railway industry laser systems, including standard laser probes, specially developed customised sensors and complete measuring systems with laser, mechanics and software....

Railnews

• Now HS2 protestors may take their case to Europe The Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed appeals lodged by anti-HS2 protestors on environmental grounds. The protestors, who included the HS2 Action Alliance, had claimed that the Government had failed to comply with a European Directive which covers envrionmental assessments. Transport minister Baroness Kramer has welcomed the ruling, which she said 'vindicated' the Government's handling of the project, but opponents say they plan to fight on.

Railway Gazette

• Network Rail orders eight Robel Mobile Maintenance Systems UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail has confirmed an order worth around €50m for eight Robel self-propelled Mobile Maintenance System 69.70/4 trainsets. Developed from a concept devised by...

Aviation Industry

• 3 airlines that will keep soaring in 2014Reports of the airline industry's surging passenger revenue for December 2013 put an exclamation point on the end of a very profitable year for airline stocks.
• Ryanair's new 'customer friendly' website hit by technical glitchesRyanair is facing an array of technical glitches on its newly revamped website, Ryanair.com, leaving customers without booking confirmations.
• French ATC strike could affect European operationsFrench air traffic controls have called a five-day strike from Jan. 27-31, which could cause major traffic interruptions for European passengers. read more
• Ryanair partners with Google Flight Search Irish budget carrier Ryanair has agreed to have its fares posted on Google Flight Search as part of a drive to improve its customer image. read more
• Key coalition drops opposition to Resolution 787 after agreement with IATAIATA has reached an agreement with Open Allies for Airfare Transparency—a coalition of more than 400 independent distributors and sellers of air travel, corporate travel departments, travel trade associations and consumer organizations—under which Open Allies will withdraw its opposition to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) approving IATA’s Resolution 787. read more
• UK’s first rail-fly partnership launchedSingapore Airlines teams up with First Great Western and Heathrow Express

Other News Sources

• Andrew Adonis: East Coast Main Line could still be saved from privatisationFormer transport secretary says that the "chronic incompetence" of the government means "there’s a very good chance that the contract won’t be let by the election".
• Arriva drives up bus faresBus company Arriva Yorkshire is revising fares with some expected to rise. The changes started on Sunday, with some fares increasing by up to 10p while others remain frozen.
• Final attempts to block HS2 thrown out of Supreme CourtOpposition to the government's high-speed railway project has been quashed for the last time as an appeal was today unanimously rejected in the Supreme Court.
• Bristol Airport: New database helps Airport staff break down language barriersBristol Airportrsquo;s customer experience team has responded to the rising number of overseas visitors passing through the terminal by compiling a database detailing members of staff with...