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

Saturday, 01 March 2014

BBC News

• European Investment Bank in talks over NI transport projectsThe European Union's bank could be asked to fund major transport projects in Northern Ireland.
• Elderly 'could lose bus services'Elderly and disabled passengers could lose vital bus services because of cuts in government funding, councils in England warn.
• Unions anger over driverless trainsRail unions vow to fight moves to introduce driverless trains on the London Underground.
• London Tube station sold for £53mA former London Underground station used by the War Office is sold to developers for £53m.
• Rolls-Royce naval plant to closeThe Rolls-Royce plant in Portsmouth, where electrical systems for Royal Navy vessels are made, is to close.
• Qantas meets unions over 5,000 cutsQantas meets unions anxious about 5,000 job cuts, while rival Virgin posts a half-year loss citing tough conditions across the airline industry.
• BA 'positive' about independenceScottish independence could be a "positive development" for British Airways, according to the boss of the company which owns the airline.
• World's longest aircraft is unveiled in UKThe world's longest aircraft has just been unveiled in Britain's biggest aircraft hangar.

Financial Times

• BA drives IAG swing back to profitAirlines group beats analyst forecasts as Iberia restructuring continues to make progress and British Airways benefits from extra Heathrow slots

The Herald

• Experts back a light rail link to Glasgow AirportAN EXPERT report has re-ignited the debate over the decision to axe a city's airport rail link after it recommended using tram cars able to run on both light and heavy rail lines.
• A9 road safety campaign launchedA NEW road safety campaign has been launched to warn drivers about the dangers of overtaking on the notorious A9.

The Scotsman

• Edinburgh trams play to make drama out of crisisA PLAY that tells the story of Edinburgh’s troubled trams project through the words of the city’s put-upon residents is to be staged later this month.

Mail Online

• Free buses for pensioners perk so popular councils forced to axe services to pay for itLocal authorities say cuts in Government support for free bus passes for the elderly and disabled has left them struggling to fund the scheme.

The Mirror

• Elderly left stranded again as Tories axe vital bus services Town hall chiefs forced to cut subsidised routes used by pensioners to save cash

Network Rail

• Trains to run again on full Hastings to Tonbridge line as landslip repairs near completionNetwork Rail engineers are on target to complete work to rebuild three collapsed sections of railway in Sussex by Monday, March 3.
• Collingham station car park developmentWork starts next week (3 March) on a new 58-space car park for Collingham station.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post commented Reader's letter: Ban cars in Bristol for one day every monthI AGREE with the letter writer who suggests we copy Bogota which has a day a year when cars are banned in the city.But as we are Bristol we should think better and think bigger. We should ban cars completely from the centre for one day a month for a year. This will help the buses run quickly, and encourage more people to try walking and cycling.Latest figures from the World Health Organisation show that one in three 11-year-olds in the UK are overweight. By 2030, it is predicted that more than...
• The Bristol Post commented Reader's letter: Bristol cyclists have a contempt for the lawCHARLIE Bolton's criticism of Councillor Eddy (Bristol Post February 19) was unjust. Mr Eddy was only being honest in saying that in Amsterdam as well as Bristol the cyclist has been afflicted with a sense of self-righteousness. Although I think in Bristol they also have a contempt for the law and safety of law abiding pedestrians too. Mr Bolton tells us how he found the trams fun and the cycling pleasurable in order to justify his rant. Strange that he never mentioned the feelings of the...

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Aerial shot reveals cycle track work already done on Derby...REVEALING bird's-eye pictures have been taken of controversial work carried out towards building a cycle track on part of a Derby nature reserve.Derbyshire Wildlife Trust reckons about 50% of the digging work needed on the track and mountain bike skills area scheme at the Sanctuary nature reserve is complete.But work on the Pride Park site has now been halted after the trust successfully applied for an injunction while it fights a legal battle to overturn planning permission for the work.The...

London Evening Standard

• TfL advertises £16bn contract for driverless Tube trainsTransport chiefs today began seeking a supplier of 250 driverless Tube trains for a contract that will be worth £16 billion.
• British Airways chief: Change visa policy as regime is stopping people coming to LondonBritish Airways supremo Willie Walsh today called on the Government to change its immigration rules because “so many people want to come to London, but don’t because they struggle with the visa regime”.
• Cyclists start round-the-world race The World Cycle Race, being billed as the biggest bike race on the planet, begins today.

The York Press

• Saved bus service sees increase in passenger numbers A BUS service which was saved by a community group has seen passenger numbers increase since it was taken over.

Bucks Free Press

• Bucks HS2 station plans shelved 'NAIVE' proposals for an HS2 station in Bucks have been withdrawn from a mitigation blueprint put forward by council chiefs.

North Wales Live

• Merseyrail cleaners to walk out on strike over 'poor' pay dispute Merseyrail says its services would not be affected by the strike

Other Regional Press

• Heathrow's funding pot to help storm damage recovery A huge grant has been set aside to help flood-stricken community groups in the surrounding boroughs of Heathrow to recover from the damage caused by the storms.
• Bike friendly junction 'will make cycling safer' despite complaints from riders Council chiefs in Southampton say they are “satisfied” that a controversial new junction will help to make cycling safer in the city.
• Grimsby Telegraph commented £130m plan could see direct superfast trains to London from...RAIL passengers could reach London from Cleethorpes and Grimsby on superfast trains in just two hours and 40 minutes, if a £130 million proposal gets the green light. Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) wants to introduce a new direct express service of up to four trains a day from December 2017 – starting at Cleethorpes and calling at Grimsby Town and Habrough before arriving at the new, ultra-modern King's Cross, in central London. This new plan, made public yesterday, is the...
• The Cornishman published Scilly Isles airport charges frozen with budget set for target...HOW to ensure St Mary's airport pays its way in recession while its charges don't defer is the balancing act facing the island council owners of the facility.Setting fees and charges last week for 2014-15, after what was called "a bumpy year", the transport committee heard the arguments for and against charge hikes.The discussion took place against the sensitive and stark issue of loss and a warning from committee chairman Chris Thomas: "The airport must not be a burden on the...
• West Briton published Local residents left stranded after bus services axed for a...PASSENGERS have again found themselves cut off following the axing of four bus routes in Falmouth and Truro.Fal River Buses took over the 326, 327, 329 and 330 bus services in December after the First Group had stopped running them.Tim Light, from Fal River Buses, said in a statement: "I am very sorry that we are no longer able to offer this registered commercial bus service."The reason for this, despite the fantastic support from many of you, our MP, Sarah Newton, Falmouth Town...
• Fight goes on to keep regular bus service runningA BUS company has rejected proposals to reinstate a regular service to Alverstoke, despite community outrage at cutbacks to the route.
• Northampton’s new bus station prepares for openingNorthampton’s new bus station will open to the first passengers this weekend, signalling the end of Greyfriars Bus Station.
• Durham Tees Valley Airport: Peel Group welcomes 'positive' feedback from surveyAirport owner publishes results of consultation on its plan to transform the airport into a multi-use site with homes and business facilities
• 'We need HS2 and rail investment programme' Child benefit tax and  HS2 - Coventry Telegraph Letters for February 28
• Longest aircraft in the world is unveiled in Cardington todayIT has been many years since we've seen airship-style vehicles over the skies of Bedfordshire but within months that will once again be a reality.

The Economist

• Electric cars: Fully charged Watch out, Detroit IF COMFORTABLY outpacing your rivals is the main measure of automotive achievement, Tesla’s electric car is a resounding success. The Model S last year outsold its nearest luxury rival, Mercedes’s petrol-engined S-class, by 30% in America. And in its top specification the Tesla will also beat the German car in the race from 0-60mph. As a battery-maker Tesla is also moving fast. This week it announced plans to build a “gigafactory” in America to make lithium-ion power-packs, that it hopes will propel its vehicles to the mainstream.Tesla’s acceleration has been rapid. Launc...

Global Rail News

• London Underground seeks manufacturers to build new deep-level Tube trainsLondon Underground (LU) is looking for expressions of interest from rolling stock manufacturers that believe they can deliver the next generation of deep-level Tube trains. The operator has said it[...]
• Electrified Seaford line reopensAdelaide’s first electric trains have begun passenger service on the Seaford line. On February 23, the Seaford Line, formerly the Noarlunga line, reopened to passengers following a major programme of[...]
• Nantes-Châteaubriant tram-train line inauguratedFrench authorities have reopened a single track railway between Nantes and Châteaubriant after 34 years. SNCF president Guillaume Pépy and the French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault attended the inauguration of[...]

Middle East North Africa (MENA) Rail News

• Second Phase of El Haramein Railway Under WayBuilding has begun on the route between King Abdullah Economic City and Medina for the new high speed El Haramein railway which will link Jeddah with Mecca and Medina. Installation is under way of the train tracks for this section, marking the second phase of construction of the electrified railway linking Jeddah with the two […]The post Second Phase of El Haramein Railway Under Way appeared first on MENA Rail News.

Aviation Industry

• British Airways owner IAG returns to profitIAG posts profits of €527 million for 2013

Other News Sources

• BA boss: Tax cut plans make independence a 'positive development'Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group, backs scrapping of air passenger duty.