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

Friday, 07 March 2014

BBC News

• 18,000 bus lane fines 'reviewed'Birmingham City Council is to review 18,000 fines given to motorists caught driving in bus lanes in the city.
• BA plane grounded by 'engine surge'A plane is forced to turn back shortly after taking off at Heathrow Airport after an
• Apology over level crossing deathsNetwork Rail has offered a "full and unreserved apology" to families bereaved by level crossing accidents.

Financial Times

• Recap brings Stobart minorities bad vibesMinorities who think anything goes will stick around to see the group become marginally better focused on biomass and aviation: the rest won’t
• Stobart sells half its trucking businessCult haulier Eddie Stobart pulls away from 45 years of family history as the youngest son takes the wheel in a private equity-style buyout

The Guardian

• Network Rail had 'callous disregard' for level crossing deaths, say MPsTrack operator sharply criticised in report with particular attention placed on deaths of Olivia Bazlinton and Charlotte ThompsonNetwork Rail has apologised over the deaths at railway level crossings after a scathing report from MPs demanding that it should aim to prevent such incidents, with a deadline of the end of the decade.The track operator was sharply criticised for the way it had dealt with victims' families and was accused of having shown a

The Herald

• Nine in a row: Rest and Be Thankful closed yet again by landslip The A83 was closed by a landslip in the early hours of the morning near the top of the Rest and Be Thankful.
• Most drivers fail to see cyclists on roadsAS many as 93% of motorists have admitted it is sometimes hard to see cyclists while driving.
• Rail deaths apology orderedNETWORK Rail has been ordered to publicly apologise for its
• Demonstrators: keep the East Coast Main Line in public controlRail campaigners will stage protests today at stations across the East Coast Main Line against government plans to re-privatise the service.

The Telegraph

• Network Rail 'must apologise' to bereaved families over level crossing deathsNetwork Rail must apologise for treating families of level crossing accident victims with

Mail Online

• Cyclist, 23, hospitalised after injuring her throat on rope deliberately tied across seaside promenade 'by two teenage girls who filmed her being hurt'Siobhan Delamare, 23, was cycling along the promenade at New Brighton on The Wirral when the 'booby trap' rope caught her throat and flung her off her bike.
• HS2 work 'will cause a decade of disruption on West Coast mainline'Train bosses warn of delays and train shortages on the link between London, the North and Scotland and chronic passenger overcrowding on platforms at London Euston.

Network Rail

• Network Rail chief executive apologises for past failings on level crossing safety but points to significant progressNetwork Rail’s chief executive has today issued a full and unreserved apology on behalf of the company for past failings in managing public safety at level crossings and for its past behaviour towards bereaved families.
• Network Rail boldly launches Star Track trainee engineering scheme for 2014School leavers across Britain are being offered the chance to join a trainee engineering design scheme, where they will earn as they learn and gain a foundation degree.

Birmingham Mail

• New Street station architects resign from projectNetwork Rail accused of pushing through a ‘crass and timid’ design for central atrium
• Transformation begins on 15 miles of Birmingham canal towpaths £6m revamp to help cyclists walkers and wheelchair users on city's canal network

London Evening Standard

• First look at Heathrow's £2.5bn Terminal 2This is the world’s first look at Heathrow’s new £2.5 billion Terminal 2 – the result of five years’ building work on Europe’s biggest construction site.

Manchester Evening News

• Nearly 3,000 job hunters chasing just 75 roles at MetrolinkThe employment fair was bombarded by interest after tram operator Metrolink RATP Dev posted an advert in the M.E.N.

Sheffield Telegraph

• First bus fares set to rise by average of 3%Fares on First buses in Sheffield are to go up at the end of the month.

Yorkshire Post

• High-speed rail
‘can help to transform’ large regional citiesHIGH-speed rail will have a “transformative effect” on large regional cities which use their new stations as a springboard for wider regeneration projects, a major new study finds today.

Carlisle News & Star

• 51% stake in Carlisle's Eddie Stobart firm to be sold Stobart Group is selling a controlling 51 per cent stake in the iconic Cumbrian road haulage business Eddie Stobart.

Doncaster Free Press

• Railway campaigners to hold day of actionProtesters from the Keep East Coast Public campaign are due to hold a day of action at Doncaster Railway Station today.     

North Wales Live

• Liverpool MP's outrage at rail bosses for high death rates at level crossings Louise Ellman has also hit out at their “callous” handling of fatalities

Other Regional Press

• Hook Up Hull: High hopes railway electrification plan will be approved, train firm boss saysHOPES of securing the go-ahead for a £94m rail electrification scheme into Hull are now at a "tipping point", according to Hull Trains' boss Will Dunnett.
• Public rail ownership is on the horizonA public transport masterplan for Lancashire and the north of England could be the catalyst for bringing the railway network back under public ownership.
• Fears Hull to Manchester rail services may face cuts as TransPennine Express loses trains to Chiltern Railways A TRAIN operator running services to and from Hull is facing a 13 per cent cut in its fleet. TransPennine Express (TPE) will see nine of its current 70-strong fleet of train units moved to the Oxford area next year after a deal was struck between Chiltern Railways and train leasing company Porterbrook.
• GALLERY: Anger as Network Rail dump building materials on Flitwick green without warningRESIDENTS of a quiet cul-de-sac were left outraged after grass verges and a play area were churned up after heavy duty construction equipment arrived unannounced.

Bus and Coach.com

• LGA calls for better concessionsThe Local Government Association is calling on the government to use this month's budget to fully fund the concessionary fare scheme to ease the pressure on council budgets and protect bus services.
• Wrightbus to assemble in MalaysiaWrightbus International, in partnership with Volvo Bus, has secured orders from associated Hong Kong operators New World First Bus Services and Citybus for 51 new double-deckers.
• Funding cuts force depot closure planFaced with cuts in funding from central and local government East Yorkshire Motor Services has announced plans to close its depot at Driffield to reduce its overheads.
• Record £100million Stagecoach orderStagecoach has placed record orders for almost 570 new buses valued at over £100million.

Global Rail News

• First two speakers confirmed for Rail Safety Summit 2014First Capital Connect’s (FCC) managing director, David Statham, and Network Rail’s programme director track, Steve Featherstone, are to speak at this year’s Rail Safety Summit. The annual event, which this[...]

Other News Sources

• INSPIRING TRANSPORT PROJECTS REWARDED AT LONDON TRANSPORT AWARDS CEREMONYThe people making a real difference to transport across London were recognised at the 11th annual London Transport Awards last night with the London Borough of Hackney picking up the top award of the night for Transport Borough of the Year and Greater Anglia picking up public transport operator of the year.
• Call for Scunthorpe to get NEW railway station footbridge The passenger footbridge at Scunthorpe railway station is to be given a total overhaul as part of the £270,000 revamp of the 86-year-old site in Station Road.
• The Northern Hub. What is it and is it any use?The government is upgrading the rail network that serves England's northern cities, originally known as the Manchester Hub the scheme is now called coast to coast.