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

Friday, 21 March 2014

BBC News

• South West cash 'to fix three million potholes'Enough money to repair an estimated three million potholes has been shared out between councils in the South West.
• £12m Welsh railway stations access upgradeA £12m scheme improving access for passengers at five railway stations in Wales has been unveiled.
• Pod travel plan for Bristol enterprise zone shelvedPlans for automated pods on a guided roadway to transport workers around a multimillion-pound enterprise zone in Bristol have been shelved.
• Stoke councillor brands HS2 rival Crewe 'fourth division'A Stoke councillor has branded HS2 rivals Crewe "fourth division" as the authority reaffirmed its bid to bring the high-speed rail link into the city.
• Haulier's fleet cut over lost wheelA haulage firm's fleet of transport is reduced in size by the traffic commissioner after one its vehicles lost a wheel on the A9.
• Bob Crow funeral set for MondayThe funeral of Rail, Maritime and Transport union leader Bob Crow will take place on Monday and the service will be private, the union says.
• Bus lane officers 'repositioned'Two police officers filmed lifting an incapacitated woman into a bus lay-by on a Londonderry street have been moved from any duties that bring them into direct contact with the public.
• Commuters 'like choosing GP practice'A pilot scheme in Greater Manchester allowing patients to see a GP outside the area where they live has proved popular with commuters.
• HS2 'needs minister to boost growth'HS2 Taskforce says a government minister should pull together growth projects around high speed station sites to

Financial Times

• Search for missing aircraft intensifiesThe US, Australia and New Zealand have dispatched surveillance aircraft to a remote area of the Indian Ocean as the search for the missing flight MH370 enters its 13th day
• Black box recommendations ‘were ignored’The investigator who proposed changes after Air France flight 447 crashed says the disappearance of flight MH370 could have been avoided
• Hitachi move set to boost UK rail industryJapanese conglomerate relocates head office to London to position itself for bids for HS2 and other big European rail projects
• Ryanair gets a credit ratingMove allows carrier to access the capital markets as it looks for secured and unsecured debt financing for its order of 175 Boeing 737 aircraft
• DP World revenues hit by weak Asia growthGlobal ports operator reports lower container volumes amid weaker than expected economic growth in Asia, as well as asset divestments

The Guardian

• MH370: what are the obstacles in the search for Malaysia Airlines plane?Search effort in southern Indian Ocean faces a lengthy and technically complicated task in stormy weather conditionsFollow the latest developments in our live blogEven if the two unidentified objects shown on satellite images floating in the southern Indian Ocean are debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, finding them could prove to be a long and difficult process that may rely on good luck as much as on advanced technology, oceanographers and aviation experts warned on Thursday.If the objects are recovered, locating the rest of the Boeing 777 on the ocean floor could turn out to be ...

The Herald

• Fuel duty freeze is welcome but motorists still feel the pinchMOTORISTS have won a partial reprieve after George Osborne announced September's fuel duty rise will not go ahead, but the Chancellor has resisted calls to cut duty.
• Missing wheel firm is ordered to cut fleet sizeA HAULAGE firm has had its fleet cut after a truck lost its wheel on a Highland route last year.

The Scotsman

• Could objects come from Malaysia Airlines planes?An air search in the southern Indian Ocean for possible objects from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane – described as the “best lead” so far – will resume today, Australian officials said.

The Mirror

• Live: Updates in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370Keep up to date with the search which now covers huge parts of the Indian Ocean and vast parts of Asia

Network Rail

• Rail services between Barmouth to Harlech to be restored ahead of scheduleTrains are set to run again between Barmouth and Harlech on 1 May as Network Rail completes the massive £10m programme of storm repairs two weeks ahead of schedule.

Birmingham Mail

• Nature reserve 'to be cut in two by HS2 line' Wildlife groups protest about threat to Park Hall Nature Reserve at Commons inquiry
• HS2 minister ‘is needed to drive rail scheme forward’ Report calls for Olympic-style team to generate enthusiasm for controversial project

Birmingham Post

• HS2 needs a dedicated minister to make it succeed, claims Taskforce report Chairman of the taskforce, Lord Paul Deighton, was chief executive of the London Olympics Organising Committee, and wants to see some of that enthusiasm and attention brought to the HS2 project

London Evening Standard

• Life-saving change in lorry design backed by Euro MPsThe European parliament’s transport committee has voted in favour of compulsory improvements to lorry cab design in move that campaigners say will prevent thousands of cyclist and pedestrian deaths across the continent.
• Modernisation of London Tube is 'most successful transport investment in a decade' The multi-billion pound modernisation of the London Underground has been hailed as the most successful transport investment in the past decade by the business networking group Radius.
• Taskforce calls for HS2 ministerThe Government should appoint a special HS2 minister, says a report from the growth taskforce for the £50 billion high-speed rail project.

Manchester Evening News

• Love was in the air for Manchester Airport in FebruaryAirport bosses say the fact Valentine's Day fell on a Friday helped passengers soar last month
• Fresh report calls for a dedicated HS2 minister The recommendations, released today, follow a review by new HS2 chair Sir David Higgins, who on Monday said the north must get a radical railway overhaul ahead of the line arriving

Sheffield Star

• HS2 is ‘vital’ for economic boostSheffield could become a ’global leader’ thanks to a high-speed rail link, creating jobs and growth, a new report claims.

The York Press

• £3.2m boost for North Yorkshire road repairs NORTH Yorkshire is to get more than £3 million of Government cash to help pay for repairing potholes - and council chiefs say they are hoping for more funding.
• Bus drivers in cycling safety trial at University of York BUS drivers have swapped places with cyclists as part of a groundbreaking road safety trial at the University of York.

Wales Online

• Cardiff Airport likely to return to profit only in 'long-term', Edwina Hart suggestsEconomy Minister was giving evidence to National Assembly's Enterprise and Business Committee on performance of publicly-owned hub
• HS2 report has pushed electrification of North Wales rail line forward, Welsh Secretary claimsWelsh Secretary David Jones welcomes prospect of Crewe becoming major HS2 interchange with fast links across North Wales

Yorkshire Evening Post

• HS2 ‘could give huge boost to Leeds economy’ACTION is needed now to make sure Leeds secures once in a lifetime benefits from a new high speed rail line to the city, according to a new report.

Yorkshire Post

• Yorkshire ‘must act fast’ on HS2HIGH SPEED rail links could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create jobs in the North but only if the Government and councils act quickly, according to a new report.

Bucks Free Press

• Comedian narrates new anti HS2 video STAND-UP comedian John Bishop stars in a new anti-HS2 animated video that was launched this week.

Burnley Express

• £2m. investment in Burnley-Colne rail linkThe railway between Rosegrove and Colne is to be upgraded to provide a more reliable service for passengers.

Reading Evening Post

• 'Mad' council transport bosses vote to continue Tilehurst parking banTilehurst councillor Ricky Duveen asked Reading’s traffic management sub-committee on Thursday, last week, to support a petition from residents to lift a ban on parking on verges in Mayfair and The Meadway

Other Regional Press

• Hook Up Hull railway electrification plan set to be announced by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin TRANSPORT Secretary Patrick McLoughlin is today expected to approve plans to electrify the railway lines in and out of Hull.
• FGW may get rail franchise again THE Great Western franchise may be directly awarded to train operator First Great Western (FGW) for another five years, from 2015 to 2020, without a tendering process, officials have said.
• Thanet North MP Sir Roger Gale vows to fight for future of Manston airport site following closure announcementA Thanet MP has promised to fight for the future of the area and its workers... after the shock closure announcement of Manston airport.
• £130k boost for road workCOUNCIL chiefs have welcomed a six-figure Government grant to repair damage to roads caused by severe weather.

Global Rail News

• The fall and rise of Britain’s railwaysLong serving rail chief, Richard Brown, now at the DfT, tells a story which typifies all that was best about the controversial privatisation of Britain’s railways. Writes Colin Garrett The erstwhile managing director of Midland Mainline was ushered into a top level meeting with the new owners of the franchise, the National Express Group. Brown, […]
• DB orders more trains for S-Bahn MitteldeutschlandDeutsche Bahn (DB) has asked Bombardier to supply 29 new Talent 2 electrical-multiple units (EMU) for the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland commuter rail service. The order is the 13th call-off of a[...]
• Amtrak warns about need for rail funding reformAmtrak boss Joe Boardman has pleaded with the US government to increase rail spending next year or risk major infrastructure failures. The operator is seeking a 16 per cent increase[...]
• France and Switzerland agree terms for CEVA rail linkTransport ministers in France and Switzerland have signed a bilateral agreement that will push forward construction of a new rail link between Geneva and the French city of Annemasse. Frédéric[...]
• EU funding ERTMS programme for Austrian and Slovenian freight operatorsA project to upgrade the locomotive fleets of three European freight operators to a European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) train control system is to receive EU funding. Just over[...]
• Hitachi moves rail business to the UKHitachi is to move the headquarters of its rail business from Japan to the UK. Hitachi Rail Europe boss Alistair Dormer will become the company’s new global chief executive as[...]

Railnews

• Part of Cambrian Coast line to reopen early Trains are set to run again on the Cambrian Coast line north of Barmouth as far as Harlech on 1 May, as Network Rail completes a £10 million programme of storm repairs. Dozens of engineers have been working round the clock to repair the sea defences and rebuild the railway, and the restoration of train services over much of the route will be two weeks ahead of schedule. However, the line will remain closed beyond Harlech for now, as a viaduct is being rebuilt.
• Hitachi to move global Rail headquarters to UK Japanese engineering company Hitachi has announced that it is moving the global headquarters of its rail business from Japan to England. The present head of Hitachi Rail Europe, Alistair Dormer, is to be promoted to global CEO for rail on 1 April. Hitachi intends to make Britain its base for entering the European rolling stock market, and trains for France and Germany may be assembled in County Durham in future, where Hitachi is currently building a plant for the British Intercity Express Programme.

Aviation Industry

• Is This Time Different for Airlines? Investors Aren't Buying ItThere's been a lot of talk that investors are ready to shed their pessimistic views on airline stocks like Alaska Air Delta Air Lines , United Continental Holdings and American Airlines and embrace them for the long term.
• Which airline carried the most passengers last year?Delta Air Lines Inc. carried the most passengers on domestic and international flights in 2013 for the fourth year in a row, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation .
• Bombardier confident in CSeries performance; chases salesEarly Bombardier CSeries flight-test results are supporting performance predictions, giving the Canadian manufacturer confidence in its projections for the all-new narrowbody airliner, the company’s head of aerospace said Thursday. read more

Other News Sources

• Will Self: A field trip to Heathrow via Harmondsworth Great BarnA picturesque anomaly near the airport, ever waiting to be submerged by the tarmac of runway three.
• Boeing Rolls Out First Next-Generation 737 at Increased Production Rate New rate increases production to record 42 airplanes per month.