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

Tuesday, 01 July 2014

BBC News

• Bournemouth car club aims to ease congestionA new car sharing service has been launched in Bournemouth in an attempt to reduce congestion.
• £10m Banbury railway station car park opensA £10m car park at Banbury railway station has been opened.
• Roads 'too dangerous' for cyclists BBC poll suggestsHalf of British adults believe their local roads are too dangerous to cycle on, a BBC poll has suggested.
• New rail bridge opening is delayedThe new Pont Briwet bridge that will carry the Cambrian Coast railway line over the Dwyryd estuary will not open until September, say council officials.
• Valleys rail upgrade plan 'at risk'A planned upgrade to electrify the Valleys rail network has been put at risk by the Welsh government, the Welsh Secretary David Jones says.
• Underground workers due to strikePower control staff on London Underground are due to begin an eight-day strike in a row over conditions.

Financial Times

• Heathrow boss expansive on third runwayJohn Holland-Kaye believes Heathrow has a better third runway plan this time compared with a previous proposal backed by the former Labour government
• Airports: how to stay groundedDoing nothing is the easiest option and one favoured by politicians when it comes to debate over a third runway at Heathrow and the alternatives
• Ryanair finance chief to step downHoward Millar is the second senior executive to depart in past few months, and comes as budget airline seeks to create a more customer-friendly image
• Heathrow eyes jump in landing chargesJohn Holland-Kaye, who takes over as chief on July 1, said the company had proposed increasing the ‘aeronautical charge’ from £20 per passenger to £24

The Guardian

• Bridge East London: could Eastenders finally get this 'crucial missing link'?Debated for the past 70 years, the plan for a bridge in east London has been subject to endless delays and inquiries. Now it's being called a no-brainer. Is the time finally right?
• GM recalls another 8.23m cars as deaths linked to faults climb to 16Latest recalls swell total this year to 29m and overshadow announcement of fund to compensate victimsGeneral Motors's safety crisis over deadly ignition switches has deepened with the recall of 8.23m cars linked by the carmaker to three deaths. The latest recalls, which now total 29m this year, boosted the number of deaths acknowledged by GM to at least 16 in cars with switch-related problems. The automaker said it now knows of 61 crashes tied to faulty ignition switches, although US lawmakers and safety regulators have said they expect the death toll to climb. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Investor claims transport giant rewards failureSANDELL Asset Management, the activist US investor with a 3.1 per cent stake in FirstGroup, has attacked the transport giant's board for allowing management to be "well rewarded for failure".

Mail Online

• Nice shelter, pity there's no bus: Village unveils new stop... despite the fact there hasn't been a service for six years In 2008 the last bus stopped in Bissoe, near Truro, Cornwall, and the bus shelter began to fall into disrepair. A local firm generously replaced it but there's still no buses.

London Evening Standard

• Revealed: £600m plan for new bicycle friendly bridge across the Thames in east London The campaign for a new bridge for East London stepped up today as architects revealed plans for the proposed £600m Thames crossing.
• Heathrow baggage chaos 'to last for days' Passengers told of their misery today after their baggage was left at Heathrow airport due to a technical fault with the conveyor belts at Terminal 5.
• London Underground will run as normal 'if power workers' strike goes ahead' Transport chiefs have confirmed the London Underground will run as normal tomorrow despite power workers planning to strike.
• Dutch airline KLM apologises over 'Adios Amigos' tweet aimed at Mexico A Dutch airline has been forced to apologise after a World Cup joke at the expense of defeated opponents Mexico backfired.
• Bus passengers will have to walk on foot during Putney Bridge repair works Bus passengers will have to walk part of their journey on foot when a busy bridge in west London closes to motorists next month.

Newcastle Journal

• Schools minister asked to look into Northumberland students transport chargesSchools minister David Laws has been asked to look into Northumberland County Council's decision to bring back transport charges for students

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Transport concerns heard in Gateshead green belt battlePlanning inquiry into Gateshead plans for 2,400 green belt homes hears of concern over local road network

The York Press

• Free school buses set to continue for a year MORE than 120 pupils who faced losing out on a free bus to school in York have won a reprieve for the next school year after a council rethink.
• £6m spent on repairing Tour de France routes COUNCILS in Yorkshire have spent almost £6 million pounds preparing the roads for next week's Tour de France.

Wales Online

• Transport expert Stuart Cole explores the options for a new bus station in the centre of CardiffStuart Cole on why an integrated transport hub in the centre of Cardiff needs to be a catalyst for more people to leave the car at home

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• HS2's £25m Midland property empireForty homes worth a combined £25 million in the Midlands have been snapped up to make way for the controversial high-speed rail link HS2, the Express & Star can reveal.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• ’Let’s work together to make UK’s green buses’A LEADING businessman has made a rallying cry for concerted action from the Government, councils and manufacturers to ensure more “green” buses appear on Britain’s roads.
• Inquiry into Leeds trolleybus rumbles onThe public inquiry into the controversial £250m trolleybus scheme has been extended due to the resolve of those opposing it.

Yorkshire Post

• Positive talks on transport fundDANNY Alexander has promised to consider a proposal to end the deadlock over a planned £1.6 billion fund designed to tackle some of the major transport problems facing West Yorkshire and York.

Other Regional Press

• Transport minister Stephen Hammond unveils £6million investment in Wimbledon train depotA £6m investment in one of the country's biggest train depots was unveiled by transport minister and Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond today.
• Parents fear train line will cause havoc during lessons VIBRATIONS and noise from a nearby railway line will disturb school lessons, parents fear.
• Tour de France Yorkshire 2014: Councils spend £6m on road repairs ahead of Tour hitting townLocal authorities bring forward cash from future years, says Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Global Rail News

• Manchester trams to arrive earlyThe new Metrolink line to Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport will launch before the year is out – more than 12 months ahead of schedule. Trams started to run along part[...]
• Groundbreaking ceremony held for start of Thomson Line digSingapore’s Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew has attended the groundbreaking ceremony for Singapore’s Thomson Line (TSL) metro. In a statement, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) described the occasion as[...]
• Vienna outlines vision for metro expansionVienna City Council has unveiled its investment package for the city’s metro system over the course of the next 10 years. Wiener Linien’s urban rail network is set to grow[...]
• Report supports case for metro line between Malmö and CopenhagenNew rail links, including a new metro line between Malmö and Copenhagen, are needed to transport a burgeoning population in Europe’s Öresund region, a new report has concluded. A high-speed rail link[...]
• Elron completes replacement of passenger train fleetEstonian rail operator Elron has received the final new FLIRT train from Stadler, completing a full replacement of the operator’s passenger fleet. Delivery and leasing contracts were signed in 2010[...]

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow: baggage system tests delay Thai and Turkish T2 moveThai Airways and Turkish Airlines will not move into Heathrow's new Terminal 2 on July 2 as scheduled, due to "unplanned testing" of baggage systems.
• Ryanair appoints new CFORyanair has appointed Neil Sorahan as chief financial officer. He will take up the role on October 1, replacing Howard Millar.

Other News Sources

• Delta, KaBOOM! partner to build second playground in SeattleDelta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) has partnered with KaBOOM! to build a playground at the University Heights Center in Seattle. It was the airline's second playground build in the Seattle area. Last...
• JAL Introduces Japan Airlines (JAL) will be the first Japanese airline to introduce the in-flight internet service (JAL SKY Wi-Fi)*1 on domestic routes. This new service will onboard the revamped aircraft-JAL...