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

Thursday, 19 March 2015

BBC News

• Nats apologises over withheld Heathrow flight changesResidents who complained about increased noise from Heathrow Airport were misinformed about more flights over their area, the airport has said.
• £13.5m for station redevelopmentA project to redevelop Wolverhampton railway station is to get £13.5m of government funding.
• Bigger toll cuts needed, says JonesCuts to Severn Bridge tolls bigger than those announced in the Budget would be sought if control of them was devolved, First Minister Carwyn Jones says.
• 'Oldest' tunnel gets protected statusWhat is believed to be the world's oldest railway tunnel - dating from 1793 - is given protected status.
• Google wants self-drive cars by 2020Google's head of its self-drive car project reveals the real reason he wants self-drive cars standard on roads in five years.
• More flights cancelled at airportSeveral flights from Aberdeen International Airport have been cancelled on Thursday morning after heavy fog the previous evening.
• Ministers challenged over CO2 cutsThe UK government’s claim that the country leads the world in cuts of carbon emissions is challenged by researchers at Leeds University.
• London bridge designs shortlistedFour initial designs are shortlisted for a £40m pedestrian and cycle bridge spanning the River Thames in south-west London.
• Damaged cables cause rail delaysRail passengers face severe delays and disruption because of damaged overhead power lines affecting trains to and from London Euston.
• General Motors pulls Opel in RussiaUS car giant General Motors is to pull its Opel brand out of Russia after plummeting sales, and significantly cut back Chevrolet production in the economically troubled country.

The Guardian

• Budget 2015: regional developmentsThere were some positive announcements for areas outside of London and the south-east in the chancellor’s speech – although most of them have been announced before
• Indian ministers may curtail use of red lights on government cars‘Lal bhatti’ for officials to clear path through congested traffic are treated as status symbol and resented by citizens as abuse of rankIndian ministers are considering whether to launch a frontal assault on one of the best-defended official privileges in the emerging economic power: the use of red lights on government cars.Known locally as lal bhatti, the lights are theoretically restricted to the top ranks of the list of precedence and only then when officials are on business to help them accomplish their public service.Yet as Indian cities become more and more congested, the lights are inc...

The Herald

• Central belt rail passengers get new timetables to plan for disruptionRAIL passengers in the central belt will be able to view from today (thur) temporary timetables that will allow them to plan for a tunnel closure affecting central belt services.

The Independent

• Budget 2015 – transport: Upgrades to rail links between South-West and LondonThe Chancellor George Osborne has unveiled £7bn of transport investment in the South-west, including upgrades to the First Great Western rail line that links London with Bristol, Paignton and Penzance.

The Scotsman

• Calls for free buses after Scots air pollution riseAIr pollution levels spiked to a three-year high across much of central and north-east Scotland on Tuesday night, prompting calls for public transport to be made free until air quality improves.
• Nine drivers clocked doing over 120mph in ScotlandSPEED cameras caught nine people doing more than 120mph on Scotland’s roads last year, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) revealed today.

Birmingham Post

• City's cycling revolution 'could create congestion'Tory group leader hits out at £30m investment into cycling which he claims will cause more road blockages rather than free them up
• Midland Metro route through Digbeth chosen Public picks tramline which will take in High Street Deritend and service Custard Factory and coach station

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Millions to be spent on improving safety and journey times on Cambrian LineImprovements worth £3m will see eight level crossings replaced by new roads and bridges between Newtown and Machynlleth

Lincolnshire Echo

• Lincoln faces 'perfect storm' of road and transport work say officials at Growth Conference Lincoln is facing a "perfect storm" of roadworks and infrastructure projects according to key city officials.

London Evening Standard

• London rush hour trains hit by more delays due to power line damage at Euston Commuters face severe disruption tonight as services to and from Euston Station were hit by damage to power lines.
• Rail bosses urged to roll out 'wave and pay' contactless technology across the south-east Train operators and Network Rail were today urged to roll out “wave and pay” technology to help minimise station overcrowding across the capital.

Metro

• 19 things you only understand if you travel to work by trainWe face delays and the daily struggle of getting a seat without knocking over someone’s coffee or nudging the arm of the woman applying mascara.

Wales Online

• Budget 2015: George Osborne promises lower Severn Crossing tolls and plans for Swansea Bay Tidal LagoonThe Chancellor claims his Budget will take 'Britain one more big step on the road from austerity to prosperity'
• The main points from Budget 2015: From tax and transport to alcohol and austerityThere was lots to glean from today’s budget - the last before the general election in May. David Deans round up some of the main points

Yorkshire Post

• Budget: Better rail network at heart of transport plansA PROPOSAL to create a high quality regional rail network across the North as part of a wider vision for transport - dubbed TransNorth - will be unveiled by the Government later this week.

Blackpool Gazette

• MP calls for review to help boost Blackpool airportA Blackpool MP has called for more action to help improve small airports like Blackpool – as the Chancellor today gets set to announce a major boost for the area around terminal.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Government pledges £2 million for Ipswich wet dock linkHopes of building an ambitious link road across Ipswich’s wet dock have been given a substantial boost by the government.

North Wales Live

• Liverpool John Lennon Airport aims to grow passenger figures to 7mCEO Andrew Cornish says site is capable of handling almost twice current level

Other Regional Press

• Custom House Crossrail bridges to open in NovemberAndrew Wolstenholme, CEO of Crossrail Ltd, described it as “leap forward”.
• Bus shelter extensions get underway in The Drapery, NorthamptonA Northampton shop-owner conducted a survey which has revealed negative responses towards the extension of bus shelters in the town centre, which began today.
• Queues predicted as passport exit checks introduced at Eurotunnel and portsLong queues are predicted as Eurotunnel and ferry firms gear up for a passport shake-up - and little old ladies in coaches could be hardest hit.
• New rail franchise for the South West and cuts to Severn bridge tolls announced in budgetTOLLS for crossing the Severn bridges will be cut following an announcement made in the 2015 Budget yesterday.

Rail Magazine

• Consortium appointed to deliver increased Waterloo capacityContractors will support delivery of extended and re-opened platforms.
• Chancellor announces funding to develop rail projects furtherCroxley link and Selby-Hull electrification given financial support.
• Southern increases cycle provisionAdditional bicycle parking spaces to be provided at railway stations.
• Abellio announces ScotRail management teamCurrent Managing Director Steve Montgomery to remain at helm in new franchise.
• £8 million Moorfields transformationMerseyside station set for major multi-million pound redevelopment.
• More DB Schenker trains from London GatewayBritain’s largest freight operator to run trains five days a week from capital’s new port.
• Contract awarded for tunnel boring machines for Northern line extensionNFM Technologies awarded design, manufacture and delivery contract to take Tube to Battersea.

Railnews

• £6m rail innovation competition is opened for bids A government-sponsored competition to encourage innovation in the rail industry has been launched by rail minister Claire Perry, who has called for 'departures from the norm'. The Department for Transport said the £6 million project was intended to 'spur innovation' among train operators to meet the challenges of growing demand for rail travel while also improving standards.
• New Great Western franchise confirmed by Chancellor Chancellor George Osborne has announced a new franchise for Great Western. The news came during his Budget speech, in which he also signalled more transport investment in London and the North.
• DfT still 'confident' about Network Rail board The Department for Transport has said it remains 'confident' in the chairman and chief executive of Network Rail, following reports that there are high-level concerns about the management of Network Rail and the possibility of DfT intervention. As NR is now a government body in the public sector, the transport secretary can exercise his right to appoint a 'special director' to the main Network Rail board who would be expected to monitor the company's management strategy from the point of view of the Department for Transport, but no decision has yet been announced.
• New recovery strategy for London Bridge Network Rail has announced a new plan to improve station working at London Bridge, after repeated disruptions in recent weeks. The major reconstruction of the station as part of the Thameslink Programme means that pairs of platforms must be successively closed, and the reduced capacity has meant that there is very little room for recovery when things go wrong. Labour MPs are also meeting the transport secretary today, to demand action over the continuing problems.
• Major plans on the way for Waterloo lines upgrade The biggest investment for decades on one of the busiest main line railways in Britain has moved a step closer with the appointment of a team of contractors who will be responsible for planning and carrying out major improvement works at London Waterloo. The railway from Waterloo carries more than half a million passengers every day and more than 222 million every year, an increase of more than 100 per cent in just the last 20 years. Waterloo is also the UK™s busiest station, with 98 million passengers in 2013/14 and a train arriving or departing virtually every minute during peak times.

The Business Desk

• Hybrid car company races ahead with £2m investment HYBRID electric vehicle firm Magnomatics is on its way to becoming a major player following a funding boost of £2m.

Transport Briefing (subscription)

• Budget 2015: Bristol MetroBus seals final approval [Subscription]The third and final section of the Bristol MetroBus network, running from the North Fringe to Hengrove, has been granted full...

Aviation Industry

• Qatar Airways chief hits back at $42bn subsidies claimAkbar Al-Baker says state funding is ‘legitimate equity’
• Lufthansa pilots to extend strike to second dayWalkout on Thursday to hit long-haul routes

Other News Sources

• South West to Benefit from £7bn in Transport FundingThe South West is set to benefit from £7bn of investment in transport infrastructure including a new rail franchise and new Intercity Express Trains, Chancellor George Osborne has announced in his 2015 Budget.
• Chancellor sums up FTA Driver Shortage Summit in BudgetThe Chancellor has accepted the Government’s role in solving the driver crisis in announcing a review of driving tests and medical assessments ...
• Severn tolls announcement – a kick in the teeth for freight - states FTAThe Chancellor’s Budget announcement that the Severn River Crossing tolls are to continue once the concession ends – has been described as a ...
• Election Budget brings hope of new railway line for Sussex HOPES for a new train line in Sussex have been revived following the announcement of a new government study.