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

Monday, 07 December 2015

BBC News

• Trams return to city after 62 yearsTrams return to Birmingham for the first time since 1953.
• Forth rush hour plans brought inExtra train and bus services are running on Monday morning after the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.
• VIDEO: Thief crashes stolen bus into buildingPolice are hunting a thief who stole a double-decker bus from a depot before crashing it into a building in Greater Manchester.
• Heathrow in my backyardUncertainty among Heathrow’s neighbours
• Heathrow expansion: The environmental challengesWhat's the worst kind of noise? Lots of it spread over a day, week a month or short, sharp peaks with long gaps in between? How do you know if a traffic jam in Hounslow is because of the airport a few miles away? How big will biofuels be in the future?

Financial Times

• Business hits at Heathrow procrastinationGovernment set to back third runway later this month but only after more environmental studies

The Guardian

• Transport operators to provide 17,500 seats after closure of Forth Road BridgeScotRail and Stagecoach find extra trains and buses from Fife in attempt to curtail morning commutes as bridge’s closure causes mile long queuesScottish rail and bus operators are to lay on 17,500 extra seats in and out of Fife to help avert gridlock on the roads after the Forth Road Bridge’s emergency closure last week.As ministers brace themselves for further rush hour congestion on Monday morning on nearby roads and motorways, ScotRail said it had hired two extra high speed trains from England and Stagecoach had found 33 extra buses to run more services from Fife to Edinburgh. Continue read...
• Business groups and unions warn Cameron against Heathrow delayWith cabinet to decide on third runway this week, Unite joins TUC and lobbyists to tell PM not to let politics scupper estimated £211bn of growthAn influential alliance of businesses and trade unions has warned David Cameron not to bow to threats of a Conservative cabinet revolt over the approval of a third runway at London’s Heathrow airport.The cabinet is due to make a decision on a third runway this week and senior figures with a constituency interest are urging Cameron not to implement the recommendation of the Airports Commission supporting a third runway. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Couple in court battle to prevent �5000 family car being seized over unpaid Glasgow bus gate fineA COUPLE are facing a court battle to keep their �5,000 family car after Scotland's largest local authority called in debt collectors to seize the vehicle over an unpaid bus gate fine.
• Forth Road Bridge closure website launched to help commuters plan journeysA website has been launched to help commuters plan journeys around the closure of the Forth Road Bridge as the Transport Minister warned there is

The Scotsman

• Forth Bridge closure: Travel chaos likely to swellTransport minister Derek Mackay has admitted he does not know whether Scotland will be able to cope with the closure of the Forth Road Bridge despite “exceptional steps” to ease congestion.
• Key Forth Road Bridge work ‘cancelled 5 years ago’Plans to strengthen the Forth Road Bridge were mothballed five years ago, an engineer has claimed.

The Telegraph

• Network Rail warned over Christmas engineering worksWith 500 rail upgrade engineering works planned for Christmas, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin says rail bosses must avoid a repeat of last year's chaos

City AM

• Heathrow has always been the answer – now there’s finally the political support for expansion - Jim Fitzpatrick and Sir Simon BurnsUK INFRASTRUCTURE projects don’t tend to be speedy. Plans for a railway linking Paddington station to the City of London and the docks were approved by Parliament in the 1880s – but Crossrail will only be fully operational in 2019. William Gladstone, as chancellor of the Exchequer, was presented with a proposal for a tunnel under The Channel 129 years before the first trains travelled between Britain and France. By comparison, the M25 was positively rushed through, taking a mere five decades to be approved and constructed.

Daily Express

• Armed police to patrol public transport in wake of Tube knife attack horrorARMED police are to step up patrols on public transport amid fresh fears of a new terror attack on British soil.

Mail Online

• Heathrow decision could be delayed for take-off AGAIN as Cameron faces threat of resignations over third runway David Cameron could be forced to delay a decision on a new runway at Heathrow airport amid the threat of Cabinet resignations and a row over the impact on the environment.

The Mirror

• Forth Road Bridge may never open again to heavy vehicles, construction engineers warn The closure has been dubbed a "disaster", with construction engineer John Carson warning the cracked structure may even be abandoned

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford drivers warned about motorway closures as entire length of M606 is resurfaced A SERIES of closures of the M606 are set to take place this month to allow the entire length of the motorway to be resurfaced.

London Evening Standard

• Central Line trains to stop at Tottenham Court Road from Monday morning after year's breakCentral Line trains are to stop at Tottenham Court Road after a break of one year for �500million upgrade works.

Manchester Evening News

• Metrolink elves sprinkle Christmas magic as new city centre tram stop opens Start of services from Exchange Square is first part of the Second City Crossing project

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Are you celebrating the so-called smallest rail fare rise in six years?We’re paying more, but getting less, yet the Rail Delivery Group think we’re getting good value for money

Sheffield Star

• Weekday Purple route trams cancelled indefinitely across SheffieldPurple route trams across Sheffield will be cancelled from Mondays to Fridays during the daytime across the city starting from Monday, December 7.

Wales Online

• Row erupts over rail electrification amid claims Wales will miss out on a fair share of £80bn HS2 funding potAccording to Plaid Treasury spokesman Jonathan Edwards, the Welsh Government has done nothing over the last three years to secure cash for Wales from the Treasury following spending on the project in England

Bucks Free Press

• OPINION: Cheryl Gillan - Increased security for UK, but 'misery' for HS2 neighbours BY RT HON CHERYL GILLAN, MP FOR CHESHAM & AMERSHAM

Other Regional Press

• Arriva bus drivers in Medway strike again on Monday over 'unachievable and unsafe' timetables Bus drivers for Arriva are set to go on strike again on Monday in protest over 'unachievable and unsafe' timetables.

Airportwatch

• Heathrow could be delayed until after London mayoral election [video]Heathrow airport decision could be delayed AGAIN as Cameron faces threat of resignations over third runway. Rohan Silva, a former adviser to Mr Cameron, today suggested the decision could be delayed until after the...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Active Cabinets as a First Line of Defence 24,500 trains run on the nation's railways each and every day, and in order for the system to run as smoothly and as safely as possible, a seamless communications and IT network infrastructure is vital.

Railnews

• Trams return to streets of Birmingham The first tram in public service since 1953 ran on the streets of Birmingham today. The inaugural tram broke a banner to celebrate the opening of the new section of line from Snow Hill station to Bull Street. Today's opening is only the start, because trams are set to continue soon onwards from Bull Street to New Street station. However, the �128 million project to bring Midland Metro services to New Street is running behind schedule, because they should have arrived in September to coincide with the opening of the enlarged New Street station. Centro now intends to open the New Street section...