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

Tuesday, 15 March 2016

BBC News

• Heathrow's £500m rail tunnel consultation beginsPlans to build a £500m rail tunnel from Slough to Heathrow airport have been put on public display.
• Smoking in cars with children: Police 'cannot' enforce banPolice in England and Wales are "unable" to enforce a new law banning smoking in cars carrying children as there are no tickets which they can issue, the BBC understands.
• Easter rail works to hit commutersMajor rail works over Easter will continue to cause disruption to some West Midlands commuters returning to work after the holidays.
• Labour proposes transport smart ticketLabour is to set out its plans to create a single
• Tax cut will see Easyjet 'flights rise'Airline EasyJet says it expects to increase flights by about 30% to and from Scotland if cuts to air passenger duty go ahead.
• £1.3bn city deal set to be signedA £1.3bn Cardiff Capital Region deal is expected to be signed later, ahead of the Chancellor George Osborne's Budget.
• 'Scandal' of £886m Tube upgrade delaysTube line updates will be five years late because of
• VIDEO: Could Scottish flights become UK's cheapest?A consultation on plans to halve air passenger duty (APD) on flights from Scottish airports has been launched.
• Fastjet boss leaves after Stelios' callThe boss of Fastjet is stepping down two weeks after the African budget airline's major shareholder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou called for his immediate dismissal.
• Call to 'kick-start' HS3 rail linkThe HS3 rail link needs 'kick-starting' as part of a broader plan to improve transport links in northern England, a report concludes.

Financial Times

• Osborne pushes on with Crossrail 2Critics say London will again enjoy outsized investment in infrastructure
• Union says night Tube could begin in AugustService expected to start on Victoria and Jubilee lines, followed by Central, Northern and Piccadilly
• Ex-rivals join hands in A$9bn Asciano bidQube and Brookfield end bid battle with all-cash offer for Australian ports and rail operator
• Safran aims to beef up aerospace divisionFrench group also looking to slim down its security business by selling airport scanner operation

The Guardian

• Getting people cycling on residential streets needs more than 20mph limitsHaving slower traffic where people live is a start. But to really boost cycling we need less traffic – and that means curbing rat runsSpeed limits of 20mph are being seen increasingly on residential streets, and they’re popular: recent Department of Transport research showed 73% of people are in favour. Campaigning from groups like 20’s Plenty for Us and Living Streets has paid off, with support growing significantly. Slower speeds are necessary to reduce injuries. But even if 20mph limits can be properly enforced – a big question – would this be enough? Do they, alone, create pleasant, liveab...
• George Osborne budget to set transport schemes in motionManchester to Leeds railway line, Peak District underground tunnel and Crossrail 2 to receive funding from chancellor in budgetGeorge Osborne will use Wednesday’s budget to set in motion plans for a high-speed railway line from Manchester to Leeds and an 18-mile underground road tunnel beneath the Peak District.The chancellor will also promise to “prioritise” a north-south link through central London as he accepts the final recommendations of the National Infrastructure Commission, led by former Labour peer Lord Adonis, which are being published on Tuesday.

The Herald

• Zero emissions target to be made legally binding The hottest February ever on record shows the urgent need to act on climate change and put into law a zero carbon emissions target, Ed Miliband has said.
• Cancer appeal urges train passengers to honour rail worker with just weeks to liveTRAIN passengers are being urged to be on the lookout for a special cancer fundraising train dedicated to a rail worker with just weeks to live.
• Passengers urged to check services as rail improvement work startsQueen Street High Level Tunnel works start this Sunday
• Kezia Dugdale unveils 'smart ticket' plan for transport linksScottish Labour has announced plans to introduce an
• A load of cobbles: Row over plans for some of Edinburgh's historic roadsSome of Edinburgh's famous cobbled streets could be consigned to history to tackle rising repair bills.
• George the builder: Osborne to give green light to biggest rail investment since Victorian age with support for HS3 and Crossrail 2GEORGE Osborne will tomorrow vow to make Britain “fit for the future” by giving the green light to the HS3 high speed rail project, which will cut journey times for Scots travelling across northern England, and Crossrail 2 in London.

The Telegraph

• George Osborne urged by Cabinet colleague to freeze fuel dutyRobert Halfon, the minister without portfolio, is urging the Chancellor to freeze fuel duty in his Budget on Wednesday
• George Osborne funds plans for 18-mile Trans-Pennine tunnel beneath the Peak DistrictChancellor invests �75 million into plans for one of the longest road tunnels in the world despite fears it may cause
• Motoring offences drop is due to lack of investigating officers, MPs warnNumber of motoring offences has halved in past decade due to lack of specialist road police officers, Transport Select Committee is told

Sky News

• High-Speed Rail Links To Get Budget BackingThe Chancellor is set to fund a high-speed rail link between Manchester and Leeds, and support a major new train route in London.

Birmingham Mail

• National Express putting 65 new luxury buses on the West Midlands roads New platinum buses, with leather seats and wi-fi, will be launched on Black Country routes
• Government to discuss making sure the M6 Toll opens for free when needed Transport Ministers agree to meet MP after it emerges there's a £300,000 fee to make the M6 Toll free for drivers

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford businesses hope Chancellor won't 'seize the opportunity' to increase fuel duty BRADFORD businesses and the public have been reacting to the rumoured rise in fuel duty in tomorrow's budget announcement.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Gwynedd bus company boss in �500,000 fraud case David John Hulme, 55, of Glan Seiont, Caernarfon, is a former managing director of Padarn Bus Ltd

London Evening Standard

• Disused tunnels under London Tube station could be reopened to the publicDisused tunnels under a London Tube station could be reopened to the public if a major redevelopment project goes ahead.
• Plan for Crossrail station at Ladbroke Grove resurrected Boris Johnson has resurrected plans for a Crossrail station at Ladbroke Grove.
• Night Tube will start running on August 5New service will begin on Victoria and Jubilee lines
• Empty Tube station ticket offices 'should be turned into police contact points'Empty Tube ticket offices should be turned into police contact points to help boost visibility on the transport network, a report said today.
• Scottish seaplane company launches London to Essex routeA Scottish seaplane company is planning to launch chartered flights between London and an island in the River Blackwater, in Essex.
• Boris Johnson promises deep-line Tube trains will finally get air conditioning... in the 2020sBoris Johnson today pledged that deep-level Underground trains will get air conditioning as he claimed engineers have "cracked" cooling on the lowest lines.

Manchester Evening News

• Urgent upgrade to M62, faster trains, a big tunnel and Piccadilly Station upgrade - major transport vision revealedPlans to increase capacity on the M62 by a third and invest in faster trains and a trans-Pennine rail tunnel have come a step closer

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• High-speed rail coming to Newcastle as Chancellor gives green light to new HS3 networkNewcastle is to be included in the new 'HS3' rail service but a cross-Pennine line will come first, according to the High Speed North report

Northern Echo

• Historic bridges to be used for trading COUNCILLORS have backed proposals to allow street trading on two historic bridges in Durham City.
• Dualling A66 and A69 moves a step closer under George Osborne's northern transport revolution THE Government will look at upgrading key North-East roads as part of a transport overhaul that will be unveiled tomorrow in Chancellor George Osborne's budget.

The York Press

• Train drivers' strike threatens York services to several major towns and cities FIRST Transpennine Express drivers are set to stage a 24-hour strike on Friday, which would halt key York services to destinations such as Scarborough, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Award for Leeds City Station’s £20m southern entranceLEEDS City Station’s new southern entrance may have only opened at the start of the year but it is already gaining a winning reputation.

Yorkshire Post

• Osborne’s £300m transport pledgeGEORGE OSBORNE will promise almost £300 million for road and rail improvements in his Budget tomorrow after a report he commissioned warned the North needs “immediate” transport investment to unlock its economic potential.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Disruption to some rail services in Suffolk and Essex this morningSome rail services in Suffolk and Essex are being disrupted this morning by train faults and problems with equipment.

North Wales Live

• �161m cash boost to be announced to improve M62 between Liverpool and Hull Investment should increase road capacity and shorten journey times to Leeds and Manchester
• Peel Ports awarded environmentally-friendly accolades for work in region Mersey Maritime and Carmen Awards recognise ports operator

Plymouth Herald

• ​Ministers 'would have confirmed by now' if they opposed third Heathrow runway Ministers "would have confirmed by now" if they opposed expanding Heathrow, a Cornish MP has argued, amid reports the Government is poised to reject a third runway.

Reading Evening Post

• Reading commuters warning as London Paddington Bakerloo line station to shut for five monthsCrossrail improvement work is due to take place between Saturday, April 2 and mid-August

Other Regional Press

• M62: Plan for new junction 24a near Rastrick receives cash boost Transport chiefs to investigate benefits in bid to ease congestion at Ainley Top

Bus and Coach.com

• McGill’s “reviewing legal options” after fraud case collapses
• Air quality high on agenda in Greater Manchester
• Waiting for OLEV decision on gas buses
• North East passengers warm to Stagecoach mobile-friendly website
• Arriva to invest in upgrading Leicester services
• Strong start for Panther B8R Exec model

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Reading Buses place groundbreaking order with Wrightbus UK Bus Operator of the Year Reading Buses today announced a groundbreaking £1.3 million order with British bus manufacturer Wrightbus ‎for six of its Streetdeck double deck models. Incorporating latest technology, many innovations and a number of ‘wow’ factors, the project has set out to enhance the on-board experience of customers and raise the profile of buses in Reading. The Wrightbus order follows Reading Buses 'summer bus trials' undertaken last year where the operator evaluated a number of new models, including a New Routemaster from London which is also built by t...

Rail Magazine

• GALLERY: Completed Tunnel Boring Machines for Northern Line ExtensionTBMs will be used to dig under South London from early 2017

Rail Technology Magazine

• Strukton Rail secures track renewal contract in northern Sweden Dutch rail technology company Strukton Rail has secured a major track renewal project from Swedish transport administration Trafikverket, involving 80km of track between Boden and Bastuträsk in Upper Norrland, northern Sweden.
• TetraFlex for Rail and Metro Communications Simplifying advanced communications for Public Transport. Meet the increased demands on safety and operational efficiency within large public transport systems with the TetraFlex TETRA radio infrastructure.
• Night Tube will open in August, Aslef claimThe Night Tube will open in August, according to train drivers’ union Aslef, although Transport for London (TfL) denied that a date has been set. Aslef said in a statement today that the Tube will run all night on Fridays and Saturdays on the Victoria and Jubilee lines in August and then...
• HS2 defends itself against derailment claimsHS2 Ltd has defended itself following allegations that its trains could derail at top speed, saying it is mitigating potential safety risks. In research, commissioned by HS2 and seen by the Daily Telegraph, Professor Peter Woodward, Atkins Professor of High Speed Railways at Heriot Watt...
• Sussex trains slow to 5mph as latest landslip hitsAnother landslip has hit the rail network, this time in Sussex, forcing Southern rail services on the line between Eastbourne and Lewes to slow to 5mph. Network Rail staff are currently digging bore holes into the rail to look deeper at the embankment, and will then need to build a temporary...
• HS2 opens new consultations on environmental and equalities assessmentHS2 Ltd has opened two new consultations on its assessment of the environmental and equalities impact of the proposed railway line. The consultations are open until 13 May and seek the views of statutory and expert bodies on the scope, methodology and overall approach of HS2’s Environment...

Railnews

• DB Regio set to lose Tyne & Wear Metro contract Nexus wants to renationalise the Tyne and Wear Metro operating contact for two years, as part of a 'long-term strategy to develop the system'. Nexus is seeking endorsement from Leaders of the North East Combined Authority to manage Metro operations directly for two years from April 2017, once the current contract with DB Regio has expired.

Railway Gazette

• Tyne & Wear Metro operating contract to end pending new train deal UK: Transport authority Nexus announced on March 14 that it had recommended that the North East...

Aviation Industry

• Cameron to scrap Heathrow third runway plans, claims ministerDevelopment secretary Justine Greening calls for a new airport strategy

Other News Sources

• More long haul flights from GatwickBy the end of this year you will be able to fly further from Gatwick Airport. It has announced 20 new long haul flights to destinations in four continents - including the USA and Canada.
• Forth Road Bridge defect “could not have been foreseen”A Scottish Parliament inquiry has concluded that the structural defects that led to the closure of the Forth Road Bridge last December could not have been foreseen.
• Regulator hits back over airshow responsibility THE ultimate responsibility for safety at airshows remains with organisers, the aviation watchdog has said.
• Amadeus profits jump 10%Travel technology provider launches ‘fully online’ GDS booking platform