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

Friday, 18 May 2012

BBC News

• Bristol north to south 'rapid transit' bus plans on show Plans to help speed up bus services between the south and north of Bristol have been released.
• Barrow MP John Woodcock assault: Daniel Duke pleads guilty A man has admitted hitting shadow transport minister John Woodcock during a scuffle on a train.
• First tram-train gets go-ahead for Sheffield to Rotherham Tram-trains which run on street tracks and railway lines are to be piloted in South Yorkshire in a scheme worth £58m, the government has confirmed.
• 'Refocus' call at Cardiff airportThere must be clear focus on how under-fire Cardiff airport operates an expert warns after a turbulent week which saw its chief executive leave.
• Vauxhall boost for Welsh workersA deal to secure the future of Ellesmere Port's Vauxhall car plant will give a welcome boost to the estimated 400 workers from north-east Wales.
• Urgent review of bus lane camerasEdinburgh Council is to carry out an
• Jobs boost as UK gets Astra dealVauxhall's Ellesmere Port car plant will build a new Astra car in a deal that means huge investment and the creation and support of thousands of jobs.
• Small airport alerts being linkedA security alert at a County Fermanagh airport on Monday is being linked to a similar incident on the same day at an airfield in East Yorkshire.
• Quarter of buses have problemsAlmost one quarter of buses tested in NI had a serious roadworthiness defect or were committing at least one serious traffic offence, a survey finds.
• Row over Scottish shipbuildingThe Scottish government describes as
• Railway crime falls by a quarter in Wales, British Transport Police say Crime on Wales' railways has fallen by a quarter over the past year, figures from British Transport Police show.

Financial Times

• Safety worries ground new Berlin airportThe German capital™s delayed €2.5bn transport hub will not now open until March 2013 after fears were raised about its fire protection systems

The Herald

• Passenger downturn prompts slump in airport's valuationTHE value of Glasgow Prestwick airport has slumped dramatically after a downturn in passenger numbers ahead of a proposed sale by its New Zealand-based owner.
• Petrol prices are easing, says AAHard-pressed motorists have enjoyed a respite from record-high fuel prices in recent days, the AA has said.

The Scotsman

• Edinburgh orders review of bus lane camera systemA REVIEW of Edinburgh’s controversial new bus lane cameras was ordered yesterday by council chiefs.

The Telegraph

• Britain's first tram trains set to runBritain's first continental style

Department for Transport

• Revolutionary new Tram Trains to be piloted in South YorkshirePassengers in South Yorkshire will be the first in the country to benefit from flexible new Tram Trains that will make their journeys easier and more convenient.

Mail Online

• Biplane that was first to land at Manchester Airport returns to mark its 75th birthday - complete with son of original pilotThe De Havilland Hornet Moth carried Peter Menzies, son of Duncan, the original pilot. In May 1937, the aircraft was actually meant to land at another airfield nearby in Salford.

Belfast Telegraph

• Heathrow access 'critical for us' A business lobby group has called for better access for Northern Ireland at Heathrow. Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/heathrow-access-critical-for-us-16159906.html#ixzz1vCTL9Jze

Edinburgh Evening News

• Madonna to solve city tram chaosTHEY have caused chaos and forced shops to close, but now the answer to tram trouble in the West End has been revealed – a Madonna “flashmob”.

Journal Live

• Newcastle Airport court case drawing to a closeA TOP law firm accused of negligence over multi-million pound bonuses awarded to two former Newcastle Airport directors acted diligently and “in good faith” throughout, London’s High Court heard yesterday.

London Evening Standard

• 80mph limit 'will cost £1bn a year' Raising the motorway speed limit to 80mph will cost society an extra £1 billion a year, campaign groups have warned.
• You’ll get a shock if you revive Heathrow third runway, Boris Johnson warns PM Boris Johnson today warned the Government not to support the expansion of Heathrow Airport as it tries to solve the aviation crisis.

Manchester Evening News

• First plane to land at Mancheser airport returns as Hornet Moth marks 75th anniversary of historic flight The plane which made the first landing at Manchester Airport 75 years ago has recreated its historic flight. Dozens of aviation enthusiasts and airport staff turned out to greet the tiny De Havilland Hornet Moth exactly three-quarters of a century after it first touched down on the runway.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post commented Why aren't there more cameras on motorways?Article
• Nottingham Post commented Train station car park opensA NEW five-storey car park at Nottingham station was officially opened yesterday.

Sheffield Star

• £60m tram-train pilot approved Tram-trains which run on street tracks and railway lines are to be piloted in South Yorkshire in a scheme worth nearly £60 million, the Government has confirmed.

The York Press

• Warhorse of the rails heads for York A First World War armoured locomotive used to haul supplies to the front line will be one of the star attractions when Britain™s biggest railway exhibition kicks off in York next month.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• £41m more losses for the M6 TollThe M6 Toll has racked up another £41 million of losses as vehicle numbers slump.
• Inventor to showcase engine on the ThamesAn eccentric inventor will take his replica of a famous train on the River Thames for the Queen™s Diamond Jubilee “ and he is looking for people to join him.

Yorkshire Post

• Buses threatened as cuts mean less cash to subsidise operatorsBUS passengers in West Yorkshire face less frequent services and some routes withdrawn altogether as public transport executive Metro reviews its budgets.
• Astra deal seals job prospects around Merseyside factoryThe UK economy has received a boost with confirmation of a £125m investment in a Vauxhall car plant, creating thousands of jobs.
• City on track for tram-trains pilotSHEFFIELD will become the first city in England to trial a new generation of tram-trains designed to connect locations across its city centre with neighbouring towns.
• Campaigners claim raising motorway limit to 80mph will cost £1bn a yearRaising the motorway speed limit to 80mph will cost society an extra £1bn a year, campaign groups have claimed.

Blackpool Gazette

• Victory in fight to cut speed limitA ROAD safety campaigner has welcomed a cut in the speed limit on one of Fylde’s most dangerous roads – but some say the move has come after too many lives have been lost.

Carlisle News & Star

• TRANSPORT HUB PLAN FOR CARLISLE TRAIN STATION In theory, a central public transport interchange makes sound common sense – long overdue in Carlisle, in fact.

Other Regional Press

• UK & World News: 80mph limit 'will cost £1bn a year'Raising the motorway speed limit to 80mph will cost society an extra £1 billion a year, campaign groups have warned.
• UK & World News: Britain 'should have own spaceport'Britain should have its own spaceport where satellites and intrepid travellers could be blasted into orbit, according to business leaders.
• East Anglia: Engineers to look at rail improvementsMAJOR infrastructure improvements are vital during the next long rail franchise in East Anglia in an attempt to improve speeds and capacity.
• MP calls for better rail service for NuneatonA PLEA has been made to a government minister for Nuneaton’s rail service to be improved.

Rail.co

• Diamond Jubilee trains on London UndergroundThis week the first of two Jubilee line trains, wrapped in decorative Jubilee livery to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, has gone into service. The trains will run along the Jubilee line up to and during the Diamond Jubilee weekend, Transport for London said. TfL has also produced 250,000 of the limited edition Oyster [...]
• Changeover at Chester-le-StreetAlex Nelson™s eureka moment came to him when he was on the Durham to Newcastle train, stopping at the then defunct Chester-le-Street station. He recalls that moment in November 1998. ˜The station was all boarded up and derelict and unloved and had this ˜To Let™ sign up.™ He and his partner Steve Robson were running [...]
• Transport crime Command Centre opens in West MidlandsSecretary of State for Transport Justine Greening recently launched a pioneering £1.2m Command Centre dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour on the West Midlands transport network. The Safer Travel Command Centre in Birmingham is the first in the UK to have officers from a regional police force and British Transport Police permanently based together. [...]
• The Royal TrainContinuing a tradition which dates back to 1842, the Royal Train remains one of the preferred modes of transport for the Royal Family much loved by Her Majesty the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales. The present Royal Train consists of a fleet of nine coaches, seven of which are BR [...]
• Devolution in the regionsDEVOLUTION. It™s one of the latest buzz-words in railways, but what does it mean? Last month, RailStaff talked with Network Rail and the train operator organisation ATOC to find out what Devolution means to them at headquarters level. This month, the focus turns to what is happening in the regions. A typical route is the [...]
• Clan Line returnsA steam locomotive that was stopped from running on to the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset 46 years ago because it was judged to be too heavy has finally made it. The 150-ton Southern Railway Merchant Navy class Bulleid Pacific No. 35028 ˜Clan Line™ ran through to Swanage hauling a UK Railtours Special, the Royal [...]
• Improving the railway is crucial to growthDespite the continuing recession and the euro-crisis abroad, the Coalition Government is standing firm behind the rail industry, says Theresa Villiers. ˜The Government is pressing ahead despite the deficit because we believe that improving our railway is a crucial way to boost growth and strengthen our competitiveness.™ The Minister of State for Transport was speaking [...]
• ˜Vital investment™ results in ˜record year™ for TubeThe Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has said that the Tube reached ‘record levels of performance and improved reliability over the last twelve months’. He attributed the improvements to a reliability programme introduced last year and a ‘massive programme of investment’. The Mayor also said that his team are ‘working on measures to cut delays [...]
• Tram Trains pilot given go ahead in South YorkshireTransport Minister Norman Baker today gave the green light to a £58 million Tram Train pilot scheme in South Yorkshire. New vehicles will operate from 2015 on Sheffield™s Supertram network and on part of the national rail network, which will be adapted to ‘allow seamless travel from one to the other’. Announcing the pilot, Norman [...]
• New business for Network RailNetwork Rail has launched a new business aimed at getting better value for money on infrastructure projects. The new commercially focussed, regionally based, projects delivery business – Network Rail Infrastructure Projects – has four regional directors and three programme directors responsible for delivery of major renewal and enhancement infrastructure in their area. Regional directors include: [...]
• Spring Holiday progressNetwork Rail and its contractors successfully completed a busy Easter period of engineering works across the whole country, including Olympic critical sites. Engineers and rail staff worked on 260 projects around the clock progressing £40m of planned works at over 1,000 worksites. Maintenance teams were out in force working at an additional 2,000 worksites. Highlights [...]
• Jacking up PendolinosThe introduction of Virgin™s new 11-car Pendolino trains into service on Thursday 5 April has given some much-needed extra capacity on the West Coast Main Line. However, it also presented a few problems to the maintenance team at the Alstom Transport Traincare Centre in Longsight near Manchester. They needed to be able to lift a [...]

RailNews.co.uk

• DfT gives green light to tram trains Tram trains will be running in Britain in 2015, as the result of a decision by the Department for Transport to invest £58 million in a trial scheme in South Yorkshire. Transport minister Norman Baker has given the green light to a project which will link the present Sheffield tram network and Rotherham via a new 400m connection near Meadowhall.
• New appeal for peace in pensions dispute East Midlands Trains has promised to protect pension benefits for employees and called on drivers' union Aslef to work with the company to resolve the dispute, as passengers faced the last of six days of industrial action affecting the EMT network.

Aviation Industry

• Amadeus to offer enhanced flight informationTech firm secures deal to receive daily updates on airline schedules

Other News Sources

• Mayor and Transport for London seek consultants to join new architecture, design and urbanism procurement panel 16 May, 2012 Architects and design professionals are invited to apply for membership of a new consultants™ procurement panel which is being set up by the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) to promote quality architecture, public realm, urban regeneration and sustainable development in the capital. The Architecture, Design and Urbanism Panel will be a joint GLA and TfL panel also open to use by the London boroughs, housing associations and other public sector organisations involved with the built env...