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

Friday, 12 March 2010

BBC News

• Airline in no comment on serviceHighland Airways is refusing to comment on its future involvement in a service between Cardiff and Anglesey in Wales.
• Rail link 'must include Scotland'The UK government's proposals for a high-speed rail link must include Scotland, the Scottish government says.
• Flying Scotsman trials announcedOne of Britain's most iconic steam trains will return to the rails with the help of Greater Manchester heritage railway enthusiasts.
• Underground to axe up to 800 jobsLondon Underground is to axe up to 800 jobs under plans to make savings of £16m a year, the company announces.
• Rail union workers vote to strikeNetwork Rail maintenance workers vote in favour of strikes, bringing about the possibility of action over Easter.

Financial Times

• Region welcomes Leeds and Sheffield's inclusion in plan Yorkshire businesses and politicians reacted with joy to the unexpected announcement that the new line would branch from Birmingham to Leeds and Sheffield rather than stick to the west coast, writes Andrew Bounds .
• Route of super-fast rail lines revealedThe future shape of Britain's high-speed rail network began to emerge yesterday when the Department for Transport unveiled plans for a £30bn, Y-shaped network of...
• Airlines recovering more quickly, says IataThe leading industry trade body notes a surge in passenger numbers on a reduced number of aircraft and now expects airlines' loss in 2009 to be half of its previous forecast
• BA ground staff threaten to strikeBritish Airways, already threatened with strikes by cabin crew in a long-running row over cost-cutting, is facing a second potential dispute with ground staff over changes to working practices

The Guardian

• £30bn high-speed rail plan signals end of the road for motorways Days of building intercity roads are over, says transport secretary Andrew Adonis, as government announces network of 250mph trains to be completed by 2026
• Trolleybus scheme may face funding problems Councillors worried New Generation Transport bid may go same way as Supertram Councillors have moved forward with plans for a new multi-million pound trolleybus scheme for Leeds - despite warnings the government may not support the proposals.
• High-speed rail: All aboard! There are two big decisions about high-speed rail. First, is it needed in Britain? And second, if it is, where should it go?
• A blight corridor for high-speed rail [letter]One option to get round the problem of a high-speed rail line painting a long grey "blight corridor" across the Chilterns and either Oxfordshire or Buckinghamshire (The fate of the Chilterns reveals the limits of localism, 8 March) would be to stitch the HS2 into another existing blight corridor. This was done successfully a decade ago in the routing of HS1, or the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Only at a few places did CTRL/HS1 leave the noisy environs of either an existing railway or one of the motorways.
• Adonis sets high-speed rail on trackMinister says building work on 250mph route cutting journey times between London and Birmingham could begin in 2017The government unveiled plans for a £30bn high-speed rail network, with the first phase between London and Birmingham opening in 2026.Lord Adonis, the transport secretary, said building work on the 250mph route could begin in 2017 once a formal public consultation was completed.The route linking the capital and England's second city, which will cut journey times from 84 minutes to 49 minutes, will originate at London Euston and pass through Old Oak Common, in west London, where a...

The Herald

• Trams running two years late and £100m over budgetEdinburgh™s tram system will not be completed until nearly 2014 and is facing at least £100 million in additional costs, its lead contractor has claimed.
• Anger as Scotland is excluded from plans for high-speed railBusiness leaders and politicians reacted with fury last night as Scotland was left out of plans to build a network of high-speed rail lines in the UK.
• Forth bridge concern focused on fundingAs politicians weighed up official proposals to build another road bridge across the Forth last week, the consensus in Government and business circles was that the new crossing was essential.
• Highland Airways looks to slim down operations following pre-tax lossesHighland Airways has underlined the tough conditions facing the business and confirmed that its directors are talking to potential backers of a slimmed-down operation.

The Independent

• 800 Tube jobs to be axed London Underground is to axe up to 800 jobs under plans to make savings of £16 million a year, the transport giant announced today.
• View from the new 250mph rail route Environmentalists have vowed to oppose the construction of a new £30bn high-speed rail network after the Government revealed the route would pass through one of Britain's most idyllic stretches of unspoilt countryside.

The Telegraph

• Hundreds of homes will go for new high speed rail line The owners of 440 homes face having their properties demolished to make way for the first stage of a 250mph rail line from London to Birmingham and northern England.

Times Online

• Climbing out of recession? Horizon still clouded for world’s airlines The global aviation industry reported yesterday that its financial fortunes this year would be only half as bad as initially expected. However, that still means airlines will collectively lose $2.8 billion (£1.9 billion).
• Protests as Lord Adonis reveals plans for £30bn high-speed railway networkAcross the Chiltern escarpment and the fields of Warwickshire and into the marginal constituencies of the West Midlands, the lines were drawn yesterday for a planning battle over Britain™s high-speed rail network.
• Fast-speed trains are a chance to revive our stationsThe railway had no precedent. Its arrival caused a mixture of mania and dismay. George Godwin, the Victorian architectural reformer, spoke of its œintrinsic goodness�, while Ruskin despaired because it destroyed nature. And a new building type was introduced: the station. At first they did not even have a name for it. The original was the Liverpool Railway Office.

Department for Transport

• HS2 gears up for next stage of work following Government's publication of HS2 reportThe Government today published its Command Paper response to the HS2 report, and in so doing set out the next stages of work for HS2 Ltd.
• HS2 gears up for next stage of work following Government's publication of HS2 reportThe Government today published its Command Paper response to the HS2 report, and in so doing set out the next stages of work for HS2 Ltd.

Daily Express

• 14 MILES ON THE BUS JUST TO GET ACROSS THE ROADA GRANDMOTHER makes a 14-mile trip to reach the post office opposite her home – because there is no pedestrian crossing on the busy main road.

Daily Record

• Scotland must be included in new high-speed rail proposals, warn business chiefs A HIGH-SPEED railway proposed by the UK Government must be extended to Scotland from the outset, business leaders have demanded.

The Sun

• London to Manchester in 75mins on Y-Speed Rail HIGH-SPEED trains will whiz passengers up & down country on Y-shaped network

Birmingham Post

• Tories say high-speed rail plans for Birmingham are flawed Conservatives have welcomed the Government's
• Passenger group happy with high speed rail link plans A rail passenger watchdog group has welcomed plans for a new £30 billion high-speed network, with a station set to open in Birmingham’s Eastside.
• Birmingham's Eastside plans must change to accommodate high speed rail Birmingham’s new £235 million high speed railway station will form part of a £30 billion national network, Gordon Brown has announced.

Bolton News

• Hi-speed rail link plans announced today PLANS for a high-speed rail network have been announced in the House of Lords today.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Trams: 'Even long-term supporters will begin to doubt'THERE has hardly been a moment since the ink dried on the contract between TIE and Bilfinger Berger to deliver Edinburgh a tram line that can't be described as controversi
• Cardownie's dire tram prediction as concerns grow line may stop at HaymarketDEPUTY council leader Steve Cardownie said today Edinburgh would be landed with a tram route used by "just three men and a ferret" as fears mounted that a large part o

Journal Live

• High-speed rail line for North looks unlikely THE Transport Secretary is today expected to announce high-speed rail plans which will decide the region’s prosperity for decades to come.

Metro

• Watt's all the fuss about? London Underground vs electric car Electric cars are billed as an environmental silver bullet. But in a traffic-congested capital, would motorists be better off switching to an electric supercar or buying a Tube ticket? Oliver Stallwood and Metro Wheels editor James Day find out.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Bus service frequency improved by a third THE frequency of two Nottingham City Transport bus services will increase from Monday.
• Battle begins to bring High Speed Rail through Nottingham A BATTLE to bring high-speed rail through Nottingham has begun. The link, announced yesterday by Transport Secretary Lord Adonis and Transport Minister Paul Clark, would cut journey times to London by half, to just 53 minutes.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Railway station bid fails to win backingA POPULAR campaign to reinstate a coastal north-east railway station has failed to receive support from the government's transport agency.

The York Press

• High-speed rail plans cause fears in YorkGOVERNMENT plans for a new high-speed rail link have been given a mixed response by York™s political leaders “ after they left the city without any guarantees.

This Is Local London Network

• The railway with no station It’s been in the pipeline for years. Now finally the government has announced the route it thinks the new high speed railway between London and Birmingham, and eventually further north, should take.
• High speed train would cut through Bucks countryside A HIGH speed train route should follow a new track through Chalfont St Giles and Old Amersham and near to Great Missenden, the Government said today.

Wales Online

• Airport extension plan is approved A SCHEME for a multi-million-pound extension to the terminal at Cardiff Airport has been approved.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds and Sheffield: £30 billion high-speed rail network go ahead UPDATED A new £30 billion high-speed rail (HSR) network, with 250mph trains, which will improve transport links to Sheffield and Leeds, has been announced by the Government.

RailNews.co.uk

• News: Adonis publishes plans for 540km 'y-shaped' High Speed network The transport secretary Lord Adonis has published plans for a 540km High Speed network, linking London with the West and East Midlands, Manchester and Leeds, with High Speed trains continuing 'from the outset to Liverpool, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Transport for London

• New marshalled taxi rank in HaymarketTransport for London has taken the decision to move the existing Cranbourne Street marshalled taxi rank to Haymarket in response to concerns raised by the taxi trade about touting in the area.
• Launch of 2010 Coach Parking in London MapAccess to London's cultural heritage a key theme.
• Contract for redevelopment of Victoria Tube stationTransport for London (TfL) today announced that following a competitive tendering process it intends to award the contract for the redevelopment of Victoria Underground station to Taylor Woodrow Construction and BAM Nuttall Limited joint venture.

Other News Sources

• Brighton inventor create car fuelled by coffee A car fuelled by coffee dubbed the "car-puccino" was cheered through the streets of a city as it completed a 250-mile journey.
• Will the £30bn bullet train raise rail fares?A 335-mile rail link to whisk travellers from London to the Midlands and the North at up to 250mph was announced by the Government yesterday
• Government urged "not to forget" South West rail links SOMERTON MP David Heath has urged the Minister for Transport ˜not to forget™ the South West when it comes for high speed rail links.
• Edinburgh Tram project fast-track ployEdinburgh councillors are looking to fast-track the much-dealyed tram scheme.
• VIDEO: Transport minister announces £80 million funding for busway Transport boost for town set for completion in 2012
• Maersk urged to intervene to settle Indian port drivers’ agreementMultinational shipping giant, Maersk, is being urged to step in to ensure that a satisfactory outcome is reached in collective bargaining negotiations between Indian port drivers and a contractor.
• Meeting over Leominster station access I M P R O V E M E N T S allowing disabled access at Leominster railway station should be made as soon as possible, according to the town™s MP.
• Air France Files Complaint At EU Against RyanairBRUSSELS (Dow Jones)--Air France-KLM (AF.FR) has filed a complaint with the European Commission over alleged illegal state aid received by Ireland based low cost airline Ryanair (RYA.DB), the company said Thursday. The complaint which was lodged with the commission, Europe's highest antitrust authority in November 2009, concentrates on financial aid Ryanair "receives from French regional and local airports," the airline said in a statement.
• EU parliament urges airlines to improve passenger communicationSenior UK MEP Brian Simpson has called on the airline industry to improve the way it communicates with passengers.
• Bike racks replaced by ministerial carsA Labour MP has complained that government cars are responsible for
• Public transport reviewed 'to cut congestion and emissions'Public transport is to be improved following an official consultation.
• High-speed network a national causeA £30 billion high-speed rail network should be a œnational cause�, Lord Adonis said on Thursday as he outlined plans to transform transport in Britain.
• Taylor Woodrow/Bam Nuttall wins £700m Victoria station upgradeTransport for London has announced its intention to award the contract for the £700 million redevelopment of Victoria Underground station to a Taylor Woodrow/Bam Nuttall joint venture.  
• Tram line project 'may be sped up'Pro-tram councillors seeking re-election in Edinburgh in 2012 may speed up the building of a tram line in the city.
• New train line will be 'devastating' to Aylesbury Aylesbury MP David Lidington has described plans for a new train line near Aylesbury as 'devastating' for residents.
• High speed train link will be "devastating" for Camden GOVERNMENT plans unveiled today for a high speed rail link between Euston and Birmingham have been branded devastating by MP Frank Dobson.
• Blackfriars station hit by four-month delayThe completion of Blackfriars station, one of the main projects on the upgrade of the Thameslink rail line, has been put back four months until spring 2012
• High-speed to YorkshireBut construction of core section won't start until at least 2017.
• Council accused of 'frittering away' cash over road U-turnTRANSPORT bosses have been slammed for "frittering away" tens of thousands of pounds on unpopular changes to a Sheffield road - which are now set to be reversed.
• 250mph Sheffield to London rail link approvedSHEFFIELD is to be included in plans for a high-speed rail link from London, the Government announced today.
• Trade up as gates open but buses and trams pay priceTRADERS in Hillsborough say business has increased as a result of the relaxation of the bus and tram gates.
• Fears as high-speed rail route unveiled VILLAGERS have voiced fears their lives could be blighted by 225mph trains speeding past their homes on a proposed high-speed Rail link between London and the Midlands.
• Liverpool to London: Merseyside to be given hints of its high speed train network future DETAILS of a multi-billion pound high-speed rail network, which could vastly speed up Liverpool’s link with London, are due to be announced today.
• How London could follow in the footsteps of Europe™s greenest city 11 March, 2010 More renewable energy plants, diverting waste from landfill and increased numbers of cycle lanes could all help London on the road to becoming a low carbon city, the London Assembly heard today. The London Assembly™s Environment Committee today hosted an expert from Copenhagen to help it examine how the Mayor™s proposed Climate Change strategy[1]  will meet his aims to cut carbon emissions by 60% by 2025 [2]. 360-house-thumb.jpg ...
• News from Caroline Pidgeon: Boris' broken promise on ticket offices will make travel less safe for Londoners 11 March, 2010   Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport spokesperson, commenting on London Underground's plans to reduce the opening hours of a number of tickets offices said: "Boris Johnson was elected promising to defend ticket offices and stop any planned closures that the previous Mayor was proposing across the London Underground network. Today's announcement is a breathtaking breach of that key commitment he made to Londoners. It's a complete u-turn. ...
• Victorian Thames Tunnel reopens to the public 11 March, 2010 Mayor of London Boris Johnson tonight (Thursday 11th March) took part in a unique walk through the historic Thames Tunnel connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping, on the eve of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for members of the public to walk the route of the trains. 360-house-thumb.jpg Yes
• High speed rail promises Manchester to London in 75 minutes Manchester will be part of the UK's proposed High Speed Rail network, it was announced today.
• New Birmingham to London rail line will cut through Coventry and Warwickshire countryside DETAILS of a new multi-billion pound high-speed Birmingham to London rail line have been announced by the government today.
• High speed rail plan won't cut carbon11 March: The Government has failed to prove its high speed rail plan would be green. read more
• High-speed rail move welcomed Journey times between London and Leeds will be slashed by an hour half after the Government confirmed Yorkshire will be included in a high-speed rail link.
• High speed rail network from Birmingham to London gets go ahead A new £30 billion high-speed rail (HSR) network, with 250mph trains, was announced today by the Government.
• Gordon Brown hails high speed rail link plans for Birmingham Prime Minister Gordon Brown has hailed plans for a new £30 billion high-speed rail (HSR) network as a

News from Europe

• Aer Lingus tries to quit lease deals at airport Aer Lingus is believed to have engaged in talks with the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) about relinquishing leases the airline holds on two buildings at the airport.
• Michael Clausecker's interview on InnoTrans TV [video clip]Topics discussed are: Balance 2009 - Railway sector facing the economic crisis, UN Climate Change Conference 2009, Highlights 2009 - Railway Market Scenario Study, Technical Recommendations (TecRecs), Thalys/ERTMS, Next Steps, Trends 2010, European Transport Policy and Funding, InnoTrans 2010
• Rail Sector urges Kallas to embrace new regime on Safety and InteroperabilityThe European Railway Agency has, over the past four years, developed the capacity to support the management of the European rail system, which has resulted in the production of important regulations related to the conventional rail system through the Technical Spcifications for Interoperability (TSIs). In the field of safety, ERA has developed equally important recommendations on Common Safety Methods, Targets, Indicators and Safety Certification.
• UIC and UNIFE publish first Technical Recommendation (TecRec)At the first meeting of the UIC/UNIFE Standards Management Group, the joint group that manages the TecRec process, UIC and UNIFE announced the publication of the first TecRec (Technical Recommendation). This first TecRec "Specification and verification of energy consumption for railway rolling stock", deals with the measurement and calculation of energy consumption in railway vehicles and is a result of the RailEnergy project (www.railenergy.org) coordinated by UNIFE and managed in collaboration with the UIC.
• Train energy consumption standards published INTERNATIONAL: A Technical Recommendation to enable benchmarking of locomotive and rolling stock energy consumption has been published by UIC and UNIFE.