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

Thursday, 16 December 2010

BBC News

• Gloucestershire County Council examines bus subsidies Bus subsidies of up to £45 per return journey in parts of Gloucestershire are "totally unsustainable," the county council has said.
• High Speed Rail plans divide Conservatives in rural England [video]The High Speed (HS2) plans for a faster rail link between London and Birmingham risks alienating Conservatives who live along the route of the proposed line through the Chilterns and south Midlands.
• Northamptonshire residents 'should clean road signs' Residents should clean road signs to help Northamptonshire County Council save tens of millions of pounds, a member of the authority has claimed.
• Transport chief to work all nightScotland's new transport minister Keith Brown plans to work all night to help prevent travel chaos as snow is set to return.
• New Forth bridge plans approvedConstruction of the new Forth road bridge will get under way next year, under plans approved by MSPs.
• Tory vs Tory on high speed railThe High Speed (HS2) plans for a faster rail link between London and Birmingham risks alienating Conservatives who live along the route of the proposed line through the Chilterns and south Midlands.
• 'No liability' for clearing snowPeople who clear footpaths of snow and ice are unlikely to be held liable for accidents, the Roads Minister says.
• Boxing Day strike 'breaks word'London Underground (LU) reacts to the prospect of a strike on Boxing Day.
• Virgin Atlantic in tie-up talksVirgin Atlantic says it has received

The Guardian

• UK fears worst winter weather since 1963 Transport secretary calls summit as Met Office predicts return of icy temperatures, further snow and transport disruption

The Independent

• Branson set to relinquish control of Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic yesterday revealed it had been approached by a series of rivals over potential tie-ups, increasing speculation that Sir Richard Branson is preparing to relinquish control of the carrier he founded in 1984.

The Telegraph

• Virgin Atlantic receives numerous tie-up offers Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic has received several enquiries about potential tie-ups with rival carriers, spanning everything from joint marketing agreements to the possible purchase of a stake.
• Transport review of the year 2010 It has been a pretty miserable year for anyone wanting to go anywhere.

Press Association

• Drivers warned over grit supplies Road chiefs have refused to give a green light to people driving home for Christmas as the big freeze is poised to strike again.

Daily Express

• Delta eyes up Virgin Atlantic mergerSIR Richard Branson's -Virgin Atlantic airline is -facing speculation about potential mergers or tie- ups after revealing it had received enquiries from rivals.

Birmingham Mail

• Electric car boost for Birmingham BIRMINGHAM drivers are set for an electric car revolution after the Midlands won a share of a £20 million pot which will see more than 100 charging points installed across the city.
• Birmingham bus fares rise for second time in eight months BUS passengers will face the second hike on fares in just eight months when they return to work after Christmas.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham to London high speed rail link will help spread wealth, says PM A new high-speed rail network between Birmingham and London will help to alleviate the economic north-south divide, the Prime Minister has said.

Journal Live

• Transport giant Go-Ahead poised for sell-offs TRANSPORT giant Go-Ahead is well poised to benefit from further sell-offs of local authority-owned bus services as a result of the Government's public sector cutbacks.

Liverpool Post

• Merseyside transport project funding slashed by two thirds FUNDING for transport projects in Merseyside has been slashed by two thirds.
• Southampton announces new £30m cruise ship terminal A NEW £30million cruise liner terminal will be built in Southampton, it has been announced.

Manchester Evening News

• Virgin: Christmas train services booking fast Virgin Trains is urging passengers to check times and book seats in plenty of time on Christmas services which are said to be more booked-up than last year. Sunday, December 18, is currently the busiest day and the company reports an increase in sales on the London to Manchester line through Macclesfield.

Sheffield Star

• Labour may ditch fast train planLabour may abandon support for a high-speed rail scheme which would bring billions of pounds to South Yorkshire.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Motorway upgrade gets go-ahead from SwinneyThe motorway linking Scotland™s two main cities is to be completed after Finance Secretary John Swinney announced a section of the busy road will be upgraded.
• Bus giant First gets warning over reliabilityA transport giant has received a formal warning for its poor punctuality record in its home city and for showing œcomplacency� towards passengers.
• Go-ahead for £25,000 traffic-calming planCouncillors approved a package of traffic-calming measures in Elgin™s town centre yesterday, despite receiving 31 objections from businesses and taxi drivers.
• Inverness link road ˜is crucial to growth™ A NEW road and two new bridges linking the communities to the south of Inverness will open the way for massive development in the city, council officials said last night.
• North-east commuters facing total gridlockThousands of north-east commuters and Aberdeen residents were yesterday warned they could soon be facing œcomplete gridlock� on the city™s roads unless a new bridge is built.
• Police chief warns of ˜nigh impossible™ weather taskA senior police officer said yesterday it would have been œnigh on impossible� to quickly close Scotland™s snowbound motorways and prevent last week™s traffic gridlock in the central belt.
• Arctic blast to test new minister™s action plan Scotland™s new transport minister unveiled a six-point plan to stop winter bringing the nation to a standstill again “ and was immediately dragged into an embarrassing row with hauliers.

The York Press

• York bus travel cash demand The Government should pay more towards bus travel in York, according to York councillors.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• West Yorkshire: Festive period puts brakes on rail and busesTrain and bus users in West Yorkshire will have to cope with a near-total shutdown of public transport during the festive period.

Yorkshire Post

• Carols demo in fight to keep rail footbridge open for all footbridge open PROTESTERS campaigning against plans to close the bridge at Sheffield railway station to non-passengers are planning to hold a Christmas carol-themed demonstration tomorrow.

Other Regional Press

• Transport grant slashed by £35m Greater Manchester’s transport grant is to be slashed by more than £35 million.
• Commuter to rail against train firmAn unhappy Southeastern passenger is to vent his fury...in song!
• Huddersfield rail expert optimistic for northern train plans A RAIL expert has said he’s feeling “positive” about the future of train travel in the North.
• Delays expected as M8 upgrade finally approvedA long-delayed upgrade to the last non-motorway section of the M8 has finally been given the green light by the Scottish Government, although it is unclear when work will begin.

Aviation Industry

• EC: Single European Sky ˜crucial™ to ATM in EuropeEuropean Commission VP-Transport Siim Kallas, who is highly critical of the recent air traffic controller strikes in several European countries”specifically in Spain, believes that the Single European Sky will eliminate these kinds of disruptions.
• Virgin Atlantic receives tie-up inquiries Virgin Atlantic Airways said it has been contacted by a number of companies regarding potential tie-ups after its 51% owner, Virgin Group, contracted Deutsche Bank to assess the airline's position and growth opportunities in the rapidly consolidating European airline industry.

Other News Sources

• TfL Improves App Site For Developers Transport for London has enhanced its developers area to include more information, attempting to encourage developers to create apps that are useful to the public.
• Transport Minister demands retailers return services to ScotlandScotland’s new Transport Minister has accused British retailers of abandoning their consumers in Scotland after several of them suspended deliveries due to inclement weather.
• ScotRail to withdraw services in north of Scotland Poor weather forecast forces train operator to cancel northern routes and reduce some Edinburgh services.
• Overnight pay-and-display charges to be scrappedTRANSPORT bosses have beat a hasty retreat on overnight pay-and-display charges and plan to completely remove them.
• Transport Secretary visits Love Logistics eventOn Tuesday night the great and the good of the logistics industry gathered at FTA™s Love Logistics Parliamentary Reception at the Cinnamon Club in Westminster to celebrate the logistics industry once again successfully delivering Christmas. Those in attendance included Traffic Commissioners, Rt Hon MPs and key figureheads from across the transport industry. The Secretary of [...]
• Snow tyres now mandatory in Germany ¨¨UK and Ireland-based operators travelling to or through Germany are now required to have M+S tyres fitted to drive axles during snowy and icy conditions following a revision to the existing law in the European country. The new regulation, which came into effect on 4 December 2010, stipulates that all buses with more than eight [...]
• Easyjet starts selling flexible faresEasyjet has started selling its new fares targeting the business traveller, designed to offer unlimited flexibility within a four-week period

Other Subscription Services

• Shipping is efficient but money and emissions can still be savedWebsite shippingefficiency.org hits back at claims its results are misleading