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

Wednesday, 25 July 2012

BBC News

• Bexhill to Hastings link road 'could be delayed' The actions of a transport group have been described as "a delaying tactic" by East Sussex County Council.
• Unlicensed taxis in Newton Abbot 'put passengers at risk' Passengers are putting themselves at risk by getting into unlicensed taxis in a Devon town, a council has said.
• HS2 steaming ahead or off track?Is HS2 steaming ahead or going off the rails following the admission that over 400 responses were overlooked during consultations?
• MP excited by London bus pledgeNews that a multi-million pound order for 600 buses could come to a Ballymena coach builder has been welcomed by the area's MP.
• Tube cleaners call two-day strikeCleaners on London Underground and the Docklands Light Railway are to walk out in a dispute over pay on the day of the Olympics opening ceremony.
• Olympic road restrictions beginRoad restrictions put in place for the duration of the Olympic Games come into force.
• Jaguar to create 1,100 new jobsLuxury car company Jaguar Land Rover says it will create 1,100 new jobs at its Castle Bromwich plant in the West Midlands.

Financial Times

• Bid to prevent Olympic airport strikeThe Home Office is seeking an urgent injunction to prevent planned strike action by border staff on the busiest day of Olympic flight arrivals
• Hitachi set to secure largest UK train orderThe country™s biggest and most ambitious procurement programme expected to get signed off this week after more than a delay of three years
• Official ˜crossing fingers™ for games transportLondon will have to rely on luck to avoid serious transport problems during the Olympics, says the man overseeing the capital™s preparations for the IOC
• UPS cuts outlook on global slowdownBellwether package delivery company cuts 2012 profit forecast and warns of US slowdown fears
• Olympic test looms for London™s transportWorries remain, despite more than £6bn invested in the capital™s Victorian system “ early on identified as the biggest risk to a successful games

The Guardian

• 'Too hot' for trains to Olympic stadium Greater Anglia announces that some trains will not stop at Stratford, with temperature in London expected to exceed 30C
• London 2012: transport secretary brushes off rehearsal problems 'We got everybody home,' says Justine Greening after 60,000 spectators faced tube and rail closures on Monday night
• London 2012: last-ditch high court bid to halt Heathrow strikeHome secretary, Theresa May, describes threat of action by staff and civil servants at UK Border Agency as 'opportunistic'Home Office ministers are to seek a last minute high court injunction to block a 24-hour strike by UK Border Agency staff and civil servants hitting Heathrow airport on the eve of the Olympics.The Home Office will on Wednesday ask the high court to ban the strike, which is due to take place on Thursday, on the grounds there was a

The Herald

• Glasgow-Edinburgh train boostSUNDAY train services between Glasgow and Edinburgh will double in frequency from September as ScotRail extends its half-hourly service on the busy route.

The Independent

• MPs urge a 30% cut in emissionsEurope should commit to a tougher target for reducing greenhouse gases by 2020 to show global leadership on tackling climate change, MPs will urge today.

The Scotsman

• London 2012 Olympics: Tube staff disrupt first days of GamesLONDON Underground employees will stage a work-to-rule from Friday in an Olympics-related dispute, it was confirmed yesterday.
• Harry Potter Hogwarts express train sparks problemsSparks from a steam train on one of Scotland’s most famous railway lines – which featured in the Harry Potter films – are being blamed for starting moorland fires.

The Telegraph

• Jaguar Land Rover to create 1,100 jobs in the Midlands Jaguar Land Rover is to create 1,100 new jobs at its plant in Castle Bromwich as part of plans to revitalise the Jaguar brand.
• One of these will be moving quickly during the Olympics...and it's not the London busSprinter Usain Bolt poses with a traditional routemaster bus in London today but with the Olympics just four days away London's transport network is creaking under the pressure.
• Hot weather halts Olympic trainsReduced speed limits imposed on trains as summer heatwave hits UK.
• Olympics 2012: sponsors told to stay out of Games lanesJustine Greening urges executives to swap chauffeur-driven official cars for trains and buses.
• London 2012 Olympics: Inside the TfL control roomAs the Olympic Games Lanes open and London fills up with even more traffic, the Telegraph is shown around TfL's control room to see how they cope with the city's transport.

Reuters News

• Hitachi wins 4 billion pounds high-speed rail car order from UK - Nikkei Hitachi Ltd will announce that it has received orders from Britain for 500 high-speed rail cars worth at least 400 to 500 billion yen (3.29-4.12 billion pounds) to replace outdated rolling stock, Japan's Nikkei reported on Wednesday.

Mail Online

• Cost of car insurance hits £1,000: Bogus whiplash claims and 'cash for crash' racket send premiums soaringDrivers are paying 8.5 per cent more than a year ago and twice what they paid in July 2008, according to the AA.
• London 2012: First border staff call strike. Now Tube drivers - who've already had £1,000 sweetener - join Olympic saboteursThousands of tube staff and workers on South West Trains - needed to ferry visitors to Games sites across London and the South - will begin a work-to-rule regime from Friday.
• Train drivers ordered not stop at Olympic Park as decrepit overhead cables installed in the 1950s can't cope with the heatAs temperatures soar, The Greater Anglia rail company has ordered drivers to go straight through Stratford - the main gateway to the Olympics - To minimise delays.

Network Rail

• THREE MORE LONDON OVERGROUND STATIONS BECOME STEP-FREE

Birmingham Mail

• Passenger satisfaction with West Midlands buses on the risePASSENGER satisfaction on the region’s buses has gone up according to an independent survey.
• New dawn for public transport in Birmingham as last bus leaves Corporation StreetA VINTAGE Daimler was the last bus to pull out of Corporation Street when double deckers were re-routed in a transport shake-up.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Conwy B&B first in Wales to install electric car chargersA GREEN guest house in Snowdonia is the first in Wales to install electric charge points for cars. The four star Bryn Bella, on the outskirts of Betws y Coed, Conwy, has installed the charge points which will help power cars overnight and cut down on fuel bills.

Derby Telegraph

• This is Derbyshire published Restrictions for novice drivers around the cornerIS the high cost of car insurance creating additional risks by forcing young drivers off the road?

Edinburgh Evening News

• City set for U-turn on car ban in Princes StTRAFFIC is set to return to Princes Street under plans being considered by transport chiefs to ease widespread criticism of the latest tram work diversions.

Journal Live

• Stagecoach chief warns councils over taking business awayTHE head of the North East’s largest bus firm has warned he would rather “take poison” than let councils seize his buses.

Liverpool Echo

• Metal thieves cause commuter chaos on trains between Manchester and SouthportMETAL thieves caused commuter chaos on the trains this morning.
• Liverpool Communities vote overwhelmingly in favour of proposed 20mph speed limits for residential roadsCOMMUNITIES in Liverpool voted overwhelmingly in favour of the proposed 20mph reduced speed limits for the city’s residential roads.

Liverpool Post

• Parking scandal costing Liverpool £1m a year, council’s own annual audit revealsAUDITORS discovered a catalogue of failures had left Liverpool council open to fraud and abuse.

London Evening Standard

• London 2012 Olympics: Now it's the wrong type of SUN that's threatening rail chaosWe have had passenger numbers and union action but now it is the SUN threatening rail travel chaos.
• Fate of Thameslink service connecting south and central London to be decided in weeksCommuters in south London have less than a month to save a vital train link that crosses the capital, campaigners have warned.
• London 2012 Olympics: Passengers warned your journey could take 30 minutes longer from today TUBE passengers were warned today it could take more than half an hour just to get on a train at key stations during the Olympics.

Manchester Evening News

• Delays after tram fault leads to Metrolink services being suspendedMetrolink services are severely disrupted after a tram fault caused the suspension of services on most lines.
• Rome alone: Boy, 11, who sneaked through Manchester Airport security and flew to ItalyAirport staff have been suspended and a top-level investigation launched after an 11-year-old boy got on a flight to Rome without a passport, boarding pass or cash. Liam Corcoran evaded five security checks in Manchester Airport to board the flight.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• North Tyneside Council gives kids bike riding masterclassVIDEO cameras went into overdrive as dozens of youngsters learned to ride their bikes at a summer masterclass.
• Stagecoach chief vows Nexus will never take controlBUS firms have warned they will “take poison” before they hand control to Tyneside councils.

Nottingham Evening Post

• This is Nottingham published Nottingham is an accident blackspot for inexperienced driversTHE high number of inexperienced drivers on Nottingham's roads was said to be a reason why the city was singled out by an...

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Sparks fly over steam train ˜fires™ One of Scotland™s most famous railway lines has been given a new nickname “ the west toast railway line “ thanks to the sparks that fly from the steam trains.

Bucks Free Press

• Transport boss 'frustrated' by junction problems A TRANSPORT chief has admitted his frustration at the continuing problems with the traffic lights at a major junction in Gerrards Cross.

Other Regional Press

• Wimbledon MP wants to 're-examine' third Heathrow runway Wimbledon’s MP has insisted he is still against proposals to a third runway at Heathrow airport, despite saying the Government should consider them as part of wider plans to increase the UK’s airport capacity.
• Timing of £100m railway works criticised by tourism bosses in LincolnshireTHE timing of planned rail improvements has been criticised by tourism bosses, concerned about the potential impact on next year's season.
• Stagecoach could take over axed Aberdeen bus routesSTAGECOACH could take over Aberdeen bus routes dumped by FirstBus, the Evening Express can reveal today.
• Rail fan waiting to see if link is on the right linesWhile many are celebrating the news that our rail links are to receive a much-needed funding boost, some are keeping the champagne on ice.

Global Rail News

• Free Olympic rail travel for the militaryMilitary personnel working in London during the Olympics will be able to travel for free on all Transport for London (TfL) services this summer. When in uniform, military personnel will be offered free travel on the Tube, London buses, the Docklands Light Railway and London Overground. Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “London is ready [...]
• ScotRail expands Sunday serviceScotRail is to launch a new half-hourly Sunday service on its Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk route. From September 9, a dozen more trains will be put into service, adding more than 2,250 extra seats. The expansion of services means there will be trains on the hour and half past the hour in both directions on Sundays [...]
• Olympic torch travels on the TubeThe Olympic torch has travelled along the London Underground today in the latest leg of its nationwide tour. Tube service operator John Light, 64, carried the flame along the District Line from Wimbledon to Wimbledon Park this morning. Today’s other torch bearers will include double Olympic champion rower James Cracknell, musical artists Katy B and [...]
• McGinley backs Infrastructure Person of the YearMcGinley Support Services is sponsoring the Infrastructure Person of the Year at this year™s RailStaff Awards. McGinley Support Services is a Link-Up accredited supplier of personnel and support services to the national railway and various urban metro rail networks. Sean McGinley, business support director of McGinley Support Services Limited, said: ˜This is a great celebration [...]
• Passenger harm falls to lowest ever levelThe level of passenger harm on the UK’s railways fell to its lowest ever level between 2011-12, according to a report published today by the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR). ORR’s annual health and safety report showed that as well as a 12 per cent decrease in the overall rate of harm, London Underground, Overground [...]
• Rail volunteer honoured for station transformationA West Highland woman has become the first person in Scotland to have single-handedly transformed three stations as part of ScotRail™s Adopt a Station community project. Sonia Cameron has installed six half-barrel planters at Morar, adding to the floral displays she plants and maintains at Mallaig and Arisaig. ScotRail has paid tribute to the Mallaig [...]
• Europorte awarded 8-year operations contractEurotunnel’s rail freight arm has landed an eight-year contract to manage operations and maintenance of the Port of Bordeaux Authority’s railway infrastructure. Europorte will be responsible for more than 20km of track and 39 sidings at terminals in Bassens and le Verdon. The company, which will place a dedicated team at the Port of Bordeaux, [...]

Railnews

• IEP order may be confirmed within days Speculation is growing that the Department for Transport is poised to announce a contract for the first tranche of Intercity Express trains this week. The order, if it is confirmed, will have come only after well over three years of debate and reassessments by the Department, as plans for the future rail network evolved.
• Adelantes return to Great Western First Great Western has introduced Class 180 Adelantes on its North Cotswolds line. The move turns back the clock by about a decade, because the Alstom-built 180s were formerly used on the GWML between London and Bristol but later transferred elsewhere because of technical problems.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair blames Spain cuts on tax riseNo-frills airline follows rival Easyjet in cutting Spanish routes
• KLM to resume flights to ZimbabweDutch airline to operate to Harare for the first time since 1999

Other News Sources

• Rail bosses 'sorry' for rush hour chaosRAIL chiefs today apologised to passengers after broken stonework caused rush hour chaos at Reading Station last night.
• Recycling minister hails nanotechnology potential Nanotechnology has a significant role to play in helping the UK to overcome resource scarcity but it needs to be developed responsibly, recycling minister Lord Taylor has said.
• Do Brighton and Hove tourist buses harm the city's sights? A sightseeing bus could be rerouted from an historic square “ after householders claimed it was damaging their homes and making streets unsafe.
• Bristol Airport prepares for a busy summerBristol Airport is gearing up for a busy start to the holiday season as families look forward to finding some sunshine following the recent wet weather. Summer is already proving very busy with...
• GBTA 2012: Sabre launches video conference booking platformTech giant will allow buyers to schedule and book virtual meeting facilities around the world