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

Tuesday, 21 December 2010

BBC News

• High-speed rail is to be alteredThe planned route of the high-speed rail line from London to Birmingham has been altered after protests about its impact on homes and the countryside.
• Labour: Ministers 'woefully ill-prepared' for snowShadow transport secretary Maria Eagle has accused transport ministers of being
• Rail route will run through my homeThe Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, has defended plans to build a high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham.
• Bank Tube 're-tunnelling' plansBank Tube station in the City of London to be re-tunnelled as part of a planned revamp.
• London transport chaos continuesFreezing temperatures continue to cause cancellations and delays to transport services in and around London.
• Airports hit by 'knock-on' effectAir passengers in Scotland are hit by the knock-on effect of airport closures at major hubs in England, despite Scottish runways staying open.
• Airlines count cost of snowIn a year of ash clouds, strikes and now heavy snow how has the aviation industry coped?
• Rail strike over bank holiday payWorkers at Northern Rail are to strike on 27 and 28 December in a row over Bank Holiday pay, it is announced.

Department for Transport

• New High Speed Rail Proposals Unveiled Transport Secretary Philip Hammond today confirmed that the Government’s proposed high speed rail network - which would link London to the West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds - will include a direct link to Heathrow and to the European high speed rail network.
• New High Speed Rail Proposals Unveiled Transport Secretary Philip Hammond today confirmed that the Government’s proposed high speed rail network - which would link London to the West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds - will include a direct link to Heathrow and to the European high speed rail network.

Financial Times

• Shortage of de-icer closes Brussels airport Brussels Airport cancels all flights until Wednesday morning at the earliest after heavy usage and delivery difficulties cause a shortage of de-icing liquid
• German air, road and rail travel disruptedTensions remained high at Frankfurt airport, where thousands of Christmas travel plans were thrown into chaos. Meanwhile, train speeds were restricted and trucks jack-knifed on roads
• UK airports struggle to ease snow chaos Night curfews were lifted and ticket refunds offered at Heathrow as authorities took a series of unusual steps to ease the chaos at Europe's busiest airport
• Stranded travellers attack lack of helpThousands of passengers remained stranded at Heathrow on Monday as frustrations intensified over the handling of delays by the airport's owner BAA and the airlines
• Heathrow issues fresh warningNight no-fly curfews were lifted and full refunds were offered at Heathrow as authorities struggled to contain scenes of chaos at Europe's busiest airport
• Network Rail to pay for fraud inquiryNetwork Rail will pay for an independent inquiry into allegations of misuse of public funds that have dogged the publicly funded company for months
• No direct Heathrow high-speed line 'for decades'There will be no direct high-speed rail services to Heathrow airport during the initial development of the system, the transport secretary said
• BA and BAA take the hitThe chaotic disruption at Heathrow over one of the busiest travelling weeks of the year will dent the finances of its biggest airline user, BA, and its owner, BAA
• Forth Ports looks to property upliftThe port operator says independent valuers' assessment of its property portfolio would 'take account of' new planning consent for a development on Edinburgh's waterfront

The Guardian

• Heathrow says delays will continuePhilip Hammond says government needs to consider whether Britain is experiencing 'step change' in weatherHeathrow airport could remain in a state of partial paralysis beyond Christmas, its owner admitted yesterday, spelling misery for the tens of thousands of passengers who face the prospect of being stranded over the festive period.BAA said two-thirds of flights into and out of Britain's largest airport would be cancelled until at least Wednesday morning because it has the resources to keep only one of its two runways open.The news came as Philip Hammond, the transport secretary, told MPs the...

The Herald

• Snow-hit airports warn of ongoing travel chaos until at least ChristmasThousands of passengers face air travel misery up to and beyond Christmas Day, with flight cancellations between Scotland and London set to continue due to snowy conditions.
• Scottish cities could get direct rail link to the continentDirect trains could run from Glasgow and Edinburgh to the continent under revised plans for a high-speed rail network published by the UK Government yesterday.
• Forth Ports boosted by strong trading figuresForth Ports yesterday reported continuing strong trading and progress on its renewable energy programme, as it updated investors before the year end.
• BA shares tumble as airline suffers from the big chillShares in British Airways were among the worst performers on the London Stock Exchange™s FTSE-100 blue-chip index yesterday as City traders marked down the stock due to concern that the current bout of severe winter would have a big impact on the airline™s profits.

The Independent

• Fears of Tory rebellion over high-speed railMinisters announced a series of changes yesterday to plans for a £12bn high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham in an effort to avert a Conservative rebellion against the scheme.

The Telegraph

• Infrastructure costs could be cut by £30bn, says TreasuryBritain could save up to £30bn over the next decade on infrastructure spending if it improves project planning, commissioning and procurement, a Government report has found.
• Department for Transport spent £7 out of every £10 of staff costs on consultantsThe Government department in charge of the country’s snowbound roads and rail network has been spending £7 on consultants for every £10 it spends on staff, an official report has found.
• High-speed rail madness: some useful links [blog]The continued meltdown of the country’s transport network (even though, at the time of writing, the last snow in London fell more than two days ago) is the best reminder we could need that, instead of wasting our money on flashy high-speed rail vanity projects, we need to get the ordinary, everyday basic network in order.
• Air pollution 'shortens lives of 200,000 people' Air pollution in Britain takes almost two years off the lives of some 200,000 people, an official report into the problem has found.
• UK snow: Christmas cancelled for travellers as Heathrow warns of days of delays Number of people whose travel plans have been wrecked could top 250,000 by the middle of the week.
• High-speed rail line will be 'pleasing to look at' The controversial new high speed rail line will be "something that people are pleased to look at," Philip Hammond has told critics of the plan.
• High-speed rail 'will make Coventry a London suburb' People living in towns as far north as Coventry will be able to become daily commuters to London when the planned high-speed rail link is built, ministers have promised.
• High-speed rail: no direct Heathrow link until 2030s The new high-speed rail line will not be linked to Heathrow airport until the 2030s, ministers have announced.
• 'National disgrace' Heathrow owners accused of under-investing in snow-clearing equipment Heathrow suffered from "chronic underinvestment" ahead of this winter compared with its domestic and European rivals, it was claimed yesterday.

Mail Online

• HS2 route change will 'significantly mitigate' impact of 250mph trains says Transport SecretaryTransport Secretary Philip Hammond sought to stem a middle-class revolt by ‘re-aligning’ up to 50 per cent of the 109-mile London to Birmingham route to ‘mitigate’ its effect on the landscape and homes.
• Great Queue of St Pancras: Thousands wait hours for a Eurostar in Arctic chill... only to be turned awayA freezing record-breaking queue snaked all around St Pancras International station – taking some 6,000 people past the British Library and back towards Euston.

The Mirror

• Cam still out in cold David Cameron's lack of leadership to get no-go Britain moving will infuriate stranded travellers who have a right to expect more from their PM.

Network Rail

• FINAL WORK DATES ANNOUNCED FOR LONDON OVERGROUND UPGRADE
• CHRISTMAS LAUNCH PAD FOR MASSIVE IMPROVEMENTS TO READING'S RAILWAY

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham to London High Speed Rail opponents vow to continue fight Opponents of a planned high speed rail line between London and Birmingham have vowed to continue their fight despite a series of changes to the planned route.
• Snow in Birmingham: Disruption caused to train services THE icy grip on the Midlands also caught train travellers in its grasp with massive disruption on the railways.

Bolton News

• ˜More potholes and traffic jams™ THE number of potholes and traffic jams could soar on Bolton™s roads as a result of savage cuts to local transport budgets, Bolton MP Yasmin Qureshi has warned.
• Rail misery as Northern Rail workers look set to strike Workers at Northern Rail, which operates trains serving Bolton, are to strike on December 27 and 28 in a row over Bank Holiday pay, it was announced today.

Bristol Live

• Buses in Bristol largely unaffected by the snowAll bus services in Bristol city are running as normal, but with some delays - although there are no services serving Imperial Park. A burst water main on the A38 is affecting services 75 and 76 as well as some others and there is increased traffic in the area. Buses operating from Bristol Bus Station are mostly running, but Clevedon services to and from Bristol are only operating to Sixways and via main roads. Services 310 and 311 to Thornbury are currently terminating early at Dursley. All services from Weston-super-Mare have been suspended, including those going to Bristol. Any customers wi...
• Bristol Airport remains open despite snowfallLATEST: Bristol Airport is open and flights are operating, albeit with some disruption due to the weather in Bristol and elsewhere across the UK and Europe. The airport's team have been working hard to keep the runway and taxiways clear since snow began falling. Snow sweepers, ploughs, brushes and blowers have been used to keep the runway clear, with 12 additional tractors contracted in to help with snow clearance. An airport spokesman said that five tonnes of grit have been spread on airport car parks and roads to ensure passengers can park safely on arrival. Wi-fi has been made available fr...

London Evening Standard

• Police turn away Eurostar passengers as thousands queue in freezing coldPolice forced to turn away Eurostar passengers trying to get home for Christmas as thousands queue for up to six hours at St Pancras
• Bob Crow seek mass strikes over cutsRail union chief Bob Crow calls for mass strikes and trouble on the streets as David Cameron prepares for a historic meeting with union leaders
• Rail workers in Bank Holiday actionWorkers at Northern Rail are to strike on December 27 and 28 in a row over Bank Holiday pay, it has been announced.

Metro

• Airport snow hell will last past weekendThousands of passengers endured another day of misery at Heathrow yesterday as airport bosses warned the travel chaos will last into next week.
• Eurostar passengers trapped in Britain by big freezeUp to 10,000 Eurostar passengers became the latest victims to suffer Christmas getaway misery as they were trapped in Britain by the big freeze.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Transport secretary climbs down over motorcycle tests Learner motorbike riders will be able to take their tests close to home rather than at far-flung centres following a Department for Transport climbdown. In a statement slipped out the day before MPs leave Westminster for Christmas, junior transport minister Mike Penning said his aim was to see straightforward practical tests carried out on local roads by the end of next year or early in 2012.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds pot hole budget slashedTHE budget for repairing potholes and crumbling roads in Leeds is to be slashed by more than a £1m, the YEP has learned. Government spending cuts will see the city's roa

Bucks Free Press

• Public 'more patient' towards gritters than last winterGRITTING teams have not faced the same angry reaction from the public that they experienced last winter, a transport boss says.
• High Speed rail route confirmed A HIGH speed railway line will be built through the Buckinghamshire countryside, the Transport Secretary confirmed today.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Hundreds stranded as rail services cutFrom The ET: FRUSTRATED commuters lined the frozen streets in their hundreds after almost all train services through Peterborough were halted yesterday (Sunday, 19th December).

Other Regional Press

• Essex County Council launches transport consultationCASH-STRAPPED Essex County Council has launched a public consultation on transport priorities as it looks to reduce its annual spend on highways and transportation services across the county.
• Extra salt is on Mayor™s ordersFOLLOWING the weekend’s extreme winter conditions the Mayor of Bedford, Dave Hodgson ordered an extra 50 secondary roads to be gritted.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Decline in UK bus passenger journeys recordedThe third quarter of 2010 saw journeys completed by bus passengers in the UK dip by 0.2 per cent compared with the period between April and June.During the three months to September, the seasonally-adjusted figures from the Department for Transport also show a drop of 0.5 per cent in activity between 2008-09 and 2009-10.According to the bus statistics, vehicle miles declined over the year by 1.2 per cent, while fares were down by 0.2 per cent year-on-year in real terms in March 2010.Meanwhile, the proportion of operating revenue local bus services receive from passenger fare receipts climbed f...

Railnews

• News: Preferred route for HS2 set to be revealed today The preferred route for the first section of High Speed 2 is due to be announced today. The transport secretary has confirmed his support for the project, partly because the West Coast Main Line is expected to run out of capacity by the early 2020s. He has also criticised opponents, who he said had provided ‘complete misinformation’.

Aviation Industry

• Adverse weather statementHeathrow is operating a reduced flight schedule today, Tuesday 21 December.
• Severe winter weather stifles European air trafficPersisting freezing temperatures and heavy snow disrupted air traffic in large parts of Europe for a third consecutive day Monday. Europe™s three largest airports”London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt”remained significantly affected while smaller counterparts such as London Gatwick, Berlin Schoenefeld and Brussels have also been hit.
• Heathrow cancellations could continue over ChristmasThe chaos at Heathrow may well continue beyond Christmas Day, airport operator BAA has admitted
• Finnair reveals €10m revampThe Finnish national carrier has revealed a new-look livery, after a €10 million project to œstreamline and freshen� the airline™s identity
• AA, BA and Iberia expand codesharesAmerican Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA) and Iberia have expanded the number of flights included in their trans-Atlantic joint venture

Other News Sources

• Bombardier aims to build a hybrid Spyder in four yearsBombardier is launching a four-year program to develop a more efficient engine. But it's not the geared turbofan aircraft engine for Bombardier Inc.' s CSeries airliner -although it will take nearly as long.
• Funding allocated for London transport civil engineering jobsTransport for London (TfL) has allocated new funding to boroughs across the capital for construction work on schemes intended to enhance local transport.
• Snow chaos: Embattled Hammond defends Govt responseThe transport secretary has defended the government's preparedness to the freezing conditions hitting Britain's infrastructure.
• Parts of East Lancashire bus lane scheme to be revivedEAST Lancashire™s shelved multi-million pound bus lane scheme could be back on in revised form “ minus the bus lane.