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

Thursday, 28 June 2012

BBC News

• New bridge over Thames in Reading in 'green' transport plan A new pedestrian and cycle bridge is to be built across the River Thames in Reading after the town was awarded £21m to create green transport initiatives.
• Airport tweet ruling is reservedJudgement is reserved in the appeal of a man convicted of posting a tweet threatening to blow up Robin Hood Airport.
• Down and out in Alicante airportSpanish sighs... down and out in Alicante airport
• Belfast flight in six-hour delayEasyjet passengers on a flight from Belfast to London faced a delay of almost six hours due to a bird strike and then an airport power cut.
• Thames cable car opens to publicThe new Thames cable car, spanning the river in east London, is set to open to the public later.
• VIDEO: Minister grilled on fuel duty U-turnOn the day that the government said it would delay a 3p-a-litre rise in fuel duty from August until next January, Treasury Minister Chloe Smith refused to say when exactly the government changed its mind.

Department for Transport

• Regulation of Aviation Security The Secretary of State for Transport (Justine Greening): Today I am publishing a summary of responses to the Government’s consultation on better regulation for aviation security, and announcing the Government’s decision on taking forward the initiative.
• £266M transport boost for green growth and infrastructure Towns and cities across England are set to benefit from major transport schemes boosting green growth, Transport Minister Norman Baker announced today.
• £266 million investment in local sustainable transport schemes The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport (Norman Baker): I am pleased to announce today that I am awarding a further £266m to support authorities in delivering local economic growth whilst cutting carbon emissions from transport. This funding unlocks further local funding sources to deliver £460m investment in local sustainable transport schemes.
• Changes to railway ticket office opening hours This document provides a summary of the rules which apply when train operators propose changes to ticket office opening hours. It contains links to documents which contain recent changes proposed by train operators and the full rules which apply to these changes. It also includes a frequently asked questions section, with answers.
• Intercity East Coast franchise consultation launched Rail passengers who travel between London and Scotland via the North East and Yorkshire are on track to get a host of improvements to their services, including a fleet of brand new trains and better stations.

Financial Times

• BA restores Leeds Bradford link to HeathrowBritish Airways reconnects northern airport after three-year break following its acquisition of BMI, allowing it extra landing slots at Britain™s busiest hub

The Guardian

• London bus drivers to vote again over possible strikesUnite to reballot members after injunction prevented staff at three operators taking industrial action over Olympic bonusesThe Unite trade union is to reballot London bus drivers barred from striking over Olympic bonuses by a high court injunction, as transport bosses criticised

The Herald

• Rail route ideas soughtPASSENGERS are being asked what they want to see on a major London to Scotland rail route when it is returned to the private sector next year.
• Decade of A9 travel chaosMOTORISTS face a decade of disruption after ministers announced the £3 billion of work to make Scotland's most dangerous road safer will start two years earlier than expected.
• Survey reveals morale slump at Transport ScotlandNEARLY one-quarter of civil servants working for the Scottish Government's £1.8 billion transport agency want to leave their jobs within a year amid growing dissatisfaction over pay and organisational reforms.
• Osborne fuel duty U-turnGeorge Osborne has scrapped the 3p-a-litre fuel duty rise set for August 1, in what Labour last night branded
• Swinney unveils £20m upgrade for A75A STRETCH of road on which there has been a spate of fatal crashes, including one that claimed a baby's life, is to be upgraded using money underspent by the Scottish Government last year.
• Scots Heathrow flights axedAIR passengers could see fares forced up after British Airways dumped two-thirds of the daily flights operated between Heathrow and Scotland by BMI after its takeover, it has been claimed.

The Telegraph

• Teachers tell pupils not to offer seats to disabled passengers for 'safety' reasonsSchoolchildren refused to give up their seats on a train for a disabled passenger and an elderly war veteran after teachers ordered them not to stand for safety reasons.

Press Association

• Green transport schemes given £266m Transport schemes boosting green growth have received a £266 million cash injection from the Government.

Network Rail

• NEW STREET REBUILD ACCELERATES BIRMINGHAM™S RETAIL RENAISSANCE

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Cruise ships will dock in Llandudno again thanks to grantCRUISE ships will be able to dock in a town for the first time in six years, thanks to a grant from an energy company.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Scrapping of 3p rise in fuel duty will be reprieve for driversBUSINESS leaders in Derbyshire have welcomed a decision by the Government to scrap a planned 3p increase in fuel duty.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Chiefs are urged to honour early tram inquiry pledgeCOUNCIL chiefs will tomorrow be challenged to stick to their pledge to seek an urgent inquiry into Edinburgh’s trams debacle.

Journal Live

• East Coast Main Line consultation startsTHE search is on to find the next firm to run trains on the East Coast Main Line. Rail Minister Theresa Villiers has kick-started the consultation process as she seeks to return the nationalised railway to a new private sector operator.

London Evening Standard

• Heathwick' could be answer to London's airport crisis A second runway at Gatwick is emerging as an early frontrunner to solve the aviation crisis in the South-East.
• Osborne 'cowardly' over fuel U-turnChancellor George Osborne has been branded an "arrogant coward" by a Conservative backbencher after sending a junior Treasury minister into the TV studios to defend his £550 million decision to delay the 3p hike in fuel duty.

Metro

• Chloe Smith 'humiliated' by Jeremy Paxman on NewsnightChancellor George Osborne was labelled a coward after sending junior minister Chloe Smith to face Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight over the government's fuel duty U-turn. Chloe Smith: 'I don't think many things are certain in this world.' (Picture: YouTube) The economic secretary to the Treasury struggled to answer any of Mr Paxman's questions and was unable to tell him how the £550million move would be funded or when she was informed of the decision.Her interview evoked the performance of fictional minister Ben Swain in political satire The Thick of It, in which the hapless politician blinks his wa...
• Jumbo jet pilot is one of the world's youngest at just 20 years oldAn airman who learned to fly before he got his driving licence has become one of the world™s youngest jumbo jet pilots. Osian Gwyn Williams, 20, has become one of the world's youngest Boeing 747 pilots (Picture: Gwynedd Daily Post) Osian Gwyn Williams started flying light aircraft at the age of 15 and now he is 20 he is looking forward to his new job flying Boeing 747s around the globe. His proud father, John, said it came as ˜no surprise™ to him when his son was offered employment just a month after completing his airline training at Oxford Aviation Academy. Earlier this week the high-flier...

Northern Echo

• New thinking transforms airline's rubbishIF you've ever wondered what happens to those little plastic bags which your headphones come wrapped in on an aeroplane, you may need to find a new issue to pontificate.

Sheffield Star

• Celebrities in courtroom for Doncaster airport twitter case appealA MAN found guilty of sending a menacing tweet about a Robin Hood Airport had celebrity backing as he renewed his challenge against conviction.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Fuelled you! Osborne drops 3p rise to the north™s relief HARD-PRESSED motorists in the north breathed a collective sigh of relief last night after George Osborne bowed to pressure by shelving August™s fuel duty rise.

The York Press

• 3p fuel duty rise scrapped THE Chancellor™s decision to scrap August™s planned 3p rise in fuel duty will improve the economy, North Yorkshire business leaders have said.
• New trains for East Coast line as franchise consultation launchedUpdated: PASSENGERS have been promised a new fleet of trains and better stations on the railway from York to London and Edinburgh as a consultation for a new East Coast Main Line franchise gets under way.
• BA brings direct Heathrow flights back to regional airportBRITISH Airways is to start four-times-a-day flights from Leeds Bradford Airport to Heathrow from December.
• Europe-wide search for York Park&Ride builder launchedA PAN-EUROPEAN search has begun to find a firm to build two new Park&Ride sites in York in a £22 million congestion-busting project.

Wales Online

• Great Western Partnership outlines 25 year investment plan for the GWML A BODY representing the public and private sectors along the Great Western Main Line will today call for a major upgrading of the line over the next 25 years, which would significantly reduce journey times from South Wales to London.

Yorkshire Post

• Millions for new bus and cycle lanes in the regionYORKSHIRE will receive around £30m for new park-and-ride schemes, bus and cycle lanes and other ‘sustainable’ transport measures after the Government rubber-stamped a series of major projects around the UK.
• BA praised over return of Heathrow serviceBusiness and civic leaders have applauded British Airways for its decision to start a new service between Leeds Bradford Airport and Heathrow.
• Rail company under fire for tree fellingNetwork RAIL has come under fire for recent work felling trees and clearing scrub along railways, with wildlife experts warning they could be illegally destroying birds’ nests.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Passengers to help keep rail services on trackCommuters from Peterborough are being asked to devise a wish list for the type of rail service they want to use.
• Video: Pupils™ guided walk through rules of the roadChildren were given a guided walk through the basic rules of the road in Peterborough as part of Child Safety Week.

Other Regional Press

• Multi-million pound 'green' transport award for Hampshire A NEW 'Oyster' style travel card is set to be rolled out across Hampshire after the region bagged a multi-million pound green transport grant.
• OAPs stuck as transport charity folds A Banbury community transport service has closed, leaving about 100 OAPs and disabled users stuck for buses.
• £4m boost for transport in Rutland TRANSPORT in Rutland will get a £4m boost with new bus routes and a transport hub.
• Network Rail shows off plans for a bridge to replace Tallington level crossing CONCEPT drawings of a bridge over a busy railway line have been shown to the public for the first time.
• Bedfordshire MP welcomes fuel plansALISTAIR Burt MP has welcomed the government’s announcement over fuel duty.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Fuel duty: We need better options to get off oil, not knee jerk responses27 June 2012: George Osborne's sudden announcement yesterday that August's fuel duty rise will be postponed was a knee jerk isolated response to a party political problem. read more

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• A Greater Manchester bid to signal a sea change in the way we travel Greater Manchester has today secured £32.5 million from the Department for Transport to realise its vision for getting more people to work in a way that reduces carbon emissions, congestion and pollution, and increases active travel.
• MPs welcome fuel duty move The government's decision has to freeze plans to increase the fuel tax rate by three pence per litre in August has met with approval from MPs, who claims it will boost businesses and help consumers in difficult economic times.
• Transport scheme 'to boost green growth' UK transport minister Norman Baker has announced plans to boost green growth across the country with a £266 million investment in various infrastructure schemes.
• East Coast Main Line consultation begins Scotland's East Coast Main Line is now looking for a new provider, with rail minister Theresa Villiers starting the search for a new private operator to take on the once-nationalised railway.

Global Rail News

• Booking office closures will lead to œmuggers™ paradise�General secretary of the RMT, Bob Crow, has said closing booking offices will turn parts of the rail network into a “muggers’ paradise” and place around 100 jobs at risk. The comments follow the release of a list by the Department for Transport naming the 116 stations where train operators have requested the closure of [...]
• Plans submitted for multi-million pound rail projectPlans have been submitted for the £19.2 million scheme to upgrade the railway line between Coventry and Nuneaton. A planning application has been submitted to Warwickshire County Council for a new rail station, including two platforms, waiting shelters, stairs and ramps, a ticket machine, CCTV, cycle parking and 30 car park spaces. Bermuda Park rail [...]
• Allerton rebornTheresa Villiers MP, Minister of State for Transport, officially re-opened Allerton Depot on Thursday 10 May 2012 after Network Rail and Northern Rail delivered a comprehensive refurbishment project in just six months. Close to Liverpool South Parkway station, the new depot actually opened in December 2011 to maintain the additional units that Northern received as [...]
• Perception of power in recruitmentEmployers are increasing the time they take to decide on who to hire. At the same time, top grade candidates are realising they have many advantages in an era of skill shortage. An unprecedented demand for graduates means these are testing times for companies needing to fill vacancies. Engineering and rail recruitment specialist ATA™s Managing [...]
• Consultation launched over the future of East CoastThe Department for Transport has launched a consultation over plans to return the East Coast Main Line to the private sector. Rail Minister Theresa Villiers has launched the  InterCity East Coast franchise consultation, inviting passengers to send in their views on what they want from the next franchise, which will take over from the publicly-funded [...]
• Network Rail™s Doncaster factory given the go-aheadNetwork Rail will soon begin manufacturing hundreds of thousands of concrete sleepers for a programme of track improvements after planning permission was granted for a new factory in Doncaster. On June 25, Doncaster Council agreed planning permission for the new building and a formal agreement between Network Rail and Trackwork Moll has now been signed. [...]
• New trams for Croydon commutersCroydon tram commuters are benefiting from a new direct service between Therapia Lane and Elmers End. As a result of this additional tram route, there are now 12 trams an hour passing through Croydon’s town centre – a rise of 50 per cent. Operation of the new route has been made possible by the introduction [...]

Aviation Industry

• 'Mixed mode' flying will not solve Heathrow™s problems “ WalshUsing both runways for landing and take-offs will not fix capacity crunch in the south-east
• Portugal flights to be hit by five-day strikeAirlines cancel and reschedule services due to air traffic controllers™ walkout

Other News Sources

• Boris vows transport will 'cope very well' during Olympics London Mayor Boris Johnson vowed that London transport will "cope very well" during the Olympic Games.
• Merseyside gets £20 million transport boost A project to improve public transport and cycle routes in deprived areas of Merseyside is to receive £20 million of government funding.
• RMT to ballot all London Underground staff for action short of a strike over use of unqualified staff in safety critical rolesTUBE UNION RMT announced today that it is to ballot all London Underground members for action short of a strike over the issue of the company using ill-trained and unqualified Incident Customer Service Assistants (ICSA's) to make up minimum numbers at stations.
• No settlement on Serco Barclays RMT response on Serco
• Transport bosses average £1 million payThe bosses of the 'big five' private transport operators have pocketed an average £1 million each in pay, bagging an aggregate pay rise worth a shade shy of 20 per cent, according to their most recent company accounts, a study by transport union RMT reveals today.
• Architects fight it out in £100 million bid to transform Hove Station areaWinning ideas will be announced next week