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

Monday, 21 June 2010

BBC News

• Eastleigh council criticised for axing travel scheme A council has been criticised after it cancelled a travel scheme enabling elderly and disabled people access to cheap or free public transport.
• New Bromsgrove railway station money frozen Money earmarked to pay for a planned new railway station in Worcestershire has been frozen, it has emerged.
• Repairs to damaged Teesside road bridge completed early A Teesside road bridge closed when cracks appeared following heavy rain, has reopened ahead of schedule.
• Workers 'caught short over poor toilet facilities' Strict toilet break rules and inadequate facilities are causing discomfort and humiliation for some workers, a labour organisation says.

Financial Times

• Auction of UK high-speed rail link to beginThe privatisation of High Speed One “ which runs the line between St Pancras International station and the Channel tunnel “ is part of a programme of asset sales announced by the previous government in an effort to restore public finances

The Guardian

• The man who cleared up all the litter along the M40 When Peter Silverman couldn't face the sight of a rubbish-strewn motorway, he came up with a novel solution

The Scotsman

• Rail custom bodes well for Stagecoach and Go-Ahead STAGECOACH and Go-Ahead step into the spotlight with trading updates and results. After a difficult period for the industry with rail travel hit by recession, the signs have been brighter for Stagecoach after improved demand on its main commuter lines.

The Telegraph

• Government must overhaul strike ballot rules, says CBI The Government needs to overhaul the rules on strike ballots radically or risk leaving Britain to years of industrial unrest, a leading business group has warned.

Mail Online

• Train suicide bid of Tory MP 'depressed by expenses scandal'An MP who threw himself in front of the Gatwick Express but survived has been treated for depression over the expenses scandal. David Ruffley, 48, escaped with cuts and bruises.

Belfast Telegraph

• Call for emergency TUC meeting A senior union leader has called for an emergency meeting of the TUC to plan a campaign of industrial and political action against expected cuts in the pay and pensions of public sector workers.

Birmingham Mail

• Bus pet ban branded "heartless" by Lichfield councillor A MIDLANDS travel firm was branded “heartless” for banning passengers taking their pets on the bus.

Bristol Live

• Where is the best station location? [letter]A S a long-time resident of North Somerset, its poor provision of affordable public transport and severe road traffic congestion, especially in the north of the county, are issues for which I was looking for solutions from our prospective MPs before the election.

Liverpool Echo

• Mersey Gateway project still planned despite Government cuts warning PLANS for a second Mersey crossing could still go ahead despite the Government seemingly killing off the project last month.

London Evening Standard

• Philip Hammond invites bids for High Speed rail routeThe Government will today begin the sale of High Speed 1 - the 68-mile London to Folkestone Channel Tunnel rail link.

The Shields Gazette

• Taxi-bus a fare deal for passengersPASSENGERS are being encouraged to take advantage of a new taxi-bus service operating in South Tyneside.

Green Miscellany

• Free transport for the old By and large and older you are the better off you become – well at least materially. One might not be as sprightly as in ones youth but compared to the the callow people you are not short of a few bob. Before you tell me that they are many old people who are worried about how they can manage – I know there are but there are many more young people in that position.read more

Other News Sources

• Knight Frank supports those affected by London to Birmingham high-speed rail linkThe proposed route of the London to Birmingham high-speed rail link (HS2) has already polarised public opinion. While many say it will help boost the UK’s economy and cut its carbon footprint, others claim it is an expensive white elephant that will ruin some of the country’s most beautiful countryside. Its opponents would have been hoping that the coalition government’s savage cost cutting may have spelt the end for the scheme, which is projected to cost around £17bn.
• NORTH KENT: Transport plans rethink after government suspends funding PLANS for a transport programme to kick-start a major homes and jobs regeneration scheme will have to be reassessed after the suspension of government funding.
• Bus cutbacks [letter]Your otherwise sound feature "Firms step in to save bus routes after cuts" (Mercury June 11) contains a few inaccuracies which need to be corrected. Although Arriva services 11 and 15 in the Coalville area and 6, 44, 50, 104 and 158 in the Leicester and Hinckley areas have been saved for Sunday daytimes, they have not been saved for Sunday evenings.
• Dark days of 'Worst Late Western' are over – but it's no easy ride Two years ago, you would need to have been made of hardy stuff to join First Great Western's management team. Condemned as "abysmal" by one critic, passengers, watchdogs and even the Prime Minister were queuing up to stick the boot into the beleaguered rail company.
• Inter-city trains could still run at 54 years old FIRST Great Western is preparing to extend the lifespan of its ageing fleet of inter-city trains if new rolling stock orders are cancelled — meaning some long-distance trains in the West Country will be 54 years old.
• Electrification of line in jeopardy PLANS to electrify First Great Western’s main line through Swindon could be scrapped as the Government attempts to claw back the £1 billion set aside to fund it.
• Putney MP Justine Greening Writes to Putney I’ve had a few constituents complain about delays on the District Line recently and their experience mirrors my own – particularly this past week.
• Station in £750k revamp plan GLOUCESTER'S railway station is set for a £750k revamp. The work will see the entrance to the station moved, with a new waiting area created.
• Level crossing safety campaign INTERNATIONAL: Rail and road operators in more than 45 countries, together with international associations including UIC, CER and EIM, are stepping up their campaign to improve safety at level crossings, with June 22 designated as International Level Crossing Awareness Day.
• Rail link to airport put on hold over finance KENT NEWS: Ambitious plans for a direct train link from Kent to Gatwick Airport have been derailed by a lack of money.