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

Friday, 15 April 2011

BBC News

• New roof at Pickering station close to completion A scheme to restore a Victorian roof at a North Yorkshire railway station is close to completion.
• Cardiff Airport's future in spotlight as bmibaby exit Questions have been raised about the long-term future of Cardiff Airport after a budget airline's decision to halt operations there.
• Great Central Railway plans to bridge £15m funding gap "We will be successful there is no doubt about that," said rail enthusiast Bill Ford. "There are alternative plans to raise that money."
• Northampton rail users welcome end of dispute [video]Agreement in a rail dispute has ended weeks of misery for rail travellers using London Midland trains.
• US air traffic control head quits over tower sleep row The head of the US air traffic control agency has resigned after a number of incidents where air traffic controllers fell asleep while on duty.
• Street lighting in Cambridgeshire gets £100m boost More than £100m of government funding has been made available to improve street lighting in Cambridgeshire.
• Arrest in cable theft crackdown on Teesside British Transport Police has arrested and bailed a 46-year-old Teesside man in connection with railway cable theft.
• Tube workers offered 4% pay riseTube staff are offered an immediate 4% pay rise as part of a five-year deal proposed by London Underground.
• Travel 'is biggest Olympics risk'Transport problems remain "one of the biggest risks" to the 2012 Olympic Games, a London Assembly report has claimed. The report, by the assembly's transport committee, found the city's transport network was already running at near-full capacity.
• VIDEO: Bubble car business takes offFather and daughter team of Alan and Emma Murphy, have developed a scale model version of the 1950s bubble car that is proving a huge hit.
• Ford expands F-150 truck recallFord is expanding the recall of the top-selling US vehicle, the F-150 pick-up, to include nearly 1.2 million trucks.
• Brazil airports unready for 2014Most of the 13 airports being upgraded for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will not be ready in time, a report warns.
• Bombardier 'did not discriminate' in harassment case A tribunal has found that aerospace company Bombardier did not discriminate against an employee who was the victim of a campaign of sectarian harassment.

Department for Transport

• Transport StatisticsThe Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics:

Financial Times

• Top air controller quits as staff fall asleepThe official in charge of the US air traffic control system resigned after a recent spate of incidents in which controllers fell asleep at their work

The Guardian

• London's transport system ready for 'extreme' demands of 2012 Olympics Busiest day of Olympic Games will see 700,000 ticketholders travelling to 11 venues around the capital

The Independent

• Air traffic boss quits as reports fly in of controllers nodding off The head of air traffic operations for the United States resigned last night after a string of attention-grabbing news reports about controllers falling asleep in airport towers leaving pilots to land their planes with no guidance from the ground beyond the visual track of runway lights.
• Save our cyclists: Clamour for flood of avoidable road deaths to be stemmed A growing toll of casualties, many involving lorries, has prompted urgent calls to make Britain's roads safe for cyclists
• Market Report: Takeover talk drives up Stagecoach shares The rumour mill cranked into action yesterday, driving Stagecoach up the mid-tier index after speculation swirled that it could be in line for a potential bid.
• Underground offers 'fair' five-year deal London Underground today made a five-year pay offer to unions it said would see staff get a 4% pay rise in the first year followed by a rise of inflation plus 0.25% in subsequent years.

The Telegraph

• Infrastructure upgrades 'to add £10bn to UK economy' Improvements to the UK's transport, energy and communications infrastructure could grow the country's economy by £10bn a year, according to a group of business leaders.
• Stagecoach drives ahead as FTSE reverses Traders bought a ticket to ride on Stagecoach amid speculation that a suitor could jump aboard the bus and rail operator.Stagecoach, which runs South West Trains, accelerated 11.1 – or 5pc – to 228.8p as rumours did the rounds that German group, Deutsche Bahn, or a Far Eastern player could snap up the business.
• High-speed rail: Birmingham says no Some fascinating straws in the wind from Birmingham, proposed destination of the Government’s £17 billion high-speed supertrain.
• Number of motorists caught by speed cameras plummets The number of motorists caught by speed cameras fell below a million for the first time in almost a decade the latest official figures have shown.
• Number of low carbon cars doublesThe “green revolution” on Britain’s roads quickened last year with official figures showing a huge rise of the number of cars with the lowest carbon emissions.
• BA cabin crew call off strike over Easter and royal weddingBritish Airways and the Unite trade union edge closer towards a peace deal to settle the long-running cabin crew dispute.

Press Association

• Better infrastructure 'worth £10bn' Improvements to transport, energy and IT communications could boost the economy by £10 billion a year, according to a report by business leaders. The Government should invest in a long-term infrastructure plan for the UK or face putting its economic future at risk, said the Business Infrastructure Commission (BIC).

Birmingham Post

• Slight dip in train punctuality across UK Train punctuality dipped year-on-year last month, with one of the worst performances from London Midland trains, but it still represented the second best March on record.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Japanese tsunami forces shutdown at Toyota on Deeside A SHUTDOWN by a car giant could lead to orders not being fulfilled and staff losing out on pay, as the fallout from Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami hits the UK.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram depot progressing TRAM bosses have again said that work is progressing well at the Gogar depot, despite the facility now being months behind schedule.

Liverpool Post

• High-speed rail ’vital’ to Liverpool’s ability to attract investment, top landlord says HIGH-SPEED rail is vital to securing investment in the region, one of Liverpool’s leading landlords warned last night.

London Evening Standard

• Report warns of Games travel chaosTransport problems could yet wreck the smooth running of the London 2012 Games, a report has said.
• Hopes rise for BA crew peace dealHopes of an end to the long running British Airways cabin crew dispute have risen after union leaders held back from calling fresh strikes to allow peace talks to continue.

Metro

• EasyJet fight over £1million ash detectorsBudget airline easyJet is seeking help from the rest of the airline industry to avoid more Europe-wide chaos caused by another volcanic ash cloud.
• Air traffic controller suspended for sleeping while flight landedAn air traffic controller has been suspended for sleeping while a flight landed at their airport.
• Tube unions set 'to reject' pay deal of 5.5% branding it a 'disappointing offer'Train unions look set to turn down a four per cent pay rise for the next year and above-inflation rises for the following four years.

Northern Echo

• Close shave for shoppers as bus smashes through bollards into town's pedestrian zoneAN investigation is underway following a dramatic bus crash in a crowded town centre pedestrian area.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Airport link road delightA LINK road can be built between Robin Hood Airport and junction 3 of the M18 as a result of £18m from the Government, it was announced this week.

The York Press

• 10,000 potholes filled since big freeze ROAD repair teams in York has fixed more than 10,000 potholes so far this year after the coldest winter in a century caused major damage to routes across the city.

Wales Online

• Rail plan attacked COUNTY councillors have unanimously condemned the Government’s decision not to electrify the Great Western railway line to Swansea as a “massive disappointment”.

Bucks Free Press

• 10,000th passenger for community bus THE 10,000th passenger was welcomed aboard the Risborough Area Community bus which took to the streets last July.

Peterborough Telegraph

• £50 million transport plan for Peterborough approvedA BLUEPRINT that will see a £50million investment into Peterborough’s transportation system was approved on Wednesday night.

Other Regional Press

• Bombardier scoop top business award HI-TECH manufacturer Bombardier Transportation UK Ltd has been named Plymouth's Business of the Year at The Herald's Business Awards.
• Experts to survey impact of rail scheme on wildlife STAFFORDSHIRE'S leading nature conservation charity is to carry out wildlife surveys on woodlands along the route of the proposed high speed rail route.
• Glasgow gets extra flights to LondonBritish Airways is to start extra flights between Glasgow and London™s docklands “ just weeks after a rival airline scrapped services between the cities.
• £100m final bill for new transport museum as council delivers world-class facilityThe final bill for Glasgow™s new transport museum will top £100million, The Evening Times can reveal.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Government pledges funding for Merseyside freight project A scheme that will see a freight park expanded will benefit from £9 million of government funding for the development of rail infrastructure.

Freight on Rail

• Rail freight investment ticks the right economic, environmental and safety boxes Freight on Rail welcomes today’s Government Regional Growth Fund 1 approval for the Stobart Group led bid, alongside distribution experts Prologis and Halton Borough Council, to expand the 3MG rail logistics site in Halton, part of the Mersey Multimodal Gateway in the North West.

Global Rail News

• Network Rail Chief visits new National Centre in Milton KeynesNetwork Rail chief executive David Higgins joined civic leaders in Milton Keynes this week for a topping out ceremony at the company™s new National Centre, which ...
• Freightliner Heavy Haul wins transportation contractFreightliner Heavy Haul last week ran it™s first train from the Sibelco UK Middleton Towers quarry to Quality Freight™s facility at Ellesmere Port transporting sand on ...
• Virgin Trains awarded two Kitemarks for ˜exemplary environmental practises™Virgin Trains has been awarded two Kitemarks by the British Standards Institute (BSI). A first-ever for a UK train company, the prestigious Kitemark stamp is one ...
• Boris Johnson visits District Line engineering worksTfL have posted a video of Boris Johnson visiting the on going engineering works on the District Line to give you all an update. He says ...
• Is the dispute between London Midland & ASLEF finally over?Following London Midland’s announcement last week that they were ‘in talks’ with ASLEF, strikes have been called off. The dispute between the driver’s union and the ...
• c2c tops punctuality table againNational Express train operator c2c was the best-performing train operator in the country in March 2011. 97.4% of trains were on time according to the latest ...
• London Midland confirms end of ASLEF disputeFollowing earlier speculation, London Midland and ASLEF have now confirmed they have reached an agreement on the way forward on drivers’ terms and conditions. London Midland’s Operations & ...
• DRS to haul ˜Northern Belle™ luxury trainDirect Rail Services has signed a five year contract to haul the luxurious Northern Belle train also known as ‘The Orient-Express of the North.’ The Northern ...
• March™s rail performance at 93%Train operator c2c “ which runs services between London and Essex “ saw 97.4% of its trains arrive on time in March making it Britain’s most ...
• Crossrail starts tender process for signalling systemCrossrail today announced that a contract notice has been placed in the Official Journal of the European Union seeking expressions of interest for the central section ...
• Stagecoach rail franchises amongst the most punctual in UKStagecoach continues to be one of the most punctual train operators in the UK at its South West Trains and East Midlands Trains franchises, according to ...
• Deutsche Bahn takes ˜whisper brake™ a stage furtherDeutsche Bahn is speeding up the Europe-wide introduction of ‘whisper brakes.’ The ‘Europe Train,’ which has been travelling throughout Europe since December, arrived in Berlin last week after ...
• China to slow down high speed railChina’s new Minister of Railways has said that the high speed services will run at a slower speed to reduce costs for travellers, a national news ...
• Southeastern to run extra services for Royal WeddingTo help celebrate the wedding of the year, Southeastern will be running extra services on Friday 29 April to help get spectators to the wedding on ...

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow invests in pioneering emission reduction technologyHeathrow Airport has become the first company to purchase hydrogen generator units from h2gogo, following successful trials of the innovative vehicle emissions reduction technology...
• Back on track: Heathrow™s record punctualityHeathrow Airport had its best ever day for punctual departures last month on Tuesday 22 March when 94 per cent of all departures were on time...
• 18 new routes and counting¦ your guide to summer at Edinburgh AirportEdinburgh Airport has today (Thursday 14 April) launched its 2011 Summer Flight Guide containing an astonishing 18 new routes for 2011 so far...
• Hopes rise for BA crew peace dealHopes of an end to the long running British Airways cabin crew dispute have risen after union leaders held back from calling fresh strikes to allow peace talks to continue.
• Bmibaby expands at Belfast, but drops two other airportsLow-cost carrier Bmibaby is to add seven new routes from Belfast City, but plans to cease operations from Cardiff and Manchester

Green Miscellany

• Boris bikes in a spin as unused bicycles are hijacked The Boris Bike scheme in London is a success by any measure; the scheme had notched up an incredible one million journeys by the time it was only ten weeks old. But however successful the bike hire scheme becomes, there are inevitably times when the bikes stand in their docking stations unused¦until now. read more

Other News Sources

• All change: The rail sector The rail sector is embarking on a journey of disruption, change and uncertainty, with Network Rail’s transformation at the centre of it all. But having dodged the worst of the spending cuts, the sector could become a highly sought-after destination – for those who can handle the risk
• Work begins on safe new cycle routes in London Commuters in London who cycle to work could soon be able to use one of two new Cycle Superhighways to get to their office safely.
• News from Caroline Pidgeon: "At long last - new approach to upgrading Tube services is welcomed by Caroline Pidgeon 12 April 2011 Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on a new approach being adopted by London Underground to upgrade work on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines where there will be no weekend closures simply for signalling installation and testing work said:  At long last Transport for London and the Mayor have woken up to the fact that a new approach to upgrading the tube is possible which avoids the utter misery of closing whole tube lines.&n...
• Final Crossrail tunnelling deals doneThe line-up of contractors carrying out tunnelling work on Crossrail is complete after the final packages were awarded last week.
• Travel industry should experiment, says Freakonomics authorStephen J. Dubner told corporate travel buyers and suppliers that they are œperfectly placed to experiment