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

Tuesday, 13 March 2012

BBC News

• Conwy's schools transport budget is £290,000 in the red A council's schools transport budget is more than a quarter of a million pounds in the red, it has emerged.
• Road maintenance cuts may be false economy, MPs warn Cuts in spending on road maintenance could cost taxpayers more in the long term and are likely to increase repair bills for motorists, MPs have warned.
• Should we order Scottish ships?Cabinet Minister David Willetts has joined the debate about whether the Royal Navy should place orders with Scottish shipyards whilst their future in the UK is under discussion.
• Plans for medics on Tube networkLondon mayor Boris Johnson announces plans to deploy medics on the Tube network.
• February airport passengers risePassengers numbers at Scotland's main airports all rose in February, with Aberdeen experiencing the largest percentage leap.
• Aviation plea on EU carbon priceSeven European aviation companies write to political leaders warning of the impact of a controversial carbon emissions trading scheme.

The Guardian

• Train stations are no place for armed police Armed police at our mainline stations can't protect us from terrorist attacks – they can only protect politicians' reputations
• M25 is UK's newest tourist attraction Landmarks, trivia and lunch at a service area all included in £15 tour of London's orbital motorway that is proving a surprise hit
• Network Rail not accountable enough, say MPs Public accounts committee says taxpayers need answers as to why train fares are so high despite billions in state funding

The Herald

• English 'would bomb our airports'GLASGOW and Edinburgh airports, in an independent Scotland, could be bombed by an English government if it was threatened by an unfriendly country, a former deputy leader of the UK Conservative Party has warned.

The Independent

• Spending watchdog hits out at Network Rail Parliament's public spending watchdog has attacked Network Rail, branding it a "fictional" private sector company and demanding its accounts be opened to full scrutiny.

The Telegraph

• Cutting roads repair budget will cost taxpayer more, MPs warn Motorists will have to spend more repairing their cars because cuts to road maintenance budgets will lead to more potholes, a committee of MPs has said
• Who says it's the end of the road for elderly drivers?How do we ensure a growing number of drivers over 70 are safe behind the wheel, asks Christopher Middleton.

Mail Online

• Retest elderly drivers to make sure they are still safe behind the wheel, new report urgesA Whitehall advisory group made the recommendations in response to a continuing surge in numbers of older drivers. It said the courses should be made available to older drivers across the country.

ATOC

• Cut price fares and rising cost of petrol lead to historic numbers of rail passengers A surge in the sale of cut price train tickets combined with rocketing petrol prices are helping to drive up demand for rail to historic levels, according to new figures published today....
• New contact details for retired rail staff travel teamFrom 1 April, retired rail staff wanting to find out about their travel facilities will have a new dedicated free phone number to call. Based in London,...

Network Rail

• SEVEN DAYS AND COUNTING FOR A NEW KING™S CROSS STATION

Journal Live

• Ending airport tax 'can boost economy'ABOLISHING air passenger duty would create 91,000 jobs and add £4.2bn to the economy in 12 months, a new report will claim today.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail crackdown cuts alcohol-fuelled incidents on networkMERSEYRAIL reported a “significant drop” in booze-fuelled yobbishness on its network.

Manchester Evening News

• Transport for Greater Manchester spends £80k of taxpayers' money on websitesFigures obtained by the M.E.N. show Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) registered 205 internet addresses “ or ˜domain names™ “ between 2009 and the end of last year, at a cost of more than £7,000. It also paid more than £70,000 to outside firms to host six websites during the same period. More than £1,900 was spent buying what is now the organisation™s official web domain “ tfgm.com “ before the body changed its name from the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE).

The York Press

• ftr buses withdrawn from York YORK™S controversial ftr buses have been taken off the streets, ending their six year run in the city.

Wales Online

• Case pressed for electrification of Welsh rail networkPoliticians from across the party spectrum united with civic and business leaders to demand the electrification of the Valleys lines in Westminster yesterday.
• Cardiff news: Case pressed for electrification of Welsh rail networkPoliticians from across the party spectrum united with civic and business leaders to demand the electrification of the Valleys lines in Westminster yesterday.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Parents in appeal for free travel to schoolsScores of parents and children took to the streets of South Staffordshire to demand free travel to school for pupils.

Sunderland Echo

• ˜Closure risk™ of bus plansA CUT to transport cash for children starting Catholic education could put the future of the schools at risk, according to church leaders.

Other Regional Press

• £260m canal link makes late showTwo hundred years of history has been revived for a major waterway project. Sir Samuel Whitbreads great-great-great grandfather was the driving force behind the ambitious plan to create a link

Global Rail News

• Rail services resume between Ashford & HastingsThe rail line between Ashford and Hastings has reopened following a nine-week upgrade to provide more reliable journeys for passengers. The main element of the work focused on strengthening Ore tunnel, in addition to improving the drainage and repairing lining inside to prevent water seeping through, Network Rail said. Fiona Taylor, Network Rail™s route managing [...]
• Industry body says Indian Railways ˜must hike fares™Indian Railways needs to increase its rail fares to ‘invest in capacity expansion, modernisation and building infrastructure in the next five years’, according to a study conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) advocated. The body advised that fares must be increased for all classes ranging from Rs 10 to [...]
• Train operators commit to new rail regulationsAll train operators have signed-up to new licence conditions aimed at ensuring passengers receive appropriate, accurate and timely information, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) confirmed last week. ORR Chief Executive, Richard Price, said: œI am pleased that all train companies have now joined other parts of the rail industry by signing-up to new obligations [...]
• Rail users to benefit from cycle improvementsTransport Minister Norman Baker has announced over 7,500 new cycle spaces at railway stations as part of a £30 million package in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and ‘get people active’. The schemes will also ‘promote economic growth by providing commuters with improved sustainable travel options’. The Department for Transport has worked closely with [...]
• Siemens delivers first new train to Russian RailwaysSiemens recently sent the first of 38 Desiro RUS regional multiple-unit trains to Russian Railways. At the Sassnitz ferry port on the German Island of Ruegen, the first Desiro began its journey. The ‘Petersburg’ railway ferry is shipping the five-unit train via the Baltic Sea to the seaport of Ust-Luga in Russia. From Ust-Luga, it will [...]
• ˜Soaring petrol prices™ drive up demand for railThe Association of Train Operating Companies has said that a ‘surge in the sale of cut price train tickets combined with rocketing petrol prices’ are helping to drive up demand for rail to historic levels. Analysis by ATOC shows that passenger numbers grew by 6% in the last 12 months and journeys on the rail network [...]
• New King™s Cross concourse to open next weekMonday 19th March will see the biggest transformation in the 160-year history of King™s Cross station with the opening to the public of the new western concourse. The shell-shaped glass and steel building provides three times the space of the current station concourse with better facilities, new links with the Tube, better links to St [...]
• High speed rail track ˜collapses™ in ChinaA section of high speed rail track has reportedly ‘collapsed’ in central China following heavy rain and ‘possible poor construction’, local media said. In July last year, 40 people were killed when two high speed trains crashed, raising safety concerns over the quickly-expanding rail network in China. The section that collapsed on Friday was part of [...]

London TravelWatch

• Successful Transport users™ surgery at Tooting Broadway Underground Station Successful Transport users™ surgery at Tooting Broadway Underground Station

Rail Technology Magazine

• Better by design: Eurostar's £700m facelift Eurostar's £700m refurbishment drive is about to bear fruit, with the arrival in 2013 of the first new-look train. Julian Turner gets the inside word from Eurostar's commercial director Nick Mercer about the on-board digital revolution, the modal shi¦
• Carillion wins Thameslink upgrade project in UK Carillion has secured a £120m contract from Network Rail, through the Multi Asset Framework Arrangement to upgrade depots and stabling sites as part of the Thameslink Programme.
• IDAC to Hold Simulation Open Day in April IDAC is offering a free simulation open day for those interested in learning about simulation techniques and software on Thursday 26 April 2012.

Railnews

• Rail travel sets new record New figures published today show that the number of railway passengers in Britain has reached a level not seen for 90 years, and may be close to setting an all time record. The Association of Train Operating Companies said that the number of rail passengers rose by 6 per cent last year. It's attributing the increase partly to the soaring price of petrol.
• Welsh delegation calls for more electrification A delegation of business people and politicians from south Wales has arrived in Westminster to urge a rethink on electrification. The Great Western Main Line is set to be electrified from London as far as Cardiff Central, but many people in south Wales say the scheme should continue to Swansea.

Aviation Industry

• European aviation industry calls EU ETS situation ˜intolerable™Nine European aviation companies and airlines have joined forces in demanding the EU and its member states take all necessary steps to stop the escalating trade conflict with countries opposing the inclusion of aviation in the European Union™s Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and push for a global deal under ICAO.
• Qantas drops premium carrier talks with Malaysia AirlinesQantas (QF) has confirmed that its plans for a partnership with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) to create an Asian premium airline have been dropped.
• WTO upholds Boeing subsidies ruling: Airbus & Boeing both claim victoryThe World Trade Organization (WTO) on Monday upheld a ruling that Boeing received œat least $5.3 billion of unfair subsidies between 1989 and 2006 and agreed with Airbus that the effect of the financial support is larger than their face value in light of their œparticularly pervasive nature.
• ˜Stop this APD madness now™ “ airlinesLast-ditch appeal to government as study shows £4.2 billion cost of aviation tax

Other News Sources

• Transport secretary to give keynote speech at Abta event Transport secretary Justine Greening bas agreed to give the keynote speech at Abta’s Travel Matters policy conference.
• Assembly to quiz transport chiefs on keeping London moving during the Games 12 March, 2012 - 09:27 Are plans to ensure London™s transport network copes with the extra pressure of the 2012 Games on track?  What is ˜Plan B™ should the Jubilee line or other key transport infrastructure fail?  And are Londoners and businesses getting the message about how the Games will affect them? London Assembly Transport Committee Members will tomorrow question 2012 Games and transport chiefs about preparations for one of the network™s biggest ever challenges. 360-house-thu...
• No action plan for safer roads, as cycling casualties rise 13 March, 2012 London casualty figures for the first nine months of 2011 show a rise in both the number of cyclists and the number of motorcyclists killed and seriously injured, compared to a similar period in 2010. The proportion of casualties that are vulnerable road users has grown in the last decade, from being just over half the total (54%) to now being over two thirds (69%) of the killed and injured in London. Jenny Jones AM has now asked the Mayor to release a detailed breakdown of the casualty data for the whole of 2011. ...