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

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

BBC News

• Cranbrook: Plans for £4m railway station submitted Plans for a railway station at the new town of Cranbrook in east Devon have been submitted.
• Estonian capital to offer free public transport The mayor of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, has said that the city will offer free public transport across its bus and tram network from 2013.
• 5mph bus takes to pedestrian areaA new shoppers' bus service is starting in Wrexham, which will see its speed cut to 5mph in pedestrianised streets.
• Borders railway 'one step closer'A £2m contract is awarded to further develop designs for the reopening of the rail route between the Scottish Borders and Edinburgh.
• MPs want action on NI fuel fraudAn influential Westminster committee of MPs says it is disappointed at the lack of progress on new measures to tackle fuel fraud in Northern Ireland.
• Legal threat over election posterThe RMT union threatens Boris Johnson with legal action over a poster it claims portrays leader Bob Crow as a
• Driverless Tube 'within 10 years'The first driverless trains could run on the London Underground within the next decade, Boris Johnson says.
• Qantas plans budget carrier in HKAustralia's Qantas Group and China Eastern Airlines agree to launch a new budget airline for the Chinese market.
• Easyjet predicts smaller lossesLow-cost airline Easyjet says a mild winter means its six-month losses will be lower than it had previously predicted.
• BMW recalls 1.3 million vehiclesGerman luxury carmaker BMW is recalling more than a million cars worldwide because of potential battery problems that could cause a fire.
• Drivers vote yes to fuel strikeFuel tanker drivers have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike in a row over terms and conditions, says the Unite union.

Department for Transport

• Major package of reforms to increase passenger numbersAn extra £15 million for smart ticketing and bus payments devolved to local authoritiesCommuters and bus passengers across England will see better buses, more innovative services, and greater value for money. This is thanks to a series of changes announced today by Local Transport Minister Norman Baker.
• Douglas Oakervee appointed as new chair of HS2 LtdDouglas Oakervee has been appointed as the new chair of HS2 Ltd, the independent company set up by the Government to deliver a high speed rail network between London and the North of England. He will commence working with the HS2 Ltd team in April.

Financial Times

• Mayor vows to fight third Heathrow runwayLondon mayor™s promise comes amid signs that the government is reconsidering its opposition to the plan to alleviate airport capacity constraints
• Osborne weighs airport capacity optionsGeorge Osborne, the chancellor, seems keen to show he has the ˜political balls™ to tackle the contentious airport capacity crunch in the south-east of England
• Sanko Steamship seeks standstill on payMove has caused particular shock on shipowners as Japanese shipping companies so seldom seek to alter the contracts under which they lease vessels
• EasyJet offers exit-row seats for £12Passengers willing to pay extra £3 to £12 can choose where to sit from April in budget airline™s experiment to attract more business travellers

The Herald

• £246m backing for subway upgrade PLANS to overhaul Glasgow's Subway will be backed by £246 million of Scottish Government funding, ensuring automated trains can be introduced to a rejuvenated network within five years.

The Independent

• Better deal pledged for bus users Bus passengers in England were promised improved services today following a series of changes announced by the Government.
• Boris Johnson insists there will be no third runway at Heathrow Boris Johnson has insisted there will not be a third runway built at Heathrow, despite the Prime Minister and Chancellor stating the need for airport expansion in south east England. Related StoriesDavid Cameron reveals Tory donors dinners listDavid Cameron vows to double dementia fundingMost voters see Tories as the party of the richGuess who came to dinner: bankers, traders and an oil baronPoll deals blow to Tory hopes of limiting scandal
• Troops stand by as fuel-tanker drivers back call for strikeFuel-tanker drivers have voted in favour of industrial action, raising the possibility of the first national strike for more than a decade.Related StoriesRoyal Military Police to be dropped from Iraq 'abuse' investigationBetter deal pledged for bus usersBA stewardess wins £280,000 damagesFuel tanker drivers vote for actionEDF pledges winter rebate to pensioners

The Scotsman

• Fuel tankers strike: Truckers™ strike vote threatens Easter chaosMILLIONS of motorists face the prospect of petrol shortages over Easter, after tanker drivers voted to go on strike.

The Telegraph

• CBI and BCC call on Government to be clear over Heathrow plans Britain's two most powerful business groups are pressing the Government to urgently spell out its strategy on aviation amid an increasingly fractious debate over a third runway at Heathrow.
• Boris Johnson pledges to take away free travel from rude youthsLondon Mayor Boris Johnson will today promise to withdraw the right to free public transport travel from young people who fail to give up their seats for the elderly, pregnant or disabled.
• Tanni Grey Thompson: I was forced to crawl off trainTanni Grey Thompson, one of Britain's most successful disabled athletes, has told how she was forced to crawl off a train after no one would help her get wheelchair on to the platform.

Daily Express

• EasyJet flies high after a cut in lossesSHARES in budget airline easyJet flew 7½ per cent higher yesterday as increased baggage charges, milder weather and more cost-conscious European travellers left it on course to slash winter losses.

Mail Online

• 'I had to crawl off a train because no one would help me': Paralympic champion Tanni Grey Thompson reveals her treatment as a 'second-class citizen' One of Britain's most successful disabled athletes has told how she was forced to crawl off a train because no one would help her get her wheelchair on to the platform.
• 'I had to crawl off a train because no one would help me': Paralympic champion Tanni Grey Thompson reveals her treatment as a 'second-class citizen' One of Britain's most successful disabled athletes has told how she was forced to crawl off a train because no one would help her get her wheelchair on to the platform.

ATOC

• Train companies comment on disabled rail travel Commenting on disabled rail travel,...

Network Rail

• DESIGN CONTRACT SIGNALS NEXT PHASE IN DELIVERY OF BORDERS LINE

Birmingham Mail

• SPECIAL REPORT: Crackdown on parents parking illegally outside Birmingham schoolsCARS lined up bumper to bumper, parked across double yellow lines outside schools are a familiar scene across Birmingham every single day.

Derby Telegraph

• Julie_Bayley published Bakers have their cake and eat it as bmibaby marks a decade of...Low cost airline bmibaby inspired bakers this weekend while sponsoring a Cake Eaters Anonymous event.
• Derby Telegraph commented Hi-tech tramway system could help us to prosperArticle

Journal Live

• North East's poor transport links highlighted by expertsTHE world’s most prestigious economic forum has said the North East’s poor transport links have crippled its private sector.

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow row takes off again as Tory says third runway’s back on A fresh battle erupted over Heathrow airport today as a senior Conservative MP said a third runway is “back on the Government's agenda”.

Manchester Evening News

• Queues for commuters at first rush-hour since Deansgate traffic ban was enforcedCommuters faced rush-hour queues on one of Manchester's busiest stretches of road after a traffic ban finally came into force. The 300-yard-long length of road on Victoria Street outside Manchester Cathedral was blocked off on Sunday. The delayed pedestrianisation, which had been due to be in place earlier this month, faced its first real test as commuters headed to work this morning.
• Transport secretary Justine Greening to examine options for Manchester high-speed rail routeTransport secretary Justine Greening is to examine options for the Manchester branch of a £32bn high-speed rail network in the next few days. The M.E.N. has learned that HS2 Ltd, a company set up to bring forward the plans, will hand her a report on route options by the end of the month.
• £54m bus lane expansion will see cars banned from part of Oxford Road Work can now start on a £54m scheme to improve bus links across Manchester after it was given final approval by the government today. The plan, which will see bus lanes extended and a car ban on a half-mile stretch of Oxford Road, was being given the go-ahead by transport minister Norman Baker on a visit to the city.

Wales Online

• Cardiff news: First Minister sets up new group to boost Cardiff AirportFIRST Minister Carwyn Jones is establishing a group to look at the future of Cardiff Airport, which he believes can overtake its nearest rival Bristol.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Fuel duty blamed for Peterborough bus fares hikeCATCHING the bus in Peterborough will cost more money after Stagecoach, which runs bus services in the city and around Cambridgeshire, announced fare increases by an average of five per cent next month.

Other Regional Press

• Community transport pilot for Rochdale borough residents goes live From the 2 April 2012, Rochdale Community Transport and Manchester Community Transport are working together to provide an evening service for Rochdale Borough resident hospital visitors who need to travel between Fairfield Hospital, Bury, and Royal Oldham Hospital, during hospital evening visiting times, Monday to Friday.
• Luton Airport expansion plans ˜ludicrous™, says Herts County CouncilPLANS to expand Luton Airport are “ludicrous”, claims Herts County Council.
• Bus lane offenders get final warning before crackdown CAR drivers caught using bus lanes in Glasgow during the designated times will be hit with warning letters from today in advance of a new crackdown.
• Aberdeen bus drivers could strike over shift changesA BUS drivers™ strike is on the cards for Aberdeen.

Global Rail News

• Crossrail shortlists for major rail tunnel contractCrossrail has announced the organisations shortlisted for the major fit-out of the new rail tunnels. The value of the contract is in the region of £400m. The companies shortlisted are Joint Ventures of Alstom Transport/TSO/Costain, BAM Nuttal/Ferrovial Agroman/Kier Construction, Laing O™Rourke Construction/Volker Rail and Rhomberg Bahntechnik/Alpine Bau/FCC Construccion. Balfour Beatty Rail is also shortlisted. Andy [...]
• Training for successTraining and education are the sure fire ways to success, not only for individuals entering the rail industry but for the railways as a whole. This spring sees a tremendous boost across the whole field of railway training. Even the Prince of Wales has taken part, learning how to drive a tube train under the [...]
• Cameron visits Crossrail AcademyPrime Minister David Cameron and Skills Minister John Hayes recently visited Crossrail™s new Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy. Apprentices and staff met the pair and talked of progress being made in training and education as the project gathers pace. Among the trainees is Nara Pina, 21, from Goodmayes, who after a spell of unemployment is [...]
• ScotRail introduces off peak season ticketScotRail is introducing its first-ever off peak season ticket. It will coincide with the construction works on the Forth Replacement Crossing project during April and May. The offer is designed to encourage more people to travel by train between Edinburgh and stations in Fife when the works take place. ScotRail said the initiative was designed [...]
• Bombardier opens Powerlab in SwedenBombardier Transportation has opened a state-of-the-art development and test laboratory in Vasteras, Sweden. The facility is Bombardier™s central competence centre for medium power propulsion technology. The cutting-edge technologies developed by Bombardier Transportation in Vasteras are in operation around the world, including MITRAC propulsion and controls in metros, commuter, regional and high speed trains. The establishment [...]
• Miami-Orlando rail service planned for 2014Florida East Coast Industries announced last Thursday that passenger rail services between Miami and Orlando could begin as early as 2014. The project, called ‘All Aboard Florida’, is designed to serve Florida™s growing number of business travelers, as well as families and tourists traveling for pleasure. The service will connect South Florida to Orlando through [...]
• We ask the rail safety experts¦In preparation for this year’s Rail Safety Summit, we sat down with leading figures from the rail safety industry and asked them a series of pressing questions about safety practices within the rail industry. Today’s question is: Would a dramatic reduction in the number of rules, regulations and standards benefit both our safety culture and [...]

Railnews

• New chairman named for HS2 The name of HS2's new chairman has been announced by the Department for Transport. He is being appointed at a critical time for the project, as preparations continue for the presentation of the first Hybrid Bill to Parliament.
• Driverless trains plan is 'lethal gamble'–union leader Trains without drivers could be running on the London Underground within ten years, according to the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who faces an election in May. Mr Johnson said he 'would not buy new tube trains with drivers' cabs' if he retains his office after the election.

Aviation Industry

• MPs to probe UK's aviation 'competitiveness'New inquiry launched following APD rise and delay on government airport plans
• German strike forces airlines to cancel flights Ground handlers walk out at airports across Germany

Other News Sources

• RMT threatens proceedings against Boris Johnson over defamatory election poster campaignTRANSPORT UNION RMT confirmed today that it has threatened legal proceedings against London Mayor Boris Johnson over what the union says is a defamatory poster campaign that portrays General Secretary Bob Crow as part of a corrupt group of cronies under the control of Labour mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone.
• U-turn possible over Heathrow third runway Further airport expansion in the south-east of England, including the third runway at Heathrow airport, is reportedly once again under discussion in government.
• UK's fourth busiest airport slashes water use by a third London Stansted Airport (LAE) has reduced its water consumption by nearly 33% in just 12 months - saving about 205m litres of water across its site.
• Etihad Airways partners with Abercrombie Kent to offer guests luxurious getawaysEtihad Airways, voted the World's Leading Airline at the World Travel Awards (WTA), and Abercrombie Kent, named World's Leading Luxury Tour Operator also at the WTA, have forged a new...