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

Saturday, 08 September 2012

BBC News

• Jersey bus service to be LibertyBus after public vote Jersey's new bus service will be called LibertyBus when it is launched.
• Ralph Cook calls for 'car-free' Cardiff suburb in plans A senior Cardiff councillor wants the city to think of creating a new car-free suburb. Ralph Cook said the city has to find new ways of encouraging more people onto public transport if its roads and economy are not to grind to halt.
• Edinburgh bus lane camera changes unveiled Changes are to be made to two of Edinburgh's cameras which monitor illegal use of the city's bus lanes.
• Airport decision 'after election'The final decision on UK airport expansion - including a possible third runway at Heathrow - will be taken by the next government, ministers confirm.
• Osborne gives North Sea tax breakChancellor George Osborne's tax allowance to support investment in older North Sea fields could attract a further £2bn of investment, it is claimed.
• Peugeot dropped from French indexFrench carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen is to be dropped from France's Cac 40 share index, in an embarrassing demotion for the company.
• Profile: Frances O'Grady, the new TUC general secretary For the first time a woman has been elected as the leader of the Trades Union Congress - but how will Frances O'Grady handle relations with hard-line union colleagues spoiling for a fight over government spending cuts and austerity?
• Eddie Stobart could axe 180 jobs in Doncaster About 180 lorry drivers' jobs are under threat after plans were announced to cut transport operations at a goods distribution centre in South Yorkshire.

Financial Times

• Transport hub or travel hell? A five-point plan for London’s airports where passengers could connect and infrastructure works for residents
• Estuary airport makes most sense - LetterFrom Mr Joe Seet. Sir, The main problem dogging a decision on the further expansion at Heathrow is that it will affect all three big parties, particularly the Conservatives, who will lose most of their support in the affected boroughs and counties (“Heathrow expansion decision shelved”, September 5). Grant Shapps, the new Conservative party co-chairman, seems to understand this, and Sir Howard Davies should consider the massive disruption to the lives of residents in his review of a third and possibly fourth runway at Heathrow.
• Airport inquiry chief raises capacity concernsThe new transport secretary says commission will produce a final report by the summer of 2015 on long-term options for the UK aviation sector

The Guardian

• A third runway at Heathrow would be an off-the-scale betrayal - Zac GoldsmithDavid Cameron will pay a high price if he opts for the unfair and unpopular non-solution that Heathrow expansion represents
• Heathrow night flights may return to airport capacity agenda Government call for interim recommendations on airport capacity revives speculation over possible actions

The Herald

• Overhaul for enforcement of capital bus lanes EDINBURGH'S bus lane enforcement regime is facing an overhaul after its introduction this year prompted a flood of complaints by motorists.
• On track to see half of new trams route NEARLY half of Edinburgh's tram route is now visible to the public following an acceleration in the project's construction over the summer.

The Independent

• Government confirms there will be no pre-election decision on airport expansion There will be no firm decisions on UK airport expansion before the next general election, the Government confirmed today.
• Sacked – and angry. New awkward squad is out to get the PM A former minister sacked from the Cabinet is to spearhead a Tory opposition campaign against the Government's plans to build a high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham, amid growing signs that this week's reshuffle will intensify opposition to David Cameron and Nick Clegg on the Coalition benches.
• Simon Calder: Plane preposterous - the airport debate is awash with toshShould you happen not to be the new Transport Secretary, stop reading now. On second thoughts, given that Patrick McLoughlin this week became the eighth incumbent of that office since May 2006, carry on. With an average tenure of under a year, there's a fair chance that you – or, heaven forbid, I – will ascend to the job before the decade is out.

The Telegraph

• Former Cabinet minister says her 'claws' are out over David Cameron's high speed rail 2 plansA Cabinet minister who was fired by Prime Minister David Cameron this week has said she will fight Government plans for a high speed rail link across England.
• Parking prices up 12.5% Britons are now spending nearly £8 billion a year to park their cars. Parking prices rose 12.5% last year, with high charges deterring shoppers from visiting town centres, according to a survey by car insurance company Confused.com.
• 'Accelerate' any decision to expand Heathrow - Video Boris JohnsonNew planning regulations will “accelerate” any application to build a new runway at Heathrow or expand other airports, the new transport secretary has said.
• Zac Goldsmith isn’t the only one ready to march on Heathrow airport Yes to a third runway would cause militant west London mummies to stampede to Westminster in a murderous sleep-deprived frenzy

Reuters News

• Heathrow expansion decision set for after 2015 (Reuters) - A decision on whether Britain will expand airport capacity around London will be taken by the next government, the country's new transport secretary said on Friday, meaning a decision is unlikely before 2015.

Network Rail

• DAWLISH STATION TO GET NEW PLASTIC FOOTBRIDGE
• PAISLEY CANAL ELECTRIFICATION WORKS SET TO BEGINEngineers working to deliver electric train services by Christmas Drop-in events to keep local communities informed

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh bus lanes could be scrapped INEFFECTIVE stretches of Edinburgh’s 40-mile bus lane network will be removed and several camera sites altered as part of a major review into enforcement of the city’s Greenways.

London Evening Standard

• Planes may fly in bird-like formations and automatically select most eco-friendly routes from 2050Passenger aircraft flying in formation like birds could be a feature of aviation in the second half of this century, it was revealed today.

Wales Online

• Thames Estuary Airport at expense of Heathrow would be damaging for Wales plc Sion Barry says an international hub at Severnside could still be revisited FORMER First Minister Rhodri Morgan is absolutely right in warning that a new hub airport in the Thames Estuary at the expense of a third runway at Heathrow would not be good news for Wales plc.

Other Regional Press

• Merseyrail Wirral Line gets new park-and-rides Two new park-and-ride facilities will be created in Wirral at Bidston and Birkenhead North train stations by Merseytravel, funded by European Regional Development Fund on land owned by Wirral Council.
• Schemes aim to plug the gap left by dial-a-ride transport axe TWO community schemes are hoping to plug the gap left by a major cut in council dial-a-ride services.
• Fair trade chiefs to examine fuel industry claimsPrices at the pumps are set to be the subject of a review by the Office of Fair Trading.

Global Rail News

• Solving the mystery of Britain™s unidentified rail deathsOn May 8, 1975, a man was struck and killed by a train at Mile End Tube station. To this day his body remains unidentified – and he’s not alone. Since 2010, British Transport Police officers have been looking into 55 unanswered deaths that have occurred on or near Britain’s rail and Tube network since the [...]
• Go-Ahead results ˜strong™ despite lower than predicted growthGo-Ahead chief executive David Brown said the operator performed well last year despite below forecast levels of growth. Although the operator, which runs services in the South East and London, recorded growth in all franchises, the company’s operating profit fell from £115 million to £110 million. David Brown, Go-Ahead chief executive, said: œOver the last [...]

Railnews

• Southern may need 'cap and collar' support Southern may need revenue support in a year from now, because growth has been weaker than expected. The warning has come after Southern's major owner Go-Ahead Group reported a drop in overall operating profits of 4.9 per cent.

Aviation Industry

• Bmibaby to operate final flightsNo-frills brand will stop flying on Sunday after failing to find a buyer
• Dear minister....A plea to the new transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin Business Travel Show event director David Chapple urges the latest transport secretary to take the industry’s concerns seriously

Other News Sources

• Thameslink fleet sign-off delayed for 15 months as Siemen's pays up £262 million to Greek Government over Athens Games bribery claimsIn her final act of betrayal of the UK rail industry before heading to Northern Ireland, rail minister Theresa Villiers confirmed that the Thameslink fleet contract, now delayed for over 15 months, has been booted into the long grass again with only another vague statement that it may be signed off in the autumn.
• Kent plan faces £78m funding gap for transport Around £78 million still needs to be found to pay for the full transport improvements required to support the massive Eastern Quarry regeneration scheme in Ebbsfleet, north Kent, it has emerged.
• The week ahead at the London Assembly7 September 2012 Public meetings coming up next week.Tuesday 11 September 20122012 transport + Cycling in LondonTransport Committee “ 9.30am in the Chamber From 9.30am: London 2012 transportTransport Commissioner Peter Hendy will update the Committee on how the network performed during the Games, and the transport legacy for London. No read more