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

Monday, 11 November 2013

BBC News

• Holme Tunnel repairs close line for four monthsA railway line in West Yorkshire is to be closed for four months to repair a tunnel which has been damaged by shifting land.
• MPs to quiz minister over HS2 reportThe transport secretary is summoned to appear before a committee of MPs over a contested report about the economic benefits of the HS2 rail project.
• Tube commuters urged to try walkingRush hour commuters are asked to walk or cycle instead of taking trains on a section of the London Underground to reduce overcrowding.

Financial Times

• Renault-Nissan to miss electric cars targetA failure to create charging and support infrastructure for the vehicles has crippled sales and forced the company to pare back its expectations

The Guardian

• KPMG to face MPs again over HS2 reportConsultants to defend forecast of £15bn economic boost following claims that calculation was 'essentially made up'Consultants KPMG will again be called before parliament to defend their report into the regional benefits of HS2 which claimed the high speed rail line could boost the economy by £15bn a year.Last week leading transport economists told MPs that they believed a key calculation behind the figure was

The Herald

• Minister probed over HS2 reportTRANPORT Secretary Patrick McLoughlin faces a grilling from MPs over a contested report that predicts the HS2 rail project could benefit the UK by £15 billion a year.
• Drivers tell of 'invisible' motorbikesMOST car drivers are

The Scotsman

• Heathrow Airport chief has bumpy rideHEATHROW Airport chief executive Colin Matthews had wanted a turbulence-free flightpath into Scotland last week to talk up proposals for a third runway to Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.
• BA Heathrow lounge slated over ‘poor’ food hygieneOUT-of-date eggs and dirty kitchen equipment were found in British Airways’ first-class lounge at Heathrow, a hygiene inspection report has revealed.

The Telegraph

• Transport Secretary faces grilling from MPs on HS2 reportPatrick McLoughlin has been called by the Commons transport committee after claims a report predicting the HS2 rail project will boost the UK by £15bn a year uses flawed methodology    

Belfast Telegraph

• McLoughlin faces HS2 report quizTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin faces a grilling from MPs over a contested report predicting the HS2 rail project could benefit the UK by £15 billlion a year.

Birmingham Mail

• Video: Second Birmingham bus bursts into flames in Acocks GreenA Birmingham bus has burst into flames in Acocks Green for the second time this month.

Bolton News

• Commuters' anger over rail electrification delays COMMUTERS have reacted with anger to news that they face two years of major disruption on the Preston to Manchester line — warning it means more overcrowding and longer journey times.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• HS2 - what does it mean for the North East?As proposals for the Government's £50bn high speed rail line hot up political reporter Jon Walker looks at what it will mean for the North East

Wales Online

• Free bus travel scheme in turmoil amid major funding cutsManagers say proposed cuts would have a dramatic impact on their revenue, forcing them to withdraw services and reduce their fleets and staffing

Yorkshire Post

• Minister to face MPs over claim HS2 to bring in £15bn a yearTHE case for a new high speed rail line linking Yorkshire to London is under fresh scrutiny with MPs set to question a report claiming the HS2 project could benefit the UK by £15bn a year.

Plymouth Herald

• How do we get best value from our railway? THE financial reality of funding a modern rail system in Britain in the 21st Century is that neither the public sector nor the private sector alone can provide the investment needed to modernise our Victorian rail network. You need both.

Other Regional Press

• 'Make cycle helmets compulsory' says police chief Sir Graham Bright - but Cambridge MP Julian Huppert disagrees A police chief has gone head-to-head with Cambridge’s MP after calling for compulsory cycle helmets. Sir Graham Bright, Cambridge-shire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, wants a change in the law to force riders to wear helmets. But Liberal Democrat Julian Huppert, Cambridge’s MP, a keen cyclist who does not wear a helmet while cycling in the city, says any law would backfire.
• £20k to look at bus takeoverTHE INVESTIGATION into the takeover of bus services by Diamond cost an estimated £20,000, it has been revealed. A Freedom of Information request submitted by MP Karen Lumley showed the Office of Fair Trading had spent thousands looking at the company after they took over First services in the town and Kidderminster.
• ’Aggressive’ bus drivers putting elderly passengers at risk, claims occupational therapistVULNERABLE and elderly passengers are being placed at risk because of ’dangerous and thoughtless’ bus drivers, according to an occupational therapist from Poole.
• Bus services at risk from cuts planTHE ONLY direct bus link between Redditch and Worcester is among a series of services under threat of the axe.
• New plans for six-runway Thames Estuary airport to be unveiledNEW plans for a six-runway airport in the Thames Estuary will be unveiled this week.
• School transport for special needs kids to be hit by budget cutsTRANSPORT to and from school for special needs children over the age of 16 will no longer be free, leaving some low income families worrying where they’ll find the cash to pay for it.

Global Rail News

• Norwich in 90A task force, comprising of Network Rail, Whitehall transport officials and MPs, is to be set up by chancellor George Osborne to examine ways in which the rail journey time[...]