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

Friday, 22 November 2013

BBC News

• Full body scanners announced for nine more UK airportsPassengers at nine further airports are to face full body security scanners, the government has announced.
• Pembrokeshire rail line to remain closed for daysA section of Pembrokeshire rail line will remain closed for several days after a freight train derailed.
• VIDEO: Canals to feature in 360-degree viewVolunteers have started to photograph canals in the West Midlands to help create a 360-degree online map.
• Budding train drivers are one in 200Ten future train drivers on the Borders railway line have been chosen from more than 2,000 applicants.
• New flights from Scotland to NorwayScandinavian airline SAS announces new air routes linking Edinburgh with Norway cities Oslo and Stavanger.
• Borders railway decision 'insane'The decision to build the new Borders railway has been described as "insane" by the Institute of Economic Affairs. The think tank said the project was "exceedingly poor value for money"
• New cycling event for Loch NessA new 67-mile road cycling event for experienced and novice riders is to be held around Loch Ness next year.
• DHL in £800m Airport City moveFreight and distribution firm DHL is the first business sign-up to locate to Manchester's £800m Airport City development.
• Crossrail plans 'little or no use'Plans to extend Crossrail to Reading "are of little or no use", one of the town's MPs has said. Rob Wilson said the metro link from Reading to London would be double the journey time offered by First Great Western's current service.
• How does the Tube compare globally?How do other cities embrace automated travel?
• Londoners react to 24-hour Tube newsA 24-hour weekend service will begin from 2015
• Job losses under 24-hour Tube planLondon Underground will run a 24-hour service at weekends, but all ticket offices will shut by 2015 as unions threaten strikes.

Financial Times

• 24hr transit: Cities moving all the timeWith London considering a 24-hour-a-day transit system, comparisons are being made cities where such a service is already a reality
• Amazon sees the gap if Tube runs all nightFive busiest lines on London’s underground network will run nonstop from Friday morning to Sunday night, but all 240 ticket offices will be closed
• Phone chatter likely to hit new heightsFCCs move comes less than a month after the Federal Aviation Administration lifted the ban on use of personal electronic devices throughout flights

The Herald

• 85,000 Scots caught using phone at wheelNEARLY 85,000 Scottish drivers have points on their licences for using their mobile phone at the wheel despite high-profile police campaigns aimed at ending the potentially-fatal practice.
• Thousands apply for just 10 jobs on new Borders railwayMORE than 2200 people applied for just 10 trainee driver jobs on the new Borders railway, ScotRail has revealed.

The Independent

• London Underground: Tube to run 24 hours a day at weekends - but job cuts lead to union strike threats The London Underground will operate 24 hours a day at weekends from 2015 as part of plans for a “21st-century tube service”, it has been announced.    

The Telegraph

• London to have 24-hour Tube service at weekendsBoris Johnson, the London Mayor, said the move would boost jobs and

Mail Online

• Controversial HS2 rail project steams into the statute books as Queen gives green light to legislation that puts it on trackMPs were told that the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Act 2013 – a so-called ‘paving Bill’ which paves the way for construction - has been formally agreed by the Queen.

The Mirror

• Boris Johnson's London Underground changes slammed - Mayor accused of U-turn over Tube ticket office closuresEvery ticket office will close and 750 jobs will be axed, but there will be a 24-hour Tube service at the weekends
• London Underground changes: All you need to know about how the Tube will run in future London mayor Boris Johnson announced a package of dramatic changes to how the Tube operates - including 24-hour services on weekends

Network Rail

• Christmas rail update for Saxilby residentsSaxilby Parish Council is hosting two meetings for residents of West Bank in Saxilby to hear from Network Rail teams about precise plans for railway works this Christmas. Letters are being delivered to residents this week to invite them to attend.
• Record investment of almost £1m a day in Anglia’s railway as Network Rail publishes its half-year resultsNew bridges, new lifts, new overhead power lines, new track, new footbridges; all have featured as record investment of almost £1m a day has been ploughed into the Anglia region’s railway over the past six months.
• Level crossing improvement at Allen’s WestWork to upgrade the level crossing at Allen’s West on the Darlington to Saltburn rail line is starting this weekend (23/24 November) and completes the following weekend (30 November / 1 December).
• Record investment in the railway serving the West Midlands and North West as Network Rail publishes its half-year resultsAround £2.5m a day have been invested in improving the railway serving the West Midlands and North West over the last six months, new figures show. New stations, new concourses, electrification, new stretches of track and investment in reliability have all featured as part of the £446m invested in Network Rail’s London North Western route which connects the South East to the West Midlands, North West and Scotland.
• Local architects appointed for multi-million pound station redevelopmentNetwork Rail, Southwark Council and the Greater London Authority are working together to bring the area around Peckham Rye station back to life, investing £25m to deliver improvements.
• Over £220m invested in Scotland’s railway as Network Rail reveals half-year resultsNetwork Rail today published its half-year results (for the period 1 April to 30 September 2013) which revealed that £2.74bn, some £15m per day, was invested in improving and building a bigger, better railway – 33% up on the same period last year and 53% higher than just four years ago.
• Record investment in the railway in the south and south west of EnglandFigures released today show record levels of investment have been made across the south and south west of England as part of the ongoing work to provide a better railway in Britain.

Birmingham Mail

• Your vote could net Birmingham cycle scheme a £50,000 boost Northfield Ecocentre's Cycle South Brum plans access to free bikes, courses and rides to boost health

Birmingham Post

• HS2 needs more power across the regions to work The case for HSR now seems to have shifted onto its possible role in boosting regional regeneration in the West Midlands.
• Britain's ten largest cities outside London urge Labour - unite with Government to back HS2 Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield as well as Glasgow and Edinburgh are all supporting HS2, as legislation comes to the Commons

Manchester Evening News

• Commuters evacuated from train after it catches fire in RochdaleThe Leeds-bound Northern Rail train ground to a halt around Clegg Hall in Wardle after passengers began to see smoke coming from below the carriage

Sheffield Star

• Leader joins PM on HS2Political foes David Cameron and Julie Dore found common ground during a meeting at 10 Downing Street - on the pressing need for the HS2 high speed rail link.

Wales Online

• Full-body scanners to be introduced at Cardiff AirportTransport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has today announced Cardiff Airport will be among 11 British airports to have the full-body scanners installed as he maintained a

Yorkshire Evening Post

• HS2 boss wants to do best for our regiona high-speed rail ’task force’ from Whitehall visited Leeds to hear the city’s concerns about the multi-billion pound scheme and the route it will eventually take.

Yorkshire Post

• HS2 just the start as England’s largest cities push for growthLeeds and Sheffield will join forces with England’s largest regional cities to create their own energy companies and drive down bills for businesses and consumers as part of a push for civic growth.
• North poised to win partial control of railwaysYORKSHIRE transport chiefs are poised to take partial control of the region’s commuter rail networks after reaching an agreement in principle with Whitehall over rail devolution.

Crewe Chronicle

• Network Rail net debt increases to £30.6 billion Announcing half-year results, the company also states infrastructure investment and profits are also up but punctuality targets have

East Anglian Daily Times

• Bylthburgh: Motorists perplexed by council’s woven wicker roadside fencing on A12The curious week-long history of a woven wicker roadside fence has seen it accused of endangering motorists and spoiling scenery before collapsing in the wind.
• Stansted Airport: Crossrail 2 could bring more passengers to airport says business expertA proposed rail link between southwest and northeast London could shorten journey times to Stansted Airport from the capital and increase the number of airline passengers using the Essex terminal, a business expert has said.

North Wales Live

• Network Rail net debt increases to £30.6 billion Announcing half-year results, the company also states infrastructure investment and profits are also up but punctuality targets have

Global Rail News

• Network Rail reaffirms plan to close Folkestone Harbour branch lineNetwork Rail has submitted a formal proposal to close the Folkestone Harbour branch line and Folkestone Harbour station. A consultation has been launched into the planned closure after a study[...]
• Madrid Metro and Ineco join forces to target international projectsMadrid Metro and engineering consultancy Ineco have formed a new partnership to chase rail consultancy contracts in South America and the Middle East. Ministers said the joint venture is part[...]
• UK rail infrastructure investment up 33%Investment in major infrastructure projects on Britain’s rail network in the last six months was up 33 per cent on last year, according to Network Rail. Publishing its half-year results,[...]
• DB and ThyssenKrupp agree settlement over alleged price fixingDeutsche Bahn (DB) and steel manufacturer ThyssenKrupp have agreed an out-of-court settlement over allegations of price fixing. DB had threatened legal proceedings against ThyssenKrupp for its role in a ’cartel’[...]
• TfL announces 24-hour Tube services and station staff cutsPlans to operate 24-hour Tube services have been overshadowed by confirmation that Transport for London (TfL) will close all of its ticket offices by 2015 at the loss of 750[...]
• HS2 act given Royal AssentThe High Speed Rail Preparation (paving) Act has received Royal Assent, allowing construction design work to begin on HS2. The Act, which MPs voted 350 to 34 in favour of[...]

Aviation Industry

• Exclusive: Canadian airline sparks air fares war across the AtlanticSimon Calder is Travel Editor at Large for The Independent, writing a weekly column, various articles and features as well as filming a weekly video diary.
• More Dreamliner flights for Chinese New YearThe first commercial Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft run by China Southern Airlines lands in Auckland, New Zealand, last month.
• Stansted: Ryanair to increase capacity by 1.3m seats next summer, including 12 new destinationsRyanair will fly 12 new routes out of Stansted next summer and increase services to 17 other destinations served from the airport, it was announced today.
• Iberia unveils new livery and logo Iberia CEO Luis Gallego formally presented the carrier’s first aircraft bearing its new livery and logo at the T4 hub in Madrid-Barajas Airport Nov. 21. read more
• UK business travel bookings on the riseGTMC figures show increase in transactions over recent months
• Ryanair to add 12 Stansted routes for 2014No-frills carrier makes major move following expansion deal with airport
• SAS to launch new routes to the UKAirline announces flights to Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford and Aberdeen

Other News Sources

• The Golden Spanners Roger Ford’s keenly contested awards for excellence in rolling stock maintenance will be presented at the November meeting of the Fourth Friday Club. We shall continue last year’s theme with gold (best in class), silver (most improved) and bronze (fastest incident recovery) categories.
• London Underground to run 24 hour tube service at weekendsThe London Underground is to run a 24 hour service at weekends by 2015, Transport for London has unveiled.