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

Tuesday, 03 December 2013

BBC News

• Borders to Edinburgh railway: A7 impact discussedBorders MP Michael Moore is to meet Network Rail and contractors to discuss road conditions on the A7.

Financial Times

• Cameron opens door to China investment in HS2Prime minister emphasises Chinese role in UK infrastructure on a three-day visit to China, his first in three years, with trade as its focus
• Quebec crash prompts spat on safety rulesUS and Canadian executives question need for tightened safety rules, saying it would make more sense to focus on enforcing existing rules
• Levitating train boosts hopes for growthWorld’s fastest service will be among the most expensive but the rewards could be considerable
• Aeroflot: taking off at lastDue to the sector and complexities of the country, investors may be tempted to give the Russian airline a miss. But perhaps they should look again
• Bronx train was speeding before crashInitial findings into train crash in Bronx that killed four may raise pressure on passenger railways across US to introduce “positive train control”

The Guardian

• New York train travelled 82mph into 30mph curve before derailment• Investigators say it's too soon to tell if human error to blame• Crash in the Bronx killed four and injured more than 60Adam Gabbatt

The Telegraph

• Parcel service trialled at commuter stationsNew service will allow commuters to send and receive parcels from specialist shops on station concourse    
• Cycling in London 'as safe as walking'Cycling in London is no more dangerous than walking, a government transport adviser has claimed following a recent spate of deaths on the roads of the capital.    

Mail Online

• Could Chinese cash rescue £50bn HS2? Country's premier says he wants slice of the scheme and also calls for co-operation on nuclear powerDavid Cameron declared there were also 'opportunities for further opening our trade relations' after China's leader Li Keqiang said he wanted to invest in UK energy projects.

Network Rail

• Quicker journeys on the Midland main line as Kettering bridge improvements begin soonNetwork Rail is due to begin work to rebuild the A509 Pytchley Road in Kettering on Monday 9 December as part of a £70m investment to cut journey times on the Midland Main Line between London and Sheffield.
• Rail improvement work at Ansford completesThe A371 road has fully reopened to road traffic today (2 December) as Network Rail completes the £1.2m improvement scheme to significantly strengthen the Ansford overbridge at Castle Cary.

Derby Telegraph

• Temporary footbridge and road closures in DerbyA TEMPORARY footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists will open on Friday to allow the existing 135-year-old London Road Bridge to be demolished and replaced with a modern single-span bridge. The pre-fabricated footbridge, which was installed in two 25-tonne sections by a 400-tonne crane positioned at the top of Litchurch Lane, sits alongside the old bridge and will be open for pedestrians and cyclists to use to travel along London Road from 1pm on Friday. From next Monday, December 9, the...

London Evening Standard

• Boris Johnson announces London Underground and bus fares freezeBoris Johnson is to freeze London’s bus and Tube fares in real terms to help Londoners struggling with the cost of living, the Evening Standard can reveal.
• Cycling czar claims safety campaigners spreading fearOne in five cyclists in London said they have stopped cycling to work following the recent deaths, and almost 70 per cent believe that it is not safe to cycle on the capital’s roads, according to a poll.
• China: we’ll help Britain build HS2 rail lineChina today revealed it wants to pour billions of pounds into the HS2 rail line between London and the North.
• Cycling in London 'risky', campaigner tells Commons Transport committee after spate of deathsCycling in London can be risky at times and in certain places, a cycling leader has told MPs.
• Toll road plans 'to be scrapped'Controversial plans to create the UK's first toll road for a decade are to be dropped, it was reported.

Manchester Evening News

• Former Manchester Airport boss Geoff Muirhead did not bias Airports Commission Campaigners have lost the latest legal battle against possible expansion at Stansted Airport, owned by Manchester Airports Group
• China 'could invest in HS2' as part of a series of deals with the UK Mr Cameron is leading a large party on his second visit to the country as PM, which has seen Beijing express interest in investing in the HS2 project and nuclear power stations in the UK.

Northern Echo

• Airport insists taxpayers will not fund legal bill AN airport has insisted that taxpayers will not have to foot the bill for a six-year legal battle.

The York Press

• New bike-parking spaces for York unveiled NEW cycling facilities which will mean York has more than 1,000 spaces for bikes have been unveiled.

This Is Local London Network

• Your views: Should cyclists be allowed to pedal with headphones on? Boris Johnson is considering a ban on cyclists using headphones. But what do people in Kingston town centre think?

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Fare deal for Leeds passengers after bus ticket cutsTransport giant First today handed Leeds bus users an early Christmas present as it announced a series of ticket price REDUCTIONS.

Yorkshire Post

• Rail upgrade could mean slower trainsA MASSIVE £1.2bn programme to electrify one of Yorkshire’s main rail routes to London could result in slower services to the capital if Ministers do not also invest in new trains, an MP has warned.

Carlisle News & Star

• Virgin slashes Carlisle to Glasgow train fares Shoppers can get a bargain before they even begin this Christmas, with the announcement of a new cut price train fare.

Doncaster Free Press

• Rail company urges commuters to drink responsibly this ChristmasRail company First Capital Connect (FCC) has launched the second phase of its ‘Modern Day Guide To Train Etiquette’ in time for Christmas, urging passengers to think before they drink and to be careful in icy weather.    

East Anglian Daily Times

• Essex: Campaigners lose legal battle against possible expansion at Stansted AirportCampaigners have lost the latest legal battle against possible expansion at Stansted Airport.
• Suffolk: Government looks set to scrap plans to toll a stretch of the A14 according to reportsA controversial proposal to toll a stretch of the A14 looks set to be scrapped - with the Government poised to give the go-ahead to a £1.5bn project to expand the vital road

Other Regional Press

• Campaigners and residents furious over 'thoughtless destruction' of stretch of trees in SaltburnLocals are furious that Network Rail contractors are chopping down a 400 yard stretch of trees near a rail line at Saltburn
• Changes to bus journeys as commerical services launchChanges are being made to some bus services to make sure new commercial routes do not have to compete with those subsidised by Lancashire County Council.

Aviation Industry

• China Express Airlines orders Bombardier CRJ900s China Express Airlines has placed a firm order for three Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, as well as conditional purchase agreements for five of the type with options on an additional eight aircraft. read more

Other News Sources

• Where Are Next Year’s Transport Fares?It’s 2 December, which means there’s a month until we start paying higher fares on the transport network. Yet Transport for London still hasn’t told us what those fares will be.
• Ring & Ride service for older people likely to be cut, says UniteHundreds of older people and those with disabilities who rely on the ‘ring and ride’ service in the West Midlands for transport could find their trips stopped.
• Plea for double-decker bus to stop school rush overcrowdingPupils launch campaign for double-decker bus to replace the over-crowded single-decker 235 service which carries youngsters to school
• Business travellers back High Speed 2GTMC survey reveals support for controversial rail project