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

Wednesday, 04 December 2013

BBC News

• Transport Committee [video]MPs on the Transport Committee took evidence as part of an inquiry into cycling safety on 2 December 2013.
• UK unveils new infrastructure plansThe UK government's 40% stake in Eurostar will be sold as part of a plan to boost infrastructure spending by £375bn being unveiled on Wednesday.
• Toll plan for A14 to be abandonedPlans to create the UK's first toll road for a decade are to be dropped, with the government set to fund it from general taxation instead.
• Cars seized over unpaid tollsFour vehicles have been seized as a result of non-payment of tolls on the M50 motorway in Dublin since the introduction of barrier free tolling.
• Boardman says MPs 'embarrassing'The Commons transport committee should be "embarrassed" by the ignorance it demonstrated during a recent hearing on cycle safety, former Olympic cycling champion Chris Boardman has said.
• Most London Tube fares 'frozen'Most transport fares in London are to rise by the rate of inflation, it has been announced.

Financial Times

• Transport planners look to the horizonA look at some of the radical schemes intended to transform travel in a capital braced for a population boom
• Insurers pledge £25bn for infrastructureVow to form centrepiece of relaunched National Infrastructure Plan designed to deliver more than £375bn of projects in coming decades

The Telegraph

• Boris Johnson struggles with Tube journey costOn the day that next year's London's bus and Tube fares are announced, Mayor Boris Johnson struggles to answer what a single cash fare from Angel to London Bridge currently is    
• Britain's stake in Eurostar to be sold off as part of £20bn privatisation planDanny Alexander to announce sale of Britain's stake in the Eurostar rail link to raise hundreds of millions of pounds for the Treasury    
• Caution needed over Chinese HS2 investmentLord Andrew Adonis warns that China's safety record is a cause for concern after premier Li Keqiang announces plans to invest in Britain's HS2 rail line    

Network Rail

• Work gets underway to transform “old” New Street stationWork has begun to transform the east side of Birmingham’s New Street station, which was the main station entrance until the opening of the new concourse in April this year.

Birmingham Mail

• MP Steve McCabe backing 20mph speed limits in Birmingham Selly Oak MP supports cutting speed to reduce accidents in Kings Heath High Street, Alum Rock Road and Soho Road

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham Airport joins campaign to bring more Chinese visitors to UKDeal with travel specialist Caissa will promote Birmingham as a gateway to Britain

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• First cuts cost of Bradford bus tickets Regular bus users in Bradford could save more than £250 in the New Year – thanks to new reduced fares.

London Evening Standard

• Cameron pledge to China over HS2 David Cameron has promised China's leadership that there will be "very open competition" for investments in Britain's HS2 high-speed rail link.

Northern Echo

• "Positive" meeting ahead of A67 funding decision THREE North-East MPs yesterday held a

Nottingham Evening Post

• Why is Nottingham's bus service usage now running so far ahead? CITY Transport's corporate timetable goes back to 1848, when the horses tugging small coaches left steaming souvenirs on the streets of a fast-growing Victorian town.
• Why is Nottingham's bus service usage now running so far ahead? CITY Transport's corporate timetable goes back to 1848, when the horses tugging small coaches left steaming souvenirs on the streets of a fast-growing Victorian town.

Sheffield Star

• Railway factory in Doncaster keeps on trackA new factory which will help keep the nation running for years to come is to open in Doncaster next week.

The York Press

• Conservative leader defends call to end Lendal Bridge traffic ban early A LEADING councillor has defended his party’s call for the Lendal Bridge traffic trial to be abandoned early after political opponents said he supported closing it three years ago.

Yorkshire Post

• Yorkshire trailing on public transport spendingSPENDING on public transport in London is more than twice that for Yorkshire, a new analysis shows.
• MPs ‘don’t know facts’ over cycle dangersMPs investigating cycling safety should be “embarrassed by their performance” at a Select Committee hearing, former Olympic cycling champion Chris Boardman has said.
• Eurostar stake part of £20bn assets sell-offTHE Government will sell its 40 per cent stake in Eurostar as part of a plan to privatise £20bn of financial and corporate assets by 2020.
• Motorists cut car use as fuel prices remain highHIGH fuel prices are continuing to force drivers to use their cars less, according to an AA/Populus survey released in the lead-up to today’s Autumn Statement.

Daventry Express

• Campaigners hit out at government HS2 plansCAMPAIGNERS have slammed plans by the Government to involve the Chinese in its controversial HS2 plans.

Doncaster Free Press

• Christmas public transport services across South YorkshireBus, tram and train services in South Yorkshire will be running to festive timetables between December 24 and January 2.     
• Railway factory in Doncaster keeps on trackA new factory which will help keep the nation running for years to come is to open in Doncaster next week.    

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Victory confirmed in battle against A14 tollBusinesses and road users were today celebrating after the government confirmed it is dropping controversial plans for a toll on the A14 – delivering a win-win for the region’s motorists.
• Stansted: Airport launches consultation with leading businesses to help attract long-haul carriersStansted Airport is calling on businesses from across the East of England to work together to help attract direct long-haul services to the airport.

Global Rail News

• MTA begins clearing scene of New York derailment

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair to relocate to Rome Fiumicino; offers to assist Alitalia Irish low-cost carrier (LCC) Ryanair will base six aircraft at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport and will launch services to three new domestic destinations in Southern Italy—Catania, Palermo (Sicily) and Lamezia (Calabria)—from the capital’s gateway airport Dec. 18. read more
• Eastern Airways adds French domestic routeHumberside-based airline strengthens its services in France
• Easyjet launches Chinese websiteNo-frills carrier targets visitors from China

Other News Sources

• Skilled engineers are vital to develop the UK aerospace sectorA shortage of skilled engineers within the composites, and specifically the aerospace industry, will need to be addressed to cope with the growth of the sectors.
• New HMT figures show public spending on transport at five year low Tuesday, December 3, 2013 London spend per head far higher than the North and Midlands Topic:  Funding

News from Europe

• Front-Running Cities Changing Transport, Improving Quality Of LifeMany cities in Europe are changing, according to a new report which points to rapid transformations in urban transport in some areas. While cycling and efficient public transport are becoming the norm in some urban areas, Europe’s transport sector is still a major contributor to excessive levels of greenhouse gases, air pollution and noise, the report says. Changing transport in cities is just one story in the 2013 edition of the annual Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism (TERM) published by the European Environment Agency (EEA), which presents a comprehensive analysis of transport’s effect on the environment in the European Union.