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

Monday, 27 January 2014

BBC News

• Hammersmith 'Flyunder' plan views soughtCouncillors are calling for residents' views on whether Hammersmith Flyover should be replaced with a "flyunder".
• MPs hear helicopter safety evidenceMPs from the House of Commons transport select committee are visiting Aberdeen to take evidence on helicopter safety.
• New Street 'worst' railway stationSt Pancras is named the best train station for overall satisfaction in a rail watchdog study.
• Minister defends 'big' HS2 salariesThe government defends the salaries of the chief executive and chairman of HS2, suggesting

Financial Times

• UK car industry set to race past forecastsSome brands expect to repeat last year’s 10%-plus growth, against official predictions of about 1%, as consumer confidence rises
• Tata Motors head falls to death in BangkokUK-born Karl Slym, who fell ‘from a higher floor’ of the Shangri-La Hotel, had been leading efforts to revive the struggling Mumbai-based carmaker
• Crop and shale boom slows American railwaysRailway congestion is the first to hit the western US and Canadian network on such a large scale since the economic downturn

The Guardian

• Ed Balls: HS2 supporters not yet won argument that cost is worthwhileShadow chancellor says cost of high-speed rail link has spiralled out of control and casts doubt on Labour's support of project

The Herald

• Helicopter crash victims were 'let down by safety briefings'OIL workers who died when their helicopter ditched off Shetland were let down by pre-flight safety briefings which gave a
• Alexander rejects A9 camerasDANNY Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has claimed that the Scottish Government's plan for average speed cameras on the A9 will be ineffective and a waste of money.
• Action call as worst polluted streets are revealedA STREET in the centre of Glasgow is the country's most polluted, according to a league table from Friends of the Earth Scotland.

The Scotsman

• ‘Deadly’ level rail crossings to be phased outTHEY are one of motorists’ most feared obstacles and pose the biggest risk of a rail disaster – but now the days of open level crossings are numbered.

The Mirror

• Items confiscated at US airports show enough weapons to start your own army plus a HUMAN SKULLTaking a bottle of water or a lighter on board a plane looks trivial in comparison to what American transport officers have been confiscating

Birmingham Mail

• M6 is unlikely star of new BBC TV series And you can share stories of motorway mayhem on camera, too...
• Watchdog brands New Street 'Britain's worst railway station'Birmingham hub has  lowest satisfaction rating among passengers - but Moor Street rated among the best
• Safety fears over plans to make motorway hard shoulders permanent 'live' lane Drive to ease congestion across Midlands network could create accident blackspots, say experts
• Fears for jobs if Ring & Ride buses are axed Campaign launched to save West Midlands service at risk from Centro cutbacks
• Month of misery on railways as West Coast Main Line shuts Commuters advised to go on holiday as £81m of engineering works take place - as Birmingham Queensway tunnel shuts once more

Birmingham Post

• HS2 will spread UK wealth throughout the regions, says Sir David Project chairman says: “HS2 will transform not just Birmingham but how cities in the north talk to each other.”

Sheffield Telegraph

• Traffic disruption on tapA one-way traffic system and diversions will be introduced when parts of Hemsworth Road, Norton Lees, are dug up from Tuesday to replace water pipes.

The York Press

• Ryedale MP seeks Commons bus cuts debate THE MP for Thirsk and Malton is pressing for a change in the law which bans pensioners from contributing towards bus services.

Wales Online

• 'Guided busway' the answer to linking Swansea, Newport and CardiffThe plan would resolve M4 congestion during motorway closures, says Newport Transport managing director Scott Pearson

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Years of work to travel 7 miles in 2 minutes as HS2 campaigners reveal disruptionFour thousand extra journeys will be made by trucks, cars, and construction vehicles every day for up to three years to build a seven-mile stretch of HS2 in Staffordshire.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds park-and-ride site is on course to be a congestion-busterFresh details were today revealed about the operation of the biggest ever park-and-ride site in Leeds.

Blackpool Gazette

• Council slammed in road row ‘eviction’A High Court judge has sensationally slammed Blackpool Council after it tried to evict a lawyer who was suing the town hall over the state of the resort’s roads.

Sleaford Standard

• Station project will see new access rampRail travellers at Ruskington are invited to attend an event to find out more about plans to remove the pedestrian crossing at the station.    

Other Regional Press

• Crossrail director moves to super sewerCrossrail programme director Andrew Mitchell has jumped ship to head up the capital’s next big tunnelling project, the £2.3bn Thames Tideway Tunnel.
• Bournemouth council ’will not back down’ over West Central bus hub rowBOURNEMOUTH council insists it will not back down and end a long-running showdown with a developer over a prime town centre car park.
• Trafford leader criticises 'totally inaccurate' leaflets which claim 7.5 metre tunnel is to be built under Stretford to accommodate HS2THE leader of Trafford Council has criticised ’totally inaccurate’ leaflets which falsely claim that a 7.5 mile tunnel is to be built under Stretford to accommodate the HS2 rail line.
• CGGayle published Fowey Town Bus savedFowey residents campaigning to save the Town Bus are celebrating after a deal was struck with the bus operators and Cornwall Council. Following concerns the local authority would reclassify the service as a tourist bus, meaning pensioners and people with disabilities would no longer be entitled to subsidised bus fares, locals rallied together in a bid to save the "essential service". Following a meeting between Julie Yeo, who has run the service for the past 8 years, and David Edwards,...
• Decision to reopen Abington Street to traffic ‘called in’The decision to rubberstamp a £3 million scheme to reopen the top of Abington Street to cars is set to be scrutinised, after further concerns were raised about its merits.
• Nineteen Channel Tunnel workers have been poisoned by carbon monoxide, one is in a serious conditionNineteen workers have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning while working overnight in the Channel Tunnel, with one of them in a serious condition.
• Suspension of bus drivers strike to allow for further talks BUS drivers will no longer strike over a pay dispute next week to allow for further talks.

Other News Sources

• Boris announces “Year of the Bus” celebrations, including 60th anniversary of the RoutemasterMayor Boris Johnson has announced a year-long celebration of the capital’s bus network. 2014 marks a number of important anniversaries for London buses, including the 60th anniversary of the original Routemaster and the 75th anniversary of its predecessor, the RT-Type.
• HS2 statement 'ignores the impact on landowners'The extension of the HS2 Environmental Statement response deadline 'allows more time for its consideration', according to the Country Land and Business Association
• Northern transport authorities given say on rail franchises, and "path" to full devolutionMinisters have given the go-ahead to local transport authorities in northern England having a formal role in the renewal of the Northern and TransPennine rail franchises.
• Future First Capital Connect Thameslink trains for Brighton to Bedford line unveiled A NEW train which will pass through Three Bridges and Gatwick stations is being showcased to the public for the first time.