Gatwick To Accept ‘Stricter Limits’ On Plane Noise
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub heading.
Gatwick Airport has said it will accept stricter limits on aircraft noise and has put forward what it called improved plans in response to the government’s approval for a second runway.
These two introductory paragraphs give a bit of detail about the deal that seems possible.
Last month Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said that she was “minded” to give consent for the airport to bring its second runway into use.
Gatwick has now responded to the Secretary of State’s letter with what it called an “improved noise scheme for local residents.”
This certainly appears to be a fruitful start to negotiations.
The airport also seems to have put forward a package of proposals.
- The airport said it accepts a requirement to have 54% of passengers using public transport before it brings the Northern Runway into operation. – but it needs support.
- Gatwick said it needs help from others, including the Department for Transport, to meet the target.
- The full Gatwick Express train service should be reinstated.
- If the 54% public transport target is not achieved then an alternative cars-on-the-road limit should be met instead.
- If neither the public transport mode share or the cars-on-the-road limit are met, then the second runway would be delayed until £350m of road improvements have been completed.
- The airport also responded on sustainable design and reducing emissions.
I also think, we should note, that Heidi Alexander was seen at Newton Aycliffe, at the launch of Grand Central’s new trains, which I wrote about in Arriva Group Invests In New Battery Hybrid Train Fleet In Boost To UK Rail Industry.
It does seem, that after one trip to Hitachi’s factory in the North-East and she has softened her attitude on open access operators.
Perhaps, the sushi was excellent?
Since that trip to the North-East, Arriva Group have put in another application for an open access service, which I wrote about in Arriva Group Submits Open Access Rail Application To Connect Newcastle And Brighton, Via London Gatwick.
This proposal could mean the following.
- Lots of neglected places between Newcastle and Brighton get an improved and better connected rail service.
- Gatwick gets extra trains, which will increase the proportion of passengers going to Gatwick by train.
- Arriva Group’s owner ; I_Squared meet one of their corporate objectives of improving transport links.
- This could help the airport meet the conditions for a new runway.
- Hitachi get an order for a few more trains.
- An optimist, might even think, that this deal could result in some exports of Hitachi trains.
Being a politician, Heidi will claim the credit, if it all works out well.
What A Difference Eight Days Makes
Every week, I usually order a Marks & Spencer gluten-free spaghetti carbonara in my weekly Ocado shop.
I order it for these reasons.
- It is gluten-free and I am coeliac.
- I can cook it easily in the microwave.
- I can also eat it directly from the tray it is packed in, so if I’m careful, I only have to wash up the fork, I ate it with.
But above all I like spaghetti carbonara.
Last week, I didn’t eat the spaghetti carbonara, that was delivered last Saturday.
So I had two spaghetti carbonaras in my fridge for supper tonight, which are shown in these pictures.
Note.
- The different sizes of the two packs.
- The larger pack is last Saturday’s and is dated the 22nd of April.
- The smaller pack is today’s and is dated the 30th of April.
- Both packs are labelled 400 g.
It looks like the packaging could have been shrunk, but not the product inside!
I have just eaten last Saturday’s pack and have had no ill effects, despite it being four days out of date.
Incidentally, it looks like Ocado are still showing the larger pack on their website.
I Am Not Watching Crystal Palace And Aston Villa
I must be the only person in the UK, who can’t watch the FA Cup semi-final. on his main television.
- I can watch it on my computer using iPlayer.
- I can watch it on the TV in my bedroom on Freeview.
- I can watch it on the TV in my bathroom on Freeview.
As I want to use my computer, I am listening to the Radio 5 commentary on BBC Sounds.
My main television is driven by a BT/EE system, that works on broadband and all it shows is this screen.
This is an enlarged view of the bottom-left section of the screen.
Can I please have a signal?
The signal is supposed to come through my broadband, but because everybody is watching the football, there’s nothing left for me.
But how come I can watch the football using iPlayer on my computer.
As an experienced programmer, it looks like a bug to me. Or it could be a broken cable.
This third picture shows the Freeview picture in my bedroom.
Nothing wrong with that!
But now at 82:30, I’ve got my signal back and I’m able to watch and listen to the match. But not in high-definition. Although, that is now back at 87:16.
I seem to have a demonic touch with hardware and if it fails with anyone, it will fail with me.
Milestone Reached As 250,000th Passenger Journey Made On Northumberland Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Northumberland County Council.
These three introductory paragraphs add detail?
Passengers who have made more than 250,000 journeys on Northumberland Line services are being reminded they can beat the queues for tickets by buying online.
Northern said the major milestone was reached this week, after it began running passenger trains on the line in December, for the first time in 60 years.
Services call at Newcastle, Manors and new stations in Seaton Delaval, Newsham and Ashington, with a journey along the entire route taking around 35 minutes and a single fare costing no more than £3.
This is a good leveling-up story, so why hasn’t the government got a pipeline of shovel-ready new rail projects?
These projects could be for starters.
The West London Orbital
This page on the Transport for London web site gives the current progress and starts with this paragraph.
We’re making plans for a new rail service on existing, underused rail lines in west London that would become part of the London Overground network. The West London Orbital rail service would run from Hounslow towards Hendon and West Hampstead in the north.
The Mayor and Transport for London are probably spending most of their time, thinking of a silly woke name, that no-one will remember and just cause confusion.
The Ivanhoe Line
This article on the BBC is entitled Disappointment As Reopening Of Railway Line Halted.
This is the sub-heading.
The restoration of a passenger rail link through the Midlands has been stopped in its tracks.
These three paragraphs give more detail.
A business case for reopening the Ivanhoe Line rail link from Burton-upon-Trent to Leicester had been submitted before the election, with campaigners hopeful that work could begin in 2024.
But on Monday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the Treasury needed to find £5.5bn of savings in 2024 and a further £8.1bn in 2025.
Speaking in the House of Commons, the Chancellor said that the previous government’s entire Restoring Your Railway programme would be scrapped, saving £85m.
Note.
- I don’t believe this government believes in improving the rail infrastructure in the UK.
- But how do they expect people to get around, given their preferred transport mode of electric cars are ridiculously overpriced?
- The article on the BBC is a must-read.
- Last week Arriva Group announced a new Newcastle and Brighton open access service, that will call at Burton-on-Trent, which is planned to be the Western terminus of the Ivanhoe Line. See Arriva Group Submits Open Access Rail Application To Connect Newcastle And Brighton, Via London Gatwick for more details.
For more on the Ivanhoe Line, read the Campaign to Reopen the Ivanhoe Line web site.
The Anonymous Widower 