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

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

BBC News

• Bus fall OAP wins £10,000 damagesA bus firm is ordered to pay £10,000 compensation to an elderly woman who was hurt when a driver pulled away from a stop before she was seated.
• VIDEO: Pollution levels drop at 'hot spot'Levels of air pollution on a central London road previously called
• No weekend trains for two monthsNo weekend train services will run from Norwich to London for two months because of a £15m rail upgrade.
• Transport police chief denies suspending whistleblowersThe chief constable of British Transport Police has denied suspending officers for whistleblowing over concerns about data handling.

Financial Times

• Volvo names new Americas chiefAppointment part of efforts by Chinese-owned carmaker to set up a US industrial base
• Li Ka-shing to acquire Eversholt RailAsian tycoon-backed investment vehicles to buy group that owns 28% of UK passenger-train fleet

The Herald

• Ryanair boss vows to pass falling oil price onto passengersRYANAIR boss Michael O'Leary has vowed to pass tumbling oil prices onto passengers with cheaper fares from the beginning of next year.

The Independent

• The ten worst excuses for public transport delaysRecently it emerged that a Southern Rail train service had been delayed every day for a year, while thousands of commuters at London Bridge have faced disruption this year due to engineering work.

The Telegraph

• Deep down, every man wants a giant train setJohn Caudwell, the founder of Phones4u, is building a narrow-gauge railway around his Jacobean country house. But wouldn't we all, if we could?

Network Rail

• Manchester Victoria station’s Metrolink stop to reopen in FebruaryNetwork Rail will restore services to Manchester Victoria’s Metrolink stop next month after completing work to build new platforms and tracks.
• Passengers reminded to check before they travel as work to improve the railway between London and Norwich continuesEssential improvements to provide a better, more reliable railway for passengers between London and Norwich will take place over eight weekends from the end of January to the middle of March affecting services at Colchester, Witham, Chelmsford and Marks Tey.
• Record Christmas trade: Consumers opt for convenience shopping and dining at travel hubs as high street habits changeChristmas retail trading (29 November to 27 December 2014) at Network Rail’s 18 managed stations was the busiest on record growing 15.8%, with like-for-like sales growing by 10.7%, according to figures just released by the rail operator. This contrasts sharply with the BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index which recorded growth of only 2.6% for the 5-week period.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Union backs campaign to save Wrexham to Birmingham rail serviceRMT chief Mick Cash says Arriva Trains Wales should 'back off' the busy 7.47am commuter service as petition is launched
• Union backs campaign to save Wrexham to Birmingham rail serviceRMT chief Mick Cash says Arriva Trains Wales should 'back off' the busy 7.47am commuter service as petition is launched
• Holyhead cruise ship passengers set to surge by 40% this year Around 14,000 passengers on 23 liners are due to dock in Anglesey this summer which is expected to boost economy by £2.4m

London Evening Standard

• Commuters face new Tube strike threat in row over driver who 'failed alcohol breath test' Millions of Tube commuters face the threat of major strike disruption next month called in protest over a train driver sacked after he allegedly failed an alcohol breath test.

Metro

• Air Asia update: Flight climbed ‘at an abnormally high speed’ and stalled before crashingIndonesia's transport minister said the passenger flight climbed faster than even fighter jets do.

Northern Echo

• Chancellor's warning over future of Newcastle Airport HUNDREDS of thousands passengers are expected to desert a North-East airport if Scotland exploits new freedom to slash taxes, George Osborne has admitted.

The York Press

• Leeds Bradford Airport offers new summer holiday destinations LEEDS Bradford Airport has announced flights to new holiday destinations this summer.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Speed limit enforcement starts as resurfacing work gets under way on A12 in SuffolkWork to resurface the A12 road between Copdock and East Bergholt starts next Monday night – which is when the average speed cameras in the area will be switched on.
• Network Rail’s last chance to get things right in East AngliaNetwork Rail has one last chance to get things right as it prepares to close the main line between London and East Anglia on eight weekends between the end of this month and late March.

Other Regional Press

• New poll reveals boost in support for Heathrow expansionPopulus survey of 10,000 residents shows additional jobs and apprenticeships shape-up top reasons for supporting expansion
• Video: Transport Secretary 'can't promise weekend work will not over run'TRANSPORT Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said he could not promise weekend engineering work will not over run into commuters' Monday morning.
• Car carrier to stay aground for extra dayWORK to retrieve a cargo ship that ran aground after it developed a list in the Solent has once again stalled.
• Diversion route revealed as bridge to former Northampton bus station removedThe diversion route that will be enforced while a building connected to Greyfriars bus station is demolished has been revealed.
• Five-hour wait for freight at Eurotunnel in Folkestone after lorry fire at weekendFreight traffic is being forced to wait up to five hours to use the Eurotunnel service - days after a lorry fire caused havoc.

Rail Magazine

• DB doubles London Gateway to Trafford Park traffic Britain's largest freight operator doubles number of trains on key intermodal route.
• IEP training vehicle arrives in UKA part-assembled IEP vehicle has arrived in the UK, to be used in the training of factory workers.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Alstom to deliver signalling equipment for Egyptian Railway Alstom has secured a €100m contract from Egyptian National Railways (ENR) to deliver signalling equipment for the Beni Suef-Asyut line in Egypt.
• EnerSys-Hawker EvoRail, PerfectRail and ZeMaRail Batteries for railway applications EnerSys is one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial batteries. Our development is future-focused. All of our products are manufactured by the latest production methods. We use our experience, skills and knowledge to advise, plan, set up…
• BNSF announces investment details to boost rail network in 2015 US freight transportation company BNSF Railway has announced investment details about major rail projects that will be undertaken this year in the south, north and central regions to boost its network.
• ABB to provide traction converters for Stadler Rail's trains Power and automation technologies provider ABB has secured orders worth $40m from Swiss firm Stadler Rail for train projects in Europe and the US.
• Fare's fair: does UK rail offer value for money? With many UK rail fares rising well beyond inflation since privatisation in 1993, high customer costs risk damaging rail travel’s value proposition as an alternative to the road. Why hasn’t private sector competition brought lower fares as some might…
• Lightweight Integrated Emergency Door System for Rail Vehicles Working alongside Bombardier Transportation, TRB Lightweight Structures helped to design and develop an emergency detrainment door system for two different rail vehicles: the London Underground sub-surface rail fleet and the new Class 378 London Over…

Aviation Industry

• The carbon gap in the Airports Commission’s new runway analysisWe have identified three gaps in the Airports Commission's analysis of the climate change implications of airport expansion: a lack of explanation about lower CO2 forecasts, no detail about how CO2 emissions would be reduced and not including full carbon costs in the economic analysis. We are asking people to raise these concerns to the Commission.
• Cheaper fuel will help airlines pad profits; passengers unlikely to share through lower faresAirlines will save billions this year thanks to cheaper jet fuel, but they aren't likely to share the bounty with passengers - not while so many flights are already full. Airline CEOs worry that oil prices could just as easily go higher.
• Stiff competition forces Etihad Regional to restructureEtihad Regional will pull four routes and focus on contract flying, blaming stiff competition and slow regulatory clearances for its decision. read more
• Alitalia targets 2017 profit under new planAlitalia can have a great future, but attitudes in the company must change, the company said Tuesday. read more
• UK opens inquiry into Flybe Q400 landing incidentThe UK’s Air Accident Investigation Branch has opened an inquiry into why a Flybe Bombardier Q400 left the runway at Inverness Airport Monday. read more
• Alitalia pledges a ‘return to profit by 2017’Italian carrier announces strategic turnaround plan

Other News Sources

• Time running out to stop Heathrow expansion, Wandsworth leader warnsCouncil leader Councillor Ravi Govindia wants people power to help stop new Heathrow flight paths being created over Wandsworth.