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

Wednesday, 28 January 2015

BBC News

• Meet Britain's longest train - the ballast cleanerThe "longest train in Britain" is working through the night to replace ballast on the Norwich to London line so speeds of 110mph can be reached.
• Devon bus routes at risk in cuts are namedDetails of which Devon bus services face being cut to save the county council £1.7m have been revealed.
• Belfast/Dublin Airport railway planIrish Rail is considering an extension to its network that would allow people to travel directly from Belfast to Dublin Airport.
• Bombardier top for Invest NI fundingAerospace company Bombardier tops the list of companies being offered financial support from Invest NI, with aid worth £65m.
• Siptu in plea over Aer Lingus saleSiptu, the largest trade union in Aer Lingus, has called on the Irish government not to sell its share of the airline without job guarantees.
• Easyjet first half losses to fallEasyjet expects first half losses to shrink, helped by growing capacity and a record number of business passengers.
• Rail passenger satisfaction fallsA survey of 27,000 rail passengers found 81% were satisfied with the service last year, compared with 83% in 2013.
• Dubai claims Heathrow's traffic crownDubai International has taken over from Heathrow as the world's busiest international airport in terms of yearly passenger numbers.

Financial Times

• TfL turns property developer to help fund capital’s transportHigh quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bf6e3828-a56d-11e4-ad35-00144feab7de.html#ixzz3Q674636o Transport for London is to become a property developer — including building luxury housing — in an attempt to raise more than £1bn of funding for the capital’s underground system, trains and buses.
• Asia-Pacific airlines cut fuel surchargesMove by Qantas, JAL and others may spread to US and Europe, but not all fares look set to fall
• Dublin plans Aer Lingus talks with IAGIrish government ready to meet after national carrier signals it will recommend €1.35bn bid
• Airlines: playing with pricesIndustry would be foolish to risk regulator wrath just as the outlook improves
• New ideas needed to unclog Paris streetsThe annual cost to French capital of gridlock likely to reach $18.7bn by 2030, writes Adam Thomson
• EasyJet forecasts lower lossesAirline says passengers could soon benefit from falling oil prices

The Guardian

• Rail passenger satisfaction fell prior to London Christmas chaosAutumn 2014 survey of 27,000 passengers by Passenger Focus found 81% expressed satisfaction, 2% down on previous year
• Is Boris Johnson playing politics with London's black cab drivers?The London mayor’s interventions in his transport body’s dispute with the capital’s black cab drivers have had a rather political flavour

The Herald

• Walking and cycling boosted by 'Bridge to Nowhere' pathA SEGREGATED path for cyclists and pedestrians created when Glasgow's infamous 'Bridge to Nowhere ' was finally completed has been hailed a success after researchers found it had boosted active travel in the city.
• New ScotRail operator scores low on passenger satisfactionTHE company poised to take over the running of Scotland's trains is among the poorest performers in the latest national passenger satisfaction survey.

The Independent

• The National Rail Passenger Survey: Best and worst of Britain’s railways revealed To enjoy Britain’s most satisfying rail journeys at the most agreeable fares, travel from Ayr to Stranraer, Perth to Inverness, or Fort William to Mallaig. At the other end of the scale: avoid the areas south and east of London, where passengers feel the trains have the highest fares, the least space and the worst toilets.

The Telegraph

• Letters: Heathrow 'hub’ would restore its monopoly on British aviation industrySIR – The Airports Commission will conclude its consultation next month regarding runway capacity in the South East, and prepare its recommendation to government.
• Rail misery hits five-year high as anger grows over train delays and lack of free seatsSatisfaction over Britain's trains drops to lowest level since 2009 as new survey reveals less than half of travellers in London and South East believe tickets are value for money

Times Online

• Boris challenges parties on cycle funding [subscription]Boris Johnson gave the go-ahead for Europe’s longest protected cycle routes as part of a “Crossrail for the bike” yesterday, as he said that any party that fails to pledge funds for cycling in their manifesto will be committing electoral “suicide”.

Reuters News

• Bombardier expects new orders after China high-speed train safety clearance -execCanada's Bombardier Inc expects to receive safety certification from China for its high-speed trains as early as next month, providing a springboard for more orders, the firm's top executive in the country said.
• Luton airport passenger terminal briefly evacuatedLONDON (Reuters) - The passenger terminal at Luton airport north of London was briefly evacuated on Tuesday after a faulty light fitting in the baggage reclaim area caused a fire alarm to go off, an airport spokeswoman said.

City AM

• Boris moves closer to plans for Old Oak Common rail superhubPLANS to turn a rundown industrial area in west London into a thriving new district with up to 24,000 homes moved a step closer yesterday after the government gave the go-ahead to create an Olympic-style development body for the scheme.

Daily Express

• Misery for rail passengers! Fury at 'fictitious' train timetables and pricey tickets RAIL timetables have become “a work of fictionâ€� for many passengers, an official watchdog warned yesterday.

Mail Online

• The 8,000 Heathrow noise complaints from just TWO people: Pair caught out after forgetting to change automated software used to file protests when clocks changed Two anti-Heathrow campaigners sent 8,000 noise complaints to the airport - with some arriving exactly one hour before the aircraft was due to take off.
• Rail travellers at their unhappiest for five years Fewer than one in three commuters on Britain's worst performing railways are satisfied with their expensive, delayed and overcrowded services, a report found.

Network Rail

• Wanted! 200 talented apprenticesNetwork Rail is seeking to recruit 200 young people from across Britain for its award-winning apprenticeship scheme, as it continues the largest investment into the railway since Victorian times.
• Five bridges to be rebuilt as electrification programme continuesFive bridges over the railway between between Bolton and Chorley on the Manchester to Preston line are to be rebuilt as part of the electrification of the route.
• Orphanage Road bridge to be replaced as work to upgrade railway at Watford continuesMajor work to replace the railway bridge at Orphanage Road in Watford will start in February as essential improvements to provide a better, more reliable railway for passengers on the West Coast Main Line continues.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Hundreds sign petition to save Wrexham to Birmingham 7.47am rail servicePressure mounts on Arriva Trains Wales chiefs not to axe busy rush hour train

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow noise complaints sent 'using automated software', airport claims An avalanche of complaints about aircraft noise at Heathrow last year was made by protesters using automated software, the airport claimed today.
• Heathrow airport replaced by Dubai as world's busiest airport Heathrow airport has lost its status as the world's busiest international airport.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published John Flynn: Is integrated transport dream becoming a nightmare?With the running of six NCT bus services being transferred this week, John Flynn from Burton Joyce says we are moving further away from fully integrated transport.After next month, a number of tickets will no longer be valid on nearly 20 city bus services. Passengers will not be able to use Easyrider, Cityrider, Anytime and Grouprider tickets on 18 different Linkbus services.It follows the transfer on Monday of six of these services from Nottingham City Transport, not Nottingham Community...

The York Press

• More trains to run from York to London under new East Coast franchise deal TRAIN bosses say more trains will run from York to London within five years, but more trains will also pass through York without stopping.

This Is Local London Network

• Polar bear spotted on the Northern Line Most commuters have seen everything when it comes to battling in and out of the capital every day - but not many have come face-to-face with a giant polar bear on the Northern Line.
• Campaigners continue fight for bus service Campaigners calling for a bus service to Finchley Memorial Hospital handed transport officials a petition containing hundreds of signatures.

Wales Online

• From bus inspector to one of the sector's youngest ever board membersMorgan Stevens , 29, has been appointed operations director of Newport Transport

Yorkshire Post

• Satisfaction levels falling among rail users on Yorkshire servicesRAIL companies serving Yorkshire stations have seen customers satisfaction levels fall, according to new figures.

Blackpool Gazette

• Zero bill for depot repairsBlackpool’s transport chief has pledged work to fix the town’s tram depot roof will start in weeks – at no cost to the council.

Bucks Free Press

• Railway crossing safety to be discussed tomorrow Network Rail want to hear residents views on railway crossing safety at a public consultation tomorrow in Princes Risborough.

Doncaster Free Press

• Doncaster vandals attack bus with pellet gunA Doncaster First bus service was targeted last night, by someone using a pellet gun.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Poll: Abellio Greater Anglia defends franchise record as survey finds only one in three rail passengers get value for money Ipswich MP Ben Gummer says 'service is not good enough'Only around one in three rail passengers get value for money in the region, a study has found.

Other Regional Press

• Garden city, drag racing strip and Heathrow’s third runway - all ideas for RAF MildenhallThe first ideas have started to come in for RAF Mildenhall, including a new garden city, a drag racing strip and third runway for Heathrow Airport.
• Stansted Airport needs four-track railway line to Cambridge says business consortium A FOUR-track railway should be built between Cambridge and Stansted Airport to benefit the economy and air passengers.
• ‘More needs to be done to improve our railway network’SOUTH West Trains has pledged to do more to improve journeys. It comes after independent research by Passenger Focus shows overall passenger satisfaction stands at 80 per cent, a drop of one per cent year-on-year.
• Hillingdon Council approves Airports Commission response against Heathrow expansionHillingdon Council will write to the Airports Commission to say the plans for expanding Heathrow Airport are seriously flawed. The council's cabinet approved its consultation response on Thursday (January 22) and will now send it to the commission.
• Passenger jailed for making bomb threat on train A PASSENGER who threatened to blow up everyone on a packed train, which was evacuated at Newport, has been jailed.
• Train travel disrupted between Lancaster and Preston for improvement worksA replacement bus service will be in place next month for rail passengers using the West coast main line.
• Euston, we have a problem as power failure causes travel woes for Preston commutersA power supply failure hundreds of miles away at one of the country’s busiest train stations has caused travel ‘chaos’ for Preston commuters.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Gvt offers funding for new regional air routesThe government has announced that a total of £56 million in funding will be made available via the Regional Air Connectivity Fund to fund new routes for regional airports.
• New eco-friendly buses phased in for London routesTransport for London (TfL) has announced that an additional two bus routes will be completely served with new Routemasters. Ten routes (the 8, 9, 137, 148 and 453) have already transitioned to the new buses. The number 15 between Trafalgar Square and Blackwall DLR via Aldwych, St Paul's, Mansion House, Cannon St, Monument, Tower Hill, Aldgate, Aldgate East and Limehouse DLR will be completely run by 22 Routemasters by the end of January. By the end of February, a further 34 new buses will operate the 55, which runs between Oxford Circus and Leyton via Tottenham Court Road Station, Old ...
• Transport secretary sees improvements in KentThe transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has visited two infrastructure projects in Kent to inspect their progress.

Middle East North Africa (MENA) Rail News

• Bahrain Announces Three New Railway StationsCommentators have observed that Bahrain is moving very slowly in relation to the rest of the GCC with regard the construction and planning of its section of the GCC Railway Network, as the Bahrain government announced three stations will be built. Most of the six GCC member states are either at advanced planning or construction […] The post Bahrain Announces Three New Railway Stations appeared first on MENA Rail News.

Railnews

• Thameslink is back on track Thameslink trains are running through central London again today following the removal of floodwater from the Clerkenwell tunnels. Network Rail gave the green light to operator Govia Thameslink after pumping half a million litres of water out of the tunnel, between Farringdon and St Pancras International.

The Business Desk

• Runway expansion survey could be seriously flawed says Birmingham AirportNEW research on the effect of runway expansion on the UK’s principal regions may be seriously flawed, Birmingham Airport has said.

Transport Focus

• Latest rail satisfaction scores highlight passengers’ deepening dissatisfactionAs satisfaction declines, the independent watchdog calls for industry and government to boost the passenger voice in decisions around getting trains on time versus running more services.

Aviation Industry

• Airline profits soar yet no relief for fliersAir travelers wondering how they would experience the recent wave of airline mergers appear to have an answer: Airplanes are more crowded than ever and fares remain at a five-year high despite plummeting fuel costs. Airline profits soar yet no relief for passengers Air travelers wondering how they would experience the recent wave of airline mergers appear to have an answer: Airplanes are more crowded than ever and fares remain at a five-year high despite plummeting fuel costs.
• Aer Lingus ‘willing’ to accept IAG offer€1.36bn bid is dependent on approval from Irish government
• Dubai takes spot for air traffic from Heathrow70.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2014

Green Miscellany

• Laser-etched bicycle frames repel water and mudScientists have laser etched metal surfaces to make them entirely water repellent. The same technique applied to a bicycle frame and components would dramatically reduce the need for cleaning. Laser-etched bicycle frames promise to be forever clean Bikes with frames and componentrs laser etched in this way would be ‘superhydrophobic’, which means they would need washing less frequently and parts that… The post Laser-etched bicycle frames repel water and mud appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Garden city, drag racing strip and Heathrow’s third runway - all ideas for RAF MildenhallSERIOUS flaws are evident in plans to build a third runway at Heathrow, Hillingdon Council insists.
• Airports Commission and PwC runways expansion thinking flawedHeathrow expansion will exacerbate rather than mitigate regional imbalances, By drawing more business into the south-east Heathrow expansion will simply widen the north/south divide
• Runway Expansion Impact Study 'Flawed' - ReportThe Airport Commission's research into the impact of Heathrow's runway expansion on UK regions could be flawed, according to a new study commissioned by Birmingham Airport.
• World airports plan for one billion more journeys a year - Let Britain FlyEmerging economies lead drive for airport expansion with the UK at risk of being left behind, shows analysis.
• Council to hold eight hour public exhibition of SC2 link road plan SC2 goes on public display this Friday ahead of planning application to be submitted within weeks
• MP's support for airport expansion THE MP for Hove has added his support to Gatwick's campaign for a second runway.