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

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

BBC News

• New railway bridge in Brinkworth labelled a 'monstrosity'People living in a Wiltshire village have described a new railway bridge as a "monstrosity".

ITV News

• Praise for Llandudno Station revampThe multi-million pounds refurbishment of Llandudno railway station is earning praise.

Financial Times

• Government spend on railways fallsPassengers shoulder greatest burden of the £12.7bn needed to keep the country’s trains on track
• London rail services ranked worstOperators scored poorly in overall customer satisfaction
• Aer Lingus names Kavanagh as chiefInsider chosen to take charge of Irish carrier during IAG merger talks
• Ireland clings to Heathrow slotsEnsuring ‘connectivity’ is bottom line for taoiseach in run up to election, writes Peter Cunningham

The Guardian

• East Coast gives lie to privatisation dogma [Letter Michael Roberts, DG - Rail Delivery Group]Professor Evans’s review of Britain’s railways omits several crucial facts (King for a day: My people will be passengers, not customers, 14 February). The railway is now carrying more people and goods than it has for decades and, as the rail regulator’s latest figures show, since 2010-11 government funding has decreased by 16.4%. East Coast is not alone in making net payments to government, nor is it the highest payer. Latest official figures show that for 2013-14 the largest payment was made by private operator South West Trains, which paid £312m compared with East Coast’s £207m.

The Herald

• Concern over lower speed limits on two sections of road to SkyeA petition has been launched against plans to lower the speed limit on two sections of one of the main tourist routes in the Highlands, the A87 to Skye.
• McGill's first to confirm Fastlink bus service to new hospitalA BUS company owned by Rangers directors James and Sandy Easdale has become the first to confirm it will run the flagship Fastlink service to Scotland's newest hospital.

The Independent

• Northern commuters may ride decades-old Tube trainsManchester commuters have been warned they may have to travel in decades-old London Underground trains after a company announced it could use them to replace creaking Pacer trains.

The Mirror

• Lollipop ladies at risk: Eric Pickles 'hypocrisy' in criticising council's axing of road safety workersThe Local Government Secretary slammed Birmingham City Council despite the Con-Dem coalition's slashing of the road safety budget by 40% since 2010

Birmingham Post

• Jacobs Engineering set to follow HS2 to BirminghamThe Post understands the US-owned company is opening an office in the business district to be near the HS2 headquarters

London Evening Standard

• No Victoria line services to run between Walthamstow Central and Seven Sisters for three weeks Thousands of commuters will face more than three weeks of travel misery this summer when a large section of the Victoria line is completely closed for upgrade works.
• ‘Uber drivers give me a low passenger rating because I’m gay’ A London businessman has accused taxi firm Uber of discriminating against gay passengers.
• Dragon's Den reject who designed world's loudest bicycle horn is set to reach £1.2 million in sales A cyclist who invented the world’s loudest bicycle horn after a series of near-misses in London is set to hit sales of £1.2 million this year — despite being rejected by investors on Dragons’ Den.

Morning Star

• Crossrail whistleblower reinstated after sackingBUILDING safety campaigners celebrated a fast-track victory yesterday when a sacked Crossrail whistleblower got his job back 30 minutes after a London solidarity demonstration.
• Furore over extension to rail franchiseMINISTERS faced a growing backlash yesterday over their decision to hand rail privateer First Great Western (FGW) a no-contest extension to its western England and Wales franchise.

Wales Online

• 'If you experience a heart attack, violence, or even just want a bacon sandwich on First Great Western then things are going to get a lot worse', MP warnsSwansea West MP Geraint Davies blasts South Wales to London fail franchise over fare hikes and staff cuts. MPs are supporting a union campaign over staffing levels and industrial relations at a leading rail company. A Commons Early Day Motion (EDM) has been tabled saying that First Great Western appears to be taking a “backward approach” to passenger services.

Yorkshire Post

• Andrew Vine: Here comes the MCV - and other train Tannoy gobbledegookTHE train had just pulled out of Sheffield when the voice came over the loudspeakers. “The retail manager will be making his way through the train with the MCV,” it declared. There was a slight pause for effect, and then the voice added: “That’s the mobile catering vehicle.”

Carlisle News & Star

• Travel disruption to trains between Carlisle and Newcastle Overrunning engineering work is causing disruption to train services between Carlisle and Newcastle

Peterborough Telegraph

• Survey says most rail passengers ‘satisfied’ with Peterborough servicesTrain travellers on Peterborough routes are among the ‘most satisfied’ with their service, according to a new Which? survey.

Sunderland Echo

• Grand Central named Britain’s best train operatorOUR direct link to London has been named the country’s best train operator.

Other Regional Press

• Parliamentary hopeful vows to continue fight against Heathrow expansionRuth Cadbury, Labour candidate for Brentford and Isleworth, also called for runway alternation to be bound in law
• Residents to learn of Heads of the Valleys A465 road dualling plans ONE thousand letters have been sent to residents explaining of the construction work that will take place to dual the Heads of the Valleys road.
• Motis freight services invests £1million to develop Port of Dover siteMotis freight services is investing £1million to develop its site in the Port of Dover and to create employment opportunities.
• MSP Aileen Campbell has public transport surgeryTHE people of Lanark and surrounding area will be able to have a direct say on controversial new rail services next week.
• First Great Western to have franchise renewed without competition againTrain company critics say 'union-bashing' has curried favour with the Government
• ‘Serious concern’ over figures which reveal Cambridge rail passengers are among the least satisfied New figures which revealed less than half of travellers are satisfied with the region's rail services have been branded a "serious concern".
• Merseyside set for new fleet of trains within five years if Merseytravel back improvement plansCurrent fleet of trains are now 37 years old but replacements could cost as much as £400m

Airportwatch

• Public Transport has got to get better in DerbyTHE Derby Telegraph receives lots of letters each week on issues affecting Derby and Derbyshire, as well as further afield. This one looks at public transport. Read more: http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Public-transport-got-better-city/story-26034860-detail/story.html?#ixzz3RzByiuAK Follow us: @DerbyTelegraph on Twitter | derbytelegraph on Facebook

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Electric vehicle grants reach 25,000The Department for Transport (DfT) has revealed that over 25,000 grants for Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) have been awarded since the scheme began in 2010.
• Government to fund accessibility improvements for Port of ImminghamNearly £5 million of government funding has been promised for plans to improve freight access to the Port of Immingham in north-east Lincolnshire.
• Crossrail upgrade gets underway at Harold WoodA major programme of renovations has begun at Harold Wood station, ahead of Crossrail services beginning to stop there in 2017. The project will involve lengthening the platforms to make sure the new 200m trains will be properly accommodated, three new lifts to allow for step-free access to all platforms, and a new footbridge. The improvements are set for completion by the summer of 2016. Councillor Robert Benham, the cabinet member for environment at Havering Council, said: “We are really pleased that work is starting on the Crossrail project and have been working with Crossrail to ...

Rail Magazine

• Greenwood proposes rail "guiding mind"Labour proposals for new over-arching rail industry body become clearer. A new ‘guiding mind’ for the rail industry has once again been mooted by Labour, with the party’s more detailed proposals for the railways starting to become clearer in the run-up to May’s General Election.

Railnews

• Demand for rail continues to grow, but some TOCs lose money The Office of Rail Regulation has reported that the number of National Rail journeys has risen by 16.6 per cent over the past four years. The movement of freight cargoes has risen even more, by 18.1 per cent. However, the ORR's latest financial report also reveals that several passenger operators are in the red. The Government has contributed £3.8 billion to the industry over the past year. Although subsidies are still being paid to some franchised train operators, most of this total was direct grants to Network Rail.
• Many passengers delayed, claims report A new rail passenger survey from the consumer charity Which? claims that 'rail operators aren™t doing enough to let delayed passengers know their rights on compensation'. Which? said it had gathered responses from more than 7,300 train users. Three in 10 said they had suffered a delay when they last travelled, while three quarters of those held up for more than an hour said they were not told that this meant they qualified for a full refund.

Aviation Industry

• Tata's Vistara trademark 'objected'Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh at an event where Tata Group-owned Vistara unveiled the first cabin look of its cabin, in New Delhi. PTI Tatas are facing 'objection' in registering 'Vistara' trademark for their aviation joint venture with Singapore Airlines which began operations last month.
• JetBlue's CEO battles to appease passengers and Wall StreetAs he takes control of the New York-based airline Monday, Hayes faces a difficult task: increase profits without destroying the culture that has made JetBlue stand out from other U.S. airlines. JetBlue, after all, was the first carrier to give passengers free live TV at each seat and is still known for its friendly employees.
• Airbus-SIA joint venture cleared by competition watchdogThe joint venture will see the creation of the Airbus Asia Training Centre which will provide pilot training services for Airbus aircraft in the Asia-Pacific. SINGAPORE: A proposed joint venture between Airbus Services Asia Pacific and Singapore Airlines Limited has been cleared for take-off by the Competition Commission of Singapore .
• Airlines racing to add wi-fi on short-haul routesRyanair will use advertising or other revenue streams to ensure wi-fi access doesn't add to its costs, CEO Michael O'Leary said Europe's airlines are racing to add wi-fi to their planes, eager to attract internet-hungry customers in a cut-throat short-haul market and potentially add millions of dollars of revenue through entertainment, services and advertising. US airline passengers already have a chance of accessing wi-fi on 66% of miles flown, against a worldwide average of 24%, according to data from Routehappy, which rates flights worldwide on amenities such as seats and entertainment.
• Aer Lingus names Stephen Kavanagh as new CEOAnnouncement comes as airline deals with IAG takeover deal

Other News Sources

• 'Combined authority' explores regulating bus servicesLocal authorities in the Tees Valley seek the creation of a formal combined authority in the autumn
• Do driverless cars mean we can scrap HS2?Uber is an on-demand taxi service you can book and pay for on your mobile phone. Writing for the Guardian last year, our own Mark Wallace was impressed with how it all worked. Traditional cabbies were rather less impressed and held protests in cities across Europe.
• MP visits port after £5.7M grant A GOVERNMENT minister paid a visit to a busy port.