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

Wednesday, 04 March 2015

BBC News

• Major rail development plan unveiledA major redevelopment of Cardiff central station and plans to electrify the north Wales main line are amongst Network Rail's ambitions for the next 30 years.
• Ford launches e-bikes at mobile showFord has been showing off two e-bikes at Mobile World Congress as manufacturers start to look beyond the car.
• Rail changes made after feedbackSoutheastern responds to passenger feedback by announcing 14 trains are to be lengthened and seven services will make additional stops.
• Language 'factor' in Crossrail deathA Crossrail construction worker's lack of English language skills contributed to his accidental death, an inquest jury rules.
• Ministers issue spaceport shortlistSix aerodromes remain on the list to become the UK's first commercial spaceport.
• Grounded ship towed for repairA cargo ship that ran aground in the north west Highlands is to be towed to Inchgreen in Greenock for repairs.
• Ford boss urges UK to remain in EUFord
• Aston Martin targets female buyersAston Martin plans to broaden its range of cars to include new sportscars and a small SUV, to attract younger and female buyers.
• Fiat boss wary over tech challengeThe traditional motor industry would be foolish to ignore moves by Google and Apple into car technology, says Fiat-Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne.
• UK government sells Eurostar stakeThe UK government says it is selling its 40% stake in the cross-Channel train operator Eurostar to an Anglo-Canadian consortium for £757.1m.

Financial Times

• London’s black cab drivers face squeezeApps, satnavs and 24-hour Tube trains threaten licensed taxi trade
• Addison Lee battles Uber for New York taxisUK private hire group to battle smartphone app for control of Big Apple’s £2.2bn market
• Panama expects boost from US port spatRecent disruption could divert shipping traffic from Asia to east coast of US
• Eurostar sale raises £757m for TreasuryCross-Channel train operator stake almost twice the anticipated sum

The Guardian

• Eurostar sale to net British taxpayers more than £750mUK government’s sale of 40% stake in rail link to continental Europe set to exceed market expectations with total proceeds of £757mThe British government is selling its stake in Eurostar in a deal that will deliver £757m to the taxpayer.The sale price is higher than was expected when the government announced that it was inviting offers for its stake, in October 2014. George Osborne described it as a “fantastic deal for UK taxpayers that exceeds expectationsâ€�. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Anger as Moray bases axed from spaceport shortlist, as Prestwick remains in the runningHIGHLAND politicians have blasted the

City AM

• UK sells off £750m stake in EurostarTHE GOVERNMENT is set to sell its stake in Eurostar for £757.1m as part of the coalition’s pledge to raise £20bn from asset sales by 2020. A consortium comprising Canadian pension fund Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec and British fund Hermes Infrastructure will buy the UK’s 40 per cent stake in the rail service for £585.1m – a substantial premium on the £300m mooted when the government invited bids in October. On top of that amount, Eurostar has agreed to redeem the government’s preference share, allowing the exchequer to pocket a further £172m. Chancellor George Osborne talked ...

Belfast Telegraph

• Government sells off Eurostar stakeThe Government has reached agreement to sell off its entire stake in the Eurostar for £757 million, the Treasury has announced.

Birmingham Post

• £30m boost to Birmingham cycling sceneThe city council has been awarded a £22.1 million Department for Transport grant which, topped up with £7.9 million local funding
• Birmingham City Council raises over £800k with car park sales Successful auction for troubled authority as continues to dispose of its assets with car parks being sold way above guide price

London Evening Standard

• London Bridge: Commuters jump barriers to escape overcrowding amid rush hour 'chaos' Desperate commuters jumped the barriers at London Bridge this evening amid "chaos" that led to calls to police for assistance.
• Scaffolding collapses onto double-decker bus in south-east London This was the scene after scaffolding collapsed onto a double-decker bus in a busy high street in south London.

Sheffield Star

• 300 drivers a day caught in bus laneA new bus lane camera is catching nearly 300 motorists a day – netting Sheffield Council more than £90,000 in fines in just a few months.
• Calls for a united voice to fight HS2 plans in South Yorkshire and DerbyshireThe chairman of a HS2 protest group has thrown his weight behind campaigners in Tinsley who face losing their homes to make way for high-speed rail.

The York Press

• Q&A: What will the changes on the East Coast mainline mean for passengers? We look at what the latest railway shake-up will mean for fares, services and passenger input....

This Is Local London Network

• Bus stop wars as restaurant owners vow to fight new Sutton bus shelter Restaurant owners fear construction of a bus shelter outside its doors will block in visitors and filling the premises with the smell of cigarette smoke.

Wales Online

• Major revamp of Cardiff Central Station and electrification in North Wales among plans to boost railwaysIf plans are approved Cardiff Central Station would benefit from a revamp running into hundreds of millions of pounds
• Welsh airfield in the running to become UK's first spaceport by 2018Llanbedr, in Snowdonia, is one of six British sites shortlisted by the UK Government

Yorkshire Post

• Northern councils throw out Osborne's transport planOFFICIALS have been told to re-write a major transport plan for the North which is expected to be a key element of George Osborne’s Budget later this month.

Burnley Express

• Todmorden Curve due to open in MayThe Todmorden Curve rail link – which will provide a direct train service to Manchester – is still on track to open in May.

Daventry Express

• Students take part in green project to build electric carStudents from the Danetre and Southbrook Learning Village (DSLV) have embarked on a new green project. The youngsters had to design and build an electric-powered racing car which will compete against cars from other schools in regional heats with the aim of making it to the annual final held at the Goodwood Motor Circuit.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Faster trains if crossings shutSeveral level crossings in Peterborough could shut to help make way for faster trains to London.
• Union claims commuters from Peterborough are paying heavily for rail privatisationCommuters in Peterborough are shouldering the burden of rail privatisation, its has been claimed.

Other Regional Press

• Transporter Bridge re-opening delayed again by new electrical and rust problemsHARTLEPOOL and Billingham users of the Transporter Bridge across the River Tees face further delays before they can use the crossing again.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Minister visits Wolverhampton to discuss transport improvementsThe transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has paid a visit to Wolverhampton to debate the possibilities of devolving rail transport in the West Midlands. Mr McLoughlin had a meeting with West Midlands Rail (WMR), a group of 14 unity, county and metropolitan authorities, to discuss their proposals for rail devolution. The meeting appears to have been a success, as the Department for Transport is set to work with WMR to discuss taking the ideas forward. Mr McLoughlin said: “Giving local areas a greater say over how their train services are run can help drive the improvements to our ra...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Frazer-Nash and Bombardier win innovation prize for Train Zero project UK-based engineering consultancy Frazer-Nash and Bombardier Transportation have been awarded the Technological Innovation prize at the Rail Business awards for their joint work on the Train Zero project at Bombardier's Derby plant.
• South Africa's Transnet secures $1.1bn funding for locomotive acquisition programme South African rail operator Transnet has raised $1.1bn in funding for its locomotive acquisition programme, the biggest rail recapitalisation programme in the country's history.
• Naples-Afragola High Speed Train Station, Naples Naples-Afragola (Napoli-Afragola) is a proposed high-speed railway station in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy.
• Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) is a set of enhancement works being carried out on the Edinburgh to Glasgow rail corridor.
• Alstom-led consortiums receive contracts from Cairo metro authority Egypt's National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) has signed two contracts with Alstom-led consortiums for the delivery of signalling system and the infrastructure of the Phase IVA of Cairo Metro Line 3.

Railnews

• Community Rail boost for rural Suffolk lines Two more rural lines in eastern England have been officially designated Community Railways by the Department for Transport. The lines link Ipswich with Lowestoft via Woodbridge and Beccles, and Ipswich with Felixstowe. The announcement has been welcomed by train operator Abellio Greater Anglia as well as local Community Railway volunteers.

Railway Gazette

• Buenos Aires commuter routes renationalisedARGENTINA: By means of a resolution published on March 2, Minister of the Interior & Transport...

The Business Desk

• Talks continue on devolving West Midlands rail powers says McLoughlinPROPOSALS to give the West Midlands greater control over its local rail services are progressing, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has said.

Aviation Industry

• United Airlines and OTG unveil more details of a lavish (and hi-tech) ...A detailed rendering of the Kaedama restaurant as it will appear at night in the new United Airlines Terminal C world food bazaar at Newark Liberty International Airport. Even as United Airlines today was moving to reveal a significantly-upgraded food offering in its global network of United Club lounges, the extent of the Terminal C food and bar revamp at one of United's principal hubs, Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., is coming into much sharper focus.
• Malaysia Airlines to cut capacity as part of major restructure10% capacity reduction with routes to be ‘carefully evaluated’

Other News Sources

• Cyclists are to blame for road deaths: TfL board member TfL board members attempt to block Johnson's cycle safety plans
• Passport checks for cross-Channel travellers could cause chaos warns FTAProposed manual passport checks at the main cross-Channel terminals will cause traffic chaos which could lead to long tailbacks, resulting in ...
• Ryanair Pilot Group supports Norwegian pilots' action Pilots in the Norwegian Pilots Union (NPU), working for Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS), have been forced to take the last resort step of industrial action, to secure normal terms and...
• Travelport offers airport express services solution to agentsHeathrow Express is the first company to sign up to the service