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Thursday, 25 June 2015

Government

• Update of Network Rail’s performance and the actions the government will take to hold Network Rail to account.Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement about Network Rail following today’s (25 June 2015) publication of their annual report.

BBC News

• PM quizzed on rail upgrade timescaleDavid Cameron is challenged to say whether a project to electrify rail lines between London and Swansea will be completed by 2018.
• Bendy buses to be scrapped over costBendy buses which were introduced six years ago and led to controversial changes to the road system in Swansea city centre are to be scrapped.
• Rail arm keeps Stagecoach on trackTransport group Stagecoach reports a rise in underlying pre-tax profits, following a stronger performance from its rail business.
• Town traffic lights stay turned offTraffic signals on Blairgowrie's main road are to remain switched off after a successful two-week trial.
• VIDEO: MP calls for 'killer lorry' ban in citiesBen Bradshaw asks the PM to look at cycle safety with a peak-time ban on
• Traffic halted over cyclist's deathCyclists block traffic at a junction in the City of London in a protest over the eighth cycling death on the capital's roads this year.
• The rock star helping an airline flyThe African airline getting help from Iron Maiden's frontman

Department for Transport

• Sir Peter Hendy, who delivered London’s Olympic transport plan, appointed as new chair of Network Rail.The Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin announced the appointment of Sir Peter Hendy as Network Rail’s new chairman today (25 June 2015).

Financial Times

• New Boeing boss eyes jet output challengeTurning the 787 into a profitable programme, and cutting costs in defence, will be priorities
• Stagecoach expands European bus businessTransport group’s profit rises 4.5% after a robust performance by British rail operations

The Guardian

• Network Rail funding gap puts brake on five-year plan, ministers admitSoaring costs and missed targets make pledges of £38.5bn investment plan untenable, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin expected to say The catalogue of delay, missed targets and overspending at Network Rail is set to force ministers to admit that the vaunted biggest investment in the railway since Victorian times will not deliver the projects promised in a £38.5bn five-year plan. The electrification of the Midland mainline linking London to Sheffield, described as critical to maintaining a reliable railway, is likely to be axed from the schedule as ministers attempt to get to gri...

The Herald

• Islands facing Island communities are facing a
• Budget airline introduces stringent new rules on alcoholA BUDGET airline has called for industry-wide measures to tackle the increasing problem of disruptive passengers.

The Telegraph

• Demand for train travel fuels profit growth at StagecoachThe group reports a solid year, despite low petrol prices boosting US car travel

Reuters News

• UK car production up in May as domestic demand surges LONDON (Reuters) - British car production rose in May compared to the same month last year due to a double-digit rise in demand from domestic buyers, an industry body said on Thursday.

City AM

• Stagecoach doubles European investment on rising profitsBUS and rail operator Stagecoach Group is looking to expand operations in Europe and is ready to pitch for more transport franchises in big metropolitan cities around Britain. The expansion plans accompanied the group’s 2.4 per cent rise in pre-tax profits for the year ending 30 April 2015. It earned £185m on a 9.4 per cent increase in turnover to £3.2 bn. Shares rose 10.4p to 417p after lifting the total dividend to 10.5p with a 7.3p final. Martin Griffiths, chief executive, said yesterday that the dividend shows “the group is in good financial shape...â€� Stagecoach is doubling its ...

This is Money

• Train and bus operator Stagecoach posts weaker profits as it's hit by cheaper petrol prices and tough competition Although group pre-tax profits rose 2.4 per cent to £185million on revenue of £3.2billion - up 10.3 per cent on the previous year - profits from its UK bus and rail businesses were weaker.
• Network Rail cuts shamed top staff bonuses of up to £66k due to woeful performance In a bid to draw the sting from continuing criticism, bosses will not now pocket incentives worth up to 16 per cent of their salary. Details are to emerge after Network Rail publishes its annual report.
• Minister promises swift action on a new runway at Heathrow or Gatwick as decision expected within weeks The Government cannot afford to 'stall' on deciding whether to build a controversial new runway at Heathrow of Gatwick, aviation minister Robert Goodwill told travel chiefs today.

Birmingham Mail

• Revealed: Birmingham's most dangerous roads for cyclistsFour people on bikes injured in city every day - exclusive figures
• Armed police at Birmingham New Street Station over 'suspicious' train passenger British Transport Police call in armed support after reports of passenger behaving suspiciously

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Snowdon Mountain Railway locomotive celebrates its 120th birthdayFour-year-old Enid Roberts - the youngest Enid in the village of Llanberis who shares a name with the locomotive - has been invited to the celebrations
• A55: Welsh Government's seeks millions in EU cash to improve road Edwina Hart wants Brussels to help pay to maintain road which is seen as a key link on the European transport network

London Evening Standard

• London Uber drivers to face English and 'Knowledge-lite' style geography tests Uber drivers will have to pass basic English language and “Knowledge-liteâ€� style geography tests before driving in London, Boris Johnson confirmed today.
• Eurostar delays: Passengers vent anger after being forced to sleep at St Pancras Eurostar passengers today vented their anger after spending the night sleeping at St Pancras station as the rail service battled to clear a massive backlog caused by strikes in France.
• Bank protest: cyclists stage protest at junction after tragic road death of newlywed, 26 Hundreds of cyclists brought the busy Bank junction to a standstill this morning with a protest over the death of a young woman who was struck by a lorry on Monday.
• Tube strike: Negotiators 'trying to get Underground bosses and unions back round the table' before July 8 walkout Negotiators are trying afresh to broker a deal between Tube bosses and unions in the hope of staving off a 24-hour strike next month.

Manchester Evening News

• Airline boss in warning to drunk passengers: Behave yourself on our Manchester flights, or we'll kick you offManaging director of low-cost airline Jet2.com says his planes are not nightclubs and people 'need to behave themselves'

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Newcastle is turning cycle friendly as a host of biking events head for the cityCycle City Conference to be held in Newcastle on Thursday and Friday as the region goes bike crazy

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Better cycle lanes would solve Yorkshire's health and transport problemsThree stars of cycling have said Yorkshire’s health and transport problems could be solved with a ‘world-class cycling infrastructure’.

Bucks Free Press

• Chesham and Amersham MP Cheryl Gillan says HS2 Select Committee see "unity of opposition" was shown during site visit Cheryl Gillan said members of the HS2 Select Committee were made fully aware of the 'unity of opposition' to the project in Bucks this week.
• New 20mph speed limit for village road after long campaign A village is celebrating after a new 20mph speed limit was rolled out on its busy roads. 

Carlisle News & Star

• Cumbrian railway links could be brought back to life A 19th-century railway which once formed the backbone of west Cumbria’s iron industry could be brought back to life as a heritage arts trail thanks to a grant of almost £50,000.

Crewe Chronicle

• Calls for give-way system on 'dangerous' Middlewich roadCllr Mike Parsons has been championing the idea of a give-way system along the narrow strip of Lewin Street outside the White Horse Pub

Doncaster Free Press

• Festival fans urged to use Sheffield’s public transport to get to TramlinesTramlines has teamed up with ‘Not Driving’ (a sustainable transport campaign), Supertram and Northern Rail to encourage people to ditch their cars and make use of Sheffield’s public transport network over the festival weekend. The main site at Ponderosa Park does not have a parking facility so it’s essential that people are aware of the alternatives.

East Anglian Daily Times

• £5m funding announced for town centre traffic schemes as part of major transport boost for ColchesterCounty leaders have said they are putting “their money where their mouth is” after announcing that transport projects in Colchester have been given a £25million boost.

The Shields Gazette

• Transport chiefs spent £1.1million to protect bridges from vehicle crashesTransport executive Nexus is investing £1.1million to strengthen and protect three Metro bridges at risk of vehicle crashes.

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail stands by pledge to get passengers between London and Ipswich in 60 minutesThe nationalised company responsible for Britain’s rail infrastructure has insisted that it remains committed to improving train times between the region and London.
• Cyclists needed to power the flickering screens for festival CYCLISTS have been asked to put their talents to good use to help power a film evening in Rose Hill.
• Bus firm launches projects for green weekTHREE initiatives have been launched by a bus company.
• Stagecoach offering free travel to military personnelA bus company is offering free travel to military personnel to mark Armed Forces Day.
• Noise warning for residents as rail improvement works startA major project which will pave the way for more passenger services between Corby, Kettering and London has entered its next phase as work in the Kettering area will start this week.
• Middlesbrough Council hopes to make £90,000 from roundabout sponsorshipAuthority advertises a three year contract for a business to find sponsorship :: Any further profits would be split between council and business
• Stagecoach is set to close Lancashire depotBus operator Stagecoach is axing its Chorley depot - resulting in some of the town’s routes being run from Preston.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Tyne and Wear Metro £40m modernisation programmeA multi-million pound investment is being made to modernise the Tyne and Wear Metro over the next year. The owner, Nexus, is spending £40m on train refurbishment and track replacement as part of a £398m Government-funded plan. A new traffic management system will be the largest investment in new technology for the control room since the Metro opened 30 years ago. Central Station and three Gateshead stations will be refurbished. This will include improved seating, lighting and accessibility. Nexus said there would be weekend closures over the summer, but it was not expected tha...
• Bristol Airport west terminal expansion plan gets go-aheadPlans to speed up the passenger security scanning process at Bristol Airport have been given the go-ahead. The £24m plan will see a 9,000-sq-m extension to the west terminal building and is expected to be operational by next summer. It is some two-and-a-half times larger than the £8.5m east terminal extension set to be completed next month. An airport spokesman said the change is driven by the increase in hand baggage carried by passengers. 'Clear advantage' The work, which is the biggest construction project at the airport since the current terminal building opened in 2000, is...
• Bombardier wins London Overground EMU contractTransport for London announced on June 19 that it had selected Bombardier Transportation to supply 45 four-car electric multiple-units to operate London Overground services. The order includes an option for up to 249 additional cars, to be used for train lengthening and possible future extensions of the Overground network. The £260m contract is subject to the statutory 10-day standstill period before signing. CAF, Hitachi and Siemens had also been shortlisted for the contract. The high-density air-conditioned trains with wide gangways are to be built at Bombardier’s Derby factory ...
• Stagecoach on track for higher revenues despite bus slowdownRising sales at Stagecoach are being powered by the transport operator’s trains while its buses lag behind, results are expected to show this week. The FTSE 250 company is set to post a 6pc rise in revenues to £3.11bn when it reveals its yearly results on Wednesday, with rail services making up close to half of all revenue, and the divide is expected to get even wider when the firm starts to run the East Coast railway. Pre-tax profits are set to total £182.5m, up less than £2m on the year before. Stagecoach’s new eight-year contract to run the East Coast railway...
• McGill's Buses announced record profits for 2014Greenock-based company McGill's Buses has announced record profits for 2014. The firm, owned by brothers Sandy and James Easdale, recorded pre-tax profits of £3.22m, up from £1.75m in 2013. Turnover also increased from £33.8m to £35.3m over the same period. The firm said it managed to achieve savings by outsourcing the procurement of mechanical parts and materials. Managing director Ralph Roberts said McGill's was
• Lord Ahmad backs Women in Engineering campaignTransport Minister hosts skills summit to celebrate female engineers working in transport. Women from across the construction and engineering industry today (23 June 2015) met Transport Minister Lord Ahmad as part of a skills summit supporting Women in Engineering Day. The event brought together some of the country’s top female engineers from the rail, aviation and construction sector, alongside recent graduates and engineering students from London Imperial College, to discuss how to better harness women’s skills. Discussions focused on how to overhaul the image of the sector to...
• Transport Minister meets the female engineers building London’s transport networkRail Minister Claire Perry MP has joined female engineers from Transport for London (TfL), Crossrail and Network Rail who are building London’s transport network, and urged more women to consider a career in engineering and transport more widely. Claire Perry joined the women at Farringdon Station, which will provide Thameslink, Crossrail and London Underground services from 2018. With London’s population set to grow from 8.6 million today to 10 million by 2030, the Capital will need significant investment in infrastructure to keep London working and growing. Engineers will be nee...
• Europcar launches electric vehicles in BirminghamCouncillor Sir Albert Bore and Councillor Lisa Trickett support launch of innovative new service www.europcar.co.uk Europcar, the leader in car hire services in Europe, continues its commitment to moving its fleet to 5% electric vehicles by 2020, with the launch of a new electric vehicle service in Birmingham City. The 100% electrically powered Nissan LEAF cars will be used for delivery and collection of hire cars in Birmingham and will be available to hire at Europcar branches across Birmingham, allowing customers to experience the greenest motoring technology.  Councillor Sir Albert B...
• HS2 - a passenger view; passenger expectations revealed Transport Focus asked passengers what they would like out of High Speed Two (HS2). Passengers expect HS2 trains and services that are a source of pride throughout Great Britain; a national asset from which the whole country can benefit. These are the key findings of new research by Transport Focus, the independent watchdog, into passengers’ priorities for HS2. These findings are vital not only for the building of HS2, but also for today’s rail services. Anthony Smith, Transport Focus’s chief executive, said: “Building a brand new railway presents a unique opportu...
• BT Fleet to improve efficiency with media tabletsBT Fleet is aiming to improve efficiency in its garages by providing all 600 of its technicians with a media tablet.  These will be used to ensure jobs are logged and processed online in real time - and this has been made possible with a £100 million investment.  More mechanics will also be taken on as part of an effort by the firm to overhaul its IT system throughout its network of 65 garages.  Managing director of BT Fleet Dave Bowen said that anyone working in the garages will now know where a vehicle is and what distribution stage it is at at any given time.  Cust...
• Phase 1 of Woolwich Ferry loading bridge refurbishment completePhase one of essential refurbishment work on four loading bridges to the Woolwich Ferry has been completed by Transport for London (TfL) and Briggs Marine and Environmental Services.  Operation of the bridges will be made more reliable as a result of the work, which began in October last year.  It is also hoped that this development will make it possible for the bridges to handle a higher volume of vehicle weights, which are expected to increase over the next ten years.  Over the course of the next month, the bridges will be taken out of service for essential refurbishment work ...
• IAG agrees funding deal for Aer Lingus takeoverIAG has said Spain’s Banco Santander has agreed to join with other banks to provide the aviation giant with a €1.4 billion loan to help it fund its proposed takeover of Aer Lingus. The announcement comes amid reports that IAG and Aer Lingus have met with European Commission officials to discuss competition concerns. The owner of British Airways and Iberia said in a statement issued on Tuesday that Banco Santander had joined with Deutsche Bank Luxembourg, Bank of America and BA in providing a bridge facility which will be repayable on May 26th 2016. IAG last week formally announce...

Rail Magazine

• RMT, TSSA and Unite members vote to accept Network Rail pay offerDeal brokered averting the threat of a national rail strike
• LU marks poet’s birthYeats poem to be displayed on Tubes across the London Underground

Railnews

• Settlement in Network Rail pay dispute Members of the RMT, TSSA and Unite unions have voted to accept the pay offer made by Network Rail on 1 June. The decision has ended the threat of strikes which were called more than once when negotiations had stalled.
• Eurostar 'shambles' as ferry workers strike at Calais Eurostar services are returning to normal today after a day of serious disruption on the French side of the Channel Tunnel. Angry ferry workers staged a wildcat strike from the early hours of the morning in protest at the sale of two MyFerryLink vessels by Eurotunnel to DFDS. Some strikers broke into the Channel Tunnel, forcing all trains to stop, while others threw burning tyres on to the tracks on the approach to the portal. There have also been political clashes. The deputy mayor of Calais has accused the British gobvernment of failing to accept responsibility for the crisis at in his city...

Aviation Industry

• UK's Jet2.com spearheads effort to curtail disruptive passenger behaviorUK leisure airline Jet2.com is spearheading a drive for industry-wide measures to tackle what it describes as a “shocking riseâ€� in disruptive passenger behavior. read more
• Aeroflot to transfer 13 737-800s to LCC Pobeda AirlineRussia’s Aeroflot will transfer 13 Boeing 737-800s to its low-cost subsidiary (LCC) Pobeda Airline on a long-term sublease. read more
• Abu Dhabi partners launch sustainable fuel roadmapAn Abu Dhabi partnership—comprising Etihad Airways, Boeing, French oil company Total, Abu Dhabi oil refiner Takreer and the emirate’s Masdar Institute of Science and Technology—has launched a joint industry roadmap to sustainably produce aviation biofuels in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). read more
• Russia’s UAC president elected to Aeroflot boardRussia’s United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) president Yury Slusar was elected to Aeroflot’s board of directors at the carrier’s annual general meeting of shareholders. read more
• Airberlin re-elects board of directors for three-year terms Oneworld member airberlin has re-elected the five board of director members for a further three-year term. read more
• Anti-Heathrow expansion MP gets approval for mayoral bidGoldsmith given green light to run for London mayor by constituents

Other News Sources

• Cycle facilities across South Essex boosted by DfT fundingRail passengers in south Essex are set to benefit from improved cycle facilities after the Department for Transport awarded more than £300,000 to Abellio Greater Anglia.
• Transport minister open to banding Atol Protection ContributionRobert Goodwill, aviation minister and parliamentary under secretary of state for transport, has said he would be happy to explore implementing a new banding system for the Atol Protection Contribution.
• Ford's split-view camera technology helps drivers see around corners US-based automobile maker Ford is launching a new vehicle camera technology that can help drivers see around corners.
• ISLAMIC CENTRE CRASH: Safety calls after bus hits Blackburn community centre THE road where a bus crashed into an Islamic community centre was an accident waiting to happen, according to one of the venue’s trustees.
• Lifts at Hereford train station finally in operation LIFTS which were installed at Hereford Railway Station are finally in operation after a seven month delay.
• £10bn investment needed to drive low-carbon transport industry More than £10bn will need to be invested in low-carbon transport if the UK is to meet its carbon emission reduction targets by 2050.
• Construction heavyweights form HS2 JV Carillion, Eiffage and Kier have become the latest big hitters to form a joint venture to bid for work on High Speed 2.
• Revealed: The reason why thousands of motorist were delayed by census on A27 DELAYS around Worthing and Shoreham are being caused by a Highways Agency survey analysing road usage ahead of the A27 improvement scheme.
• Cross-channel services resume after strike chaosTrains and ferries return to normal schedule after Calais blockade