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

Thursday, 29 January 2015

BBC News

• Rail opportunities 'must be seized'A Borders business leader says there is a
• Triple strike for London bus workersBus workers in London will stage three 24-hour strikes in a dispute over pay, the union Unite announces.
• Bill 'for millions' over rail chaosNetwork Rail has issued Thames Water with a "multi-million pound bill" after leaks and a burst water main led to more than 1,000 trains being cancelled.

Department for Transport

• Highways Agency Chief Executive to step downGraham Dalton, Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, is leaving his post in the summer.
• Transport Minister promotes UK transport expertise in Taiwan and JapanBaroness Kramer visits Taiwan and Japan to help raise the profile of UK companies and transport expertise.

Financial Times

• Network Rail behemoth stuck in transitCalls for renationalisation of the entire system are rising, despite high passenger numbers and £25bn investment plan
• Regulator warns on US ports congestionGridlock harms national interests, says maritime commission
• Boeing points to robust aircraft ordersLower oil price has not deterred customer demand for fuel-efficient aircraft

The Guardian

• Great Northern trains rejected late-running refund claimRail operator refuses to refund the full amount for train delay because of the late arrival of my email claim
• British Airways changes airmiles scheme cutting value for economy classAvios scheme used by millions of travellers will instead give business and expense-account flyers enhanced rewardsBritish Airways is to make radical changes to its airmiles scheme used by millions of travellers - called Avios - which will slash by 75% the airmiles the cheapest economy class tickets will earn, while giving business and expense-account flyers more rewards.A basic economy-class ticket from London to New York will from 28 April earn just 865 airmiles, down from 3,458. Previously the number of points earned on a return flight across the Atlantic would have been enough to obtain a f...
• Europe calls for swift passage of law to collect flight passengers’ dataEuropean commissioner for justice ordered to redraft PNR legislation after terror attacks as counter-terror discussions loomThe European executive on Wednesday called for the prompt passage of legislation to collect and retain information on anyone flying into or out of the EU, as part of a package of counter-terror policies following the jihadi attacks in Paris and alleged foiled terrorist murders in Belgium.Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European commissioner for justice and home affairs, told the European parliament that the storage of data on all air travellers would not clash with safeguardin...

The Independent

• London bus strike: Workers to stage three 24-hour walkouts in February London bus staff plan to stage three 24-hour strikes as part of an ongoing pay dispute, unions have said.

The Scotsman

• BA passengers to pay to use air milesBRITISH Airways passengers in Scotland reacted with fury after being told today they will have to pay to fly to London to use their Avios “air miles” on European flights.

The Telegraph

• 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

Mail Online

• Rich pensioners should keep their bus passes says David Cameron The Prime Minister gave his clearest signal yet that he will repeat his 2010 pledge to protect pensioner benefits, saying it was a matter of 'fairness' to ensure handouts continue for over-65s.

Network Rail

• Thames Water face massive bill for Thameslink disruptionThames Water faces a multi-million pound bill for a burst water main and several other leaks from other water pipes since Friday evening.
• Snow forecast: Yorkshire rail passengers advised to check before you travelSome rail services will be restricted in West Yorkshire on the morning of Thursday (29 January) as the rail industry responds to forecasts of deep snow.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham City Council locked in dispute with Amey over potholes and damaged roadsBirmingham City Council is considering penalising road contractor Amey after being inundated by complaints from residents

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph published Derby bus passengers feeling short-changed by Arriva voucher...PASSENGERS have reacted angrily to plans by a Derby bus operator to start issuing vouchers instead of change when they pay for their fares.As reported in the Derby Telegraph yesterday, Arriva, which operates several services in the city, is introducing the measure because its drivers only carry a limited amount of change.From Sunday, drivers will start issuing

London Evening Standard

• Fares on London train routes 'have more than trebled since railways were sold off' Rail fares on some of the busiest routes serving London have more than trebled since the railways were sold off 20 years ago, new research reveals today.
• Sixth day of misery for Thameslink commuters as SECOND burst pipe causes delays Thameslink passengers are facing a sixth day of misery as engineers tackle flooding caused by a second pipe burst in a tunnel in central London.
• London bus strike 2015: workers vote to stage three days of strikes in dispute over pay London bus workers are set to stage three days of strikes next month in a dispute over pay, unions have said.
• Letters to the editor: Cycle route step in right direction The east-west segregated cycle route, given the mayoral go-ahead yesterday, is a step towards allowing people of all ages and abilities to get around safely by bike. It will free up seats on buses and the Tube as well as encouraging people out of their cars. The response to the consultation is overwhelmingly positive and I wish the taxi trade would stop standing in the way of what London clearly wants and needs.

Manchester Evening News

• Panic buttons may be fitted on Greater Manchester trains to cut number of sex attacksThe proposal, as part of nationwide review, comes after figures revealed sex assaults against women went up by a fifth across the country
• Manchester Airport has unique place in UK transport, says council leader Sir Richard LeeseSir Richard has written exclusively for the M.E.N. about the benefits the airport brings to the region as a whole
• Manchester Airport celebrates best passenger figures since before the recessionThe 22 million milestone follows the busiest December in the hub’s 76 years and is testament to its recession bounce-back, with a 24 per cent passenger increase since 2010

Sheffield Star

• Bus passenger numbers rise in RotherhamMore people are using buses in Rotherham – with an increase in 100,000 passengers over the last year.
• Public to have say on buildign works for £60m tram-train schemeMembers of the public will get the chance to have their say on building work related to the delayed £60m Sheffield-to-Rotherham tram train project.

The York Press

• Grand Central tops league for passenger satisfaction YORK train operator Grand Central Railway has topped a new league table for customer satisfaction - but other York-based train firms have fared less well.

Wales Online

• Where the seven Cardiff bus lane cameras – which caught 114 drivers every day – are locatedCardiff council had refused to give the locations of the cameras but they were divulged under freedom of information laws

Doncaster Free Press

• Extra £30m Government funding for Sheffield to create new jobs and improve public transport linksNew £30m Government funding has been secured for the Sheffield City Region to help create jobs and improve public transport links.
• New panel members wanted to help advise British Transport Police in South YorkshireMembers of the public are wanted to join an Independent Advisory Group to work with British Transport Police.

East Anglian Daily Times

• PM David Cameron backs plans for a Wet Dock Crossing in Ipswich linking Wherstead Road with Cliff QuayA new technology and innovation centre and preliminary work on a project for a new wet dock crossing in Ipswich are among the projects to get funding from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership in the latest government Growth Deal announcement.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Rail officials promise regular checks on bicycle parkA commuter has urged Peterborough railway station bosses not to allow their cycle park to become a dumping ground for unwanted bikes.
• Re-location for Whittlesey bus stop as new £500,000 scheme beginsA £500,000 scheme to move a prominent bus stop and encourage al-fresco dining in Whittlesey is underway.

Other Regional Press

• Weekend delays on ThameslinkPassengers flying from or to Gatwick or Luton airports should allow an hour longer to cross London from 11.45pm on Friday (January 30) to the early hours of Monday (February 2).
• Rail bosses prepare for snow with timetable changes to routes across West YorkshireNetwork Rail bosses urge passengers to check journey details before travelling
• 30mph speed limit petition to be considered for Portesham COUNCILLORS will consider a petition asking to extend the 30mph zone on the B3157 at Portesham.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• UK launches rail ‘vision statement’The UK’s Rail Supply Group (RSG), a partnership between the British government and rail equipment suppliers, has presented its ‘vision statement’ for growth in the sector over the next 10 years. By 2025, the strategy predicts that the UK rail industry will more than double export volumes, be a global leader in high-speed rail and create a sustainable skilled domestic workforce.
• Crossrail exhibition at London Transport MuseumA new exhibition on the construction of the £16bn Crossrail project opens next month at the London Transport Museum.
• Skanska team scoops £400m Waterloo station revampNetwork Rail Infrastructure has awarded a Skanska-led consortium the job to bring Waterloo International Terminal back into use for domestic train services.
• Airlines to operate out of single terminals at GatwickGatwick Airport has conducted a strategic review of its terminal operations and has announced a plan to operate airlines out of single terminals in the future, as part of its bid to ease passenger journeys and simplify operations.
• The Mayor and TfL lay the foundations for the development of properties across LondonThe Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and Transport for London (TfL) have today announced ambitious plans to develop TfL’s property estate by creating property development partnerships as part of its wider programme to generate £3.4bn in non fare revenue over the next ten years. The revenue generated will be reinvested in the transport network and help TfL and the Mayor bear down on fares.
• Amazon says Sunday deliveries have quadrupledAmazon says that its Sunday deliveries in the UK have quadrupled compared to last year as the online shopping revolution accelerates.
• “A ‘FORS’ for good…” Steve Agg FCILT comments on the announcement that the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme is to go nationalThe recent announcement that Transport for London, which devised and has operated the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) within London for a number of years was letting a concession to take the scheme ‘national’ will have been of interest to CILT members.
• CILT Aviation Forum before the Transport Select Committee regarding smaller airportsCILT were asked to appear before the Transport Select Committee last week for an oral hearing concerning written evidence the Institute presented on the topic of smaller airports.
• South West Trains presents Stagecoach with £16 million dividendAn increase in ticket revenues has seen South West Trains deliver a £16 million dividend to Stagecoach. As well as the increase in revenue from £866.8 million to £910.1 million, the rail provider enjoyed an increase in its government subsidy - which jumped from £133.5 million to £160.2 million in the year to April 26 2014. As profits were elevated, South West Trains also saw the cost of its franchise rise, from £415.1 million to £461.2 million. This meant the company was left with pre-tax profits of £29.7 million -...

Global Rail News

• WSP and Ramboll to design Helsinki-Espoo light rail lineWSP and Ramboll are to draw up detailed plans for a new dual-track light railway linking Helsinki and Espoo.
• Thales and Alstom awarded MTR resignalling contractAn Alstom/Thales joint venture has won a €330 million contract to resignal seven metro lines on Hong Kong’s urban rail network.
• UK launches rail ‘vision statement’The UK’s Rail Supply Group (RSG), a partnership between the British government and rail equipment suppliers, has presented its ‘vision statement’ for growth in the sector over the next 10 years.

Rail Magazine

• Caledonian Sleeper website launchedSleeper.scot allows passengers to book tickets up to a year in advance
• First D78 at Long Marston for DEMU conversionThe first D78 London Underground D-Stock train to be withdrawn from service has arrived at Vivarail’s Long Marston base, ready for conversion to a D-train.

Aviation Industry

• Key points for responding to the Airports Commission’s runway consultationWe have produced a guidance note to provide people responding to the Airports Commission's consultation with our main concerns. Our overall view is that despite producing thousands of pages of analysis, much of the Airports Commission's work is still incomplete, particularly the components investigating the likely negative impacts of expansion.
• Qantas axes fuel surcharge but raises base faresAustralian carrier to increase prices to compensate for cut
• Air traveller data to be stored for 5 years under anti-terror plan42 separate pieces of passenger information including bank details could be kept

Green Miscellany

• Cycling suffrage in 2015City cycling can be a challenge at the best of times, but women cyclists in Cairo today fear sexual harassment more than road danger. The fact that the sight of a woman on a bike is considered by many in Egypt to be socially unacceptable, is not stopping cycling advocates Go Bike from promtoing bicycles to both sexes. Go Bike… The post Cycling suffrage in 2015 appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin on Ilkeston Train stationOngoing concerns about the new Ilkeston Station have been taken to the top by Prospective MP for Erewash, Maggie Throup.
• FirstGroup predicts further UK bus growthUK bus business is in ‘unprecedented territory’   A First bus in Sheffield   Patronage has continued to grow strongly at FirstGroup’s UK bus division, despite some of its companies raising fares in line with inflation, following large price cuts the previous year. The bus business has now achieved 19 consecutive months of patronage growth, which finance director Chris Surch said was “unprecedented in First’s historyâ€�. The fare increases mean First is now starting to benefit financially from the additional customers being carried. During the last three months of 2014, patronage rose 1...
• ‘National rail ticketing holds back innovation’Arriva calls for Department for Transport  to review anachronistic regulations and outlines potential option for radical ticketing reform   A magnetic stripe ticket   Arriva has called for the Department for Transport to revise “anachronisticâ€� requirements for all train operators to provide a common national ticketing technology and sell tickets for every possible rail trip nationwide from station ticket offices. The Deutsche Bahn-owned transport group said maintaining these ‘network benefits’, along with inflexible pricing and station staffing rules, had limited the introduction of ...
• Your transport ticket on your smartwatch?German technology firm examines smartwatches   HaCon illustrations of smartwatch app   Sales of smartwatches are expected to increase rapidly this year and German transport technology firm HaCon has announced that it is developing applications for them. Passengers might be able to use the devices to plan journeys and buy tickets. HaCon has revealed that it is developing a range of new applications for transport operators that are influenced by new portable devices that are increasingly appearing on the market. There has been increasing signs that larger technology firms such as Apple...
• DfT review to examine role for bus franchisingDepartment for Transport asks KPMG to consider if franchising might be an appropriate model for buses, and whether candidate locations exist   Nexus is seeking to take control of bus services in the North East   The government is seeking to enhance its understanding of bus market dynamics in response to growing interest in regulatory reforms, including franchising. With a growing number of regions expressing interest in greater regulatory control over bus services, including the North East and Greater Manchester, the Department for Transport this month launched a wide-ranging review ...
• Journey reliability on A9 is core need for freight and logistics industryIn response to Transport Scotland publishing the first set of data illustrating how speed cameras have influenced driver behaviour on the A9 ...
• Business leaders 'value' transport infrastructure more than waste Business executives and urban policymakers across the world place more value on transport infrastructure than waste management services, according to a new report from FCC.