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Thursday, 02 April 2009

BBC News

• More carriages for airport trainsTrain services to Stansted airport are to benefit from the introduction of almost 200 extra carriages.
• Mayor faces snow chaos questionsLondon Mayor Boris Johnson will face questions from MPs over how the city dealt with the heavy snow which brought the capital to a virtual standstill.
• Rail engineer set to cut 450 jobsEngineering firm Jarvis says it will axe 450 jobs amid a sudden drop in workload from its main customer.
• Ill windsFrance's largest port feels force of economic downturn
• US car maker sales down for MarchUS auto industry's sales for March are sharply down on last year, but roughly in line with Wall Street expectations.

Department for Transport

• East Anglian rail service improvements Jobs will be created or safeguarded and rail travel in East Anglia will be improved thanks to a new agreement between the Department for Transport and National Express East Anglia (NXEA), Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon announced today.

Financial Times

• Grube tipped to replace DB chief Rüdiger Grube, board member at carmaker Daimler, has emerged as the German government's favourite to run Deutsche Bahn
• Network Rail chief defends bonus policyIain Coucher goes on the offensive in support of his company's bonus scheme, saying it is 'completely wrong' to compare the incentives with those earned by executives at troubled financial institutions
• Golden Ocean to raise $100mChief executive John Fredriksen could take control of the dry-bulk shipping company via an offering of 165m new shares in the most comprehensive restructuring deal yet in the sector

The Scotsman

• Borders railway [letter- JEREMY PURVIS MSP ]Your editorial (Opinion, 31 March) makes some false assertions concerning the Borders railway, and then draws the wrong conclusion.
• Tram objector's new job is…tram tsarTHE former managing director of Edinburgh Airport has been appointed to lead the company developing the capital's controversial transit scheme.
• Tram objector's new job is…tram tsarTHE former managing director of Edinburgh Airport has been appointed to lead the company developing the capital's controversial transit scheme.

The Telegraph

• Alex Salmond to appoint PFI expert to oversee new school and road building SNP ministers have been accused of hypocrisy after appointing an expert in the private finance initiative to oversee the building of new schools roads and hospitals.

Times Online

• ’World’s fastest kettle’ targets steam speed record A steam-driven car hissed and gurgled its way to 80mph (128km/h) on a test run on a Ministry of Defence runway yesterday. Its British builders hope that it will break the record of 127.7mph for a steam car set in 1906 by a Stanley Rocket.
• Ford reverses slump in American car sales but remains cautious Last month’s sales of Ford cars in the American market were 40.9 per cent lower than in March last year, the company said yesterday. Nevertheless, the figure of 131,465 was 30 per cent better than the February total.

Press Association

• Rail passengers get 200 carriagesA deal agreed between the Department for Transport and the National Express East Anglia (NXEA) rail company helps safeguard jobs at trainmaking company Bombardier in Derby.

Reuters News

• National Express adds capacity, new chairmanBritish transport operator National Express (NEX.L) is being allowed to add nearly 200 new carriages to its fleet of trains, it said on Thursday, and named the head of Britain's air traffic control company as its new chairman.

Daily Express

• Transport sector gathers paceSHARES in public transport companies were on the move yesterday on hopes they will secure state aid for rail franchises agreed before the recession put the brakes on passenger growth.

Transport Briefing

• Iraq reconstruction chief to lead Crossrail delivery teamBechtel senior vice president Chris Mumm is to spearhead the team named by Crossrail this week as the winner of the £400m Project Delivery Partner contract.
• Pallasades deal unlocks New Street station rebuildBirmingham City Council has bought out the long lease on The Pallasades shopping centre above New Street station.
• Nottingham tram phase two granted legal powersNottingham Express Transit phase two has been given an amber light by the government which has granted the legal powers necessary to extend the existing NET tram network.
• Crossrail hands Bechtel £400m Project Delivery jobCrossrail Ltd has awarded its £400m Project Delivery Partner contract to US engineering giant Bechtel.

Derby Telegraph

• £155m contract for BombardierThe deal will see the company construct 120 carriages to be used on the Stansted Express service in East Anglia.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Transport chiefs insist railway link to Borders remains on trackTRANSPORT bosses have denied reports that the construction of a rail line between Edinburgh and the Borders is behind schedule.

London Evening Standard

• Network Rail boss is silent over this year's bonusNETWORK Rail boss Iain Coucher has refused to say whether he will accept a bonus this year.

The York Press

• Holgate Junction upgrade for easier York rail travel RAIL chiefs hope a multi-million-pound scheme to speed up train travel out of York station will be up and running within five years.
• Taxi drivers back councillor™s call for change to York station traffic system TRANSPORT chiefs could be set to overhaul a controversial one-way traffic system at York station.

Wales Online

• Network Rail investment in Wales puts more trains on track for ValleysAMBITIOUS plans to increase the number of trains to the Valleys have been revealed by Network Rail. It intends to spend £500m on a new signalling system across South Wales over the next five years.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New mirror law introducedHeavy goods vehicles (HGVs) must now be fitted with extra mirrors to help prevent accidents at blind spots under a new European Union law.The Retrofitting of Mirrors Directive has now come into effect, requiring that large vehicles of over 3.5 tonnes in weight must have mirrors or other devices to aid vision on the passenger side, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has noted.Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, who are less visible than larger vehicles, are intended to be better protected by the law.The SMMT noted that the fitting of extra mirrors is already a requiremen...

Railnews

• Hunt for trams in Europe as passenger numbers soarTRANSPORT for London has approached operators of light rail systems in European cities in a bid to hire in four extra two-car trams to relieve overcrowding on the Croydon Tramlink network during the next three years.
• News: Advance work starts as Faversham prepares for 140mph trains EARLY work as part of the proposed multi-million pound East Kent Resignalling Project is due to start at Faversham next month.

Aviation Industry

• American Airlines Offering Up to 50,000 AAdvantage Bonus Miles for Trips to the United KingdomBetween now and June 30 , AAdvantage members who complete round-trip travel between the United States and the UK on an eligible First Class or Business Class ticket will earn 50,000 bonus miles.
• Birmingham Airport RunwayPlans to extend the runway at Birmingham International Airport (BIA) have been approved.  The decision by Solihull Council's planning committee on Tuesday evening means the airport is now allowed to extend the runway southwards by 400 metres. The decision, which was unanimous, will now be passed to the government for a final seal of approval.  The airport welcomed the verdict, saying the extension would allow a greater choice of destinations to be offered from the Midlands™ main airport.Birmingham Runway PlanThe plan to expand facilities at BIA has been a fraught one.  Originally BIA wanted to...

Other News Sources

• Local cycle routes are given £80,000 upgradeRECENT improvements to East Kilbride’s cycle network have received a mixed response from cycling enthusiasts.
• Cycle lane leads to a transport awardEfforts to improve bus and cycle links across the borough have been recognised at the 2009 London Transport Awards.
• Five-year plan to bring about a rail revolutionA MULTI-million pound package of improvements to the two main railway lines in south Essex has been unveiled.
• Virgin Trains drivers get PDAsVirgin Trains is to equip train drivers with handheld computers to improve customer service and reduce the company’s environmental impact. Over the next three months, Virgin’s 500 drivers will receive Vodafone-supplied PDAs to replace paper-based documentation such as technical instructions and training materials.
• Get set for 130mph thrill on high-speed bullet trainsPotential passengers are to get the chance to try out the new 140mph Javelin trains in the next few weeks.
• Drive to get Riverside rail link back on trackA CLOSE adviser to London Mayor Boris Johnson is putting pressure on the government to kick start a DLR extension, which is key to the completion of the £1.9billion Barking Riverside development.
• Mayor to be quizzed on transport breakdownLondon mayor Boris Johnson will face questioning from MPs on how the capital dealt with the heavy snow in early February. Mr Johnson will appear before the House of Commons Transport Committee alongside London's transport commissioner Peter Hendy.
• Rail passengers to get 200 extra carriagesRail passengers travelling to Stansted Airport from London are to benefit from the introduction of nearly 200 extra train carriages.
• FirstGroup steals a march on rivalsIt may be too early to think that the rise we have seen in some transport shares recently is a genuine, well-founded recovery. But the market is taking a more discerning approach to the precise nature of different rail franchises, and how these fit together with a company's bus operations.
• National Express training day marks start of five year contractThe training day marked the formal start of a five year contract, won by DLA Piper earlier this year, to provide property legal advice for the group and all of its UK subsidiaries across its rail, bus and coach portfolios.
• National Express Gains on Speculation Franchises May Be Recast National Express touched an all-time low before surging 23 percent, the biggest jump since it first sold shares to the public in December 1992. Arriva Plc, operator of Britain’s longest rail route, advanced 9.9 percent, Stagecoach Group Plc, owner of the country’s biggest single rail franchise, added 9.8 percent and FirstGroup Plc rose 7.7 percent.
• Minale Tattersfield to design London bicycle hire schemeMinale Tattersfield is designing the London bicycle hire scheme being spearheaded by Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
• Seat aimed at budget carriers unveiled as Factory refreshes Jet 2 cabinsInnovations in aircraft interiors traditionally happen at the premium front end, but a seat created by Factory Design, launching this week, is aiming to buck the trend.
• Government crackdown on foreign lorriesThe government is cracking down on the number of foreign lorries that continue to flout UK road laws. Police and VOSA enforcement officers can now, for the first time, issue on-the-spot fines to all foreign hauliers found exploiting drivers™ hours, overlo
• Air France looking to rival EurostarAirline in talks with German rail company Air France is looking into the possibility of starting a rival cross channel rail service to Eurostar.

News from Europe

• EU states shelve debate on green road charges A compromise on proposed environmental charges for trucks tabled by the Czech EU Presidency has failed to convince the Union's member states, many of which are arguing that the recession is not the right time to impose extra costs on the transport sector.
• Europe Needs to Steer Transport Policy in the Right DirectionBRUSSELS and COPENHAGEN, --Transport continues to contribute disproportionately to Europe's greenhouse gas emissions, poor air quality and noise; and still uses the least efficient modes to move people and goods.
• Few 'plane truths' when it comes to airline child safety seatsUnfortunately, due to a complexity of differing national laws on child safety in airplanes, to say nothing of varying technical requirements among airlines and even airplanes in an airline's fleet, there are few rules of thumb to guide globetrotting parents.

Other Subscription Services

• National Express Group PLC announces new ChairmanNational Express Group PLC (NEG) is pleased to announce the appointment today of John Devaney as Chairman of the group. Mr Devaney is also Chairman of Tersus Energy and National Air Traffic Systems and is a Non-Executive Director of Northern Rock.