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

Tuesday, 28 April 2009

BBC News

• Rail concerns at planning changeScottish Borders councillors have voiced concerns that moves to amend a structure plan signal weakening support for reopening rail links to the region.
• Train with 60 on board evacuatedThe rear tractor unit on a train with 60 passengers on board was seen on fire as it passed through Luton station in Bedfordshire.
• Rail firm's fear over new rivalA rail company running trains between Wrexham and London says it is facing another serious threat to its survival after a rival plans a competing link.
• Melton gets direct London trainCommuters can now catch a train from a Leicestershire market town direct to St Pancras International.
• Rail unions want job cuts stoppedRail unions are to ask the government to stop operators cutting jobs and paying dividends to shareholders.
• GM to cut total of 21,000 US jobsGeneral Motors is to cut 21,000 jobs in the US this year and phase out its Pontiac brand, as it aims to restructure its business.
• Chrysler in cost-cut union dealUS carmaker Chrysler reaches an outline cost-cutting deal with its main US union as it continues to try to restructure the business.
• Profits sink at truck firm ScaniaProfits at truck maker Scania fell more than 90% in the first three months of 2009 after demand for commercial vehicles dropped.
• Daimler to give up Chrysler stakeGerman carmaker Daimler has reached a deal to give up its 19.9% stake in Chrysler, the company says.

Department for Transport

• Government outlines plans to improve free bus pass scheme Plans to improve the delivery of the concessionary bus pass scheme were announced today by Transport Minister Paul Clark, as he launched a consultation on possible changes to the way the scheme is administered.

Financial Times

• Ferrovial receives depressed bids for GatwickThe recession, the steep decline in traffic volumes at the UK airport and problems of raising the necessary bank finance, contributed to the pair of offers being below initial expectations
• Pirates strike further out to seaSomali pirates have demonstrated the growing threat they continue to pose to shipping with two attacks more than 500 miles off Somalia's coast, writes Robert...

The Guardian

• Deadline closes for bids for BAA's Gatwick airportThe deadline for submitting bids for Gatwick, Britain's second busiest airport, passed at 1400 GMT on Monday, with operator BAA saying a winner could be announced in days.
• Boris Johnson unveils blueprint for London's 'cycling revolution'Plans would allow cyclists to pick up one of 6,000 bikes at the 400 docking stations planned for the capital by 2010

The Scotsman

• Still no tram track – but workers have £1m bonuses paid on timeALMOST £1 million in bonuses has been paid to staff working on Edinburgh's controversial tram project, it emerged yesterday.

The Telegraph

• BA ordered to hand over secret document by US over American Airlines tie-upBritish Airways has been ordered by the US Department of Transportation to provide a top-secret document that rival airlines claim could undermine its attempt to forge a transatlantic tie-up with American Airlines.
• Cars could have external airbagsCars could be fitted with external bags to cut pedestrian deaths and injuries, it has emerged.

Daily Express

• Swine flu fear hits BA and travel giants British Airways shares nosedived yesterday as markets wobbled in the face of mounting fears over swine flu.

Mail Online

• Small firms get £15million British Airways flight giveaway to help bosses tout their business abroad

Network Rail

• FASTER TRAINS MEAN MORE CAR PARK SPACES
• NETWORK RAIL BOOSTS CROSSRAIL AND READING PROJECTS

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram chiefs ride away with £1m in bonusesTRAM bosses have been paid nearly £1 million in bonuses since the start of the project, it can be revealed today. Figures show that those working for tram firm TIE have so far raked in a total of £970,000 – and that does not include any payments made in the last year.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail warns of jobs cuts – despite record Liverpool Capital of Culture profitsMERSEYRAIL made record pre-tax profits of £9m last year – but warned it may still axe jobs and make cutbacks.

London Evening Standard

• 400 places to pick up your hired bicycle, but not one at rail stationshe Mayor intends to introduce 6,000 bikes onto the streets of London by May next year in a move modelled on the Vélib scheme in Paris. But there will be no docking stations outside Network Rail stations and the bikes will not be provided with a lock - factors which could restrict their popularity.
• Tube delays as network is named best in EuropeTens of thousands of Tube commuters suffered major disruption today, just as London Underground bosses boasted the system was the best in Europe and reliability is improving

Manchester Evening News

• Airport to learn fate of its Gatwick bidMANCHESTER Airport Group could learn within days whether its bid for Gatwick has been successful. The deadline for offers passed yesterday and MAG, which has formed a consortium with Canadian infrastructure investor Borealis and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, based in Tameside, is one of three in the running.

Metro

• Car crash airbags on the outsideExternal car airbags are being developed that could soon halve pedestrian deaths.

The York Press

• Phantom speed bumps move for Clifton roads SPEED humps are to be removed in part of York, and replaced with dummy ones.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Corby railway station officially openedCorby railway station was officially opened this morning by Secretary of State for Transport Geoff Hoon.

New Scientist

• Bicycle helmet laws could do more harm than goodForcing cyclists to wear protective headgear could cause people to stop cycling and cost healthcare services billions of dollars, a new study claims

Washington Post

• UAW leaders recommend approval of Chrysler deal STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. -- The United Auto Workers union will own 55 percent of a restructured Chrysler LLC and its retiree health care trust will get a seat on the board if union members vote to approve contract concessions this week.
• GM to Forge Ahead Without Key Brands For generations of American drivers, a car brand was more than a collection of statistics describing performance, safety and design. It was an affair of the imagination.

Transport for London

• London Underground named best metro in Europe as passenger numbers hit record highPassenger satisfaction ratings also break records, despite huge Investment Programme.
• TfL appoints interim Managing Director of London UndergroundCurrent Director of Strategy and Service Development, Richard Parry, to fulfil the role following Tim O'Toole's departure.

Aviation Industry

• AMA partner elects new presidentThe Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations (FEMA) warmly welcomes Gerard Livett as its new President. An active member and Greater London Regional Representative of the Motorcycle Action Group (UK), he was unanimously elected by FEMA's national members at the Annual General Meeting
• Allison Transmission Achieves Record Hybrid SalesAllison Transmission, the premier global supplier of commercial duty fully automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems, continues to expand its established position as a leading supplier to the global bus and coach market.
• New routes set for bank holiday take-offTwo route launches are set for take-off this weekend as Stansted prepares to welcome nearly quarter of a million passengers through its doors across the Bank Holiday.

Other News Sources

• MAG one of only two bidders for Gatwick so farManchester Airports Group is one of two confirmed bidders for Gatwick Airport after yesterday’s deadline for offers.
• Bristol bus drivers 'are miserable'Some bus drivers never smile, are often impatient, and hardly ever wait for passengers to sit down before pulling off – that's the verdict of Dr Jon Rogers, Bristol City Council's new cabinet member for transport.
• Further blow for Weston’s rail users, says town’s MPThere is further bad news for Weston’s rail users this week according to Weston-super-Mare MP John Penrose, as the Government will not make a decision on how many extra rail carriages will be given to First Great Western until the end of the year at the earliest.
• Virgin Trains to Offer On-board Wi-Fi ServiceT-Mobile UK and Virgin Trains today announced the launch of Wi-Fi internet services for passengers on Pendolino Virgin trains on the West Coast Main Line. The Wi-Fi HotSpot service will provide a wireless broadband connection throughout the entire journey, including all tunnel sections, at high speeds. The HotSpot service has been rolled out by T-Mobile’s solution partner, Nomad Digital.
• A vision of the intelligent railwayAUTOMATION: Communications-based train control is putting more intelligence on board trains, along with high capacity data links that can be harnessed to carry other systems. Invensys Rail Group CEO James Drummond tells Chris Jackson that rail is starting to copy the convergence of technologies seen in other industries.
• US air traffic facilities rely on traineesOne of the busiest air traffic control facilities in the U.S. relies heavily on inexperienced trainees, who are expected to make up more than 40 percent of controllers there later this year, according...
• Rail unions want job cuts stoppedRail unions are to ask the government to stop operators cutting jobs and paying dividends to shareholders. The unions will tell Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon that companies are using the recession a...

News from Europe

• Infrarail brings logistics expertise to major projectsFRANCE: Through the creation of Infrarail, SNCF is giving its infrastructure services business a more commercial focus as the sector becomes increasingly competitive. Laurent Charlier reports.

Other Subscription Services

• Trading Update - StagecoachThe Group expects to report a profit before tax and exceptional items for the year ending 30 April 2009 in line with management’s expectations. The Group expects to report around £12m of exceptional restructuring costs for the year ending 30 April 2009 in relation to the cost-reduction measures implemented in the Group’s UK Rail Division. These measures save around £50m of annual operating costs.