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

Monday, 27 July 2009

BBC News

• Stagecoach eyes National Express Transport group Stagecoach has said it is in exclusive talks with potential buyers of rival National Express, over a possible break-up of the firm.
• MPs urge rail franchise reformsRail franchising needs to change to stop operators abandoning their obligations and taking passengers for granted, MPs say.

Financial Times

• Rail franchise system described as a muddle The current system of rail franchising is a muddle that has not served passengers’ best interests, a parliamentary committee says in a report issued on Monday.
• A transport of delight? Looking north from the Olympic Delivery Authority’s offices in Canary Wharf, east London, there is a striking sight.
• VW looks at raising $5.7bn of capitalEurope™s largest carmaker is examining a capital raising of up to €4bn as part of a plan to buy Porsche, which has amassed more than €10bn of net debt, Germany™s debt-ridden sports car maker, the Financial Times has learnt
• HNA and Bravia try to untangle Allco dealExecutives from China's HNA Group and its private equity partner head to Europe to seek to win over lenders still wary of their bid to take over the aircraft leasing arm of the failed company
• National Express poised to reject bidBus and train operator set to reject a takeover bid from Spain's Cosmen family and CVC private equity group expected to value the group at more than £500m
• Branson raises stake in Virgin BlueSir Richard Branson's Virgin Group will plough up to A$80m into Virgin Blue as part of a deeply-discounted A$231m capital raising designed to strengthen the loss-making Australian airline's balance sheet

The Guardian

• Stagecoach in talks with consortium bidding for National Express Group opens discussions with private equity firm CVC and large shareholder the Cosmen family about acquiring some National Express businesses in the event of a successful takeover
• MPs attack rail firms for raising faresRail passengers have seen fares increase during the recession because of a

The Independent

• UK rail system has 'serious problems' and needs to be fixedMore rail companies will be allowed to walk away from their obligations and leave taxpayers with the bill for running their unprofitable rail services unless the Government makes radical changes to its

The Scotsman

• East coast rail link to London should stay in state hands – MPs SCOTLAND to London trains on the east coast main line should stay in government hands after their struggling operator abandons the franchise, MPs urged today.
• Rail passengers 'taken for granted'The rail franchise system encourages and allows train companies to take their passengers for granted, a report by MPs has warned.

The Telegraph

• National Express to reject Spanish bid The executive chairman of National Express will seek the approval of his board to reject the takeover approach from Spain's Cosmen family and CVC, the private equity group, at a meeting to be held as early as today.
• Virgin Trains eyes bid for East Coast franchise The Government is to re-nationalise the London to Scotland route for at least 12 months from the end of 2009 after National Express, the operator, warned it would not provide further financial support to its ailing franchise.

Times Online

• EasyJet resolves dispute with airline founderEasyJet will tell investors that it has reached a compromise agreement with Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the budget airline™s flamboyant founder, after a public dispute over the company™s growth plans.

Daily Express

• Loss-making BA is in fight for survival THE City's earnings season cranks up this week with figures and updates from heavyweights including British Airways, BP and British Gas owner Centrica.
• Stagecoach plans bid for rival National ExpressTRANSPORT group Stagecoach is looking to spark a bidding war for National Express with its own offer for its beleaguered rival.

Mail Online

• How a £10 rail fare can take you 160 miles...or just ten, depending on where in Britain you are

The Mirror

• MPs furious at 'excessive' fares rip-offRAILWAYS
• Rail passengers 'taken for granted'The rail franchise system encourages and allows train companies to take their passengers for granted, a report by MPs has warned.

Edinburgh Evening News

• £800k investment to improve safety at Capital roundabout ROAD bosses are set to spend £800,000 improving safety at a city roundabout that has seen 13 accidents in the last three years.

London Evening Standard

• Tories plan new road tolls to claw back cashThe Tories are considering ending tax credits for high-earning households and introducing tolls on new roads as they tackle the "daunting" public finances.
• Ryanair in a profits surge but it warns on high taxes Low-cost airline Ryanair today announced a sixfold rise in first-quarter profits but warned that crippling tourist taxes and lower ticket prices mean its full-year profits will be at the bottom end of City forecasts.
• Rail system 'takes passengers for granted'The rail franchise system encourages and allows train companies to take their passengers for granted, a report by MPs said today.

Metro

• Passengers 'pay price' of rail rulesTrain companies are using the rail franchise system to rip off passengers by raising fares, MPs are warning.

Nottingham Evening Post

• New square for Sneinton A £6.8m scheme to create a new square in Sneinton and improve the inner ring road east of the city centre is set to be approved tomorrow.
• Councillors not taking their seats on tram A ROW has blown up over the membership of a council committee which deals with safety issues on Nottingham's tram.
• Changes to county buses save taxpayer £400k MAJOR changes are being made to council-funded bus services in the boroughs of Gedling and Rushcliffe.

Sheffield Star

• £40m to boost rapid buses TRANSPORT bosses in South Yorkshire have pledged £40million to improve access to the Lower Don Valley with a rapid bus service.

The York Press

• 1,500 crimes at rail stations in the York, Selby and Ryedale area POLICE have had to deal with more than 1,500 crimes at railway stations in the York, Selby and Ryedale area over the past three years – including a suspected £1 million bribery and corruption case.

Yorkshire Post

• Rail passengers 'taken for granted' The rail franchise system encourages and allows train companies to take their passengers for granted, a report by MPs has warned.
• MPs' plea to keep rail link in hands of public The Yorkshire to London main railway line should be kept in the public sector in the long term to protect the quality of its service, an influential panel of MPs will say today.
• Support fight for rail link, councils urged Every council in Yorkshire is today being asked to pledge their allegiance to a campaign to secure a high-speed rail line directly linking Yorkshire to London.

Aviation Industry

• Air travelers can expect fewer flights this fallATLANTA, Ga. - Airline passengers will see fewer nonstop flights, less convenient travel options and possibly higher ticket prices and fees in the coming months as major carriers make big capacity cuts this fall season for the second year in a row.
• US Airways posts net profit of $58mUS Airways Group, Inc. has posted a net profit of $58 million in the second quarter.
• Loss-making BA is in fight for survivalTHE City's earnings season cranks up this week with figures and updates from heavyweights including British Airways, BP and British Gas owner Centrica.

Other News Sources

• Councillor gets top regional transport job THE deputy leader of Oxfordshire County Council has become the first local representative to be elected head of an influential regional transport body.
• £195million cash injection for transport schemes RESIDENTS across North Somerset could benefit from a number of transport schemes that could become a reality thanks to Government funding.
• £3 million bid to 'Kickstart' bus services across Greater Manchester Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (GMITA) has put forward 12 bus schemes for the Department for Transport's Kickstart competition - designed to help develop new bus services or improve existing services.
• New buses to provide vital all-day direct links A NEW 24-hour bus service will give Sevenoaks residents the opportunity to travel direct to Gatwick and Maidstone.
• Pressure mounting over Lockerbie station ’lifeline’ THE HUGE weight of public concern over cuts to a “lifeline” railway will be directed at transport bosses in efforts to force a timetable rethink.
• Stagecoach joins rail group race
• MPs slam rail 'muddle' Train companies have taken advantage of the system to raise fares at the worst moment, MPs have said.Related StoriesElectric rail line project unveiledMotorists 'mistrust' Government's tax measures
• Virgin Blue to raise A$231.4m as CEO Godfrey leavesAustralia's Virgin Blue plans to raise A$231.4 million ($190 million) in fresh equity, and says that its CEO Brett Godfrey will quit in 2010 amid a projection...