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

Thursday, 27 August 2009

BBC News

• Heathrow noise claim 'misleading' An advert saying a third runway at Heathrow will not make the airport dirtier or noisier is "misleading", the Advertising Standards Authority says.
• Bid to restore village bus route Residents are fighting to restore a bus route in a Derbyshire village which has been changed by a bus company.
• Bid to restore village bus route Residents are fighting to restore a bus route in a Derbyshire village which has been changed by a bus company.
• High-speed rail proposal welcomed Proposals to create a new £34bn high-speed rail link between Scotland and London have been welcomed by industry leaders and politicians.
• Cuts fall on Bristol bus services Dozens of bus routes in Bristol and south Gloucestershire are being cut or having their hours of operation curtailed due to council cutbacks.
• Midlands hopes for high-speed rail Network Rail has warned of a "looming capacity crisis" on the rail route between the Midlands and London, unless a high-speed line is built.
• Adonis considers Network Rail plan [video]Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has said the government hopes to have a decision on Network Rail's high-speed line proposals by the end of the year.
• London bike scheme firm profit upSerco, which will run London's new bike hire scheme, says profits have surged after it won a record number of contracts.

Financial Times

• Berlin could rescue Opel under GMA future German government may be willing to finance a restructuring of Opel under the ownership of General Motors if the sale of GM™s German arm to Magna, the Canadian supplier, falls through, the Financial Times has learnt
• Plan for 200mph UK rail link unveiledNetwork Rail laid out a vision for a high-speed rail link from London to Scotland via Manchester, but admitted it did not know how the scheme would be funded or when it wouldmight be built
• National Express considers rights issueThe troubled bus and train operator has canvassed shareholders on whether they want a £350m equity raising or prefer to pursue a takeover proposal from the Cosmen family-led consortium

The Guardian

• Market Forces breaking news: Takeover offer for National Express hiked CVC has increased its bid for the bus and train operator, on a day when Diageo cut its forecasts for 2010 and Aer Lingus struck a very gloomy tone
• High-speed rail could link London and GlasgowStart planning now for £34bn west coast route before space runs out, urges Network Rail chiefJourney times from London to Glasgow could be halved to little more than two hours with a new £34bn high-speed rail line linking the capital with Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool, according to a study published today.Network Rail, the owner of Britain's rail infrastructure, urged the government to start planning for the next generation of rail travel with

The Independent

• Willie Walsh: 'I didn't set out to be CEO but I love every minute of it' The man steering British Airways' fight for survival is a workaholic with a hard-man reputation
• New rail line could halve London-Scotland journey times Journey times from London to Scotland would be halved by building a £34bn high-speed rail line, using a route preferred by Network Rail (NR).

The Telegraph

• National Express gets revised offer from Cosmen-CVC consortium National Express has received an revised 450p-a-share indicative cash offer for the troubled bus and rail operatior from Spain's Cosmen family and private-equity firm CVC.
• Network Rail plans for high speed rail to cut journey times between major cities Train journey times from London to Scotland could be cut to just over two hours under a blueprint for a series of high speed lines unveiled by Network Rail.

Times Online

• National Express collects fresh £688m CVC bid A consortium led by CVC Capital Partners has tabled an improved bid for National Express worth £688 million as the embattled transport company confirmed today that it was considering a cash call estimated at £350 million.
• See Serco here, there and everywhere erco is surely a believer in the old saying “Where there’s muck, there’s brass” — although not muck, exactly, but the “mucky” jobs, the tasks that governments no longer want to do.
• Synthetic trees and algae can counter climate change, say engineersGiant fly-swat shaped œsynthetic trees line the road into the office, where blooms of algae grow in tubes up the walls and the roof reflects heat back into the sky ” all reducing the effects of global warming.
• Toyota may close UK production line but pledges to retain staffToyota reassured staff yesterday that there would be no redundancies as the world™s biggest carmaker conceded that it could close one of the two production lines at its Burnaston plant in Derbyshire.
• Network Rail plans £34bn high-speed routeRail passengers could travel from London to Scotland in just over two hours on a £34 billion high-speed line proposed by Network Rail yesterday.

Press Association

• National Express considers new bid Transport group National Express said it has been mulling an increased takeover offer from its biggest shareholder worth almost £700 million.

Mail Online

• Ministers rush through hunt for rail expert The government has ' accelerated' plans to appoint a consultant to help ministers run failed rail franchises, as fears grow that more collapses are on the way.

Belfast Telegraph

• Airlines urged to be upfront on fares for Belfast to London route Airlines were today warned to be more upfront on fares — especially on the crowded Belfast to London route where there are five airlines to choose from.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham to London in 46 minutes under new high-speed rail planPlans for a £34 billion high-speed London to Scotland rail line running through Birmingham were outlined today by Network Rail.
• How high-speed railways could change your lifeJonathan Walker looks at Network Rail’s proposals for a high-speed line from London to Birmingham.
• Birmingham needs new station to cope with high-speed linkBirmingham needs a major new city centre rail station to cope with high speed services which will revolutionise the region’s transport network, according to Network Rail.

Derby Telegraph

• Trouble-free rail barriers EAST Midlands Trains says it has so far encountered no problems with new automatic ticket gates it has installed at Derby railway station.

London Evening Standard

• £680 bid flags the start of battle for National Express THE battle for National Express got into gear today as its biggest shareholder said it has made a private-equity backed offer of 450p for the struggling trains and coach group.
• Campaign for third runway told not to repeat misleading advertCampaigners for a third runway at Heathrow have been found to have misled the public over its impact on noise and pollution
• Northern line could close from 10pm on weekdays for upgradeTube passengers are facing more problems with plans to close sections of the Underground’s busiest line from 10pm
• 200mph link to North will make 2.8m switch from air, say rail chiefsPlans unveiled for a 200mph railway that will cut journey time between London and Manchester to little over one hour

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Metro station barriers to snare fare dodgersBARRIERS to stop fare dodgers will be put up at Metro stations. The network will receive £13.4m from the Department for Transport to upgrade old ticket machines and bring in the electronic barriers.

Nottingham Evening Post

• City car use drops 'because of transport investment' CAR use in Nottingham is falling because of good levels of investment in public transport, according to an academic. Dr Kiron Chatterjee, from the University of West England, looked at Department for Transport figures which suggested car use in the city dropped by 2.1% between 2003 and 2008

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Row over new £15m Leeds station entrance TRANSPORT chiefs have hit back at claims that £15m required to build a new entrance to Leeds rail station would be better spent on new rail carriages The plan for a new look for the station was unveiled earlier this m onth, prompting criticism that the cash would be better spent elsewhere. Metro Chairman Coun Ryk Downes said the project was earmarked specifically for the new entrance.
• Backlash over rail link missing Leeds Yesterday's announcement came as a blow to politicians and business leaders in Leeds, who fear the city could now be permanently saddled with a second-class transport system. Greg Mulholland, Lib Dem MP for Leeds North West, said there was still a "very strong economic case" for a high-speed rail link between London and Yorkshire.

Yorkshire Post

• Heritage chief joins in station opening CONSTRUCTION magnate Sir William McAlpine, chairman of the Railway Heritage Trust, joined directors from Yorkshire's Strategic Team Group to open the refurbished Ormskirk station. The Castleford-based business has completed a £1.8m eco-friendly overhaul of the Grade-II station on behalf of Merseyrail.

Aviation Industry

• FAA investigating Southwest over parts and repairs; grounded planes caused weekend delaysFederal officials say a maintenance company hired by Southwest Airlines used unapproved parts for repairs on some jets.
• American Airlines parent AMR picks Hewlett-Packard to develop new reservation systemAMR Corp. said Wednesday it will work with Hewlett Packard Co. to develop a new passenger service system to handle reservations, sales, flight information and check-in for American Airlines Inc.

Other News Sources

• Increased offer for National Express EMBATTLED public transport group National Express has received an increased takeover offer from its largest shareholder, it emerged today. The improved offer from the Spanish Cosmen family, backed by buy-out firm CVC, reportedly values National Express at nearly £700 million - close to the value its board is thought to place on the business.
• Council wants more people to use public transport TRAMS, 20mph zones and cycle paths could be at the heart of changes to Swindon’s transport network over the next two decades.
• 'Future Heathrow' group advertisement was misleading A GROUP lobbying for further expansion of Heathrow Airport has been criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority for a ’misleading’ campaign in local newspapers.
• Axminster: Railway work on schedule WORK on the passing loop at Axminster railway station is progressing according to the contractors' timetable. The work is part of a £20m scheme to deliver hourly services between Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo by the end of this year.
• New station porter rolls back the years with bags of charm HE'S got bags of time for train travellers! The first dedicated porter in 40 years has been introduced at Scarborough railway station – and bagman Wayne Frodsham says he's happy to lug your luggage! He has been employed to lend a lift after rail company First TransPennine Express decided that passengers arriving at the station needed a helping hand after the summer's boost in passenger numbers.
• Train station is not on the right track [letter]FORGET the plans for new doors at Huddersfield Railway Station, they are not the number one priority at the moment (Examiner, August 11). We need an enquiry kiosk in the booking hall with staff to assist passengers with information.
• Volunteers clean up railway station Volunteers have carried out a clean up of Shrewsbury Railway Station after the town’s MP hit out over the state of the building. Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, has accused Network Rail of double standards over its maintenance of Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton railway stations.
• Ryanair leaves Robin Hood AirportRobin Hood Airport is the latest to have Ryanair move away from them. Ryanair has announced that it is axing all of its winter flights to Spain from the airport as it hopes to reduce its operations from many UK airports blaming the increase of airport charges. Ryanair have also cut flights from Manchester, Dublin and London [...]
• Network Rail announce plans for high-speed railFriends of the Earth today welcomed with caution Network Rail's plans for new high-speed rail.
• Asian airline traffic down 7.8% in JulyMajor carriers in the Asia Pacific carried 11.5 million passengers in July, down 7.8% year-on-year. International traffic measured in RPKs fell 8.5%...
• Virgin Blue posts full year loss of A$160mVirgin Blue has posted a full year net loss of A$160 million ($132 million) in line with its
• Airlines Stung By European CO2 Limits Thousands of airlines are set to face problems in flying into the European Union from 2012 unless they join the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, the European Commission has said, although a number of member states at the same time continue to bankroll the sector that is the fastest growing source of transport greenhouse gases to the tune of millions of euros.
• BA hopeful of ATI go ahead this year$8bn enterprise plannedread more