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

Wednesday, 21 October 2009

BBC News

• BAA agrees Gatwick airport sale BAA has agreed to sell Gatwick, the UK's second busiest airport, to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for a fee of £1.51bn.
• Mayor defends 'unjust' fare rise London Mayor Boris Johnson has defended his above-inflation bus and Tube fare rises, saying he is "absolutely certain" it is "the right thing to do".
• Millionth passenger for rail link Part of the old carriageway of the M74 has been recycled and used on the final section of the new motorway.
• Truck usage down at EurotunnelEurotunnel reports a drop in sales with passenger numbers yet to recover from a fire last year, despite the resumption of full services.
• VW to buy half of Porsche by 2010Carmaking giant Volkswagen says it is to acquire 49.9% of luxury brand Porsche by the end of the year.
• BAA sale of Gatwick 'is due soon'The sale of Gatwick Airport by BAA is due to happen soon, the airport operator's parent company has said.

Financial Times

• BAA sells Gatwick for £1.5bn to City Airport group The long-awaited break-up of the UK’s biggest airport group began on Wednesday after BAA reached an agreement to sell Gatwick to the owners of London City Airport for £1.5bn.
• Cosmens back Stagecoach move on National ExpressThe Spanish family, the bus and rail group's largest shareholder, is backing a merger proposal from rival Stagecoach
• United Airlines narrows loss on cost cutsUnited Airlines' quarterly net loss narrowed by more than Wall Street expected on steep cost cuts and lower jet-fuel prices
• Gatwick to be sold to City Airport group for £1.5bnLondon airport to go to Global Infrastructure Partners for £1.5bn price tag as owner tries to head of competition concerns from regulator

The Guardian

• EU ministers set to agree cut in aviation emissions European environment ministers are set to agree a cut in the carbon emissions from flying, the Guardian has learned.
• Boris Johnson: hope and congestion The Mayor's explanation of his draft Transport Strategy was cooler and seemed better prepared, especially in its defensive content, for transport committee today than it had been during MQT last week. He made his most explicit declaration yet that he favours "modal shift" from car use to public transport and cycling and walking, and he set out more coherently than before his case that his measures will help secure this. He articulated clear objectives. He defined his favoured methods for meeting these and those he will not use.
• Motorists will turn on me over cycling policies, claims Boris Johnson Mayor of London says his efforts to generate a 'cycling revolution' in the capital will not be 'politically cost-free'

The Independent

• Campaigners warn Gatwick's new owner The new owner of Gatwick airport must not "ride roughshod" over the local community, the head of the area's conservation group said today. There were now concerns that "a faceless international consortium will squeeze every pound it can out of the airport rather than addressing local worries", added Brendon Sewill, chairman of the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign.
• Stagecoach gets major backing for National Express takeover bid National Express’s plans for a rescue rights issue were thrown into chaos this evening when its biggest shareholder, Spain’s Cosmen family, which holds a 19 per cent stake, decided to back rival Stagecoach’s takeover bid for the group.

The Scotsman

• More Virgin trains on time after £9bn upgrade to line THE £9 billion upgrade of the west coast main line appears to be finally paying off after Virgin Trains recorded its best punctuality since taking over the Glasgow-London franchise 12 years ago.

The Telegraph

• Team up to beat Europe's level crossingRoger Tillot’s transport services consultancy and design company has a long history, dating back to 1874. Mackellar Architecture has chalked up considerable achievements, including a role in the design of the Tyne Bridge, close to its Newcastle base and more recently prestige contracts for the New Delhi metro.

Times Online

• Gatwick sold by BAA for £1.5 billion as new owner plans expansion BAA today confirmed it was selling Gatwick for £1.51 billion to Global Infrastructure Partners, an investment fund that also owns London City airport.
• Mystery over Tube escalator etiquette cleared up by restored filmEscalator etiquette in most countries tends to match the rules of the road. In New York and Taipei, motorists and escalator users keep to the right, while in Singapore and Tokyo both keep to the left.
• Second runway ahead as City Airport's owner buys Gatwick for £1.5bnGatwick will be sold today for £1.5 billion, in a move expected to prompt a series of developments at the airport.
• Stagecoach fires barrage of numbers at targetStagecoach will submit a slew of financial information to the under-siege National Express on Wednesday before an imminent board vote at its takeover target on whether to allow limited access to its books.
• Second runway ahead as City Airport's owner buys Gatwick for £1.5bnGatwick will be sold today for £1.5 billion, in a move expected to prompt a series of developments at the airport.

Daily Express

• Battle to land GatwickSEVERAL companies are fighting to snap up Gatwick airport from its owner BAA, it emerged yesterday.
• Support for NatEx bidSTAGECOACH'S hopes of securing a £1.7billion merger with National Express were boosted last night when it reportedly won -support from its rival bus and train company's -biggest shareholder.

The Mirror

• Christmas rail deal? Humbug!Rail passengers are being lured by cutprice Christmas deals - only to find the cheaper ticke t s cover a fraction of festive services.
• BAA backs down over runway rowVICTORY

Network Rail

• CHRISTMAS UPGRADE FOR SOUTHAMPTON TUNNEL
• GRADUATE NUMBERS DOUBLE AT NETWORK RAIL - 120+ NEW ROLES IN THE CAPITAL

Bolton News

• Bid to electrify major rail route through Bolton In a bid to ease overecrowding on trains, rail companies have urged the Government to electrify a major route through Bolton. The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has identified 10 routes in the UK for electrification, including the Manchester to Preston line.

Liverpool Post

• Liverpool to Manchester rail link should be electrified call A SECOND rail link between Liverpool and Manchester should be updated so it can be used by electric trains, according to an influential industrial body. The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) is calling for the electrification of up to 400 miles of “missing link” railway lines nationwide, at a cost of around £500m.

London Evening Standard

• City Airport's owner buys Gatwick for £1.5bAirport operator BAA will today sell Gatwick for £1.5 billion pounds to Global Infrastructure Partners, the owner of London City Airport

Metro

• Commuters want 'outrageously rude' tube worker sackedCalls for an abusive Tube worker to be sacked grew today after more passengers complained about his behaviour.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Lorry that's five years ahead of its time ONE of only 20 articulated lorries in the UK to be fitted with gadgetry that will be compulsory by 2014 has been delivered to a Notts haulier.

The York Press

• Move to electrify transpennine rail line TRAIN bosses have unveiled plans to electrify the railway between York and Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool to cut carbon emissions and congestion.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Talks on Leeds-London high speed rail linkTalks are to be held to press the case for a high speed rail link between Yorkshire and London.

Blackpool Gazette

• Hearing over tram depot rowPLANS to build a £20m tram depot on Blackpool seafront have been resubmitted amid claims the original application process was flawed.

Wall Street Journal

• High-Speed Rail Keeps Train Makers on Track More broadly, though, Russia's new trains mirror a global push in high-speed rail that spans from China to the U.S., an effort that is buffering Siemens AG, Hitachi Ltd., Bombardier Inc. and other industrial giants against the economic slump.

Washington Post

• Maker of electric cars to announce plant location WASHINGTON -- Fisker Automotive, a California-based startup manufacturer of luxury electric vehicles, plans to announce shortly the location of a U.S. manufacturing facility where it will build plug-in electric vehicles, its top executive said Tuesday.

Railnews

• Rail industry rebuffs road lobbyClaims that road users should be given priority for investment over rail were rebuffed by Network Rail and rail group Greengauge 21.
• RailStaff Awards Winners announcedRailway staff and their families partied the night away at the RailStaff Awards at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham this weekend. Supporters were out in force to celebrate the RailStaff Awards now in its third year.

Other News Sources

• Reconnected line is rail great news THE reconnection of a railway line in the Staffordshire Moorlands has gone down well with Leek’s civic chiefs.
• Network Rail seeks supplier for Birmingham New Street station roof Network Rail is seeking expressions of interest for the contract for the supply and installation of an ETFE roof to an atrium that shall be formed to the existing shopping centre above Birmingham New Street Railway Station.
• Work on new Pudsey Bus Station starts Sunday 25 October Work on Metro’s new bus station for Pudsey starts on Sunday 25 October 2009. Due to be completed by September 2010, the new Pudsey Bus Station will provide higher levels of comfort and security that passengers have come to expect from Metro’s facilities across West Yorkshire.
• Paddington station deal advertised Crossrail has advertised a contract which covers a package of integration works at Paddington station.
• Network Rail furious over 'hurry up' letter A RAIL company has slammed a letter sent to its boss demanding repair works to be finished at Wembley Central Station. The station platforms are constantly flooding leading to damp conditions and toilets being closed. Plans to provide new ticket gates and lifts have also been put on hold.
• First Air Con Tube Trains Set For LondonThe new train will be going into service on the Metropolitan line and is currently being held at a depot in north-west London. By 2011, 58 new air-conditioned trains, known as Stock trains, will replace the existing fleet on the Metropolitan line.
• Crossrail will affect PaddingtonCrossrail, the £16bn high speed train project has advertised for a contract which will reshape the underground at Paddington
• Braintree district needs better public transportBETTER rural bus services and an extra railway line are needed to improve public transport in the Braintree district, councillors say. A report by Braintree councillors says present bus and rail services only meet some residents’ needs, and they need to be improved.
• TubeBuddy for BlackBerry reviewillions of people take the London Underground to and from work every day, and it's a miserable experience for nearly all of them. It's crowded, hot, and there's nothing worse than arriving on the platform to find that your desired service is cancelled or running sporadically. You can arrange for Transport for London (TfL) to send you service updates via text message, but for the truly organised, TubeBuddy is a superb - free - application to have.
• Huddersfield rail connections to major cities could go electric RAIL services connecting Huddersfield to the north’s main cities could be going electric. Train operators want 400 miles of UK railways upgraded to accommodate electric trains, including two routes in the Yorkshire region.
• Mayor coy on airport plans London Mayor Boris Johnson played down current reports concerning plans to build a new Thames Estuary airport.
• Soon, all-in-one computerized system to make airports greener, efficientWashington, Oct 20 : An international team of researchers is developing a novel computerised approach for airport operations that will reduce delays, speed up baggage handling and decrease pollution.
• First 2012 DLR train runsThe first new Docklands Light Railway (DLR) carriage built for the 2012 Olympic Games has been delivered to Stratford station.p
• Bombardier boards European gravy train Bombardier Inc.'s rail- equipment unit is in line to win a $2.4-billion U.S. order for 1,100 cars for the ThamesLink passenger system in southern England and the value could rise to $4 billion U.S. if the contract includes long-term maintenance.

News from Europe

• €10bn rail spend for 2010 SPAIN: Investment in new rolling stock as well as the infrastructure of the national network is set to total €10·2bn next year, according to the Ministry of Development's draft budget.
• Deutsche Bahn considers alcohol ban on trains National rail provider Deutsche Bahn is considering an alcohol ban on trains with certain regional transport associations, daily Bild reported on Monday.
• German rail faces fine for email spying: spokesman The German railway Deutsche Bahn faces a fine for spying on its staff's emails, a spokesman told AFP, without revealing the amount.
• Work to resume on Italy-to-France high-speed rail line Italy’s infrastructure minister says work on a contested high-speed rail line linking the Italian city of Turin to Lyon in France will restart next month.
• French trains hit by strike A strike by rail workers partially halted train services around France amid restructuring of the freight sector and fears of job losses.