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

Thursday, 22 October 2009

BBC News

• County's roads to get £2m revamp More than £2m is being spent on improvements to roads in Derbyshire next month.
• Target pavement cyclists, say MPs The government should do more to target "irresponsible behaviour" by cyclists - particularly when they break traffic laws, a committee of MPs has said.
• Bus journeys 'cut by 16m miles' The Mayor of London's transport plans have come under renewed fire after it emerged 26 million km (16.2m miles) worth of bus journeys will be cut.
• Design changes cause Boeing lossAircraft maker Boeing blames a net loss of $1.6bn (£974m) on rising production costs and poor market conditions.

Financial Times

• Stansted now on the block but Ryanair's chief could be a sticking pointFirst Gatwick, now Stansted. Yesterday's £1.5bn sale of Gatwick is only the first of three such deals expected in the UK over the next two-and-a-half years,...
• GIP faces pressure to prove itself at GatwickAfter turning round London City, more of the same is now expected of Global Infrastructure Partners, the new owners of Gatwick airport
• Cost cutting helps boost airlinesA trio of US airlines reported a mixed bag of quarterly results as the downturn in air travel offset gains from lower jet-fuel prices and cost-cutting
• BAA sells Gatwick for £1.5bn The owner of City Airport has agreed to buy Gatwick for £1.5bn from Spanish infrastructure group Ferrovial

The Guardian

• The world's worst cycle lanes The Warrington Cycle Campaign's book of Crap Cycle Lanes is notorious among cyclists.
• Boris Johnson's commitment to bus travel questioned Reductions in subsidy and increases in fares highlighted by Labour assembly member

The Herald

• MPs call for ban on cyclists who ride bikes on pavements Cyclists should be made to obey the rules of the road and prevented from riding on pavements as part of a package of measures intended to improve safety, a report by a Commons committee has found.

The Telegraph

• National Express to reveal disappointing trading figures National Express, the bus and rail group facing a merger approach from rival Stagecoach, will announce third-quarter trading figures which are expected to come in at the lower end of analysts' forecasts.

Reuters News

• National Express mulling approach, plans cash callBritish bus and rail operator National Express (NEX.L) said it was mulling a merger proposal from rival Stagecoach (SGC.L) and was planning an equity fund raising by the year-end but reported slower third quarter trade.

Mail Online

• The Lycra louts: MPs call for curbs on cyclists who put lives at risk Anti-social cyclists are a potentially fatal hazard to themselves, other road users and pedestrians, say MPs.

London Evening Standard

• Cycle Fridays cost £68 per participant The Mayor's Cycle Fridays scheme was a costly flop, it was claimed today.
• Cycle Fridays cost £68 per participant The Mayor's Cycle Fridays scheme was a costly flop, it was claimed today.
• New Gatwick owners pledge lower fares and end to queuesGatwick's new owner pledges to slash passenger queuing times after completing the £1.5 billion takeover of London’s second airport, the Standard has learned
• Failed Tube firm 'allowed to print cash'Government has been accused by MPs of 'handing the keys of the Royal Mint' to failed Tube contractor Metronet and allowing it to waste huge sums of public money

Nottingham Evening Post

• Tram bidders told of potential for nine new routes Nottingham City Council has pencilled in nine more possible lines as it searches for bidders to extend its tram system.

Yorkshire Post

• Andrew Adonis: Let the people have their say on high-speed options for our railway future RAIL has been a real success story for Yorkshire, with a big increase in use thanks to improvements in the existing networks and infrastructure serving the region.

Blackpool Gazette

• Buses return to the resort piazza areaTOWN centre bosses today backed the return of vehicles to Blackpool's new-look St John's Square.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Extra seats for rail passengersRegional rail company National Express East Anglia is providing thousands of extra seats a week from December to make life easier for passengers.

Sunderland Echo

• Nissan's electric dreams becoming a realityThe "hype" around plans to build an electric car at Sunderland's Nissan plant means an announcement is likely in the next few months, says plant boss Trevor Mann.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Canada Line Driverless Railway Opens Three Months Ahead of Schedule The new Canada Line which links Richmond, Vancouver International Airport and downtown Vancouver opened to passenger service on 18 August 2009 “ more than three months ahead of schedule - and has Invensys Rail's control systems at its heart. Built to meet the needs of Vancouver's rapidly growing population, the Canada Line has been opened in time for the Winter Olympics, which will be hosted by the city in February 2010. Adding 16 stations to Vancouver's driverless SkyTrain network, the 19km line runs both underground and overground, with bi-directional track running either sid...

Aviation Industry

• BAA announces the sale of Gatwick AirportBAA today announces that it has agreed to sell its 100% interest in Gatwick Airport to an entity controlled by Global Infrastructure Partners for £1.51 billion...
• Australian Airports Acquire New-Generation Glidepath Baggage Handling Systems Glidepath Group is stepping up its presence in Australia as it wins new contracts to design, manufacture and install the next generation of its customised airport baggage handling, sorting and screening systems. "You would be hard pressed to find an Australian airport that did not already have Glidepath equipment installed," said Glidepath's general manager for Australia and Asia, Rob Harvey. "We have built a credible track record for delivering reliability, accuracy and superior service to specification, on budget and in quick time. Now we are introducing the nex...

Other News Sources

• Laws demands that train links improve PRESSURE is growing for improvements to rail services into Yeovil on the Bristol-Weymouth line. Yeovil MP David Laws said the infrequency of services means there are no trains in either direction suitable to bring people working normal business hours into town.
• MP takes 'disgraceful' Waveney stations fight to the Commons Waveney MP Bob Blizzard is to take his campaign to smarten up local railway stations to the House of Commons next week with a crunch meeting with Network Rail officials.
• MP wants train services improved TRAIN services through Plumpton should be improved, according to MP Norman Baker.
• RAIL SERVICE IS ’DISGRACEFUL’ ANGRY Nuneaton rail users have blasted train providers for a 'disgraceful' service which is leaving hundreds suffering.
• Commuters bid to take train protest to the top COMMUTERS facing train service cuts have been backed by a cross-party group of politicians demanding a meeting with the Government.
• Christmas park & ride service gets the chop Cllr Alan Mallyon, cabinet member for parking for Milton Keynes Council said the scheme cost £9 per passenger to fund last year and was under used.
• Chase Line good news The Council has now set up a meeting for next month to enable all stakeholders to learn from this episode and to plan for future improvements to the service.
• Mayor Defends Transport Strategy But Not Boris Island Boris Johnson spent time defending his transport strategy at the London Assembly Transport Committee yesterday. Despite the reduction in bus services (due to an expected 1-3% fall in passenger numbers because of, er, fare rises), he said he'd already resisted a cabinet minister who wanted to see fewer buses on London's streets. (Sadly, he wouldn't name the bus-refusenik.)
• Translink to unveil improved facilities for rail service users A NEW park and ride facility at Whiteabbey Railway Station is due to be officially opened on Friday (October 23).
• £33m bid for rail line cash RAIL campaigners are calling for £33m of regional funding which had been earmarked for a rejected road scheme to be used to restore double track on the main railway line between Kemble and Swindon.
• Johnson: Canning Crossrail would be ˜barmy™London mayor Boris Johnson this week hammered home his support for Crossrail, saying the project would go ahead even though Conservative Party leader David Cameron has failed to give firm guarantees about its future ahead the General Election.
• Road maintenance costs soarThe Highways Agency has been attacked by the government™s spending watchdog for allowing rampant cost escalation in road maintenance.
• Boris backtracks on road pricing plansLondon mayor Boris Johnson this week appeared to contradict his own transport strategy by vowing to reject plans for road pricing schemes.
• EU agrees aviation emissions targetsMinisters set targets for two industries left out of Kyoto Protocol, aviation and shipping.

News from Europe

• Tramino prototype unveiled POLAND: Solaris Bus & Coach unveiled its prototype Tramino low-floor tram at the Trako fair in Gdansk on October 14, before the vehicle begins test running with MPK in Poznán.