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

Thursday, 29 October 2009

BBC News

• National Express ends bid talks National Express has said that all talks of a merger with rival Stagecoach have now ended. "It is unlikely that a combination with Stagecoach could be successfully executed in 2009, even if appropriate terms could be agreed," it said.
• In Pictures: M1 motorway

Financial Times

• UAL chief sees new route to airline mergersA recent spate of capital raisings by US airlines has removed a key obstacle in the industry's pursuit of sweeping consolidation, according to United Airlines' chief
• Ministers under pressure to electrify railRail passengers would see enormous benefits from further electrification,Iain Coucher, Network Rail's chief executive said before launching a fresh strategy
• Gatwick writedown throws BAA off course BAA's losses widen in the first nine months of the year, the airports operator reports, after it books a £225m loss on its forced sale of Gatwick earlier this month
• Nat Express pulls out of Stagecoach talksBoard statement says tie-up with rival would take too long and opts to end uncertainty seek up to an expected £350m in a capital raising

The Guardian

• BAA losses widen on Gatwick sale and falling passenger numbers Airport operator took huge hit on sale of Gatwick and deficit in pension scheme

The Herald

• Transport Scotland questions value for money of rail funds Transport Scotland expressed misgivings about the borrowing mechanism it used to fund a £1bn package of rail enhancements in the central belt, questioning whether it represented value for money to the taxpayer, The Herald has learned.

The Telegraph

• New rise in BA baggage chargesBritish Airways passengers face another large increase in baggage charges next month.
• National Express rejects £1.65bn merger bid by Stagecoach National Express the bus and rail operator has rebuffed a £1.65bn allshare merger approach from rival Stagecoach in favour of pushing ahead with a proposed £400m rights issue.

Times Online

• National Express walks away from merger with Stagecoach Concern about competition issues have put the brakes on a proposed merger between the two transport companies

London Evening Standard

• Facts to fascinate about the London UndergroundThough we take it for granted, and frequently curse it to high heaven, the London Underground is a wonder.
• Bike sheds and cycle paths rival Tube stations and car parkingSecure bike storage and proximity to cycle paths are rivalling Tube stations and car parking in determining London's most sought-after properties

Nottingham Evening Post

• Row over workplace parking levy continues A SENIOR Labour city councillor has challenged the Tories to say whether or not they would scrap the Workplace Parking Levy.
• Network Rail keen to electrify key route PLANS to electrify the Midland Main Line provide an "extremely attractive business case," according to Network Rail.

The York Press

• New signalling attraction opens at National Railway Museum in York IT™S every schoolboy™s dream to be a train driver “ but how many would jump at the chance to keep tabs on lots of trains as they move through our railway city?
• York to host Towards Carfree Cities conference on transport policy AN INTERNATIONAL conference aimed at promoting car- free cities will be coming to York next year.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Government to blame for tram failureI must concede to Michael Meadowcroft (Letters, Oct 21) that the blame for the failue to secure Government funding for Supertram must lie fairly and squarely with the Government itself.
• M1 set to celebrate 50th birthdayThe M1, first conceived when in-car entertainment consisted mainly of games of I-Spy, is about to reach its 50th birthday.

Reading Evening Post

• £1 bus fare experiment Bus users on two routes in Reading will be quids in when fares are cut to £1 next week.

Wall Street Journal

• Alstom Fiscal 1H Up As Executes Backlog; Confirms FY ViewPARIS (Dow Jones)--French power-station equipment and train maker Alstom SA (ALO.FR) Thursday said fiscal first-half net profit rose 6.6% as it worked through its backlog and cut costs.

Washington Post

• No more U.S. aid needed, says GM chief General Motors chief executive Fritz Henderson was in Washington on Wednesday visiting with the company's major shareholder -- that is to say, the U.S. government.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New speed cameras 'to focus on lorries'A new breed of speed cameras will soon be seen on Britain's roads that aim to tackle the problem of speeding lorries, it has been reported.According to French magazine Auto Plus, the digital devices are designed to be less noticeable than existing models, can cover several lanes at once and do not flash.The news source stated that the French government is planning to start installing them within a year and British authorities are likely to follow suit.Each camera will be able to determine when heavy goods vehicles are exceeding speed limits specifically set for them by distinguishing between c...

Railnews

• News: Electrification: Midland Main Line goes to the head of the queue Network Rail has published a wide ranging set of proposals for electrification. The plan is the most ambitious of its kind for nearly 30 years.

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow charity teams in for the long haulHeathrow will host an endurance challenge with a difference as teams pull planes along the runway in a race for charity.
• BAA (SP) Limited: Results for the nine months ended 30 September 2009Colin Matthews, Chief Executive Officer of BAA, said:

Other News Sources

• Debate on Wareham railway stationMid Dorset and Poole North MP, Annette Brooke, intoduced a Westminster Hall adjournment debate on the proposed closure of the Wareham station pedestrian level crossing. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Mole, responded for the Government.
• Alstom out of Thameslink bidding UK: Alstom Transport was informed late on October 22 that its bid to supply the new Thameslink EMU fleet had been eliminated from the final stage of the contest. This leaves Bombardier Transportation and Siemens Mobility in the running for the major order to be placed by the Department for Transport.
• Meet The Train Makers, Part 1: AlstomAmericans know a lot about car and airplane manufacturers–but very few are familiar with the train making industry and it’s biggest players. That may change over the coming years, if the US gets serious about improving and expanding passenger rail service and the $180 billion global rail industry continues to boom.
• Meet The Train Makers, Part 2: BombardierThough it is now the world’s largest train manufacturer, Bombardier followed a haphazard route into the field. Joseph-Armand Bombardier founded the company in the 1940s, originally producing the Ski-Doo line of snowmobiles. His business’ success produced enough profit by 1971 to acquire Austria’s Lohnerwerke, which produced snowmobile engines and tram vehicles.
• Employers guarantee facilities for East of England cyclists More than 70 major public and private sector employers are pledging to implement a new “cycle to work” guarantee in a bid to transform the numbers cycling to work.
• Disabled lift work halted at train station DISABLED and elderly people will be denied Tube access at Amersham Station after transport bosses confirmed improvement works have been stopped.
• Midland Main Line's electrification case strong Plans to electrify the Midland Main Line have moved a step close as Network Rail said the case was "extremely strong".

News from Europe

• Transport deal puts banned UK motorists off Irish roads MOTORISTS banned from driving in Britain and Northern Ireland will no longer be allowed on Irish roads from the New Year
• Amadeus expands rail offering to agents "Unparalleled content" across Europe available Amadeus has signed a partnership deal with Rail Europe to give its agents access to "unparalleled pan-European rail content".

Other Subscription Services

• Poll shows more crew favour carrying gunsALMOST half of British and Dutch seafarers believe they should be allowed to carry guns in face of pirate threat, a survey by Nautilus reveals.