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

Tuesday, 15 June 2010

BBC News

• Early report into high costs of UK railways A review into why railways cost more to run in Britain than elsewhere in Europe is to report back early. A full report is expected next March but Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has asked for transport expert Sir Roy McNulty's initial findings by autumn.
• Anna Soubry MP in bid to halt Nottingham tram extension An MP has made a fresh call for the planned £400m extension to Nottingham's tram system to be scrapped. Anna Soubry, the Conservative MP for Broxtowe, met Transport Minister Norman Baker earlier to discuss the project. She wants the A453 widened instead.
• Campaign for Better Transport warns over cuts Cuts to transport budgets could result in rises in rail fares, more potholes and fewer buses, campaigners say.
• Track reopens after derailmentRail services in Argyll return to normal after a section of track closed by last week's train derailment reopens.

Department for Transport

• Independent review to get better value for money in rail asked to give early initial reportTransport Secretary Philip Hammond announced today that he wants an independent review of value for money in the rail industry to report back early with its initial findings.

Financial Times

• View from the top: Willie Walsh Chief executive, British AirwaysWillie Walsh, known in the airline industry as a tough fighter, has led British Airways into a 16-month dispute with cabin crew that shows little sign of ending. At...
• Rail growth rates 'unsustainable'Recent growth rates in the railway industry will be
• Ross sells 30% stake in SpiceJet US financier Wilbur Ross has sold his stake in India's Spice Jet for $127m in a deal that will enable him to cash out of one of the country's most difficult sectors at a profit
• EasyJet 'exceeding brand licence terms'The founder of the no-frills carrier tells the High Court that the UK airline is overstepping an agreement made when it floated in 2000, which limits what it can make from non-core services

The Guardian

• Easyjet founder claims expansion plans are wrong turn • Bitter row between founder and airline moves to high court • Imprudent growth concerns Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou
• Easyjet founder claims expansion plans are wrong turn • Bitter row between founder and airline moves to high court • Imprudent growth concerns Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou
• Ryanair's hypocritical attack on fair comment When Evening Herald journalist Aoife Anderson was asked to review Ryanair's new softsided carry-on bag, produced by Samsonite and specially designed to comply with the airline's strict weight and size limits, she probably thought nothing of it.

The Herald

• Hammond calls for early delivery from rail services report The prospect of deep cuts being made to Britain’s rail services this autumn was looking increasingly likely yesterday as the Government brought forward an independent review of the industry’s ballooning costs.

The Independent

• EasyJet founder takes airline to court EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou does not like the direction the now-public company is heading and took it to the High Court today.

The Telegraph

• Thomas Cook Airlines to offer Playstation Portables Thomas Cook Airlines has become the latest carrier to charge passengers for in-flight entertainment.
• Kia recalls thousands of Picanto and cee'd models Thousands of Kia cars are being recalled in the UK due to two separate problems.

Times Online

• TfL cashes in and checks out of ShardTransport for London will abandon its plans to move into the Shard at London Bridge after a deal that allows the skyscraper™s owners to find tenants willing to pay a much higher rent.

Reuters News

• Bombardier gets C$770 mln Toronto streetcar orderJune 14 (Reuters) - Canada's Bombardier (BBDb.TO) said on Monday that Toronto region transit authority Metrolinx has ordered an additional 182 streetcars worth about C$770 million ($748 million) for use in the city of Toronto.

Daily Express

• Court to rule on easyJet disputeA SPAT between Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and easyJet, the budget airline he founded 15 years ago, is set to land in the high court this week.

Mail Online

• Network Rail is 30%-50% less efficient than rivals says new review Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/article-1286602/Network-Rail-30-50-efficient-rivals-says-new-review.html?ito=feeds-newsxml#ixzz0qtqJkZR9Network Rail is 30pc-50pc less efficient in spending on maintenance and track renewal than its European rivals, according to a regulatory review.

Network Rail

• GLASGOW“OBAN LINE REOPENS ON SCHEDULE

Bolton News

• MPs™ show concern over BA strikes TWO Bolton MPs have signed a Parliamentary motion expressing concerns over the stalemate between British Airways management and its staff.

Liverpool Post

• Alert over Tory-Lib Dem Government cuts in transport spending A CUT in transport budgets could lead to big hikes in rail fares, more potholes and fewer buses, a report from the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) said today.

London Evening Standard

• Owners buy out TfL lease on offices at Shard of GlassTransport for London has been paid off not to move into the Shard of Glass at London Bridge Station, it was announced today.
• Review to look at high rail costsA costs review will be held to look at why railways in Britain are far more expensive than some services in Europe, the Government has said.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Broxtowe MP Anna Soubry to meet Transport Minister in effort to halt tram extension NEW Broxtowe MP Anna Soubry will meet Transport Minister Norman Baker today to try to halt the planned extension of Nottingham's tram system.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Crackdown at city bus gate finally starting in August HUNDREDS of motorists who flout a bus gate in Sheffield city centre every day are being warned enforcement of the restrictions is to begin.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Warning over cuts in transport spendingA cut in transport budgets could lead to big hikes in rail fares, more potholes and fewer buses, a report from the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) said today.

Other Regional Press

• Demand for rail carriages on transPennine line TRANSPORT chiefs are demanding an end to overcrowded trains on the transPennine line.

Wall Street Journal

• High-Speed Rivalry Picks Up Steam Foreign railway operators and equipment makers are gaining steam in the race for a chunk of the $8 billion the Obama administration has awarded states for high-speed rail projects, but Amtrak, which wants to remain the nation's sole operator of high-speed trains, risks getting left at the station.

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow gives staff pedal powerFor the second year running, Heathrow Airport is promoting an innovative scheme to get staff members ditching the car and cycling to work...
• Experts: Whole body scanners can be fooledWhole-body imaging scanners replacing traditional metal detectors at U.S. airports could make it easier rather than harder to smuggle contraband, experts say.

Other News Sources

• Step-free boost at Mytholmroyd railway station RAIL users are set for a smoother ride after the access road to a bustling train station was improved to help disabled passengers.
• Keeping up to the grade - improvements at Hebden Bridge railway station HEBDEN Bridge's restored Grade II Listed station is now even better following the opening of new toilets and a top quality exhibition of historic photographs and lithographics of the station and of the railway line through the upper Calder Valley.
• Extra carriages fall foul of policy change EXTRA train carriages to ease overcrowding on First Great Western rail services face the chop after ministers ordered an "urgent reappraisal".
• Fight still on for Cambridge’s Chesterton station CAMPAIGNING councillors have vowed to continue to press for the city’s Chesterton railway station scheme after the Government put a hold on major transport funding.
• European award for Stagecoach’s Souter Stagecoach Group chief executive Brian Souter has been presented with a major European award in Paris for a career of service to public transport. The co-founder of Stagecoach, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, was honoured for transforming the perception of public transport and attracting people from all social backgrounds to get on board buses and trains.
• Gulls blamed for state of stationRAIL bosses have blamed seagulls for making a mess of their recently-renovated station after a commuter complained about the state of the platform.