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

Tuesday, 29 June 2010

BBC News

• Northampton Castle railway station new look designed Detailed plans for the redevelopment of a railway station in Northamptonshire are to be drawn up following the appointment of a design team.
• Dial-a-ride 'not cost-efficient'A free Dial-a-ride service for disabled people is providing fewer journeys but expenses have risen, a report says.
• Ampera drivenVauxhall's electric car hints at carmaker's future

Financial Times

• BA warns cabin crew as ballot nearsThe airline and the Unite union square up again in what has become one of the worst industrial relations battles seen at the carrier
• Cable signals end to aid for car industryBusiness secretary Vince Cable said on Monday the car industry was no longer in an ˜emergency™ situation, warning manufacturers that they could no longer count on direct government support
• DP World delays London listing plansContainer terminal operator has postponed plans for a dual listing in London until 2011, blaming technical problems arising from the merger of the Dubai and Nasdaq stock exchanges
• SNCF targeted on role in HolocaustLegislation introduced by a California state lawmaker would force the French rail operator to disclose its role in the Holocaust as a condition of a $43bn contract

The Guardian

• Fear and loathing at British Airways We BA workers caught up in the middle of the dispute are a weary and embittered army who just wants peace

The Herald

• Borders rail link will bring widespread economic and social benefits to the area [Letters]Your front-page headline says “£300m rail link ’offers poor value for money’ ” and you report that there are calls for the much-needed Borders rail link to be urgently revised (The Herald, June, 26).
• Minister™s warning on train fares hikeRail fares could rise steeply from January to help the Government with hefty cuts to the Department for Transport, UK Transport Minister Philip Hammond has admitted.

Press Association

• TfL acquires Tube maintenance firm The controversial London Underground private-public partnership (PPP) plan has effectively ended as Transport for London completed the acquisition of maintenance company Tube Lines.

Reuters News

• National Express sees H1 profit improving Transport group National Express (NEX.L) said it expects first-half pretax profit to improve year-on-year, while cost cutting measures will bolster its performance beyond this year.

Daily Express

• P&O float put on hold THE return of the P&O ports operations to the London market has been put on hold as their Dubai owner DP World delayed plans for a dual listing of its shares until 2011.

Mail Online

• Network Rail members may put brakes on big bonuses Network Rail's public members are being urged to veto gilded bonus payments to management in future, after the infrastructure group last week announced a £2.4m windfall for its top brass. Labour MP Linda Riordan, who is sponsored by the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA), has tabled an early day motion in Parliament asking MPs to back a campaign to block taxpayer-funded bonuses to Network Rail bosses.
• Ticket misery for millions: 10% fare rise threat as axe looms for rail price formula Read more: httMillions of rail passengers face higher than expected annual fare rises of up to 10 per cent as the Government considers scrapping the formula for raising ticket prices.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Transport boss vows to 'lobby hard' A Bradford councillor has promised to œlobby like nobody™s business to make sure a greater share of the country™s transport funding comes to West Yorkshire.
• Children made safer by zebra crossing Hundreds of schoolchildren who use a busy road every day are to benefit from a new zebra crossing.
• Motorists ignoring street traffic ban Drivers are flouting new road restrictions banning private vehicles from a city centre street, the Telegraph & Argus can reveal.

Liverpool Post

• Revamp of Liverpool Central Station is to go ahead despite funding cuts A MULTI-MILLION pound revamp of Liverpool Central railway station is on track despite a cut in government funding.

London Evening Standard

• Sort out London’s transport systemThe takeover by TfL today of Tube contractor Tube Lines should be a warning of the perils of playing politics with London's transport system
• No water for hot passengers going UndergroundTransport bosses will not be handing out bottles of cold water to help keep Tube passengers cool as carriage temperatures soar

The York Press

• Julian Sturdy™s transport vow ONE of York™s MPs hopes his new role on an influential Westminster transport group will help him push the city™s case for making crucial schemes happen.
• National Railway Museum scotches claims admission charges will return in wake of big funding cuts RAIL museum bosses in York have revealed they are preparing for big cuts in funding “ but rebutted suggestions they are set to scrap free entry.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• West Yorkshire road sign blunderWhen is a bus stop not a bus stop? When it's BUS SOTP, of course!

Chester Standard

• Chester children take part in 'Lets Walk' road safety campaignSCHOOLCHILDREN from in and around Chester are taking to the streets to learn first-hand the importance of crossing the road safely.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Electric vehicle fleets will be 'a common sight in London'Businesses that operate in the road transportation sector might be interested in the arrival of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV to the capital's Greater London Authority.Transport for London will use four of the cars as part of its roadwork schemes in a bid to keep traffic moving at a steady rate.The government's Low Carbon Procurement Programme has helped fund the initiative, with the mayor of London Boris Johnson hoping to sign up for 1,000 electric vehicles for the city's fleet.He commented: "By opting for these vehicles in our own fleets, we are helping to stimulate demand and show off thei...

Railnews

• News: ATOC calls for complete rethink of rail spending plans The Association of Train Operating Companies is calling for a major review of rail spending plans, including the projects which are included in Network Rail's current Control Period. It is also warning that project deferrals or even cancellations cannot be ruled out.

Aviation Industry

• Lufthansa, pilots reach agreement through arbitration Lufthansa and its pilots represented by the Vereinigung Cockpit union last week reached agreement on a new labor contract through federal arbitration, ending a year-long dispute that included a brief walkout by flight deck crew earlier this year.

Other News Sources

• Bradford councillor Chris Greaves to lobby transport secretary A Bradford councillor has promised to “lobby like nobody’s business” to make sure a greater share of the country’s transport funding comes to West Yorkshire.
• Southend Airport expansion 'on target for 2012' THE expansion of Southend Airport is “gathering momentum” in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, according to bosses.
• This is no place for a new bus station TO build a bus station as part of the Bargates redevelopment would be an expensive mistake to say the least.
• Commuter brands Cheltenham railway station a crime hotspot A COMMUTER says he has been put off cycling to Cheltenham Spa train station by bike thieves.
• RMT warns of all out assault on passengers and rail workers as Government flag up massive increase in fares, shelving of modernisation plans and scrapping of rolling stock ordersRAIL UNION RMT today seized on comments in this morningfs Financial Times by the Transport Secretary that train fares are going to be jacked up to the roof while modernisation and renewals are shelved as more evidence that transport is going to pay a heavy price as the ConDems swing the axe.
• As Boris Johnson confirms TfL takeover of Tube Lines RMT demands urgent intervention as union releases new figures showing 535 jobs under threatAS LONDON mayor Boris Johnson confirmed this morning that Transport for London have completed their takeover of the failed Tube Lines operation, RMT has demanded urgent intervention to resolve a dispute over jobs and working conditions as the union produced new figures showing that 535 out of 2915 Tube Lines staff posts are under threat.
• Unite to consult BA crew on latest proposalThe union says it will consult BA crew members on the latest offer from the airline. read more

News from Europe

• EU confronts Deutsche Bahn on competition The European Commission is taking legal action against the German government for failing to open up the rail transport sector to rivals of Deutsche Bahn. This comes as something of an embarrassment for the rail operator.
• DB orders more double-deckers GERMANY: Bombardier Transportation is to supply DB with a further 21 double-deck coaches for use in Sachsen-Anhalt from the end of 2010. The €34m contract announced on June 24 was placed under a 2003 framework agreement which covered 298 vehicles worth €411m with options for a further 300 (RG 8.03 p481).