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

Thursday, 23 September 2010

BBC News

• Minister meets Warwickshire residents over rail link Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has met residents in Warwickshire affected by the high-speed rail link.
• Tube strike 'likely', says unionAnother 24-hour Tube strike is likely to go ahead from 3 October, union Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) says.
• Tube 'guilty plea' over accident London Underground is being prosecuted over an accident which left three women with injuries.
• Budget air carriers multiply in AsiaAsia is seeing a boom in budget air travel, with Air Asia X announcing yet another new route, from Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur.
• China roads face gridlocked futureGlobal car sales are forecast to hit 54m vehicles in 2010, which would reverse the recent decline and set a new high
• Iberia backs BA on pension planA merger between Iberia and British Airways takes a step closer after the Spanish carrier backs BA's approach to tackle its pension deficit.
• Bentleys recalled over 'Flying B'Bentley, the luxury car maker, is recalling almost 600 vehicles in the United States because of a fault with the iconic 'Flying B' bonnet ornament.

Department for Transport

• Government announces plans for new transport fundPlans for a new Local Sustainable Transport Fund have been announced today by Local Transport minister Norman Baker.

Financial Times

• Tunnel chief rejects Deutsche Bahn criticism The co-head of the Channel tunnel’s safety body has dismissed suggestions that bureaucracy is delaying the start of direct train services from Frankfurt to London.
• Hitachi steps up efforts to refocus Hitachi, the Japanese technology group, is accelerating a shift away from consumer electronics and toward large-scale infrastructure such as railways and nuclear power as it revives a plan to spin off its US-based computer hard drive business.
• China's railway developmentThis interactive graphic explores China's ambitious rail expansion plans
• FirstGroup veteran chief executive to retireSir Moir Lockhead, chief executive of FirstGroup, is to retire after 21 years at the helm of the bus and rail operator
• Hapag-Lloyd to pay back loansGermany's biggest container shipping line is to cancel a state guarantee for its borrowing in a move that could pave the way for its eventual sale.
• Return trip to top levels of UK transportTim O'Toole's elevation to the leading job at First Group represents a remarkable return to the top levels in British transport
• Iata attacks US rules on air travelThe International Air Transport Association says efforts to enhance protection for passengers amount to a damaging re-regulation that will impose significant costs on carriers and hurt customer service

The Guardian

• Metro braced for cuts to Leeds bus services * Could free city centre bus, concessionary fares for youngsters and some lifeline bus services all face axe? * Meeting to discuss potential impact of cuts
• UK shipping emissions 'up to six times higher than calculated' Britain has incorrectly calculated its sea freight emissions by only including fuel sold at UK ports, report warns
• French strikes to hit flights and train services Protests expected across France against plans to raise retirement age to 62

The Herald

• SNP council leaves door open for Labour to revive rail linkAn SNP-led local authority is attempting to prevent the Scottish Government™s final cancellation of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (Garl) in case Labour gets into power next May and reinstates the mothballed project.
• FirstGroup chief reveals decision to stand downSir Moir Lockhead, chief executive of Aberdeen-based FirstGroup, will retire in March from the rail and bus company he created out of Grampian Regional Transport.

Airwise News

• HS2 campaigners meet Transport Secretary [slide show]Dozens of protesters confronted Transport Secretary Philip Hammond at Warwick University yesterday over the HS2 plans.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham Airport changes name BIRMINGHAM Airport is changing its name – by officially jettisoning its “International” tag.
• Transport minister vows to fast track high speed rail link TRANSPORT Minister Norman Baker has vowed to fast track a new high speed line between London and Birmingham – and avoid the tradition rail project delays.
• Retired cabbie calls for Shirley platform to be raised after horror fall A RETIRED cabbie is demanding the platform at a Birmingham railway station is raised after he was left hospitalised following a fall and feared he had broken his neck.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Free shuttle bus could face axe Bradford™s free shuttle bus service could be axed and Cleckheaton bus station may have to close amid looming cuts to public transport spending.
• Passenger groups fearful of Bradford bus cuts Pensioner groups in Bradford have hit out at warnings that some bus services in the district could be scrapped as part of cost cutting measures.

Journal Live

• North-east trains campaign on the right track A HIGH-POWERED North-east delegation has taken its case for an economy-changing train factory for the region to Government.

Northern Echo

• Hitachi – new train bid is on the table [updated]HITACHI has tabled a new bid to build the next generation of InterCity trains with Newton Aycliffe at its heart, a North-East delegation learnt from its meeting with the Transport Secretary yesterday afternoon.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Pair in call to convert path into cycle routeA MORAY community is calling for an overgrown path to be turned into a cycle route.

Wales Online

• Council leader branded ’hypocritical’ over rail line electrification campaign THE leader of Cardiff Council was yesterday branded “astonishingly hypocritical” by a former Labour minister after asking MPs to back a campaign to ensure the electrification of the train line between London and South Wales goes ahead.
• Voters want Gillan to resign over rail plan WELSH SECRETARY Cheryl Gillan is facing calls to resign from the Cabinet in a row over plans to build a high-speed railway line through her Home Counties constituency.

Yorkshire Post

• East Coast pleasure to follow a period of pain PASSENGERS have been warned they would face disruption during an upgrade to the East Coast mainline when it returns to private hands but are promised faster and more frequent journeys at the end of it.
• Chief quits after just six months The customer service director of East Coast Main Line has left after just six months in the role. Jo North, who also held the title of deputy managing director, resigned to start her own business, said a spokesman for the operator.
• Rail chief warns of chronic overcrowding without more stock ONE in three commuters face travelling to work on "very overcrowded" services unless more carriages are provided, a rail boss has warned after admitting passengers are being left behind at stations because trains are full. Northern Rail chief operating officer Steve Butcher said the scenario was "unacceptable in anyone's stretch of the imagination".
• After 130 years, is this finally the end of the line for the railway restaurant car? MORE than 130 years ago, Britain introduced the art of railway dining to the rest of the world through the Leeds to London route.

Bucks Free Press

• Philip Hammond MP says changes to be made to High Speed 2 plans BUCKS countryside could yet be spared from having a high speed railway line built through it, the Secretary of State for Transport said this evening.

Carlisle News & Star

• New £12 million Cumbrian road bridge revealed This is how the £12 million replacement of Workington™s Northside bridge could look.

Other Regional Press

• Cuts could have huge impact on transport networkIntegrated Transport Authority to consider report highlighting potential effect on services.
• Day care transport costs to rise? COUNCIL bosses are looking at increasing the cost of transport to adult social care facilities across the borough.
• Network Rail plan to re-open Pennine tunnels TRAINS could be thundering through two disused rail tunnels under the Pennines as part of a £530m transport scheme.
• Transport secretary to meet high-speed rail line protesters in Coventry TRANSPORT secretary Philip Hammond will face a grilling from protesters in Coventry today.
• New hope for return of off-peak rail services to Nuneaton TRAIN travellers in Nuneaton have had their hopes lifted that off-peak services could be restored.
• MP in plea to stop rise in Nuneaton parking charges NUNEATON MP Marcus Jones will be making an impassioned plea to council cabinet members tonight over plans to increase car parking charges.

Railnews

• Route of HS2 is set to change, Hammond reveals THE controversial route of HS2 through Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire may be changed, according to the transport secretary Philip Hammond. He has been in Buckinghamshire to meet some of the increasingly vocal objectors for himself.
• News: First's Lockhead sounds efficiency warning as he prepares to step down after 21 years FirstGroup Chief Executive Sir Moir Lockhead is to retire next year, on 31 March. He will be replaced by Tim O'Toole, who was previously managing director of London Underground and joined the FirstGroup Board in May last year. Sir Moir, whose company currently runs three rail franchises and has a majority interest in a fourth, is warning that railways must become more efficient to survive.

Other News Sources

• Corus is supplying specialist steel for Network Rail lines ​ENGINEERING boffins from the Scunthorpe Corus steelworks are working on a project aimed at extending the life of Britain’s rail track network.
• Corus supplying specialist steel for Network Rail lines - Report This is Scunthorpe reported that engineering boffins from the Scunthorpe Corus steelworks are working on a project aimed at extending the life of Britain's rail track network. At this stage, most of the details of the project are regarded as top secret. But it has been confirmed special steels from Scunthorpe are being trialed on ten unidentified sites in the UK for Network Rail.
• Campaigners say new rail route through Lichfield would be a waste of money Campaigners fighting to stop plans for a new high-speed rail line through Lichfield have told the Chancellor that the route would waste “considerable sums of public money”.
• Thales signs Chinese JV agreement Thales announced on September 22 that it had signed an agreement with Shanghai Electric Corp and SEC subsidiary Shanghai Automation Instrumentation Co to create a signalling joint venture to target the urban rail sector in China.
• Hitachi selected for Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2010 TOKYO, Sep 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Hitachi, Ltd. announced today that it was selected for the second consecutive year for the Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2010. Hitachi was among the 318 companies included by SAM (Sustainable Asset management), an investment group focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing, and Dow Jones Indexes for the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) 2010 effective as of 17 September. Featured in both the DJSI World and DJSI Asia Pacific indexes, this is the second consecutive year Hitachi has been selected.
• OBAN MEETING KICKS OFF RE-LAUNCH OF CAMPAIGN TO SAVE SCOTTISH FERRY SERVICESMaritime union RMT today welcomed a successful re-launch meeting in Oban last night that will kick start a new drive to block any plans to privatise or cut Scottish ferry services as a result of the on-going Scottish Government review.
• RMT warns of serious risks on Euro rail link as Deutsche Bahn demand a watering down of current safety standardsRail union RMT warned today that tests using a Deutsche Bahn ICE (Inter City Express) train in the Channel Tunnel next month could bring in a major dilution of current safety standards.
• Legal moves over Broads swing bridgesA legal agreement which could signal an end to operations and maintenance problems on railway swing bridges is being drawn up by the Broads Authority. The Broads Authority has been working with Network Rail throughout the summer to push on with repairs to the Victorian swing bridge at Somerleyton, which has been opening on a temporary winch since the spring because of a mechanical fault.
• Norfolk speed cameras set for switch-offSpeed cameras across Norfolk are set to be switched off as a cost-cutting measure. Councillors approved plans to withdraw the budget for the safety devices at a meeting of the environment, transport and development scrutiny panel meeting today at County Hall in Norwich.
• Ministers may quit over high speed rail route Transport Secretary Philip Hammond faces protesters who are campaigning against the new London to Birmingham high speed rail line route. Channel 4 News Political Correspondent Cathy Newman has learnt that at least two ministers may resign if the route is not changed.
• Campaigners face minister MORE than 200 campaigners took to the streets of Brackley this afternoon, Wednesday, to make their voice heard over the potential impact of the HS2 rail link plans.
• Train operators want responsibility for station and track workTrain operating companies have suggested they could save the government up to £500 million in each five-year investment period if they handled station and track construction work instead of Network Rail.
• Ryanair Launches Irish Tourism Recovery Strategy at AGM Ryanair held its AGM this morning (22nd Sept) at Dublin Airport. CEO Michael O'Leary briefed shareholders on an Irish tourism recovery plan, which Ryanair believes will reverse the record...
• The virgin Blue Group of Airlines Appoints New Advertising AgencyThe Virgin Blue Group of Airlines has appointed advertising agency Clemenger BBDO as its new agency commencing 1 October, 2010. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Virgin...

News from Europe

• Cable architecture rethought for new Paris train fleet Bombardier is currently building the state-of the-art Francilien suburban trainsets for the French train operator SNCF.
• SALE AND LEASEBACK TRANSACTIONNorwegian Air Shuttle ASA has completed a sale and leaseback agreement with Bank of America Leasing Ireland Co., Limited (BALI) for two Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The first aircraft will be...
• Changes in LOT Management BoardLOT Polish Airlines Supervisory Board has dismissed Andrzej Oœliz³o from the position of LOT Polish Airlines Management Board for Finance and Economic Issues. Supervisory Board has also...
• Lufthansa Supervisory Board approves Group's order for 48 new aircraftReplacement and additional purchases contribute to the further modernization of the Group's fleets and offer companies and staff perspectives The Supervisory Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG...