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

Friday, 05 November 2010

BBC News

• RMT union to meet Tube bosses over jobs rowUnion officials are due to meet London Underground (LU) bosses later to try to avoid further Tube strikes in the row over job cuts.
• Didcot Parkway railway station to get £5.7m revamp Didcot Parkway railway station in Oxfordshire is set to get a multi-million pound revamp.
• Group to examine bypass effectsA committee is set up to examine the economic and social effects of a new £34.4m bypass for the Gwynedd town of Porthmadog.
• Profit for state-owned rail lineThe company running the East Coast rail line reports a profit and boost in passenger numbers in its first year of state ownership.
• Electric car scheme funds cutLondon Mayor Boris Johnson has cut £10m from a scheme to install charging points for electric cars across London.
• Jubilee Line 'ready next spring'The frequently-delayed upgrade of the Jubilee Line is now due to finish by the spring, London Underground says.
• New air cargo restriction imposedA further restriction on air cargo has been imposed following the recent discovery of bombs, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond says.

Department for Transport

• Transport StatisticsThe Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics:

Financial Times

• Invensys on track for new pay-out policy Invensys, whose products help control the smooth running of railways, nuclear power stations and washing machines, lifted its interim dividend by 50 per cent.
• Alstom lodges Eurostar complaint in BrusselsAlstom has lodged a complaint with the European Commission as the French engineering group continues to try to overturn Eurostar's plans to order Velaro trains from Germany's Siemens
• Safety issues create headwinds for Airbus and Rolls-RoyceQantas's decision to ground its fleet of A380s after one jet suffered a serious engine failure could have a far-reaching impact on Airbus and Rolls-Royce
• HSBC sells train leasing unit for £2.1bn HSBC has sold its train leasing business, which owns almost a third of the UK's rail rolling stock, in a £2.1bn deal with a consortium of infrastructure investment groups

The Guardian

• New car sales in biggest fall for 17 months Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reports registrations of new cars fell 22% in October
• Airlines warned in August over safety¢ Two airlines ground fleets after emergency Qantas landing¢ Europe's air safety watchdog issued safety alert in summerTwo airlines grounded their fleets of Airbus A380 superjumbos today following an emergency landing by a Qantas plane after one of its engines blew apart in mid-air, damaging a wing and showering debris on the ground below.It emerged tonight that in August Europe's air safety watchdog issued an alert about abnormal wear inside the British-made Rolls Royce engines used on the huge, double-decker double decker planes, though experts said it was too early to tell if the two were ...

The Herald

• Trams - ˜It™s a waste of money and they™re a bunch of idiots™When it comes to protesting, the citizens of Edinburgh aren™t known for dragging burning tumbrels onto the streets “ but where their stalled tram project is concerned, they™re perfectly happy to voice their anger from the pavements.
• Bus firm licence suspended over theme park tripsA bus company that took coaches of schoolchildren on overnight journeys to Alton Towers without giving its drivers enough time to rest has had its licence suspended.
• Call for tram chiefs to answer to Parliament after new crisisCalls were made last night for the leaders of Edinburgh™s trams scheme to appear before the Scottish Parliament to explain the deepening sense of chaos surrounding the project.
• FirstGroup CEO calls for ˜realistic™ approach to the UK rail networkNew FirstGroup chief executive Tim O™Toole has dismissed Stagecoach founder Brian Souter™s call to have trains and tracks run by the same people as unrealistic.

The Telegraph

• Country campaigners call for high speed rail rethink A high-speed train track slicing through the Chilterns would give Britain one of the fastest rail lines in the world, but destroy the tranquillity and beauty of the countryside, ministers have been told.

Press Association

• Figures show 3% fall in road deaths The number of people killed on the roads fell sharply this spring, provisional Government figures have shown.

Reuters News

• Invensys H1 profit slips on one-off rail costsEngineering group Invensys (ISYS.L) said one-off higher costs in its rail division caused first-half operating profit to fall 2 percent, although orders rose 6 percent, driven by emerging economies.
• HSBC sells train leasing unit for 2.1 bln stgHSBC Holdings (HSBA.L) has inked a 2.1 billion pound ($3.39 billion) deal to sell its UK train leasing unit, which owns close to a third of Britain's trains, to an infrastructure fund consortium. After protracted negotiations that started in the summer, HSBC agreed to sell Eversholt, its rolling stock business, to a consortium of Morgan Stanley (MS.N) Infrastructure, 3i Infrastructure (3IN.L) and Star Capital.

Mail Online

• Nasa to develop 'hypersonic' jets that travel at 5 times the speed of soundThe project is thought to be aimed at making a reusable aircraft that could fly to Mars but, as with previous space technology, it could have a huge impact upon passenger transport too.

Birmingham Mail

• Cyprus Airways calls a halt to flights out of Birmingham Cyprus Airways is stopping its flights out of Birmingham Airport from next spring after more than 25 years.

Birmingham Post

• Campaign group says high speed rail will ruin Midlands countryside The Government should scrap plans to make its proposed high-speed rail (HSR) line the fastest in the world so the countryside can be protected, a green group has said.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Full-steam ahead for Skipton railway link-up A long-held ambition to link a picturesque heritage railway with the main line network is set to take a big step forward.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Calls for caution in search for replacement tram bossCouncil chiefs were today urged not to rush into appointing a replacement for trams boss David Mackay after he quit, calling the project "hell on wheels".

Liverpool Echo

• New computerised ’pre-check-in’ system to be used for Napoli arrival at Liverpool John Lennon Airport A NEW electronic “screening” system will make its debut in Liverpool today - the first time it has been used at a north west airport.

London Evening Standard

• Boris Johnson plans to ban lorries from central LondonHeavy goods vehicles could be stopped from entering parts of central London to help keep out some of the worst polluters
• Superjumbo engine warning was madeAviation safety officials issued warnings about potential problems in Rolls-Royce jet engines less than three months before one malfunctioned in mid-air, forcing a superjumbo to make an emergency landing.

The York Press

• Backing for Get York Moving transport campaign ONE OF York™s largest employers has added its voice to The Press™s campaign to Get York Moving.
• East Coast boss slates rail business she inherited THE boss of York-based nationalised train operator East Coast has delivered a damning indictment on the business she inherited.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Electric car charge points to boost city™s green bidCITY council leader Marco Cereste says Peterborough’s bid to host plug-in points for electric cars could help its bid to be Home of the Environment Capital.

Other Regional Press

• UK & World News: New car sales drop 22.2% in October New car sales fell back against last month, dipping 22.2% compared with the scrappage-enhanced figure for October 2009, it has been announced.
• Railing against ˜UK™s worst station™RAIL passengers have said it loud and clear - they’re fed up with Luton’s ’dirty and dilapidated’ town centre station.
• Glasgow Airport hit by four-hour terror scareGlasgow Airport was today returning to normal following a terror scare after a suspect package was found.

Campaign for Better Transport

• A simple formula for buses4 November: Here™s a bit of good news for once: First is going to reverse some of its bus cuts, and Birmingham is getting a smartcard. read more

Aviation Industry

• A380 operators carry out inspections in wake of Qantas engine failureThe three operators of Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered Airbus A380s followed the engine manufacturer's recommendations to conduct
• BA addresses ITM concerns over JV contractsBritish Airways has sought to placate business travel buyers™ fears over contract changes following the start of its joint venture with Iberia and American Airlines.

Green Miscellany

• Sinclair launches X-1 electric bubble bicycle Clive Sinclair is best remembered for his ill-fated battery-powered trike, the C-5 “ a vehicle which despite being derided as dangerous and under-powered sold 17,000 units. Undeterred, Sir Clive has unveiled the X-1, an electric recumbent bicycle fitted with an acrylic canopy. read more

Other News Sources

• Car registrations plummet since scrappage schemeNew car registrations fell 22% year-on-year in October to 131,495 units, following falls of 8.9% in the key month of September and 17.5% in August
• Herefordshire transport charity Community Wheels fear cuts could strand needy THE co-ordinator of a Herefordshire charity fears government cuts could leave elderly county residents stranded in their homes.
• Plans to ditch 'dangerous' sliproad PLANS to remove a "dangerous" sliproad at a busy roundabout have been approved as part of a £175,000 scheme to boost safety.