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

Friday, 12 November 2010

BBC News

• Police target Derbyshire train troublemakers Complaints about anti-social behaviour on trains and at stations in Derbyshire have prompted a police campaign.
• 'Not for profit' train service proposed for Wales Plaid Cymru are proposing a new not-for-profit company to run train services in Wales. Arriva Trains Wales currently receive a subsidy of around £165m a year to run services in Wales, under a franchise agreement which ends in 2018.
• Police probe Blackpool Transport hardship fund theft Allegations that thousands of pounds have been stolen from Blackpool Transport's staff benevolence fund are being investigated by police.
• Rail delays due to wire problemsOverhead wire problems lead to long delays on rail services in the morning rush hour.
• Tram 'to transform' city access A multi-million pound tram-style service is one of the innovations in a new plan to transform the way people come into and move about in Birmingham.
• 'Misleading' bypass route plansA businessman says 6,000 leaflets distributed to local homes near Bontnewydd in Gwynedd contains misleading information about a new bypass route.
• Siemens signals brighter futureHigh-speed train to light bulbs group Siemens cuts its net loss by 65% and says growth is
• GE buys 25,000 electric vehiclesGeneral Electric, which makes charging stations, says it will order 25,000 electric cars in order to try to kick-start the market.
• BA peace deal with crew collapsesA plan to end a bitter, long-running dispute between British Airways and its cabin crew has collapsed.
• New Routemaster: The first verdict What I saw today at the Acton Transport Museum Depot was - give or take a few tweaks - what we'll be seeing on the streets of London in 2012.

Department for Transport

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

Financial Times

• Oil fire linked to Rolls-Royce jet incidentAn emergency airworthiness directive from the European Aviation Safety Agency says that preliminary analysis of the incident had shown a fire may have damaged a turbine disc
• Blow to BA as union suspends ballot on offerHopes of resolving British Airways' bitter year-long dispute with cabin crew received a blow their trade union suspended a ballot on the company's latest offer
• London mayor shows Routemaster busThe futuristic outlines of the long-awaited new London double-decker have been unveiled by Boris Johnson, the mayor

The Guardian

• New Routemaster bus is a cacophonyIt's very red “ and has much going for it “ but there is just too much going on compared with previous Routemasters

The Herald

• Transport software aimed at rural areasScientists are developing technology to transform transport for people living in rural areas who do not have access to a car.

The Independent

• Tube services hit by series of delays London Underground passengers faced fresh delays today when services were disrupted on three lines because of problems including a failed train.

The Scotsman

• Online car-share service to boost rural transport NEW technology is being devised to improve transport for rural travellers.

Reuters News

• Alstom says Eurostar tender hearing in Oct 2011French engineer Alstom's (ALSO.PA) said its London lawsuit challenging the fairness of a 600 million euro ($827 million) fast-speed Eurostar train tender won by Germany's Siemens (SIEGn.DE) has been set for October 2011

Network Rail

• RAIL HEATERS AIM TO STOP ICE IN ITS TRACKS
• PASSENGER NUMBERS IN WEST MIDLANDS AND CHILTERNS CONTINUE TO RISE

Belfast Telegraph

• Ballot to resolve BA row suspendedA PLANNED ballot of British Airways cabin crew to resolve their dispute with the airline has been suspended, dashing hopes of an end to the bitter row.Related StoriesTrinity Mirror hit by ad revenue dropConsumer confidence index dips
• Next stop London for WrightBusLondon Mayor Boris Johnson ditched his famous bike this week to try out a prototype of a new London bus being built by Co Antrim firm Wrightbus.Related StoriesTrinity Mirror hit by ad revenue dropConsumer confidence index dipsBallot to resolve BA row suspended

Birmingham Mail

• Tram-style buses to hit Birmingham city streets in five years A NETWORK of tram-style buses linking the city centre to the airport and Birmingham’s golden mile of pubs and clubs was today unveiled.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham welcomes era of rapid transport A network of ’’Rapid Transport Vehicles’’ connecting Birmingham with the rest of the region will form the centrepiece of a new transport strategy set to be unveiled by Centro.
• An advance warning for commuters Passengers travelling on the busiest trains between Birmingham and London might only be allowed to board if they have booked seats in advance, Virgin Trains has said.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Plaid Cymru considers ’not for profit’ shake-up for Welsh railways RAILWAYS should be placed into the hands of a ’not for profit company’ to generate an extra £10m a year to improve train services, says Plaid Cymru.
• A55 truck stop plan is thrown out by Flintshire Council CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a truck stop near a small town have been thrown out.

Derby Telegraph

• Rolls-Royce share price down as more planes are groundedDERBY aerospace firm Rolls-Royce has seen its share price tumble again after three more jumbos powered by its engines were grounded. Singapore Airlines yesterday took three of its A380 planes, with Derby-made Trent 900s, out of service. They will be tested to try to determine the cause of unexplained oil leaks, after advice from Rolls-Royce. It is not known when the planes, in Melbourne, Sydney and London, will be back in the air. The move came less than a week after a Rolls-Royce engine on a Qantas A380 exploded shortly after take-off. Singapore Airlines spokesman Nicholas Ionides said the ch...

Edinburgh Evening News

• Eight names in running to replace tram and bus bossEIGHT names are in the running for the two posts vacated by departing tram boss David Mackay, it has emerged.

London Evening Standard

• Commuters hit by fresh delays on the TubeLondon Underground passengers faced fresh delays when services were disrupted on three lines because of problems including a failed train
• Ballot over BA agreement suspendedA planned ballot of British Airways cabin crew on resolving their dispute with the airline has been suspended, dashing hopes of an end to the bitter row.
• Mayor hails Routemaster as 'Boris bus' rolls into LondonTwo-and-a-half years after entering City Hall, Boris Johnson boarded his vision for bus travel in the 21st century

Metro

• New cycle facilities at nine West Yorkshire stations Metro has welcomed news that nine West Yorkshire rail stations are benefiting from new facilities for cyclists.
• Boris Johnson unveils revamped London Routemaster busMayor Boris Johnson showed off the latest incarnation of the iconic British bus in Acton today, which boasts a sleek new appearance while retaining the much loved ˜hop on, hop off™ feature.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Action must be taken to make road safe, say campaignersACTION must be taken to make a road safe for pedestrians, say campaigners. Basford Community Association is calling for traffic calming measures on Vernon Road after a survey revealed 78 accidents had taken place in six years. Half of those accidents, which all resulted in injury, involved pedestrians – which in 75 per cent of cases were children. And with more than 3,000 pedestrians using the road every day, Councillor Mick Newton said it was only a matter of time before someone was killed.
• New bus route to launch in NottinghamA NEW bus route is due to be launched linking Long Eaton, Sandiacre, Stapleford and Nottingham. The Red4, operated by Premiere, will start on Sunday, running every 20 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes on evenings and Sundays. It will compete for customers with Trent Barton which runs services along the route. Premiere managing director Steve Greaves said:

Sheffield Star

• Bus fares to be slashedFARES are being cut on a new bus route and an extra vehicle brought in to ensure journeys are punctual.

Other Regional Press

• Have your say on bus plansTake part in the informal consultation on Metro's Quality Contract Scheme proposals at Leeds Bus Station today.
• Suspension toll may double as costs increaseCash tolls on Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge could double to meet the rising cost of running and maintaining the 146-year-old structure. The news follows a review of the finances of the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust, the body responsible for the bridge, which reveals that it costs £1 million a year to run. This is about two-thirds of its total income – a figure which excludes the £8m cost of important maintenance projects planned to take place over the next 10 years. The charitable trust receives no Government funding, or lottery grants. During the past seven years, and in th...
• Transport boss 'determined' to see planned bus route completed Hampshire County Council says it is 'determined' a multi-million-pound bus lane will go ahead.
• Transport chiefs from across the country to meet in ShoreditchTRANSPORT bigwigs from across the UK are meeting in Shoreditch this weekend to discuss how the railway network can be developed. The rail transport pressure group Railfuture has organised the event with the theme of ’Britain’s growing railway’.
• Airport to buy £500,000 fire engine A NEW Spanish-built fire engine costing £500,000 will be delivered to Oxford Airport, in Kidlington, next spring.
• MP calls for tougher checks on foreign lorriesA Kent MP will today call for foreign lorries to face more rigorous checks in a bid to cut the number of accidents on the county's roads.
• Jaguar Land Rover profits hit £500m in six months LUXURY car maker Jaguar Land Rover has seen its profits soar to nearly half a billion pounds in just six months in a remarkable fightback from the recession.
• Scheme could offer Kempston buses resolutionA ROW over bus services in Kempston could soon be resolved, after talks between Labour councillors and bus operator Stagecoach.

New Scientist

• Electriflyers: Hybrids take to the skyCould a new generation of electric aircraft do for aviation what Toyota's Prius has done for cars?

Transport for London

• Mayor hops on his new bus for LondonThis press release was originaly issued by the Greater London Authority.

Aviation Industry

• Aberdeen Airport massive £50,000 giveaway!It is a question that is music to the ears of any charity or community group in the North-east¦ what could you do with 50 grand?
• Breaking News: Unite suspends BA ballotBA cabin crew union Unite has caved into pressure from BASSA to stop the latest peace-deal ballot going ahead

Green Miscellany

• Stylish bicycle basket pops up The bicycle basket is as practical an accessory as a pair of full-length mudguards, but just as unlikely to be fitted by the average cyclist. read more

Other News Sources

• VOSA announces two more test station closuresVOSA has announced two more of its test stations - Mitcham and Garretts Green, Birmingham - will close in the next nine months.
• Winners celebrate as spending review backs rail Staff from across the rail industry celebrated at the RailStaff Awards 2010.
• Eurostar to launch booking and location-based apps Eurostar is set to roll out a new mobile strategy in the coming months offering new booking and location-based services to its customers.
• Managers aim to explain alternative travel options during Christmas closuresLondon Overgound is holding 60 public meetings at stations across the network to explain the alternative travel options open to passengers during a series of upcoming closures.
• Unions call for National Express DC riseUnions are calling for an increase in defined contribution pension provision for National Express bus drivers to compare with drivers enrolled in the firm’s final salary scheme.
• Study shows Nine Elms tube link viable Major landowners and council leaders in Londons Nine Elms area say a possible Northern Line extension to Battersea Power Station could be funded largely from developer contributions and would provide an economic windfall for the entire area.
• Derby Keeps London on the MoveBombardier has been able to create 400 temporary jobs at its Derby works as it pushes ahead delivering new rolling stock for Transport for London. Derbyshire railway staff are working on a range of orders from Transport for London, which will see nearly 2000 new train carriages heading south to ease the crush on the Tube.
• Council raises concerns over Merseyside transport plansPlans to overhaul the road and transport networks on Merseyside have come under criticism from a local council as being potentially damaging to the economy.
• Big City Plan's £15m transport boost by 2015 A NEW way of travelling around Birmingham city centre could be in place as early as 2015 at a cost of £15m.
• Top News: California Investigates High-Speed Rail Authority OfficialsThe state's ethics enforcement agency disclosed Wednesday that it is investigating several present and former leaders of California's $43-billion bullet train project to determine if they violated regulations on receipt of gifts.
• EU launches CCS and renewable energy fund A first call for proposals for a proportion of a new European Union renewable energy fund has been launched.
• Biofuels 'will cause significant damage to climate' A new report has claimed biofuels will cause greater damage to the climate than fossil fuels.
• Peugeot iOn wins award
• Waitrose installs electric charging points
• Crowds see low carbon future at eco rally

News from Europe

• Security chief criticises EU approach to air safety he head of security at one of Europe's busiest airports has said that EU governments should invest more resources in old-fashioned human intelligence and fewer in new regulations and screening technology.