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

Thursday, 09 December 2010

BBC News

• Door fell off plane at take-offA door panel fell off a passenger plane and damaged a wing as the aircraft took off from Southampton Airport, a report finds.
• Winter weather hits fuel suppliesA third of independent Scottish garage forecourts are closed after they were unable to receive fuel supplies.

Financial Times

• West Coast line All available capacity for trains on the main London- to-Birmingham rail route is likely to be full before a ded­icated high-speed line between the two biggest cities opens in about 2026
• Deutsche Bahn assets sold to Italian operatorItaly's state railway is poised to become Germany's second-biggest passenger train operator after the consortium it is leading won an auction of some of Deutsche Bahn's assets
• Stagecoach and Virgin set the paceGroups announce joint bids to run the prestigious East and West Coast train services “ raising the prospect that they could control two of Britain's main transport arteries

The Herald

• Stagecoach joint venture may join race for East Coast routeTwo Scottish transport groups are poised to compete to run the East Coast Main Line rail route after Perth-based Stagecoach said its Virgin Rail joint venture is interested in the London to Scotland route.

The Independent

• Oyster card trial for black cabsBlack cabs in London are to be fitted with an Oyster card-style system, allowing passengers to pay simply by touching the reader with their credit cards.
• Union urged to end 'pointless' Tube strike threats Union leaders were today urged to end

The Telegraph

• Stagecoach chief executive Brian Souter calls for railway reform Britain's railways should be re-integrated and train operators put in charge of the track, according to Brian Souter, in an attack on the rocketing costs under Network Rail.

Daily Express

• Stagecoach boss heads drive for new routesSTAGECOACH said it had

The Mirror

• Blackpool tram driver jailed for killing holidaymaker By PAUL BYRNE

Birmingham Post

• Virgin promises to combat overcrowding if it secures West Coast Main Line franchise Virgin Trains has said it will bid for the right to run services between Birmingham and London after the Government announced longer franchises.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus A380 plane aborts landing due to strong gust of wind at Manchester THE world’s biggest passenger airplane had to abort a landing after being hit by a strong gust of wind.

Metro

• Faulty equipment led to runaway Tube trainFaulty equipment allowed a runaway train to roll for 6.4km (4miles) down a Tube line, a report found.
• 'The Stig of bus drivers' is a YouTube hitStranded motorists could only spin their wheels as this bus powered defiantly up Saltburn Bank in Teesside, prompting bystander Simon Hartley to post a video online.

The News (Portsmouth)

• New carrier is taking shape in PortsmouthAs the world mourns the loss of HMS Ark Royal, the first of the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers is taking shape in Portsmouth.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• MSP helps OAPs get bus stop at their housing estateA HIGHLAND MSP has helped an elderly Fort Augustus couple to get a bus stop installed outside their housing scheme.

This Is Local London Network

• Station campaign gathers pace ahead of crunch meeting Campaigners are urging residents to make their voices heard on the redevelopment of Twickenham station in the final week before plans are considered by councillors.

Sunderland Echo

• Sunderland travellers urged to get on the buses ... and Metro ho ho!AN army of Santas has been out in force to see if commuters were naughty or nice when it came to getting to work.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Bypass bills keep racking up8 December: Councils' obsession with legacy road schemes is costing taxpayers a fortune. It's time for the Government to step in and sort this mess out. read more

Railway Gazette

• FS and Cube Infrastructure selected to buy Arriva DeutschlandGERMANY: Deutsche Bahn's supervisory board formally selected a consortium of Italian state railway Ferrovie dello Stato and investment fund Cube Infrastructure to acquire Arriva's German activities on December 8. The price offered was a decisive factor, according to DB Chairman Dr Rüdiger Grube. but it is not being disclosed. Completion of the deal is subject to regulatory approval from the European Commission, which is expected in the first quarter of 2011. In August, the Commission specified that an agreement for the sale of Arriva's German activities had to be signed by December 11 as a c...
• Hammond puts reform back on the agendaUK: Efficiency savings worth between £600m and £1bn are achievable by 2018-19 without reducing service quality or network size, according to an interim report examining the cost of operating and maintaining Britain™s railways. Its author, Sir Roy McNulty, is expected to submit his completed Value for Money Review to government in April next year, but the interim report published on December 7 identified a pressing need for ˜cross-industry focus on reducing costs and improving value for money in all aspects of train operation and in the operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of infrast...

Other News Sources

• Wales misses out in rail funding plan Welsh contractors have suffered fresh disappointment after the government deferred plans to electrify the Great Western Main Line beyond south-east of England.
• Trent 900 shortage keeps Qantas A380s groundedA lack of spare Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines is preventing Qantas Airways from returning two more Airbus A380 aircraft to service, the carrier says. Its...
• News from Caroline Pidgeon - Report on runaway train raises further questions 8 December 2010 Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on Transport for London™s report into the ˜runaway train™ on the London Underground on Friday 13th August said: "One of the most disturbing findings from this report is that far from this being an isolated incident there have actually been 12 similar cases since 1996. 360-house-thumb.jpg Yes
• Redspottedhanky.com Urges People to Book in Advance to Avoid Fare RisesRedspottedhanky.com is urging travellers to book train tickets in advance to avoid the fare rises that have been put in place.
• M8 re-opened to motorists after two daysPart of the route, between Edinburgh and Harthill junction, was shut following treacherous road conditions.
• Transport Minister tells Holyrood: 'Responsibility rests with me'Stewart Stevenson told MSPs that he would be open to a review of the Government™s handling of this week™s snow chaos.
• MP wants road policy to take centre stageConservative MP Steve Baker has called on the influential, cross-party Transport Committee to recognise that freight movements by road are the
• Public should have access to grit - HammondTransport secretary wants people to have access to grit to ˜dig their way out™ during worst December weather for 19 years
• MEPs to support compromise on European protection order Opponents unhappy with definition of victims; Parliament to support rules on human trafficking.

Other Subscription Services

• UK cuts hit crew training funds and safety reporting systemSpending cuts slash maritime training subsidy and see an end to confidential reporting system CHIRP