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

Friday, 11 February 2011

BBC News

• Not all Tube staff sharing TfL's 'world class vision'? [blog]This picture (taken by @briwebb) shows you how disgruntled some staff are on London Underground about the reductions in ticket office opening hours. Not surprising perhaps.
• London Waterloo 'still UK's busiest station' London's Waterloo is still the UK's busiest train station despite a drop in passenger numbers, figures show.
• New Street among busy stationsLondon's Waterloo remained the UK's busiest train station last year despite a drop in passenger numbers, figures show.
• Discussions on new rail stationsA plan for opening new stations on the railway line between Aberdeen and Inverness are being discussed, minister says.
• Crash investigation is under wayInvestigations are under way into the crash that killed six people at Cork Airport on Thursday morning.
• Air France-KLM slides on warningShares in Air France-KLM fall 10% after the carrier issues a profit warning and its head says there is excess capacity on some routes.

Financial Times

• Garuda shares slide over 20 per cent on debutShares in Garuda, Indonesia's flag carrier, plummeted by as much as 23 per cent as they began trading in Jakarta, marking a disastrous finale to the state-owned airline's troubled initial public offering

The Guardian

• Don't let this biofuels plant go aheadBurning biofuels in power stations is environmental vandalism on a staggering scale “ both in terms of emissions and habitat lossToday, the government will make what should be a very simple decision: whether or not to give planning permission to a power station in Bristol burning biofuels. The answer must be no.Burning biofuels in cars is mad enough, as it causes more environmental destruction “ in terms of both carbon emissions and the loss of habitats “ than petroleum. I've been campaigning against it since 2004. But at least in this case it's a response to a limited set of options: finding ...

The Herald

• Tram project chief admits concern over managementTHE head of Edinburgh™s embattled tram project has admitted he has concerns over how it is managed and would welcome Scottish Government help in sorting it out.
• Stagecoach set to gain from changes to rail franchisesSTAGECOACH is well placed to benefit from rail franchise changes but FirstGroup is hampered by its debt burden, according to research by a City analyst.

Reuters News

• Waterloo named UK's busiest stationLONDON (Reuters) Waterloo station has retained its position as Britain's busiest, despite a slight fall in numbers last year.

Mail Online

• PC Air launches as world's first 'ladyboy' Thai airlineKnown as 'katoeys' or 'ladyboys,' transgenders and transsexuals have greater visibility in Thailand than in many other nations, holding mainstream jobs in a variety of fields.
• Disabled woman has to make 20-mile round trip to reach next platformKaren Redmile used to be escorted across the railway track to avoid her using steep stairs but the 'service' has been now withdrawn

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL RAISES THE ROOF AT PAISLEY GILMOUR STREET

Birmingham Mail

• Tory MP slams Birmingham to London high-speed rail opponents A Tory MP has launched a scathing attack on opponents of the £33 billion high-speed rail plan between Birmingham and London.

Birmingham Post

• Local rail services to be cash starved due to HS2, claims expert Local rail services could be starved of cash for the next 40 years if money is ploughed into the high speed rail route between Birmingham and London, a leading transport commentator has warned.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram cash diverted to colleges as part of SNP's £33bn budgetTRAMS cash is to be diverted to pay for college bursaries, extra college places and new housing investment as part of the Scottish Government's budget.

Manchester Evening News

• Travellers at Manchester Airport can now get fish treatment while they waitPassengers waiting to jet off on holiday at Manchester Airport can have a pedicure “ performed by fish. The bizarre treatment is being offered at ˜fish therapy stations™ in Terminal Two departures.

Metro

• Ladyboy flight attendants recruited by new airlineNew Thai airline PC Air is recruiting transsexual ladyboys as flight attendants, making it the first Thailand-based airline to do so.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Children™s fares riseCHILDREN in South Yorkshire will pay 10p more to ride on buses from April 1.
• Controversial bus gate to be closedA BUS gate at Meadowhead is set to be closed after widespread opposition.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Rail-link £500m upgrade ˜feasible™A major study has found that a £500million upgrade of the Inverness to Aberdeen rail line can be delivered, it has emerged.

Wales Online

• New station at Heathrow could make rail difference to Wales A DECISION over a new station at Heathrow Airport could hold the key to an eventual high- speed rail service to South Wales, it was claimed yesterday.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds buses 'turn down music' callBus passengers are being urged to turn down the noise on their personal jukeboxes while travelling.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Rail firm block Peterborough rail station car park exitTHE operators of a private car park are considering legal action after rail authorities fenced off a pedestrian access point close to Peterborough train station.

Other Regional Press

• Police chief constable does his bit with bog standard train journey​Humberside Police's most senior officer has been taking the Government austerity measures very personally. Tim Hollis, who is entitled to first-class travel when on business, has taken the decision to do away with the privilege. But his personal choice to muck in to help tackle a £24 million budget reduction over the next four years backfired on Wednesday. On a train journey, believed to be returning from London, the chief found himself in standing room only, situated immediately outside the toilets. Mr Hollis made the revelation speaking on BBC Radio Humberside after a listener qui...
• More bids fight for transport funds The number of schemes competing for Government cash on the same footing as the Bath Transportation Package has been doubled.
• Northern Rail gains second environmental standard A TRAIN operator running services through Huddersfield is celebrating “green” success at the double.
• ˜We™ll dig deeper to fill city™s potholes™A £12million blitz is to be launched for the second consecutive year on Glasgow™s pothole-ravaged roads.
• MP's invited to Stoneleigh Park rail route protest event EVERY MP in the country has been sent an invitation to a convention in Warwickshire to protest against the high-speed rail line set to cut through the county.
• Coleshill residents form HS2 action group COLESHILL residents have set up an action group to oppose the government’s High Speed Rail route, which cuts through Warwickshire countryside.

New Scientist

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

The Economist

• Deutsche Bahn: Winter of disconnectA railway in need of a new directionGERMANY’S state-owned railway, Deutsche Bahn (DB), has fallen from grace—especially with Berliners who had to wait for hours in pre-Christmas snows for commuter trains that never came. Long-distance trains also broke down or were delayed all over the country. Frustrated staff made all kinds of excuses, including an old favourite of the British railways, the “wrong kind of snow”.But the fact is that DB failed to invest enough in its infrastructure at home as it expanded abroad and tried to drive up profits to prepare for a partial priv...

Campaign for Better Transport

• A meeting with the MinisterA month in to our new rail campaign, we got the chance to put some of our concerns about high fares and longer franchises to Rail Minister Theresa Villiers. read more

Global Rail News

• Ken Livingstone and Stefan Haas receive European Railway AwardCER, EIM, and UNIFE presented the European Railway Award 2011 today to former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone for political achievements and to Knorr-Bremse Austria Managing Director Dr Stefan Haas for technical achievements. Since 2007, the European rail sector has honoured outstanding achievements in the development of competitive and environmentally sustainable rail transport. The European Railway Award 2011 attracted more than 500 guests from all over Europe, including high-level politicians and transport stakeholders. As the ...
• London™s Waterloo named busiest stationWaterloo retains its crown as the busiest station in the UK – based on estimates of entries and exits made by passengers – according to statistics published today by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). The regulator publishes its station usage data for April 2009 – March 2010, which estimates the London station had 86,397,666 entries and exits in 2009-10. London Victoria comes in second place with 70,224,543, and London Liverpool Street third with 51,596,155. The ...
• New electronic information displays take shape on Abbey LineElectronic information screens and platform announcement equipment is being installed along the Abbey Line in the latest phase of an investment programme. The latest £300,000 investment along the Abbey Line, which runs between Watford Junction and St Albans, has been funded by rail operator London Midland and is part of the Quality Rail Partnership the company has with Hertfordshire County Council. London Midland, Hertfordshire County Council and the Abbey Line Community Rail Partnership have already ...
• Network Rail set to begin work on Paisley Gilmour Street stationNetwork Rail engineers will begin work this month on a £9m project to create a fully-glazed roof covering all of the platforms and track at Paisley Gilmour Street station. The new 4,740sqm roof will be installed in sections over the next nine months without disruption to train services and with minimal disruption to the operation of the B-listed station. As part of the project, which is being carried out by C Spencer Ltd, the current ...
• £2m Investment in new car park boosts capacity at Broxbourne stationWork on a £2.1m extension to increase car parking capacity at National Express East Anglia™s Broxbourne station has been completed with the construction of an additional deck to the car park at the station. This project is part of the company™s Service Improvement Plan to improve capacity on the East Anglia network including the introduction of 120 new carriages on Cambridge to Liverpool Street and Stansted Express services and extra car parking at key locations. ...
• Scottish Budget: Welcome for reinstatement of critical rail freight fundThe DfT recently announced that the Freight Facilities Grant, which helped finance modal shift from road to rail has been scrapped with immediate effect in England and Wales. However, the Scottish Government has said that its FFG scheme is being retained and that they have made a £2m provision for it in the next budget, ensuring that the FFG remains open for the next financial year. In England and Wales £10m of FFG funding was ...

Railnews

• News: Welcome for Scottish freight grant reprieve Grants intended to help freight move to rail have been reprieved by the Scottish Government, although the Department for Transport is still withdrawing them in England and Wales. The decision has received a warm welcome north of the border.
• News: Public scrutiny of HS2 begins as objectors rally Controversy over the proposed High Speed Two project is about to move up a gear — with a ’national convention’ of objectors being staged shortly before the launch of the Government’s public consultation on plans for a new 400 km/h (250mph) railway line between London and the West Midlands.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair strikes back at 'mutiny' studentsCall it Ryanair versus Belgian students, round two. Days after a dispute over an an oversize luggage fee prompted the airline to kick dozens of the students off a plane, it's offering them a lesson on packing.

Other News Sources

• BA global marketing chief flies the coopBritish Airways head of global marketing Kerris Bright is leaving the airline after less than a year for a position at Ideal Standard International.
• HS2 train noise to be played at Tory conference THE THUNDEROUS noise 250mph trains will make in Warwickshire will be played at a protest against the HS2 rail line on Friday.
• Green Claims Guide overlooks TyresDefra's updated green claims guidance is welcomed; however EPUK are surprised it fails to reference to the EU tyre labelling regulation.
• Local Sustainable Transport FundThe Department for Transport has announced £560 million for a Local Sustainable Transport Fund, which will be available from 2011-15. Guidance on how local authorities can bid to the Fund is now available on www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/transportfund To assist local authorities in preparing bids, Cycling England recommends the following resources: A short DVD demonstrating the successful initiatives from the [...]
• Public sector travel framework could be dismantledWholesale changes to the government's public sector procurement organisation are rumoured to be earmarked for March