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

Thursday, 17 February 2011

BBC News

• Isle of Man public transport to lose 11 posts Eleven public transport posts are to be cut according to the community, culture and leisure minister.
• Cycle hire gremlins uncoveredI've again been given some interesting documents by the BBC's Freedom of Information researcher Julia Ross on the Cycle Hire scheme. They date from 27th August 2010, so the scheme had then been operational for a month.
• Station's access plan unveiledPlans to improve accessibility at Wrexham General railway station for people with disabilities have been unveiled.
• Qantas A380 problems hit profitsAustralian airline Qantas boosts half-year profits but said problems last year with Rolls-Royce engines after an explosion in one of its Airbus A380s knocked off $55m.

Financial Times

• A380 problems cost Qantas A$80mThe Australian airline, whose revenues were affected by the grounding of its A380 fleet after an engine exploded last year, is not ruling out pursuing Rolls-Royce through the courts

The Herald

• Race is on to stop EU rule sinking vital Clyde ferry A RACE is on to secure the future of a vital car-ferry route on the Firth of Clyde, amid fears it could cease altogether
• Stagecoach forced to review New York modelPERTH-based rail and bus group Stagecoach is to review its New York sightseeing joint venture after US transport authorities complained it had œexcessive market power and had hiked prices.

ATOC

• Rail industry can cut carbon emissions by 50% by 2050 The environmental aim for the rail industry must be to cut CO2 emissions by 50% by 2050, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) said today....

Network Rail

• NEW ENTRANCE TO MAKE CLAPHAM JUNCTION ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL
• ACCESS PLANS FOR WREXHAM RAILWAY STATION UNVEILED

Belfast Telegraph

• Shipping Minister Mike Penning blasted for no-show Supporters of Ulster’s Coastguard service have condemned Shipping Minister Mike Penning for pulling out of a key meeting to discuss the station’s closure today.

Derby Telegraph

• £45m rail line bid given bumpy ride by united opposition of councilsAMBITIOUS plans for a £45m railway line from Ripley to Little Eaton seem to have hit the buffers after councillors scorned the idea. Loughborough-based CES Group Partnership wants to introduce passenger trains along the former route for the first time since the 1930s. It says the proposal would create more than 100 jobs to serve and staff the line. But Ripley Town Council had already said it would oppose any planning application. Now Little Eaton Parish Council's chairman, Simon Downing, has called the plans

Edinburgh Evening News

• City admits tram project is a PR disasterCITY chiefs today admitted the tram project has been a PR disaster for Edinburgh.
• TIE looks to raise funds by renting out tramsVEHICLES built for Edinburgh's beleaguered tram scheme could be rented out to other cities as project bosses look to raise extra funds.

Journal Live

• Metrocentre boss trials electric Range Rover ELECTRIC Range Rovers have now joined the fleet of low-carbon cars on the roads of the North East.

London Evening Standard

• Saved... the Crossrail station where no train may ever stop Plans for a £100 million new Crossrail station at Woolwich were saved today in a last-minute deal.
• Campaigners back moves to reduce Heathrow stacking Campaigners today backed moves to cut the number of planes stacking over the capital before landing at Heathrow.
• Half world's population' is crammed on Tube: Record 3.4bn riding London transportThe number of people travelling on the Tube and London's buses is on course to hit an all-time high of 3.4 billion a year, new figures show.
• A sign the capital is thriving When officials wanted to find out the real state of the Soviet economy in the dying days of communism they looked at electricity output figures rather than GDP statistics. So it is with 21st century London - but with public transport usage standing in for megawatts.

Manchester Evening News

• End of the road for 100 jobs as transport chiefs try to save £40m Transport chiefs are set to axe around 100 jobs to save more than £40m over the next three years.
• Protesters fight on a platform of keeping their Metrolink stop open More than 80 people took to the platform of Woodlands Road tram stop to protest against its closure. Young families and elderly people joined together with Cheetham Hill councillors Naeem Hassan and Afzal Khan to demonstrate against Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority's decision to close the stop.

Metro

• Transport investment key to narrowing north south life expectancy gap Metro Chairman Cllr Chris Greaves has described a report that cites inequalities in Government transport investment as one of the contributing factors to life expectancy being lower in the north than the south, as 'a wake-up call to the Government'.
• Network Rail chief: We weren™t ready for heavy snow and made mistakesNetwork Rail chief Robin Gisby told MPs the railways were ˜not quite ready™ for last year™s heavy snow and ˜a number of mistakes™ were made.

Northern Echo

• Have a say on state of cycle routes Darlington residents are invited to discuss the state of the town's cycle routes at a meeting on Friday.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Plan to switch A9 overtaking laneA dangerous overtaking lane could be moved from the northbound side of the A9 Perth to Inverness road to the southbound side after Transport Scotland promised last night to consider the option.

Sunderland Echo

• Cheaper transport for teensPARENTS are being given a final reminder not to miss the bus when it comes to getting cheaper transport.

Other Regional Press

• Siemens' order book is 'at a ten-year high' JUST 16 months ago, union leaders at Siemens feared hundreds of jobs would be lost as part of a global restructure of the business. Bosses at the Lincoln factory even admitted it was the company's intention to consolidate its turbine packing activities in Sweden and the Netherlands.
• Are city™s roads really among the best?Scotland™s public spending watchdog came under fire today after it claimed Glasgow™s roads were among the best in the country.
• Aberdeen passengers put in danger as laser shone at planePASSENGERS were placed in danger when a laser was shone at a plane at Aberdeen Airport, bosses claimed today.

Global Rail News

• Funding victory for tram schemeGovernment funding of £75 million for Centro™s expansion through central Birmingham means the scheme can go ahead. Centro can now invite companies to bid to supply a new fleet of trams and to build the new maintenance depot at Wednesbury. It also means that the extension from Snow Hill Station to a rebuilt New Street Station remains on course for completion by 2015. The Department for Transport gave the green light after being satisfied that ...
• New entrance to Clapham Junction unveiledPassengers today got the first glimpse of how Clapham Junction’s Brighton Yard entrance will look following a multi-million pound makeover which will improve accessibility and reduce congestion at the station. Network Rail published a new artist™s impression of the eye-catching new scheme. Work is now underway to restore the entrance, which has not been used for over half a century, to provide an easier way into one of Britain’s busiest stations from St John’s Hill. ...
• Leicester™s refurbished First Class Lounge openedRail passengers in Leicester were treated to a special visit from a true Leicester Legend this week, as former Foxes player Steve Walsh visited to officially unveil the station™s newly refurbished First Class Lounge. The station™s First Class Lounge, located on platform 3, has been refurbished as part of East Midlands Trains™ ongoing £10 million station enhancement programme to deliver improved facilities at a large number of stations across its network. At the opening, Wayne ...
• ATOC release statement regarding HS2 reportIn response to the Greengauge 21 report on how high speed rail will benefit the existing network, a spokesperson for the Association of Train Operating Companies said: œA new high speed line will play a vital part in taking pressure off the UK™s existing intercity routes, which are beginning to fill up as more and more people choose to travel by train. œThe report clearly sets out how easing capacity problems on the existing network ...
• ATOC: Rail industry can cut carbon emissions by 50% by 2050The environmental aim for the rail industry must be to cut CO2 emissions by 50% by 2050, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) said today. Speaking at a conference in central London, Mr Roberts set out how the industry needs to keep on reducing its carbon footprint in the coming decades if it is to continue to live up to its billing as the greenest form of public transport. ...
• Thousands flock to railIt™s not just passenger numbers that are soaring: Network Rail has been swamped by 8,000 young people applying for just 200 places on its now famous rail engineering apprenticeship scheme. Says Network Rail Director Peter Henderson, ˜The huge numbers we™re attracting each year shows young people recognise an apprenticeship can offer a path to a challenging and rewarding career.™ Network Rail wants to see more ways of funding older age apprentices. The scheme is attracting ...
• Centro: Work to solve Birmingham and Coventry rail bottleneck needed in addition to high speed railTwo extra railway tracks need to be laid along the West Coast Main Line between Birmingham and Coventry well ahead of any opening of the proposed high speed rail link if the West Midlands is to meet ever rising demand for local rail travel, Centro, the region™s transport authority, said today. Backed by a number of West Midlands MPs, Centro has called on train operating companies to make four tracking of the line between the ...

Aviation Industry

• Edinburgh Airport Named in European Top Five For Customer ServiceThe Airports Council International (ACI) has named Edinburgh Airport one of Europe™s leading airports in its Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards 2010.
• Scottish airport shrugs off Bmi lossGlasgow airport has returned to growth for the first time since August 2007

Green Miscellany

• Toyota iQ: Green Car of the Year goes electric Toyota has announced that at the Geneva Motor Show next month it will unveil a fully-electric version of its award-winning iQ city car. read more

Other News Sources

• Ireland - Rail Freight expands despite recession The recession has meant hard times for Ireland, Tim Casterton reports... Despite this, rail freight in the country is bucking the trend, turning in a €1m profit for Iarnród Éireann last year. Now for the first time in many years expansion is taking place driven by the tightening of HGV drivers' hours, rising fuel costs and environmental considerations.
• Council wins praise for reducing carbon emissions WAVERLEY Borough Council has been congratulated by the Carbon Trust for its achievements in cutting its carbon footprint.
• Mayor's car costs slammed as 'unacceptable' AN Epsom councillor was branded “disingenuous” by the borough's mayor after criticising the cost of mayoral transport.
• Agreement reached over Woolwich Crossrail stationBerkeley Group has signed an agreement with the Department for Transport to enable the Woolwich Crossrail station to go ahead.

News from Europe

• EU 'low-carbon roadmap' aims for 25% cuts by 2020 Energy savings could slash greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by as early as 2020, according to a draft copy of the EU's long-awaited 'roadmap for moving to a low-carbon economy in 2050,' seen by EurActiv.
• Slovakia shifts EU science funding to highways The Slovak Ministry of Transportation said it will reallocate 180 million of EU funding on science, research and education in favour of building road infrastructure, triggering alarm bells within the scientific community. EurActiv Slovakia reports.