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

Wednesday, 02 March 2011

BBC News

• Newton Aycliffe train factory will create 500 jobs At least 500 new jobs will be created in County Durham under plans to build a new generation of inter-city trains, the government has confirmed.
• Hitachi train factory investment hailed as 'new Nissan' [blog]You wait for ages for a big job announcement, and then you get two in a week. The confirmation that Hitachi will be bringing a train factory to County Durham is the news that the North East has been waiting for.
• Newton Aycliffe wins approval for Hitachi investment The government has decided to press ahead with plans to build a new generation of intercity trains in Newton Aycliffe. Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond confirmed to the House of Commons that Agility Trains is the preferred bidder to provide the new rolling stock.
• Airline warning over time changeA Scottish airline has warned that a change to
• MSPs debating fuel relief callsFresh calls to cut fuel duty are being made by MSPs, as the Scottish government leads a Holyrood debate on the issue.
• £1bn rail electrification backedThe UK government is to press ahead with electrifying the main train line between London and south Wales, but only as far as Cardiff.
• Hyundai targets company car buyersKorean carmaker Hyundai targets the company car market
• Electric Rolls to ˜change habits™Rolls-Royce unveils its electric car at the Geneva motor show, describing it as
• Fisker ready for March productionThree years after it was conceived, Fisker Automotive™s first electric luxury car with a range-extending petrol engine will go into production later this month.
• Petrol hits record 130p a litreRising oil costs push petrol prices to a new record average above 130p per litre and lead Thomas Cook to introduce a fuel surcharge.

Department for Transport

• Green light for new trains and rail electrificationScotland, Wales, northern and south west England are to get a fleet of new trains and more reliable rail links to London, creating thousands of jobs, boosting the economy and improving services for passengers, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond announced today. He gave the go-ahead for the £4.5bn Intercity Express Programme (IEP) and the £704m plans to electrify the Great Western Main Line (GWML) between Cardiff, Bristol and Didcot.

Financial Times

• Amadeus plots course to cut its debtDominant IT provider for flight bookings vows to continue cutting its debt and forecasts continued profit growth
• DfT to press on with £4.5bn train orderThe Department for Transport is to press ahead with the most controversial train project since rail privatisation and plans to place a £4.5bn order with Japan's Hitachi

The Guardian

• We decry cuts, but spare the Philip Hammonds who fritter cash Anyone opposing the glamorous high-speed rail project of the transport secretary, Philip Hammond, is a nimby. Or so he says. Critics of his HS2 line are Aylesbury luddites, Brackley reactionaries, Great Missenden moanies. Macho ministers do big projects, like high-speed trains, aircraft carriers and turbine parks. Those who oppose them are wimps. To Hammond it is inconceivable that they might be concerned at the money.
• Great Western and east coast rail upgrades announced at last There is light at the end of the tunnel for millions of long-suffering passengers on Britain's Great Western and east coast rail routes, after years of overcrowding, disruption and underfunding, with the announcement of a £5.2bn investment programme.

The Herald

• Concessionary travel scheme costs criticised THE cost of setting up Scotland’s concessionary fares scheme, which rose from £9 million to £42m amid a four-year delay to perfect the technology, has been criticised by MSPs.
• Government gives green light to £4.5bn electric rail schemeRAIL passengers will see a new generation of cross-border trains enter service from 2016 after the Government gave the green light to a troubled £4.5 billion order.
• Holiday misery as operators introduce fuel levyFAMILIES will have to pay hundreds of pounds extra for their holidays after two leading tour operators announced that a fuel surcharges will be applied to flights following the chaos in Libya.

The Independent

• Hitachi's intercity train deal finally leaves the sidings Transport Secretary Philip Hammond gave the green light to the threatened Intercity Express Programme (IEP) yesterday, signalling a resumption of one of Britain's largest-ever train orders.

The Scotsman

• Firm to install car charging pointsBritish Gas is to supply vehicle charging points for Nissan's Leaf electric car and will offer to install solar panels in owners' homes so they can charge their car fo

The Telegraph

• Thomas Cook introduces fuel surchargesThomas Cook, one of Britain's largest tour operators, has added £160 to the cost of a long-haul holiday for a family of four.

Mail Online

• Car insurance for women to soar by up to 25% and men face a 10% CUT, EU rulesEuropean judges rewrote the rule book for insurance companies today by banning risk assessment based on gender.
• Petrol prices hit £1.30 a litre and Thomas Cook adds £160 fuel surchargeDue to instability in the Middle East and North Africa, Thomas Cook and Thomson, the UK’s two biggest package holiday firms, have unveiled supplements ranging from £15 to £40 per person based on the length of flights.

ATOC

• Train companies respond to announcement on electrification and new trainsFollowing the Government announcement on the electrification of the Great Western Main Line and the Intercity Express Programme, Edward Welsh, from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC)...

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Record fuel prices hit North Wales drivers in the pockets RECORD fuel prices are pushing up the cost of driving for thousands of motorists, with a family car now costing more than £100 to fill up.

Derby Telegraph

• Deal to distribute rail engine spares A DERBY rail engineering firm has signed an agreement with a US train spares manufacturer to act as its sole distributor for the UK and Ireland.
• Japanese lobbying pays off as Bombardier loses out on £4.5bn train deal THE Transport Secretary has admitted he was heavily lobbied by Japanese diplomats who wanted a firm from their country to land a train-building contract that Derby-based Bombardier also hoped to win.
• High speed train station may be built at East Mids AirportOFFICIALS drafting the route of a national high speed rail network are considering putting a station at East Midlands Airport. The Government wants to build a £32 million 'Y-shaped' network with track running from London to Birmingham in the first phase of construction. But later phases would see a further arm running from Birmingham to Leeds through the East Midlands. In a consultation document published yesterday the Department for Transport revealed officials were considering placing a station at East Midlands Airport. The document reads:

Liverpool Post

• Liverpool high-speed rail plan row erupts as Government is accused of “watering down” city commitment A FRESH row blew up over £32bn high-speed rail plans yesterday, when the Government was accused of watering down a commitment to build the line to the edge of Liverpool.

London Evening Standard

• Rail link to bring 10,000 an hour extra into EustonTen thousand more people an hour could pour through one of London's busiest stations when high-speed trains begin to run, experts predicted
• Tube scam gang steals card details from rail ticket machinesTube and rail commuters are being targeted by an international fraud gang using skimming devices attached to station ticket machines

Northern Echo

• ’I could kiss you’ – how the region reacted to Hitachi decision James Ramsbotham, chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce, said ... Helen Goodman, Bishop Auckland MP, said ... James Wharton, Conservative MP for Stockton South, hinted at the political importance of the announcement for the Government.
• Hitachi manufacturing base given go-ahead THE dream of bringing train-building back to the region of its birth - along with thousands of desperately-needed manufacturing jobs - finally came true yesterday.
• Transport Secretary recognises importance of The Northern Echo's campaign THE Government's decision to press ahead with the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) prompted jubilant scenes in the North-East last night. Joe Willis looks back at how the region united behind The Northern Echo's Back on Track campaign to deliver a £4.5bn economic boost.
• Hitachi chief says deal will secure train building for generations to come SECURING the Intercity Express Programme is a "launch pad" that could secure train-building work for generations to come, the managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe said last night.
• £4.5bn Hitachi deal to bring 500 jobs to County Durham THE Government has announced a £4.5bn train-building deal which will bring 500 jobs to the North-East.

The York Press

• Sunday bus service saved YORK™S transport chief says a bus service in the city is set to be saved after its operators announced changes to its routes.

Wales Online

• Essential ’economic lifeline’ hailed as a big step in the right direction BUSINESS leaders last night hailed the electrification of the Great Western main line to Cardiff as an “essential economic lifeline for the South Wales economy”.
• London-Cardiff railway to be electrified, but extension to Swansea ruled out ’for now’ ELECTRIFICATION of the Great Western main line is to be extended into South Wales – but only as far as Cardiff, the UK Government announced yesterday.
• Cardiff news: AJ Walter Aviation sets up in Merthyr Tydfil AN aviation company is bringing up to 12 jobs to Merthyr Tydfil with an engines business.
• Cardiff news: Rail electrification to go ahead as far as Cardiff The Great Western Main Line is to be electrified to South Wales – but only as far as Cardiff, WalesOnline understands.

Yorkshire Post

• Wabtec parent on track with UK acquisition DONCASTER-based Wabtec Rail yesterday revealed that its parent company had secured a major UK acquisition.
• Ministers told to end transport bonanza in LondonMINISTERS are warned today there is an “urgent” need to address the bias in transport funding which sees millions of pounds more pumped into schemes in London after scaled-down plans were revealed for a new fleet of inter-city trains on Yorkshire’s main route to the capital.

Blackpool Gazette

• Council ask for patience over traffic chaosCOUNCIL bosses today appealed for ’patience’ and not road rage as Blackpool town centre was brought to a standstill by more roadworks.

Carlisle News & Star

• Anger at £1 million funding loss for cross-Carlisle cycle path Nearly £1 million of lottery funding for a cross-city cyclepath in Carlisle has been lost with the organisation behind the scheme blaming the local council.

Sunderland Echo

• Nissan Leaf beeped out in the UKDELIVERIES of Nissan’s revolutionary new car will be delayed – because it is too noisy.

Other Regional Press

• Station revamp is well on track A £1.75m taxpayer-funded revamp of Swindon railway station is likely to start within months.
• UK & World News: Firm to install car charging points British Gas is to supply vehicle charging points for Nissan's Leaf electric car and will offer to install solar panels in owners' homes so they can charge their car for free.
• Midlands rail passengers face delays after drivers stop overtime RAIL users are facing long delays and even cancellations after train drivers stopped working overtime.

Freight on Rail

• Freight on Rail warns that Government must work together on strategic planning or risk harming economic recovery Commenting on the Transport Select Committee report on Transport and the Economy, Freight on Rail endorses the Committee’s conclusions on the need for strategic planning to revitalise the economy.

Global Rail News

• Philip Hammond releases statement ˜High Speed Rail: Investing in Britain™s Future™The Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond released a statement yesterday following the start of the public consultation for the high speed rail project. The ...
• Greengauge 21 welcomes launch of HS2 consultationGreengauge 21 welcomed the launch of the Government™s public consultation on HS2, the new high-speed railway line between London and the West Midlands. Jim Steer, Greengauge 21 ...
• East Midlands Trains™ first refurbished Meridian returns to the railsThe £6 million refurbishment of East Midlands Trains Meridian fleet came to life on Monday 28 February, as the first refurbished train enters passenger service for ...
• RMT warns over spending cuts to transport security systemTransport Union RMT has released a statement warning over the demand for spending cuts. They claim that compromising security on the transport system at a time ...
• Centro members voice concerns over London Midland proposals to reduce staff at rail stationsCentro is urging rail passengers to oppose London Midland proposals to slash the numbers of staff at stations across the region. London Midland has launched a ...
• London Midland proposes changes to ticket office opening hoursLondon Midland today launched a consultation with passengers and other stakeholders on proposed new opening hours for 86 of its ticket offices. Across the rail industry, ...
• RMT respond to London Midland™s plans to review station staffingLondon Midland held a meeting today with the Joint Trade Unions and issued them with a consultation précis document that outlined proposals for the review of ...
• Northern Rail participate in World Book NightPassengers on Northern Rail™s service between Littleborough and Manchester Victoria will be given a free book on Saturday, as part of World Book Night celebrations “ ...
• Northern Rail announces South East Manchester Community Rail PartnershipLocal stakeholders and Northern Rail have come together to launch the South East Manchester Community Rail Partnership, aimed at engaging local communities with the railway and ...
• Government gives green light for new trains and rail electrificationScotland, Wales, northern and south west England are to get a fleet of new trains and more reliable rail links to London, creating thousands of jobs, ...
• DfT give green light for new trains and rail electrificationScotland, Wales, northern and south west England are to get a fleet of new trains and more reliable rail links to London, creating thousands of jobs, boosting ...

Railnews

• News: Electrification and IEP to Cardiff to go ahead The transport secretary Philip Hammond is telling the House of Commons that the Great Western Main Line is to be electrified to Cardiff, using bi-modal intercity trains built by Hitachi. The Valley Lines are also to be electrified.
• News: Great Western electrification and IEP to go ahead The Great Western Main Line is to be electrified to Cardiff and Bristol. A full business case for electrifying the Valley Lines is also to be prepared. The Intercity Express Programme is going ahead, and bi-modal Hitachi trains will run on the Great Western and East Coast Main Lines. An IEP assembly plant has been confirmed for County Durham, which the transport secretary said could create thousands of jobs.

The Business Desk

• Strong markets recovery helps boost GKN GLOBAL engineering group GKN has seen a dramatic improvement in full year profits driven by a strong recovery in its major markets.

Aviation Industry

• First scheduled Boeing 777F cargo operation at London Stansted
• Union chief threatens BA with œweird and wondrous initiativesUnite boss Len McCluskey has said the union could take action to ensure British Airways (BA) will not operate 100% of long-haul flights during another strike

Other News Sources

• Hove MP calls for crackdown on train antisocial behaviour Rail bosses should do more to stop passengers stinking up carriages with smelly food, leaving their feet on seats and blasting loud music from their headphones.
• London Midland to axe 122 full time jobs as part of ticket office closure planAt a meeting arranged today with negatively short notice the Joint Trade Unions at London Midland were issued with a consultation précis document that outlined proposals for the review of station staffing and changes to schedule 17 (opening hours) arrangements, the joint trade unions (RMT and TSSA) believe that the company's proposals are unreal, barbaric, and unbelievable and will have dire consequences for staff and passengers alike.
• Lufthansa eager to bring in-flight Internet to A380sStar Alliance member Lufthansa is eager to bring in-flight high-speed Internet to its growing fleet of Airbus A380s, but is remaining quiet on a timeline...