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

Thursday, 10 March 2011

BBC News

• Wrexham on new Arriva Trains Wales north-south link A north-south rail service that takes in Wrexham will begin in May, the assembly government has said.
• Network Rail executives not awarded bonuses Network Rail executives will not be paid annual bonuses this year, the rail infrastructure company has announced.
• Airport buys £1.5m snow equipmentAt least £1.5m of equipment is ordered to help keep Edinburgh Airport open during heavy snow next winter.
• Millions not claiming Tube refundJust 330,000 of a potential 11 million Tube passengers claimed compensation for delays in 2010, Transport for London says.
• Stewardess injured by turbulenceA stewardess suffered serious spinal injuries when her Heathrow-bound plane hit turbulence and she was thrown into the air, a report says.

Financial Times

• Lufthansa resumes dividend paymentsGerman airline to resume paying a dividend after swinging back into profit last year, in spite of costs incurred from strike action, the Iceland volcano and the higher price of fuel
• Break up Network Rail, urge train operatorsOwner of Britain's railways should be split up rather than devlove its power regionally, says the Association of Train Operating Companies in a paper criticising the body's plans

The Herald

• Subway to get £300m revampGLASGOW™S ageing Subway system is to get a major overhaul that could result in the introduction of driverless trains to the network within five years.
• Petrol prices hit £6 a gallonMOTORISTS are paying £6 for a gallon of petrol for the first time as the Libyan crisis has helped push fuel prices to a new record, data published by the AA shows.

The Independent

• No bonuses for rail executives Top managers at Network Rail will not be paid annual bonuses this year, the infrastructure group said last night after attracting criticism for making payouts last year.

The Scotsman

• Ministerial opening for new rail link A NEW £300 million rail line linking Glasgow and Edinburgh has been officially opened by Transport Minister Keith Brown.

The Telegraph

• High speed rail link: an expensive white elephant? Nobody said it was going to be easy. Driving a new railway line through the countryside was bound to upset an awful lot of people – and so it has proved.
• Business leaders join Tories in call to scrap high-speed rail line The £32 billion high speed rail network scheme should be scrapped according to 21 high profile businessmen, senior Tories and economists in a letter to The Daily Telegraph today.
• Talks to head off Spanish airport strikeSpanish unions threatened 22 days of strikes starting just before Easter.
• £10 million fund to plug rural bus gapMinibuses and people-carriers could be used to link remote rural villages to nearby towns under plans unveiled by the Government.

Press Association

• Call to scrap high-speed rail link The multi-billion high-speed rail link project is an "expensive white elephant" and should be scrapped, an alliance of business leaders, politicians and economists has said.

ATOC

• Fundamental reform of rail industry needed to deliver for passengers and taxpayers - ATOCNetwork Rail should be transformed over the next three years into around ten independent infrastructure companies, which in turn would work much more closely with train companies,...

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL STATEMENT ON EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS' ANNUAL BONUSES 2010/11
• HAVE YOUR SAY ON INVESTMENT AT BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET

Birmingham Post

• Chiltern Railways' Birmingham to London project taken over by Network Rail A £250 million project to speed up trains between Birmingham and London has been taken over by Network Rail after it ran over schedule.

Journal Live

• Air tax is threat to region’s economy NORTH East business chiefs have warned the Government an ’unfair’ tax on air travel is threatening the region’s economic recovery.
• Fuel price hike hits rural areas hardest RURAL motorists in the North East are facing huge fuel prices and possible filling station closures due to the rising price of oil.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Your guide to cope with Metro disruption TODAY the Chronicle can unveil your guide to beating the hold-ups as Metro bosses prepare to close one of Tyneside’s busiest commuter routes.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Commuters in roadworks gridlock fury Frustrated commuters have been left stuck in huge rush-hour tailbacks on key routes in and out of Aberdeen after a series of roadworks projects were carried out at the same time.
• Failure to set out transport cash cut confused OAPsMoray council™s deputy convener yesterday admitted unintentionally causing confusion for elderly passengers on a community transport scheme.
• Call for ban on overtaking stationary school buses is rejectedA call to ban vehicles from overtaking stationary school buses has been rejected by the Scottish Government.

The York Press

• Off-road cyclists™ pollution boost RESEARCH by University of York scientists has suggested that using off-road cycle routes in the city significantly reduces cyclists™ exposure to air pollution compared with on-road cycle lanes.
• Volunteers plea to clean up York to Selby cycle path VOLUNTEERS are needed to help clean up a walking and cycling route.

Yorkshire Post

• ’Don’t blame the bridge’ for toll on our economy THE Humber economy has not developed over the last 30 years because businesses and local authorities have failed to utilise the potential of the Humber Bridge, it was claimed yesterday.
• Motorway cable thieves cause commuter chaos on the M62COPPER thieves caused motorway chaos after cutting down overhead electric cables and leaving some dangling over the M62 this morning.
• £1m boost for community bus servicesRURAL areas in Yorkshire are in line for a £1m boost for community bus services.

Other Regional Press

• Cleethorpes Town team secures cash for rail restoration DESPITE Cleethorpes Town Team being told the council can no longer fund its meetings, new chairman Barry Waby began his reign on a high – announcing the group had secured a £250,000 grant for a railway gallery.
• Minister suffers train delay - is a shake-up now on the cards?The government has hinted it could step in to improve rail and road links to east Kent after Pfizer's move to quit the area.
• M74™s Royal open day!A member of the royal family will perform the ceremony to link Glasgow™s motorway network.
• Transport watchdog looks into train ticket office changes THE WATCHDOG monitoring transport across the UK is looking at proposed changes to ticket office opening hours which will affect train stations in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Global Rail News

• Hitachi releases statement following UNIFE™s concerns over IEPHitachi has released a statement following the news of UNIFE’s concerns over the UK Government’s decision to resume negotiations on the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) with Hitachi: ...
• Rail companies focus on health & safetyRecently, experts on health and safety from some of the railway industry’s largest companies came together to talk about how they could cut the millions of ...
• New British Transport Police station opens at Leeds railway stationThe British Transport Police (BTP) has celebrated the opening of a new state of the art police station at Leeds railway station, which has been designed ...
• Northern Rail launch new surveillance vehicle to combat crime on the railwayThe UK™s largest rail operator, Northern Rail, has launched a Mobile Surveillance Vehicle that will roam its network, aimed at reducing crime on trains and in ...
• Glasgow subway to be upgradedTransport Scotland have reported that the Scottish Government has reaffirmed its commitment to help with plans to modernise the Glasgow Subway. Finance Secretary John Swinney has ...
• Transform Scotland welcomes news of Glasgow subway refurbishmentTransform Scotland today welcomed the Scottish Government announcement of support for the Glasgow Subway modernisation. Calum McCallum, Transform Scotland’s Glasgow campaigner said: “We wholeheartedly welcome today’s ...
• ATOC: ˜Fundamental reform of rail industry needed™Network Rail should be transformed over the next three years into around ten independent infrastructure companies, which in turn would work much more closely with train ...
• Network Rail announces it won™t be giving bonuses to executive directorsDavid Higgins is already making his mark at Network Rail in an attempt to cut costs. Network Rail today announced that it will not be paying ...
• Network Rail responds to ATOC report on industry reformFollowing the publication of a paper by ATOC regarding the reform of the rail industry, Network Rail have responded with a statement. A Network Rail spokesperson ...

Aviation Industry

• Lufthansa Systems launches BoardConnect wireless IFE on Condor 767s Lufthansa Systems said it will launch its new wireless inflight entertainment system,  BoardConnect, on Condor’s Boeing 767s. BoardConnect is a next-generation IFE system, operating on a Wi-Fi network allowing passengers to connect to video and audio on demand—including games, e-mail and social networks—via their IFE screens or a personal Wi-Fi-equipped device.
• Lufthansa 2010 profits soar past $1.5 billion on strong second halfLufthansa Group said that based on preliminary figures it ended 2010 with a net profit of €1.1 billion ($1.53 billion), significantly improved from a restated net loss of €34 million in 2009.
• EADS posts 2010 profit surge driven by AirbusEADS reported 2010 net income of €553 million ($770.8 million), a major turnaround from a €763 million net loss in 2009, on 7% growth in revenue to €45.8 billion driven by a strong performance by Airbus.
• Aeroflot orders eight 777sAeroflot placed an order for six GE90-powered Boeing 777-300ERs and two 777-200ERs, the manufacturer said Wednesday, noting the order was previously attributed to an unidentified customer on its website.
• Cathay Pacific reports dramatic 2010 profit rise to $1.8 billion, to add 27 aircraftCathay Pacific Group reported that annual profits nearly tripled in 2010 to HK$14.04 billion ($1.8 billion) from a HK$4.69 billion surplus in 2009 on a 33.7% rise in revenue to HK$89.52 billion.
• Cathay triples profitsThe Cathay Pacific Group has reported profits of HK$14,048 million (£1,113 million) in 2010, nearly three times the HK$4,694 (£372 million) figure for 2009
• Stop Spanish strikes, Ryanair tells EURyanair has branded a planned strike by AENA airport workers in Spain as œselfish

Other News Sources

• Travelport offloads GTA to relieve debtTravel technology firm Travelport has sold its hotel and ground travel business Gullivers Travel Associates (GTA) to leisure travel company Kuoni