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

Friday, 08 April 2011

BBC News

• Fare cut in Bristol area 'could boost bus travel' Fares for some bus season tickets in Bristol and Somerset are to be cut for a fortnight.
• Plan for 'better high-speed rail'Environmental charities call on the government to reconsider its approach to the HS2 high-speed rail line, which will eventually link London and Manchester.
• Tube flooding 'almost a tragedy'Tube union leaders call for a safety review after they claim documents show a flood at a station almost ended in

Department for Transport

• Terms of reference for independent review into Strategic Road Network publishedThe terms of reference for a wide-ranging independent review of the Strategic Road Network (SRN) has been published today by Transport Secretary Philip Hammond.

Financial Times

• Aviation sector aid under EU scrutiny Ability of governments to pump public money into airports and new airline services could change, as Brussels launches a review of assistance given to air transport sector
• Fine threat for Chiltern after franchise breachesChiltern Railways likely to face £500,000 penalty for being late in delivering station improvements and unauthorised timetable changes
• Talgo sets ball in motion for Madrid listingSpain's largest railway car manufacturer by sales has hired banking advisers to prepare a stock market listing in Madrid that could value the company at up to €1bn

The Herald

• Gray chooses flight rather than fight as protesters hijack rail link speech LABOUR leader Iain Gray sought refuge in a sandwich shop before abandoning an event at Glasgow Central Station that was hijacked by anti-cuts protestors yesterday.
• Oil experts to split £2m windfall as firm sells to CostainA TEAM of oil and gas engineering experts in Aberdeen will share a windfall of more than £2 million after selling the advisory business they founded less than three years ago.

The Telegraph

• Council spends £350,000 on pavements after schoolgirl complains A council is spending nearly £350,000 on pavements and road safety after a 12-year-old schoolgirl wrote to complain about her dangerous half mile walk to school.
• Chromaroma game encourages healthier commuting New online game Chromaroma takes Oyster and Boris Bike data to offer a new game that encourages exercise and smarter commuting
• Government 'mishandling high speed rail'High speed rail project could fail because the scheme is being mishandled by the Department for Transport, environmental groups have warned.
• Plans for £400m redevelopment of Manchester Airport are approvedPlans to redevelop Manchester Airport have moved a step closer after the local council approved a masterplan for the site.
• BA pensioners to vote on link between inflation and income Thousands of British Airways pensioners will be balloted over future pension payments after changes to the current scheme this year have caused widespread anger.

Daily Express

• Rolls-Royce presses on with £2.8bn Tognum bidROLLS-ROYCE and car giant -Daimler yesterday refused to sweeten a €3.2billion (£2.8billion) offer for Tognum as they formally launched their takeover bid for the German engineer.
• Sir Richard Branson seeks Virgin Atlantic merger SIR Richard Branson has confirmed he is seeking a merger partner for his Virgin Atlantic airline but insisted he will remain a major shareholder.

Network Rail

• GATWICK AIRPORT STATION CONCOURSE UPGRADE BROUGHT FORWARD

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• £1m Ilkley railway station plan is approved Train firm Northern Rail has secured permission from Bradford Council planners for a £1 million ticket hall and refurbishment of historic Ilkley Station.

Derby Telegraph

• Airline signs deal for Rolls-Royce engines to power its DreamlinersDERBY aero engine-maker Rolls-Royce is celebrating after securing a multi-million-pound deal to power a fleet of Dreamliner aircraft for a Norwegian airline. The company, which has its civil aerospace division in Sinfin, has been asked by Norwegian Air to supply Trent 1000 engines for a fleet of nine Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The cost of the engine deal has not been revealed. But the contract does include a £276 million Rolls-Royce TotalCare agreement, which will see the company maintain the engines throughout their service life. It is the first time that the airline has selected Rolls-Royce eng...

London Evening Standard

• Transport Minister Norman Baker: Walk, don't catch trainMore people should work from home to ease the rush-hour crush, Transport Minister Norman Baker said today.

Manchester Evening News

• Revealed: First look at Manchester's £400m Airport City This is the first glimpse of how wasteland around Manchester Airport will be transformed into a ˜mini city™ “ creating more than 10,000 jobs. The artist™s impression reveals the scale of the £400m Airport City project, spanning 60 acres to the north of the airport and set to turn the area into an ˜economic powerhouse™.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Metro chiefs attacked over Gold Card costs FURIOUS elderly train passengers have claimed they are being short-changed by transport bosses.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham City Transport aims to challenge apprentice stereotype through scheme open to allAS a 45-year-old foster carer, Katrina Charlesworth is perhaps not the most typical of apprentices. But as an employee of one of Nottingham's biggest public transport providers, she is one of more than 80 people who have started a course with the company since last October. The scheme at Nottingham City Transport (NCT) aims to challenge the stereotype that apprenticeships are just for school leavers. It has also introduced two new courses as part of the Government's challenge to widen out apprenticeships to more trades. As well as delivering apprenticeships to new recruits, the company also...

The York Press

• Complaints from York bus users Residents angry at the level of service provided by bus companies in York have made renewed complaints about timetabling, bus routes and the No 4 ftr service at a meeting in the city.
• York rail jobs under threat THE jobs of York rail workers may be at risk after Thales revealed it was planning to axe 80 posts nationwide.

Bucks Free Press

• Bus lover and 'bastion' of the letters page diesA CHAMPION of public transport and stalwart of the Bucks Free Press letters page has died aged 79.
• Council awaits consultation results on road layout A PERMANENT order will need to be made for the trial one way system in Princes Risborough before the results of residents' opinions on the road layout are assessed.

Other Regional Press

• Preston bus station to be bulldozedHeritage campaigners have lost their fight to get Preston’s controversial bus station listed, it has emerged.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Can community transport fill the gap? Evidence to the transport select committee has revealed that community transport cannot be expected to fill the gap left by swingeing bus cuts.

Global Rail News

• Thales job losses a ˜hammer blow™ to railThe rail union RMT say that the contractor Thales is to cut 80 member of staff from its workforce, adding to ‘hundreds of jobs already slashed ...
• Campaign for High Speed Rail welcomes environmental CharterResponding to ‘The Right Lines’ charter issued today by a coalition of charities and environmental groups, Professor David Begg, Director of the Campaign for High Speed ...
• Eurostar invests £700m in rebrandEurostar has invested £700m in a rebrand of its services. This includes the acquisition of new rolling stock, refurbishing the current fleet and unveiling their new ...
• London Midland in ˜talks™ with ASLEFAfter weeks of disruption and endless insults back and forth, London Midland have said they are finally in ‘talks’ with the drivers’ union ASLEF. London Midland ...
• Flooding of Charing Cross almost ˜ended in disaster™Rail union RMT have demanded an ‘urgent review of safety procedures’ after an internal report into the flooding of Charing Cross tube station two weeks ago. ...
• Alstom to supply 8 more Citadis Dualis to Pays de la Loire, FranceFollowing two initial orders for 15 Citadis Dualis trainsets in 2007 and 2009, the Pays de la Loire region of France has ordered an additional 8 ...
• Lyon orders 10 trams from AlstomLyon’s transport authority SYTRAL has awarded Alstom a €58 m contract to supply 10 high capacity Citadis trams. These trams can accommodate up to 400 people ...
• Historic crests restored at BlackfriarsTwo hefty symbols of Blackfriars™ past have been removed for careful restoration as part of the station™s redevelopment for the Thameslink Programme. The London, Chatham and ...
• East Coast rail gains share of air marketTrain operator East Coast has said its trains are ‘winning the battle for custom’ against airlines on its key Edinburgh and Newcastle to London routes. Figures ...
• Crossrail awards remaining tunnelling contractsCrossrail today announced its intention to award the remaining tunnel contracts for Europe™s largest construction project. The two contracts for Thames Tunnel construction and Connaught Tunnel ...

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow scoops Skytrax World Airport AwardsHeathrow has been crowned the best airport for shopping for a second year running at the Skytrax World Airport Awards.
• Southampton Airport launches campaign to attract new passengers from north Hampshire, Berkshire & SurreySouthampton Airport has launched a campaign to attract new business and leisure passengers who currently head to other London airports for their travel needs...
• London Stansted receives ˜Air Cargo Award of Excellence™London Stansted Airport has added another award to its growing portfolio this week having been awarded an ˜Air Cargo Award of Excellence™.
• Jet the Pilot Bird Takes Off At Edinburgh AirportA new cartoon character is taking off this week at Edinburgh Airport to help kids “ and their parents “ in as they set off on their journeys.
• Southampton pitches to executive travellersSouthampton airport has begun campaigning to attract business travellers from the executive heartlands of Surrey and Berkshire

Green Miscellany

• Bike thieves beware: GPS tracking for bicycles is here It sounds like something that ˜Q™ might fit to James Bond™s bicycle, but the SpyLamp “ a LED rear light that contains a hidden GPS tracker “ is available for any cyclist concerned about bike theft to buy today. read more

Other News Sources

• Pre-flight play area opening at HeathrowIn an attempt to make international travel an easier process for families this Easter, Heathrow airport has teamed up with toy company Bandai to open a pre-flight play area in Terminal 5, the home of British Airways.
• CBI slams Government's 'make-do and mend' transport policy The Government's strategic transport polices amount to a 'policy of make-do and mend', according to powerful lobby group the Confederation of British Industry.
• RMT demands urgent tube safety action after shambolic management of Charing Cross flooding comes close to ending in disasterTUBE UNION RMT today demanded an urgent review of safety procedures and an assurance that crucial lessons have been learnt after an internal report into the flooding of Charing Cross station by water from the Trafalgar Square fountains two weeks ago revealed that the incident almost ended in disaster.
• Charities set out high speed rail charterNational charities concerned with environmental, heritage, countryside, legal and wildlife issues have joined forces on high speed rail.
• Crossrail to pass down site safety duties in major efficiency driveCrossrail is devolving site safety responsibilities to contractors as it reduces the size of the client team for the £15.9 billion project, Construction News has learnt.
• Bechtel reduces its Crossrail workforce in wake of restructure Bechtel has confirmed it is reducing the number of people it employs on the £15.9 billion Crossrail project.
• Three Crossrail deals worth £275m awardedCrossrail has awarded three major contracts worth £275 million to work on the landmark trans-London rail link.

News from Europe

• Major rail projects hit buffers with €183m already spent TWO of three major public transport projects in Dublin will be shelved because there is no money to build them, the Government admitted yesterday.