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

Wednesday, 13 April 2011

BBC News

• Cycling minister sparks safety row [audio clip]The minister with responsibility for cycling safety, Norman Baker, has angered bike campaigners because of his failure to cycle with his helmet.
• London Underground: New upgrades, new approach This will not get much attention in the mainstream media, but London Underground (LU) named its preferred bidder for the signalling of the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines today. Bomabardier is now the front runner to take on a massive engineering job on those sub-surface lines.
• Transport scheme gets £15.7m liftA transport improvement scheme near Birmingham Airport is awarded £15.7m from the Regional Growth Fund.
• Panic after 'bang' on Tube trainLondon's Victoria Tube station is evacuated following a reported bang on a

Financial Times

• London Underground names preferred bidderTransportation system takes step towards modernisation of signalling by choosing Bombardier as potential contractor on a project that is estimated to cost about £1bn and to be done by 2018
• National Express rebel rebukedA top 10 institutional investor at the group has delivered a rebuke to rebel shareholder Elliott Advisors, accusing the hedge fund of trying to appoint inexperienced board members

The Guardian

• No mention of trams as Labour promises a more connected Edinburgh Labour has put transport high on its Scottish election agenda, as guest blogger Paris Gourtsoyannis' reports in the third of his series of posts on Scottish election manifestos
• Biofuels transport targets are unethical, inquiry finds Independent inquiry concludes that the production of biofuels to meet UK and European directives violates human rights and damages the environment
• Part Audi, part Korean hire carThe 'new' MG is a car doing its best to be the very model of a modern Sino-British sports saloonLet's be clear. This is not an MG that many, if any of us, will recognise. The

The Scotsman

• Nationalist move for green transport ALEX Salmond has promised a re-elected SNP government would invest £50 million in improving green transport.

The Telegraph

• London should use reborn Thames for transport [letter]SIR – Sinclair McKay celebrates the commercial and cultural amenities which now line the Thames (Comment, April 7). However, he hardly mentions the actual use of the river itself – perhaps not surprisingly since, as a transport artery, it is criminally under-used.
• Running cars on biofuels can be 'unethical' Green targets to run our cars on plants are in danger of driving slavery, world hunger and climate change, according to a damning new report into the ethics of biofuels.
• Motor insurance premiums up by 40 per cent in a year The cost of motor insurance has risen by a record 40 per cent in the past 12 months because of ambulance chasing lawyers and fraudulent claims, the AA has found.
• National Express rushes to appoint directors to head off showdown National Express is planning to ask its two biggest shareholders to approve two new non-executives ahead of the annual meeting on May 10 to head off a potentially bruising showdown.

Press Association

• Preferred bidder for Tube upgrade London Underground said it had moved a step closer to awarding a major signalling contract to make Tube services more reliable as commuters faced fresh travel disruption on Tuesday.

Mail Online

• 'Eco-friendly' biofuels may do more harm than goodPlant-based fuels have pushed up food prices, increased deforestation and threatened endangered animals, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics found.

The Mirror

• The Mayor of London's transport advisor visits Kawasaki day Here's a sight that should cheer the hearts of all British bikers. The fellow pictured here is Kulveer Ranger, a keen motorcyclist and the Mayor of London's transport advisor.

Derby Telegraph

• Rail-export partnership signals a way to clinch overseas dealsDERBYSHIRE rail companies are to be given a helping hand to break into overseas markets thanks to a new rail export partnership. Derby and Derbyshire Rail Forum, which represents about 100 rail firms across the county, has linked up with UK Trade and Investment, a government-backed organisation which helps British firms export. The two organisations have agreed to establish a dedicated rail-export partnership. UKTI international trade director Peter Hogarth said:

Liverpool Post

• Banks take ownership of Isle of Man Steam Packet Company as part of refinancing Read More http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2011/04/12/banks-take-ownership-of-isle-of-man-steam-packet-company-as-part-of-refinancing-92534-2THE Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has changed hands as part of the successful completion of a refinancing deal.

London Evening Standard

• Boris Johnson's Tube promise derided as signal chaos hits thousandsTens of thousands of commuters suffered major disruption on a Tube line in the evening rush hour
• London 'faces fine of £300m for polluted air during Olympics'Pollution from congested roads in London during the Olympics could lead to a £300million fine for breaching EU air quality standards, politicians warned
• Toyota suspends UK car productionToyota will suspend car production at its two UK plants for several days this month and in May because of parts shortages following last month's massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
• MG car to make Longbridge returnA new MG car is set to roll off the production line at Longbridge - six years to the week after the West Midlands factory closed with the loss of 6,500 jobs.

Metro

• Transport MP Norman Baker: No need for a helmet when cycling The Department of Transport under secretary said he did not want to put people off using bikes by ordering them to wear a crash helmet. Norman Baker MP ’I’m the minister for cycling and I set an example by cycling, I’m not actually the safety minister,’ he told BBC Radio 4.

Yorkshire Post

• ˜Green™ transport policies may be harmfulPolicies to boost “green” transport fuels have backfired by damaging the environment, driving up food prices and encouraging human rights abuses, a report has warned.

Sunderland Echo

• Coastal route nearly falling into the seaA COASTAL road needs expensive work to stop it falling into the sea.

Other Regional Press

• Plaid Cymru wants control of rail to ensure upgrade all the way to Swansea PLAID Cymru will call in its manifesto for complete devolution of Network Rail so the Great Western Main Line can be electrified to Swansea.
• Parents claim traffic will double if school transport is cut PARENTS are 'horrified' at Bucks County Council's decision to cut free school transport for pupils, saying traffic problems will double.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Yusen Logistics readies UK launch Yusen Logistics will officially launch in the UK at the end of the week, bringing Yusen Air and Sea and NYK Logistics UK together.
• Satisfaction with UK roads plummets Less than one third of motorists believe the state of the UK's roads is acceptable.
• 3MG rail logistics site wins government money The 3MG rail logistics site in Halton is one of a number of projects which are to receive government money to help create and sustain jobs.

Global Rail News

• Signalling contract will mean ˜faster, more frequent and more reliable Tube services™London Underground today moved a step closer to awarding a major signalling contract for the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. LU selected Bombardier ...
• CCD appointed to Kings Cross Redevelopment ProjectCCD Design & Ergonomics has been selected as the Ergonomics Integration Manager for the Kings Cross Station Redevelopment Project. CCD will provide human factors expertise to ...
• HS2 Ltd appoints legal teamBircham Dyson Bell LLP has been appointed by HS2 Ltd in a two year contract. The contract is to provide legal advice to its consultants on ...
• £200m plan to boost rail capacity of Cardiff and Valley areaNetwork Rail has unveiled a £200m plan to boost the rail capacity of the Cardiff and Valley area by 2015. The company is also welcoming support ...
• RATP & Alstom create Metrolab: Development of ˜automatic metro of the future™At the 59th UITP World Congress and Exhibition in Dubai, RATP CEO, Pierre Mongin, and Alstom Transport President, Philippe Mellier, announced the creation of Metrolab, a ...
• Freight traffic increasing in USThe Association of American Railroads has reported monthly rail carloads in March 2011 increased 3.4% compared with the same month last year, for a total of ...
• Rosemor International has the solution for dirty escalatorsA new machine that cleans the horizontal and vertical parts of an escalator step simultaneously is now in use on Britain™s railway network. Keeping moving stairways ...
• New future for Railway Heritage TrustNetwork Rail has decided to continue its support of the Railway Heritage Trust until 31 March 2019. The Trust was formed in 1985, and gives grants ...
• Stadler receives €45m order for Italian networkStadler Rail has received an order from Ferrovie Appulo Lucane (FAL) for the supply of nine multiple-unit trains. The modern, narrow-gauge vehicles will enter service on ...
• New fleet takes offRail staff at Stansted Airport rallied round to help launch the first of a fleet of 30 new Class 379 trains. Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond joined ...

Aviation Industry

• Aer Arann to cut "unviable" routesIrish regional carrier Aer Arann will stop serving routes from Dublin to Sligo, Knock and Galway in July, when government subsidies cease
• Passenger rights under review, EU announcesThe European Commission is to review controversial regulation EU 261, which requires airlines to pay for the care of stranded passengers

Other News Sources

• BAA ditches Heathrow to Waterloo rail link Richmond residents will breathe a sigh of relief after BAA's announcement it has ditched plans to build a new super-speed rail link through the borough.
• London Transport fund chooses new consultant Transport for London Pension Fund hired Towers Watson as investment consultant, according to a news release issued by Towers Watson.
• UK cycling minister defends right not to wear a helmet Norman Baker, the junior transport minister for cycling who earlier this week said it was his “libertarian right” to choose not to wear a helmet, has defended his comments on Radio 4’s Today programme.
• MEPs stand firm on re-investing road toll cash Voting for the second time on EU rules covering the noise and pollution charged on lorries, the European Parliament's transport committee insisted that financial revenue from green tolls should be earmarked for reinvestment in transport infrastructure.
• Highways Agency publishes £1.4bn roads timetableThe Highways Agency has published a five-year timetable for construction of 14 new road schemes worth £1.4 billion.
• London Underground working towards new signalling contract Commuters in London may find that the trains on the Circle, District, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan lines run more smoothly if London Underground (LU) completes a new signalling contract as planned.

Other Subscription Services

• Soaring fuel price spurs interest in ship design optimisationInterest in ship design optimisation rises in line with bunker prices says Germanischer Lloyd
• Cleaning up slowlyNon-compliance on the low sulphur rules is likely to be only a blip on shipping™s horizons