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

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

BBC News

• Will high speed rail pay its way? [Today Audio Clip]The campaign in favour of high speed rail is raising money from train companies to help bolster its case to counter opponents of the £17bn project to build a high speed rail line between London and Birmingham.
• Upgrading the A63 road in Hull 'is vital for city' An East Yorkshire MP is to meet the transport minister to try to secure funding for road improvements to boost Hull's economy.
• Loughborough to Grantham bus route gets upgrade A major bus route in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire is to benefit from £130,000 of improvements.
• New bicycle hire scheme at Stoke-on-Trent railway station Season ticket holders for travel on the railways will be able to take advantage of a new bicycle hire scheme at Stoke-on-Trent railway station.
• Kenilworth railway station funding refused Plans for a new railway station for a Warwickshire town have hit the buffers after the latest application for funding was turned down.
• Union rejects Tube pay rise offerMembers of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union reject a five-year pay deal offered by London Underground.
• Bus firms warned over wheel-lossSeveral Stagecoach bus firms are warned by the traffic commissioner after wheel-loss incidents and adverse vehicle inspections.
• Ford sees best profit in 13 yearsFord unveils its strongest first-quarter profits for 13 years, helped by increasing demand for more fuel-efficient cars.
• Train damaged by gas cylinder left on track at Shotton A train was badly damaged after hitting objects left on a railway line in Flintshire, it has emerged.

Department for Transport

• New operator sought for Greater Anglia rail servicesThe Government has set out the level of service it expects from companies bidding to run rail services in Greater Anglia, following today™s publication of the invitation to tender document for the short 17-month franchise.

Financial Times

• Busy week for transport companiesMost of the bus, train and airline groups that are expected to cater to the revellers who will come into London for the royal wedding do not expect profits to be higher than usual
• Ports: Container traffic brings new problemsRising trade flows create bottlenecks for shipping, writes Robert Wright
• Boeing moots radical revamp of 737The US aircraft maker is looking at replacing the most widely-flown commercial jet with a twin-aisle version,or one with a main body made of plastic composites
• Fuel costs drag US airline earningsHigher fuel prices dragged first-quarter earnings from Delta and US Airways, highlighting the strain that the lofty oil price is putting on the fragile airline sector

The Herald

• Speed traps net 128mph racers “ and an Easter BunnyPOLICE detected more than 600 speeding drivers over the weekend, including a 20-year-old motorcyclist dressed as the Easter Bunny.

The Scotsman

• Stagecoach banned from new services over safety concerns BUS operator Stagecoach has been banned from expanding its services in the Strathtay area for the next four months, after the Traffic Commissioner branded a string of safety incidents as "dramatic and worrying".

The Telegraph

• Stobart investors need some answers on proposed property buy-back It will certainly make for an interesting meeting. Four years after Stobart Group chairman Rodney Baker-Bates oversaw the sale of a £140m property portfolio to his chief executive Andrew Tinkler, he is now negotiating to buy it back – at what may prove to be a considerable discount.
• Stobart Group faces shareholder revolt Shareholders in Stobart Group have raised concerns about a deal which would see the distribution company buy a property portfolio from its chief executive, Andrew Tinkler.
• Ford by numbers Ford has reported a jump in first-quarter profit to $2.78bn (£1.7bn), as drivers choose its smaller and more fuel-efficient cars amid rising petrol prices. Here is how the car maker stacks up in numbers:

Press Association

• Rail union rejects 5-year pay deal The biggest rail workers' union has rejected a proposed five-year pay deal by London Underground and launched a campaign for a "substantial" 12-month agreement.

Daily Express

• ’Green' cars help to drive sales at FordGROWING demand for greener cars allied to a bounce back in the global economy sent Ford motoring to its biggest first-quarter profit in 13 years.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Surplus trams could be sold but only with MSPs' consentVEHICLES built for Edinburgh's tram project could yet be sold off to help finance the ailing scheme - but only with permission from the Scottish Government, it has emerged

Journal Live

• Newcastle MP's warning over rail fare hike A HIKE in rail fares likely under Government reforms will have devastating consequences for the North East economy, an MP last night warned.

Liverpool Post

• Peel Ports Mersey joint venture re-opens Ellesmere Port rail facility A JOINT venture between Peel Ports Mersey and Quality Freight Group has re-opened the rail head at Ellesmere Port – 20 years after it closed.
• John Lennon Airport hit by Bank Holiday rush amid passenger chaos THOUSANDS of holidaymakers returned home to travel chaos in the Bank Holiday rush at Liverpool John Lennon airport.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Bosses backing high-speed railTOP Sheffield company bosses are among 111 business leaders from across the north of England to sign a letter in support of Britain’s planned £32 billion high speed rail network.

Bucks Free Press

• £250 school bus tickets on cards after cutsMARLOW school parents will be forced to fork out a minimum of £250 in school bus tickets a year if their kids are caught out by the Marlow School Transport cuts.

Other Regional Press

• East Anglia: Bidding to take over Greater Anglia rail services opens The new operator will take over from National Express in February 2012 and will be responsible for trains from London to across Greater Anglia - including Great Yarmouth, Kings Lynn, Southend, Ipswich and Cambridge - until at least July 2013.
• Calderdale Council offers free safety gear for commuter motorbikers MOTORBIKERS are being offered free road safety equipment amid a warning to all motorists.

Railnews

• News: Job cuts feared following leaks of crucial rail report Leaks of the forthcoming McNulty report into railway finances have raised fears that many jobs could be at risk, and have already triggered union opposition. It's claimed that the report, due to be published during May, will also recommend drastic reforms at Network Rail.

The Business Desk

• Companies set to benefit from Hitachi train factory HUNDREDS of companies are to find out how they could benefit from the opening of the new Hitachi train factory in County Durham.

Aviation Industry

• Budget airlines rapped over advertsRyanair and easyJet have been rapped by a watchdog for

Other News Sources

• Transport Secretary Philip Hammond says UK pushing for EU rules to protect cyclists from lorries Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond has insisted that the UK is pressing for European legislation to be introduced that would help protect vulnerable cyclists from the danger posed by heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), including fitting vehicles with cameras and sensors.
• RMT rejects five year tube pay offer and launches campaign for a substantial increaseTUBE UNION RMT confirmed today that it has rejected a proposed five year pay offer from TFL and is launching a campaign for a substantial, above-inflation one year deal that reflects the additional workload placed on staff as a result of the repeated breakdown in services, a large increase in passenger numbers and the knock on effect from a programme of staff reductions.
• New bus service for Blackburn NEW bus services are being added in Blackburn - but campaigners say the same areas are still being neglected.