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

Wednesday, 18 May 2011

BBC News

• Politicians to fight flying blimpAM Vaughan Gething and MP Alun Michael join forces with residents opposing plans for a giant flying blimp in Cardiff Bay.
• Should electric cars be made to go 'vroom'?With whisper-quiet electric cars set to proliferate, the motor industry is under pressure to give them an artificial noise for safety purposes, but should they sound like traditional petrol vehicles?
• Tube unions want Olympic pay dealThe main rail union on the London Underground is to ask for at least £500 and 10% rise for workers during the Olympic Games.
• Japan carmakers to lose out in USJapan's carmakers are likely to lose out in vehicle sales in the resurgent US market, says a new study from A.T. Kearney
• Coastguards can give evidence to transport committee Maritime and Coastguard Agency staff on the Western Isles will be allowed to give evidence at a hearing on proposed changes to the service.

Financial Times

• Punish the directors and let the train driver go freeThe judge and spectators in court at St Albans last week all recognised the strangeness of the proceedings. Network Rail was fined £3m ($5m) for faults leading to a rail crash in 2002. But Network Rail wasn’t responsible for rail infrastructure at that time. Network Rail is, in effect, the government agency that took over responsibility for rail infrastructure after a series of failures which included that accident. The fine will transfer back to the Treasury money the Treasury had given to improve that infrastructure.
• Business traveller: Business-only flightsIn the boom years, business class-only airlines were common. Operators like MaxJet and Silverjet flew financiers across the Atlantic, but they went under in the crisis. But now, these services are returning
• Study points to radical rethink on railwaysMinisters are poised for a rethink of almost every aspect of rail policy, from fares to the relationship between infrastructure and train operators
• Brussels raids container shipping linesEuropean competition officials say there were suspicions that the companies had violated rules prohibiting cartels, restrictive business practices or abuse of dominant market positions

The Independent

• MPs to discuss lorry 'safety mirror' plan All new lorries would have to be fitted with safety mirrors under proposals to be debated in the Commons today to cut the numbers of cyclists killed on Britain's roads. MPs of all parties are backing the plans, which follow The Independent's
• Tube staff ask for 2012 cashRail union leaders are to press for a special payment of at least £500 for Tube staff working during next year's Olympic Games in London.
• Cautious welcome for 'green deal' to slash UK's carbon emissions The Government yesterday signed up to cutting Britain's greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half “ but with no clear agreement on how to achieve the target. The Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne announced that ministers had accepted proposals by the Committee on Climate Change to enshrine in law reductions in carbon emissions to 50 per cent of 1990 levels by 2027.

The Telegraph

• Bus passes for injured troops as covenant becomes law Servicemen who have been seriously injured while on duty will be given free bus passes for life under a series of measures designed to enshrine the Military Covenant in law.
• Fare shake-up to tackle overcrowding The cost of some peak time rail travel could fall under the biggest shake up of train ticket pricing in a generation.
• Rail unions demand £500 bonus to work through OlympicsRail unions are demanding at least £500 from London Underground to guarantee no disruption during the Olympics.
• Rail passengers face spring bank holiday disruptionPassengers travelling on the line linking London to the West Midlands, north west England and Scotland are facing delays and disruption because of engineering work over the Spring Bank Holiday.

Mail Online

• At last, a rail fare system you might understandThe government aims to save £1billion a year in costs by the end of the decade in the biggest revolution of the network since nationalisation.

Network Rail

• CROSSRAIL STATION DESIGN CONTRACT AWARDED

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Road boss pledges action at roundabout blackspot A pensioner has called for improvements at a busy roundabout regularly damaged by lorries after his car almost hit fallen masonry lying in the road.

Journal Live

• Durham County Council get Nissan Leaf pool car STAFF at the North East’s largest local authority now have a new environmentally friendly pool car.

London Evening Standard

• The station arriving at London Bridge will be as big as WembleyPlans for a huge redevelopment of London's oldest rail terminus have gone on public display. A concourse bigger than the Wembley Stadium pitch will be created at London Bridge station, while the number of platforms for through-running trains will be increased from six to nine.

Wales Online

• Electrification must be a catalyst for series of upgrades to rail line Board adviser on transport and the economy to Cardiff Business Partnership Mark Barry on why Wales must not be left behind by planned high-speed rail investments in other parts of the UK

Other Regional Press

• London Underground apprentice scoops major award Eighteen year-old Shauni O’Neal, a London Underground Operational apprentice from Borehamwood, is celebrating after winning the Apprentice of the Year Award yesterday at the London regional heat of the prestigious National Apprenticeship Awards held at City Hall.
• Businesses support music festivalLocal businesses have pledged their support and sponsorship of this years AmpRocks live music concert in Ampthill.

Global Rail News

• London Midland increases station car park pricesNew car park prices will come into effect at London Midland stations from Monday 23 May 2011. Although most daily and season tickets will increase by ...
• Translink announces first Charity PartnerTranslink has appointed Diabetes UK Northern Ireland as its first ever official Charity Partner. The partnership will raise awareness about diabetes amongst Translink employees, passengers and ...
• ORR launches review of access to Real Time Train InformationThe Office of Rail Regulation has commenced a review of the Association of Train Operating Companies™ (ATOC) Code of Practice for the supply of Real Time ...
• Rail company™s £26,000 environmental grantA train company is going green with its environmental grants for 2011. First TransPennine Express (FTPE) will this year be donating a total of £26,000 to ...
• Philippe Mellier leaves AlstomAfter 8 years spent as President of Alstom Transport, Philippe Mellier has decided to pursue his career outside of Alstom. He will join De Beers, the ...
• Industrial Peace as staff win Olympic GoldA two year deal which cuts out strikes and gives staff a 10 percent pay rise spells peace on the railways throughout the Olympics. The deal ...
• AECOM awarded Crossrail station design contractAECOM has been chosen by Network Rail to design improvement works to stations west of Paddington that are set to become part of the Crossrail route. ...
• Robin Gisby has been confirmed as Head of Network OperationsRobin Gisby has been confirmed as Head of Network Operations. The new support department at Network Rail replaces operations and customer services. All teams from that ...
• Nominations are open now for the RailStaff Awards 2011From a quiet beginning the RailStaff Awards is now attracting wider recognition as a unique national event where railway staff, drivers, conductors, clerks and cleaners are ...
• Record for UndergroundLondon Underground notched up a record 1.1 billion passenger journeys last year. This is an increase of 42 million journeys over last year. Volume has soared ...
• Taking stock of the new S stock trains with the help of ESim© training programWith the launch of the new air-conditioned S stock trains on London Underground™s Metropolitan Line services this year, train drivers will be checking out improved features, ...
• Front-runners to build new Midland Metro fleet announcedThe five front-runners in the race to supply the new multi-million pound tram fleet that will take the Midland Metro forward into the 21st century have been selected. The five companies are Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Siemens and Stadler.
• STATIONS: The hidden drama behind the headlinesRailway stations present a massive challenge for the railway industry. Old temples to the industrial revolution, who would have thought they had any place in modern ...
• Virgin Trains™ Bank Holiday services altered due to Network Rail improvementsThere will be alterations to services over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend because of route improvement work but the principal travel days of Friday and Bank ...
• ˜More seats for c2c customers™ in May timetableNational Express train operator c2c™s new summer timetable commences on Sunday 22 May and will feature almost 6,000 additional seats each weekday for customers, following the ...
• First Capital Connect holds crime prevention roadshowFirst Capital Connect last week held a crime prevention roadshow session at Baldock Station as part of a scheme to help cut crime. FCC™s Crime Prevention ...
• First Hull Trains launches new on-board menuFirst Hull Trains has launched a new menu on board its seven direct daily services between Hull and London. The move to a ‘lighter, more nourishing ...

Aviation Industry

• BusinessTalk: How high will inflation soar? And can Ryanair save Leeds Bradford Airport?RYANAIR will grow its number of passengers at Leeds Bradford airport to a million this year, according to its chief executive Michael O'Leary Listen to informed debate in the weekly on-demand programme from the Yorkshire Post.
• œNo future for smallest airportsThere is "no doubt" that the UK™s smallest airports will be forced to close, according to Manchester Airport Group™s Jonathan Bailey
• Virgin pilots threaten strikeA walk-out at Virgin Atlantic could be on the horizon, after the pilots™ union announced plans for a strike ballot
• Austrian Airlines changes baggage rulesIncrease in weight allowance, but reduction in number of bags, on flights booked after June 1

Green Miscellany

• Riversimple hydrogen fuel cell car to be re-launched A new and improved version of the Riversimple hydrogen fuel cell urban car will mark a radical evolution from the ground-breaking technology demonstrator the company unveiled in 2009. The new vehicle will share none of the components used in its predecessor, but will once again forsake a conventional engine in favour of a fuel cell stack, a device that uses an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity to power a motor.read more
• The full-size electric motorcycle that folds to fit in a lift When engineers developed the gyroscopes, tilt sensors and high-speed microprocessors to allow the Segway to stay upright they had not considered the balancing act involved in getting the scooter approved from the Department for Transport, but luckily such legal hurdles have not stopped other designers from using the same technology to build ever-more-ambitious variations on the theme. read more

Other News Sources

• Who should pay for Elephant & Castle’s new £160 million tube station?Tube passengers at Elephant & Castle could face daily closures due to overcrowding if the station isn't rebuilt to meed the demand from extra passengers living and working at new developments in the area, Transport for London has warned.
• Assembly to debate Tube performance with unions, business and the Arbiter 16 May 2011 With record-breaking passenger numbers and the timetable for improvement works slipping, the London Assembly will tomorrow hold the first of two public sessions to debate the impact of Tube disruption on Londoners and businesses, and ways to get the upgrade programme back on track. The Transport Committee will also question union leaders about the impact of industrial action on the Tube™s recent performance[1] and the likelihood of further strike action, including during the 2012 Games. t...
• German firm gets boring role on CrossrailCrossrail™s chief executive said tunnelling work was just nine months away as a German manufacturer was chosen to deliver six tunnel boring machines for the £15.9 billion project.