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

Tuesday, 14 June 2011

BBC News

• Jubilee Line upgrade: 'expect teething problems' The new deputy mayor for transport says the much delayed Jubilee Line upgrade will be completed by the end of July - but has warned of teething problems.
• New deadlines and new franknessTom Edwards considers the announcement of yet another completion date for the Tube upgrades
• Cows on the line among top delaysCows on the line led to 15 train cancellations on Britain's rail network in May, Network Rail said as it issued a new listing of top delays.
• Hunt slams Wimbledon Tube strikeThe culture secretary accuses a union of using
• VIDEO: Heathrow passenger numbers risePassenger numbers at Heathrow over the last 12 months topped 68 million for the first time according to the airport's operator, BAA.

Financial Times

• Avis companies near £600m deal to reuniteAvis Budget is close to a deal to buy its European counterpart for more than £600m, reuniting the two parts of the Avis business after 25 years
• Transport investment linked to stabilityEmerging markets will struggle to attract transport infrastructure investment until they give investors greater reassurance, a study says

The Herald

• ’Use it or lose it’ call made before ferry launch FERRY operator Caledonian MacBrayne has issued a “use it or lose it” ultimatum before the launch of a new Clyde crossing between Gourock and Dunoon next month.
• Royal wedding boosts air trafficEDINBURGH and Heathrow airports broke new records for passenger numbers last month as the royal wedding contributed to a surge in people taking flights.
• Water bus service launches on Loch LomondA WATER bus service which aims to open up Loch Lomond to thousands of tourists from Glasgow was launched yesterday.

The Independent

• Tube travellers to face Northern Line disruption Travellers on the Tube's busiest line will face a series of weekend closures due to upgrade work starting later this year, it was announced today.

The Telegraph

• HS2: high-speed rail consultant sacked after 'cretin' row caught on video A high speed rail consultant employed to promote the benefits of a proposed multi-billion pound train line linking the south with the north was sacked after calling a campaigner a “cretin”, during a row caught on video.
• Is this the end of cattle class? If only that were true. In fairness to Airbus planes have been becoming more comfortable. The mammoth A380 is quieter and by all accounts smoother than older aircraft.
• Olympics could lead to 100 days of road chaos The Olympics will lead to 100 days of disruption across London - three times as long as the time allocated for events, it is feared.

Daily Express

• BAA passenger riseTHE late Easter holiday and royal wedding boosted the number of passengers using BAA's airports last month, despite chaos caused by volcanic ash.

Mail Online

• Britain's gridlocked roads are busiest in Europe (...and London is third most congested in the continent)The UK has 16 cities in a list of the 50 most gridlocked across the continent, with eight in the top 20.
• Transparent plane of 2050 where passengers can see the sky through the cabin wallsThe futuristic concept for travel in 40 years time with its 'intelligent' cabin wall membrane, has been unveiled in London by planemakers Airbus.
• Train travellers are given a new reason for delays - COWS on the lineThe unlikely excuse was apparently behind 15 train cancellations last month and comes as the regulator prepares to rap Network Rail today for poor punctuality over the past year.

Network Rail

• NATIONAL TRAIN PERFORMANCE FOR MAY 2011 IS 93.7%

Birmingham Mail

• London Midland launches 'smart meters' scheme on trains BIRMINGHAM’S biggest train operating company has become the first in the UK to equip its entire electric fleet with meters motoring energy use.
• Road campaigners want £1billion government buy-out of M6 Toll A CAMPAIGN group has urged the Government to buy back the M6 Toll for £1 billion and make it free to use.

Birmingham Post

• HS2 event employee sacked after calling protester a 'cretin' An argument at a high-speed rail roadshow near Solihull in which a doctor was called a “cretin” has seen a member of the project's consultation team sacked.Anti-HS2 protester Dr Paul Thornton, 52, was told by the woman he could not take pictures at the HS2 information event in Balsall Common on Wednesday, over the planned £17 billion London to Birmingham line.When Dr Thornton persisted, the woman – from an events management company employed by HS2 Ltd – called him a “cretin” in the ensuing argument.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Fears trams report could lack vital detailsA LONG-awaited report on the future of the trams might not contain key figures on how much it will cost to continue or cancel the project, it has emerged.
• Vote for me to get the trams scrappedONE of the tram project's most vocal critics is preparing an audacious political bid to have the embattled scheme cancelled.

Journal Live

• Newcastle Airport chiefs criticise private plane payment AVIATION bosses have criticised the Government’s proposals for a “Lear jet tax” as damaging to the region.

Liverpool Echo

• Vince Cable visits Detroit to try to bring electric car production to Vauxhall Ellesmere Port BUSINESS secretary Vince Cable was today meeting General Motors bosses to discuss the future of electric car production in the UK.

London Evening Standard

• Passengers on stranded trains treated 'dreadfully', says Philip HammondPassengers trapped on stranded trains last week were given 'pretty dreadful' information about what was happening, says the Transport secretary
• 'Blackmail' charge against Tube union over Wimbledon strikesCabinet minister Jeremy Hunt today accused Tube union bosses of 'blackmail plans' for threatening strike action during Wimbledon
• MP to hit out at high fuel pricesMajor fuel companies are continuing to inflate their prices despite the cost of oil falling, an MP will say today.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester Airports Group launches 'Give Us a Break' campaign against Holidaymakers and business travellers using Manchester Airport are being urged to back a campaign to overhaul a controversial air tax. The government’s consultation on the future of Air Passenger Duty closes at the end of this week.

Metro

• Fancy flying in a transparent plane in 2050?Transparent cabins, seats that mould around your body and virtual reality games in aircraft may not be a flight of fancy after drawings of an Airbus concept plane could look in 2050 were unveiled.

Yorkshire Post

• Transparent future for air travelA futuristic concept of air travel in which passengers will be able to gaze up at sunny or starry skies through a transparent cabin has been unveiled by Airbus.

Carlisle News & Star

• Carlisle's damaged Millennium Bridge closed Carlisle's Millennium Bridge has been closed to pedestrians because it has been damaged.

Other Regional Press

• First Capital Connect and Network Rail bosses to be grilled by St Albans councillors BOSSES from beleaguered train company First Capital Connect will be questioned by members of the district council's scrutiny committee.
• London assembly member for Barnet welcomes Northern line upgrade plans THE London assembly member for Barnet and Camden, Brian Coleman, has welcomed Transport for London’s new approach to the Northern line upgrade.
• Free school buses face axeFree transport for hundreds of children attending Kent™s grammar and church schools is to be scrapped completely as part of a cost-cutting move.
• New Loch Lomond water bus service starts todayA new water bus service to Loch Lomond is launched today in a bid to boost tourism to the Bonnie Banks.
• Parents face costs hike for school transport in Dorset PARENTS face a massive hike in school bus fares for their children.
• HS2 woman sacked over 'cretin' jibe in Balsall Common roadshow (audio) AN ARGUMENT at a HS2 roadshow in which a Coventry doctor was called a “cretin” has seen a member of the government’s consultation team sacked.

Global Rail News

• Bombardier to deliver major London Underground signalling upgradeBombardier Transportation has been awarded the major contract for the Sub Surface Railway automatic train control signalling upgrade for London Underground.
• Alstom to supply Bordeaux with more Citadis tramsThe Communauté Urbaine de Bordeaux (CuB), has designated Alstom as its preferred supplier for 26 high-capacity Citadis tramsets that can accommodate up to 400 passengers. The ...
• Invensys Rail commissions Moorthorpe resignalling projectAt 03:00 hours on Tuesday 31 May 2011, Invensys Rail successfully commissioned the resignalled areas of Hickleton, Moorthorpe Station and South Kirby, effectively completing the Moorthorpe ...
• Bombardier Transportation to exhibit latest rail equipment at RailtexBombardier Transportation will be at Railtex this week to exhibit its comprehensive range of rail equipment, systems and services for the UK. Highlights include its latest ...
• Northern line upgrade set to begin this yearTransport for London today announced that the main programme of works to upgrade London’s busiest Tube line – the Northern line – will commence later this ...
• Commuters told to ˜expect teething problems™ on Jubilee Line upgradeIsabel Dedring, the new deputy mayor for transport has said the Jubilee Line upgrades will be ‘completed by the end of July‘. The upgrades to the ...
• Tube delays down by more than a third in 8 yearsDelays on London Underground (LU) have dropped by more than a third since 2003/4 when the Tube became part of Transport for London, new figures from ...
• National rail performance for May 2011 93.7%Punctuality on the railways reached 93.7% during May, according to monthly performance data released today by Network Rail. Trains being ‘on time’ is measured by passenger ...
• c2c tops rail punctuality charts againNational Express train operator c2c has reached the top of the national punctuality table for the fourth month in a row, with another four-week period of ...
• South West Trains to ˜axe 48 customer service staff™The RMT has said South West Trains are to cut 48 customer service jobs. This comes after ‘staff shortages compounded the chaos of the breakdown of ...
• Stadler Reinickendorf produces first train for ODEGStadler Reinickendorf GmbH was founded as a new company in March 2011, with a view to manufacturing bodyshells for rail vehicles at the site. After three ...
• Raymond Brown awarded £1m Basingstoke station contractA significant £1m contract for Hampshire-based Raymond Brown Construction (RBC) marks a step-up for the recently-formed rail division of the business. New Rail Operations Director Tom ...
• Cambridgeshire™s Guided Busway to open in AugustCouncil bosses have announced the delayed Cambridgeshire Guided Busway will open on Sunday, 7 August. The revolutionary new link will offer a reliable, fast and frequent ...
• New journey planner app piloted in BuryA new smartphone app, which will provide Greater Manchester™s public transport passengers with ‘all the information they need to plan journeys in real time’, has been ...
• Driver seat manufacturers in the spotlightBe-Ge is one of the oldest driver seat manufacturers in the world, having made its first suspended driver seat over 60 years ago in Sweden. Today ...
• Rail worker hit by Gatwick Express trainA rail worker was hit by a Gatwick Express train in the early hours of this morning. The man is said to be in a stable ...
• Cows on the line feature in Network Rail™s top delaysNetwork Rail released figures today showing the train performance for May. The figures also showed incidents that resulted in trains being cancelled or delayed. Cows on ...

Railnews

• Arise, Sir Stagecoach! Royal honours for rail achievers Stagecoach Group chief executive Brian Souter is one of several railway industry figures who have received Queen's Birthday Honours. He is to become Sir Brian, in recognition of his services to transport and the voluntary sector.
• Railnews launches major railway recruitment initiative Railnews will launch a major recruitment initiative at Railtex, which opens tomorrow. The new window into railway jobs is being created by an innovative partnership between Railnews and leading recruiters JustEngineers.

The Business Desk

• Coventry and Staffordshire reveal Enterprise Zones mission COVENTRY Airport and a 'business triangle' in north Staffordshire are the latest candidates for Enterprise Zone status.
• Metrolink expansion could generate £80m of work THE expansion of Manchester's Metrolink tram network could generate £80m of work for engineering contractors.
• LEP backs High Speed 2's 'vital role' in economic growth GREATER Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership has thrown its weight behind the High Speed 2 rail proposal between London and Birmingham.

Transport for London

• London Underground awards major signalling contract The new signalling system will bring huge increases in capacity to 40 per cent of the Tube network. Faster, more reliable trains, more often on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. London Underground (LU) has awarded Bombardier Transportation the contract to upgrade the signalling on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines

Aviation Industry

• New bus links to StanstedLondon Stansted™s public transport network will be further boosted next month with improved links on two key bus routes that connect Colchester, Braintree and Bishop™s Stortford to the airport...
• May 2011 traffic figures - BAA's airportsColin Matthews, chief executive of BAA, said: œDemand is particularly strong on the long-haul routes that connect UK businesses to fast-growing economies around the world....
• Airport sustainability, contrails, and planning permission at small airfieldsIn the past fortnight, we™ve been working with airport operators, scientists and campaigners. Tim presented at the web launch of a new guidance document on how airport operators should report on their sustainability performance. The guidance was produced by the Global Reporting Initiative and Tim was an active member of the working group that developed [...]
• Xiamen Airlines confirms plans to join SkyTeam China Southern Airlines subsidiary Xiamen Airlines confirmed Monday it has been approved by the SkyTeam board for membership as early as year-end 2012.
• BAA airports report record SpringMarch, April and May were the busiest in Heathrow and Edinburgh airports™ history, according to BAA™s latest figures

Other News Sources

• Bicycle price-fixing complaint withdrawn A complaint of price-fixing in the bicycle industry was withdrawn because of technicalities, the Competition Commission said on Monday. “We are not withdrawing the case because we didn't think there was a case,” said spokesman Oupa Bodibe.
• Bombardier to Deliver Major London Underground Signalling Upgrade Bombardier Transportation has been awarded the major contract for the Sub Surface Railway (SSR) automatic train control (ATC) signalling upgrade for London Underground in the UK. The contract, valued at approximately £354 million GBP (approx € 402 million euro / $ 577 million US), is a part of London Underground's SSR Upgrade Programme (SUP). Bombardier will provide the proven CITYFLO 650 ATC system, its innovative communication-based train control (CBTC) technology, similar to that running successfully on the Metro de Madrid in Spain.
• Londoners told to prepare for 100 days of disruption in 2012Londoners are being told to prepare for 100 days of "major disruption" in 2012 during the build up to Olympics in July, and when the Games are taking place with businesses still in "denial" according to Deloittes the accountants, with 60 per cent of businesses claiming there will be a "minimal impact".
• TfL cable car naming rights 'could fetch £50m' Some experts say the deal could fetch up to £50m.The cable car, scheduled to open next year, will connect the Greenwich Peninsula with the Royal Victoria Dock.
• Transport for Greater Manchester outlines £80m services contract Where am I? > Home > News > Communications > Networks Transport for Greater Manchester outlines £80m services contract by Derek du Preez More from this author 13 Jun 2011 Be the first to comment Transport for Greater Manchester (TGM) is looking for ad-hoc IT services providers for its ongoing development programme.
• TfL and Deputy Mayor for Transport to face questions on Tube performance and upgrades 13 June 2011 It™s been a year since Transport for London (TfL) brought all the Tube upgrade contracts in-house[1].  Since then disruption has increased[2], the upgrade programme has slipped, and the Tube is carrying unprecedented passenger numbers.  What is TfL doing to improve the performance of the London Underground, and when will the improvements Londoners were promised be delivered in full?  tube.jpg Yes ...
• Buyers œunder-using tourist boardsBusiness travel and meetings buyers are missing out by not making use of national tourist boards, according to one influential figure

News from Europe

• Rail Freight Group Reacts with Outrage at MEPs Proposals for Eurotunnel Attempts by three French Members of the European Parliament (MEP’s) to gain exemption for rail services using the Tunnel from the requirements of the First Railway Package Recast, currently wending its way through the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, has provoked outrage from the UK’s Rail Freight Group (RFG) which represents the countries rail freight community.
• France urges EU 'rapid action' in air carbon row