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

Saturday, 25 June 2011

BBC News

• Samaritans: Railway suicides down 11% in London [video]A scheme to cut the number of suicides on the railways has been hailed a success, following an 11% decrease of such deaths on all commuter routes coming into London in the last year.
• Cheryl Gillan's Cabinet quit warning over rail plans [video]The Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan, says she is ready to leave the cabinet over UK government plans for a high speed rail link between London and Birmingham.
• Reversing Dr Beeching The Open golf championship at St Andrews brought an estimated £40m of added value to the Fife economy last year, and a further £60m to Scotland.
• Iraq: France's Alstom signs high-speed rail line deal French engineering giant Alstom has signed a preliminary deal to build a high-speed rail line linking Basra and Baghdad in Iraq.
• Ministers cars 'cost over £1.3m'The cost of providing cars for MLAs and civil servants was more than £1.3m over the past three years, according to figures from the finance minister.
• 'Docking' trams idea unveiledAn exciting future where trams can 'dock' with high speed trains while both are in motion?

Financial Times

• Luddites are wrong over railwayPhilip Hammond compares opponents of his high-speed rail scheme to the Luddites who fought against the arrival of the Victorian railways in the 19th century
• Government ready to sell HS2 to recoup investmentThe high-speed rail link from London to Manchester and Leeds will be sold to private investors to recoup much of the taxpayers' investment in the £33bn scheme

The Guardian

• Yorkshire fights back against home counties' high speed rail opposition North-south fight intensifies over proposed high speed rail link as supporters crank up fight for Leeds line, highlighting economic benefits which could reap £2bn for region

The Herald

• Alexander Dennis boss wins business accoladeCOLIN Robertson, the chief executive officer of Alexander Dennis, was named Ernst & Young Scotland Overall Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 at an awards dinner held last night at the Gleneagles Hotel.

The Independent

• Minor British Institutions: Personalised number plates Elsewhere, personalised car number plates are considered an amusing accessory or a mark of distinction. Here, the distinction they mark is between Britons who consider them vulgar and Britons whose enjoyment of life is untroubled by such concerns, plus some splinter groups claiming them as a memory aid, or an investment (the record price is £500,000).

The Telegraph

• Airbus A380 order forced under wraps over China-EU emissions spat Not even Boeing could deny that Airbus has had a barn-stormer of a week at the Paris Air Show, stacking up record orders day after day.
• Air tax blamed as small airports lose business The figures support claims made by airport operators that Air Passenger Duty (APD) is having a “damaging and disproportionate impact” on the country’s regional hubs. During this time APD has risen by 140 per cent on short-haul flights, from £5 to £12, and by up to 325 per cent on longer journeys.
• Questor share tip: Go-Ahead operating profit will beat expectations Yesterday's trading update from rail and bus operator Go-Ahead Group was very good.
• Alstom in deal to build high-speed rail in Iraq French engineering group Alstom is in exclusive talks to build a high-speed rail line between Baghdad and Basra in Iraq, French junior transport minister Thierry Mariani said on Friday.
• More than half of people opposed to high speed rail link Only a third of people back the new high-speed rail link, the first national poll on the issue has shown.

The Sun

• 3p fuel cut joy CASH-strapped Brit motorists are offered a lifeline after oil prices hit a four-month low

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham smart card scheme plans delayed The swipe card will eventually allow passengers to pay fares by swiping a chip over an electronic reader in the same way that London’s Oyster system operates.

Birmingham Post

• Warwickshire County Council to object to HS2 plans Conservative-led Warwickshire County Council is set to take its case against HS2 railway plans to the Government.
• MEP Nikki Sinclaire has anti-HS2 banners removed by Birmingham City Council West Midlands MEP Nikki Sinclaire has accused Birmingham City Council of breaching her human rights, after it removed posters she had placed opposing high speed rail.
• Birmingham City Council HS2 survey results 'misleading', says Friends of the Earth A Birmingham City Council survey which claimed to uncover strong support for high speed rail was based on only one per cent of people whose views were canvassed saying they backed the scheme.
• Birmingham's travelcard equivalent to Oyster delayed for a year A £20 million scheme to introduce a smart card which promises to speed up bus, tram and rail travel in Birmingham has been delayed for up to a year after software was rushed through tests with faults.
• Councils divided over impact of high speed rail West Midlands councils remain deeply divided over high speed rail, with only Birmingham and Solihull looking certain to back the HS2 plan.

Derby Telegraph

• EU Commission is `ready to help city' AFTER a torrid few days for Derby, there was some comfort when the EU Commission said it was "ready to use all the tools at its disposal" to see if it could help the city.
• All is not lost for Bombardier despite Thameslink setback LIKE you, I was shocked and disappointed to hear that Bombardier had lost out to Siemens in its bid to build the new trains for Thameslink, and will be asking questions of ministers and in the House as to why this has happened, writes MP Heather Wheeler.
• Ministers tell angry MPs 'we can't reverse rail decision' Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has said that he has ’no power’ to reverse a decision not to award a £ 1.4 billion contract to Derby train-maker Bombardier – but are there other routes that could force his hand?

Journal Live

• Siemens offers the homeless chance to win apprenticeships HOMELESS people are being offered a life-changing chance to win apprenticeships with one of the region’s leading manufacturers.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Airline™s parent company is bringing in the moneyTHE parent company of airline Jet2.com has increased its turnover and profits, according to a statement by its chairman.

Yorkshire Post

• Fast rail link ’last best chance to tackle North-South divide’ BUILDING a high-speed rail network is the “last best chance” of overcoming the North-South divide, the Transport Secretary has said.
• Supermarkets reduce petrol pricesHard-pressed motorists received some cheer yesterday when supermarkets announced fuel price cuts.
• Leeds airport didn™t even have permission to put up ™rip off™ car charge signsMANAGERS at Leeds Bradford Airport broke planning rules when they installed road signs to publicise their hugely controversial “drop-off” charges for visitors, it emerged today.

Other Regional Press

• HS2 to boost jobs says Centro A £32bn high speed rail line from Birmingham to London will boost jobs, investment and train services in the West Midlands, it was claimed today.
• More trains to call at Pontypool TORFAEN commuters to Cardiff can now benefit from more train services.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Road consultations backfiring24 June: Two consultations on controversial roads schemes in Lancashire and Kingskerswell in Devon are not going quite as they should... read more

Global Rail News

• UK rail passengers ˜more satisfied™ with their service than in many other EU countriesPeople making middle or long distance trips by rail in the UK are happier with their journey than most of their European neighbours, according to new ...
• Moving Platforms “ the future of getting from A to B by rail?Moving Platforms is the brainchild of Priestmangoode, a leading UK multidisciplinary design group. Watch the video of the extraordinary idea here. The idea behind Moving Platforms is ...
• Only 34% support high speed rail link according to new pollA major new YouGov/TaxPayers’ Alliance poll of 2,732 British adults reveals that the public support billions in spending cuts to foreign aid, high speed rail, trade ...
• Birse Rail awarded two Building and Civils Delivery Partnership contractsBirse Rail is pleased to announce that it has been awarded two important new framework contracts by Network Rail covering a significant area of the UK. ...
• Armed Forces travel free on Metrolink this Saturday in ManchesterMembers and veterans of the Armed Forces can travel free on Greater Manchester’s Metrolink trams this Saturday 25 June in celebration of Armed Forces Day. Anyone ...
• GE Transportation launches signalling systems centre in ItalyGE Transportation has announced the inauguration of a centre of global excellence for leading railway signalling systems located in Sesto Fiorentino in Tuscany, near Florence. The ...
• Coal trains operating over Weardale RailwayUp to 150,000 tonnes per annum of high quality coking coal, from the Park Wall North surface mine in the Wear Valley, will be shipped to ...
• Congestion surveys strengthens the argument for public transportFamilies were today urged to make greater use of the region™s public transport network after a survey revealed that Birmingham is now more congested than the ...
• Railway heritage work praised in House of CommonsTheresa Villiers MP, the minister of state for railways, was generous in her praise for the work of the railway heritage industry at a packed reception ...
• Passengers in Honiton benefit from £1.4m station improvementsA new look station for Honiton was officially unveiled yesterday to the public following a seven month refurbishment programme to create a modern station environment, fit ...

Railnews

• Edinburgh tram project seems set to survive The increasingly costly Edinburgh tram project may survive after all – following the preparation of a report on which the city council will vote on 30 June. It is said that scrapping the project, which is running years late, would cost almost as much as running a service between central Edinburgh and the airport.

Green Miscellany

• More MPs on bikes would boost bicycle culture If a greater number of MPs and other opinion formers used bicycles it would boost cycling by encouraging others to follow suit, according to the organisers of this year™s All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group bike ride. The ride started at the London Eye and took a group of 120 riders on a trip around Westminster before finishing at the House of Lords.read more