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

Wednesday, 29 June 2011

BBC News

• New liquids scanner tested at UK airport A new machine which tests liquids without them having to be opened, is being tested at Durham Tees Valley airport.
• Stagecoach: High petrol price boosts passenger numbers Stagecoach has reported a 27% rise in full-year profits, saying that the higher cost of petrol has encouraged more people to use public transport instead of taking their car.
• Critics of high-speed rail are 'well-off nimbys' Many opponents of a planned high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham are well-off
• School trip buses taken off roadPolice carrying out safety checks on school buses order three off the road immediately after finding
• Alliance supports tram completionA transport and business alliance urges councillors in Edinburgh to back the completion of the tram line to St Andrew Square.
• Tube passengers getting hotterTube passengers on the Victoria line are getting hotter despite new trains
• Call for answers on train delaysThe London Assembly's transport committee writes to Southeastern trains after commuters faced major delays because of hot weather.
• New £692m motorway route M74 openThe controversial M74 extension through Glasgow opens to traffic - almost three times over the original estimated budget.
• UK carmakers want more engineersThe UK motor industry invites students, teachers and career advisers to visit factories in an effort to make young people chose engineering.
• Hidden card charges to be bannedTravel companies have been ordered to end the use of hidden surcharges for passengers paying by card.

Financial Times

• China puts the brakes on high-speed railBeijing drives home the message that safety is being taken seriously
• Business traveller: Economy class tacticsFor those in coach, getting off the aircraft can be a real battle “ and being last can mean last for immigration and last for taxis
• Tory donors in funding threat over HS2Several donors have warned they will withdraw funding from the party if the coalition presses ahead with plans for a high-speed rail link
• OFT warns retailers on debit card chargesThe Office of Fair Trading calls on the government to ban surcharges for payment by debit cards, a practice commonly used by Ryanair and other budget airlines
• Rise in first-class sales boosts operatorsSales of first-class rail tickets have rebounded, defying cutbacks in government and company travel budgets, figures show

The Guardian

• Stagecoach profits jump as high petrol prices drive people to public transport Stagecoach has spelled out the benefits it has seen from drivers abandoning their cars because of high petrol prices and growing congestion, and increasingly using its buses and trains.

The Herald

• M74 link opens at last, but launch hit by delays, detours and traffic jams Glasgow™s long-awaited M74 extension finally opened last night after a 50-minute delay and traffic chaos.

The Independent

• MPs seek explanation for train disruptions Ministers have asked Network Rail (NR) to explain how train passengers were left
• Airlines risk legal action over credit card 'sting'Budget airlines, theatres and football clubs risk legal action if they continue to levy inflated charges for paying by credit and debit cards, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) warned yesterday.

The Telegraph

• Half a million air passengers warned over strike disruptionAir passengers advised to avoid flying on Thursday as strike set to severely disrupt airport border operations.

Mail Online

• Terminal overcapacity: Planes spend 55 hours a DAY circling the skies over Heathrow waiting to land Overcrowded skies could be costing the UK economy millions of pounds every day as business leaders from across the country lobby for more runways.
• easyJet and Ryanair: OFT orders travel companies to drop hidden 'rip-off' surchargesThe Office of Fair Trading singled out the airline sector - where UK customers spent £300million on surcharges in 2009 - for using the practice.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL OUTLINES FUTURE FOR SCOTLAND™S RAILWAYPassenger numbers set to soar across the network over next two decadesMore train services and enhanced infrastructure needed to match demand

Birmingham Post

• Businesses need high speed rail, transport select committee told Read More http://www.birminghampost.net/news/politics-news/2011/06/28/businesses-need-high-speed-rail-transport-select-committee-told-65233-28955406/#ixzz1Qdy9xwOBBusinesses need a new high speed rail network, the head of Britain’s business organisations has told MPs. David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, warned the Government not to give in to opponents attempting to block plans for a £17 billion service linking Birmingham with London, Leeds and Manchester.

Derby Telegraph

• Sign here to urge Government to rethink on Bombardier contract snub DERBY North MP Chris Williamson has collected thousands of signatures in just a few days since he launched a petition urging a Government rethink on the £1.4bn Thameslink contract.
• Not value for money to give £1.4bn to Germany [letter]HOW can it be value for money to pour £1.4 billion into the German economy instead of the UK?
• Ministers' unbelievable statement on rail deal [letter]AN industry and its hard-working people betrayed sums up the Bombardier situation. But the statement by ministers that they didn't consider the impact of the rail decision on the country's economy before awarding the contract to Germany is truly unbelievable.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Cardownie: It's time to give the public their say on tramsDEPUTY council leader Steve Cardownie today called for a referendum to allow the people of Edinburgh to decide the future of the trams project.

Liverpool Post

• Is this any way to run a railway? “WE APOLOGISE to customers for the cancellation of our integrated services for the foreseeable future. This is due to back-tracking issues which we do not anticipate will be resolved at any time soon”.

London Evening Standard

• Planes spend 55 hours a day waiting to land at HeathrowDelays and pollution caused by planes kept circling before landing at Heathrow are costing the capital millions, it emerged today.

Manchester Evening News

• Opening of new Metrolink line to south Manchester delayed after computer glitch The opening of the long-awaited tramline to south Manchester has been delayed another week “ after work to install a trouble-plagued computer system brought chaos to the entire Metrolink network. Services on the Eccles line had to be suspended early yesterday and passengers also faced severe delays on the Bury and Altrincham lines after a problem near Cornbrook.

Metro

• Airlines to face ban on 'surprise' credit card chargesAirlines and other companies that ˜surprise™ online customers with last-minute credit card charges should face legal action, a consumer watchdog has said.

Sheffield Star

• Just the ticket for passengers WE all know the saying that you can wait all day for a bus and then all of a sudden three come at the same time.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Getting on the bus to show rail supportBUSINESS leaders will be on track to support the call for a high speed rail link to Yorkshire - by boarding a special BUS!

Yorkshire Post

• Nissan celebrates as millionth Qashqai leaves production lineStaff at car giant Nissan’s Sunderland plant yesterday celebrated the manufacture of their one millionth Qashqai.
• Ministers urged to take rail scheme out of ˜limbo™THE Government will today be urged to spell out whether it plans to fund a West Yorkshire rail scheme which would pave the way for private developers to invest millions of pounds in a major redevelopment.

Other Regional Press

• Hauliers squeezed by rising fuel costs A report from the Freight Transport Association says haulage rates are failing to keep up with the rising cost of diesel.
• Could HS2 be made in China? BRITISH firms could be snubbed if a controversial high speed rail link is built through Buckinghamshire, it has emerged.
• Ferry boss warns port privatisation could be a disasterThe future of the ferry industry and thousands of jobs could be

Campaign for Better Transport

• Cambridgeshire County Council U-turn on bus cuts Save Our Buses is celebrating the news that the Council will review their decision to cut 100% of support for buses. read more

Global Rail News

• Designer gives London Tube map a makeoverBritish designer Mark Noad has unveiled his version of the iconic London Underground map. He has redesigned Harry Beck’s version, created in 1931 which is still ...
• Scrapped rail freight scheme wins prestigious awardAlthough government cuts has resulted in the scrapping of the Department for Transport™s Freight Best Practice scheme, it won the prestigious 2011 Chartered Institute of Logistics ...
• South Manchester Metrolink line will not open ˜for at least™ another weekMetrolink™s new service to south Manchester will not start for at least another week, Transport for Greater Manchester has said. A key part of last weekend™s ...
• New cycle compound opens at Southend Victoria stationA new secure cycle shelter has just been opened at Southend Victoria station to boost healthier travel options. The shelter gives passengers and rail staff a ...
• BTP calls for help over army veteran™s missing war diaryBritish Transport Police is appealing for the public™s help to trace the cherished war-time diary of a 95-year-old army veteran after it was left on a ...
• Transport for London plans to cool the Tube networkWith warm summer weather now hitting the Capital and millions of Tube passengers experiencing hot journeys on the Underground, Transport for London has set out the work ...
• Britain™s leading transport designer unveils the future for 21st Century train travelView a short film of this concept Moving Platforms is a completely inter-connected rail infrastructure where local trams connect to a network of non-stop high speed ...
• Nexans wins two major railway infrastructure contracts in SwitzerlandNexans, a worldwide leading expert in the cable industry, has been awarded two major contracts, worth a total of €17m, by Switzerland™s CFF (Chemins de Fer ...
• Siemens wins signalling contract in South AfricaThe Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa has awarded Siemens a contract to supply signalling equipment for the rail network in the province of Gauteng. The ...
• Call for Councillors to ˜commit™ to St Andrew Square tram link in EdinburghTransform Scotland have today, in alliance with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, called for Edinburgh Councillors to vote to deliver the tram to St Andrew Square as a springboard ...
• Network Rail outlines future for Scotland™s railwayNetwork Rail has today published its Scotland Route Utilisation Strategy Generation Two (RUS), which sets out how Scotland™s railway will need to grow over the next ...
• Lightening strikes cause train delays and cancellationsUpdate: No FCC trains are running between Gatwick and Brighton currently. The train operator has asked passengers to use alternative means of transport if possible. ‘Severe’ ...
• DSBFirst taken over by Veolia Transport in SwedenGunnar Wulff, the chief executive of southern Sweden’s regional transport company Ã–resundstÃ¥g, has announced it is to be taken over by Veolia Transport. Currently operated by DSBFirst, ...

The Business Desk

• Stagecoach to continue Virgin JV to secure West Coast franchise TRANSPORT group Stagecoach has said it will continue to work in partnership with Virgin Trains to try to secure the lucrative West Coast Main Line franchise.

Aviation Industry

• Hampshire business leaders unveil new priority services at Southampton AirportBusiness leaders from across Hampshire have joined together at Southampton Airport to unveil a series of new ˜Breeze Priority™ services...
• OFT calls on airlines to scrap debit card feesTo make air fares œtruly meaningful and comparable passengers shouldn't be charged for booking with debit cards

Other News Sources

• Crunch Bombardier talks set for Berlin Derby's political and business leaders are set to question Bombardier's president at the rail manufacturer's Berlin headquarters this Friday (1 July). The move comes after the government decided to award the £1.4bn Thameslink contract to German company Siemens rather than the UK manufacturer. John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, told Insider: "This is not just a Derby issue, it is a UK issue - we are looking at the end of rail manufacturing in the UK."
• New terminal to strengthen Birmingham’s global connectivityThe £13 million (€15m) ’One Terminal’ development is the latest step in Birmingham Airport’s dynamic strategy for future growth. The airport rebranded last October, dropping the word ’International’ from its name in a move designed to create positive awareness of its potential and generate loyalty from those living in its catchment area.
• HS2 to be leased outThe UK’s Secretary of State for Transport has suggested that the proposed High Speed Two (HS2) rail link between London and the West Midlands could be sold to cover some of its development costs.
• London transport 'carrying record numbers' The number of passengers getting around the UK capital using the public travel network is growing.
• OFT orders low cost airlines to drop debit card surchargesThe Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is clamping down on the misleading debit and credit card surcharges added to booking fees by low cost airlines and other businesses.
• Assembly demands answers over Southeastern train chaos 28 June 2011 The London Assembly™s Transport Committee has written to Southeastern trains seeking an explanation for the severe delays yesterday evening, and how passengers “ some of whom left the train and walked along the tracks to escape the sweltering conditions “ will be compensated. A broken down train in Dartford caused significant delays to Southeastern services during the evening rush hour, and left passengers on one train stuck just outside Bexleyheath for almost two hours on the hottest day of the year. ...
• Eurostar expands services for summer peakThe cross-channel rail operator is adding 16 extra services in July to cope with extra demand