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

Thursday, 30 June 2011

BBC News

• WWF Cymru: Welsh Government 'failing in key green aims' The Welsh Government is failing to meet some of its key carbon emissions reduction aims, according to a report. WWF Cymru said targets were being missed in areas such as economic development, transport and housing.
• Edinburgh trams: Councillors vote on project's fate City councillors are to vote later to decide on the future of the controversial Edinburgh tram project.
• Edinburgh trams: Councillors vote on project's fate City councillors are to vote later to decide on the future of the controversial Edinburgh tram project.
• Rail passengers dissatisfied with train punctuality The number of passengers satisfied with train punctuality and reliability has gone down, according to a customer survey.
• Speed cameras crashed and burnedSpeed cameras have been sawn in half, pulled from the ground, glued, smashed, driven into or set on fire, a road safety group has found.
• Passenger rise drives bus profitsScotland's only publicly-owned bus company, Lothian Buses, sees an increase in profits as passenger numbers rise.
• 'Hole in fence' disrupts flightsEdinburgh Airport was evacuated and hundreds of passengers delayed after a hole was found in the perimeter fence.
• Council votes on city tram fateCity councillors are to vote later to decide on the future of the controversial Edinburgh tram project.

Financial Times

• Switch to public transport boosts StagecoachSoaring oil prices have encouraged commuters in the US and UK to switch to public transport, boosting revenue and profit at Stagecoach
• UK airports braced for strike disruptionAirports and airlines are braced for disruption when thousands of public sector workers walk out over government spending cuts
• Souter sees way to get rail cost cuts on trackThe outspoken chief executive warns that government plans to cut rail industry costs will fail unless operators receive support to counter union resistance

The Guardian

• Is it time to re-privatise East Coast rail? The Northerner's Friday political columnist Ed Jacobs looks at the problems besetting one of the north's main transport links

The Herald

• Souter in appeal for reform of rail work practices Souter demands changes to railway practices STAGECOACH chief executive Sir Brian Souter has demanded changes to working practices on the railway even as the industry’s biggest union threatened a national strike if employees’ conditions are threatened.

The Telegraph

• Rail fares criticised in passenger survey Fewer than half of travellers are happy with the price of domestic rail fares, according to the latest National Passenger Survey.

ATOC

• ATOC responds to National Passenger SurveyIn response to the publication of the latest National Passenger Survey showing record levels of customer satisfaction (84%), Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), said:
• First class rail travel grows as passengers opt for 'affordable luxury'Demand for first class rail travel has risen despite tough economic times as operators have successfully encouraged a wider range of passengers to trade up from standard class by offering affordable...

Derby Telegraph

• Join together and level contracts playing field [letter]IN light of the terrible news that Bombardier has lost out on another large British contract, I am intrigued to view the comments by both local Labour party MPs and supporters who wax lyrical about what a disgraceful decision it is by the Coalition to award the Thameslink contract to Siemens of Germany and not our locally-based Bombardier.
• Soapbox Stuart Radford: when will our MPs actually put their own country first?I'M as angry as anybody over the Bombardier business but what really gets under my skin are the crocodile tears and weasel words from the politicians.
• Shadow cabinet ministers to speak to Bombardier staff about contract lossMEMBERS of the shadow cabinet will visit Bombardier's Derby factory to find out first-hand what the impact of losing out on a major Government rail contract will have on the business. Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle and Shadow Business Secretary John Denham are due to visit the firm's Litchurch Lane site today to talk to staff about the repercussions of missing out on the £1.4 billion Thameslink contract.
• Contract decision 'shows why we have to leave EU' THE UK Independence Party has relaunched itself in Derby, saying the Government decision on the Thameslink contract showed why the country should not be in the European Union.
• It's not a done deal, says Denham as Labour big-hitters vow to keep up U-turn pressure SHADOW Business Secretary John Denham has promised Bombardier workers that he will do everything he can to persuade the Government to reverse a decision not to award the Thameslink contract to the train-maker.
• We don't want anyone to say sorry, we just want a chance The 3,000 workers facing an uncertain future at Bombardier's Litchurch Lane site in Derby have told of their shock at the Government's decision not to award the firm a £1.4bn contract - but to send it to Germany instead. Robin Johnson reports.
• Appeal to Cameron BUSINESS leaders in Derbyshire have accused the last two Governments of being "prisoners of highly-paid, London-centric civil servants" who operate a procurement process that is "prejudicial to UK manufacturers".

Edinburgh Evening News

• Costly trams 'will destroy buses'BUS services in Edinburgh risk being destroyed to provide extra cash for the trams, the former chief executive of Lothian Buses warned today.

Liverpool Echo

• Long-awaited plan to let Merseyside run its own rail network sensationally shelved A LONG-AWAITED plan to allow Merseyside to run its own rail network has been sensationally shelved – in a massive U-turn in transport policy.

London Evening Standard

• Rail firms deluged with complaints as fares riseRail passengers are making more complaints about late trains and overcrowding as fares soar, a survey has revealed
• Assembly chief clashes with bossesThe leader of the London Assembly's transport committee has clashed with rail chiefs - saying she could understand what led commuters to climb from a train and walk along the tracks after being stranded for two hours

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• ˜Great day for Scotland™ as £692m M74 extension opens The long-awaited extension to the M74 motorway through Glasgow was officially opened to traffic yesterday.

The York Press

• Boost for East Yorkshire rail link campaign THE campaign to reopen a rail link through East Yorkshire has been boosted by the launch of a branch in York.

Wales Online

• Wales needs electrified rail route to Heathrow, says campaign group High-speed, four-track link is vital to wales and south-west economies THE Great Western Partnership (GWP) is calling for an electrified rail route from South Wales to Heathrow Airport.
• Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan wades into Edwina Hart row Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan has faced calls to resign after opposing a high speed rail line between London and Birmingham and her failure to secure electrification on the South Wales to London line.

Yorkshire Post

• Stations decision ˜by end of year™A DECISION on whether a West Yorkshire rail scheme will go ahead will not be made until the end of the year.

Other Regional Press

• Are train tickets poor value? Half of Southeastern passengers say yesNearly half of rail users in Kent say train ticket prices are poor value for money, it was revealed today.
• Kirklees Council’s camera van catches 380 motorists in first month HUNDREDS of drivers have fallen foul of Kirklees Council’s parking camera van during its first month on the road.
• Knock-on effect if steamer axedAxing trips ˜doon the watter™ on the Waverley could cost businesses in ports where the paddle steamer calls thousands of pounds.
• 63,000 make new transport museum a hit in first weekTens of thousands of people have flocked to Glasgow™s new Riverside Museum during its opening week.

Global Rail News

• Assembly demands answers over ˜Southeastern train chaos™The London Assembly™s Transport Committee has written to Southeastern trains seeking an explanation for the severe delays on Monday evening (27th June) , and how passengers ...
• 84% of rail passengers ˜satisfied™ with train servicesOverall satisfaction has remained steady at 84%, matching last year™s high score. However, drops in scores for performance and value for money for some train companies ...
• Train companies see ˜record levels™ of customer satisfactionIn response to the publication of the latest National Passenger Survey showing record levels of customer satisfaction (84%), Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of ...
• Eurostar supports the OFT ruling on hidden card chargesEurostar, the high-speed passenger service linking the UK and mainland Europe, has announced its support for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) decision today to call ...
• ScotRail ˜outperforms™ UK NPS results but customer satisfaction falls 4%ScotRail announced today that it has ‘outperformed the national average’ among UK train operators in 30 of the 33 categories in the latest National Passenger Survey. ...
• FirstGroup scores double victory at Employment Benefits AwardsFirstGroup, the largest transport provider in the UK, scooped two prestigious prizes at the 2011 Employee Benefits Awards ceremony which took place in London earlier this ...
• Virgin Trains rated top long-distance franchiseVirgin Trains has been rated best long-distance franchise operator for overall satisfaction – in the latest Spring 2011 National Passenger Survey. For the third survey in ...
• Heathrow Express improves NPS score to 95%Heathrow Express has improved on its National Passenger Survey score from 93% to 95%. The results, announced today, show that Heathrow Express is ranked as joint ...
• Balfour Beatty Rail begin work to reinstate freight link at Northfleet siteThe disused Lafarge industrial site in Northfleet is being redeveloped as part of the Thames Gateway development. Lafarge and Crossrail have entered into an agreement for Crossrail ...
• London Underground extends District line timetable consultationLondon Underground (LU) is asking District line passengers to respond to a consultation about proposed improvements to the timetable which would reduce delays on the line, ...
• Stagecoach Group reports a jump in profitsThe Stagecoach Group has reported a 52% rise in pre-tax profits in the financial year that ended 30th April 2011. Profits rose to £191.2m from £125.9m ...
• Angers tram line opens in western FranceOn Saturday 25th June, the city of Angers in western France held an official opening ceremony for the opening of their new 12km tram line. The ...
• Adrian Shooter CBE to retire from Chiltern Railways & DB RegioAdrian Shooter CBE, Chairman of Chiltern Railways, has announced he will retire at the end of the year. Adrian said: “I have decided to retire from ...
• London Overground passengers most satisfied with serviceLondon Overground’s rise to the top of Network Rail’s punctuality performance tables has been supported by a huge vote of confidence from passengers in an independent ...
• Escalators “ Keep it cleanwriter Nigel Wordsworth It is difficult to imagine a major station today that doesn™t include several escalators. Since they were first installed at Earls Court Underground ...
• Manchester Unitedwriter Mungo Stacy Manchester has long been a city divided. Mancunians pride themselves on the colour of their blood – red or blue depending on football ...

The Business Desk

• Chiltern Railways chairman to step down THE chairman of Chiltern Railways, Adrian Shooter, has announced he is to step down at the end of the year. Mr Shooter, who has led the rail company for almost 18 years, will also be retiring from parent group DB Regio.
• National Express on course for "significant" improvements BIRMINGHAM transport group National Express said today it was on course for a significantly improved financial performance with margin improvement across all its businesses.

Aviation Industry

• Why U.S. Airlines Don't Fly the Airbus A380Three U.S. carriers are also the world's three biggest airlines -- United , Delta and American -- but little indication exists that any of them have any particular desire to fly the world's biggest passenger airplane.
• Delays expected at airports as Border Agency staff strikePassport control staff will be joined by teachers and civil servants in a walk-out
• Mixed feelings on OFT™s plan to scrap debit card feesAirlines are divided on whether the government should try to ban debit card fees on flight bookings