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

Monday, 04 July 2011

BBC News

• Italy high-speed rail protest turns violent [video]In Italy, five people have been arrested after a protest march against a high-speed rail link being built between Italy and France became violent.
• Crossrail: £600m bond is securedMayor of London Boris Johnson says he has secured a £600m bond issue to fund the Crossrail project.
• Mayor criticises high-speed railMayor of London Boris Johnson criticises plans for the HS2 high-speed rail link, describing a planned section of the route as
• Tiger fights Australia groundingTiger Airways will hold crisis talks with Australian regulators to try and counter safety claims and resume domestic operations.

Financial Times

• Jaguar Land Rover to boost spending by halfProduction of the Range Rover Evoque, the smallest ever vehicle to be produced by a marque known for big off-roaders, will start on Merseyside on July 4
• Spain raises heat in fight for high-speed rail linkSpanish consortium aims to dash French hopes of winning contract to build fast 'pilgrim train' between Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia
• Bond issue to raise Crossrail fundsLondon's mayor intends to use the public debt market model for further funding of the Greater London Authority's capital programme

The Guardian

• Transport for London will axe 13 directors to save £1.7m TfL also considering postponing bonus payments until after the Olympics
• Labour calls for review of Thameslink trains contract awarded to Siemens Fate of Bombardier rail works in Derby thrown in doubt putting nearly 20,000 jobs in the sector at risk

The Herald

• It’s time for Salmond to support council in tram project As an opponent of the Edinburgh Tram Project, Iain A D Mann says he has “yet to meet a single person from Edinburgh who is in favour of the scheme” (Letters, July 2).

The Independent

• Opposition to key train deal mounts Political opposition is building over the Government's decision to award a £3bn contract to build Thameslink trains to Siemens of Germany.

The Scotsman

• Council's tram figures don't add up I HAVE spent nearly 30 years dealing with infrastructure projects and finance around the world, including tram and railway projects. From this experience, I would observe that the costings presented by City of Edinburgh Council (your report, 23 June) for resolving the tram fiasco make no sense.

The Telegraph

• Crossrail financed by £600m bond Selling the bond will go towards the £3.5bn the Greater London Authority is contributing to the £14.8bn project for a new underground line across the capital.

Belfast Telegraph

• New demands for direct ship route to North America There have been renewed calls for a direct shipping route from Northern Ireland to North America to help boost the struggling export market. Related StoriesGraduate in with a chance to win BaftaLaw firm planning to create 100 jobs in next five yearsJD Wetherspoon to create 650 jobsIT firm benefits from its XperienceCall to invest in Northern Ireland town centre retail

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Lord Mayor urges people to sign up for traffic-free bike ride The Lord Mayor of Bradford swapped the surroundings of City Hall for a scenic cycle to mark this year™s Sky Ride event.

Derby Telegraph

• National rail academy is set to open Derby office AS Derby braces itself for the outcome of Bombardier's review of its UK operations, plans to open an office in Derby to help rail firms in the region train staff are still set to go ahead.
• UNIONS FINALISING PLANS FOR RALLY UNIONS are working with police to finalise arrangements for a mass rally in Derby to support Bombardier workers. The Unite union, which represents workers at the Litchurch Lane plant, has provisionally earmarked Saturday, July 16, for the date of the protest, with either the Market Place or Markeaton Park as the venue.
• Campaign to save Bombardier jobs is gathering support THE fight to save jobs at Bombardier is continuing to gather public support. A campaign on the social networking website Facebook has now attracted more than 1,000 supporters.
• County council leader asks Transport Secretary to bring forward £1bn Crossrail contract THE leader of Derbyshire County Council has written to Transport Secretary Philip Hammond asking him to bring forward a large rail contract that could save thousands of jobs at Derby train-maker Bombardier.
• Was Government really a free agent over rail deal? [letter]ALL the comments you report on the regrettable setback to Bombardier seem to imply that the Government was a free a
• We need a Government that will fight for country [Letter[E it to say that my thoughts regarding Bombardier are in line with every other right-minded person. How can any government give away jobs which are rightfully ours to a foreign country?

Manchester Evening News

• Bus firm Stagecoach lead the way with new 'smartcard' Ticketless travel arrived in Manchester as a bus firm introduced swipe cards on 700 local buses. Stagecoach has launched the city™s first pre-paid ˜smart card™ for passengers “ making making it the largest outside London to have smart tickets.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Call to review Thameslink contract abour has called on Prime Minister David Cameron to review the Department for Transport (DfT) decision to award a massive contract to supply rolling stock for the rail link between Brighton, London and Bedford to a German company, rather than Derby-based Bombardier.

Other Regional Press

• £7.6m route to explore by bikeA £7.6 MILLION cycle route launching in 2013 will open up a mini Tour de France – and Angleterre – on Poole’s doorstep.
• First Great Western not first in passengers' eyes RAIL firm First Great Western recorded one of the worst overall customer satisfaction ratings in consumer group Passenger Focus’s National Passenger Survey.
• First Great Western not first in passengers' eyes RAIL firm First Great Western recorded one of the worst overall customer satisfaction ratings in consumer group Passenger Focus’s National Passenger Survey.
• Call to review Thameslink contract Labour has called on Prime Minister David Cameron to review the Department for Transport (DfT) decision to award a massive contract to supply rolling stock for the rail link between Brighton, London and Bedford to a German company, rather than Derby-based Bombardier.
• Eastern promise for city SubwayGlasgow™s transport bosses are looking to Taiwan and Singapore to learn about the latest technology for the Subway modernisation.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Leak shows that new planning policy will mean more sprawl and congestionThe Times reports today on a leak of the forthcoming National Planning Policy Framework. It seems that councils will be able to do little to stop damaging development in the Government's dash for economic growth at any cost. read more

Other News Sources

• Comment: Monstrous betrayal could bring Derby to its knees [Chris Williamson MP]Fifteen thousand people in Derby have been left wondering if they'll be able to put bread on the table thanks to the government's decision to outsource the Thameslink contract to Germany.
• Protectionism rears its ugly head again WHO would you buy £3.4bn worth of new trains from. Germany, a country synonymous with precision engineering and home to some of the world’s most prestigious car marques, like BMW, Porsche and Mercedes Benz? Or Britain, home of the Mini-Metro and Austin Allegro?
• '2,000 jobs set to go' as train making hits end of line in Britain The death-knell of train building in Britain is expected to be announced on Tuesday when the Canadian engineering company Bombardier tells its 3,000 workers at its Derby factory their fate.
• RAIL RAGETHE LABOUR Party has urged the government to review its decision to award a £3bn contract to Siemens of Germany to build new Thameslink trains.