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Friday, 08 July 2011

BBC News

• MPs call for NI air passenger duty to be abolished Air passenger duty (APD) should be abolished on all flights from Northern Ireland, the NI Affairs Committee has said.
• Poole-based bus firm Shamrock goes bust A bus firm in Dorset has folded with the loss of more than 40 jobs. Poole-based Shamrock buses served pupils from about 12 schools in Poole, Christchurch and Wimborne.
• Disability travel concerns raised with MPs Poor treatment of disabled people by bus drivers and private taxi firms has been highlighted at a meeting with MPs.
• South Yorkshire receives £5m sustainable transport 'boost' Transport networks in South Yorkshire have received a £5m "boost" from the government.
• Peterborough 'green transport' plan gets £5m boost Peterborough's bid to become an Environment Capital has come a step closer following a grant of £5m from the Department for Transport (DfT).
• Hardings International coach firm cuts jobs in Redditch Sixty workers have been made redundant from a Worcestershire coach firm which has gone into administration.
• Grant for £6.25m Lowestoft transport scheme A multi-million pound scheme to improve transport links in and around Lowestoft has been given a £5m government grant.
• Bath coach drop-off plans opposed by traders Plans to change the location where coaches drop off tourists in Bath are being opposed by some shop owners.
• MP backs city for Jaguar factoryWolverhampton is now the
• UK merchant ships 'may be armed'Ministers are preparing to give formal legal backing to the use of private armed guards on UK merchant vessels to protect against piracy.
• Tram extension opens to passengersAn extension to Greater Manchester's tram network opens for passengers.
• Work on Thames cable car beginsWork begins on a cable car project which will link two Olympic venues on opposite sides of the River Thames.
• Threat of Virgin strike is liftedThe airline pilots' union Balpa says it is lifting the threat of strike action at Virgin Atlantic after receiving a new pay offer.
• Bus deal 'overspend' leaves Somerset Council with £3m bill Somerset County Council is facing an unexpected bill of nearly £3m after discovering a bus subsidy deal made in 2008 was "very poor value".

Financial Times

• Airlines poised to back‰coalition‰Nats planConsortium of seven UK airlines look set to agree to the government's plan to decrease its stake in the National Air Traffic Services

The Guardian

• Transport for London appoints new CIO Steve Townsend to take over as chief information officer at London's transport authority
• Rebuild trust in green taxes by cutting public transport fares, Treasury told Green taxes are seen as revenue-raisers rather than efforts to reduce pollution, environmental audit committee says

The Herald

• Virgin pilots reach deal to avert strikeTHE threat of a damaging pilots™ strike at Virgin Atlantic Airways during the summer months has been lifted.

The Telegraph

• Safety suffers in airline boom, says union Gabriel Mocho, civil aviation secretary at ITF, which represents more than 275 unions in aviation, said that many airlines now "prioritise cost over safety" and called on authorities to address growing concern among its members.

Daily Express

• 99% BACK OUR CRUSADE TO DEFY EU OVER TRAIN JOBS THE Government was last night under intense pressure to defy European Union competition law after Daily Express readers overwhelmingly backed our crusade to defend British jobs.
• ANALYSIS: THE BOMBARDIER SCANDAL THERE is a real danger that the decision to award the rolling stock contract to Germany will send Britain’s train building industry crashing into the buffers.
• WE MUST STAND UP TO BRUSSELS OVER BOMBARDIER JOB NOT content with destroying our independence the EU is also bent on ripping the heart out of our economy. The unelected commissars of Brussels are like an alien force of occupation, crushing our livelihoods and our national interests.

Network Rail

• JUNE'S TRAIN PERFORMANCE AT ALMOST 93%

Birmingham Mail

• Row as child bus fares axed after 10pm in West Midlands Read More http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2011/07/07/row-as-child-bus-fares-axed-after-10pm-in-west-midlands-97319-29008101/#ixzz1RUYa5z1RCHILDREN’S safety could be put at risk after bus giant National Express scrapped reduced fares on late-night journeys, an angry father has claimed.

Birmingham Post

• Bombardier: A 'Points failure' in Whitehall and Westminster? The last remaining train maker with operations in the UK, Bombardier, announced this week that it will shed over 1,400 jobs, including some 450 permanent staff, many of whom are highly skilled engineers and project managers.
• Solihull Council expected to back HS2 despite resident concerns Solihull Council is expected to voice its support for the Government’s high speed rail proposals when it forms its official response to the public consultation next week.
• £5m grant for Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon rail service A £9 million scheme to build a new rail station and increase train services from Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon has taken a major step forward after being awarded a £5 million government grant.
• Birmingham City Council insists HS2 will bring 'economic benefits' High speed rail will reshape the economic geography of the UK and help close the North-South wealth gap by creating new economic prosperity, Birmingham City Council will say in its formal response to Government plans for HS2.
• Transport Minister warns of impact of anti-HS2 lobby The official consultation into plans to build a new high speed rail line between London and Birmingham could conclude the public opposes the scheme, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has said.

Derby Telegraph

• Ministers accused of 'empty words' over manufacturing promiseMINISTERS have been accused in the House of Commons of speaking "empty words" on a promise to support British manufacturing in the wake of Bombardier's loss of the Thameslink contract.
• PAST COMMENTS FROM CHANCELLOR CHANCELLOR of the Exchequer George Osborne must be feeling equally sheepish about his government's decision to give the Thameslink contract to the Germans – particularly when he reads back some of the things he has said about supporting British manufacturers.
• Three letters pleading for action but still David Cameron remains silent The day the Government announced its decision to award the £1.4 billion Thameslink contract to German firm Siemens, instead of Bombardier, Derby City Council wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron demanding an urgent meeting. Three weeks later, there is still no reply from Number 10. Business editor Robin Johnson reports.
• Piling on the agony seems okay JUST what point are Government ministers trying to make with the line that Bombardier had previously advised them that it would be making 1,000 redundancies regardless of the Thameslink decision?
• Bombardier shockwaves threaten jobs along firm's supply chain FEARS have been raised that Bombardier's Derby factory could be the epicentre of an economic earthquake that could level many other smaller firms.
• Politics will not change if apathy is still winning [letter]IN light of the dire straits at Bombardier, I think it is safe to conclude that neither the previous Labour administration nor the current Government have any intention of looking after British manufacturing or jobs.
• What did Labour achieve for Thameslink project? [letter]I HAVE just read Chris Williamson's article ("U-turn on contract will help to protect our railway industry", Opinions, July 1).
• Hammond set to hold crisis talks with unions as PM promises to 'look carefully' at Thameslink fallout TRANSPORT Secretary Philip Hammond is to hold talks with trade unions next week over the Bombardier crisis.
• Ministers from all parties have let our city down [letter]HAVING read the column by Labour MP Chris Williamson about the Thameslink contract going to Siemens, I find myself surprised by his sheer brass neck ("U-turn on contract will help to protect our railway industry", Opinions, July 1).
• Train deal decision proves politicians are not so smartWHEN I was young I had this crazy idea that adults knew what they were doing, made wise choices and never made mistakes.
• Unions unite for mass rally to support rail workers UNIONS representing Bombardier's workers have joined forces in an attempt to save rail jobs in the city. The Unite, RMT, GMB and TSSA unions have all teamed up to support a mass demonstration, which will take place in Derby on Saturday, July 23.
• PROTECTING JOBS SHOULD BE PRIORITY OVER FINDING NEW ONES, SAYS HICKSON THE leader of Derby City Council has said that keeping train-making in Derby should take priority over a task force to help redundant Bombardier workers.

Manchester Evening News

• Salford plugged in to electric car charging pointsElectric car charging points will have to be installed in EVERY new residential garage under radical council plans. Bosses at Salford town hall want to use planning laws to introduce the rule. It is part of a drive to make the city more ˜green™ in the next 20 years.
• On track at last: Commuters travel on new Metrolink tram service to south Manchester for first timePassengers have begun travelling on the long-awaited Metrolink extension to Chorlton this morning after final tests were successful.  Services on the new South Manchester line began carrying commuters from St Werburgh's Road at 6am.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Passenger praise for region™s rail firmsRAIL firms serving South Yorkshire have been highly rated in the latest passenger survey – but users also believedprices are too high and more carriages are needed.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Coalition failed to protect British jobs [letter]AMONGST the many news items I heard today, I was appalled to learn that a vital contract for the train maker Bombardier has been lost to the German firm, Siemens, with the consequential 1,400 redundancies which will soon follow.

Yorkshire Post

• Another train delay: Wrong kind of crack puts back Flying Scotsman restorationTHE return to steam of the iconic Flying Scotsman locomotive was dramatically delayed today by the National Railway Museum in York.

Bucks Free Press

• County Council leader to fight HS2 before Parliamentary committee THE leader of Buckinghamshire County Council will be one of the key figures giving evidence on the case against HS2 before Parliament™s Transport Committee on Tuesday.

Daventry Express

• PRESSURE IS GROWING OVER THE BOMBARDIER OUTRAGE NO sooner has German industrial giant Siemens won preferred bidder status in the giant Thameslink contract than it seems to be seeking to turn its victory into a knock-out blow against British rival Bombardier.

Other Regional Press

• Northern Line extension consultation branded 'misleading and flawed' The current public consultation over the proposed routes for the Northern Line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea has been branded as 'misleading and flawed'.
• Council allows HS2 rail line protesters free use of Kenilworth building for national headquarters A BUILDING at Kenilworth will become the national headquarters of a campaign against the high speed HS2 railway line after councillors decided to let them use it for free.

Global Rail News

• Bombardier™s newest train enters service with Chiltern RailwaysThe latest train to roll off Bombardier’s Derby production line has entered passenger service with Chiltern Railways, the first new commuter trains on the route for ...
• Rail Forum Europe calls for a single European market for railway rolling stockMEPs and rail stakeholders gathered on 5 July at the European Parliament in Strabsourg to debate on the issue of the authorisation of railway vehicles in ...
• Technical seminar held at Institute of Rail Weldingwritten by Chris Parker Taking the temperature As ever, the Institute of Rail Welding (IoRW) offered some fascinating insights when its latest technical seminar was held ...
• West Coast RUS recommends more commuter trainsNetwork Rail has released its final version of the West Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy, that looks at demand for travel over the next 12 ...
• Restored signal box celebrates national awardThe St Albans Signal Box Preservation Trust held a celebration party last week in the grounds of the signal box adjacent to St Albans City Station. ...
• ORR publishes first HS1 annual assessment which shows good performanceThe Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has published its first annual assessment on the performance of High Speed 1 (HS1) Limited, and on its regulation of ...
• Human focus for Thames Valley Signalling CentreNetwork Rail has appointed CCD Design and Ergonomics to optimise the specification and design for the signalling workstations which control the Thames Valley Signalling Centre including ...
• Edinburgh hosts ˜big conversation™ to help shape future of UK™s railwaysEdinburgh hosted the first major event which will help shape the future of Britain™s railways on Tuesday 5 July, focusing on views and experiences from across ...
• Manchester Metrolink™s new Chorlton line opensPassengers are now able to travel on Metrolink™s new Chorlton line, Transport for Greater Manchester has announced. Following the successful completion of comprehensive testing and commissioning ...
• Halcrow group board director retires after 31 yearsHalcrow group board director, Les Buck, retires this week after 31 years with the company. During this time, he contributed extensively to the group™s strategy and ...
• First of 22 ScotRail trains receives makeoverThe first of 22 ScotRail trains to be refurbished will entered service in Strathclyde this week. Customers will see the first on Glasgow to Milngavie/Dalmuir/Balloch/Helensburgh routes “ ...
• TramForward welcomes the new Dublin LUAS extensionThe latest extension to Dublin’s tramway system, LUAS, opened on 2 July 2011. Light rail campaign TramForward has welcomed this extension to one of the most successful ...
• Edinburgh Waverley™s new roof installedWritten by David Shirres Let there be light Two ridges create Edinburgh™s spectacular topography. On the glacial tail from an extinct volcano are the castle and ...
• Alstom completes Coradia Class 175 overhaul for ATWwritten by Terry Whitley Due care and attention Alstom has recently completed the ten-year heavy overhaul of the Coradia Class 175 fleet of DMUs for Arriva ...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Invensys Rail Awarded Resignalling Framework Contract for Thameslink Programme

Railnews

• Quiet opening for Metrolink line delayed by IT bugs The newest Manchester Metrolink line opened without ceremony at 06.00 this morning, having been delayed by computer problems.

Aviation Industry

• BioJet to release 1 billion gallons of jet fuelOn the heels of the recent ASTM International Committee on Petroleum Products and Lubricants' approval of bio-derived jet fuel for commercial use, Santa Barbara-based BioJet International announced it will release one billion gallons of renewable jet fuel priced at $2.97 a gallon to airlines to
• Question mark remains over Virgin strikeA decision on whether a deal has been reached between pilots and the airline has not yet been announced

Other News Sources

• Costain/Skanska tipped for £250m Paddington Crossrail job The £250m contract at Paddington would be the largest the consortium has won on the project A consortium of Costain and Skanska has been tipped to take the £250m contract to build a new station for Crossrail at Paddington.
• ’Empty words’ over British jobs The Government is guilty of “empty words” on its promise to support British manufacturing after Bombardier announced plans to cut 1,400 jobs at its plant in Derby, Labour has claimed.
• Public pays price for government's rail contract shame Government plans to send a prime contract to build carriages abroad "to save money" were torn apart today by a Morning Star probe exposing the multimillion bill they'll dump on Britain.
• Full list of green projects granted £155m DfT fundingFollowing the Department for Transport™s announcement on the recipients of £155 million of funding for low carbon transport schemes, a full list of the projects has been released.