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

Wednesday, 20 July 2011

BBC News

• BAA's exit doors to manual over Scottish airports The Competition Commission has done what it says on the tin. After a long process of legal challenges, it still says BAA has to sell Stansted and either Glasgow or Edinburgh airports.
• Hindhead Tunnel opening date announced The opening date of the £371m Hindhead Tunnel under the Devil's Punch Bowl in Surrey has been announced after a four-and-a-half year construction project.
• Bus interchange to get overhaulA bus interchange in Walsall is to get a £430,000 overhaul including new bus shelters and improvements to the traffic flow.
• Two new cycle superhighways openTwo new so-called cycle superhighways are opened to connect central London with east and south London.
• BAA loses final sell-off rulingAirport operator BAA must sell Stansted and either Glasgow or Edinburgh airports, the Competition Commission says in its final ruling.

Financial Times

• Spanish team wins 'pilgrim train' bidConsortium secures tightly contested €7bn contract to build the first high speed 'pilgrim train' between the Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina
• BAA ruling will deter investmentIt is right that there should be more competition between UK airports. It is wrong that market rules are so subjective, writes Jonathan Guthrie
• American to split order for more than 600 jetsThe third-largest US airline by revenues is set to order more than 620 aircraft, including options, from Boeing and Airbus over at least a decade

The Guardian

• HS2 high-speed rail plans 'a recipe for disaster' Institute of Economic Affairs dismisses Cameron-backed £32bn High Speed Two proposal as a 'political vanity project'

The Herald

• Strike ballot raises fears of rail chaosSCOTLAND™S rail network faces disruption with thousands of train workers set to vote to strike in a row over equal pay.
• Airport group loses final battle over Scots sell-off THE owner of Glasgow and Edinburgh airports has been ordered to sell one of them in less than two years in order to offer passengers greater competition.

The Scotsman

• Airports' fate in balance as owner mulls sell-off order The fate of one of Scotland's two largest airports remained in the balance last night after the British Airports Authority said it may seek a judicial review into the competition watchdog's ruling it must sell Stansted.
• High-speed rail line branded £32bn 'political vanity project' by report A PLANNED £32 billion high-speed rail line which may eventually be extended to reach Scotland was yesterday rubbished as "economically flawed".

Reuters News

• Olympics: London commuters fear strain on the trainsFaulty signals and crowded carriages are just part of the daily grind for London commuter Nick Maggs, even on a good day; this time next year, things could only get worse, he fears.

Daily Express

• SUPPORT FOR BOMBARDIERA PETITION objecting to the Government’s decision to give a £1.4billion rail contract to Germany’s Siemens rather than Derby-based Bombardier has been signed by more than 50,000 people.
• 50,000 TELL DAVID CAMERON TO SAVE BOMBARDIER TRAIN JOBS A PETITION signed by 50,000 people against awarding a train contract to a German firm over British manufacturer Bombardier was handed to Parliament yesterday.

Mail Online

• Bombardier could still win Thameslink stock contractTrainbuilders Bombardier could still be awarded the contract to replace Thameslink’s rolling stock, saving 1,200 jobs, the Daily Mail can reveal.
• Maryanne Rosse: Network Rail whistleblower silenced with £16k payoutMaryanne Rosse claimed she submitted a list to Network Rail bosses saying safety records for 13 level crossings in East Anglia were inaccurate.

ATOC

• Train companies respond to the latest ORR safety reportCommenting on the latest ORR safety report,...

Birmingham Post

• HS2 described as 'political vanity project' by economic think-tank The Government's proposed £32 billion HS2 high-speed rail project to link London and Birmingham, is

Derby Telegraph

• Jaguar Land Rover offer to Bombardier laid-off staffCAR-MAKER Jaguar Land Rover had told workers at troubled Derby train-maker Bombardier that there are jobs waiting for them at its factories.
• We can battle our way through 'perfect storm' insist city's key players JOHN FORKIN (JF, chairman): Over recent years one of the best things about Derby has been the strength of its economy. It has been shaped to an extent by what I like to call the "big five" – Bombardier, Toyota, Rolls-Royce, Westfield and Citi, which owns Egg. Two of those five are now under serious threat.
• We will never forgive PM if Siemens keeps contract THE following is a copy of a letter we wrote to the Prime Minister:
• It would be different if jobs were axed in London IT would appear Phillip Hammond and Theresa Villiers have been playing for time over the train contract promised to Siemens.
• Why didn't Labour turn around Hitachi decision? IT has been suggested that local Labour politicians are "brass-necked" when they talk about Bombardier.
• Soapbox Bill Greenshields: We need a huge response as Bombardier fight will not be easily won THE threat to Bombardier workers in Derby comes from an international coalition of privatisers, politicians and fat-cat investors. Crazy conspiracy theory? Let's look at the facts…
• Lack of support for rail bid is disgusting attitude MAY I register my disgust at lack of government support for the Bombardier bid? I have in my possession a copy of the newspapers detailing the D-Day Landings, from June 6, 1944.
• Congestion project targets car-sharing THE final phase of a congestion-cutting campaign has been launched in Burton.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester Airports Group cools on BAA airportsManchester Airports Group has cooled its interest in buying Stansted, and one of either Glasgow or Edinburgh airports, the M.E.N has learned.
• High speed rail link ’is once in a lifetime opportunity’, says Greater Manchester transport chief Coun Andrew Fender, the chairman of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: œHigh speed rail is not simply about quicker connections to the south and the economic benefits that this would bring.
• 4,000 drivers clocked speeding on Stretford suburban road in two weeksMore than 4,000 vehicles were clocked speeding along a 30mph suburban road in just two weeks “ with some travelling at more than DOUBLE the limit. A traffic survey was carried out along Kensington Road which heads from Chorlton to Stretford.

Metro

• High-speed rail plan 'a disaster' says think-tankBritain's proposed £32billion high-speed rail link is a ˜vanity project™ for the government which will cost every income tax payer £1,000, a report claimed on Tuesday.

Other Regional Press

• Route plan is 'pointless', say rail users RAIL campaigners have branded a proposed new service in the area as "pointless".
• Arriva night buses ˜virtually deserted™The Arriva 100 trial bus service for the Whitby area is making slow progress on the road, with passenger numbers dwindling since its introduction in April.
• 'Action needed now' on faulty roadThe government is being urged to take immediate action to repair a main road leading to the Port of Dover.
• Bosses ordered to sell Glasgow or EdinburghGlasgow Airport or its Edinburgh rival must be sold after their owner lost a protracted battle to keep both hubs.

Global Rail News

• 50,000 people sign Derby Bombardier petitionOver 50,000 people have signed a petition calling for the government to rethink their decision to give the £1.4bn Thameslink contract to Germany’s Siemens. Bombardier’s Derby ...
• Young engineers visit First Capital Connect depotA group of engineering students from across Hertfordshire visited First Capital Connect™s Hornsey Depot recently to learn more about the company™s engineering apprenticeship scheme. The students, ...
• Invensys Rail named ˜Supplier of the Year™ by Network RailInvensys Rail collected two major industry awards at Network Rail™s annual Partnership Awards ceremony which were held at London™s Natural History Museum on 13 July 2011, ...
• First Capital Connect alerts the public on risk of crime at King™s LynnFirst Capital Connect last week held a crime prevention roadshow session at King™s Lynn Station as part of a scheme to help cut crime. FCC™s Crime ...
• Half price rail travel on the re-opened Barrow lineRail services between Arnside and Grange-Over-Sands have resumed, following completion of a major project to renew the railway viaduct over the Kent Estuary. Train services on ...
• South Belfast representatives tour Adelaide train facility construction siteTranslink and Graham Construction recently welcomed Conall McDevitt MLA and Alderman Tom Ekin to the construction site of the new train maintenance facility at Adelaide. The ...
• Crossrail announces new Board appointmentsCrossrail Limited has announced a new Non-Executive appointment to the Crossrail Board. Former Arup Chairman Terry Hill CBE will join the Board on 1 September 2011. ...
• Stansted Express first class customers benefit from hospitality serviceNational Express East Anglia has joined up with No.1 Traveller, the award-winning airport hospitality specialist, to allow all first class passengers on the Stansted Express use ...
• ORR safety report calls on rail industry to maintain safety focusThe rail regulator today called on the rail industry to maintain its focus on safety, as it published its annual health and safety report showing both ...
• New report claims HS2 plans have ˜serious economic flaws™A report released today by the Institute of Economic Affairs claims that the High Speed 2 (HS2) project is ‘economically flawed’. The report, High Speed 2: the ...
• Report calls for integration of transport and land use planningA report to be launched today (19th July), at an event in London, sets out the stark choices ahead in new planning reforms on whether transport ...
• America™s business & indsutry leaders support rail freightBusiness leaders, government officials and rail industry employees representing more than 350,000 American workers from around the country met last week in support of policies that ...

Railnews

• New anti-HS2 report dubbed 'massively misleading' A think tank report which is deeply critical of the plans for HS2 has been dubbed 'massively misleading' by supporters of the scheme to build a High Speed line from London to Birmingham and the north of England.

Aviation Industry

• Video: Virtual Walkthrough of Delta's New JFK Terminal 4 ExpansionDelta Air Lines has released a new animation showing off plans for their new expansion into Terminal 4 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport .
• Qantas to speed up RB211 engine modifications on 747 fleetQantas will fast-track modifications of Rolls-Royce RB211 engines powering its Boeing 747-400 fleet to stem failures caused by cracked high-pressure compressor blades, of which the airline has suffered three this year and two late last year.
• Stansted up for sale in three monthsCompetition Commission tells BAA it has œno grounds for delaying further the sale of Stansted and either Edinburgh or Glasgow
• Gatwick welcomes Stansted saleGatwick Airport™s CEO has said the forced sale of Stansted is œwelcome news

Other News Sources

• Call for a 'unified fightback' against redundancies in cityA NATIONAL campaign aiming to save UK jobs last night came to Derby to offer the beleaguered city its support.
• London Green Transport Double - More Bikes, More Clean Cars Hit the Road LONDON'S transport got a double green boost today with news that the capital tops the UK league for low emission cars and is to welcome two more cycle superhighways to a growing network.
• Council leaders back new high speed rail link COUNCIL leaders have shown their support for a new high speed rail link which they believe will ease congestion and aid regeneration in Wealdstone.
• BOMBARDIER TRAINS PLEA TO DAVID CAMERMORE than 50,000 people have signed a petition over 1,400 lost jobs at train- makers Bombardier.
• Hertz to buy fleet management firmThe $250 million acquisition of Donlen is likely to mean Hertz expands its fleet management offering in Europe