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

Monday, 25 July 2011

BBC News

• Ryanair reports higher profits and passenger numbers The Irish budget airline Ryanair has reported a jump in first quarter profits and passenger numbers.
• Bombardier march in Derby demands contract rethinkUp to 6,000 people have marched through Derby in support of train maker Bombardier, according to police.
• City's £22.5m bus station opensA £22.5m bus station opens in Wolverhampton, which its managers hope will encourage more people to use public buses.
• Merger heralds 'Tube super union'Would a merger between the RMT and TSSA unions be a positive thing for London transport?
• China fires officials over crashChina fires three senior railway officials and orders a nationwide safety check following a fatal high-speed train crash.

Financial Times

• RMT's Crow may bolster hand with mergerA combined set-up for the two groups would cover all the roles in the rail network from train drivers to signallers and clerks
• Record petrol prices fuel rise in train travelPassenger numbers on the railways rise sharply as high petrol prices encourage more people to travel by train than at any time since the 1920s
• Crash threatens China's high-speed ambitionsA train crash that killed at least 35 people has raised fresh questions about China's rapid railway spending drive
• Customers forced Boeing's hand on new engine optionMove gives US company a chance to recapture ground lost to Airbus in the battle for the lucrative short-haul market

The Guardian

• Growth figures disguise the north-south divide George Osborne will get the blame for regional inequality but his policies are only a small part of the story

The Herald

• Derailing the train critics ’The next Government project disaster? – Challenging the economic case for this white elephant.” The paper by the Institute of Economic Affairs on the north-south high-speed rail line (HSR2), published last week, is as balanced as its title suggests.
• Backlash over devolution of airport taxesMINISTERS are facing a backlash from English airports over plans to devolve power on aviation taxes amid fears it could lead to an exodus of passengers travelling north of the Border to catch flights.

The Independent

• BAA considers appeal to EU human rights court over forced 'fire sale' of two airports BAA is considering appealing to the European Court of Human Rights in a last-ditch attempt to stop the break-up of the airports operator.
• Controversial HS2 to invite bidders to manage £32bn rail link The Government is steaming ahead with plans for the controversial high-speed railway between London and Birmingham despite fierce opposition across the country.
• 10,000 protest over loss of Bombardier train contract Thousands of people demonstrated in Derby yesterday over the Government's decision not to award a contract to the UK's only remaining train manufacturer, Bombardier.
• Games minister fears London transport is not up to speed With one year to go until the opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Minister for Sport and the Olympics has admitted that he is worried that the capital city's transport network will not be able to cope with the number of visitors and athletes.

The Scotsman

• Rail body chaos strands hundredsHundreds of passengers were stranded on trains, some for more than four hours, after a body was discovered on a railway line.

The Telegraph

• Anger in China as bodies fall from carriages during train crash clean-up There was growing public anger in China in the wake of a major rail crash at the weekend after a video appeared to show bodies tumbling out of wrecked train carriages as officials hurried to clear up the scene of the disaster.
• Ministers must reconsider awarding Thameslink contract to Siemens [Colin Walton]Britain is still a nation that makes things. Some of our best manufacturers are still wholly indigenous, while others represent the best of overseas expertise and investment combined with domestic talent.
• Cheryl Gillan triggers new high speed rail row Cheryl Gillan has put her cabinet position at risk as the Welsh Secretary stepped up her opposition to the Government’s flagship high speed rail project.
• Council clashes with churches over Sunday parking charges A council which makes nearly £50 million a year from parking has upset local churches by planning to charge motorists to leave their cars on the street on Sundays.
• Bombardier chairman Colin Walton: Thameslink decision 'needs to be reviewed' The chairman of Bombardier UK has demanded an official review of the Government's decision to reject its bid for a £1.4bn Thameslink contract in favour of Siemens, the German manufacturer.
• Forestry Commission warn of loss of ancient woodland if high speed rail goes aheadAlmost 30 hectares of ancient woodland would be destroyed by the high speed rail line from London to Birmingham, the Forestry Commission has warned.

Daily Express

• Invensys signals pension buyoutRAILWAY signalling equipment group Invensys is on track to offload most of its £4.2billion pension scheme, paving the way for a potential takeover.

Mail Online

• Two carriages tumble from bridge in China as high-speed 'bullet train' derailsRescuers just about to leave the wreckage of the devastating China train crash discovered an unconscious toddler in the carriage.
• Fast and loose with the law: Average Briton will break the speed limit 18,000 times over their lifeThe figure is released as the road safety charity Brake calls on drivers to slow down for children during the summer holidays.

The Mirror

• Bombardier march in Derby: These proud workers deserve better than this THEY came in their thousands, from all walks of life and every political point of view, but they had only one thing to say: “We deserve better.”

Belfast Telegraph

• Thousands protest over trains deal Thousands of people have joined a demonstration in support of the UK's last train manufacturer, winning applause from Saturday shoppers and families.

Derby Telegraph

• All the lessons of history show Cameron the rail way to go "HISTORY is bunk", said Henry Ford – and, in doing so, made sure history was certain to remember him, for that remark at least.
• The day a city spoke STANDING united at the very spot the seeds of trade unionism were first sown, thousands of men, women and children made their plea: "Keep rail jobs in Derby."
• 'We won't let them destroy our lives and livelihoods without a fight' AFTER giving a lifetime of service to city train-maker Bombardier and having proudly watched his son follow in his footsteps, Alan Jenkins is not about to watch it all get snatched away without putting up a fight.
• Finest hour for 40 years as city shouts support for rail workers IF the people of Derby needed to get their voices heard to save Bombardier, they could not have shouted any louder than they did on Saturday.
• Derby Telegraph updated A BUSY road could be widened to cope with extra traffic under Tesco's latest plans to build a new store in Derby.Article

Journal Live

• Network rail plans to slash signal work NETWORK Rail has started consulting on plans to drastically reduce the number of signal workers and signal boxes as part of a modernisation programme aimed at saving £250m a year and improving punctuality.

Liverpool Post

• Liverpool city region chambers urge support for high speed rail plan Read More http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ldpbusiness/business-local/2011/07/25/liverpool-city-region-chambers-urge-support-for-high-speed-rail-plan-92534-29111491/#ixzz1T6dzLTUZCHAMBERS of commerce across the Liverpool city region are urging business people to register support for the Government’s high speed rail (HS2) plan.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Rail union claims 100 left on dole as jobs go to India WORKERS at a rail call centre on Tyneside face a bleak future when it finally closes today. Rail unions insist more than 100 people will lose their jobs when the work is transferred to India and other locations in England hundreds of miles away.

Wales Online

• Call for a ban on ministers’ ’lavish first-class lifestyle’ A ROW over Welsh Government ministers’ travel expenses broke out last night after the Conservatives called for a ban on the use of first-class train carriages.

Yorkshire Post

• Yorkshire demands fast track for rail projectYORKSHIRE political and business leaders will today demand the Government steps up plans to deliver a high-speed rail route to the region, while overhauling local services to maximise its estimated £4bn benefits.

Blackpool Gazette

• Thousands spent on first class faresMEMBERS of Parliament from the Fylde coast spent thousands of pounds between them on first class rail travel.

Other Regional Press

• Call for commuters to get on board and sign the petitionEaling's Labour group say commuters shouldn't have to wait any longer before a lift is installed at Ealing Broadway Station.
• Anger over ’minor works’ for some of Redbridge’s Crossrail stations Plans for the three area stations on the Crossrail route have been rejected by a group of councillors.
• Wandsworth residents worried over possible emergency flight measures abuses Campaigners have warned they will be "up in arms" if BAA abuses new emergency measures at Heathrow to introduce more flights.
• HS2 Humbug: Our children will be paying for HS2 for years to come If you are over three-years-old you could find yourself subsidising High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) in 15 years time
• Deadline for objections to rail link is 29th July [HS2]Local Conservative Councillors say Ealing should join a group of authorities that oppose the High Speed Rail Link (HS2).
• Review launched into HS1 impact on regular rail servicesCanterbury City Council is conducting a review into the impact of fast rail services on Kent’s network after research revealed journeys on regular trains are now slower
• Cashless car parking scheme axedA pioneering scheme allowing drivers to pay for parking using their mobile phone is being scrapped.

Railnews

• Thameslink contract: formal challenge not ruled out THE HEAD of Bombardier in the UK is declining to rule out a formal challenge to the selection of Siemens as the preferred bidder to build 1,200 vehicles for the new Thameslink fleet, in a contract which is worth some £1.4 billion.

Other News Sources

• Ryanair to take legal action against Stansted on 'overcharges'Ryanair has announced it will shortly be launching legal action against BAA Stansted, seeking a recovery of “substantial overcharges”.
• Heathrow to install facial recognition scanners The scanners will be used to ensure international and domestic passengers don't swap tickets
• Chilterns Conservation Board Say NO to HS2High Speed 2 makes no economic or environmental sense - that's the message from The Chilterns Conservation Board to the Government.
• Bombardier could still win Thameslink deal London: Train maker Bombardier was given hope after the Department for Transport confirmed the company could still step in to work on the £1.4 billion contract to replace Thameslink rolling stock.