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

Tuesday, 26 July 2011

BBC News

• Siemens let off steam in latest Bombardier rail jobs row Big multi-national companies tend be super cautious, especially when they find themselves caught in the middle of a political storm.
• High-speed rail 'would avert Friday crush' [video]Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has said the new £32bn high speed rail link to Manchester is essential to stop people being turned away from trains.
• Should trains take MPs' strain?Some MPs in Yorkshire and the North East have accepted free first class travel passes from Grand Central Railway, but they say they're breaking no parliamentary rules and are saving taxpayers money.
• EasyJet flies new Belfast routeAirline easyJet announces it will fly to Southend from Belfast from April of next year.
• Transport bosses gear up for 2012How is London's public transport network shaping up for next summer and the Olympics?
• Road in London dug up nine timesA busy central London road has been dug up nine times in the past 16 months as Thames Water tries to a fix leaking main, Transport for London says.
• 2012 lanes to 'increase traffic'Transport bosses admit dedicated lanes for Olympic athletes and VIPs during the 2012 Games will increase traffic in parts of London.
• Fiat profits jump on truck salesItalian industrial group Fiat reports a jump in profits as sales of farm and construction equipment, as well as trucks, grow sharply.

Financial Times

• 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
• High-speed rail sale could net up to £7bnThe proposed high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham could earn the government between £6bn and £7bn if the infrastructure was sold off under a 30-year concession
• Rising fuel prices clip Ryanair's wingsCarrier scales back its expansion plans in the face of high fuel prices and expects a wave of deal-making as weak airlines seek wealthy backers

The Guardian

• Ryanair passenger numbers rise 10% Ryanair passenger numbers – and fuel costs – soar in first quarter as it benefits from 'recession in people's minds'

The Independent

• Soaring fuel costs eat into Ryanair's profits Ryanair fell short of market expectations with its quarterly profits yesterday, as soaring fuel costs offset rising passengers numbers and revenues.
• Transport unions to discuss merger Two of the country's biggest rail workers' unions, including one led by left-winger Bob Crow, have started talks aimed at a merger.

The Telegraph

• Motorway rest area plans ditched Plans to build a network of rest areas on Britain’s motorways and trunk roads have been quietly ditched.
• Ryanair to sue BAA for Stansted 'over-charging' Ryanair picked a fresh fight with airports operator BAA as it shrugged off a 49pc jump to €427m (£377m) in fuel costs to post marginally higher first-quarter profits.

Daily Express

• BOMBARDIER DEMANDS U-TURN ON LOSS OF 1,400 TRAIN JOBS BOMBARDIER boss Colin ­Walton has urged the Government to reconsider its decision to award a £1.4billion contract to German firm Siemens.
• 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.
• Fuel costs trouble RyanairMORE passengers are taking to the skies with budget airline Ryanair, but soaring fuel costs are causing turbulence.

The Mirror

• David Cameron dealth another blow DAVID Cameron has been dealt another blow over his claims that he cannot stop a £3billion train order going to Germany. The Prime Minister told MPs that he could not step in and award the contract to UK-based Bombardier because the tendering process set up by Labour was unalterable. But Transport Minister Theresa Villiers has now admitted the Thameslink rail upgrade was reviewed as the Government looked desperately for schemes it could axe to save money.

ATOC

• Rail travel grows 6% as passenger numbers rise to highest level for 90 yearsPassenger numbers on the railways grew by 6% during spring and early summer as overall employment levels remained relatively stable,...

Derby Telegraph

• New doubts on Siemens' ability to meet terms of rail contract RAIL industry experts have cast more doubt over whether German firm Siemens will be able to fulfil a vital part of the Thameslink train building contract. The company has been named preferred bidder for the £1.4bn UK deal ahead of Derby's Bombardier. But a question mark hangs over whether it can build and test the right type of train carriage chassis required.
• Fantastic to see so many people fighting for jobs [letter]WHAT a fantastic rally for Bombardier workers – 10,000 people determined to fight to win, not just protest! And what fantastic support from the Telegraph!
• £100,000 extra is needed in bid for bridge cash A FURTHER £100,000 needs to be spent on Derby City Council's attempts to win Government cash to replace an ageing bridge in the city.

Journal Live

• High speed train plans not good enough say Tyneside transport bosses TYNESIDE transport bosses will meet this week to agree the strongest warning yet to the Government that high-speed rail plans do not go far enough.

London Evening Standard

• Bob Crow in talks to form a transport super-union A new super-union could give workers even more power to take on Tube and rail bosses, it was revealed today.

Manchester Evening News

• Charging forward in new drive for eco-friendly carsDrivers in Greater Manchester are just weeks away from seeing the start of an ecological car revolution. The first of 300 electric charging points planned for the region are set to be unveiled by November. It comes after a consortium led by the region™s 10 local councils secured £3.6m from a Whitehall scheme to promote eco-friendly cars.
• New Salford Quays bus route is music to our earsClassical musicians helped to make sure a new bus service hit the right note with passengers. A route has been set up to run between Salford Shopping City and MediaCityUK. Violinist Karen Mainwaring and flautist Victoria Daniel from the BBC Philharmonic orchestra, which has moved to the media complex, helped launch the service by serenading passengers.
• Metrolink launches phone app that will tell passengers if the tram is on timeA free smartphone application has been launched by transport chiefs to give passengers the latest service updates at their fingertips. In the future, the app is expected to also give passengers real-time data on the location of trams and tell them how long they will have to wait at Metrolink stations.

Yorkshire Post

• Minister urges high-speed rail supporters to speak up quicklyTHE Government has issued a rallying cry to those who want a high-speed rail line from Yorkshire to London to make their support known before the consultation deadline this Friday.

Burnley Express

• £6,800 first-class rail bill for East Lancashire MPsMPs from East Lancashire have claimed over £6,800 for first-class rail travel in the past year.

Other Regional Press

• Cameron vows action after Bombardier talks ’CHANGE your decision or bring forward any future contracts for Bombardier’.
• Only days to go before HS2 consultation closes RESIDENTS have less than a week to speak out against the plans for the high speed rail that could blight homes with noise and pollution.

Freight on Rail

• Robust transport safeguarding in Government planning policy key for green economyFreight on Rail has welcomed the retention of the principle of local authority safeguarding of key strategic rail corridors and sites in their local plans, announced today in the Draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 1

Global Rail News

• Bombardier to supply BiLevel rail cars for Orlando-area ProjectBombardier Transportation announced that it has received an order from the Florida Department of Transportation for the supply of 14 BiLevel rail cars for the central ...
• Rail freight apprentices sought at DB Schenker RailDB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd is seeking 13 management apprentices from across the UK to train to become operational and engineering rail freight leaders of the ...
• National Express East Anglia launches iPhone AppNational Express East Anglia (NXEA) has launched a new way for customers to obtain train running information with the introduction of a free iPhone App providing ...
• East Midlands Trains offers discounted tickets to LondonEast Midlands Trains has today announced a range of fares to help people to enjoy an affordable day out in London. Almost 250,000 discounted advance tickets ...
• Eurostar opens sales for direct ski services to French AlpsEurostar has today opened ticket sales for its direct ski services from St Pancras International and Ashford International to the heart of the French Alps. The ...
• The RATP orders 66 trainsets for Paris MetroThe RATP, the Paris-based public transport operator, has exercised the option for a new tranche of 66 MF01 metro trainsets from the consortium made up of ...
• Rail travel grows 6% as passenger numbers reach highest for decadesPassenger numbers on the railways grew by 6% during spring and early summer as overall employment levels remained relatively stable, motorists faced high petrol prices and ...
• Rail unions RMT & TSSA agree to merger talksThe TSSA and RMT rail unions say they have agreed to commit to formal talks which could ultimately lead to a merger of the two unions. ...
• Replacement DLR station at Pudding Mill Lane approvedNewham™s Strategic Development Committee has approved plans for a replacement Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station at Pudding Mill Lane. The existing Pudding Mill Lane DLR station ...
• Works begin on Blackfriars bridge junction to support station developmentWork is set to start on an essential new road layout on Blackfriars Bridge that will be capable of handling the 40,000 passengers expected to leave ...
• Young people encouraged to use Zip Oyster photocard this SummerYoung Londoners can explore the Capital on public transport without breaking the bank with a Zip Oyster photocard. Parents and young Londoners are being encouraged to ...
• Crossrail improvements on show for Brentwood and Shenfield rail usersRail users in Brentwood and Shenfield will have the chance to find out more about the improvements Crossrail will bring to their railway at a public ...
• TSSA rejects latest London Underground pay offerThe TSSA union has rejected London Underground’s latest pay offer, following the same decision by RMT. Several meetings of the company council have recently taken place ...

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair passenger numbers rise 10%Ryanair passenger numbers - and fuel costs - soar in first quarter as it benefits from 'recession in people's minds' Ryanair planes at Stansted airport.
• Airlines raise fares as taxes lapseMany U.S. airlines have raised fares in recent days to take advantage of a lapse in U.S. ticket tax collection after Congress failed last week to fully fund the Federal Aviation Administration budget, but passengers are not likely to notice any price difference.
• IATA: May premium traffic up 9.5% but business confidence ˜deteriorating steadily™ IATA reported that international premium traffic climbed 9.5% and economy travel rose 5.5% year-over-year in May, which it said are “encouraging signs” that air travel picked up in the second quarter. However, IATA warned against extrapolating the “encouraging May data” owing to figures skewed by the volcanic ash-related airspace closures in April 2010.
• TSA to eliminate ˜passenger-specific™ images US Transportation Security Administration will begin installing new software on its millimeter wave AIT body scanning machines "in the coming months," eliminating "passenger-specific" images. The Automated Target Recognition software will produce a "generic outline of a person" while scanning for items that may pose a threat.
• Air France-KLM reportedly nearing decision on 787, A350 orders Air France-KLM's board, which will meet Wednesday, is expected to endorse an order for 25 Boeing 787s and 25 Airbus A350s with a similar number of options for both, reported La Tribune.
• Flybe, eyeing growth, reorganizes into three divisionsUK regional Flybe unveiled Monday

Other News Sources

• Selling HS2: delivering a return on Government’s investmentThis PwC report for Greengauge 21 sets out the first analysis of what the Government could expect to see as a financial return if it sells the infrastructure of High Speed 2 (HS2), in the same way as a 30-year concession was recently sold for HS1. PwC’s figures show it could produce between £6bn and £7bn as a return on the £13.9bn investment.
• RMT demands tighter regulation of company directors as Jarvis boss at time of Potters Bar plans return to stock marketRAIL UNION RMT today called for tighter regulation of company directors as it emerged that Paris Moayedi, the boss of rail company Jarvis at the time of the Potters Bar disaster, is floating a new 'green energy' company on the stock market.
• Coca-Cola invests £1.75m in biomethane trucksCoca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) is investing £1.75m in 13 biomethane trucks and the necessary refuelling infrastructure to operate them.
• Tube upgrade spending and delivery on the agenda 22 July, 2011 - 12:22 As part of its ongoing investigation into the state of the London Underground[1] the London Assembly™s Transport Committee will on Monday question guests about Transport for London™s spending and progress on upgrading the Tube. Committee Members will question the Chair of the Independent Investment Programme Advisory Group (IIPAG)[2] about the transparency of its work on the upgrade programme.  It is yet to publish any findings about its assessment of TfL™s expenditure on the upgrades. ...
• Restaurant chain to recycle waste oil Italian restaurant chain Carluccio's has announced plans to convert its waste cooking oil into bio-diesel - slashing the organisation's annual carbon emissions by up to 90%.
• Why are more cyclists dying on Britain's roads?While the roads are generally getting safer, for cyclists it is a different story: the number of cyclists killed jumped by 7 per cent in the last year. Jon Snow gets on his bike to find out why.
• Ryanair announces Q1 net profit of €139m Ryanair today (July 25) announced a Q1 net profit of €139m a slight increase of 1% on Q1 last year. Revenues grew by 29% to €1,155m as traffic increased 18% and ave. fares rose 11%. Unit costs ...
• easyJet seats on sale from London Southend Airport easyJet today announced the destinations that it will operate to and from London Southend Airport, from April 2012. With seats on sale later today, passengers will have a choice to fly to...
• Milestone moment for ItaloThe launch of Italo, the new high speed train service for Italy, has moved one step closer