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

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

BBC News

• Trial for Stroud to London tourist train service A special rail service between London and Stroud is being launched to promote the town as a tourist destination.
• Derby City Council to fund Bombardier judicial review Derby City Council has agreed to fund a potential legal review over a decision to award a £1.4bn contract for railway carriages to a German firm. The authority said it would support a move by labour union Unite to challenge the government.
• Disappearing tycoon Souter blames Google Transport tycoon Sir Brian Souter has accused Google of stopping links to his website appearing when people search for it.
• Oyster card empire could increaseTalks are under way on plans to extend the Oyster card scheme to Hertfordshire
• Report reveals more Tube delaysA London Assembly report shows passengers spent an extra 6.5 million hours on the Tube in 2010/11 because of increased delays.
• Main Scots airports outperform UKScotland's three main airports outperformed the UK as a whole last month, according to airport operator BAA.

The Herald

• Obree wants to see safer roads for Scots cyclists FLYING Scotsman Graeme Obree has called for the nation’s cycling routes to be modelled in the same way as Germany and Holland.
• Council drops plan to lower speed limitPLANS to reduce the speed limit on two of Scotland™s most dangerous roads have been dropped after facing stiff opposition from residents.
• Passenger numbers make steady ascent at airportsTHE number of passengers flying from Scotland™s three biggest airports continued to grow last month, despite a fall-off in the number of short-haul flights within the UK.
• Scots tycoon in Google web rowTRANSPORT tycoon Sir Brian Souter has accused global search engine Google of censorship, claiming his personal website is being blocked.

Daily Express

• Record for HeathrowA RECORD number of -passengers travelled through Heathrow airport last month and its operator claims numbers would have been greater but for -Hurricane Irene.

The Mirror

• Not a single Tory MP signs motion backing the fight to save Bombardier train making plant Even the four MPs with constituencies near the Bombardier HQ in Derby – where 1,400 out of 3,000 workers face the sack – have ignored pleas to help.

Network Rail

• NEW MEASURES TO IMPROVE RAIL INDUSTRY RESPONSE TO DISRUPTION ON WESSEX ROUTE· South West Trains and Network Rail pledge action after Woking cable theft incident· Better customer communications, extra resources and improved contingency plans· Measures follow smartphone investment and call for tough legislation on cable theft

Birmingham Mail

• National Express boss Dave Kaye in shock resignation THE man in charge of 4,500 National Express bus drivers has left the Birmingham group “for personal reasons” after less than a year at the helm.

Birmingham Post

• Buses MD resigns from National Express The man in charge of 4,500 National Express bus drivers has left the Birmingham group “for personal reasons” after less than a year at the helm.

Derby Telegraph

• TUC backs calls to reverse Thameslink decisionTHE Government's decision not to award Bombardier the Thameslink contract has been branded a "disgrace" by a top union leader.
• TUC backs calls to reverse Thameslink decisionTHE Government's decision not to award Bombardier the Thameslink contract has been branded a "disgrace" by a top union leader.
• Efforts to land more contracts to help save city's rail plantDERBY train-maker Bombardier is working behind the scenes to attract more orders that could potentially give its Litchurch Lane plant a stay of execution, the Derby Telegraph has learned.
• Has the Government finally got itself in gear over Bombardier?ONLY time will tell whether Bombardier's workers would be right to take hope from the Department For Transport's potential £120 million contract to upgrade cross country trains.
• Bombardier in talks over £120m trains deal lifelineWORKERS at Bombardier have been given fresh hope of their jobs being saved after it was revealed the firm is working with the Government on a potential £120 million contract.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Lord Fraser backs MSP's call to bring on trams inquiry THE man who conducted the inquiry into the over-budget, over-timetable Holyrood building project has backed the case for an immediate inquiry into Edinburgh's trams fiasco

Liverpool Post

• Wizz Air adds Vilnius to its Liverpool John Lennon airport links LIVERPOOL will be linked with Lithuanian capital city Vilnius from next summer after budget airline Wizz Air announced a new route for the city.

London Evening Standard

• Union bosses launch plans for further strikesUnion bosses have launched plans for further strikes and campaigns among public sector workers and the railways in protest over government spending cuts
• Road restrictions for London 2012 revealedThe full extent of restrictions on central London's roads during the Olympics is revealed

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post commented Real-time displays bring a stop to 'three buses arriving at...Article

Wales Online

• Gillan: ’All funding option need to be explored in electrification case’ ALL funding options, including those from the European Union, need to be explored in seeking to electrify the Great Western Main Line to Swansea, the Secretary of State for Wales said yesterday.
• New service hits the rails in effort to give tourism boost to West Wales £1.4M-A-YEAR rail services to West Wales will run for the first time today, in a move aimed at boosting the area’s tourism and economy.

Yorkshire Post

• Cycle path work begins as historic Stray bylaw finally overturnedWORK has begun on creating cycle routes on Harrogate’s Stray after an historic bylaw was finally overturned.

Plymouth Herald

• Workshop will focus on rail industryWE'RE all aware of what has been going on at Plymouth City Airport so now we really need to turn our efforts to ensuring that our remaining transport links are of a standard that our business community can use effectively.

Other Regional Press

• Clr Martyn Bolt attacks lack of action by Kirklees Council over Mirfield rail link COUNCILLORS have used their annual reports to have a dig at Kirklees Council.
• Cable theft disrupts trainsStagecoach boss Sir Brian Souter has called for tough new measures to tackle cable theft on railways.
• The £40m bus revolutionPlans have been unveiled for a new £40 million bus link to serve Glasgow.
• The £40m bus revolutionPlans have been unveiled for a new £40 million bus link to serve Glasgow.
• Ricoh Arena rail station bid lowered by almost £2m ELEVENTH-HOUR negotiations over a train service stopping at a new Ricoh Arena station have unexpectedly resulted in a much lower bid for government funding.

Global Rail News

• Stagecoach calls for new regulations to tackle cable theft on rail networkTransport group Stagecoach has called on the Government to introduce tough new measures to tackle the growing problem of cable theft on the UK rail network, ...
• New additional train services to FishguardFrom Monday 12 September 2011, five additional services will operate to and from Fishguard between Mondays and Saturdays. Funded by the Welsh Government, the additional train ...
• New escalators for Custom House Docklands Light Railway stationNew escalators at Custom House Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station have opened, ‘boosting the capacity of the station by 72% ready for the London 2012 Games’, ...
• Cable theft disrupts rail servicesA signalling problem caused by cable theft is disrupting rail services near Guildford. Delays between Haslemere/Redhill and Guildford are expected until further notice, meaning alterations to ...
• Translink™s ˜Rail Nights Out™ returnTranslink NI Railways passengers can now enjoy even better value for money when they travel by train in the evenings. With the return of Translink™s Rail ...
• Honour for Virgin Trains Chief ExecutiveThe Chief Executive of Virgin Trains has been presented with an honorary degree from the University of Wolverhampton™s Business School. Tony Collins was awarded a Doctor ...
• Translink launches student discount cardWith a new term approaching Translink is encouraging students to use the bus and train and take advantage of the range of special discounted student tickets ...
• Manchester Metrolink works cause travel disruptionWork to divert over 200 utility pipes and cables away from the routes of Metrolink lines through Oldham town centre and at Oldham Mumps is continuing, ...
• Rail upgrade could ˜relieve A14 congestion™The Rail Freight Group (RFG) has supported the call on Government from the CBI to urgently improve UK infrastructure, but suggested that rather than develop toll ...

Aviation Industry

• August 2011 traffic figures “ BAA's airportsHeathrow handled 6.6 million passengers in August 2011, up 0.7% on the previous year and the airport™s busiest ever August. In another August record, an impressive 82.2% of seats were filled on Heathrow flights.
• Delta's on-time performance improvesDelta Air Lines Inc. and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had better on-time performances in July, according to the most recent federal air travel statistics.
• Emirates to hire ex-Lufthansa chief?Rumours are circulating that Thierry Antinori, a former Lufthansa executive VP, is poised to join Emirates as head of sales based in Dubai

Green Miscellany

• The bicycle shop that thinks it™s a charity With the cycle trade in Britain buoyed up by a 28 per cent increase in retail sales last year, one particular company in East London is selling bicycles not for profit, but to help tackle environmental, social & economic challenges. read more

Other News Sources

• Eurostar reviews creative agency roster [Brand Republic]Eurostar is reviewing its ad agency arrangements across all the countries in which it operates, including the UK where the incumbent is Fallon.
• Virgin Trains lets customers buy WiFi access via handsets [Total Telecom]Customers of UK rail operator Virgin Trains are now able to purchase onboard Wi-Fi access using their mobile phones. Nomad Digital, a leading provider of high-speed, end-to-end wireless connections on transportation fleets, has announced that it is using ImpulsePay’s mobile purchasing solution to enable customers to pay for Wi-Fi access on any Wi-Fi enabled Virgin Train, using their mobile phones.
• MP: "No To Crossrail" [ITV - with video clip]One of Reading's MPs has told the Government he does not want Crossrail in his constituency. The project woud create a new rail service running from Maidenhead and Heathrow into London, allowing quicker services to the Acton main line and into the heart of the capital.
• Thameslink contract reinforces the lack of competition in the rolling stock market [TUC]The Thameslink contract will exacerbate the anti-competitive nature of the rolling stock leasing market, says the TUC today (Tuesday) as the issue has been selected by the Labour Party front bench for debate to coincide with Congress motions on the future of rail manufacturing moved by ASLEF, Unite, RMT and TSSA.
• Tube Bosses Under Fire Over Delays Transport managers have been urged to tackle the "unacceptable" level of performance on London Underground.
• Airport rail link hopes run highRAIL chiefs are drawing up ambitious plans for a direct Reading to Heathrow rail link with four high-speed trains an hour.
• TNT Express expands delivery capacity at Thetford depotTNT Express has extended its deport in Thetford, Norfolk, to cope with future business growth.
• Mike Brooks Transport starts running in Palletforce coloursHereford-based Mike Brookes Transport has marked its first anniversary with Palletforce by having one of its trucks resprayed in the pallet network's orange livery.
• FTA meets with transport minister to set out future of Scotland™s supply chainThe Freight Transport Association met with Keith Brown MSP, transport minister, to set out where it believes the newly-elected Scottish National ...