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

Saturday, 08 October 2011

BBC News

• Consultation over rail link plansA public consultation over plans for a new railway line linking Manchester's Victoria and Piccadilly stations is launched.
• Tube drivers balloted on actionLondon Underground (LU) drivers are to be balloted on industrial action in a row over safety.
• Revamp for 'oldest' Tube carriageA £422,000 grant is given to restore an underground carriage, thought to be the world's oldest, to mark 150 years of London Underground.
• Emirates sponsors 2012 cable carA private sponsor for a new Thames cable car river crossing is announced in a 10-year deal worth £36m.
• Airbus staff stage German strikeAirbus workers go on strike at four German factories affecting work on its A320 jet and other planes.
• Dutch trains to get 'bag toilets'Dutch National Railways is introducing emergency plastic bags for passengers to urinate in as part of its first aid provision on some commuter trains.
• BAA told to sell Scottish airportCompetition regulators tell airport operator BAA to sell either Glasgow or Edinburgh airport before selling Stansted.

Financial Times

• American Airlines hits extreme turbulenceAMR Corp forced to issue an unusual statement after shares dropped sharply
• Order of BAA sell-offs reversedCompetition Commission tells BAA to begin the process of disposing of one of its Scottish airports
• Airlines denounce airports' 'virtual hub'Industry voices doubts on Heathrow to Gatwick high-speed rail link to solve pressure on airports
• Heathwick airport hub on agendaA hub featuring a £5bn high-speed rail link between Heathrow and Gatwick is being considered by ministers

The Herald

• Fears figures for rail users are skewedRAIL campaigners have reacted furiously to suggestions a number of stations in rural areas of Scotland may be poor value for money, and have accused Network Rail of downplaying their importance to pave the way for their closure.

The Independent

• Minor British Institutions: Lollipop people What better sign of a society's priorities and care for its future than a genial official figure stopping traffic to allow children to cross the road to get to school? Well, perhaps, news that local authorities are planning cuts to our 20,000 lollipop people.

The Telegraph

• New planning rules 'will mean more rural roads' Prof David Metz, a former chief scientist at the Department for Transport, said that plans to let developers build more homes in rural areas meant extra roads would have to be constructed to serve them.
• High-speed rail could link Gatwick and Heathrow airports in 15 minutes A high-speed rail link could take passengers between Gatwick and Heathrow within 15 minutes, according to a new proposal drawn up by civil servants.

Daily Record

• BAA ordered to sell Glasgow or Edinburgh airport before selling StanstedBAA has been told it will have to sell one of its Scottish airports before it sells Stansted.

Mail Online

• Dutch railways to replace on-board toilets with PLASTIC BAGS... and they're only to be used in 'emergencies''Sprinter' trains, which run between the Netherlands' main cities, were designed without bathrooms to save space, and passengers will now have to use bags instead.
• First commercial British flight fueled by used chip fat is met by naked protestersThe Thomson Airways flight from Birmingham airport ran on biofuel, but the Plane Stupid activist group protested that biofuel production is ruining the rainforests.

The Mirror

• Bombardier train deal fatcats to cream off extra £7million FATCAT consultants denying doomed UK train-maker Bombardier a lucrative contract are in line for another £7million of taxpayers’ cash. The staggering sum will mean outside experts brought in by ministers will receive a total of £22million for sending work to Germany and not Britain.
• Councils stockpile extra road saltCouncils are stockpiling thousands of tonnes of extra road salt this year in case of another severe winter, it has been revealed.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Flintshire theatre bus gets stay of executionA FLEXIBLE bus service that takes thousands of people to evening theatre shows each year has been given a stay of execution.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Fight to overturn the Thameslink decision still alive on three...Article

Manchester Evening News

• Have your say on Network Rail's £560m plan to improve rail travel in Greater ManchesterBosses say the Northern Hub project would see 700 more trains a day running between towns and cities across the north, with space for 44m more people to travel by train each year. There are also plans by Network Rail to spend £27m on a revamp of Manchester™s run-down Victoria Station, including a £16m new roof.

East Anglian Daily Times

• UK: Stansted Airport sell-off delayedAIRPORT company BAA will have to sell one of its Scottish airports before it sells Stansted, competition chiefs ruled today.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Train travellers told to get on track early for ChristmasTRAIN operator East Coast is urging passengers from Peterborough to book tickets as soon as possible for travel over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Other Regional Press

• Aberdeen Airport™s runway extension opens earlyABERDEEN Airport™s £10 million runway extension has been officially opened “ eight months ahead of schedule.

Bus and Coach.com

• Bike crushed on Cambridge buswayA bicycle has been crushed on the Cambridge guided busway.
• New HQ for Arriva MidlandsA new head office and depot for Arriva Midlands was officially opened this week by transport minister Norman Baker.
• Scottish government Fastlink fundingThe Scottish government has confirmed that it will contribute £40million to the Glasgow Fastlink bus service upgrade.
• CC backs partnerships, not franchisingThe Competition Commission™s remedies to address a perceived lack of competition in the bus industry contain little to frighten big bus operators or their shareholders.

Global Rail News

• East Coast customers choose York as their top travel destinationYork has been named as the top tourist destination on the East Coast route following a survey of customers using the train operators™ services. East Coast ...
• Hitachi develops integrated railway systems simulatorHitachi Ltd recently announced that it has developed an ‘integrated railway systems simulator’, which contributes to developing systems that meet the needs of local railway operators, ...
• May Gurney repeats National Rail Awards successA project carried out by May Gurney on behalf of Network Rail won the Civil Engineering Achievement of the Year category in the 2011 National Rail ...
• Network Rail cuts payment time to help supply chainNetwork Rail™s investment projects arm has reduced the time it takes to pay contractors and suppliers to 21 days, down from 56 days. The new regime ...

Aviation Industry

• Qantas signs record aircraft orderAirbus deal includes 32 A320s and 78 next-generation A320neo aircraft

Other News Sources

• RMT to ballot drivers for action over tube train safetyTUBE UNION RMT confirmed this morning that it has begun balloting tube drivers for action short of a strike in a dispute over safety.
• Munich Airport: More than 20 airlines sign long-term contracts with AeroGroundAeroGround, the ground handling subsidiary of FMG, the Munich Airport operating company, has entered into long-term deals with more than 20 airline customers over the past few months. With the...