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

Thursday, 10 November 2011

BBC News

• Network Rail builds icy weather trains for South East A fleet of snow and ice-treatment trains is being built by Network Rail in Derby to help keep services running in the South East during icy weather.
• EU 'would not prevent' government Thameslink rethink The European Commission has confirmed it would not punish the UK government if it restarted the tendering process for the £1.4bn Thameslink contract.
• Ex-minister: £170m rail franchise led to overcrowding A £170m railway franchise is "flawed" and has led to a decade of overcrowding, a former transport minister has said. Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones inherited the Arriva Trains Wales contract in 2007.
• Bus changes set for city centreWork set to start on a £14m plan to reorganise bus services and move stops in Birmingham city centre
• Rail drives First Group profitsAberdeen transport firm First Group announces a rise in sales and profits with strong growth in its UK rail division.
• Irish government pulls A5 fundingThe Irish government withdraws £400m funding for a major road upgrade in Northern Ireland.

Financial Times

• General Maritime's future hangs in balanceWaivers allowing one of the world's largest oil tanker owners to breach a series of clauses in its banking covenants are set to expire
• Air France-KLM chief to 'rapidly' cut debtPlans to launch new cost savings and restructure medium- and short-haul businesses add to the prospect of renewed conflict with French unions
• FirstGroup plans investment in downturnTrain and bus operator makes a strong case to put money into divisions such as UK Bus, after posting a 3% rise in revenues in the first half
• Container slump hits Møller-MaerskIncreasingly difficult conditions facing container shipping lines help push group third-quarter profits down sharply

The Guardian

• Railway regulation [Letter - Ian Prosser, Chief Inspector of Railways, ORR]The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has always been clear that health and safety on Britain's railways is its absolute priority. Our role as the combined safety and economic rail regulator enables us to ensure the industry delivers a safe, high-performing and efficient railway for passengers and funders.

The Herald

• FirstGroup revenue boost amid fears for city routesCHIEF executive Tim O™Toole said that, far from dominating the Glasgow bus market, FirstGroup had been œunder a lot stress in the city as the Aberdeen-based company saw underlying pre-tax profit for the six months to September 30 rise 9% to £84.5 million.
• Flybe to cut flights despite a surge in profitsFLYBE, the Exeter-based airline that links Scotland with southern England and western Europe, has reported soaring profits but said it will reduce capacity by 6% during the winter amid falling demand.

The Scotsman

• Parkhead and Ibrox ’should get their own rail stations’ NEW railway stations should be built near Rangers’ and Celtic’s stadiums, a new development blueprint by Glasgow City Council has proposed.

Daily Express

• Flybe predicts 'flat' winter as fliers stay putREGIONAL airline Flybe warned of a tough winter yesterday as cash-conscious fliers stay at home to

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham City Centre buses to re-routed for Metro tram extension worksUP TO 30,000 Birmingham city centre commuters will find their route home has altered next year as bus stops are moved for work to begin on the new Metro extension.

Birmingham Post

• Commons Transport Committee slams lack of detail in HS2 proposals A planned high speed rail line between London and Birmingham can only be justified if the Government makes a firm commitment to extending it to the North, MPs have warned.

Journal Live

• Road bosses insist North East is prepared for winter weatherROAD bosses in the North East are confident they have learnt their lessons and will not be caught out by any extreme winter weather.

Metro

• Jubilee Line Tube chaos sparks row over future of driverless trainsThousands of Tube passengers were stranded after the Jubilee Line went into meltdown.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Rail bosses are risking lives, says north MSPNetwork Rail was yesterday accused of risking lives by delaying the installation of barriers at ungated level crossings in the Highlands for at least three years.

Wales Online

• MPs approve high-speed rail but Wales jobs at risk A cross-party group of MPs will today give a cautious welcome to plans for a controversial high-speed rail-link despite the risk of job losses in Wales.

Yorkshire Post

• MPs call on Government to improve roads following devastating M5 crashMPs have urged the Government to improve transport links to the South West peninsula after the fatal M5 pile-up closed the main route into the region for 48 hours.

Western Daily Press

• M5 pile-up exposes poor transport links in South WestMPs have urged the Government to improve transport links in the far South West following last weekend’s fatal pile-up on the M5.

Other Regional Press

• Darwen railway station gets £400,000 faceliftIMPROVEMENTS worth £400,000 will be carried out at Darwen railway station in the next 12 months.
• Low Moor railway station moves closer THE long-awaited new railway station at Low Moor is now a step closer after the announcement of a public consultation later this month.
• MP Stewart pleased after influencing high speed rail report Milton Keynes South MP has commented following the release of a report on High Speed Rail by the Transport Select Committee.
• Rising pressure to improve Westcountry transport linksNo one can complain at the closure of the M5 motorway last weekend following Friday night's horrific accident which left seven dead and 51 injured. It was Britain's worst road crash for at least 20 years and out of respect for those who died and the need to clear the debris and make the surface safe, closing the road – initially in both directions – was without doubt the right thing to do. Apart from anything else, the investigation into how this incident happened is now a criminal one. The need for the police to thoroughly examine every shred of evidence rightly eclipsed all pressures to get the road open again.
• Railworks on Penistone rail Line between Brockholes and BarnsleyA MAJOR engineering scheme has started on the Penistone Line.
• Demands to reveal whole of HS2 routePROTESTERS and lobby groups have backed calls by MPs for more investigation into the entire route of the controversial HS2 rail plan.

Global Rail News

• High Speed 2 recognised as ˜vital capacity upgrade™The Rail Freight Group (RFG) has welcomed the Commons Select Committee on Transport™s Tenth Report on the High Speed 2 (HS2) project. The report recognised that ...
• MP calls for Network Rail to be subject to Freedom of Information ActSimon Wright, MP for Norwich South has called on the Government to include Network Rail within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Mr ...
• Manchester Metrolink supports Poppy AppealA special poppy tram will run on the Metrolink network in Greater Manchester until Sunday 13 November as part of the Armistice Day commemorations. The Lancashire ...
• Major progress made on Birmingham™s transport visionMore than £800 million of work to transform the way people travel into and around Birmingham city centre is underway “ just 12 months after the ...
• Knorr-Bremse wins EEF Future Manufacturing AwardWiltshire based Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems (UK) Limited has become the South West Regional Winners of the Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) Innovative Operating Practices Award. The Award ...
• Rail industry calls for tough new measures on cable theftThe rail industry has called for tough new measures to deal with cable theft at a meeting of the Transport Select Committee in Westminster. Speaking at ...
• Sub Surface RenaissanceWritten by Clive Kessell for the rail engineer Considerable publicity has already emerged on the new S stock trains being delivered to the Metropolitan Line. However, ...
• Getting back to Good EngineeringWritten by Terry Whitley for the rail engineer The East Coast Main Line is the most recent, and most obvious, example of the failure of a ...
• Rail research body to catch universities™ train of thoughtBoth the railways and universities are looking to exploit the mutual benefits of even closer cooperation. The Rail Research UK Association (RRUK-A), which was started up ...

Railnews

• Network Rail insiders blamed for some cable thefts Some Network Rail staff and contractors are cable thieves, according to a senior manager giving evidence to MPs. The problem of metal thefts is becoming worse as the value of some metals, particularly copper, continues to rise on world markets, and there are increasingly strident calls for the scrap metal trade to be licensed and regulated.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair's Latest Money Making Scheme: Screening Porn On PlansThe dirty scenes won't be available to view on screens on the back of seats, assures O'Leary, the X-rated entertainment would only be downloadable through an inflight-app for iPads and smartphones.
• Alaska Airlines, Horizon to launch biofuel flightsAlaska Airlines will operate 75 scheduled domestic flights partially powered by biofuel derived from used cooking oil.
• Birmingham and Manchester to gain Berlin linksLufthansa will launch daily flights iin time for the opening of the city's new airport next year

Green Miscellany

• HS2 - The link to the capital will be the making of Birmingham Should be we build a high speed railway from London to Birmingham? Many say no and many say yes. I say that it depends on a number of considerations. Is it part of a nationwide plan? Who is going to pay for it? Do we really need to save a few minutes on a journey?read more
• A website that finds you £1,000 for a new bicycle The next time you need to justify the cost of a brand new bike, look no further than the Cycle to Work Calculator, a website that quickly calculates the annual savings to be made by swapping the car, bus or train for a bicycle. read more

Other News Sources

• London TravelWatch Board Meeting London TravelWatch's next meeting in public is its Board Meeting on Tuesday 15 November at 10am, which will be held at its 6 Middle Street offices.
• Virgin West Coast cleaners win 10% increase in fair pay fightRAIL UNION RMT confirmed today that cleaners working for the Carlisle Group on the Virgin West Coast Mainline have won a pay increase of 10% along with further improvements in benefits, allowances and working conditions.
• News from Caroline Pidgeon - We still have a long way to go to make London's streets safer for cyclists 9 November, 2011 Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the Mayor™s reply to her questions about cycle safety and TfL™s limited proposals that were announced today to improve conditions for London cyclists said: "The harsh fact is that 14 cyclists have already died on London™s roads this year compared to 10 last year. These figures speak for themselves about the need for urgent action. "Today™s measures announced by TfL are therefore welcome, but there is still much more that must ...
• CBI calls on Chancellor to progress more than 20 road projectsThe CBI has called for roads spending to be prioritised in the upcoming Autumn statement including bringing 10 publicly-funded projects forward and reinstating a further 14 delayed in the 2010 spending review.