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

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

BBC News

• £40m plan to improve rail serviceA £40m scheme to improve rail services between Swansea and Gowerton is unveiled.
• Bad weather 'could hit rush hour'A fresh wave of snow and high winds could lead to rush hour disruption for drivers on Tuesday, transport minister Keith Brown warns.
• Guide dog needed flight documentBudget airline easyJet apologises to a blind woman who was prevented from boarding her flight because her guide dog had no documentation.
• Ticket gates for Gatwick ExpressGatwick Express launches new ticket gates which have been installed at London Victoria and Gatwick train stations.
• 2012 gridlock claims 'nonsense'Warnings that the Olympics will bring transport chaos are like a Millennium Bug that will
• Virgin and BA in battle for BMIThe owner of British Midland International (BMI), Lufthansa, says it has not yet decided on a buyer for the carrier.

Financial Times

• Protests shut two US west coast portsThe Occupy movement targeted facilities owned by SSA Marine, in which Goldman Sachs is an investor
• ThyssenKrupp sells ˜mega-yacht™ divisionUK buy-out group Star Capital is to buy the company behind Roman Abramovich™s yacht Eclipse
• Virgin makes rival bid for Lufthansa™s BMIThe UK airline argues it could save the German flag-carrier money by taking lossmaking subsidiary off its hands more swiftly than IAG could
• CSAV seeks partner for container shipping armChilean company prepares to split off the lossmaking division from SM Saam, its more profitable port, tugs and logistics operations
• Sir Stelios sets up short-term car hire clubUK-based sharing scheme, which enables owners to rent out their vehicles, will be test launched in spring 2012 and operate alongside EasyCar

The Guardian

• Cycle like the Danes to cut carbon emissions, says study EU could cut its total greenhouse gas emissions by more than 25% if every country's cycling rate was the same as Denmark's
• Pass notes No 3,094: Justine Greening The secretary of state for transport has had a word with her civil servants about their grammar
• More Bow roundabout cycle safety questions heading Boris Johnson's way That was a flavour of Bow roundabout and the stretch of Boris Johnson's Barclays cycle superhighway 2 that passes through it. The deaths of two cyclists there in a three-week period during the autumn has made it a focus of campaigning for greater cycle safety in London. Let's recap:
• Olympic VIPs should use the tube as well as cars, says Boris Johnson London mayor says dignitaries such as Sepp Blatter should use public transport to help ease congestion during the Games

The Herald

• Picture you thought you'd never see ... However, unfortunately for the capital's long-suffering residents, it was only a trial run.

Reuters News

• Go-Ahead bullish on UK transport growth British rail and bus operator Go-Ahead said full-year profit would likely exceed its expectations after a strong first-half performance.

Daily Express

• Star's ship enterpriseA BRITISH private equity firm has snapped up part of the German shipbuilder that made the battleship Bismarck and Roman Abramovich's superyacht Eclipse as part of a 150million (£128million) deal.
• Virgin's half-price bid to grab BMI from BASIR Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic has upped the stakes in its bid to wrest struggling airline BMI from the clutches of arch-rival British Airways.
• Stelios makes it easy to rent out your carTWO of the country's best-known entrepreneurs are joining forces to launch a car-hire scheme that will allow motorists to rent out their vehicles when not using them.

The Mirror

• Crossrail funding threat 'could be end of Bombardier' BRITAIN’S last trainmaker Bombardier could lose a life-saving £1billion contract in an “action replay of the Thameslink stitch-up”, a union leader warned yesterday. London Mayor Boris Johnson wanted to raise the money for 60 Crossrail carriages by allowing Transport for London to borrow more but Transport Secretary Justine Greening vetoed the move.

ATOC

• Rail fares in 2012 - what the government's decision meansThe Q&A below provides information on the impact of the government’s announcement on 29 November that it was changing the level of regulated fare rises in 2012....

Network Rail

• LONGER TRAINS FOR CAMBRIDGE COMMUTERS
• WORK STARTS ON THREE BRIDGES RAIL OPERATING CENTRE: 900 JOBS TO FOLLOW
• NETWORK RAIL SETS OUT TIMETABLE FOR THAMESLINK COMPLETION
• NETWORK RAIL ANNOUNCES DEAL WITH THE OFFICE GROUP TO CREATE DROP-IN OFFICE SPACE AT STATIONS
• RAIL PLANS FOR WEST WALES UNVEILED
• BIRMINGHAM'S CROSS CITY LINE ONE OF MOST ACCESSIBLE IN THE COUNTRY
• RAIL USERS TO BENEFIT FROM MULTI-MILLION POUND BOOST TO STATIONS
• MAJOR REDEVELOPMENT OF PETERBOROUGH STATION ANNOUNCED

Birmingham Mail

• Anti domestic abuse campaign to feature on Birmingham bus ticketsPOLICE are urging domestic abuse victims not to “suffer in silence” over the Christmas period.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Bombardier job losses are hitting city housing market, claims...A DERBY estate agent claims the city's property market has been hit by the job losses at train-maker Bombardier and other large employers.

Liverpool Post

• Liverpool airport walkout takes bitter twist as Servisair tries to ban striking workersA DISPUTE between Liverpool airport baggage handlers and their bosses has turned bitter over the threat of deducted wages for strikers.

London Evening Standard

• Tube figures show delays are down and service 'continues to improve'Record numbers of passengers are enjoying a more reliable service as the London Underground 'continues to improve', according to Transport for London

Manchester Evening News

• Boost for rail passengers as Northern add 50 extra carriagesPassengers are benefiting from 50 extra carriages on some of the busiest rail routes serving Manchester and the north. Rail firm Northern says they are being used to ease crowding on trains heading to and from Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle.
• Delight as road protesters win U-turn over Metrolink track in DroylsdenResidents who brought traffic to a standstill with a rush-hour protest are celebrating after plans to introduce a raised tram track were scrapped. As reported in the M.E.N. last week, campaigners in Droylsden were left seething at proposals to introduce a three-inch elevated line in Audenshaw Road.

Metro

• Fifty trains damaged as Munich sees in public transport alcohol banFifty trains were damaged after 2,000 people attended a 'farewell drink' on the S-Bahn commuter network in Munich the night before an alcohol ban on public transport was implemented.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds Bradford Airport ˜selling a pup™ over plans for expansionMajor airport extension plans at Leeds Bradford are ignoring the communities who live in the area, claim local councillors.

Yorkshire Post

• £24,000 bill for bus giant after worker trapped under vehicleA MAJOR bus company was yesterday ordered to pay out almost £24,000 after admitting health and safety breaches which led to a teenage apprentice becoming trapped under a 14-tonne vehicle.
• Extra seats boost for rail passengersRAIL passengers travelling into and out of Leeds now stand a better chance of finding a seat.

Blackpool Gazette

• Speed limit bid ˜laughing at us™The grandfather of a teenager seriously injured on a deadly rural road today slammed schemes to reduce speed limits on minor roads in Wyre.

Burnley Express

• British Transport Police warn children to ˜stay away™ from rail tracksWith Christmas and the school holidays almost upon us, British Transport Police is warning all youngsters to stay away from the tracks.

Other Regional Press

• Bats won't halt rail plans THE threat of bats in a railway tunnel near Wolvercote holding up a new Rail service from Oxford to London Marylebone looks to have been lifted.
• Revised plan for Huddersfield to London trains submitted: What do you think?THE firm bidding to run direct rail services between Huddersfield and London has submitted a revised application for one of its proposed routes.
• ’Why can’t bus firm plan for traffic?’ Mirfield woman slams late-running Huddersfield serviceA COMMUTER has slammed a bus company for services being consistently late.
• First 12-carriage trains launchedFirst Capital Connect has launched its first 12-carriage train service between Bedford and Brighton on the Thameslink route. The services that began on December 12 are 50 per cent longer than any FCC

Campaign for Better Transport

• One step forward and two steps back? Not if we can help it9 December: With fares still rising year after year now is the time to build on our success. read more

Global Rail News

• Pendolino on East Coast Main Line?Alstom and Angel Trains have confirmed that the idea of running a Pendolino on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) is possible. Tentative discussions have taken ...
• Network Rail sets out timetable for Thameslink completionThe transformation of rail travel in London came a step closer this morning when the first longer, 12-carriage train began its journey from Bedford to Brighton ...
• Work starts on Three Bridges rail operating centreHenry Smith MP joined representatives from Network Rail and Southern trains to mark the start of work on a state-of-the-art rail operating centre at Three Bridges ...
• Longer trains for Cambridge commutersLonger trains, with more seats for passengers, will run from today (Monday December 12) for the first time between Cambridge and Liverpool Street after Network Rail ...
• DB Schenker Rail coal team strengthened with new appointmentDB Schenker Rail’s coal team has been strengthened following the appointment of Martin Littlemore as Account Manager Coal. Martin joins the coal sector of DB Schenker ...
• British Transport Police target drugs in WalesBritish Transport Police (BTP) officers have conducted two drug detection operations in South East Wales. Officers from Cardiff and Newport, along with the Cardiff Neighbourhood Policing ...
• Euromaint Rail signs maintenance contract with LKABEuromaint Rail signs contract with LKAB for the maintenance of 14 freight carriages. The assignment comprises preventive and corrective maintenance and includes mobile services. A spokesperson ...
• East Midlands Trains launches 1,500 additional seatsRail passengers have ‘received an early Christmas present’ today (12 December 2011) with the launch of an additional 1,500 seats a day on East Midlands Trains™ ...
• ˜Challenges™ lead to revised Metrolink openingsThe ‘very challenging’ task of introducing a new tram management system on to the Metrolink network has led to revisions to the schedule for new lines ...
• Network Rail in deal to create ˜drop-in™ office space at stations‘Convenient and flexible’ office space at stations was signalled today as Network Rail agreed a joint venture with The Office Group, the Lloyd Dorfman-backed office space ...

Railnews

• Rolling stock hitch delays German trains to London Delays in the production of Siemens Velaro-D trains are reported to be the reason why Deutsche Bahn has been forced to postpone its plans to provide international services from London until 2015.
• Thameslink delay 'not connected' with Eurozone crisis Rail minister Theresa Villiers has denied claims that the signing of the contract for more than 1,100 Thameslink vehicles has been delayed until next year because of the financial crisis in the Eurozone.

Aviation Industry

• Virgin Atlantic makes rival offer for bmiVirgin Atlantic Airways (VS) and Lufthansa Group (LH) confirmed Monday they have signed a terms and conditions contract on the sale of LH™s loss-making UK subsidiary British Midland (bmi).
• German air traffic controller DFS reportedly interested in NATS stake Germany's state-owned air traffic service Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) is preparing to make a bid for a stake in its British counterpart National Air Traffic Services (NATS), according to the UK’s The Sunday Times.
• Buyers demand more government engagementNew research by the Institute of Travel and Meetings (ITM) has revealed that buyers want more government engagement over issues affecting business travel. The survey of buyers ranged from airport expansion, taxes and long running concern over airlines’ use of data. The research showed that 45% of buyers still¦
• Virgin œstill in running for bmiVirgin Atlantic is still in the running to buy the loss making bmi from its owners Lufthansa, While the International Airline Group, which owns BA, has an agreement in principle to buy the UK carrier, a spokeswoman for Lufthansa said today (December 12) that still shopping around for the nest deal. The German¦
• Slight drop in BAA airport passengers There was a slight drop of 0.9% in passengers at BAA’s six UK airports in November compared with the same month last year. The company said 7.8m passengers used its airports at Heathrow, Stansted, Southampton, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen during the month. The figures included a slight drop at Heathrow with¦

Other News Sources

• Virgin to open banks at train stationsBank branches could start appearing at train stations if Virgin Trains manages to hold onto the franchise for the west coast line, according to boss, Sir Richard Branson. Talking after a meeting in which he discussed the firm’s future rail strategy, Sir Richard said that opening branches of Virgin Money at stations along the route between London and Scotland was something he was interested in pursuing.
• Crossrail Trains To Be Supplied Under PFI Crossrail trains look set to be financed under PFI, after transport secretary Justine Greening denied Boris Johnson’s request to buy the rolling stock through TfL.
• RMT warns of new Crossrail stitch-up of UK train buildingRAIL UNION RMT warned today that the Government could be preparing an action replay of the Thameslink stitch-up of Bombardier over the Crossrail contract as it emerged that Transport Secretary Justine Greening has sabotaged a plan that would have potentially saved train building in the nation that gave the railways to the world.
• Consultation for A14 improvement launched after £1.2bn scheme scrappedThe Department for Transport has published a consultation to find proposals to improve the A14 after the £1.2bn Ellington to Fen Ditton scheme was scrapped.
• Most travel managers have no policy to buy greenMore than two thirds of travel buyers (68%) have no green purchasing policy, a new survey released today (December 12) has revealed. A questionnaire by the Business Travel Show (BTS) found that only 32% of buyers had a policy on going green although only 12% have plans to expand it. Of the majority who do not have a¦
• High speed rail far œcleaner than cars or planes “ reportThe carbon footprint of high speed rail (HSR) can be as much as 14 times less than that from cars and 15 times less than that from planes, two new reports have claimed. The two studies, High Speed Rail and Sustainability and the Carbon Footprint of High Speed Rail were commissioned by the International Union of¦

News from Europe

• Smart card for transport users arrives after nine years with €55m price tag MORE THAN nine years after it was first proposed, a new €55 million integrated ticketing system for public transport in the greater Dublin area was officially launched yesterday.