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

Friday, 16 December 2011

BBC News

• Credit rating 'settled rail deal'Siemens' superior credit rating helped it beat Derby trainmaker Bombardier to the £1.4bn Thameslink contract, a Transport Select Committee report says.
• Google patents self-driving carThe search giant is awarded a US patent for a system that tells driverless cars when to take control of the wheel.
• Tram depot handed over to councilEdinburgh's new tram depot is handed over to the city council in a move which is being seen as a major milestone.
• Trolleybus scheme delayedThe Leeds trolleybus scheme is delayed further as the government asks for more information to test its value for money.
• Durham Tees Valley airport saleDurham Tees Valley Airport has been put up for sale because of a fall in passengers but can it find a buyer or is the decline terminal?
• West End Olympics parking delayBoris Johnson says that plans to introduce night-time and weekend parking charges in London's West End have been postponed until after the Olympic Games.
• Bus workers demand Olympics bonusThousands of bus workers in London are seeking a £500 payment for being on duty during next year's Olympic Games.

Department for Transport

• Government slashes motoring red tapeDrivers are to be released from reams of red tape currently required by government, Transport Secretary Justine Greening announced today.

Financial Times

• MPs ask watchdog to review £1.6bn train dealThe government has backed the transport committee™s call over the Thameslink award that threatened the future of the last UK train maker
• Resilient freight demand boosts FedExParcel carrier surprises with order for 27 Boeing 767-300 freighters and shares rise 7 per cent

The Guardian

• Bombardier rail deal could be investigated by National Audit Office Transport select committee is urging the NAO to scrutinise the rail contract contest that saw Bombardier lose out to Siemens
• West End evening parking charge put on hold by Westminster council Plans for night and weekend fees shelved til after Olympics at least, as judge grants judicial review after vocal opposition

The Scotsman

• Fury over ’union dinosaurs’ as rail signallers are called out on strike for three days over Christmas RAIL signallers were last night condemned as “union dinosaurs” for calling a three-day strike at Christmas.
• First two passengers take a £776m ride on new Edinburgh tram THREE years in, barely half way to completion, and it’s still not even the longest working tram line in Scotland.
• Motoring tax more than triple outlay The UK government takes more than three times more on motoring taxes than is spent on roads, latest official figures show.

The Telegraph

• Tory think tank calls for high speed rail rethink A planned high speed rail line from London to Birmingham should be diverted away from the Chilterns, a Tory think tank has said.
• MPs say Audit Office should review Thameslink trains deal The National Audit Office should review the process that led to the Government awarding a £1.5bn rolling stock contract to a German company, according to a report by MPs.
• Rail commuters face "double whammy" of fare and car parking charge rises Commuters are facing an imminent hike in station car parking charges as well as dearer train fares, a union leader has warned.
• Paper driving licence to be phased out It will disappear in 2015, after which only a photocard will be issued. Details of driving convictions will be held on computer and made available to car hire companies and foreign authorities.

Reuters News

• Siemens UK rail contract to be reviewed-MPsBritain's decision to award a key rail contract to Siemens AG, which led incumbent Bombardier Inc to cut hundreds of jobs at its British plant, will be subject to an official review, a committee of MPs said on Friday.

The Mirror

• Fresh hope for Bombardier workers as MPs call for Thameslink deal reviewBRITAIN’S last train maker Bombardier was today given new hope in its efforts to clinch the £1.4billion Thameslink contract.
• Award of train contract reviewedA Government spending watchdog should review the process whereby Germany, not Britain, won a lucrative train building order, a report by MPs has said.

Network Rail

• PASSENGERS BENEFIT AS NEW WEST HAMPSTEAD THAMESLINK STATION OPENS
• NETWORK RAIL SAVES OVER 100,000KM OF LORRY JOURNEYS WITH RAIL FREIGHT DELIVERY TO NEW NATIONAL CENTRE
• SALMON RIVER SPAWNS NEW RAIL BRIDGE
• FREIGHT TRAINS DIVERTED TO KEEP CHRISTMAS LIGHTS BURNING
• OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Labour Euro chief attacks 'gross incompetence' on rail contractArticle

Liverpool Post

• Liverpool John Lennon airport vows to find new global hub link after KLM withdrawalLIVERPOOL John Lennon airport (JLA) has vowed to find a new operator offering access to a global hub, after KLM’s shock withdrawal of its route.
• Mersey tunnel tolls could rise to £1.70 for cars next AprilMERSEY tunnel tolls could rise to £1.70 next year, under figures released by Merseytravel.

London Evening Standard

• Award of train contract reviewedA Government spending watchdog should review the process whereby Germany, not Britain, won a lucrative train building order, a report by MPs has said.

Manchester Evening News

• Thumbs up for Manchester from Finnair travel bloggers after airport was slated last year Amateur travel reviewers have given Manchester the thumbs up after visiting the city as part of a campaign to promote the region and the airport. Hundreds of normal passengers responded to an unusual offer by Finnair to spend two months trotting the globe to plug the airline™s routes.

Sheffield Telegraph

• All Aboard For Hope Valley As Campaigners Celebrate Extra TrainsRAIL campaigners this week celebrated the Sheffield launch of an extra service through the Hope Valley that they say will mean more residents will be able to use the train to get to and from work.

Yorkshire Post

• Maria Eagle: High speed rail is too vital to be shunted aside BRITAIN’S major rail lines are full. As anyone who travels on the East and West Coast main lines will know, we are facing an increasingly severe capacity crisis.
• Review urged over award of train contractA GOVERNMENT spending watchdog should review the process whereby Germany, not Britain, won a lucrative train building order, a report by MPs said.
• Rail users face hike in station parking costsRail passengers may face a “double whammy” of higher fares and increased car parking charges at stations in the new year.
• Three times more motoring tax taken than spent on roadsThe Government takes more than three times more on motoring taxes than is spent on roads, latest official figures have revealed.

Other Regional Press

• Transport commission slumberingA working party of experts set up to advise on transport issues in Bath has not met since May. A meeting of the Bath Transport Commission had been due to take place in October but was cancelled by Bath and North East Somerset Council.
• We™ll get you on board with £10m bus dealA BUS company which is to increase the scale of its operation massively has promised a œseamless transfer of services for users.
• Huge pothole causes £300 of damage to luxury carDRIVERS are facing a pothole nightmare in one of Glasgow™s busiest city centre streets.

Global Rail News

• ˜Fast Track Scotland™ high speed rail plans supportedTransform Scotland, the sustainable transport alliance, has expressed its support for the ‘Fast Track Scotland’ high-speed rail plans being launched by the Scottish Government. Transform Scotland ...
• 21 local transport schemes get the go-aheadCommunities across England will benefit from £854m worth of investment in 21 local transport schemes, Transport Secretary Justine Greening said yesterday. This is in addition to ...
• New studies outline ˜wider benefits of high speed rail™The carbon footprint of high speed rail can be ‘up to 14 times less carbon intensive than car travel and up to 15 times less than ...
• New West Hampstead Thameslink station opensWest Hampstead™s new Thameslink station has opened to the travelling public, providing passengers with improved access to the station, less congestion, more capacity and easier interchange ...
• ORR outlines proposals to help ˜rail industry work better together™The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has outlined proposals to support the rail industry™s efforts in working better together to bring down costs and improve performance. The ...
• Police & Government join forces to tackle metal theftPolice forces across the country are joining with Government and other agencies to tackle metal theft this Christmas. The Home Office, Department for Environment, Food and ...
• Network Rail™s Robin Gisby to speak at Infrarail 2012Network Rail™s Director, Network Operations, Robin Gisby is to deliver a keynote speech during Infrarail 2012. His presentation will take place on 2 May as part ...
• Network Rail closes 500th level crossingNetwork Rail has closed 500 level crossings across Britain since April 2009 and intends to close a further 250 by 31 March 2014. This marks a ...
• Increase in festive train patrols in West YorkshireAs the festive season gets into full swing, rail staff and passengers will notice an increase in high-profile British Transport Police (BTP) patrols on trains and ...
• Bats foil rail linkAmbitious plans by Chiltern Railways to run services Between Oxford and London via Bicester have run into trouble after a colony of bats was discovered in ...
• Acocks Green rail passengers to benefit from liftsPassengers using one of the region™s busiest suburban rail stations will find it far easier to use the facility after transport authority Centro secured £1 million ...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Scottish business groups back UK high-speed rail plan The majority of businessmen in Scotland support proposals to extend the UK high-speed rail project into the country, a new survey has revealed.

Railnews

• New Transpennine MD inherits electrification muddle A new managing director has been appointed to lead First TransPennine Express, but he'll inherit growing confusion about how much of his network is set to be electrified, following the Chancellor's autumn statement.
• 'Disgraceful' Underground strikes set to go ahead London Underground services are set to be disrupted by a series of 24-hour strikes starting on Boxing Day, after London Underground turned down a claim by ASLEF for triple pay.

Railway Gazette

• Nottingham tram Phase Two contract signed UK: Following the confirmation of government funding for the PFI deal, on December 15 Nottingham City Council and preferred bidder Tramlink Nottingham signed the £570m NET Phase Two contract to build two new tram lines and take over the operation of the existing line which opened in 2004. The contract runs for 23 years, with work on the 7·5 km extension to Clifton and 10 km route to Beeston scheduled to being in January for services to begin in late 2014. The Tramlink Nottingham consortium includes Alstom, VINCI Investments, Keolis and Wellglade, which owns local bus operator Trent Barton, pl...
• Bombardier awarded large Frankfurt LRV orderGERMANY: Frankfurt transport authority VGF announced contracts for Bombardier Transportation to supply an additional 78 high-floor light rail vehicles and 10 low-floor trams on December 15.Under a €169m contract Bombardier will supply 78 bi-directional 25 m long and 2 650 mm wide Flexity Swift LRVs for use on route U2 to Bad Homburg and U3 to Oberursel. Each will have space for 184 passengers, 48 seated, and they will be capable of operating in pairs. Deliveries will run from January 2014 to June 2017.A €23m contract covers 10 Flexity Classic trams which will be delivered between August ...
• Rail welding robot on showAUSTRIA: Plasser & Theurer presented its fully-automatic APT 1500 R rail welding robot at the 18th International Convention of the Austrian Society for Traffic & Transport Science in Salzburg. The welding robot performs an automated electric flash-butt welding sequence without manual interaction, ensuring high and reproducible geometric accuracy, fracture forces and fatigue strength. Rails are lifted automatically into the welding head and positioned correctly, with the gap between the rail ends closed by pulling the rails together using a device with a tractive force of up to 1500 kN ...

Aviation Industry

• Airport on good pathMost recently, the airport doubled the terminal space, allowing for additional screening and waiting room as well as more restrooms.
• A Dutch Airline Is Now Letting You Choose Your Seat Based On Fellow Passengers' Facebook ProfilesKLM Royal Dutch Airlines has come up with an interesting way to let you pick your seat on board its flights.
• FedEx places order for 27 767-300Fs, defers 11 777FsFedEx revealed Thursday it has placed a firm order for 27 Boeing 767-300 freighters valued at $4.74 billion at list prices, but also has deferred delivery of 11 777Fs.
• Does the industry need to raise its voice?Stanley Slaughter asks exactly how loud the business travel community must shout to attract the British government's attention

Other News Sources

• UK could lose flights without robust air policy, warns CAA The Civil Aviation Authority has warned the Government that unless it comes up with a robust, passenger-driven aviation policy, flights will become more expensive and there will be less choice.
• RMT to take strike action on WightLink ferries over victimisation of union representative Paul KellyTRANSPORT UNION RMT confirmed today that it is to take strike action on Wightlink's Portsmouth routes over the victimisation and unfair dismissal of an RMT union representative Paul Kelly.
• Scottish signallers strike actionRAIL UNION RMT today confirmed a 72 hour strike of our members working at the West of Scotland Signalling Centre from Christmas Eve.