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

Wednesday, 28 December 2011

BBC News

• Bombardier handed £188m Southern contract Derby trainmaker Bombardier has been awarded a £188m contract. The deal, to build 130 carriages for rail company Southern, was part-funded with an £80m government subsidy.
• Work due to ease traffic hotspotWork is due to start in the new year on a road-widening scheme to ease congestion at a well-known traffic hotspot in Wrexham.
• Rail signal staff stage walk-outA reduced rail timetable is in place on some routes in the west of Scotland as signal workers stage a 72-hour walkout.
• VIDEO: Cairngorm rail consultation endsA public consultation on the strict measures operating on the summit of the Cairngorms ends.
• Tube strike delays hit shoppersTravellers on London's Underground network have faced disruption as drivers belonging to the union Aslef stage a 24-hour strike.

Financial Times

• China pushes ahead with high-speed railLocomotive built by domestic companies that can reach 500km/h underlines the country™s ambitions to lead the world in ultra-fast technology
• State airlines set hub course for survivalThree struggling carriers in central Europe are embarking on similar strategies to try to counter persistent losses and fierce competition
• Airbus set to trump Boeing in sales raceBy the end of November the European company had notched up 1,378 firm orders for single and twin-aisle aircraft

The Herald

• MEPs in plea over rail link funding A HIGH-SPEED rail link between Scotland and England could be supported by EU funds if Westminster drops its "lacklustre" attitude, claim SNP European Parliament members.
• Figures reveal huge rise in overcrowding on ScotRail THE number of overcrowded trains on the ScotRail network has more than quadrupled over the past five years amid record demand for rail travel.

The Telegraph

• Classic road trip dented in Sainsbury'sA couple who completed a 33,000-mile trip around the world in a rare classic car came back to England to find a ''large dent'' in the side after leaving it in a supermarket car park.

Daily Record

• Travel warnings as winds up to 90mph are set to batter Scotland again TRANSPORT chiefs have warned of travel disruption tomorrow with winds of up to 90mph forecast to hit Scotland as the country begins to return to work.
• Flight times to longhaul destinations to be slashed thanks to Santa's shortcutSCOTTISH holidaymakers will soon be able to take “Santa’s shortcut” over the North Pole to longhaul flight destinations, thanks to a new aviation rules.

Mail Online

• Metal thefts reach epidemic level as 1,000 offences are recorded each weekThe number of metal thefts has soared in the past five years to an epidemic proportion, with 60,000 offences recorded in just the first 10 months of this year. Thieves even targeted war memorials.
• Classic car survives 33,000-mile round-the-world trip only to be hit in Sainsbury's car parkAt one point on Geoffrey and Hilary Herdman's 16-month adventure, the 1956 Bristol 405 Drophead Coupe even got them up the side of a volcano - only to be hit by another driver back in England.
• 105-year-old 'motorbike' 1906 Indian Camelback could be worth £50kThe 1906 Indian Camelback, one of the first ever two-wheeled motorised machines, is hugely desirable despite its rusty appearance and could fetch £50,000.

The Mirror

• Bombardier wins £188 million trains deal UK train-maker Bombardier, which lost out to Germany for a lucrative order, has won a new £188 million contract, it was announced today.
• Classic car survives 33,000 round-the-world trip - but not a trip to Sainsbury's car parkA RETIRED couple who drove their classic car on the toughest roads on Earth during a 33,000 mile trip round the world without so much as a scrape, got home and suffered a dent at their local supermarket.

Birmingham Mail

• Work on Birmingham New Street Station revamp continues over ChristmasIT WAS Christmas on a construction site for engineers working on the £600 million revamp of Birmingham’s New Street railway station.
• Birmingham taxi firm TOA celebrates 50th anniversaryBIRMINGHAM’S oldest taxi firm TOA has clocked up a marathon half-century on the road.
• Motorist in 100mph police chase through Warwickshire jailed for two yearsA BANNED driver from Birmingham led police on a 100mph chase on the wrong side of the road as he tried to outrun officers after stealing a charity collection bucket.

Birmingham Post

• Boss of Coventry firm takes staff to London in limo - because it's cheaper than trainThe ticket costs on one of Virgin Trains’ mainline routes almost derailed a glitzy office Christmas party for West Midlands staff in London.

Derby Telegraph

• Now Liberal Democrats join calls for investigation into £1.4bn Thameslink rail dealLIBERAL Democrats want an investigation into whether the Government used the right regulations when ordering trains for the controversial Thameslink deal.
• Transport chief denies Thameslink delay caused by euro-zone crisisTRANSPORT Minister Theresa Villiers has brushed off claims that the signing of the controversial Thameslink rail contract has been delayed due to the euro-zone crisis.
• Two MPs table motions backing Bombardier for upcoming rail contractsTWO parliamentary petitions have been tabled urging the Government to award Bombardier two contracts that could potentially give its Derby factory a stay of execution.
• Rail firm's lifeline after £188m contract victoryRAIL firm Bombardier will today be announced as the winner of a crucial £188 million contract that could secure train-making in Derby "for 12 to 18 months".
• Derby Telegraph commented Potholes blamed for rise in cars needing repairsArticle

Manchester Evening News

• Hiya kid!: Manchester Airport call centre staff trained to sound MancunianBosses moving the call centre from Scotland to Manchester want to make the new service a genuinely Mancunian one. A language expert will help non-local staff with their Manc accents. The strict office dress code is being relaxed to encourage workers to get into character and adopt a Mancunian style “ from parkas ˜with attitude™ to Liam Gallagher haircuts. And callers on hold will be entertained by music from The Stone Roses, Oasis and The Smiths.
• Rusholme rapper hip-hop tale of cycling in Manchester is YouTube hitJames Gill, 25, clocked up more than 50,000 views with his video Flying Out My Gates “ about his two-wheeled travels in areas such as Levenshulme, Longsight, and Rusholme. The video “ which features vocals from Manchester-based singer Tristan Henry “ was filmed by James on location with director Wasim Ghafoor.
• Crooked Rochdale car dealer who sold 20 clocked motors escapes jailAnjum Awais Alam bought cars through auctions and then advertised them on the Autotrader website with significantly lower mileages, a court heard. The 61-year-old “ who traded under several names including Rochdale Motors, RM and RM Motors “ admitted 20 offences under trading standards and consumer protection laws.
• Greater Manchester Police put brakes on drink driversPolice pulled over nearly 300 drink-drivers in the run up to Christmas. More than 8,000 motorists have been stopped in the annual crackdown. The number of positive roadside breath tests are lower than last year so far “ but officers say too many people are still taking risks.

Metro

• 'No toilet paper' 999 caller shamed by ambulance chiefsEmergency service staff were left fuming after a man called 999 to tell them he had run out of toilet paper from a bus station in Somerset.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Percy Hedley Foundation adopts Benton Metro stationA CHARITY that supports people with cerebral palsy has become the first organisation to adopt a Metro station.
• Crack-down on crimes against Tyneside hospital staffHOSPITAL crooks nabbed the wheels from a nurse’s bicycle as she tended to sick patients.

Wales Online

• Race to raise 1m to save Swansea Cork ferryA BUSINESSMAN has called for more support for plans to rescue the Swansea Cork Ferry.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• First TransPennine Express donate food and timeRail staff are spreading some festive cheer of their own, by donating gifts and support to a Leeds-based charity for the homeless.

Yorkshire Post

• More cycle deaths spark mirror callCycle campaigners have urged the Government to lift “daft” regulations requiring ministerial approval before safety mirrors can be installed at dangerous road junctions.

Other Regional Press

• Potholes costly for Gwent councils POT holes in Gwent roads cost the region's five councils more than £190,000 over the last three years in successful compensation claims for injury or damage.
• Electric bus runs out of fuel on M1THE new energy-efficient Routemaster bus that is being rolled out in London ran out of fuel on the way to Millbrook Proving Ground this week.

C.N.N.

• Flight aborted by blown tiresA Southwest Airlines flight leaving for Seattle blew some main gear tires at California's Sacramento International Airport on Tuesday, forcing the crew to abort the flight and deplane passengers, according to an FAA spokesman.

International Herald Tribune

• Airfares With Less Fine PrintOn Jan. 24, the Transportation Department will enforce a rule requiring that any advertised price for air travel include all taxes and government fees.
• On the Road: Airlines Are Retrenching, and Alternatives Are SlimCompetition is decreasing, fares are rising and airlines are adjusting routes to extract the greatest possible revenue per mile flown.
• China’s Push for Electric Cars Flows Through Grid OperatorsChina’s effort is being led largely by one of its most powerful industries — the state-run utilities that operate the national power grid.

Railnews

• Old Waterloo International platform to be used by SWT One of the platforms at the former Waterloo International station in London is to be used again from 2014, as part of plans to increase capacity on South West Trains.
• eVoyager project costs still seen as too high by DfT The transport secretary Justine Greening has given qualified approval of a plan to insert an additional pantograph-carrying vehicle in CrossCountry Voyagers, but she has warned Bombardier that high costs are still an issue.

Transport for London

• TfL keeps London moving despite strike called by ASLEF leadershipTransport for London (TfL) kept London moving on Boxing Day, Monday 26th December, with more Tube services than predicted operating, despite strike action on London Underground called by the leadership of the ASLEF union.

Aviation Industry

• Transaero inks MoU for four Boeing 787sTransaero Airlines (UN) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Boeing for four Boeing 787s. The deal is valued at $774 million at list prices.
• ANA expands 787 routesAll Nippon Airways (ANA) will begin operating the Boeing 787 on a further three domestic routes starting January.
• Southwest and flight attendant unions forge tentative agreementSouthwest Airlines (SWA) has reached a tentative agreement with the unions representing flight attendants of the merged SWA and AirTran Airways that would integrate the two groups™ seniority lists.
• Tatarstan to merge local carriersTwo carriers of the Tatarstan republic in Russia™s Volga region will merge, the area™s president has announced.

Other News Sources

• Tube strike brings Boxing Day miseryA Boxing Day walkout by Tube drivers has caused travel chaos across the capital, as industrial action cripples London Underground.Related StoriesMajor pensions strike under wayMass walkout: What's being affected?Government and unions spat ahead of strikesTube workers to hold series of strikesBoxing Day tube strike to go aheadRelated StoriesFriday 'will be busiest shopping day'Boxing Day tube strike to go aheadUK sees mild ChristmasHunting act 'not working'
• Icebreaker ship rescues Russian SpartaSouth Korean icebreaker ship, the Araon, has started its rescue mission for a Russian boat that is trapped in the Antarctic.Related StoriesShip tears through Antarctic ice to rescue Russian boatMan sets new ice marathon record in AntarcticaPrince William involved in sea rescueRelated StoriesSouth Korea allows visits to mourn Jong-il
• Train swept off bridge in Australia floodsA freight train has been swept off a bridge after floodwater wreaked havoc in Australia's Northern Territory.Related StoriesTrain swept off bridge in Australia floodsRelated StoriesFour die at home of celebrity chefDeadly street shooting in SalfordPrince Philip leaves hospitalTeenager arrested over Salford ShootingFlorence and the Machine open Harrods Sale