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

Friday, 09 March 2012

BBC News

• Rail smart cards to be rolled out across UK Smart cards, like those already used in London, are to be rolled out across the country, the transport secretary says.
• 'No details' of tram boss pay-offDetails of the pay-off received by the boss of Edinburgh's controversial tram company are to be kept secret, BBC Scotland learns.
• VIDEO: Justine Greening on rail fares and ticketsJustine Greening wants £3.5bn annual efficiency savings and wants to bring
• Heathrow tests Olympic baggageThousands of extra bags were sent through Heathrow Airport to test systems for this summer's Olympics.
• Prestwick airport on the marketPrestwick Airport is being put up for sale by its New Zealand-based owners, Infratil, following a change in investment strategy.
• Smart cards for trains extendedRail smart cards, like those already used in London, are to be rolled out across the country under plans announced by the transport secretary.

Financial Times

• AMR offers to freeze pension plansThe bankrupt parent company of American Airlines has offered to freeze, rather than terminate, the pension plans of many of its employees in a significant concession
• EADS: Enders™ gameAs chief executive Louis Gallois steps down, the European aerospace group faces a potentially tricky management transition
• Air France-KLM: delayed take-offInvestors should brace for higher operating losses in 2012 and hope that domestic politics allows for faster cost-cutting on the labour front
• Air France-KLM warns on first-half outlookEuropean carrier swings to €809m net loss for the year while Lufthansa earlier surprises by announcing a €13m net loss for 2011
• Emirates berates Airbus over superjumbo cracksAirline plans to seek compensation after complaining of widespread disruption following the discovery of wing cracks on its A380 planes
• Emirates fears long-term damageTwo-phase remedy for the Airbus A380s™ wing cracking issue prompts fears that the airline may have to ground its superjumbos for a second time

The Guardian

• London 2012: theatres to offer cheap tickets to Olympic commuters West End theatres will offer £10 tickets to workers in 'transport hot-spot' locations in bid to ease Olympics congestion
• Rail industry must find £3.5bn of annual savings, says transport secretaryJustine Greening says nationwide rollout of Oyster-style technology and fewer on-train staff could help reduce subsidyPlans for smart ticketing for rail passengers across the UK and the prospect of even higher fares at peak times were unveiled by the government as it looks to save billions of pounds by radically altering the way the rail system is run.Justine Greening, transport secretary, confirmed on Thursday that she wanted the industry to deliver savings of £3.5bn a year by 2019. Greening said passengers and taxpayers were picking up the tab for the

The Herald

• Cycling safety summit to be heldA CYCLE safety summit aims to identify measures needed to prevent more deaths on Scotland's roads.
• Prestwick airport to be sold by NZ ownersPRESTWICK airport has been put on the market by its New Zealand-based owner.
• Peak fares to increase in EnglandRAIL passengers in England and Wales will pay higher fares during peak periods to help ease overcrowding as part of industry reforms aiming to save up to £3.5 billion a year by 2019.

The Independent

• Peak rail passengers face paying even more Rail passengers could fork out even more for
• Yet more strain on our trains Commuters travelling at peak times face higher fares as train operators try to tackle overcrowding on the busiest services, the Government warned yesterday as it set out moves to cut subsidies to the rail industry. Its vision of a more streamlined and modernised rail network would also mean hundreds of ticket offices at smaller stations being closed. Tickets would instead be sold at corner shops, libraries and post offices, while œsmart cards similar to London's Oyster cards would be launched to enable passengers to travel across Britain without paper tickets.Related StoriesPeak rail passeng...

The Scotsman

• Tram chief™s pay-off from public purse to stay secret until inquiryTHE pay-off received by former Edinburgh trams chief Richard Jeffrey is not expected to be revealed until a public inquiry into the scheme, after the city council said it was covered by a confidentiality agreement.

The Telegraph

• Commuters face peak rush hour rail fare risesCommuters face higher rail fares at the peak of the rush hour under proposals unveiled by the Government today.
• A better, cheaper way to run a railwayTelegraph View: The train companies will become more efficient with less red tape.

Mail Online

• You would think they could get that straight! Wonky road markings cause confusion for motoristsDrivers spotted the crazy centre road markings on the A361 between Ashford and Chivenor, Devon, after the busy route was resurfaced.
• Mine's a return! Pubs to sell train tickets in shake-up of rail faresLibraries could also soon be selling train tickets as part of a shake-up in the way millions of passengers pay fares that are set to soar on the busiest trains.

ATOC

• Train companies respond to rail command paperIn response to the publication of ‘Reforming our Railways’, Michael Roberts,...

Network Rail

• NEW CHAIRMAN-DESIGNATE AND GOVERNANCE CHANGES AT NETWORK RAIL
• GOVERNMENT CALLS ON THE RAIL DELIVERY GROUP TO LEAD THE GB RAIL INDUSTRY IN DRIVING EFFICIENCY AND GROWTH

Bristol Live

• Bristol bus firm First announce fares rise and ’customer promise’FIRST Bus is marking its latest fare rises with a special offer of a free journey – but only if your bus is more than 20 minutes late.
• City 'must seize transport chance'BRISTOL needs to grasp the opportunity to have a modern, effective metro rail system, a city MP will tell campaigners.
• Bristol Evening Post published Proposed rail reforms 'could see fares increase by ten per cent'RAIL passengers in Bristol could face massive 10 per cent fare increases under its new management, it has been claimed.

Manchester Evening News

• False fire alarm causes evacuation of Terminal 2 at Manchester AirportPassengers at Manchester Airport were evacuated from Terminal Two “ because of a false fire alarm. All holidaymakers and staff were told to leave at around 10am today but were allowed back in after 10 minutes.

Metro

• 'Thought of the day' at Angel tube station brightens up daily commuteTube journeys for commuters on the Northern Line have been brightened up by a pair of creative London Underground staff members and their Thoughts of Angel signs.
• Peak hours train rates 'to start earlier and cost more' under new plansTrain commuters are facing even higher ticket prices in peak hours under plans to cut billions of pounds of spending on the railways.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Bus survey shows Nottingham is on route to happy passengersNOTTINGHAM'S bus services have topped national tables when it comes to passenger satisfaction.

Sheffield Star

• Folk are happy on the buses BUS passengers are pretty satisfied with the quality of services and facilities, according to research.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Peterborough Railway Station revamp plans on show PASSENGERS were given a glimpse of how Peterborough Railway Station will look at the end of a multi-million pound refurbishment scheme on Wednesday (7 March).

Other Regional Press

• Xelabus launches "off-peak shopper" bus service A new bus service is to take to the road in Southampton and if it proves successful other district routes are likely to follow.
• Xelabus launches "off-peak shopper" bus service A new bus service is to take to the road in Southampton and if it proves successful other district routes are likely to follow.
• Rural bus at end of a phoneCORNWALL Council has set up alternative arrangements for passengers who used a community bus service on and around the Lizard.
• An unlucky 13 bus routes have seen funding slashedCuts to bus services – including several mid-Somerset routes – have been rubber-stamped.
• New bus celebrates 100 years of travel in Coventry The new red bus from National Express Coventry has been designed to celebrate 100 years of bus travel in the city and since the Coventry Transport company was formed.
• Welcome for consultation on rail devolutionPTEs best placed to deliver better value for money & improved services for passengers says Metro Director General.
• Bristol Evening Post published Pensioners fear bus service cuts will leave them strandedPensioners living in Portishead say they will be left stranded if plans to cut bus services in the town go ahead.
• Cheddar Valley Gazette published Cheddar Gorge cable car developer wants focus on wildlife and...The man who wants Cheddar Gorge to have a cable car system has spoken exclusively to the Gazette.
• UK & World News: Peak rail fares increase proposedRail passengers could pay more to travel at the busiest times of the morning and evening rush-hours under new Government proposals.
• UK & World News: High-peak rail fares may cost moreRail passengers could fork out even more for

Global Rail News

• Stamp of approvalThe Channel Tunnel is to be featured on a postage stamp in Britain. Issued by the Royal Mail the stamp forms part of the Queen™s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The special commemorative Channel Tunnel stamp has a face value of £1.00 and celebrates the historic linking of our two nations in May 1994 when the Channel [...]
• New Thameslink bogie revealedThe long-awaited new Thameslink trains came a step closer yesterday as Siemens revealed the new bogies which they intend to use for the contract. The SF7000 motor and trailer bogies were unveiled at Siemens™ Graz factory in Austria where four have been built in advance of receiving the formal contract for the new Desiro City [...]
• Levelling on crossingsœNo, I can™t sleep at night! I think of level crossings and level crossing safety all the time as we have so much to do, so much to change. Martin Gallagher is Network Rail™s head of level crossings. With a background in safety he deals with policy and strategy, assurance and national programmes for level [...]
• Train pulls up at Louis Vuitton show in ParisThe Louis Vuitton Express pulled up at Paris fashion week yesterday, with the French fashion house’s show taking place in a mock-up railway station. The catwalk show took place in a marquee in a Louvre courtyard made to resemble a station, complete with a huge station clock, tracks and a steam train. As the clock [...]
• Green plan at East HamEast Ham depot is recycling 96% of its waste every month making c2c among the greenest train companies in the business. The recycling process at the depot starts with waste being segregated into specific containers for scrap metal, dry recyclable material, paper and cardboard. c2c has built its own paper compactor at East Ham to [...]
• Desert railway plannedA new 200 mile railway stretching from the Red Sea port of Eilat to Tel Aviv has been approved by the Israeli government. As well as passenger services the new line will carry freight traffic and can act as a land bridge alternative to using the Suez Canal. Says Israeli premier, Benjamin Netanyahu, ˜The Tel [...]
• Government announces new rail proposalsRail fare increases will ‘be capped at the rate of inflation’ under plans to help passengers by ‘ensuring the rail industry brings down the cost of Britain™s railways’. Sir Roy McNulty concluded last year that inefficiency across the railway industry is costing farepayers and taxpayers £3.5 billion-a-year. In her Reforming Our Railways: Putting the Customer [...]
• Police officers prepare for London OlympicsOfficers from British Transport Police were out training and testing their ability to police at heights across Yorkshire this week, in preparation for the London Olympics. Ten officers from BTP™s specialist Policing at Heights team “ a new team of trained officers set up to deal with searches and policing at a height such as [...]

London TravelWatch

• Transport Services Committee meeting on 13/3/12Transport Services Committee meeting on 13/3/12

Railnews

• Here it is – the bogie that 'didn't exist' German train-builder Siemens has unveiled the bogie it intends to use on the new Thameslink fleet, after claims that it was no more than a drawing. Although the £1.4 billion contract with the Department for Transport has yet to be signed, Siemens has also revealed how much it has spent so far on research and development.
• Here it is – the bogie that 'didn't exist' German train-builder Siemens has unveiled the bogie it intends to use on the new Thameslink fleet, after claims that it was no more than a drawing. Although the £1.4 billion contract with the Department for Transport has yet to be signed, Siemens has also revealed how much it has spent so far on research and development.
• Greening takes first step in unveiling rail reforms Transport secretary Justine Greening has made a statement to MPs about the new railway Command Paper -- telling them that it will be called 'Reforming Our Railways: Putting The Customer First'.

Aviation Industry

• ITB 2012: Lufthansa unveils new 747-8 business class seatsGerman carrier will introduce new business product from May
• Heathrow Express unveils £16 million rebrandAirport train service to introduce refurbished carriages and new uniforms

Green Miscellany

• Volkswagen going green? Volkswagen has used the Geneva Car Show as an opportunity to announce a œfundamental ecological restructuring for the entire group and that it has set itself œambitious new sustainability targets. Over the next five years, Europe™s largest car maker plans to invest tens of billions on œmore efficient vehicles, powertrains and technologies as well as environmentally compatible production.read more

Other News Sources

• Scottish Transport Minister to host meeting on cycle safety later this month Scotland’s Transport Minister, Keith Brown, will meet with road safety campaigners within the next fortnight to discuss the safety of cyclists and discuss what measures can be implemented to help protect riders on the country’s roads. The news follows the death of a cyclist in Edinburgh earlier this week, the second such fatality this year. Meanwhile, cycle campaigners are organising a mass ride in Edinburgh at the end of April to call for action.
• RMT MAKES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY COMMITMENT TO TACKLING SEXISM AND INEQUALITYOn International Women's Day, rail, maritime and transport union RMT is reaffirming its commitment to tackling sexism and inequality, and warning that the Government's plans for the railways could spell disaster for women passengers and workers.
• RMT announces industrial action ballot on Tube Lines over pensionsRMT members at Tube Lines, including ex-Alstom Stratford Market depot staff, are to be balloted for industrial action to back the union's demand for equal pension and travel-pass rights.
• RMT REACTION TO GOVERNMENT RAIL COMMAND PAPERRMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: 'This Government rail plan isn't a recipe for efficiency, it's a recipe for exploitation with the train operators given the green light to rob passengers blind to travel on overcrowded and unsafe trains in the name of private profit.
• DVB to raise ship lendingGERMAN specialist transport bank DVB said today it plans to expand its exposure to shipping this year despite turmoil in major dry and wet cargo segments.