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

Wednesday, 28 March 2012

BBC News

• Rail contract brings jobs boost for Swindon firm Amey A Swindon company has won a five-year contract to electrify the Great Western line between Maidenhead and Cardiff.
• Heathrow airport braced for Easter holiday rush More than a quarter more passengers are expected to pass through Heathrow over the two-week Easter holidays, compared to a normal fortnight.
• Cross-border train plans droppedTransport Minister Keith Brown rules out plans for cross-border trains to the north of Scotland to stop at Edinburgh.
• HS1 forecasts 'hugely optimistic'The number of international passengers using the HS1 Channel Tunnel high-speed rail line is two-thirds lower than initially forecast, a report finds.
• Airport name change bid rejectedA proposal to change the name of the airport in Londonderry to honour aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart is rejected.
• New buses 'real benefit' to cityCross city buses will be a "benefit" to Manchester, the chair of the city's transport executive has said.
• Paralympian faced crawl off trainBaroness Grey-Thompson calls for better public transport services for disabled people after revealing she had to crawl off a train in London because assistance failed to arrive.
• VIDEO: Easyjet to trial allocated seatsLow-cost airline Easyjet says it will trial giving passengers boarding passes with allocated seat numbers.
• Acas offers talks in fuel disputeConciliation service Acas invites trade unions and oil companies to talks in an attempt to avert a tanker drivers' strike that could disrupt supplies.

Financial Times

• Iberia pilots plan 30 days of strikesSepla says it will take industrial action twice a week between April and July after talks about the airline™s new low-cost carrier break down

The Guardian

• Runway revisited [letter - John McDonnell MP]Since they lost the argument in the last general election and a consensus was established across all political parties against a third runway at Heathrow, BAA and the aviation industry have mounted a vastly expensive lobbying campaign to reverse this decision (Tories may be on the final approach into a U-turn, 26 March)
• Heathrow's third runway is not happening – move on The aviation industry's tired third runway campaign ignores the facts of the future of air travel, and a total lack of political will

The Herald

• 'Plan ahead for fuel strike'PEOPLE and businesses have been urged to start making contingency plans ahead of an expected strike by fuel tanker drivers this Easter.
• Cross-border rail services reprievedPLANS to terminate cross-border trains in Edinburgh have been dropped, following protests from passengers in the north of Scotland over the loss of direct services to England.
• Bus fares going up to pay for free OAP travelSCOTLAND'S bus companies have warned that fares will be pushed even higher this year as the Scottish Government's flagship concessionary travel scheme for the over-60s and disabled people runs out of money.

The Scotsman

• Jobs boost announced by Jet2HOLIDAY airline Jet2 yesterday announced 60 new jobs as part of a doubling of routes from Glasgow airport to 16 this summer.

The Telegraph

• SNP drops plan to force cross-Border trains to stop at EdinburghScotland's Transport Minister has abandoned plans to cut off direct cross-Border trains to the north of the country by stopping all services at Edinburgh.

Reuters News

• Hitachi approaches Finmeccanica over rail business (Reuters) - Japanese group Hitachi (6501.T) has approached Finmeccanica (SIFI.MI) about buying some of the rail operations the Italian defense firm wants to sell, a union official said on Tuesday, raising hopes the seller's turnaround plan could gain traction.
• Army on standby for fuel truckers strikeLONDON (Reuters) - The government laid plans on Tuesday to cope with possible fuel shortages if a strike by tanker drivers goes ahead, lining up the army to help and warning businesses and the public to make preparations.

Daily Express

• Cab firm's profit driveBLACK cab maker Manganese Bronze said rising global demand for its vehicles from Azerbaijan and Italy would help put it back on the road to profit next year.

Birmingham Post

• HS2 second phase plans will be announced in Autumn: MinisterThe Government will publish its plans for the second phase of the HS2 high-speed rail project in the autumn, it was announced today.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Labour vows to halt traffic works for 2 yearsLABOUR today promised to ban major traffic projects in the city for two years after the completion of the tram scheme, if it wins control at the council elections in May.

Journal Live

• "Competitively priced" bus tickets plan welcomed by transport chiefsBUS companies could be forced by law to accept “competitively priced” smart tickets similar to London’s Oyster card.

Liverpool Echo

• Liverpool MP calls for government rail investmentA LIVERPOOL MP urged the government to boost investment in the Northern Hub rail network by £0.5bn.

Liverpool Post

• Liverpool MP Louise Ellman urges more government investment in Northern Hub rail networkA LIVERPOOL MP urged the government to boost investment in the Northern Hub rail network by £0.5bn.

London Evening Standard

• London’s airports and a string of broken promisesSigns that Heathrow may no longer be safe from a third runway highlight the power of lobbies to sway politicians

Manchester Evening News

• £54m bus lane expansion will see cars banned from part of Oxford Road Work can now start on a £54m scheme to improve bus links across Manchester after it was given final approval by the government today. The plan, which will see bus lanes extended and a car ban on a half-mile stretch of Oxford Road, was being given the go-ahead by transport minister Norman Baker on a visit to the city.
• Heald Green residents rail against ’offensive’ station sign saying village is 'home to Wythenshawe'Villagers are furious about a new train station sign which said Heald Green was the home of Wythenshawe town centre. The sign has been blasted as ˜very offensive™ by people from Heald Green, in Stockport, who said it was bad for local businesses.

Metro

• EasyJet to charge £12 for seats with extra leg room as part of booking trial METRO WEB REPORTER EasyJet to charge £12 for seats with extra leg room as part of booking trialBudget airline EastJet is to allow customers to choose their own seats, with a £12 charge for those who want extra leg room.The company is running a booking trial that will allow travellers to pay £3 to choose where they sit on the plane. Some passengers travelling with easyjet will be able to pay extra for certain seats Furthermore, people who like to stretch out on a flight will be able to secure the seats with extra leg room for the sum of £12.People who like to be seated in the first few rows w...

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post commented Tram ticket prices are getting higherTRAM users face more expensive tickets after a review.

Wales Online

• Bus-cuts delay stirs up storm over ’blatant electioneering’ THE Welsh Government was accused yesterday of trying to postpone bus cuts until after the council elections in May, to prevent a backlash from Labour voters.

Yorkshire Post

• High-speed rail study ready for MinistersA LONG-awaited report detailing the proposed route and station sites for the new high-speed rail link to Yorkshire will be delivered to Ministers this week.

Daventry Express

• MP calls for HS2 answersA PARLIAMENTARY forum to help people affected by HS2 get compensation has held its first meeting.

Plymouth Herald

• Rail Minister 'aware of importance'RAIL Minister Theresa Villiers says she understands the importance of train services to the region as she met with a Plymouth delegation who pressed the case for better links.

Other Regional Press

• Transport Minister visits interchange site Transport Minister Norman Baker visited Rochdale today (27 March) to visit the site of the recently approved Transport Interchange on Smith Street.
• EasyJet picks Glasgow for its seats trialPASSENGERS from Glasgow Airport will be among the first to take part in budget airline easyJet™s allocated seats trial.
• ˜Smart™ signs will help cut accidentsHI-tech road signs are being installed at an accident blackspot to warn drivers when it rains.
• Dorset bus route battle respite VILLAGERS fighting to save their threatened bus service have been granted a brief respite.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• EU freight transport increased in 2010A year-on-year increase of four per cent was recorded in road freight transport across the 27 European Union (EU) nations in 2010.According to new data for the industry, almost all member states witnessed a rise in activity following the effects of the financial markets crisis in 2009.Countries that joined the EU in 2004 saw the sharpest increases in road freight traffic between 2004 and 2010, particularly Hungary, Lithuania, Slovenia and Poland, while falls in excess of 20 per cent were seen in Denmark, Belgium, Ireland and Austria.Around 1,755 billion tonne-kilometres of traffic were recorde...

Freight on Rail

• Planning Policy supports rail freight. Responding to the publication of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) today: Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail Manager said, “This planning policy recognises that planning permission for more terminals is needed to move more long-distance freight onto the railways to reduce road congestion, road accidents and pollution". (para 31).
• Mega trucks threat from Europe. At a heated European Parliament Transport Committee meeting last night (26 March), Europe’s top transport official, Commissioner, Siim Kallas, was forced to rethink his proposals for a re-interpretation of the European rules to allow cross border traffic of mega trucks between consenting countries, delaying the possibility of mega trucks on UK roads.

Global Rail News

• Birse Rail completes access improvements at SittingbourneBirse Rail has completed an ˜Access for All™ project at Sittingbourne Station in Kent for Network Rail. The £1.4m design and build contract entailed the installation of a new footbridge with two new lift towers and plant rooms, forming part of a multi-million pound investment through the Government™s ˜Access for All™ scheme. During the contract [...]
• Rag Royal TrainingRag Gahonia, a test driver at Bombardier in Derby shared the media spotlight as he taught HRH the Prince of Wales to drive a train. Prince Charles, a keen supporter of railways, visited Litchurch Lane to lend his support to the train building works. As part of his visit he took the controls of a [...]
• We ask the rail safety experts¦ Part 2In preparation for this year™s Rail Safety Summit, we sat down with leading figures from the rail safety industry and asked them a series of pressing questions about safety practices within the rail industry. Today™s question is: Should line managers and supervisors be rewarded for safety performance or does this lead to under-reporting? Answers: Willie [...]
• £246 million funding for Glasgow subwayCabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment, Alex Neil and Deputy First Minister and Cities Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced yesterday that the Scottish Government will provide up to £246 million in capital funding for the modernisation of Glasgow™s subway. A further £41·5 million is to be provided by transport authority Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. The [...]
• Network Rail targets apprentices through FacebookNetwork Rail is using a new Facebook campaign to recruit 200 people for its three year advanced apprenticeship scheme. Would-be applicants can ask questions and receive a direct answer from someone who is already on the scheme. It is also using Facebook to attract more than a million women to the site with targeted advertising. [...]
• First of ScotRail™s refurbished trains back on the railsFour ScotRail trains serving key cities have returned to service after a refurbishment under a £6 million enhancement programme. They are the first of 33 trains to receive interior and exterior makeovers in a project due to be completed in December next year. All the work is being carried out at Railcare Limited™s depot in Springburn, Glasgow “ [...]
• Network Rail awards Borders Railway contractNetwork Rail has appointed BAM Nuttall to assist in the delivery of the Borders Railway as the project moves another step closer to delivery. The contract allows Network Rail to continue design and advance works on behalf of Transport Scotland prior to taking on a full project delivery role. The £2 million contract enables BAM [...]
• Network Rail announces ETCS framework agreementsNetwork Rail has announced framework agreements with four suppliers for the development and design of a new, European-standard signalling system for Britain™s railways. The successful suppliers are Invensys Rail, Infrasig, Ansaldo STS and Signalling Solutions, the Alstom/Balfour Beatty Joint Venture company. Starting in April, the collaborative agreements cover a one-year development phase which will confirm the [...]

Railnews

• Audit Office report praises HS1 concession deal A new report from the National Audit Office has praised the DfT for the way it handled the letting of the 30-year concession to operate HS1. The NAO warns that lower-than-expected passenger numbers may expose taxpayers to some risk, but also admits that some of the benefits, particularly those connected with regeneration, cannot be calculated for the time being. This has prompted the MP who chairs the Public Accounts Committee to claim that the High Speed project was based on 'dodgy assumptions'.

Aviation Industry

• United Airlines still leaving passengers on holdUnited Airlines passengers were still having difficulty getting a reservations agent on the phone and experiencing other glitches on Tuesday, more than three weeks after a computer switchover that was supposed to make traveling better after the airline's merger with Continental.
• Easyjet to start allocated seating trialNo-frills carrier to begin testing new service on flights from Luton
• Analysis: Is Heathrow's third runway back on the table?The government has been talking up the need to 'confront' the lack of capacity but will this really signal a change in policy?

Other News Sources

• Norwich Airport boss joins Norfolk’s Say Yes to Better Broadband campaign The boss of Norfolk’s major international transport hub has joined the calls for a future-proof broadband network which will help the county’s economy to take off.
• Norwich Airport boss joins Norfolk’s Say Yes to Better Broadband campaign The boss of Norfolk’s major international transport hub has joined the calls for a future-proof broadband network which will help the county’s economy to take off.
• Controversial Weymouth transport system nets national award THE controversial new transport system in Weymouth has been recognised with a national award.
• UPDATED: Government fails to reach decision on carbon reporting UK businesses have slammed the Government's lack of decision in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mandatory reporting as "unacceptable" and "deplorable".
• "The Orlando Experience" A Hit With International Travelers Orlando International Airport's (MCO) commitment to passenger convenience and customer service continues to impress global travelers. In a recent survey by one of Europe's largest online travel...