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

Friday, 20 April 2012

BBC News

• Royal barge to enter the Thames The royal barge built for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee will be lowered onto the Thames on Thursday.
• Manston could 'play a role' in airport capacity needs Manston airport in Kent could help meet aviation capacity needs in London, according to Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers. Ms Villiers told delegates at a transport conference the government did not support a third runway at Heathrow.
• EasyJet new route to BirminghamLow-cost airline easyJet launches its new route from Belfast International Airport to Birmingham.
• Concerns over Translink fare riseProposed fare increases on bus and rail routes across Northern Ireland are causing
• NI's first 'ghost bike' memorialA memorial for a cyclist killed in a road accident in Belfast is believed to be the first of its kind in Northern Ireland.
• Axe London City Airport - GreensJenny Jones, the Green Party's candidate for London mayor, has said one of the city's busiest airports should be closed.
• No agreement in Tube strike talksTalks aimed at averting a 72-hour strike on the London Underground next week end without agreement, conciliation serve Acas says.
• Train services 'back to normal'Services at two of London's busiest stations are expected to return to normal after serious disruption caused by lightning strikes.
• Nissan to make Infiniti in ChinaJapanese carmaker, Nissan Motors, says it will start manufacturing two models of its luxury brand Infiniti in China.
• Ford increases China investmentUS carmaker Ford announces further investment in China, with plans for a $760m factory in Hangzhou.
• UK March car production up 0.3%UK car production in March rose 0.3% from a year earlier to 135,456, but overall vehicle production fell as demand for trucks and vans dropped.
• BA surcharge fine halved by OFTThe Office of Fair Trading sharply reduces a fine imposed on British Airways for colluding over fuel surcharges with Virgin Atlantic.

Financial Times

• Darling urges go-ahead for third runwayAlistair Darling, the former chancellor, has made the urgent case for the coalition government to approve a third runway at Heathrow airport, arguing that hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk
• Blow for watchdog as BA fine is halvedOFT recognises airline™s ˜co-operation™ on passenger fuel surcharges inquiry after consulting on how penalties should be calculated
• Globaltrans set to buy rail operatorsRussian group seeks to expand its fleet by more than 60% over the next five years and is close to buying train operations of mining companies

The Herald

• Driven off the roadSUSAN SWARBRICK learns that cyclists are taking their protest about road conditions to Holyrood

The Independent

• Diary: Email exchange that became a departmental train crash London Midland, which operates trains along the west coast line, has quietly secured the Government's permission to close down smaller stations along the routes they control, to cut costs. Other rail operators can expect the same later.

The Scotsman

• SNP denies misleading voters over bus services The SNP has rejected claims of “misleading” voters over flagship plans to save local bus services from the axe.

The Telegraph

• Lightning strike causes travel chaos in LondonThousands of rail commuters faced travel chaos in London tonight after a bolt of lightning hit an electrical substation, causing dozens of trains to be cancelled.
• Landmark ruling for drivers over council spy carsControversial CCTV camera cars that can automatically issue parking fines should not be used if a traffic warden can carry out checks on foot, a tribunal has ruled.

Times Online

• ’Fit blind-spot sensors on every lorry to save cyclists’Every bus and lorry in Britain should be fitted with sensors to prevent cyclists and pedestrians being killed in their blind spots, say leading engineers.

The Mirror

• Petrol price hits yet another record highThe AA said petrol had risen 10.23p a litre and diesel 7.32p a litre since pump prices started their climb at the start of the year
• Tory donor and taxi tycoon 'told his workers to break the law'The Addison Lee boss “ who has given the party £250,000 “ says his private hire cars should have the same rights as black cabs

Network Rail

• THAT'S 'ENTERTRAINMENT': UNSUSPECTING LONDON COMMUTERS TREATED TO SHAKESPEARE AND IMPROV COMEDY· World™s first play on train to mark opening of Blackfriars South Station · Collaboration with Network Rail, First Capital Connect and Shakespeare™s Globe · Performed by award winning Two Gents Productions
• CHANCE TO SEE YORK RAIL HISTORY AT YOUR FEET!When: Friday 27 April 11.00 to 17.00 and Saturday 28 April 10.00 to 16.00What: public open event at site of historic York rail roundhousesFirst come, first served basis. Visitors should come to the site entrance on Cinder Lane in York and wear sturdy footwear suitable for rough, dirty terrain.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Campaign for Bombardier is among award nominationsTHE Derby Telegraph's campaign to save city train-maker Bombardier is among a trio of nominations the paper has received in a competition that recognises the best regional newspapers in the country.
• Derby Telegraph commented New station would create 150,000 train journeys and increase...PASSENGERS using a new railway station in Ilkeston would make 150,000 journeys a year, bringing massive economic benefits to the...
• Derby Telegraph commented 'A dream come true' as airport picked to host radical new jetAN airline will be operating a revolutionary new aircraft from East Midlands Airport next year.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Call for pedestrian zone to revive city centre businessPEDESTRIANISING Princes Street would revive struggling retailers and bring shoppers back to the city centre, politicians said last night.

Liverpool Echo

• Sir Richard Branson says FA Cup final kick off time should change to ease Liverpool FC travel chaosVIRGIN boss Sir Richard Branson has urged the FA to reconsider the kick-off time of the FA Cup final so that Liverpool FC fans can get home afterwards.

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow Airport expansion ’ruled out for 10 years’ by aviation minister A third runway at Heathrow has been ruled out for at least a decade, it was claimed today.
• Emails expose rail ticket office closure threat Secret goverment plans to axe 675 rail station ticket offices, including 250 in the south east, are revealed today in leaked confidential emails.
• London's most stylish cyclists One bike-obsessed photographer is capturing London’s stylish cyclists in all their diversity

Manchester Evening News

• Acas to hold fresh talks to try and avert fuel tanker strikeFresh talks aimed at averting strikes by fuel tanker drivers are to be held next week, raising hopes that industrial action can be averted. The conciliation service Acas announced that leaders of the Unite union and officials from six distribution companies will meet on Monday.

The York Press

• Businesses urged to sign up to new city cycle challenge A CITY-wide campaign to get more people cycling has won support from some of York™s biggest employers.

Yorkshire Post

• Transported back to age of steamFOR nearly half-a-century, they have remained forgotten relics from the days when steam was king of the railways.

Burnley Express

• Lancashire passengers shocked as wheel falls off their busTWENTY passengers had a shock when a wheel fell off the bus they were travelling on.

Daventry Express

• Pothole work across Daventry area praised by GovernmentPOTHOLE repair work around Daventry and the rest of the county has been praised by the Government.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Capital bus to run on city roadsIT’S not every day you see a red London double-decker on the streets of Peterborough – and even rarer to catch a glimpse of the new ’Boris Bus’.

Other Regional Press

• London Buses on the Streets of Liverpool During Central Station Closure Britain's busiest underground station outside the capital is closing on Monday April 23rd for a massive refurbishment - and Liverpool's affected commuters can expect a taste of London life thanks to a fleet of iconic Routemaster Red Buses.
• Huddersfield road safety charity calls for 20mph speed limit near schoolsA HUDDERSFIELD road safety charity wants to see speed limits cut on all roads near schools.
• 'Don't panic buy petrol' warning as tanker drivers reject deal - plus price of fuel rocketingMOVES to head off a strike by fuel tanker drivers hang in the balance today after a peace deal was rejected.

Global Rail News

• Government must ˜act now™ to reform rail franchisesThe Government™s commitment to reforming rail franchises has ‘barely begun to be turned into reality’, the Chairman of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has said. Speaking at a lecture at the Institution of Civil Engineers in central London on Monday, Tom Smith urged the Government to ‘provide tangible evidence that it will deliver [...]
• Eurostar reports ˜continued growth™Eurostar has reported a ‘good start to the year’ with continued growth in sales revenues and passenger numbers. In the first quarter of the year, sales revenues rose by 7% from £197 million to £211 million. Passenger numbers also saw an increase to 2.24 million in Q1 2012 from 2.15 million in the same period [...]
• Barton Willmore to advise on £17bn French railway projectThe UK™s largest planning and design consultancy, Barton Willmore, has been appointed to advise a French government agency on planning a new Paris orbital railway. The project, run by Société du Grand Paris (SGP), features 58 new stations and more than 100 miles of railway track in a loop around the French capital in a [...]
• Network Rail makes changes to infrastructure projectsChanges to the way Network Rail delivers infrastructure projects worth £2bn a year came into force this week “ part of a wider programme of reforms at the company which ‘aim to encourage competition, drive down costs and deliver a better value for money railway for Britain’. A new, commercially focused, regionally based projects delivery [...]
• Infrarail seminars: Desktop Signal Sighting “ Is Seeing Believing?On Tuesday 1 May at 12:30, Simon Gardiner, Managing Director at Gioconda Limited will be holding a seminar entitled ‘Desktop Signal Sighting – Is Seeing Believing?’ at Infrarail. Simon Gardiner will bring delegates up to date with some of the latest projects to use Gioconda™s tools and services along with a presentation of the new [...]
• Infrarail seminars: Bolted Joints “ when safety really mattersOn Tuesday 1 May at 13:10, Graham Souter, Managing Director at Nord-Lock will be presenting ‘Bolted Joints – when safety really matters’ at Infrarail. Graham Souter, the Managing Director of Nord-Lock Western Europe, invites you to join him for a seminar about safety critical bolted joints. The Nord-Lock Group is the world leader in bolt [...]
• Greening Welcomes Rail GraduatesTransport Secretary Justine Greening has welcomed 85 young graduates onto the railway at Coventry. The Secretary of State was there to toast of a new industry scheme, ˜Track and Train,™ launched to encourage more young people to take up careers on the railways. The new cross-rail industry paid work placement scheme provides graduates with industrial [...]
• Centro Urges High Speed RailCentro, the Midlands transport authority, has renewed calls for High Speed Two. The new fast rail link will help boost capacity on the region’s railways. Says Centro chief executive, Geoff Inskip, ˜We must have HS2 as soon as possible if we are to cope with escalating West Midlands demand for rail services.™ Centro gave evidence [...]

Aviation Industry

• US Airways, American Airlines may talk mergerUnions at American Airlines plan to support a potential takeover offer by rival US Airways, according to two people familiar with the situation.
• Qantas chooses CFM engines to power A320neos Qantas Group (QF) has selected CFM International LEAP-1A engines for the 78 Airbus A320neo aircraft it has on order.
• 'No pattern' to business travel in 2012Latest airline booking figures show a mixed picture for the sector
• BA fined £58.5 million over surcharge fixingCarrier sees original fine halved for colluding with Virgin over fuel surcharges
• Government to save £5 million in travel fees Benefits of switching to two TMCs for business travel revealed
• Heathrow comes top for delays in EuropeBad weather is blamed for airport's increase in average flight delays