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

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

BBC News

• Heathrow 'is ready' for OlympicsHeathrow is ready to cope with a huge surge in demand during the Olympics, despite recent concerns over queuing and security, officials say.
• Rail users 'penalised unfairly'Some rail passengers are receiving unfair treatment for making innocent mistakes with their train tickets, says Passenger Focus.
• Medics set to patrol Tube networkMedics are to be used on London Underground to help speed up the response when passengers fall ill.
• Sculpture to dominate Terminal 2Plans for a large sculpture which will dominate Heathrow Airport's new £2.5bn Terminal 2 are unveiled.
• Higher fares help Ryanair profitsRyanair reports record annual profits as fare rises help to offset a sharp rise in fuel costs, but it warns profits could fall this year.

Financial Times

• Qantas to cut 500 more jobsAustralian carrier to close one of three heavy maintenance bases which is expected to generate up to A$100m in annual cost savings
• Ryanair warns profits set to fallThe chief executive of low-cost airline Ryanair unveils record set of annual results but says profits for the coming year will tumble
• Ryanair: crowded skiesIncreasing cost pressures and constrained demand leave Europe™s solvent carriers with a challenge in a sector in which consolidation looks inevitable.

The Herald

• Families to benefit from fuel price supermarket discountsFAMILIES are set to be the main beneficiaries of fuel discount offers launched by three of Britain's big four supermarkets ahead of next month's Jubilee celebrations, the Automobile Association has claimed.
• Size of rail fines come under attackRAIL passengers who forget their tickets or misunderstand complicated ticketing rules are being hit with draconian fines and prosecutions, a rail watchdog has found.
• Row over 'strike breaker' clause in ScotRail contractA ROW over whether taxpayers should underwrite the cost of industrial disputes in the rail industry has broken out after MSPs called for a
• Car litter penalties supportedMore than 60% of drivers would support penalties for car litter louts, according to an AA/Populus survey.

The Scotsman

• Rail traveller who lost her £2 ticket was fined £85RAIL passengers guilty of innocent mistakes with ticket purchases can face hefty fines or even criminal prosecution, a customer watchdog has warned.

The Telegraph

• Innocent passengers being forced to pay huge fines, watchdog claims Innocent rail passengers are being pressured by train operators into paying huge penalties to avoid being prosecuted for fare dodging, a consumer watchdog has found.
• China’s largest aircraft builder has snubbed London and opened its European headquarters in Paris rekindling the debate over Britain’s lack of aviation links to major emerging economies. China’s largest aircraft builder has snubbed London and opened its European headquarters in Paris rekindling the debate over Britain’s lack of aviation links to major emerging economies.
• Classic cars to be exempted from the MoT testClassic cars are to be exempted from the MoT test, Mike Penning the roads minister has announced.
• German efficiency - you are having a laugh!After chaos at Heathrow in recent weeks and the ongoing debate about High Speed rail, the Daily Telegraph's Transport Editor David Millward was looking forward to the travel ease of a weekend in Germany for the Champions League final. But he was shocked by what he found.

Daily Express

• Ryanair still fearful despite profit boomBUDGET airline Ryanair reported record profits yesterday but warned of growing turbulence from European economic woes, higher fuel prices and

Mail Online

• Eurotunnel cuts bookings over border control staffing crisis Eurotunnel is so worried about the border control crisis engulfing the UK that is has restricted bookings for the summer in a bid to avoid unbearable queues at the border.
• Ryanair's rip-off charges help boost profits to record £400MILLION despite higher fuel costsPeople paid on average 16 per cent more for flights last year, and with passenger numbers up 5 per cent for the year that meant Ryanair's profits were sky high at nearly half a billion pounds.
• Rail passengers being threatened with £1,000 fines by ticket police who 'act like cowboy clampers'A damning report accuses train companies of acting like cowboy clampers by failing to discriminate between fare-dodgers and passengers who make an honest mistake.

London Evening Standard

• Britain's airport crisis will cost £100bn in the next 20 years, ministers are warned Britain will miss out on more than £100 billion over the next two decades if the Government ignores London’s “shocking” airport crisis, ministers were warned today.
• Stansted Airport: Baggage handlers to strike for seven days from WednesdayBaggage handlers at Stansted Airport are to go on strike on Wednesday after peace talks broke down.
• "Wave and Pay" on the Tube delayed by a yearPlans to install œwave and pay technology using a credit or debit card on London™s transport network have been significantly delayed.
• Aircraft giant picks Paris over London for air links China™s biggest aerospace company chose to base its European head quarters in Paris rather than London because of the French capital™s better air links, the Standard has learned.
• Aeroplane sculpture flies into Heathrow Terminal 2An aeroplane sculpture as long as eight Routemaster buses end to end will be the star attraction of Heathrow™s new-look Terminal 2 when it re-opens in 2014.
• Addison Lee boss John Griffin could face charges for telling his minicab drivers to use London bus lanesThe boss of London's biggest minicab firm could face prosecution for telling his drivers to use bus lanes illegally, it emerged today.

Manchester Evening News

• Metrolink bosses apply to run second city centre tram crossing Metrolink bosses have applied to the government for permission to operate a second route across the city centre. A formal application to the Department for Transport is the next stage in the new link.

Sheffield Star

• Cooking oil fuels Jay on his epic cross-Europe fundraiserECO-friendly fundraiser Jay McGreneghan, from Sheffield, has set off on a 1,500 mile drive in a car powered by recycled cooking oil.

Yorkshire Post

• Transport spending ˜must benefit whole country™TRANSPORT bosses are calling on the Government to make good on its promise that transport investment will benefit the whole country, amid concerns over delays to the high speed rail project and demands for further spending on London’s rail network.

Other Regional Press

• MP slams ’scumbags’ who stole kids' bike fleetA PROJECT to boost cycling in Kirklees has been left in disarray after thieves stole all its bikes.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Transport minister grants approval to BAA Heathrow lobbyingAirports operator BAA has received the go ahead from the government to lobby for a new runway at Heathrow Airport.The company has been insistent that a third runway is required at the facility in order to cope with future traffic levels and ensure the UK remains competitive within the sector.Transport minister Theresa Villiers has agreed to let BAA use a consultation on the UK's future status as a global aviation hub to press for the change in policy.At present the coalition government is opposed to a third runway, having rejected a plan by the previous administration to expand Heathro...

Global Rail News

• Tube record holder promotedThe man who set a new record for track installation over weekend possessions on the London Underground has been promoted to head Bechtel™s rail business. Amjad Bangash has been appointed managing director, rail at Bechtel. Amjad has been working for Bechtel for twenty years and was recently project director for Bechtel in the United Arab Emirates. [...]
• Steve joins CrossrailSteve Hails is taking on the job of Health and Safety Director at Crossrail. Steve Hails joins from Siemens, where he held the post of Global Head of Environment, Health and Safety at Siemens Energy Wind Power. Prior to this he held positions in EEF Northern, Procter and Gamble, Nuclear Electric and the Royal Navy. [...]
• Eurotunnel adds capacity for Olympic GamesEurotunnel is bringing an additional half Shuttle (rake) into service to transport cars between Calais and Folkestone, increasing capacity in the lead up to the Queen™s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the London Olympic Games. ‘Sharp peaks of traffic are expected’ between the continent and Great Britain during these events. The new rake will enter service [...]
• Lengthy recyclingRecycling is not only good for the environment, it is also a good way to save money. Network Rail has been getting very involved in recycling over the past few years, probably for both reasons, with new recycling centres at Whitemoor Yard and Westbury having been covered in previous issues of the rail engineer. Now, [...]
• Business group calls for ˜Crossrail 2²Business group London First has said a second Crossrail scheme is ‘needed’ in London serving Clapham Junction, Victoria, Euston, King’s Cross St Pancras, Islington, Hackney and Seven Sisters, and ‘detailed planning of a suitable scheme needs to start now’. The group said it has been analysing the business case for the scheme over the last [...]
• Colas Rail purchases Pullman RailBouygues Group subsidiary Colas Rail has announced it has acquired Cardiff-based engineering firm Pullman Rail. Pullman Rail specialises in the overhaul of passenger and freight trains, components and rolling stock. Colas said the ‘business itself will be managed as a stand-alone company and continue to trade as Pullman Rail’. Charles-Albert Giral, CEO of Colas Rail, [...]

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair posts record FY profit; warns of gloomy economic outlookIrish-based low-cost carrier Ryanair (FR) has announced a 25% leap in annual post-tax profits to a record €503 million ($641 million), compared to €401 million in the year-ago period.
• Aeroflot reports $491 million profit in 2011Russia™s Aeroflot (SU) has reported a 2011 profit of $491 million, up 94% from a $253 million profit in the year-ago period.
• Ryanair enjoys €117 million profits boostNo-frills airline continues to prosper despite hike in fuel bill
• Government will 'consider' evidence on third runway for HeathrowMinister says airport owner can make case for increasing airport's capacity
• Baggage handlers announce Stansted strikesIndustrial action called for seven days including over Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend
• Easyjet signs new distribution deal with SabreAgreement allows more TMCs access to airline's fares through GDS

Other News Sources

• RMT slams latest Government attacks on worker's rightsTransport union RMT today slammed leaked reports that venture capitalist, Tory-funder and Cameron oppo Adrian Beecroft is preparing to publish a study recommending a full-frontal attack on workplace rights.
• Eurostar to offer onboard wifi from 2013Internet access will be part of operator's £700 million investment in trains