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

Friday, 17 August 2012

BBC News

• Residents block buses amid safety fears Some residents in an estate on the outskirts of west Belfast are blocking buses from their street because of concerns about safety.
• London Mayor Boris Johnson: PM must stop 'pussyfooting' Boris Johnson has urged Prime Minister David Cameron to stop "pussyfooting around" and invest in major infrastructure projects in London.
• Great Western Rail franchise concerns raised Hopes for new rail services between Weston and Yate and the Henbury loop are under threat, campaigners claim.
• Will anybody be nostalgic about Virgin West Coast trains?Will people be nostalgic about Virgin trains?
• Motorway slip roads completedWork on two new motorway slip roads near on the M876 near Larbert is completed, giving vehicles access from the A9.

Department for Transport

• Transport StatisticsReported road casualties statistics.

Financial Times

• Etihad eyes Ryanair™s Aer Lingus stakeMove by Middle Eastern airline would preclude it from fulfilling its promise to consider buying Dublin™s 25% holding in the Irish flag carrier
• More wrangling delays Berlin™s new airportSupervisory board of the future airport refuses to confirm the opening ceremony will have to be postponed “ for the third time in two years

The Guardian

• Boris Johnson urges PM to 'stop pussyfooting around' over new airport London mayor warns against postponing decision on how to expand London's air capacity until after next election
• Boris Johnson urges PM to 'stop pussyfooting around' over new airport London mayor warns against postponing decision on how to expand London's air capacity until after next election

The Herald

• Cause for concern over fatal accident figuresFATAL traffic accidents involving cyclists, motorbikes and pedestrians increased this year, while the number of people killed in cars fell.
• Fury as SNP bid to secure more rail powers rejectedDEMANDS that the Scottish Government be given greater powers over how it runs Scotland's railway have been rejected by Westminster, provoking a furious response from the SNP.
• Embattled FirstGroup in pledge over serviceRAIL passengers were promised more seats, faster services and new electric trains on Scotland's busiest cross-border route as part of a controversial 14-year contract awarded to FirstGroup yesterday.

The Telegraph

• Thousands of drivers hit with Olympic finesAn estimated 6,500 drivers were hit with fines for Olympic motoring offences, Transport for London has said.
• London Underground: Tube line triviaAs the London Underground approaches its 150th birthday, Mark Mason recounts some key moments and unusual trivia surrounding its development.
• Rise in vulnerable road users being killed and injuredThe number of pedestrians and cyclists killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads has risen fears that motorists are becoming
• Petrol prices rise again, the AA warnsResurgent petrol prices have added £10 to the monthly motoring bill for a two-car family, as the AA warns that drivers face months of misery.

Mail Online

• Will London get a cycle lane in the sky? Boris Johnson considers bike network to rival New York's popular High Line Boris Johnson is looking at plans to build a raised cycle network that will link the capital's mainline rail stations like the High Line in New York.

Birmingham Mail

• Government looks at plans to minimise noise and visual impact of high speed rail in the MidlandsTHE Government is taking seriously a raft of ideas to “offset the damage” to residents living close to the proposed HS2 high-speed line.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford cyclists in appeal forb safety schemes Cycling chiefs in Bradford have condemned the Government for cutting dedicated road safety funding as new figures reveal the number of casualties involving bike riders across the country have increased by ten per cent.
• Bradford passengers 'left in the dark' by bus company Bus passengers claim they have been œleft in the dark by what they described as a badly-advertised bus diversion.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented 'Massive blow' for rail passengers as they brace for 6.2%...RAIL passengers in Derby have spoken of their anger after finding out fares could rise by an average of 6.2% in January.

Journal Live

• Richard Branson: I'll scrap bid for East Coast main lineVIRGIN Trains boss Sir Richard Branson indicated yesterday he would no longer bid to run services on the East Coast after losing the West Coast main line franchise to rival operator FirstGroup.

Liverpool Post

• West coast rail gamble is ’insanity’ says Sir Richard Branson as Virgin lose routeTHE decision to strip Virgin Rail of the franchise to run Liverpool to London trains was branded a huge gamble – which could yet backfire on passengers and taxpayers.

London Evening Standard

• Stop pussyfooting around, Cameron: Boris Johnson reveals his masterplan to boost Britain's economy Boris Johnson today revealed how he would boost Britain’s economy after the Olympics — by cutting taxes, axing red tape and building an airport.
• ’No to London airport expansion’, Lib Dems rule out any moves for increased capacityLiberal Democrats have underlined their opposition to any airport creation or expansion in the South East after Conservative calls for increased capacity.

Manchester Evening News

• Passenger groups put pressure on FirstGroup to ensure Manchester to London train service is up to scratchPassenger groups and business leaders have warned the new controller of Manchester to London trains to keep up investment “ and to make sure services do not deteriorate. Sir Richard Branson™s Virgin Trains have lost the franchise to run services on the West Coast Mainline to FirstGroup “ Britain™s largest rail operator.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Fast bus lane plan for Kessock Bridge An Olympic-style fast-track bus lane could be used to help prevent traffic chaos during the controversial Kessock Bridge repair work next year.
• Union demands trains are re-nationalisedA trade union has called for the re-nationalisation of Britain™s railways amid fury yesterday at the latest round of œbonkers fare rises.
• Road to £148m dream started in HighlandsA COUPLE who found romance in the Highlands have scooped Britain™s second-biggest lottery jackpot.

This Is Local London Network

• Ladies who bus: Forest Hill pensioner among women who bus and blog around London using Freedom Pass A TRIO of pensioners have been bussing and blogging through London for four years to ride the capital’s bus routes from end to end.

Wales Online

• Cardiff news: Commuters relief as rail service set to return to normal after landslideCommuters in South Wales will breathe a collective sigh of relief tomorrow as train services will return to normal following last week's landslide.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Video: Tour on train and Railworld to celebrate Reverend Paten™s lifeA special train ride to celebrate The Reverend Richard Paten’s 80th birthday still took place despite his death, in accordance with his final words to a friend.

Other Regional Press

• Train link sure to boost county says minister Direct train services between Shropshire and London will provide a ’real boost’ for the county, rail minister Theresa Villiers said today.
• Northampton rail activists confident of improvements following West Coast mainline announcementRail activists in Northampton are quietly optimistic that a new operator on the West Coast mainline should lead to improvements for passengers in the town.
• Commuters face big increase in rail faresRail commuters from Luton’s three train stations face fare hikes of at least 6.2 per cent from the beginning of next year.
• Train boss promises to create Preston jobsThe boss of a rail firm which will take over the running of Preston Station has claimed more jobs will be created with extra services into the city.
• 'Stop pussyfooting around!'London Mayor Boris Johnson's renewed his appeal to the Government to consider a Thames Estuary airport.
• Aberdeen Airport back to normal after flights grounded by fog OFFSHORE operations in the North Sea were getting back to normal today after fog grounded flights at Aberdeen Airport.
• Commuters' anger over increase in rail fares PASSENGERS could be driven off the rails by proposed fare increases for next year.
• Rail boss taking over West Coast Main Line through Coventry vows to protect jobs and servicesTHE rail boss taking over the West Coast Main Line through Coventry and Nuneaton has vowed to protect local jobs and services.

The Economist

• Train franchises: The railway childrenFOR 130 years a train line has run up the spine of Britain from London to Scotland via Birmingham and Manchester. For most of that time it managed without Sir Richard Branson, boss of Virgin Group, whose rail company has operated the franchise for the past 15 years. On August 15th the government gave the contract to another firm. Sir Richard lambasted the decision as œinsanity and asked David Cameron, the prime minister, for a personal apology.With 31m passengers a year, the West Coast mainline is the country™s busiest inter-city route. From December 2012 it will be run by FirstGroup, a bus a...

Bus and Coach.com

• Recycling 86 per cent at AberdeenFirst Aberdeen has set a new recycling record with 86 per cent of its waste now being recycled.
• First customer profilingFirst UK Bus is using geodemographic profiling and direct marketing tools from Callcredit Information Group to increase the numbers of customers using its services.
• Connaught takes on Ferqui dealershipConnaught PSV of Doncaster has been appointed sole Ferqui UK distributor, taking over from Optare which is concentrating on its core bus business.
• Pay-as-you-go smartcardNewport Transport this week launched a pay-as-you-go smartcard, Freedom.
• Operators sign up to youth discountsYoung people aged 16 to 19 will be offered discounted bus travel in Norfolk after all seven of the county™s major operators agreed to offer a young person™s fare, cutting the cost of a ticket by up to 30 per cent.
• Arriva expands with Midland takeoverArriva Midlands is to take over the 61-vehicle Midland bus business.
• Bus use increases by 500,000 in PooleBuses in Poole carried 9,6 million people in the last 12 months, an increase of 500,000 on the previous year, and 80 per cent up on 2004-05.
• Free wi-fi for South Hampshire bus usersFree wi-fi is being introduced to buses in South Hampshire this month, following a successful bid by Transport for South Hampshire for £4,5million from the Department for Transport™s Better Bus Area Fund.
• Aberdeen fuel-cell trial to startPlans to trial hydrogen fuel-cell buses in Aberdeen have been approved by the Scottish government, with funding of up to £3,3million towards the project.
• Competition Commission clears dealThe Competition Commission has provisionally cleared the take over by McGill™s Bus Services of Arriva Scotland West.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Railtrack for the roads?16 August 2012: Our new report highlights problems with the different ways ministers are thinking about privatising the road network. read more

Global Rail News

• How tragedy has strengthened Britain™s rail industryPractically every kind of emergency has been thrown at Britain™s railways during the last 30 years, many inflicted upon the network by others, some caused by internal issues, and all have been a tough way to learn lessons. In a year when London has hosted the Diamond Jubilee, as well as both Olympic and Paralympic [...]
• FirstGroup awarded West Coast franchiseFirstGroup has ousted Virgin to become the new operator of the West Coast Mainline. First West Coast Limited will take over the service in December and will operate on the route until 2026. Rail unions have raised concerns that the new operator will need to raise fares and cut staff to meet the return target [...]
• Balfour Beatty on target despite tough European rail marketBalfour Beatty is on track to meet financial targets despite a difficult period in the European rail sector. The company has recorded underlying pre-tax profits of £154 million in the first half of this year, but added that problems in Continental Europe and operational issues on some projects had impacted profitability. The company’s construction division [...]
• High speed to FlorenceThe much-vaunted high-speed service between Milan and Naples in Italy got underway on April 28. Launched by independent operator NTV (Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori), the initial route runs from Milan Porta Garibaldi, via Bologna, Florence (Firenze) and Rome to Naples Centrale. To run the service, NTV purchased a fleet of 25 new 11-car AGV (Automotrice à [...]
• ScotRail to expand Club 55ScotRail is expanding its Club 55 discount this autumn, offering customers 16 extra days of cheap travel. It means over-55s will be able to travel anywhere in Scotland for £19 return from September 3 to November 30. First Class return journeys are also available on selected routes for £26. Sean Duffy, ScotRail™s commercial director, said: [...]
• Borders under new managementSix years ago, a procession of Railway Bills before the Scottish Parliament resulted in Acts for Edinburgh Tram (29.3.06), Waverley Railway (14.6.06), Glasgow Airport Link (29.11.06), Edinburgh Airport Link (14.3.07) and Airdrie to Bathgate (28.3.07). Unfortunately, the promise of these Acts was not fully realised. The lines to Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports were not built, [...]
• Olympic teams say farewell to LondonThe Dutch, French and Belgian Olympic teams boarded Eurostar trains earlier this week to head home following two weeks of spectacular Olympic success in London. Medal winners making their way through St Pancras included gold medalist Marianne Vos, who beat Team GB™s Lizzie Armitstead to the top of the podium in the Woman™s Road Race [...]
• Cardiff rail services to return to normal after landslipTrains on the Valley Line will be returning to their normal timetables following a landslip between two Cardiff stations last week. Normal services will resume tomorrow (August 17) putting an end to a week of disruption caused by a landslip between Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street last Thursday. Arriva Trains Wales has been operating [...]
• London Underground ends Powerlink contractLondon Underground (LU) has announced that it plans to terminate a 30-year contract with Powerlink for the operation and maintenance of its high-voltage electrical network. LU will end its contract with Powerlink, a consortium made up of UK Power Networks, Balfour Beatty and ABB, next year by envoking a half-way break clause which was agreed [...]

Transport for London

• Tube power network contract restructure to bring savings and greater operational flexibilityLondon Underground (LU) has today announced a restructuring of the contracts for the operation and maintenance of its high-voltage electrical power network.

Aviation Industry

• Air Berlin to sell eight aircraft to reduce debtAir Berlin (AB) will sell eight narrowbody aircraft to increase its core capital, enhance liquidity reserves and reduce debt by €300 million ($369.2 million) by year end, it said Wednesday.
• Easyjet 'confident' strikes will not disrupt flightsAirline expects all services to Portugal and France to run on Friday

Other News Sources

• Aberdeen to be Scotland's hydrogen bus hub Plans to make Aberdeen the hub of green transport and clean energy in Scotland have been given the go ahead by First Minister Alex Salmond.
• St Helens fast track to London ST HELENS could be on track for a direct train link to London.
• International support grows as RMT takes social dumping protest to two south coast ports this weekSHIPPING UNION RMT today welcomed support from the International Transport Federation for demonstrations this week against the scandal of social dumping in the British shipping industry.
• London Underground terminates power PFI contractLondon Underground is to terminate its 30 year operation and maintenance contract for the network™s high-voltage electrical power network after 15 years, it announced today.
• BBC Radio Kent interview Natalie Chapman on Kent lorry theftThe Freight Transport Association has called once again for safer places for drivers to take their legally required breaks. ...
• Laing O'Rourke completes Crossrail hat-trick to land £35m Custom HouseLaing O™Rourke has beaten three rivals to win a deal to build the £35 million Custom House Crossrail station, CN can reveal.
• Crossrail seeks contractor for £50m work at PaddingtonCrossrail is seeking a contractor for civil engineering and fit-out works at Paddington New Yard.
• London Underground scraps 30-year PFI dealLondon Underground has announced it will terminate a 30-year PFI power network contract with a Powerlink consortium which includes Balfour Beatty.
• First Group™s plans for the West Coast lineThe focus may be on how much First is paying for its new franchise, but what will it mean for passengers?

Other Subscription Services

• TfL to switch off Powerlink Underground PFI Transport for London is to end another private finance initiative after identifying more cost effective means of financing the power supplies and systems required by the Tube network.On Thursday (16...
• Crossrail awards main Custom House station works Laing O'Rourke has bagged a third Crossrail station main works contract with the award of C520 Custom House. O'Rourke beat shortlisted bids from Costain, Hochtief and Osborne. The contractor now has...