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

Saturday, 25 August 2012

BBC News

• Australian billionaire on mission to recreate TitanicWhen British impresario Lord Grade was asked what he thought about losing $40m making the movie: "Raise The Titanic", he reportedly quipped: "It would have been cheaper to lower the Atlantic".
• The perils of flying with a wheelchair Frequent air travel is part of a BBC security correspondent's job - but flying with a wheelchair is sometimes more difficult than it needs to be.
• Rail petition backers top 100,000A petition urging ministers to reconsider changing the operator of the West Coast Mainline rail service could now be debated in Parliament.
• Aer Lingus call to reject RyanairIrish airline Aer Lingus repeats a call to shareholders to reject a Ryanair offer for the company
• Arrests on key transport routesPolice arrest 21 people during an operation which targeted criminals using key transport routes in London.

Financial Times

• Commons urged to view Virgin rail decisionOnline petition against decision to strip Sir Richard Branson of the West Coast rail franchise has passed the threshold of 100,000 signatures
• Aer Lingus urges ˜no action™ on RyanairIrish flag carrier repeats advice to shareholders to reject bid ahead of a European Commission ruling on the proposed takeover on Wednesday

The Independent

• MPs ask for West Coast line deal to be delayed A Parliamentary select committee chairman yesterday asked the Government to delay signing off the deal which will see Sir Richard Branson's train company lose its West Coast Main Line rail franchise.Related StoriesPolice ordered to arrest Assange 'under all circumstances' if he leaves embassyTorrential rain set for for Bank HolidayRainy start to Bank Holiday predictedCoathangers at dawn! Mary Portas rocked by Margate walkoutSeal in false alarm

The Scotsman

• Government urged to delay West Coast Main Line train planA PARLIAMENTARY select committee chairman has asked the government to delay signing off the deal which will see Sir
Richard Branson’s train com-
pany lose its West Coast Main Line rail franchise.

The Telegraph

• Grant Shapps signals support for a third runway at HeathrowUK must consider a third runway at Heathrow if it is to remain a 'great trading nation', housing minister Grant Shapps says.

Daily Express

• Ryanair looks to land key stake in StanstedBAA's momentous decision to bow to watchdogs and sell Stansted raises the prospect of a UK airport partly owned by a no-frills airline.
• Sell-off ends the last flight for FerrovialTHE competition watchdog's onslaught on BAA has been a headache for owner Ferrovial since it paid £10.3billion for the airport group in 2006.
• Calls mount for railway reviewCALLS are growing for the Government to look again at the replacement of Virgin Rail as the operator of the West Coast mainline train service.

ATOC

• ATOC launches new tool for older and disabled passengersA new website to help older and disabled passengers get the most out of improvements made to rail services is being launched today by ATOC....

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham and Solihull LEP transport chief looks to airport and motorwaysThe man heading up transport policy for Birmingham and Solihull LEP has identified three key areas to get things moving in the West Midlands.
• Transport Committee demands delay to West Coast Main Line railway dealMinisters are under pressure to delay plans to strip Virgin Trains of its franchise to run services on the West Coast Main Line as the row over the controversial decision continues.

London Evening Standard

• Call to delay rail franchise dealA Parliamentary select committee chairman has asked the Government to delay signing off the deal which will see Sir Richard Branson's train company lose its West Coast Main Line rail franchise.
• Poster battle to save Justine Greening from re-shuffle to prevent Heathrow runway expansionA œBattle for Justine has erupted before David Cameron™s re-shuffle as west London residents try to save Transport Secretary Justine Greening from being ousted because of her opposition to a third runway at Heathrow.

Manchester Evening News

• Move to delay West Coast Main Line franchise switch from Virgin to FirstGroupA parliamentary select committee chairman has asked the government to delay signing off the deal which will see Sir Richard Branson's train company lose its West Coast Main Line rail franchise, which runs through the North West. Sir Richard dubbed the franchise system

Peterborough Telegraph

• Peterborough MP to fight rail ticket risesPeterborough MP Stewart Jackson is set to rebel against “outrageous” plans by his own party to increase rail fares by 6.2 per cent on average.

Other Regional Press

• Government backs Northampton™s new bus station planThe Government has backed plans to demolish Northampton’s Fishmarket building so a new bus station for the town can be built in its place.

Bus and Coach.com

• Ipswich matches First in fares battleFollowing a raft of service revisions and fares reductions by First Eastern Counties in Ipswich, Ipswich Buses has responded with reduced fares and “ for one week only “ conductors on some services.
• Brian Souter signals back seat moveStagecoach chief executive Brian Souter is to hand over the running of the business to finance director Martin Griffiths.
• Brian Souter signals back seat moveStagecoach chief executive Brian Souter is to hand over the running of the business to finance director Martin Griffiths.

Global Rail News

• MP urges Greening to delay West Coast as e-petition hits 100,000One-hundred-thousand people have now signed an e-petition which aims to pressurise the Government into a U-turn over its decision to strip Virgin of the West Coast franchise. Although the petition is now eligible for debate in the House of Commons, signing of the new contract with FirstGroup is due to take place on Tuesday. However, [...]
• Ministers reject Scottish rail devolution bidThe UK government has rejected a request from the Scottish Parliament for rail franchising powers to be devolved from Westminster. Transport secretary Justine Greening has stated that there is no evidence that devolution would deliver better value for passengers or taxpayers. Transport Scotland reacted by saying that it is “utterly bizarre”  that state-owned companies from [...]
• Docklands Light Railway marks 25th birthdayLondon’s Docklands Light Railway (DLR) will celebrate its 25th birthday next week – a quarter of a century after the Queen cut the ribbon at its opening ceremony. In 1987, the DLR had just two routes, 11 trains and 15 stations, carrying 6.7 million people in its first year. Today the railway, which was the [...]
• Jail for cable thieves that cost Network Rail £204,000Four men have been jailed for stealing more than 1,200 metres of cable from a railway line in Warwickshire, causing around 50 hours worth of delays. Dominic Wallis, 23, of Dryden Close, John Gowland, 26, of Radnor Court, Flame Redshaw, 20, of Stanley Road, and George Brunozzi-Jones, 22, of Lutterworth Road – all from Nuneaton [...]
• Siemens renews Unipart logistics contractUnipart has signed a new 10-year deal with Siemens to provide logistics services for the company’s UK rolling stock maintenance arm. The contract replaces the previous 10-year agreement which terminated at the end of June. Siemens is one of the UK™s leading manufacturers and maintainers of rolling stock in the UK, with a fleet over [...]
• Network Rail welcomes new apprenticesSeventeen new apprentices have started three-year training programmes on the Wales route. The apprentices are part of a 200-strong Network Rail cohort who will train at HMS Sultan – Europe™s largest engineering training facility at Gosport in Hampshire. They will spend a year there, starting in September, and will continue their training back in their [...]
• The Office of Rail Regulation: Role and responsibilitiesContinuing our series looking at people and organisations in the rail industry, RailStaff asks the question: What do they do? Nigel Wordsworth looks at The Office of Rail Regulation. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is situated just off London™s Drury Lane. The ORR œis the independent safety and economic regulator for Britain’s railways. In [...]
• Level crossing safety scheme is most significant in railway™s historyLevel crossing safety has been at the top of the safety agenda and a high profile issue for the industry, politicians and media for a considerable time. Network Rail has duly responded and committed to significantly improving safety at level crossings, setting a challenging target of reducing level crossing risk by 25% by March 2014. [...]

Railnews

• MPs to scrutinise West Coast bid The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons has announced that it is to investigate the controversial Intercity West Coast bid, in which the present operator Virgin came second place to FirstGroup. The contract is due to be finally signed off next week.
• Greening urged to put West Coast on hold The Government is being urged not to confirm the award of the Intercity West Coast contract to FirstGroup next week by the chairman of the cross-party Transport Select Committee. Louise Ellman has written to transport secretary Justine Greening calling for the process to be delayed.

Aviation Industry

• Air Berlin and Etihad refute CEO rumoursAirlines attack "scurrilous and irresponsible" speculation in German magazine
• Virgin and Transaero agree codeshare dealUK airline makes Russian move as it bids to secure Heathrow slots to Moscow

Other News Sources

• Winchester buses set for free Wi-fi boost Winchester residents will soon be able to surf the web on buses.
• Scientists produce H2 for fuel cells using an inexpensive catalyst Scientists at the University of Cambridge have produced hydrogen, H2, a renewable energy source, from water using an inexpensive catalyst under industrially relevant conditions (using pH neutral water, surrounded by atmospheric oxygen, O2, and at room temperature).
• West Coast mainline petition reaches 100,000 targetCall for franchise decision to be reconsidered is now eligible for debate in parliament