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

Thursday, 30 August 2012

BBC News

• East Midlands Trains' mobility scooter rules challenged A disabled man has criticised East Midlands Trains for rules which stop him using his mobility scooter on its services.
• Work to clear blocked rail lineEngineering works are taking place through the night to clear landslip damage to the rail line between Stirling and Dunblane.
• Lufthansa staff to go on strikeThe cabin staff at German airline Lufthansa are to go on strike, possibly as early as Thursday, as wage talks broke down this week.
• Heathrow capacity 'harms' economyMPs say the restriction of capacity at Heathrow is harming the UK's economy.
• Used cars top list of complaintsComplaints about used cars bought from independent dealers are the most common gripe from people using the Citizens Advice helpline.
• Australia joins EU carbon marketAustralia plans to link its carbon trading scheme with Europe's, enabling Australian firms to use EU permits to emit CO2 from mid-2015.
• Probe into Ryanair Aer Lingus bidBudget airline Ryanair's latest attempt to take over its Irish rival Aer Lingus is to be investigated by the European Commission.

Financial Times

• Branson has a point about the bid evaluation Sir, Your editorial “No second act for Virgin Trains” (August 29) is a bit unfair on Richard Branson and Virgin Trains. When one is dealing with a client who will not listen, the courts may be the only option to seek redress.
• German shipyards file for insolvencyP+S Werften, based in north-east Germany, runs into liquidity problems and has not delivered any ships since April 2011
• Focus on emerging markets lifts DP WorldPorts operator expects its focus on emerging markets will allow it to continue to outperform rest of the sector, despite global economic uncertainty
• Virgin reaps west coast profitsCompany yielded an average 6.6 per cent pre-exceptional operating margin on the franchise from 1997 to 2011, according to JPMorgan analysis
• EU to probe Ryanair™s tilt at Aer LingusCommission announces in-depth investigation into the budget airline™s third proposed takeover of the Irish flag carrier
• MP warns of Heathrow U-turn backlashZac Goldsmith says 2m voters under flight path would punish Tories at next election if ministers renege on promise not to allow a third runway
• Branson image exposed in franchise fightLegal franchise fight likely to bring Virgin Rail™s record and Sir Richard™s self-styled image as plucky fighter against out-of-touch institutions, under spotlight
• Cosco expects pressures to continueThe Chinese shipping group was hit by a first-half net loss of Rmb4.9bn and warned that conditions in the second half would also be tough

The Guardian

• Heathrow expansionists must drop their third runway obsession [Blog - Caroline Lucas MP]Those in favour of endless airport expansion must finally accept that there are ecological limits to aviation growth
• A runway anywhere but London [Letters]Jackie Ashley repeats the claim that London requires more airport capacity to allow for more direct flights to opening markets such as Venezuela and Indonesia (A third runway, Boris Island, better rail? Please, just decide, 27 August).

The Herald

• New CalMac boss after chief resignsTHE head of lifeline ferry operator CalMac is to take on responsibility for its parent company, David MacBrayne, following the sudden departure of its chief executive.
• Future of ferry boss in doubt after rowsTHE head of publicly owned ferry company David MacBrayne has stepped down following a series of terse exchanges with Government ministers, The Herald understands.
• New Forth Bridge viewing invitationTHE public has been given a
• Public transport system hailedSATISFACTION with public transport has risen to record levels amid a hike in the number of people paying more than £150 a month to fill their cars, a Scottish Government report has found.

The Scotsman

• Scots drivers spend £53 more a month on fuel in 8 years THE impact of soaring fuel prices on Scottish drivers has been laid bare in official figures which show they have spent two-thirds more on filling up in the space of eight years.
• Contract for West Coast rail service remains unsigned after legal actionTHE contract for the West Coast Main Line rail service was not signed yesterday, amid legal wrangling over the awarding of the contract to Aberdeen-based FirstGroup.

The Telegraph

• Ryanair shelves Aer Lingus bid as European Commission opens investigation Ryanair has been forced to shelve its €694m (£549m) takeover bid for rival Irish airline Aer Lingus after the European Commission opened an investigation.
• Former Orange chief takes Manganese Bronze stake Sanjiv Ahuja, the telecoms expert and former chief executive of Orange, has taken a major stake in Manganese Bronze, the troubled company which makes London’s black cabs.
• Transport Secretary 'acted unlawfully' claims Virgin Transport Secretary Justine Greening “acted unlawfully”, “irrationally” and in contravention of EU law when she awarded the £13.3bn West Coast rail contract to FirstGroup, Virgin Rail has claimed.
• Lift-off from Heathrow is a flight of fancy Tim Yeo’s intervention strengthens the calls for stricter curbs on select committee chairmen

Daily Express

• EU probe into Ryanair's bidTHE EU yesterday launched an in-depth investigation into the planned £550million takeover of Irish airline Aer Lingus by budget carrier Ryanair because of concerns it would harm competition.

Mail Online

• First class Fido: Dogs get their OWN £1,250 seats so they can sit beside their owners on airlinersA private jet charter company Victor is launching the service for jet-setting dogs and owners but it is a costly option - a seat on a flight to Mallorca goes for £1,250.

Network Rail

• New Traffic Management System Signals Better, More Efficient Railway for Britain - Network RailNetwork Rail’s plans for a more affordable, higher performance railway have taken a step forward with the award of contracts to design and develop a new nationwide traffic management system for Britain’s rail network.

Derby Telegraph

• Adviser in fresh claims over Thameslink rail deal after £262m Siemens payoutA FORMER government adviser says a £262 million settlement between Siemens and the Greek Government shows why the German firm should not have been picked ahead of Bombardier for a key rail deal.

Liverpool Post

• We’ll be better than Virgin claims FirstGroup rail boss on West Coast line franchiseTHE boss of FirstGroup this week pledged to deliver a much better rail service than Virgin when his firm takes over the West Coast Main Line from Sir Richard Branson’s company

London Evening Standard

• Government prepares for legal showdown with Richard Branson over Virgin Trains routeThe Transport Secretary is seeking legal advice after a court challenge by Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson threatened to derail the awarding of his West Coast Main Line rail franchise to rivals FirstGroup.
• Greening rail decision 'unlawful'Virgin Rail has accused Transport Secretary Justine Greening of acting "unlawfully", "irrationally" and against EU law by awarding the £13.3 billion contract for the West Coast main line to rivals FirstGroup.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester airport calls in extra cleaners after muddy Creamfields revellers are stranded for two days Dozens of mud-covered Creamfields revellers were stranded at Manchester Airport for nearly two nights after the festival™s cancellation “ forcing bosses to draft in extra cleaners.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Scotland expects a third runwayBusiness leaders in Scotland have backed calls for UK ministers to end their opposition to a third runway at Heathrow Airport in London.

Crewe Chronicle

• UK & World News: Greening rail decision 'unlawful'Virgin Rail has accused Transport Secretary Justine Greening of acting

Peterborough Telegraph

• Peterborough residents rely more on their cars than most others in EnglandPeterborough’s ambitions to be the ’green capital’ have taken a blow after a report found it is one of the county’s most car-dependent cities.

Global Rail News

• Welsh work prepares for electrificationWork has begun on a £220m scheme to boost capacity on the railway in South Wales. Starting with the Vale of Glamorgan line the three-year programme will include the replacement of over 300 signals, 12 miles of track and 59 sets of points. Seven more platforms will be built at stations including Cardiff, Barry, Caerphilly, [...]
• ˜Muffled™ rail announcements to get professional helpRail staff in Australia are to be given lessons in radio broadcasting to put an end to muffled announcements on trains and station platforms around the country. The training will cover enunciation, scripting, delivery and microphone techniques. More than 300 staff on the Illawarra Line will take part in the pilot scheme which was launched [...]
• Paralympic athletes arrive at St PancrasFrench and Belgian Paralympic athletes have been arriving at St Pancras ahead of tonight’s opening ceremony. The athletes were greeted by former British Paralympic 800m sprinter Danny Crates, who won gold in Athens in 2004. There was also a performance by The Kaos Signing Choir for Deaf and Hearing Children. Two Eurostar trains have undergone [...]
• Man identified 23 years after being hit and killed by trainPolice have finally identified a man 23 years after he was struck and killed by a train in West Hamstead. Derek Burns, of West Calder, West Lothian, Scotland, has been identified using advanced DNA profiling techniques which have been developed since his death in 1989. Mr Burns father has said he is “relieved” that his [...]
• HS2 opens the bidding for second phaseHS2 has invited engineering and environmental consultants to tender for the second phase of the controversial high-speed network. The bidding process aims to set up a new Professional Services Framework (PSF), which will start work after the Secretary for Transport publishes her preferred route options later this year. Greening’s recommendations will then form the basis [...]
• Centro wins prestigious safety awardThe Midland Metro has become the first tram system in the UK to win a Secured by Design award for passenger safety and crime reduction. Judges from the Secured by Design organisation and the Association of Chief Police Officers have presented the Safer Tram Stop Award to all 23 stops on the system, which is [...]
• New signalling system will cut cost of railways by £250mUpgrading signalling on Britain’s rail network will cut running costs by £250 million each year, Network Rail has said. The claim comes after Network Rail announced that it had awarded contracts to Hitachi Rail Europe, Signalling Solutions – a joint venture between Alstom Transport and Balfour Beatty Rail – and Thales UK to design and [...]
• Becoming a principal contractor for Network RailSpeaking to the rail engineer a couple of months ago (Issue 92, June 2012), Simon Kirby, managing director of Network Rail Infrastructure Projects, stated that one of his aims was to “open up the market to new suppliers”. Those new suppliers will naturally have to meet Network Rail’s high standards, but how is that process [...]

Aviation Industry

• Just Another Airplane? 20 Hours Aboard the Boeing 787 DreamlinerThe state-of-the-art passenger comfort features on the new Boeing 787 have a lot of hype to live up to. We find out if they really make a difference.
• Lufthansa flight attendants prepare to strikeLufthansa™s (LH) flight attendants, represented by the UFO union, are set to strike from Thursday on short notice at selected airports.
• A4A: US airlines lose $1.07 billion in 1HThe 10 largest US airlines incurred a $1.07 billion net loss in the first half operating on a net negative profit margin of 1.5%, deteriorating from a 0.4% negative margin in the 2011 first half, according to Airlines for America (A4A).
• EC investigates Ryanair™s third takeover bid for Aer LingusThe European Commission (EC) has launched an in-depth investigation into Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair™s (FR) third takeover bid of Ireland™s national flag carrier Aer Lingus (EI), citing œpotential competition concerns.

Other News Sources

• HITACHI RECEIVES ORDER FOR UK RAILWAY TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PROTOTYPE Hitachi, Ltd. today announced that Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. has received an order for a prototype of a traffic management system from Network Rail Infrastructure Limited ("Network Rail") in the England, Scotland and Wales. Network Rail will test and evaluate prototypes ordered from Hitachi and two other companies, and based on the outcome, it will make a decision regarding the future roll-out of traffic management across the entire rail network in Great Britain.
• CAA publishes prosecutions data for 2011 /12The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has today published its log of prosecutions for the year 2011/12, including details of the offences prosecuted, pleas and penalties imposed by the courts. In total during the year, the CAA undertook 16 prosecutions, resulting in fines totally in £20,050.