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

Friday, 31 August 2012

BBC News

• Signal failures and holding patterns It's hard to know if Britain's having a serious debate about transport, or merely going through a slow-motion political train wreck.
• Tree-delayed rail services resumeA West Midlands rail line is reopened after a fallen tree had caused disruption for London Midland commuters.
• Easyjet in Edinburgh jobs boostOne hundred jobs could be brought to Edinburgh after Easyjet announces plans to base two more aircraft at the capital's airport.
• Lufthansa strike times announcedCabin staff at German airline Lufthansa give details of the times of their strike action - it will start at 03:00 GMT on Friday at Frankfurt airport.

Department for Transport

• Funding boost for Hounslow™s roadsHounslow's roads are set for a major upgrade after Transport Minister Norman Baker announced the Council is to benefit from funding.

Financial Times

• Cosco expects pressures to continueThe Chinese shipping group reports first-half net loss of Rmb4.9bn and warns the tough climate is set to continue for the est of the year
• O™Leary focusing on the wrong prioritiesRyanair™s self-confessed œloudmouth seems to have taken a vow of silence on its latest Aer Lingus bid, but his priorities may be out of focus
• JAL to take off with $8.4bn share saleTight pricing range for the IPO is an indication of strong demand among investors for the Japanese flag-carrier that tumbled into bankruptcy in 2010

The Herald

• Jobs hope as easyJet expands operation at airportAIR passengers will see five new European routes launched from Edinburgh next January after easyJet announced it would base two extra aircraft at the capital, securing its position as the biggest airline operating in Scotland.
• Virgin on attack as rail route dispute continuesVIRGIN Rail last night kept up its pressure on FirstGroup over the West Coast Mainline franchise by issuing a 10-question challenge to the Scottish-based company.
• Repair failure blamed for Waverley train derailmentTRACK maintenance failures have been blamed for a train derailment near Edinburgh's Waverley Station last summer, which caused widespread disruption on Scotland's busiest rail route.

The Independent

• Train derails after Cumbria landslideA train has derailed this morning following a landslide in Cumbria. Related StoriesSummer 2012 wettest in England and Wales for 100 yearsWoman killed by falling debrisWoman killed by falling building debrisWoman killed by window frame that fell from multi-million pound development in London™s MayfairArchbishop sorry for child abuse failings
• 92% of trains run on time, says Network RailA total of 92.0% of trains ran on time in the late summer period, Network Rail said today. Related StoriesSummer 2012 wettest in England and Wales for 100 yearsWoman killed by falling debrisWoman killed by falling building debrisWoman killed by window frame that fell from multi-million pound development in London™s MayfairArchbishop sorry for child abuse failings

The Telegraph

• Ministers must drop 'scandalous opposition to Heathrow third runway', says BCC head Ministers must abandon their "scandalous" opposition to a new runway at Heathrow, a leading business figure said as he launched a scathing attack on the "political class" for failing to kick-start the economy.
• Don't let the barbarians hand over the White Cliffs of DoverDover's port and its famous backdrop must be saved for the nation, argues Julian Baggini
• Motorists face tougher battle to park their carsCash-strapped councils put in more yellow lines and increased the number of traffic wardens in the past year.

Mail Online

• UK weather: Landslide derails train as forecasters warn more bad weather on the wayBritain's bizarre summer weather took yet another turn for the worse today as a landslide caused a train to derail in Whitehaven, Cumbria (pictured).

ATOC

• Paralympic National Rail travel bulletin: Thursday 30 AugustOn the opening day of the Paralympics, train companies are providing 291,041 additional seats by running extra and longer services.  The Transport Co-Ordination Centre,...

Network Rail

• National Train Performance for Period 5 is 92%Punctuality on the railways reached 92% during Period 5, according to monthly performance data released today by Network Rail. The data for Britain's train services covers the period from 22 July 2012 - 18 August 2012. This compares to 92.3% for the same period last year. The moving annual average is now at 91.6%.

Birmingham Post

• Government West Coast Main Line rail decision 'unlawful', claims Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains has accused Transport Secretary Justine Greening of acting

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Doing our fine public transport a disservice [Letters -Ray Wilkes]SIR – Bradford commuters are indeed car-reliant (T&A, August 28), causing serious congestion. One reason is because politicians are continually talking down our bus services. Bradford has 16 main routes with ten-minute frequency bus services serving most Bradford suburbs as well as Keighley , Leeds and Halifax.

Journal Live

• Morpeth traffic lights row sparks wide-ranging council reviewCAMPAIGNERS calling for the removal of controversial traffic lights from a key Morpeth road junction have welcomed a wide-ranging council review of issues in the town.

Liverpool Echo

• Tall ships arrive in River Mersey after beating bad weather on Irish SeaTHE new Irish Sea Tall Ships Regatta suffered a blustery start as stormy weather delayed much of the fleet’s arrival in Liverpool from Dublin.
• Liverpool John Lennon Airport sees passenger levels slumpLIVERPOOL John Lennon Airport (JLA) has lost significant passenger numbers in the first six months of 2012.

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

• London's bus stops (or is that Bus Tops) illuminated with some LED magic Eagle-eyed travellers on the top deck of London's buses may have noticed an eye-catching new addition to their usual route home in this Olympic year.
• 'Irrational' and 'unlawful' Virgin Trains astonishing claims against Transport Secretary Justine Greening over West Coast contractVirgin Rail has accused Transport Secretary Justine Greening of acting "unlawfully", "irrationally" and against EU law by awarding the £13.3bn contract for the West Coast main line to rivals FirstGroup.

Metro

• Train derails in Cumbria after flash floods follow heavy rainA train has come off the tracks in Cumbria after the region was hit by flash floods following a night of heavy rain. A landslide caused by heavy rainfall led to a train being derailed (Picture: Twitter/networkrail) Police said the two-carriage Northern Rail train struck a landslide near Nethertown at around 7am but stayed upright and there are no reports of any injuries.Earlier, fire crews and police attended the worst affected areas in and around Egremont where cars were submerged by flood waters.Cumbria fire service has revealed it received more than 100 calls for help during the night, with...

Newcastle Journal

• Low-cost land will bring investment to the North East The news that more than 300 jobs will be created by Vantec as part of its £22.5m investment in a new 421,000sq ft building at Turbine Business Park, Sunderland, follows hot on the heels of Hitachi Rail Europe’s announcement that it will build Britain’s next generation of high-speed trains at Newton Aycliffe, creating tens of thousands of jobs on site and in the UK supply chain.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Wooden pallet thrown through train windscreenRAIL bosses are offering a £5,000 reward for information after a wooden pallet was thrown through the windscreen of a County Durham train.

Sheffield Star

• Bus and tram smart ticketsBUS and tram passengers are being offered smart cards to avoid the need to carry cash for their fares.

Blackpool Gazette

• Rail passengers trapped in packed carriagesPASSENGERS have been forced to remain on trains, because carriages were too packed for people to get safely to the doors.

Carlisle News & Star

• Stranded train passengers rescued after landslip A huge emergency response swung into action today after a night of heavy rain triggered a train derailment and left several areas of west Cumbria devastated by flash floods.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Suffolk and Essex: MP Tim Yeo stands firm on Stansted expansionA SUFFOLK MP at the centre of a media furore this week over his controversial support for a third runway at Heathrow airport has come under fire for his opposite stance on a shelved plan for expansion at Stansted.

Other Regional Press

• Consultation on rail services running through Haringey extended People will have more time to have their say about the future of rail services going through Haringey.
• Norfolk Orbital Railway group launches new appeal to raise funds Progress has been made towards securing the land necessary to complete the Norfolk Orbital Railway, taking North Norfolk Railway’s present station at High Kelling into and through Holt - one of the most difficult parts of the route.
• Plans to transform railway stationRail bosses behind a controversial takeover of the West Coast Mainline have unveiled plans for a major overhaul of Preston Station.
• Fears over loss of train service are rubbishedFears that part of Lancashire could lose out on train services have been described as “completely inaccurate” by rail company FirstGroup.

Bus and Coach.com

• Paint and CAD investment at SherburnOptare™s investment at its Sherburn plant continues with £0.
• Free wi-fi for Goldline coachesGoldline express services operated by Ulsterbus will offer free wi-fi from October.
• London watchdog call for Paralympic helpWith the start of the Paralympic Games this week, London TravelWatch is urging local authorities, Transport for London and station managers to do as much as they can to help passengers find the right bus and to ensure they can get on it when it comes.
• New disabled guidance for London driversTransport for London has issued new guidance to bus drivers to help improve journeys for wheelchair and mobility scooter users and other bus passengers with accessibility needs.
• First Swansea new ticket phone dealFirst Cymru is working with mobile phone business O2 to offer O2 customers in Swansea reduced price FirstDay tickets.
• High taxes threaten Irish coachingHigh taxes on diesel are killing the Irish coach tourism industry, according to the Coach Tourism & Transport Council.
• Changes in Wright top teamThere have been a number of changes at the top of the Wright Group.
• ShropshireLink costing £7 a journeyThe ShropshireLink service cost over £480,000 to operate in the 2011-12 financial year.
• New Wright team targets overseasThe Wright Group has announced a new divisional structure for its business.
• £3m fund for Scottish low-carbon busesThe Scottish government this week announced a third round of low-carbon bus funding, with £3million being made available to support the purchase of around 40 buses.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Network Rail unveils plans for greater efficiencyA proposed new nationwide traffic management system for the UK's trains could enhance the efficiency of the network.This is the claim made by Network Rail, which has awarded contracts for the design and development of the solution to Hitachi Rail Europe, joint venture Signalling Solutions and Thales UK.According to the infrastructure group, the technology "forms an integral part of our operating strategy" and will bring together the 800 signal boxes across the country in 14 rail operating centres.The process of consolidating operations is expected to take 30 years and...

Global Rail News

• 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 [...]
• Engineers work through the night to clear landslipRepair work has been completed between Stirling and Dunblane after a landslip caused major delays on the route. Heavy rain led to flooding near Bridge of Allan on Wednesday evening, forcing the line to be closed. Engineering work was carried out throughout the night to get the service back up and running. A landslip is [...]
• Network aims to tackle Australia™s infrastructure crisis“Australia should be calling for better infrastructure,” said Australasian Railway Association (ARA) CEO Bryan Nye at the launch of the Transport Reform Network. More than 300 business, industry and community leaders came together at Sydney™s town hall yesterday for the inaugural meeting of the TRN, a cross-industry coalition aiming to address Australia™s looming transport crisis. [...]
• VIA sees revenues fall in second quarterVIA Rail Canada is optimistic that it will meet its financial targets despite announcing that revenues were down on the same period last year. President and Chief Executive Marc Laliberté said the company was confident that its plans to modernise its passenger rail services would see it meet its projections come the end of the [...]
• Gothenburg West Link rail station contract for Ã…FTechnical consultant Ã…F has been awarded one of the main contracts in Sweden’s Västlänken (West Link) project. The company will support the Swedish Transport Administration, in conjunction with White Architects, on the Korsvägen railway station. The West Link Project is a planned eight-kilometre long railway tunnel under central Gothenburg, which aims to significantly increase capacity and [...]
• £5,000 reward offered after pallet smashes train windscreenCrossCountry Trains has offered a £5,000 reward to find those responsible for throwing a wooden pallet off a bridge and into the path of an oncoming train. The windscreen of the train was smashed in the incident on August 25, near to Ferryhill Junction, County Durham. Sergeant Cheryl Bainbridge from BTP said: œDespite the pallet [...]

Railnews

• West Coast contract on hold as allegations fly The Department for Transport has not yet signed the controversial West Coast contract with FirstGroup after the 'cooling off' period ended, but the DfT is declining to say whether the delay has been caused by the legal challenge from Virgin. Virgin, which came second, is alleging that the process was flawed, which the DfT denies.

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow™s third runway argument heats upThe UK government is under increasing pressure to solve London™s airport capacity crisis as senior conservatives this week urged prime minister David Cameron to allow building a third runway at London Heathrow Airport (LHR).
• Passenger growth slows for airlinesIATA figures for July suggest "tough second half of 2012" for carriers