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

Friday, 21 September 2012

BBC News

• Free bus passes 'have health benefits', UK study suggests Free bus passes encourage the over-60s to be more physically active, whether they are poor or wealthy, say UK researchers.
• NI firm set to build London busesA company wins a multi-million pound order to build 600 Routemaster-inspired buses for London.
• Flooding closes Prestwick airportPrestwick airport is closed after heavy rain flooded the runway, and is not expected to reopen until Friday morning.
• VIDEO: Electric vehicles: '100 miles for £1'Motoring journalist Quentin Willson said the image of electric cars as

Financial Times

• Peugeot “ tough drivingFrench carmaker™s sale of its Gefco logistics division will help keep its debt manageable this year, but the view ahead is still blurred
• American and pilots clash on late flightsThe reasons behind a sudden slump in punctuality which forced the US airline to cancel 300 departures has sparked the dispute
• FirstGroup in dual franchise provisionsDirectly Operated Railways helps to take over disputed franchise in case a legal battle with Virgin Trains forces government to nationalise the line

The Guardian

• Rail passengers face Christmas travel chaos over engineering work Network Rail starts west coast line project on 23 December, meaning no direct services between London and Glasgow
• Apple Maps service loses train stations, shrinks tower and creates new airport Significant glitches reported in service that replaces Google Maps on Apple's iOS6 for iPhones and iPads

The Herald

• Officials expressed doubts on rail fundsOFFICIALS expressed private doubts about the Scottish Government's ability to pay for its ambitious five-year programme of rail improvements before cuts were announced in summer, a report has confirmed.
• Heavy rain closes Prestwick AirportHUNDREDS of passengers flying into Prestwick Airport were last night diverted to Edinburgh due to torrential rain.

The Telegraph

• Green car scheme subsidising wealthy motoristsA scheme to promote electric cars has led to taxpayers contributing more than £6,000 towards the cost of second vehicles for wealthy families, MPs have warned in a report published today.
• Self-drive cars a step closer with the car trainDrivers could be able to read, make phone calls and send emails within 10 years without endangering themselves and other road users, thanks to new technology developed by Volvo.
• Free bus pass 'helps keep people healthy'Having a free bus pass could help you live longer because it encourages you to get more exercise, a study has found.

Mail Online

• We're all in it together - the queue, that is Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2206410/Were--queue-is.html#ixzz275aTZd1R Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on FacebookVictoria Pendleton said on breakfast television this week that the Olympics seemed a long time ago. She should have tried taking the Tube around London last weekend.
• Ryanair ordered to 'review' fuel policy after making THREE emergency landings because planes almost ran outThree Ryanair Boeing 737-800 aircraft heading to Madrid were forced to make emergency landings after being diverted to Valencia because of thunderstorms over the Spanish capital.
• Boeing demands full-scale security review of controversial £30bn BAE mergerChicago-based company Boeing said it has begun its own internal review into the proposed takeover deal and would expect to participate in formal inquiries by US authorities.
• How that free bus pass can help keep the over-60s fitter by promoting good healthThe research, by the School of Public Health at Imperial College, comes as Prime Minister David Cameron faces pressure to scrap free travel because of its £1.1billion a year cost.

Belfast Telegraph

• Wrightbus to build 600 buses for London Northern Ireland firm Wrightbus has won a multi-million pound order for 600 new London buses — the biggest order of hybrid buses ever placed in |Europe. Related StoriesFG Wilson warns of more job losses in wake of 760 redundanciesCorporation tax reform could bring 58,000 new jobsTen cities to share broadband potNorthern Ireland bans fixed price booze promotions

Edinburgh Evening News

• Call for U-turn on funding cut to upgrade of Edinburgh-Glasgow rail lineBUSINESS leaders and transport campaigners have joined forces to urge Finance Secretary John Swinney to use today’s Budget to reverse the cut in funding for the upgrade of the Edinburgh-Glasgow rail line.

Journal Live

• North economy let down by Government's electric car inactionTHE electric car industry set to underpin the future of the North East economy is being let down by Government inaction, it was last night claimed.
• Tyne Tunnel 30p toll rise suggestion is deniedTRANSPORT bosses have been forced to deny toll prices could go up by 30p next year after a row over Tyne Tunnel costs.

Liverpool Post

• New rail plan puts Liverpool back on the £32bn high-speed trackLIVERPOOL is back on the planned £32bn high-speed rail (HS2) network, under a fresh route drawn up by transport chiefs – in a victory for a campaign led by the Post.

London Evening Standard

• Londoners to pay £160m for Boris' new fleet of busesLondon™s fair and rate payers ” not the transport operators ” will have to pay more than £160‰million for the Mayor™s new bus fleet under proposals set to be agreed today.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester airport bosses enlist Hallé Orchestra in bid to land China flights Manchester Airport™s ambition to secure direct flights to China has taken a step forward “ by supporting the Hallé Orchestra on their first ever tour of the country. Chiefs will visit the country with senior executives from the Hallé next month and they have also joined forces with the government™s UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to help promote the region™s businesses and increase exports from the north west.

Metro

• London to get 600 new 'Boris buses' - but taxpayers will foot the £160m billThe £160million bill for new ˜Boris buses™ will be paid by council tax payers, it has been revealed. Boris Johnson stands on the back of the new London bus during an unveiling (Picture: EPA) Londoners “ instead of operators “ will have to pay for the capital™s new public transport fleet under proposals agreed today. Private operators usually buy from the manufacturer and then sell the vehicles after ten years but the new buses would be hard to shift because they are designed specifically for London. Publicly funded Transport for London has bought them instead, claiming it is saving money by ...

Sheffield Star

• Experiment set to allow car drivers into Sheffield bus lanesMOTORISTS will be allowed to drive in some Sheffield bus lanes if they have at least one passenger as part of a trial to be launched next year.

The York Press

• South Bank battle to save No11 buses MORE than 200 people have joined a campaign against plans to divert a bus service away from a York community.

Bucks Free Press

• High Speed 2: 722 extra consultation responses overlooked THE Department for Transport has confirmed the number of overlooked High Speed 2 consultation responses has risen to 1,135.
• High Speed 2: 722 extra consultation responses overlooked THE Department for Transport has confirmed the number of High Speed 2 consultation responses overlooked has risen to 1,135.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Suffolk: Row erupts over free bus passesA NEW row is brewing over concessionary bus fares in Suffolk amid opposition claims the county council could extend the scheme to all hours for disabled people without breaching the budget.

Other Regional Press

• Scottish train station reopens after 50 years A Scottish train station is set to reopen after more than 50 years to allow resurfacing works on a nearby road bridge.
• Transport Minister rolls back First Minister’s commitment to not unbundling west coast ferry routes Public anxiety on the west coast of Scotland has been growing over the Scottish Government’s intentions for the delivery of the Clyde and Hebridean Ferry Services.
• HS2 can help meet carbon emissions targets A crucial report has today been launched which examines the potential carbon Impacts of HS2, the report commissioned from Greengauge 21 by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, RSPB and the Campaign for Better Transport can be read in full here.
• New minister says port is certain of a successful futureTHE future of the marine industry in the Portsmouth region is bright, according to the government’s new shipping minister.
• Aberdeen bus drivers could strike in row over payBUS drivers in Aberdeen could take industrial action over a pay deal offer.

Bus and Coach.com

• TfL orders 600 BorismastersTransport for London is to buy 600 Borismasters from Wrightbus for delivery over four years from 2013 to 2016.
• Harte's O licence revokedHarte Buses of Greenock has had its O licence revoked by Scottish traffic commissioner Joan Aitken after HM Revenue and Customs raised a petition at Greenock Sheriff Court seeking the firm's sequestration over debts of £65,000.
• Greener Journeys launches growth planA five-point growth plan for the bus industry has been published by Greener Journeys.
• Government launches BSOG consultationThe government has launched its consultation on reforming Bus Service Operators Grant, as promised in its Green Light for Better Buses document in March.

Global Rail News

• New rolling stock unveiled at InnoTrans 2012A selection of images showing the new rolling stock on show at InnoTrans 2012. DMU Link, PESA  SA Presentation of the multiple unit FLIRT for LEO Express ZNLE S.A. The premiere of the new locomotive Presentation of the double-deck push-pull train KISS of BLS S-Bahn Bern, Stadler Rail Presentation of the first hybrid motor vehicle [...]
• Network Rail consultancy sets sights on North America and IndiaNetwork Rail bosses said they would be targeting infrastructure projects in North America and India during a press conference for the InnoTrans launch of the company’s new international consultancy. The managing director of Network Rail Consulting, Nigel Ash, said the consultancy would be looking to take on contracts in North America, Central and Eastern Europe [...]
• InnoTrans gallery: day threeImages from the penultimate day of InnoTrans 2012.
• Landmark contract signed between DB and PESADeutsche Bahn and Polish manufacturer PESA have signed framework contracts for the possible supply of up to 470 diesel railcars. The contract, which could be worth as much as 1.2 billion euros, sets out the supply of up to 120 one-and two-part vehicles with a maximum speed of 120 km/h to 350 one, two and [...]
• Siemens presents Inspiro for Warsaw networkSiemens has presented the first new Inspiro metro train for Warsaw’s underground rail network at InnoTrans 2012. Managing director of Siemens, Dr. Hans-Jörg Grundmann, said: “Warsaw will have the world’s most advanced metro system.” In attendance was the mayor of Warsaw and the managing director of the Warsaw underground train operating company. In early 2011, [...]

Greengauge21

• The carbon impacts of HS2This new report, commissioned from Greengauge 21 by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), RSPB and the Campaign for Better Transport, examines the impacts of HS2 on carbon emissions.

London TravelWatch

• London TravelWatch Board meeting, 25 September 2012London TravelWatch's next public meeting will be its Board meeting on Tuesday 25 September 2012 at Dexter House, 2 Royal Mint Court, London, EC3N 4QN.
• London TravelWatch welcomes Department for Transport™s decision to reject large cuts in ticket office opening hours at London Midland stations in HertfordshireLondon TravelWatch has welcomed the decision by the Department for Transport (DfT) to accept its™ recommendations in respect of London Midlands™ proposed changes to ticket office opening hours at its stations. London TravelWatch objected to their proposals affecting stations in Hertfordshire. As a result opening hours were retained at the four stations in our area.

The Business Desk

• Lufthansa sings Birmingham Airport’s praises and targets further growth GERMAN airline Lufthansa says it is delighted with the passenger numbers on its new routes out of Birmingham Airport and that it may consider expanding its operation there.

Other News Sources

• All aboard: Network Rail’s sales results show growing business potential of railway stations for restaurantsWith branded national restaurant chains increasingly recognising the potential of high-footfall transport hubs, Network Rail’s latest train station F&B sales results prove that the areas are now becoming eating, drinking and dining destinations in their own right.
• Guide Dogs for the Blind: Silent But Deadly, electric and hybrid vehiclesGuide Dogs calls for urgent action to prevent road accidents
• Winchester civic chiefs support for southern parishes transport scheme WINCHESTER City Council has backed a rural community transport scheme with a £10,000 grant.
• New bus service to start in Alresford next month THE new bus service in the Alresford area will start on October 7, the town council heard.
• News from Jenny Jones AM: Mayor agrees to a review of the Congestion Charge ˜Greener Vehicle Discount™ 19 September 2012 News from Jenny Jones AM: Mayor agrees to a review of the Congestion Charge ˜Greener Vehicle Discount™ The number of diesel cars in Greater London has increased by 367,280 since 2000. Diesel vehicles are now the worst contributors to harmful air pollution in London. Many makes of diesel vehicle pay a zero rated congestion charge.  No read more
• Regus and Swiss rail operator agree partnershipFirms to provide flexible working space for business travellers at major train stations in Switzerland