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

Thursday, 11 October 2012

BBC News

• Coventry to get new cycle routes as part of £7m plan New cycle routes are to be created in Coventry using £7m of funding.
• VIDEO: Will campus cars be the next big thing?Sumi Das takes a ride in an electric-powered buggy which aims to eliminate some of the hassles of local driving.
• Rebel sticker craze on the TubeRebel sticker craze on the London Underground
• Overhead problems hit rail lineTrain services on the West Coast Main Line between Glasgow/Edinburgh and Carlisle have been suspended due to overhead wire problems.
• Toyota to recall 7.4 million carsToyota is recalling more than seven million vehicles worldwide, including some Yaris, Corolla and Camry models, over faulty window switches.

Financial Times

• Ryanair rules out Stansted airport bidLow-cost carrier said that owner BAA and controlling shareholder Ferrovial had excluded it from bidding for London™s third-biggest airport
• Brussels plans new ˜single sky™ ruleEuropean Commission is preparing to pursue EU member states over their failure to comply with efforts to unify European air traffic control
• West Coast fiasco derails franchising plansCost to taxpayer is focusing debate on fixing the train system with differing views by executives such as Richard Branson and David Begg on what to do

The Telegraph

• Government 'lost' key calculations on West Coast bid THE Government lost or failed to save key calculations underpinning its decision to award the West Coast rail franchise to FirstGroup, a report commissioned by the Department for Transport shows.
• Toyota in major recallMore than one in five of Toyota's bestselling Auris, Yaris and Rav4 cars in Britain have been recalled because of a fault in the master electric window switch.
• Boy jumped from Tube after staff failed to notice he was still on boardTwelve-year-old boy narrowly misses electrocution after being left trapped in sidings when staff fail to spot him still on board.

Daily Express

• Thomas Cook jobs nosediveBELEAGUERED tour operator Thomas Cook said yesterday that 430 pilot and cabin crew jobs were on the line as it revealed plans to cut aircraft numbers.

Mail Online

• 'Baby on Board' sign and others caused 2m road accidentsOne in twenty motorists says stickers and playtime paraphernalia are to blame for a collision - equivalent to 1.85m of Britain's 37m drivers.

The Mirror

• "No eye contact. Penalty £200." Guerrilla sticker craze sweeps London UndergroundThe spoof Transport for London stickers have been plastered on Tube trains and at stations with tongue-in-cheek warnings and instructions for passengers

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL DRIVES INNOVATION AND HELPS THE ENVIRONMENTTonnes of copper saved through new approach to signalling power

Belfast Telegraph

• Stena Line voted shipping line of the year Stena Line Freight has been voted Irish Sea Shipping Line of the Year 2012 at the prestigious Export & Freight Transport & Logistics Awards. Related StoriesING deal boosts Barclays by £10.9bnCIPR PRide Awards 2012 gala night at Titanic BelfastNorthgate nets deal to supply £1.14m IT system to schoolING deal boosts Barclays by £10.9bnKerry Group's new €100m R&D hub to create 1,300 jobs

Daily Post (North Wales)

• £28bn merger plan between BAE Systems and EADS scrappedDefence giant BAE Systems confirmed this afternoon that plans for a £28 billion merger with Airbus boss EADS have been scrapped.

Journal Live

• Twice weekly Jersey flights from Newcastle International AirportHOLIDAYMAKERS will be able to jet off to Jersey with the launch of a new twice weekly service from Newcastle.

London Evening Standard

• At last, something to silence chatty cabbiesLondon minicab firm Green Tomato Cars has introduced a driver-muting system.
• HS2 rail line will go ahead despite 'hassle' from campaigners, says GovernmentThe Government will not be deterred from going ahead with the High Speed 2 rail line by the "grief and hassle" it is getting from campaigners, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said.
• Boy found walking on Tube tracks 'to collect his bike' kicks off major safety rowA 12-year old boy escaped death on the Tube after accidentally being carried into sidings and jumping from the train onto the track narrowly missing the 430 volt live rail.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Easyjet unveil Newcastle Airport to Jersey flightsGEORDIES can jet off to Jersey with the unveiling of a new easyJet route from Newcastle International Airport.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Kelsey, 11, rallies pupils against link road plan A MORAY youngster has joined a passionate campaign against the proposed Elgin Western Link Road “ by setting up a junior petition.

Wales Online

• Cardiff news: Direct flights to Germany to be launched from Cardiff AirportA new air route between Wales and Germany is set to be announced tomorrow – just weeks after First Minister Carwyn Jones revealed plans to rebrand Cardiff Airport in a bid to attract more passengers.

Yorkshire Post

• £1bn transport fund for region set to boost drive to create jobsCHEAPER bus fares, improved motorway junctions and a new link road to Leeds Bradford Airport are among around 60 schemes that could benefit from a £1bn, 10-year transport plan for West Yorkshire and beyond.
• Minister ˜resolute™ over high speed¨rail linkThe Government will not be deterred from going ahead with the High Speed 2 rail line by the “grief and hassle” it is getting from campaigners, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said.

Blackpool Gazette

• Rail fares fixed for commutersROCKETING rail fares are set to be fixed during the next two years after the Government announced a U-turn on prices.

Bucks Free Press

• £4.2m plan to convert key roundabout to crossroads A MAJOR road used by many motorists going to and from south Bucks is set to benefit as part of a £170m roads investment.

Other Regional Press

• Petition calls on First to improve busesFRUSTRATED bus user Doreen French has handed First a 200-signature petition demanding better disabled access.

Bus and Coach.com

• CPT Coaching Conference beckonsCPT™s annual Coaching Conference takes place in Warwick on Tuesday 23 October.
• RH Transport closes....RH Transport of Witney has ceased trading.
• OFT examines Arriva takeoverThe Office of Fair Trading is examining the take over by Arriva of Liyell of Wednesfield, which trades as Midland.
• Arriva drivers win compensationTwo Arriva London drivers have between them been awarded £16,000 in compensation by an employment tribunal.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Fair fares Now, another successful campaign this year9 October: We welcome the Government 's announcement to limit ticket price increases to 1 per cent above inflation for the next two years. read more
• Come to our free training conference9 October 2012: We're offering training and support to anyone who wants to stop a new wave of road-building covering their local area with tarmac. read more

Global Rail News

• Hitachi rail research centre to support IEPThe Intercity Express Programme (IEP) will become one of a number of British rail projects to benefit from a new research centre, which has been set up by Hitachi. The European Rail Research Centre, which will be based at Hitachi’s head office in London, will look at rolling stock design – interior and exterior – manufacturing practices, maintenance and Traffic Management Systems.
• High-speed rail conceptsHolland’s Fyra high-speed project has suffered a set back following an announcement that new trains will not start running until 2013. Cycle through the gallery to see a few more high-speed projects currently in development.
• Powell to head Merseyrail rolling stock programmeMerseytravel has appointed a new project director to oversee the procurement of rolling stock for the Merseyrail network. David Powell, 44, will take charge of a 10-year rolling stock programme worth hundreds of millions of pounds. Prior to joining Merseytravel, David has held senior roles within Manchester™s Metrolink expansion programme where he oversaw the introduction [...]
• Transport Minister visits Haymarket siteScottish Transport Minister Keith Brown has visited Edinburgh Haymarket to see the station’s £25 million transformation first hand. The project, which is part of the Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme and will include an integrated train, tram, bus and taxi transport hub, is due for completion by spring 2014. Work is being carried out on Haymarket station [...]
• Balfour Beatty awarded £50m electrification contractBalfour Beatty has been chosen to deliver the £50 million North West Electrification Phase 2 contract. Work will include the installation of 90 single track kilometres of new electrification. The project will be led by Balfour Beatty Rail in joint venture with Balfour Beatty Engineering Services who will be undertaking the power and distribution works. [...]
• Westward Ho! “ Andy Milne talks to Vernon Barker, managing director of FirstGroup™s Rail DivisionFirstGroup™s Rail Division is run from Macmillan House on Paddington Station but also has a quiet set of offices across the road on Eastbourne Terrace. Between the two sits a huge building site, one of the construction shafts of the Crossrail project. Passers by can watch the excavation and towering machines poised above the hum [...]
• The Mathematics of SuccessWhile controversy continues to range over the letting of railway franchises the surge of support for the RailStaff Awards is not in doubt. This year people nominated for an award “ taken all together “ attracted over 30,000 votes. This is double the number last year. Although this extraordinary rise in interest can partly be [...]

Railnews

• McLoughlin reveals 'fast track' ambition for HS2 The transport secretary has revealed that he would like to 'fast track' High Speed 2, and that the Government will defy 'grief and hassle' from backbenchers. Patrick McLoughlin told the Independent that those opposing the scheme by claiming that shorter journey times were not worth the upheaval and disruption were 'missing the point', because HS2 represented a 'huge change'. He added:

Aviation Industry

• Aviation minister to speak at GTMC conferenceSimon Burns to be quizzed on the government's aviation strategy
• Flybe adds services for summer 2013Regional specialist to offer new flights to Barcelona from Southampton and Exeter

Other News Sources

• Transport workers stage mass walkout across FranceTransport workers walked out on strike en masse yesterday in protest over workers’ pay.
• Balfour Beatty wins £50m Network Rail dealBalfour Beatty has been awarded a £50 million North West Electrification Phase 2 contract by Network Rail, to add to its first phase deal last year.
• Supercapacitors hailed as potential answer to greener public transportationThe supercapacitor, once used to power robots and as a backup power source for computer memory, could be the energy source that holds the key to greener public transportation.