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

Tuesday, 13 November 2012

BBC News

• Bus firm Stagecoach snaps up service from FirstGroup Transport firm Stagecoach has agreed to buy another service from its Scottish rival FirstGroup for £4.5m.
• Airports group Hial records lossA company running 11 Scottish airports has recorded an operating loss of £969,000 for 2011-12.
• Dutch experts give cycling adviceTransport experts from the Netherlands and Scotland gather for a conference in Edinburgh to discuss ways of improving cycling safety.
• NI firm wins Hong Kong bus orderA Hong Kong-based bus company order 50 new double-deck buses from the County Antrim firm, Wrightbus.
• MPs bid to delay fuel rise failsAn attempt by Labour to delay an increase in fuel duty which was supported by politicians from Northern Ireland fails.
• VIDEO: High speed rail link for ScotlandThe Scottish Government says a high speed rail link could connect Glasgow and Edinburgh within 12 years.
• High-speed rail plan for ScotlandThe Scottish government announces plans to go ahead with a high-speed rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
• EU suspends plane emissions rulesThe European Union agrees to suspend changes to rules that require airlines flying to and from airports in the EU to pay for their carbon emissions.

Department for Transport

• Evesham to benefit from new £8.2 million bridgeAbbey Bridge over the River Avon in Evesham has received final approval to be replaced by Norman Baker.

Financial Times

• EU freezes foreign airline carbon chargeBrussels cites progress towards a global regime on pollution as reason for suspending charge on emissions that was opposed by China and the US
• Emirates Airbus 380 in emergency landingEngine fault shortly after take-off forces superjumbo down in Sydney, two years after Rolls-Royce engine explosion led Qantas to ground its A380 fleet

The Guardian

• Treasury to defer planned increase in fuel dutyChancellor heads off backbench rebellion as economic secretary says government is 'determined' to help struggling householdsGeorge Osborne averted a Tory backbench rebellion in the Commons on Monday when the Treasury gave a powerful hint that the government could defer a planned 3p increase in fuel duty.A Labour bid to delay the increase until at least April was defeated by 282 votes to 234, a government majority of 48.Sajid Javid, the economic secretary to the Treasury, won over Tory rebels when he said the government was

The Herald

• New high-speed intercity rail vow RAIL passengers have been promised a journey time of less than 30 minutes between Glasgow and Edinburgh as the Scottish Government announced plans to build a new line between the cities by 2024.
• Rail plan to cut Glasgow-Edinburgh travel to under 30 minutesA high-speed railway line could connect Scotland's two largest cities within 12 years as part of a plan to encourage a UK-wide link.
• Mixed fortunes at airportsABERDEEN airport has had its busiest October for five years, with Glasgow also benefiting from travellers jetting off during the school holidays, but the slump at Edinburgh continues.
• High fuel bills hit rural motoristsCommuters in rural areas pay over 40% more a month than their urban counterparts to get to and from their work, according to new research.
• Cycling body goes Dutch for helpDUTCH cycling experts are being drafted in to help re-design road junctions in Scotland as part of a strategy to get 10% of all journeys made by bike by 2020.
• New high-speed intercity rail vowRAIL passengers have been promised a journey time of less than 30 minutes between Glasgow and Edinburgh as the Scottish Government announced plans to build a new line between the cities by 2024.

The Telegraph

• Women see commuting time increases during the recessionWomen are spending more time getting to and from work than they did before the recession while men's daily commutes are getting shorter, a study has found.

Belfast Telegraph

• Six-month delay on Bombardier's new jet 'won't affect Belfast plant'Production at Bombardier's Belfast plant won't slow despite news the Canadian aerospace giant is delaying the first flight and first delivery of its new CSeries jetliner by six months.Related Stories200 jobs to go at PattonIn Pictures: CIM Ireland Marketing Excellence Awards 2012Brave new world for shipyard but recovery still elusiveFew signs of hope as surveys show no private growthResearch centre to examine Northern Ireland's economy

Bolton News

• Diversions for bus lane changes CHANGES are being made to a bus lane to ease the flow of town centre traffic and reduce journey times.

London Evening Standard

• Last stop for King™s Cross restored gloryRail bosses today promised to recreate the historic grandeur of King™s Cross as work begins on the final stage of a radical upgrade of the station.
• 46 per cent of MPs back third runway at HeathrowA third runway at Heathrow is the most popular option among MPs for solving the South-East™s air capacity crisis, an exclusive poll reveals today.
• Thousands of commuters suffered delays last night after two stations closedVictoria Station has reopened after being closed and evacuated due to a suspect package.
• Government hints at fuel rethinkThe Government has hinted that a planned fuel duty rise could be axed as ministers saw off a Labour call for the 3p increase in January to be abandoned.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester 'cause of traffic jam misery' in SalfordSalford's transport boss says road changes in Manchester will stop through traffic entering from the west.

Sheffield Star

• Airline warns jobs at risk after profit slumpAIRLINE Flybe, which operates from Doncaster’s Robin Hood airport, has warned jobs may be at risk as it slashes costs after challenging conditions sent it into the red.

The York Press

• Changes planned at busy York junctions SAFETY improvements are set to be carried out at two of York™s busiest junctions, which have been identified as accident blackspots.

Bucks Free Press

• Green MEP joins anti HS2 campaign A EURO MP joined the campaign against HS2 when he visited one of the villages that will be affected by the line on Friday.

Other Regional Press

• Back to school for Warrington's bus drivers WARRINGTON Collegiate, Merseytravel and Stagecoach have come together to form a training academy for bus drivers.
• Eurotunnel awarded £200m over fireInsurers have awarded Eurotunnel more than £200million four years after a fire than left one tunnel closed for three months.
• Resurfacing covers new £10,000 solar-powered cat’s eyes on Wakefield RoadHUNDREDS of solar-powered road lights which cost around £10,000 may have to be ripped out of after maintenance work stopped them from working.
• Passengers face rail delays on Pennine routes after landslipRAIL passengers face more delays on their commute across the Pennines.
• Work begins today on Weymouth cycleway WORK on part of a 3km Weymouth cycleway begins today.

Bus and Coach.com

• North-east operators push partnershipsBus operators in the north-east of England are stepping up the pressure on Nexus, the Tyne and Wear PTE, to abandon its pursuit of quality contracts and to accept that a voluntary partnership is the best way to improve bus services.
• Coach Rally moves to Alton TowersThe 2013 UK Coach Rally & Awards will take place at Alton Towers on the weekend of 20-21 April.
• More First businesses sold to StagecoachFirst's ongoing reduction in the size of its UK Bus business continues with the sales to Stagecoach of its operations in Chester, Wrexham and Birkenhead for £4.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Stagecoach unveils £3.2m fleet investmentA total of £3.2 million is being spent by Stagecoach Group on its Megabus fleet.The company is investing in some of the largest coaches in Britain as part of its expansion plans in order to meet rapid increases in demand for its inter-city services.A total of 11 of the 15 m-long Plaxton Elite coaches have been ordered from Alexander Dennis for delivery in December and will be introduced across routes in Scotland and England, delivering free Wi-Fi and over 20 per cent extra capacity than standard models."Demand for great value inter-city travel just keeps on growing, especial...

Global Rail News

• Western railway maintenance contract renewal for PöyryPöyry has renewed its maintenance management contract for the Western Finland railway network after signing a similar five-year deal for the eastern network last month. The new five-year contract with the Finnish Transport Agency is worth around five million euros and includes an optional two-year maximum extension. Pöyry has been responsible for maintenance work on [...]
• Careers focus planned for Railtex 2013Railtex 2013 will feature a dedicated careers event designed to give students and graduates an introduction to the rail industry. The programme “ ‘Rail “ The Next Generation’ “ will provide participants with a tour of the exhibition, including meetings with companies that have agreed to discuss their activities and possible career paths, hands-on demonstrations [...]
• Fifth anniversary for London OvergroundLondon Overground is celebrating its fifth birthday today (November 12) just weeks before the completion of the new orbital railway. In 2006, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that Transport for London (TfL) was to take over management of Silverlink Metro services around the capital. The following year the London Overground was unveiled under the [...]
• Eurotunnel receives €253m compensation for Channel Tunnel fireEurotunnel has received 253 million euros compensation, four years after a fire closed the Channel Tunnel, leaving thousands of travellers stranded. On September 11, 2008, a fire broke out on a heavy goods vehicle several miles from the French entrance to the tunnel. Thirty-two people who were on board the shuttle, which was transporting the [...]
• Crossrail awards signalling contract to Siemens-Invensys consortiumCrossrail has awarded the signalling system contract for the £14.8 billion network’s central section to a consortium comprising Siemens and Invensys Rail Limited. The contract, which is estimated to be worth about £50 million, covers the design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a train control system for Crossrail™s central section. The new system [...]
• King™s Cross ˜temporary™ extension torn down after 40 yearsKing’s Cross station’s ‘temporary’ green canopy is being torn down 40 years after being installed. The extension, which was built in 1972 to house the station’s main concourse and ticket office, has overshadowed Lewis Cubbitt’s Grade I listed Victorian façad for the last 40 years. The demolition work marks the final phase of the station’s [...]

London TravelWatch

• Event gives the people of Harrow the chance to hop on board the Mayor™s new bus to discuss local transport issuesLondon TravelWatch, the watchdog for transport users in London, held a successful transport users™ engagement event in Harrow town centre on Saturday 10 November following similar events in Tooting, Stratford, Croydon and Romford held over the last few years. The event provided an opportunity for local people to see the Mayor™s ˜New bus for London™ for themselves and a chance to discuss transport issues in Harrow.

Aviation Industry

• European Union backs down on emissions trading Plans to charge non-EU airlines flying to Europe under the emissions trading scheme have been postponed for a year. Countries such as the US, China, India and Russia have been threatening a trade war over the EU™s implementation of ETS, which took effect earlier this year with airlines due to hand over carbon permits for their emissions in April 2013. But the EU today said it would suspend implementation of ETS for flights œto and from non-European countries until after the ICAO General Assembly next autumn. Although flights within the EU™s 27 member countries will still be included in ETS a...

Other News Sources

• Tanni Grey-Thompson and transport companies to discuss London™s Olympic legacy 12 November 2012 Record numbers of passengers travelled in London during the Olympics “ with 60 million journeys made on the Tube alone, up 30 per cent on normal levels[1]. Performance was also at record high levels[2]. What successful strategies from the Olympics and Paralympics can be used to improve day-to-day transport? How can the £7.2 billion invested in transport deliver a better service for passengers in the future? No ...
• GBTA announces new European boss GBTA has appointed Catherine McGavock as its new regional director for Europe. McGavock, who joined GBTA earlier this year as director of marketing and events, will take the role of director of operations for Europe from January 1. ITM is the GBTA's partner in the UK. She replaces Paul Tilstone who has moved to the position of senior vice-president of global operations for the GBTA. Tilstone now looks after six regions: North America, Latin America, Asia, Australasia, Africa and Europe. McGavock, who will report to Tilstone, said œI look forward to working closely with our partner associ...