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

Tuesday, 27 November 2012

BBC News

• HS2 compensation for Camden 'not enough' A London council affected by plans to build the HS2 high-speed rail link from Birmingham to Euston has said the national compensation pot will mean its residents' needs may not be met.
• Weston-super-Mare and M5 junction 21 plans approved A £15m scheme to improve traffic flow around Weston-super-Mare and junction 21 of the M5 in Somerset will go ahead.
• Rail service hit by cable theftTrain services between Birmingham and the North East are cancelled and delayed following the theft of power cables.
• Union 'positive' over Clyde yardsUnion officials at BAE Systems' two Scottish shipyards call for a quick decision on their fate but say they are confident about the future.
• Rongsheng slumps as boss resignsShares of shipbuilder China Rongsheng Heavy fall more than 9% after its chairman resigns, the latest in a series of setbacks for the firm.

Financial Times

• Fastjet shifts focus to east AfricaSir Stelios™s new lost-cost airline will launch in Tanzania, where airport fees are much lower, and will expand to Kenya early next year
• Boskalis makes €682m offer for DockwiseDutch dredging company seeks deal to unite the world's largest dredger by revenue with the operator of the world™s biggest heavy-transport ships
• Pension changes to hit UK transport groupsRevisions to International Accounting Standards Board rules, which come into effect next year, look set to shrink reported operating margins
• Toll road plan runs into cost snagA government-commissioned report has struggled to produce an economically viable option for charging drivers to help fund improvements to the A14

The Herald

• Aberdeen city bypass work startsWork on a controversial city bypass has begun a month after a court challenge was dismissed.
• Unity call to save threatened shipyardsDEPUTY First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned warring politicians to put aside their differences and show a united front in the battle to save thousands of threatened shipyard jobs on the River Clyde.

The Telegraph

• Civil servant Kate Mingay sues Department for Transport Kate Mingay, one of the three civil servants suspended over the West Coast rail bid fiasco, has filed legal proceedings against the Department for Transport over the way she has been treated.
• Council leaders warn drivers could face tollsMotorists face road tolling by the end of the decade to pay for Britain's creaking road network, local government leaders warn.

ATOC

• National Rail travel bulletin - 26 November The vast majority of trains are running as normal today despite the severe weather affecting some parts of the country. Across the country as of 14.00 today, around 80 % of trains arrived on time as...

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented £12m East Midlands Airport boost to cut security queuesEAST Midlands Airport has today revealed plans for a £12 million project to speed up security screening and upgrade shops...

Journal Live

• North East roads and railways hit by floodingTRAVELLERS across the region faced widespread disruption to their journeys as storms continued to lash the UK.

Manchester Evening News

• High Street View: Google Maps now show INSIDE Manchester AirportHolidaymakers struggling to find their way around Manchester Airport are being offered help at the click of a button “ through Google™s new indoor maps. The online giant has extended its Street View maps into business buildings so that people can look inside.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post commented £12m extension for East Midlands AirportMORE than £12m is to be spent on improving facilities for passengers at East Midlands Airport.

Yorkshire Post

• ˜Transport for the North™ call to end decades of under-fundingA TRANSPORT for the North body should be set up immediately to take over all transport projects in the North of England and end the myopia of control by Whitehall, MPs have been told.

The Shields Gazette

• Sir Les is new man at port™s helmTHE Port of Tyne has a new chairman.

Other Regional Press

• 'Big gap' on transport spendingThere is a big gap between transport infrastructure spending in London and the North East, MPs have been told. As much as 84% of future transport infrastructure spending was going to London and south-east England and just 6% to northern England, the House of Commons Transport Committee heard.
• Will HS2 be good for Vale’s economy? Train workers’ union to debate track plan at Aylesbury’s Railway ClubMembers of the RMT union will give their views on the HS2 plans at a meeting in Aylesbury next week. The trade union has been invited to speak at 7pm at the town’s Railway Club, by the Bucks trades council.
• New bendy-bus trial planA SECOND trial of bendy-buses will be held before any plans go to Tynwald – to see if any changes would be needed to accommodate them on Isle of Man roads.
• 'Big gap' on transport spendingThere is a big gap between transport infrastructure spending in London and the north west, MPs have been told.
• Funding boost for community rail service Penistone Line PartnershipA COMMUNITY rail service has been given a cash boost – to try persuade more people to use the line.
• Police defend motorway shutdowns after crashes on M62POLICE today gave an insight into problems in dealing with motorway crashes.
• Coach firm bans football fans over illicit booze haulA COACH operator fined for allowing the biggest haul of booze to be smuggled by sports fans in the North-east has banned the fans for life.

Global Rail News

• Consultancy brought in to kickstart Flying Scotsman restorationThe National Railway Museum has appointed railway engineering consultancy firm, First Class Partnerships, to provide independent advice on how best to progress the delayed Flying Scotsman restoration project. The NRM has also set up a working group to look at the future restoration and running of the museum™s heritage locomotives. The NRM acquired the locomotive [...]
• Generating low total cost of ownershipWhen Prime Minister David Cameron announced the œbiggest modernisation of our railways since the Victorian era back in July, in the form of the High Level Output Specification (HLOS), it became apparent that a major transformation of the current UK rail infrastructure was about to be seen. However, at a time when companies are still [...]
• High-speed service launched in IllinoisA new 110mph service in Illinois has been launched, marking the first step in the creation of a high-speed network in the U.S. state. œThis next generation rail system gives passengers a safer, more reliable way to travel across Illinois and connect with family this holiday season, said Governor Pat Quinn. The new service will [...]
• Hangzhou Metro starts operationMTR’s third metro project in mainland China has been officially opened in Hangzhou. Hangzhou Metro Line 1, a joint venture between MTR Corporation and Hangzhou Metro Group Company Limited, commenced service on November 24. Jay Walder, chief executive of MTR Corporation, said: œHangzhou is now the third mainland city in which we are operating a [...]
• Too many vital infrastructure projects ˜stuck in the slow lane™Too many ‘business-critical’ infrastructure projects are struggling to get out of the design stage, according to new research by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Data published today (November 26) explores the progress of 13 ‘priority transport projects’ in the UK, which were highlighted by the BCC ahead of the 2010 General Election. The development [...]
• Victoria orders new V/Line carriagesBombardier is to supply 40 new V/Line DMUs for the Australian state of Victoria. State Premier Ted Baillieu and Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder announced today (November 6) that the new cars would be delivered by late 2016 in line with completion of the Regional Rail Link. The new V/Line carriages will be built by [...]

London TravelWatch

• London TravelWatch Board meeting, 27 November 2012London TravelWatch Board meeting, 27 November 2012

Railnews

• Transport ministers on crucial countdown THE TROUBLED Department for Transport is facing a week of crucial decisions. A major report into how the West Coast franchise competition collapsed is due to be published, amid rumours that a separate inquiry will conclude that the notion of long franchises should be abandoned.

Aviation Industry

• India's Jet Airways to be Etihad's next target?Abu Dhabi airline reportedly in investment talks
• Stansted bidder to revive KL link?Malaysian operator emerges as possible new bidder for budget airport
• Emirates to upgrade Glasgow serviceBigger aircraft to be introduced from January
• Work to start on East Midlands Airport upgrade£12 million project to refurbish airport's terminal will begin in 2013
• FFP comparison site launchesPoints accrual now comparable online

Other News Sources

• All award for Reading busesREADING Buses has won two awards at a prestigious national ceremony. It picked up the Top Shire Operator award and the Marketing Initiatives Award at the 17th UK Bus Awards.
• Greater Anglia joins stations to webFree wi-fi will be introduced at stations on the train operator's network