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

Thursday, 29 November 2012

BBC News

• Work starts on runway extensionWork starts to extend the runway at Birmingham Airport in a bid to compete for long-haul flights.
• Road deals awarded after delayTransport Scotland awards two trunk road maintenance contracts worth £230m, after a successful bid to have a court suspension lifted.
• MPs' bus firm ambulance concernsTwo Greater Manchester MPs say they are concerned over bus firm Arriva's record on providing non-emergency ambulances.
• Thomas Cook sees losses widenStruggling travel group Thomas Cook has reported widening annual losses due to reduced capacity and higher fuel costs.
• Airport sees increased profitsGatwick Airport announces increased half-yearly profits and growing passenger numbers.

ITV News

• Boris reveals "Aerotropolis" plans for estuaryLondon Mayor Boris Johnson has revealed plans to create an "Aerotropolis" in the Thames estuary if his controversial new airport is built.

Financial Times

• Brazil looks to rail to beat congestionSão Paulo monorail is among several new projects, with country™s 2015-17 spending on rolling stock set to hit €2.27bn a year, on a par with Germany™s
• Indonesia says Russian Superjet safe to flyFlagship Sukhoi model receives a boost after a demonstration model crashed into a mountain and threatened the company™s order book
• Rail deal may be end of line for InvensysSale of equipment division to Germany™s Siemens for £1.74bn clears the way for potential purchase of part or all of the rest of the business
• Ministry delays West Coast reportSam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica, has handed over his final report into what went wrong with the West Coast rail tender
• Gatwick boosted by passenger numbersProfits more than treble thanks partly to increased retail spending in redesigned shopping area, despite flat traffic over Olympics

The Guardian

• Invensys shares soar as it sells rail business to Siemens Sale of rail signalling business to German rival for £1.74bn is the latest foreign takeover of a British technology firm

The Herald

• Bus firm in free travel row warnedA BUS company accused of running
• Clampdown on rogue taxisTAXI and private hire drivers will have to prove they are of good character and limits will be put on the number of cars on the road under plans to crack down on criminality in the industry.
• Clampdown on rogue taxisTAXI and private hire drivers will have to prove they are of good character and limits will be put on the number of cars on the road under plans to crack down on criminality in the industry.
• Rail strike ballot result dueTHE results of a ballot for strike action, which could hit ScotRail services over the festive period, are due to be announced today.

The Independent

• Could public transport in the UK ever be free? In a month's time, using Tallinn's public transport system won't cost a cent. Could we ever see similar moves here? Chris Beanland finds out.
• Rail fares rise by up to 6.5 per centRail passengers face price rises of up to nearly 6.5 per cent in the new year, it was confirmed yesterday. Related StoriesPM calls for unity as Coalition braces for split over LevesonHow sex work has replaced a bar job for some students who struggle to pay billsDeath of a Russian supergrass: is it too late for new tests to establish truth?Victim of sex attack 'badly let down' by 999 callNew code will keep high street shoppers safe from 'chuggers'

The Telegraph

• Gatwick Airport pushes for second runway Gatwick Airport has stepped up its campaign for a second runway after an increase in passenger numbers pushed half-year turnover up 3.6pc.
• Siemens deal shows Invensys has been chronically undervalued Sir Nigel Rudd’s £1.74bn disposal of the Invensys rail signalling division gets the engineering technology business out of jail and is probably the old campaigner’s best deal of a long and varied career – albeit the contribution of chief executive Wayne Edmunds was vital, too.
• West Coast rail: legal threats force Government to delay Laidlaw reportThe Government has delayed the publication of the Laidlaw report into the West Coast rail bid fiasco in an attempt to ensure the findings do not trigger further legal action from civil servants involved.
• Biggest investment in cycling announced by GovernmentA swathe of new dedicated bike lanes are set to be introduced in towns and cities across the country as part of the biggest ever investment in cycling as the Government looks to capitalise on the Bradley Wiggins effect.
• Councils face elderly bus travel 'financial time bomb'The national free off peak bus travel scheme for the elderly has created a “financial time bomb” which could see other services axed, the country’s largest provincial cities have warned

ATOC

• "Government . . decides how much season tickets should rise on average": ATOCIn response to a Passenger Focus story on 2013 season tickets, a spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) said:  “It is the government, not train companies,...
• Train companies respond to government announcement on cycle fundingIn response to the government’s announcement to encourage schemes such as improving cycling facilities at stations, a spokesperson for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) said:...

Journal Live

• Plane descending into Newcastle Airport came close to hot air balloon HOT air balloon passengers were given a shock when a plane descending into Newcastle Airport came within two miles of them.

London Evening Standard

• Civil servant takes legal action after being suspended over West Coast rail fiascoLegal action is being taken today by one of the civil servants suspended following the West Coast rail franchise fiasco.
• Boris Johnson: my vision of an airport city on Thames (inspired by India) Boris Johnson today set out his vision to build an “aerotropolis” around a new terminal in the Thames Estuary.
• Osborne may scrap 3p fuel duty riseTory MPs are today optimistic that George Osborne will come to the rescue of hard-pressed motorists by scrapping a 3p rise in fuel duty next week.
• Commuters' fury at rail fare rises that will see annual season tickets go up by as much as £400Angry rail commuters today lashed out at œpainful inflation busting fare increases that will push up annual season tickets by as much as £400 in the New Year.
• Call for Travelcard to cover Thames cable car fares as numbers dropFresh demands for the Thames cable car to be included in the Travelcard scheme were made today after new figures showed usage dropped to a low of 301 on one day in September.

Sheffield Star

• MEADOWHALL is likely to be chosen as the site for Sheffield’s new high speed rail station letter from Parliamentary Under Secretary for Transport, Norman Baker, to his boss, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, backs Meadowhall and warns that using the old Victoria Station site off The Wicker would ’risk leaving Sheffield worse off’.
• Roads contract boost for firmsSheffield Chamber of Commerce has praised highway maintenance contractor Amey for ensuring the majority of its contracts remain in the city region.

The York Press

• Spotlight on East coast rail route investment COUNCIL leaders from towns and cities along the East Coast Main Line have met in York to mark out priorities for investing in the rail route.

Bucks Free Press

• HS2: PM to 'ensure compensation scheme works properly' PRIME Minister David Cameron today pledged he would 'ensure' the HS2 compensation scheme 'works properly' for Bucks residents.

Carlisle News & Star

• West Coast Mainline review set to make grim reading for transport department An independent review of the West Coast rail franchise fiasco will be delivered to Whitehall this week.

Other Regional Press

• London Midland assures Watford’s MP service will improve Train provider London Midland has assured Watford’s MP that the service will improve following weeks of delayed and cancelled journeys.
• Wi-Fi roll out at railway stations RAIL passengers can soon surf as they travel following a Wi-Fi roll-out at stations across North Essex.
• Top honour for Huddersfield Railway Station – but where have arrival boards gone?HUDDERSFIELD Railway Station is among the top stations in Europe.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Time to stop punishing those who choose to commute using public transport28 November: In January we will have had ten year of the above inflation formula that it has been using to set the increase in rail fares each year. read more
• Toll roads don™t add upThe latest evidence from the A14 Study shows that plans for new toll roads should be dropped for good. read more

Global Rail News

• Updated plans submitted for Derby maintenance centreNetwork Rail has submitted new plans for its Derby maintenance hub following the government’s pledge to electrify the Midland Main Line. Original plans for the depot, which were submitted in February, had to be withdrawn so they could be updated to accommodate 50 electrification maintenance specialists for the Midland Main Line project. The new maintenance [...]
• Electrifying Liverpool-ManchesterThe Liverpool to Manchester Railway, constructed by George Stephenson and opened on the 15 September 1830, is credited with being the world™s first twin-track inter-city passenger railway on which all trains were timetabled and ticketed. Therefore it was only fitting that, in November 2010, the Government should announce that the Liverpool-Manchester route would be one [...]
• Trams without wiresFor those working on heavy rail, the way streets absorb tram infrastructure to show only running rails is impressive indeed. Even more impressive is that some streets are now absorbing the tram™s power supply as well, the result of a drive by the major tram manufacturers to make trams more attractive by eliminating the need [...]
• Glasgow Subway rebornAndrew Smith Hallidie was shocked to see a cart overturning on the steep San Francisco streets, killing five horses. He later stated that this inspired him to build his world famous cable car system, something he was well placed to do as his father, Andrew Smith, was a Scottish engineer with a patent for the [...]
• RZD targets RUB30bn private sector station investment next yearRussian Railways (RZD) is hoping to massively increase the level of private investment in the country’s railway stations next year. Sergey Abramov, head of the Directorate of Railway Stations, a subsidiary of RZD, said the company is aiming to attract 10 to 30 billion roubles ($323 – 968 million) of investment from non-budgetary sources in [...]
• Crossrail chief executive to speak at Railtex 2013Crossrail chief executive Andrew Wolstenholme OBE will be the keynote speaker on the third day of Railtex 2013. Wolstenholme will be at Earls Court in London on May 2 to update visitors on the progress of the £14.8 billion rail project. Andrew Wolstenholme took up his current role in 2011, having previously served as director [...]
• MTA installs new signalling system on New York lineA new $67 million signalling system is being installed on MTA Metro-North Railroad’s Port Jervis line. The cab signal system will replace the existing 40-year-old wayside system and renew 10 interlockings and four level crossings from Suffern to Port Jervis, New York. “This upgrade to cab signals will bring the line up to the modern [...]
• Intelligent Design and Management PlatformUKPN Services is keenly aware that a reliable and progressive rail network is only as good as its electrical infrastructure. Its credentials are well established and include the landmark construction of section 1 and 2 of High Speed One, a £130 million joint venture with Network Rail to upgrade power supplies in the south and [...]
• Bombardier to supply automated mass transit system for Dubai International AirportBombardier has signed a contract with contractor Al Jaber Engineering to design and build an Innovia 300 automated people mover system for the Dubai International Airport. The new 83 million euro automated mass transit system will connect the airport’s Terminal 1 to the new Concourse 4. Dubai International Airport is undergoing an expansion programme that [...]

Railnews

• Former Network Rail chief to join National Express The man who master-minded the takeover of Railtrack by Network Rail ten years ago is moving to National Express. Sir John Armitt, who has most recently chaired the Olympic Delivery Authority, will become chairman of the transport group on 1 February.

Aviation Industry

• Qatar sets date for Dreamliner flights to HeathrowAirline will start B787 services to the UK hub on December 13

Other News Sources

• Sustrans, CTC and British Cycling praise new £20m cycle investment 'There is massive untapped potential for local cycling journeys'; Updated with reaction from BikeRight!
• Cycling infrastructure gets £20m boostTransport minister Norman Baker has announced £20m in extra funding to improve cycling infrastructure around England.
• UK operators to be included in Amadeus' rail GDSTech firm will integrate all of UK's main railways into new distribution project