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

Friday, 07 December 2012

BBC News

• Bombardier jets help Belfast jobsBombardier in Belfast stands to gain from another major order for aircraft.
• Report condemns rail bid 'flaws'The government has announced Virgin trains will run the West Coast main line for a further 23 months.
• Car sales set for four-year highUK new car registrations rise 11% in November, putting them on course for their highest full-year total since 2008, the SMMT claims.
• VIDEO: Branson 'positive' over rail bidsVirgin founder Sir Richard Branson has called for
• Trains fiasco 'to cost taxpayer'The collapse of the £5bn West Coast Main Line deal will come at

Financial Times

• Canadian Pacifics announces major cutsThe new chief executive of the rail company has announced plans to cut nearly a quarter of the company™s workforce, speed up services and review a line™s future
• Virgin keeps West Coast line for two yearsCompetition for line will be rerun following catalogue of errors in bidding process as government report on the fiasco is due to be released
• Cuts blamed for West Coast rail fiascoThe NAO has pointed to swingeing reductions at the transport department, together with rushed implementation of changes to rail franchising policy
• Hurdles remain for UPS on TNT dealUS group faces a fight to convince Brussels that a buyer for assets in eastern Europe will be strong enough to maintain competition levels

The Guardian

• Virgin Rail gets west coast mainline for two more years Richard Branson's firm to run route until new long-term deal is awarded with new hourly service linking Glasgow and London
• No anti-Virgin bias in west coast mainline decision, says McLoughlin Transport secretary clears path for franchising process to resume, saying Laidlaw inquiry has exonerated ministers
• New Boris London transport plan avoids enagement with reality London's needs a good road system, but the key issues concern who gets to use how much of it
• Rail passengers face new year fare rises of up to 10% While season tickets and peak fares are regulated, other fares such as off-peak and anytime tickets are at operators' discretion
• Railways: at the end of the line The problem is that the privatised rail franchising system was conceived in buoyant economic times that no longer exist

The Herald

• Christmas ferry strikes plannedTHOUSANDS of people travelling to Orkney and Shetland over Christmas are facing disruption to their plans due to a series of 24-hour walkouts on lifeline ferry services.
• Rail franchise fiasco blamed on DfT flawsA HIGH turnover of senior personnel and lack of leadership at the Department for Transport (Dft) has been blamed for the West Coast rail franchise fiasco.
• Rail fare freeze vow as peak prices risePASSENGERS will see off-peak fares on the ScotRail network frozen for two years from 2014 with other price rises to be capped at the rate of inflation.

The Telegraph

• Transport Secretary: West Coast fiasco report 'uncomfortable reading' Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin acknowledges the Laidlaw Report makes "extremely uncomfortable reading" for his department but insists they are ready to learn their lessons.
• Call for Greening to go after West Coast Main Line 'first-class fiasco'The contest to run the West Coast Main Line was described as a “first-class fiasco” by a senior MP yesterday as pressure grew for ministers to resign over the affair.
• Rail travellers hit by 10 per cent fares riseOperators accused of burying bad news on day Government's handling of West Coast Main Line franchise is criticised.

Mail Online

• How much will your annual rail fare be next year? Rail firms reveal full extent of huge increases faced by commutersFrom New Year onwards, passengers will face fare rises of up to 10 per cent on several off-peak return services. The average increase on fare prices will be 3.9 per cent, new figures show.

The Mirror

• A ride to nowhere: Britain's shortest cycle path at just 8 foot long At just 8ft 2ins (2.5m) long, it probably took less time to complete than an Olympic cyclist™s sprint race

This is Money

• Rolls-Royce rocked by Serious Fraud Office bribery probeThe SFO contacted the British engineering champion earlier this year after it received information concerning ‘intermediaries’, middlemen who help seal business deals when a company has a limited local presence.
• Rolls-Royce rocked by Serious Fraud Office bribery probeThe SFO contacted the British engineering champion earlier this year after it received information concerning ‘intermediaries’, middlemen who help seal business deals when a company has a limited local presence.

ATOC

• Train companies respond to West Coast announcementResponding to the announcement this morning by the Department for Transport on West Coast train services, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), said:...
• Train companies confirm next year's average fare increase  Train companies have now published all 2013 ticket prices and can today confirm the average increase for all fares in the new year will be 3.9%. Michael Roberts,...

Network Rail

• Passengers see clear improvement as final pane installed at Waverley

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Virgin Trains to continue with West Coast line until 2014Virgin Trains will carry on running the London to North Wales route until November 9, 2014, after which the West Coast line will be let under a long-term franchise.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented £46m bail-out for East Midlands Trains helps rail division...DERBY train operator East Midlands Trains is making a profit again – thanks to financial support from the Government.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh Airport unveils ˜new branding™ as . . . . Edinburgh AirportWhen Edinburgh Airport announced it would be re-branding speculation turned to the terminal being re-named after one of the city’s finest. Could it be JK Rowling International? The Sir Sean Connery terminal? Or even the Sir Chris Hoy International.

Liverpool Post

• Virgin Trains to carry on running Liverpool to London West Coast main line rail services for next 23 monthsVIRGIN Trains will carry on running Liverpool to London services on the West Coast main line for a further 23 months, it was announced today.

London Evening Standard

• Signal failures hit Tube and mainline commutersAfter yesterday's snow chaos on the travel network normal service was resumed today with signal failures blamed for delays.
• AA boss: Cyclist-hating drivers ˜are absolute idiots™ Drivers who refuse to share the road with cyclists were today branded œabsolute idiots by the head of one of Britain™s biggest motoring groups.
• Suspended civil servants in West Coast mainline fiasco return to workThree civil servants suspended over the West Coast franchise fiasco have had their suspensions lifted as the Government published a damning independent report into the botched bidding process.

Northern Echo

• Transport bosses urged against cutting corners on A1 upgrade TRANSPORT bosses have been warned against upgrading the A1 œon the cheap after it emerged the new scheme could differ from the plans axed in 2010.

Sheffield Star

• Thousands back bus travel fightFAMILIES will be hit by a ’huge unanticipated bill’ if plans to abolish free bus travel for Catholic school pupils in Sheffield go ahead.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Promise of 1,500 jobs in plan for new port PLANS are under way to create a new port near Inverness “ with the promise of up to 1,500 new jobs.
• Joy over fuel duty U-turnChancellor George Osborne delivered a major boost to hard-pressed motorists across the north and north-east yesterday by abandoning a planned fuel duty increase.
• Dalcross to get railway linkInverness Airport could get its own railway station in little more than a year, it emerged yesterday.

This Is Local London Network

• Rail passengers stung by fare rise Rail commuters have been stung by news that fares will rise above inflation next year.

Yorkshire Post

• Probe finds ˜flaws™ in West Coast franchise processThree civil servants suspended over the West Coast franchise fiasco have had their suspensions lifted as the Government published a damning independent report into the botched bidding process.
• Warning of ˜bitter disputes™ as HS2 hits YorkshireRURAL business leaders are warning Ministers to expect “bitter disputes” with Yorkshire landowners when the route for the new high-speed rail line is unveiled next month, unless new laws of protection are introduced.

Blackpool Gazette

• Virgin seal West Coast rail line dealSIR Richard Branson’s rail company Virgin Trains will carry on running services on the West Coast main line for a further 23 months, it has been announced.

Other Regional Press

• Bus station to be bulldozedPreston’s iconic bus station is to be bulldozed with Town Hall bosses claiming they cannot afford to keep it open.
• East Midlands Trains™ four per cent fare hike for 2013Rail commuters in Northamptonshire face a four per cent hike in fares from January 2, it emerged today.
• Cyclists fined for using bikes in Northampton™s Abington StreetSeven cyclists have been fined by police for using their bikes in Abington Street.
• Ticket gates plan for Huddersfield railway stationFARE-DODGERS have had their day at Huddersfield railway station.
• Rail fares to rise RAIL fares will increase by more than four per cent in the New Year with the cost of a single journey rising by 16 pence, South West Trains confirmed today.

Bus and Coach.com

• Stagecoach revenue and profits riseIn the six months to 31 October revenue at Stagecoach Group was up 5,9 per cent on the same period in 2011 at £1,403,3million (2011: £1,293,7million).
• Go-Ahead first with gas busThe Go-Ahead Group's first gas buses entered service with Anglian Bus this week.
• Arriva in court over disabled accessComplaints by disabled people that Arriva North East has discriminated against them are being heard at Teesside County Court.

Global Rail News

• The devil is in the detailOne of the many initiatives being undertaken by Network Rail as part of their plans to electrify the Great Western Main Line (GWML) is the design and construction of a £35 million high-output train currently being built by the German plant suppliers, Windhoff. Network Rail also announced in March this year that they have appointed [...]
• Teenager becomes fourth Lincolnshire rail fatality in four daysA 14-year-old boy has become the fourth rail fatality in Lincolnshire or involving someone from Lincolnshire in the last four days. The teenager was struck by a train at a foot crossing in Lincoln this morning and pronounced dead at the scene. A rail worker was also killed by a train near Saxilby station at [...]
• Virgin handed short-term West Coast dealA deal has finally been reached to allow Virgin to continue operating on the West Coast Main Line until a new franchise competition can be run. The new franchise agreement will run for up to 23 months after which the West Coast Main Line will be let under a long-term franchise. In an announcement by [...]
• Ottawa sets out $2.1bn light rail plansDesigns for the largest infrastructure project in Ottawa’s history have gone on view to the public. The $2.1 billion Confederation Line light rail system will connect Tunney Pasture in the west of the city to Blair in the east. Rideau Transit Group was announced yesterday (December 5) as the preferred bidder for the project, which [...]
• Poll: Are you happy with two more years of Virgin?Virgin has reached a deal with the DfT which will see the company continue to operate on the West Coast Main Line for the next 23 months. We want to ask passengers West Coast passengers whether they’re happy with two more years of Virgin?  
• Laidlaw report ˜extremely uncomfortable reading™ for DfTInadequate planning, a complex organisation structure and a weak governance framework led to the failure of the West Coast franchise competition, the Laidlaw inquiry has found. The report was published by the Department For Transport (DfT) this morning following an earlier announcement that Virgin was to continue to operate on the West Coast Main Line [...]
• Historic deal opens up investment on New York rail linesAmtrak and CSX have signed a deal which will allow a $181 million series of improvements to be made to lines around New York. The agreement gives Amtrak full control of the Hudson Line between Schenectady and Poughkeepsie, giving passengers services priority over freight on the 94-mile line. For decades signals have been designed to [...]

London TravelWatch

• London TravelWatch Transport Services meetingLondon TravelWatch's next public meeting will be its Transport Services meeting on Tuesday 11 December 2012 at Dexter House, 2 Royal Mint Court, London, EC3N 4QN.

Middle East North Africa (MENA) Rail News

• Transport Link from Europe to Middle East Gets EU FundingBulgaria was never a country with a particularly enviable transport hub but its latest rail plans certainly show promise and even the EU are getting on board with promises of vital funding. Bulgaria is one of the poorest member states of the EU and so its ambitious plans of a high speed transport link between [...]The post Transport Link from Europe to Middle East Gets EU Funding appeared first on MENA Rail News.

Railnews

• Yes – it's Virgin, but uncertainties remain VIRGIN Trains is to keep the intercity West Coast operating contract for the time being, but the Department for Transport has scrapped its previously-announced plan to award an initial contract of up to 14 months. Instead, VT has agreed to a management contract which could last almost two years.

Aviation Industry

• Delta Air Lines orders 40 Bombardier CRJ900s valued at $1.85 billionDelta Air Lines has placed a firm order for 40 Bombardier CRJ900s valued $1.85 billion at list prices, and took options on another 30 CRJ900s.
• IAG boosted by strong British Airways performanceBA premium cabin sales make up for falls in Iberia traffic in November

Other News Sources

• Boeing Commends Senate Action Supporting U.S. Exports to Russia "Today's action by the Senate sends long-sought legislation to the president's desk that offers enormous opportunity for U.S. exports, economic growth and jobs," Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney said. "We commend Senators Reid and McConnell for bringing legislation already passed by the House to the Senate floor, as well as Senators Baucus, Hatch, Kerry, Thune and McCain for their longstanding support of Russia PNTR."
• New fleet of buses is running on gasBus users between Lowestoft and Norwich were given an early festive treat as they became some of the first passengers in the UK to travel on a bus capable of running on biogas – a renewable energy source produced from biodegradable waste materials.
• Work begins on new lounge at Bristol AirportWork is underway on a pound;600,000 project to create a new lounge at Bristol Airport. Bearing the Aspire by Servisair brand, the new facility will see the current executive lounge relocated,...
• Virgin agrees deal to continue running West Coast trainsBranson's group secures interim contract while new bidding process for franchise takes place