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

Wednesday, 12 December 2012

BBC News

• Bus support 'cut for second year' More than 40% of local authorities in England have cut spending on supported bus services this financial year, figures obtained by campaigners show.
• VIDEO: The motorcycle that doesn't fall overSumi Das examines how a bike using technology found on the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope can stand up by itself.
• Emergency at Edinburgh AirportEdinburgh Airport launches a full scale emergency after a British Airways plane reports technical difficulties.
• Weekend bus strike 'suspended'A planned strike by First Aberdeen bus drivers on Saturday is suspended, after talks described as
• 'Airport City' plans submittedPlans for a £650m business park at Manchester Airport which developers hope will create 11,400 jobs are submitted.
• Flights disrupted by freezing fogFlights to and from Heathrow and London City airports are cancelled due to thick fog as the Met Office warns of reduced visibility and the risk of disruption.
• Coastguards disillusioned - MPsCoastguards are confused and disillusioned about government changes to their service, a report by MPs says.
• Glasgow Airport records bumper monthGlasgow Airport reports its busiest November for four years, boosted by strong growth in domestic and international traffic.
• Train-maker wins £106m contractTrain-maker Bombardier wins a £106m contract to continue maintaining Virgin trains on the West Coast Main Line.
• Jaguar considers new Saudi plantWest Midlands-based carmaker Jaguar Land Rover is to explore the option of manufacturing in Saudi Arabia, in what would be its second major overseas venture.
• Delta buys into Virgin AtlanticDelta Airlines agrees to buy Singapore Airlines' 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic, in a deal which was the subject of a high-profile spat between Sir Richard Branson and BA's Willie Walsh.

Financial Times

• Etihad eyes stakes in two Indian airlinesAbu Dhabi carrier declines to name pair but Kingfisher admits it is in talks with Gulf group, while Jet Airways already has code-share deal
• Delta™s Virgin deal to put pressure on BAThe US carrier is proposing to buy a 49% stake in Sir Richard Branson™s airline for $360m from Singapore Airlines, increasing the competition on transatlantic routes

The Guardian

• Delta Air Lines buys 49% stake in Virgin AtlanticRichard Branson insists deal does not sound death knell for Virgin Atlantic brand “ despite Willie Walsh's speculationAmerica's Delta Air Lines has bought a 49% stake in Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic carrier and struck a collaboration alliance that will see the two groups work together in competition with British Airways, the market leader in transatlantic aviation.Delta will pay $360m (£224m) to Singapore Airlines, ending the Asian group's disappointing 12-year investment in Virgin. Singapore Airlines had acquired the near-half share from Branson in 2000 for £600m.Virgin's new partnership...

The Herald

• Glasgow Airport enjoys surge in passenger numbers Glasgow Airport has recorded its busiest November in four years with more domestic and international passengers.
• MSPs to back law banning parking on pavements MOTORISTS face a ban on parking on pavements or alongside other parked cars and dropped kerbs under plans expected to be widely backed by MSPs today.
• Fears over cuts to bus monitors BUS passengers have been left with no protection against operators that fail to stick to timetables after cuts at a Government inspection agency, it has been claimed.

The Independent

• Network Rail releases footage of women suffering embarrassing slips and falls at railway stations Network Rail has released video footage of women suffering embarrassing falls at railway stations.

The Telegraph

• Network Rail releases CCTV of embarrassing railway accidentsCTTV shows an unlucky woman with the heel of her shoe caught in an escalator and twirling passengers who come a cropper on the platform.
• Conservationists fight to save 'iconic' Preston bus station Campaigners are fighting to save Preston bus station, hailed as an 'iconic modernist structure', from demolition after council bosses said it was cheaper to knock it down than repair it.
• Rural bus passengers hit by more spending cuts Rural passengers have been hit hard with more than 40 per cent of English councils cutting spending on buses over the past year.

Mail Online

• Heathrow cancels 60 flight and other airports suffer disruption as ice and freezing fog hits the UKHeathrow Airport warned of more delays and cancellations as conditions worsen. Forecasters predict large parts of UK will experience adverse weather. (file picture)

ATOC

• TUC claims on fares increases are 'misleading': ATOCResponding to a figure on rail fare increases released by the TUC today, a spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) said:  “The TUC’s figure is misleading....
• Train companies respond to the future publication of right-time dataA spokesperson for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) said: “Rail passengers already know far more about how the services they use perform compared to other forms of transport...

Belfast Telegraph

• Gatwick's passenger numbers soar by 4.2% A major UK holiday airport saw an increase in passenger numbers last month. Related StoriesLunch isn't for wimps: Bubbacue Callender Street, BelfastHome owners may be in line for £2m payoutArchitects draw global audience with project winThe corporate pop-up restaurant with a twistFurther budget cuts in the pipeline, warns Finance Minister

Derby Telegraph

• VIDEO: Arriva creates Jingle Bus festive tune featuring bells, horns and engine noises!Arriva Midlands has come up with an alternative festive song - made entirely of bus noises!

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram route hotels to bed in for city airport passengersAN international hotel chain is to open two new outlets along the tram line to capitalise on airport passengers travelling into central Edinburgh.

Liverpool Echo

• More Sefton Council cuts may see lights switched off on Formby bypassLIGHTS will be switched off on one of Merseyside’s busiest roads the Formby bypass under multi-million cuts proposed by Sefton Council bosses.

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow may be quieter by degrees Almost a quarter of a million Londoners living under the Heathrow flight path could see levels of noise pollution fall by as much as 25% amid plans to bring aircraft in to land at a steeper angle.
• Airports aren™t just for London, PM tells BorisDavid Cameron today slapped down Boris Johnson™s calls to speed up a review of airports in the South-East.
• Air wars wager: BA boss Willie Walsh offers Branson 'kick in groin' that he'll be gone in five yearsThere has never been much love lost between the alpha men in the cockpits of Britain™s two best known airlines.

Manchester Evening News

• Transport for Greater Manchester bosses pay £12m to chief's firmPublic transport bosses have paid millions of pounds to their departing chief executive™s consultancy company since he joined them ˜on loan™ from the firm in 2006. David Leather is set to leave Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) in January after six years on secondment from multi-national firm Ernst and Young, where he is a partner

Sheffield Telegraph

• Mystery bidder wants to reopen Sheffield airportA MYSTERY bidder has come forward to buy Sheffield’s mothballed airport.

Wales Online

• Unions and rail workers protest against rise in train ticket pricesUnion leaders and rail workers protested against the rise in fares and job cuts outside Cardiff Central Station this morning.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Businesses welcome take-off for Leeds Bradford Airport’s new Heathrow flights Business leaders and council chiefs have welcomed the launch of British Airways flights from Leeds-Bradford Airport to Heathrow.

Yorkshire Post

• Jaguar Land Rover pave way for Saudi dealMotor giant Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) yesterday started moves which could lead to the company building cars in Saudi Arabia.
• Protesters rail against rising train travel costCAMPAIGNERS protested against the rising cost of rail travel as it was revealed the average fare has gone up by more than a quarter since the start of the recession.

Blackpool Gazette

• Desperate bid to save hire-a-bike schemeBLACKPOOL’S hire-a-bike scheme was today in danger of being binned.

Bucks Free Press

• HS2 review: "Impossible to find out" how 769 suggested alternatives were dealt with MORE than 750 alternative routes for the planned HS2 railway line were put forward during the project's consultation - but none of them were considered by the Department for Transport, a judicial review heard today.

Burnley Express

• Police warning to motorists to make sure cars are fit to drivePOLICE are urging motorists to make sure their vehicles are fit to drive before setting off on their journeys.

Carlisle News & Star

• New fleet of gritters ready to keep Cumbria moving during cold spell A mountain of grit is on standby to tackle Cumbria™s roads as the county braces itself for another Arctic spell.

Other Regional Press

• Rail unions lead protest over fares hikeRAIL campaigners say train fares have risen nearly three times faster than wages since the recession began.
• Get on your bike initiative in WarwickshireRESIDENTS in Warwickshire are being asked to ditch their cars and get on their bikes to help make the county a healthier place.
• New investment in Aston Martin welcomedUNION and business leaders have welcomed a £150million investment in Warwickshire car firm Aston Martin.
• £10 million cash boost for M40 in south WarwickshireA £10million plan to ease congestions at a notorious traffic blackspot in Warwickshire has been welcomed by business leaders.
• New bus station for Banbridge Transport Minister Danny Kennedy has announced funding for the construction of a new £0.74m off-street bus facility for Banbridge.

Campaign for Better Transport

• New research shows second year of cuts for buses12 December 2012: We've just published new research showing that 40% of councils are making further cuts to funding for bus services, after deep cuts last year. read more

Global Rail News

• Virgin extends Voyager maintenance deal with BombardierVirgin has extended its Super Voyager maintenance contract with Bombardier following the government’s announcement last week that the operator would retain control of the West Coast Main Line for a further 23 months. The contract, which is worth £106 million, will extend the existing agreement the two companies to March 2016. Bombardier will maintain the [...]
• Women in EngineeringChange the mindset to change the balance Following the NSARE inspection in the summer, it was made clear that expert training within the rail industry is of paramount importance. However, what is also of great importance is ensuring that we have new blood and a diverse workforce coming into the industry. It™s crucial that we [...]
• Dr. Beeching™s silver liningGraeme Bickerdike Reports… Hyperbole will flourish in the springtime as the nation commemorates the 50th anniver-sary of a butcher wielding his knife; the deeds of a mad axeman. Brought in from ICI to stem the railway™s haemorrhaging losses, Richard Beeching™s initial proposals emerged in March 1963, accelerating the contraction of the network seen through the [...]
• Graduate call for CrossrailCrossrail is recruiting graduates to the project between now and the end of January. The first successful applicants to the Crossrail Graduate Scheme will join the project in autumn in 2013. Says Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail™s Chief Executive (pictured), ˜Crossrail is transforming rail transport in London so this is a fantastic opportunity for graduates to join [...]
• Christmas confidence boosts railwaysThe appointment of a director general to an expanded HS2 Ltd, investment in London Underground developments at Battersea and the Olympic Park and the two year extension of the Virgin Trains contract on the West Coast spells out a further statement of faith in railways. The industry, which consistently outperforms its rivals in terms of [...]
• London Rail™s Howard Smith on new orbital rail networkThe official opening of a 1.3km section of line near Surrey Quays now means that passengers can make use of London’s first orbital railway. Already dubbed the M25 on rails, the new route, which opened on December 10, allows commuters to make short journeys around the capital without having to travel into central London and [...]
• Young artists submit transport visionsChildren from across India have submitted their visions for urban transport as part of a competition led by Bombardier and the Canadian High Commission. Malvika Jain, 14, from Amritsar, was announced as the winner (pictured) out of 1,200 entries, with more than 21,000 people voting for their favourite design on the High Commission™s Facebook page. [...]
• Alstom: Dublin tram maintenance contracts extendedIreland’s Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) has extended two tram maintenance contracts with Alstom worth 53 million euros. The French rolling stock manufacturer will be responsible for maintaining Dublin’s Luas tram system infrastructure and Luas Green Line Citadis trams until 2019. Terence Watson, managing director of Alstom UK and Ireland, said: “These contract extensions are a [...]
• Santas storm Frankfurt Central StationPassengers looked on in disbelief at a railway station in Frankfurt last week as 400 Santas poured out of an intercity service and onto the platform. The crowd of Kris Kringles then made their way to the main concourse where they joined a choir in a rendition of ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’. The [...]
• Thales to provide Hyderabad Metro communication systemsThales has been awarded the contract to provide communication systems for the $2.6 billion Hyderabad Metro rail project. Larsen & Toubro, the conglomerate leading the project, has signed an agreement with Thales India to supply Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) and Integrated Communications and Supervision (ICS) systems for installation on the project. The CBTC advanced [...]

Railnews

• Thameslink order still on course 'for New Year' As the Christmas holidays approach, an announcement is still awaited about the Thameslink rolling stock competition, in which Derby-based Bombardier lost out to Siemens. Siemens was named preferred bidder in June 2011, but the frequently-predicted confirmation has been repeatedly postponed. However, the Government is still insisting that it is on course to finally sign the £1.4bn deal for some 1,100 vehicles within weeks.
• Overground 'M25' circle is complete Trains are now running on London's 'rail M25', which has been formed by opening a new London Overground route between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction. The service was launched by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson and transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin, who described the Derby-built trains used on the system as 'great'.

Aviation Industry

• Delta to buy stake in Virgin AtlanticVirgin will maintain its brand as part of new transatlantic joint venture

Other News Sources

• Heathrow passenger traffic up 3.1 per cent year on year in November London airport Heathrow this morning posted a 3.1 per cent jump year on year in traffic figures in November, as 5.4m passengers passed through the airport over the month.
• Management resort to bully-boy tactics as strike action looms on SERCO Northern Isles ferries over threat to jobs and servicesSHIPPING UNION RMT today slammed management bully-boy tactics on SERCO Northern Isles ferries services as staff prepare for the first phase of strike action in a fight over staffing cuts, casualisation and the rail-roading of agreed procedures. Amongst a range of sanctions, SERCO have threatened to dump staff off the ships at distant locations in what is clearly a move designed to intimidate the workforce. SERCO have also threatened to run under-staffed and unsafe scab services in a risky and desperate attempt to break the action.
• Scottish signallers' pre-Christmas strike action in long-running rosters disputeRAIL UNION RMT confirmed today that signallers in the Stirling area will be on strike again later this week in a long-running dispute over rosters as the union takes steps to broaden the campaign in light of the flagrant violation of existing rostering agreements by Network Rail.