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

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

BBC News

• Ticket machine raid gang sought Footage has been released of a gang responsible for a wave of raids on railway ticket machines across the eastern counties.
• Newcastle engineers research bomb-proof train carriages Train carriages could be bomb-proofed to prevent a repeat of the carnage left by the London Underground terrorist attacks, researchers have found.
• World's railway future born in Edinburgh test lab When will high speed rail arrive in Scotland? Don't hang about on the platform just yet.
• How transport coped with the snowHow did transport cope with the snow?
• Have train fares gone up or down since British Rail?Since privatisation was set in motion, are train fares higher or lower than under British Rail?

Financial Times

• Ryanair makes concessions on Aer LingusThe Irish airline is offering to sell around 40 per cent of Aer Lingus™ short haul operations to Flybe in a last-ditch attempt to gets its takeover bid passed by the European Commission
• Shift away from coal hits US rail groupsPlummeting demand for coal outweighed price and profitability improvements for the wider industry, while crude oil traffic bolstered some carriers

The Independent

• Trains to be 'bomb proofed' as study identifies simple design changes that could lessen impact of terrorist attackTrain carriages could soon be built to give passengers better protection against bomb explosions following a three-year study that identified simple design changes to lessen the impact of a terrorist attack.Related StoriesHundreds of millions of people face starvation because five companies control 90 per cent of world's grain tradeThe big five companies that control 90 per cent of world's grain tradeMonopoly of grain trade has forced millions into starvation, say charitiesThe big five companies that control the world's grain tradeSevere weather warning: no respite as fresh snow falls overnigh...

The Scotsman

• Commuters face chaos as temperatures set to plummetCOMMUTERS awoke to further travel chaos on Tuesday as more heavy snow closed roads and schools across Scotland – and temperatures are set to plummet again.

The Telegraph

• Newcastle University scientists develop bomb-proof trainsTrain carriages could be bomb-proofed to prevent a repeat of the carnage left by the London Underground terrorist attacks.

Daily Express

• Stelios clips easyJet wingsEASYJET founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has re-ignited a row over the airline's strategy after he and his family dumped more than £5million worth of shares and warned of further sales.

Mail Online

• The 'bomb-proof' train carriages which could save lives: British engineers lead mission to learn from 7/7 bombingsExperts believe tethering panels, installing plastic windows and energy-absorbing buffers between carriages would reduce the impact of a bomb.
• Peugeot Citroen: Coming soon, the car that runs on airPeugeot Citroen has invented new technology that will put a car which runs on air on the road by 2016, cutting 45 per cent off the average motorists petrol bill.

The Mirror

• Bomb-proof rail carriages: Experts unveil proposals which would minimise blast deaths and injuries The experts customised an old Tube carriage with plastic-coated windows and shock-absorbent materials to stop glass injuries and reduce blast waves

Network Rail

• Planning application for Branston footbridge submittedNetwork Rail has submitted two alternative planning applications for the same site as it seeks to reduce the risk of misuse at Warren Lane level crossing in Branston.
• Join as a West apprentice to earn your degree, says Network Rail chiefThere are 85 places available on the 2013 Network Rail advanced apprenticeship scheme in the south and south west of England, the company announced today.
• Network Rail awards contract for Crossrail track upgrade works between West Drayton and MaidenheadNetwork Rail has awarded a contract to Balfour Beatty Rail for the upgrade of a 12-mile section of the Great Western main line between West Drayton and Maidenhead to enable Crossrail services to operate.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post published Rail line campaigner gives talkArticle

Manchester Evening News

• Cross-city Metrolink idea on the line as tram inquiry launchedPlans to build a new tram line through Manchester city centre will come under scrutiny when a public inquiry is launched today. Transport chiefs have asked Whitehall for permission to build the line from Victoria Station up Cross Street and Princess Street before turning to St Peter™s Square, which is being redeveloped as part of a revamp of the town hall and civic quarter.

Sheffield Star

• Comment on extra South Yorkshire motorway lane planRESIDENTS in South Yorkshire are being invited to a public exhibition to find out about plans to reduce congestion on the M1.

Other Regional Press

• ˜Last hope™ plan for Preston bus stationPreston Council’s finance chief has said the ’last hope’ for the city’s bus station is the creation of a charitable trust.
• Under-threat bus station ... in legoPreston’s under-threat bus station has been given a new lease of life...in Lego.
• Bus driver injured in snowball attackA bus driver suffered a swollen and bruised face after being pelted by snowball-wielding thugs.

Global Rail News

• Assam Government discusses Guwahati metro proposalThe Assam Government is exploring options to build a new metro system for the city of Guwahati. Assam will become the first state in North East region of the country to opt for a metro rail system. Tarun Gagoi, chief minister of Assam, held a meeting with Guwahati Development Department (GDD) and Guwahati Metropolitan Development [...]
• Bridging DawlishDawlish, a seaside town on the south coast of Devon about 12 miles fromExeter, was originally a fishing port which grew into a well-known resort in the eighteenth century. In 1830, Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed a pneumatic railway which ran along the seafront of the town. The wide-gauge ‘atmospheric railway’ opened on 30 May 1846 [...]
• Sochi railway taking shape ahead of 2014 GamesSochi™s 2014 Winter Olympic Games will be the first to be held in Russia since the Soviet Union™s controversial 1980 Moscow Olympics. In a protest against the Soviet war in Afghanistan, 65 countries boycotted the Moscow Games. It is therefore not surprising that Russia is keen to impress this time. The country’s railways have an [...]
• Major works completed on $5.3bn Melbourne rail projectAn estimated $40 million-worth of infrastructure work was completed on Victoria’s Regional Rail Link over Christmas and new year. Rail services have now returned to the Sunbury, Ballarat and Bendigo lines following lengthy closures at the end of December and beginning of January. The $5.3 billion Regional Rail Link, which is being jointly funded by [...]
• Crossrail track upgrade contract for Balfour BeattyBalfour Beatty has won a contract to upgrade a 12-mile section of the Great Western Main Line as part of the Crossrail programme of works. Balfour Beatty Rail will design and install upgraded tracks between West Drayton and Maidenhead, as well as carry out track lowering under a number of bridges to allow for the [...]
• AnsaldoBreda given three months to solve Fyra problemSNCB has suspended plans to purchase three more high-speed Fyra trains after Belgian authorities announced a ban on the V250. High-speed Fyra services between Brussels and Amsterdam were suspended last week after an investigation discovered damage to the undercarriage of a number of trains. AnsaldoBreda’s vice-chairman and head of external communication, Alessio De Sio, issued an [...]
• Economic benefits of high-speed rail not being properly measuredThe economic argument for high-speed rail projects is greater than current measurements are leading us to believe, according to new research by the World Bank. Conventional cost-benefit analysis methods focus too much on direct costs and travel benefits, like shorter journeys and less pollution, but not enough on high-speed rail’s impact on business, say researchers. [...]

Aviation Industry

• Business Travel Awards 2013: the winnersFind out who has been recognised as being the best in business travel

Other News Sources

• Bus company reviews axed services PEOPLE power has led a bus company to review and reinstate some Hampshire bus services.
• Keltbray appoints new MD to rail businessKeltbray has appointed a new managing director to its Crew-based rail electrification business.