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Friday, 15 February 2013

BBC News

• FirstGroup invests £76m in new busesTransport firm FirstGroup places orders for 464 new buses in a series of deals worth a total of £76m.
• Wrightbus gets order for 179 busesBallymena company Wrightbus wins an order for 179 buses from the biggest bus and rail operator in the UK.
• Calls to speed up Heathrow reviewA cross-party letter calls for the report on UK airport expansion to be published well before its scheduled date in 2015.
• Self-driving car given UK test runA system to enable a car to drive itself has been shown off at Oxford University, with a hope such technology could eventually cost just £100.
• American and US Airways to mergeAmerican Airlines and US Airways confirm plans for an $11bn merger, which would form the world's biggest airlines.

Financial Times

• Parker an old hand at melding staffThe priority that AA™s new chief has given to winning over American™s pilots is also a reminder of his experience in merging airlines
• US Airways / AMR: check the leg roomBy finally combining with American Airlines, Parker has created a formidable competitor, though weaker than peers on international routes

The Guardian

• Road deaths set to soar unless transport policies change radically Make Roads Safe campaign predicts that India, alone, could add 90,000 deaths by 2016 if governments don't act swiftly

The Herald

• Delay on Glasgow Airport transport report A REPORT laying out plans to improve access to Glasgow Airport has been delayed to allow for detailed work on up to 15 shortlisted schemes.
• £40m bus order for Alexander Dennis factory SCOTTISH bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis has won an order worth nearly £40 million for 222 vehicles from Aberdeen-based FirstGroup – the latest of a raft of big business wins.

The Telegraph

• Gatwick Airport pleads for freedom from regulation Gatwick Airport has pledged a better deal for passengers and airlines if it is freed from price regulation.

Mail Online

• More pain at the pumps as motorists are hit by another 5p rise in petrol pricesThe average price of petrol rose to 137.08p a litre last month from 132.01p, according to the AA. The price of diesel also soared from around 140p a litre in the second week of January to 143.96p a litre.
• The car that drives itself... using an iPad! Oxford University unveils robot carThe low-cost navigation system developed at Oxford University can recognise its surroundings using small cameras and lasers built into the body of the electric car and take over driving on a familiar route.

Belfast Telegraph

• Airport plans to turn apprentices into high fliersGEORGE Best Belfast City Airport boss Brian Ambrose is to become the Lord Sugar of the city after announcing a new apprenticeship scheme for young people.Related StoriesEurope's two biggest economies falteringDrinks merger falls flatWrightbus seals £30m contract to supply fleetHeinz now put on Buffett menuCider shop falls to the big Apple
• Wrightbus seals £30m contract to supply fleetWrightbus has scooped a £30m deal to add to its growing order book from one of the biggest public transport companies in the UK.Related StoriesAirport plans to turn apprentices into high fliersEurope's two biggest economies falteringDrinks merger falls flatHeinz now put on Buffett menuCider shop falls to the big Apple

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh and Glasgow to get ScotRail SmartcardsTrain operator ScotRail is set to roll out electronic Smartcards, similar to London’s Oyster Card system, on the main route between Edinburgh and Glasgow in a move that could pave the way for a national ticketless travel system to be introduced.

London Evening Standard

• Two days of rail chaos as cables collapse onto commuter linesTens of thousands of rail commuters faced terrible delays again today after 25,000 volt overhead power cables collapsed onto some of the busiest lines serving London.

The York Press

• Group formed to battle HS2 rail route plans AN ACTION group has been formed to fight plans for Britain™s new high-speed railway to run through the outskirts of a North Yorkshire village.

This Is Local London Network

• Train users told to expect afternoon delays South West Trains said services between Wimbledon and Waterloo will be delayed or even cancelled as emergency engineering works continue today.

Burnley Express

• Electronic signs to return to Burnley Bus Station?THE long-awaited return of electronic signs in Burnley Bus Station is on the horizon – despite Lancashire County Council’s continued refusal to reinstate them.

Other Regional Press

• Brentwood Gazette published Free Greater Anglia rail ticket scheme introduced for job seekersTRAIN operator Greater Anglia has launched Job Track, a free rail ticket scheme for job seekers.
• CrawleyNews commented Politician calls for Gatwick Airport to be renamed Croydon...A politician has called for Gatwick Airport to be renamed Croydon International.
• Grimsby Telegraph commented Councillors taken on tour of roads which could have speed limits...COUNCILLORS hit the roads of North East Lincolnshire yesterday as part of their review of speed limits across the borough.
• UK & World News: Cruise-from-hell boss: I'm so sorryCarnival Cruise Lines' boss has said he would go aboard and apologise personally to passengers for foul and dangerous conditions while the stricken liner Triumph was adrift for five nightmarish days.
• Major disruption continues on Thameslink routeTrain operator First Capital Connect says passengers should expect continued delays on the Thameslink route today after problems with overhead wiring at Radlett.
• No trains tonight as repair work continuesThere will be no trains between West Hampstead and Bedford from 9pm this evening (Thursday) as work continues to repair overhead wires on the Thameslink route.
• New bus passes being sent outTHOUSANDS of people are set to get new concessionary bus passes.
• Latest HS2 plans cause uproar in Coventry and KenilworthCAMPAIGNERS have vented their anger over plans to drastically alter the landscape between Coventry and Kenilworth for the HS2 rail project.

London TravelWatch

• Passenger watchdog seeks action to resolve ticket machine failures at London Overground and DLR stationsLondon TravelWatch™s Consumer Affairs Committee this week discussed a number of issues relating to ticket vending machines at London Overground and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) stations. This follows the independent passenger watchdog™s analysis of TfL™s complaints data and appeals it has received in recent months and is an excellent example of how it acts to follow through concerns raised by the public to help improve the overall passenger experience.

Aviation Industry

• Will it ever be time for TEA? Gateway Associates report on hub capacityAEF attended the launch on 22nd January of a report on UK hub capacity by the private lobbying firm Gateway Associates. The organisation was founded in 2010 by former MP Paul Clark after he lost his seat in Gillingham, an area that would be heavily impacted by the building of a Thames estuary airport (TEA). He [...]
• Bahrain Air suspends all flightsMiddle Eastern carrier files for liquidation due to 'considerable financial losses'

Other News Sources

• Gatwick sets out plans to increase spending by £1bnGatwick Airport wants to increase its capital expenditure by £1 billion between 2014 and 2020 it said today.
• Leaving Crossrail Woolwich unused would be a 'criminal waste of money'The chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee has told CN that it would be a œcriminal waste of public money and a œreal betrayal of people in South East London if the £100m Woolwich Crossrail station is not completed in time for the new line™s opening.

Other Subscription Services

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• Victoria Dock Portal construction gets underway Vinci has begun work at Victoria Dock to construct Crossrail's fourth tunnel portal. The Victoria Dock Portal will allow the new Crossrail trains on the existing surface railway from Abbey Wood to...
• £76m First bus order boosts Dennis and Wrightbus First Group has ordered 464 new buses costing £76m for delivery in the 2013/14 financial year.The company says that more than 95% of its 2013/14 vehicle order will be manufactured in the UK. The...