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

Friday, 22 February 2013

BBC News

• Landslip road to reopen one wayA road closed for two months following to a landslip on Christmas Eve will be opened
• East Coast line delays continueRail disruption on the East Coast main line continues for a second full day after problems with power cables.
• Dreamliner cash lifts Qantas profitsQantas profits have risen, boosted by compensation from Boeing after it cancelled 787 orders and amid narrowing losses on its international operations.
• Weak demand hits profits at BAEUK aerospace company BAE Systems reports a fall in full-year profits, blaming delays over a major contract with Saudi Arabia and weak global demand.

Financial Times

• Foreign airlines see beyond clouds in IndiaNews that Malaysia-based AirAsia is planning to launch an Indian domestic airline suggests overseas groups see opportunity in a difficult market
• Qantas: cruising altitudeAustralia™s iconic airline has finally got a hold of the controls after five straight years of virtual free fall
• EasyJet resists move to oust chairmanA majority of easyJet shareholders have backed Sir Mike Rake as chairman despite a campaign by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou to oust him
• Former Virgin executive to head centreWill Whitehorn is to a chair a government innovation centre to devise integrated transport systems so people can plan when, where and how to travel
• India™s Tata group eyes unfinished businessFew observers expected the conglomerate to re-enter the aviation sector and say the AirAsia JV is an unlikely first deal for new chief Cyrus Mistry
• Go-Ahead buses take the strainWhile the UK rail industry is stuck on the tracks after the West Coast fiasco, companies whose bus businesses are strongest are outperforming rivals

The Guardian

• Council websites fail on planning, housing and transport Information online is hard to find and littered with jargon, leaving local authorities counting the cost
• Bigots on the bus: why are we forced to put up with them? London is touted as a model of co-existence, yet the lack of protection from abuse on its transport system is appalling

The Telegraph

• Japan has laid the track for UK trains to follow Japan’s high-speed railway lines provide valuable lessons for Britain’s plans to develop a similar network, from punctuality to the cleanliness of trains, ticketing technology to economic regeneration, believes Simon Burns, Britain’s transport minister.
• United takes Dreamliners out of flying plans United Continental is taking Boeing grounded 787 Dreamliner out of its flying plans through to June 5, except for a Denver-to-Tokyo route scheduled for a tentative launch in May.

Network Rail

• Drop-in session to find out more about work to remove major rail bottleneck near IpswichResidents will be able to find out about work to build a new stretch of track that will help to take more freight off the roads and onto rail.
• New lease of life for Worcester Foregate Street rail bridgeWorcester Foregate Street rail bridge will officially be reopened at 11am on Friday 22 February by Network Rail and contractors J. Murphy & Sons Limited.

Belfast Telegraph

• What the other papers say this morning A Russian leasing company is the latest name to be added to the orderbook for Bombardier's CSeries aircraft with a deal which could be worth up to £2.2bn.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Bringing up the rear on the freight trainsTRAIN crews in Derby were responsible for a marvellous variety of work in those days – both passenger and freight.
• zhawley commented Alvaston bus users to get free travel after Arriva "failed...Article

Journal Live

• Nissan future looking rosier thanks to Government investment pledgeTHE long-term future of Nissan car plant’s electric car line has been given a boost as the Government pledged a £37m investment in charging points across the country.
• Failure of live 1,500-volt cable sparked Metro blazeAN INVESTIGATION has been launched into a fire on a busy Newcastle Metro train, which broke out after a 1,500-volt live cable failed.
• Airline to ground Newcastle to Brussels flight linkAN airline has performed an abrupt U-turn by cancelling its direct flights from Newcastle to Brussels.

London Evening Standard

• Rail commuters into King's Cross face more disruptionCommuters faced disruption again today after journeys into London were affected by collapsed overhead power lines for the second time in a week.
• Tube worker suspended over racist tauntsA tube worker who posted racist and anti-Muslim messages on Facebook has been suspended from his job.

Manchester Evening News

• EasyJet backed in AGM strategy row Airline easyJet secured backing for its pay plans and chairman's re-election today, despite opposition from founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou amid a row over strategy.

Nottingham Evening Post

• ab_nottpost commented New tram bridge to be installed in Lenton this weekendSTATE-of-the-art transporters will drive a new tram bridge over the railway and into position in Lenton this weekend.

Sheffield Star

• Passengers in railway miseryDONCASTER is suffering more rail problems - with services from the borough to London hit by disruption.

The York Press

• Funding hope for new Haxby station PLANS for a new rail station in York could be given the go-ahead next month after city leaders confirmed they are bidding for a share of a £20 million funding pot.

Other Regional Press

• ’Strong demand’ for new Heathrow rail service Transport experts are on the verge of being appointed to develop a case for a direct train service from Clapham Junction to Heathrow.

Bus and Coach.com

• Arriva launches Sapphire upgradeArriva is launching a premium service, Sapphire.
• Ashok Leyland to open UK R&D centreAshok Leyland, the owner of Optare, is to open a research and development centre at the MIRA Technology Park in Nuneaton, creating 30 jobs.
• London boosts Go-Ahead bus performanceThe Go-Ahead Group reports œstrong trading in its bus operations for the six months to 29 December.
• Arriva ordered to run free in DerbyIn a highly unusual decision north-west traffic commissioner Beverley Bell has ordered Arriva Midlands to operate two local services in Derby free of charge in the evenings for a period of 12 months.

Global Rail News

• Keeping water outElsewhere in this issue, the consequences of having too much water on track or within embankments are discussed. However, water is also a problem for structures engineers. Water getting into bridge decks, or leaking down into tunnels, can cause major difficulties. Waterproofing therefore becomes an important consideration. With over 30 years experience in the rail [...]
• First tram to travel Rochdale extension next weekThe first Metrolink tram will leave Rochdale station next week – marking a significant moment in the network’s expansion. On February 28, the first in-service tram will set off from Rochdale Railway Station at 5.59am. The 7.4 km extension of the Oldham line from Shaw & Crompton will connect Rochdale Railway Station via existing stations at [...]
• ORR: Network Rail needs to improve weather defencesNetwork Rail needs to do more to stop heavy rain and snow devastating train timetables, says the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). Punctuality on long-distance services has fallen to 88.3 per cent and London and South East services are down to 91.4 per cent, following months of challenging weather conditions. A report published in December [...]
• SuperVia backs Rio sleeper factoryBrazilian rail operator SuperVia has signed an agreement with sleeper manufacturer Salgueiro to build a new factory in Rio de Janeiro’s western district. The 140,000 square metre site will be capable of producing 1,600 concrete sleepers a day when it opens in August this year. SuperVia and Rio’s state government are delivering a $2.4 billion [...]
• Tied-arch bridge completed on Nuremberg-Berlin corridorThe final two curved steel beams have been lifted into place to complete a new 110-metre steel arch bridge on the Nuremberg-Berlin high-speed corridor. The 1,420 tonne bridge is part of the 8.5 km Saale-Elster Viaduct near Halle in east Germany. Around 13 billion euro is being invested in improving rail links between Berlin and [...]

Railnews

• East Coast repairs nearly complete Services are returning to normal on the East Coast Main Line, after a kilometre of overhead lines came down near St Neots two days ago. The incident is now being described as a 'dewirement', and a Network Rail investigation has been under way.

Aviation Industry

• Etihad and Kenya Airways agree partnershipAirlines will launch codeshare services across their networks
• Easyjet sees off Stelios' latest rebellionAirline wins key vote on directors™ pay at annual general meeting

Other News Sources

• Councils push for £1bn Northern Line extension progressLandowners including Sainsbury™s and the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home are in negotiations with Lambeth and Wandsworth councils as Transport for London prepares to submit a Transport and Works Act Order for the proposed Northern Line extension within two months.
• Aberdeen launches 20-year spending planAberdeen has published its regional development plan until 2035, including infrastructure spending on roads, rail, ports and sustainable transport.