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

Tuesday, 26 March 2013

BBC News

• East Coast and West Coast rail franchise arrangements announced Private companies have been invited to bid for the East Coast rail franchise, which has been run in the public sector since 2009.
• Rail delays after cables come downTrain services in Birmingham and the West Midlands are disrupted after power cables came down.
• VIDEO: Eurostar operating profit 'doubles'Eurostar doubled its operating profit in 2012, the train service's chief executive has said.
• Rail franchising process to restartThe rail franchising process is to restart, the government will say on Tuesday, six months after the collapse of the West Coast deal stopped it.
• Boeing: 787 flight 'went to plan'Boeing says that a test flight to check the 787 Dreamliner's new battery system

Financial Times

• Hapag-Lloyd and Hamburg Süd end talksAttempt to merge German groups and create the world’s fourth-largest container shipping company by capacity fails to reach agreement on structure
• Globaltrans expansion drive hits profitsRussian rail freight operator sees revenues rise but earnings slip after heavy borrowing to boost presence in sector

The Guardian

• East coast mainline to return to private sector Government invites bidders for London-to-Scotland route after running the line for more than three years

The Scotsman

• Tramworks-hit traders angry at depot tour offer CITY traders whose businesses have been badly hit by tramworks have reacted furiously after being offered a tour of the tram depot by council bosses.

The Telegraph

• Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin rules out road pricingPatrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, has ruled out a national system of pay-as-you-drive charging on Britain's roads.

Mail Online

• Obese travellers 'should pay sky-high fees when they fly because their extra weight burns more fuel' says Dr Bharat P BhattaHeavier passengers would pay more for their plane tickets and lighter ones less under plans put forward by Dr Bharat P Bhatta.

Sky News

• Virgin 'To Bid For' East Coast Rail Line The Government unveils plans to re-privatise the East Coast rail line, with Virgin expected to be among the bidders.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Keighley rail enthusiasts join London underground celebrations Keighley railway enthusiasts have taken part in the 150th anniversary celebrations of the world’s first underground line in London.

Liverpool Echo

• "Air miss" involving two planes flying out of Liverpool John Lennon airport under investigationAN “air miss” involving two planes flying out of Liverpool John Lennon airport is under investigation.

Liverpool Post

• Car parking charges to treble for parts of WirralINCREASES in car park charges across Wirral are a “money grabbing exercise” which will kill off smaller town centres, it has been claimed.
• Former Liverpool John Lennon Airport boss slams Government over 'tourist tax'LIVERPOOL John Lennon Airport’s former managing director Neil Pakey has joined the chorus of protest at the Government’s decision to increase Air Passenger Duty (APD) in line with inflation.
• Virgin Rail could be given further extension to run West Coast main lineVirgin Rail could be given a further extension to run the West Coast main line until mid-2016.

London Evening Standard

• Supermarkets cut diesel cost by 2pMotorists spared next autumn's planned fuel duty rise have received more good news.

Blackpool Gazette

• Airport bosses relish a cracking 2013MORE than 20,000 extra passengers are set to fly out of Blackpool’s resurgent airport this year, it was revealed today.

Burnley Express

• 23 snow ploughs tackle East Lancs huge driftsLancashire County Council’s highways teams have been battling round the clock to keep East Lancashire’s roads open.

Other Regional Press

• Special trains to run over Easter weekendThe West Lancashire Light Railway is running special trains over Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

Global Rail News

• Heritage salute for Bath SpaBath Spa station has been nominated as a Transport Heritage Site by the Transport Trust. The graceful station was built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway by Brunel. President of the Transport Trust, Sir William McAlpine, unveiled the red wheel placque at a special ceremony. The award recognises the site as a place of [...]
• Thales awarded ticket machine maintenance orderThales has won a four-year contract from SNCF for the maintenance of ticketing equipment around Paris. The contract covers 400 stations and 4,300 pieces of equipment. Other than the standard maintenance of the network, the Thales offering includes a system allowing the permanent tracking of interventions via a web portal. Laurent Eskenazi, managing director of [...]
• Foregate conclusionWorcester’s historic Foregate Street railway bridge has been officially reopened following much needed repairs and restoration. First built in 1860 and last replaced in 1906, the bridge, which crosses over the A38, has deteriorated over the years. Ominously, it was placed on Worcester City Council’s heritage-at-risk register. However, inspired work by engineers at Network Rail [...]
• ‘Strong’ 2012 for EurostarEurostar passenger figures rose by 2 per cent to 9.9 million in 2012, with more and more international travellers using the service. The company recorded an operating profit of £52.3 million last year – more than double the £25 million delivered in 2011. The number of leisure passengers grew by 3 per cent last year [...]
• Is your town still feeling the pain from Beeching’s Axe?Two minutes down the road from our Ashby-de-la-Zouch office is the town’s railway station. Closed since 1964, it is one of thousands of stations to close around the country in line with the recommendations of the then chairman of British Rail Dr Beeching. When asked what they’d like to see in the town, reopening the [...]
• Elaine Holt to lead RATP Dev Crossrail bidPublic transport operator RATP Dev has appointed former DOR chief executive Elaine Holt to put together its bid to run London’s Crossrail trains. Holt, who led National Express through its pre-qualification and bid for the Great Western rail franchise, will oversee the French company’s pre-qualification for the Crossrail operator concession. Elaine has previously held senior [...]
• Union Pacific starts Missouri infrastructure worksUnion Pacific has announced plans to invest $21 million to construct a nine-mile second line in southeast Missouri. The new line, which is expected to be completed by the end of October, will be built in the Bell City area to support rail traffic growth and increase capacity on the existing line. “Union Pacific helps [...]
• First high-speed Frecciacrossa to honour late sporting legendThe first of Italy’s new high-speed Frecciarossa trains is to be named after sprinter Pietro Mennea who died last week. The announcement was made following the passing of Mennea, who won the 200m gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, on March 21. Mennea’s world record time for the 200m stood for 17 years before eventually [...]
• Londonderry-Coleraine route reopensA railway line between Londonderry and Coleraine has reopened early after closing for eight months for major engineering works. Contractors have been working on the line since July last year, carrying out a full track relay between Coleraine and Castlerock, and Eglinton and Londonderry. To mark the occasion, a special train set off from Belfast [...]

Railnews

• McLoughlin 'set to extend Virgin franchise' The Government is set to extend the Virgin West Coast franchise beyond 2014 as part of a plan to kickstart the stalled franchising programme, it is being claimed today. There is speculation that East Coast will be given priority so that it can be returned to the private sector before the next election.

Aviation Industry

• Easyjet to launch first flights to NorwayCarrier will operate services from Gatwick to Bergen
• Management shake-up at Air France KLM Current CEO and his deputy will step down from their roles this summer

Other News Sources

• In pictures: behind the scenes at the London Transport Museum DepotIf you didn’t make it on one of the exclusive 150th Underground anniversary steam train trips back in January, fret not, for there’s another chance to see the the beautiful 1898 steam engine and immaculately restored carriages at the London Transport Museum Depot in Acton in a couple of weekends’ time (April 13-14).
• Government set to give green light to new wave of rail profiteeringRAIL UNION RMT warned today that the Government are set to give the green light to a new wave of rail privatisation and profiteering with an announcement expected early tomorrow morning (26th March.)
• Rail Union RMT warns of 'Beeching Two' as Wednesday marks fiftieth anniversary of the biggest single act of rail vandalismThis Wednesday, 27th March 2013, marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the infamous Beeching report which led to the decimation of much of the UK's railways. Unions and campaigners, under the Action for Rail banner, will be out at railway stations up and down the country ramping up the campaign to defend rail services and to renationalise the entire network.
• Arriva Trains Wales cleaners on Churchill's contract to strike in fight for living wageRAIL UNION RMT confirmed that cleaners working on the Churchill's contract on Arriva Trains Wales, some of the worst paid staff in the whole transport industry, will strike this week in a fight for pay and workplace justice.
• Olympics boost for Eurostar profitsTrain operator cashes in on London’s year in the international spotlight