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

Friday, 05 April 2013

BBC News

• New Stonehouse railway station plans discussed Plans for a second railway station in Stonehouse, which could provide a direct route to Bristol, are to be discussed by the local authority.
• Petrol pump sales decrease over five years, says AA Forecourt sales of petrol have plunged by more than 20% in five years, the AA has said.
• Train information now in real time for journey planners Those frustrating times spent standing on a railway station platform watching as your "delayed" train suddenly disappears from the departure board without warning may be coming to a rather welcome end.
• VIDEO: Where do we get the salt for NI roads?Barra Best takes a look at how a salt mine in County Antrim provides the salt for spreading on Northern Ireland's network of roads.
• Airport security stepped up for G8The police are warning of potential disruption in and around Belfast International Airport because of the G8 summit in June.
• Bus services stopped over 'problems'Parts of Greater Manchester are left without buses after an operator suspends all services due to

Financial Times

• Eurotunnel investigation extendedUK competition watchdog has signalled it could back down from forcing Eurotunnel to reverse its move into the cross-Channel ferry business

The Scotsman

• Estonian capital moves to free public transport ESTONIA’S capital, Tallinn, is the world’s first to introduce free public transport for all residents. All that is required is a transit pass showing you are a registered Tallinner and the city’s buses and trams are free.

Daily Express

• Rise in railway station crowding BRITAIN’S major railway stations are getting even more crowded, according to official figures.

The Mirror

• George Osborne parking in a disabled space shows he thinks he is above the rulesHe can do what he wants, when he wants, whether it’s allowing his car to be parked where it shouldn’t or tearing people’s lives apart with cuts
• Thameslink train deal with Siemens misses ANOTHER deadline after nearly two yearsIn January, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the deal with Siemens was expected to be signed “by the end of March”

Network Rail

• Archie opens new Duffield Road railway bridgeArdent railway enthusiast Archie Swell will be bursting with pride today (1.30pm, Thursday, 4 April).

Belfast Telegraph

• Tax break on 116 Flybe air routesaIRline Flybe will pay the Government's Air Passenger Duty departure tax on behalf of customers making new bookings online between today and next Tuesday across 116 routes for travel between October 27, 2013 and October 25, 2014. This 'tax rebate' effectively lowers one way fares by £13, or £26 on return UK flights.Related StoriesWorkshop helps find partnershipsFacebook plans mystery product4G's web access 'too expensive'Ireland's welfare system attackedRepublic named easiest country in EU to pay business tax    

Bolton News

• Passengers stranded and staff lose their jobs following collapse of Bolton bus firm BUS passengers were left stranded and 80 staff made redundant following the collapse of a Bolton transport firm.

Derby Telegraph

• Thameslink trains deal remains unsigned as target date passesAN expected target date for the signing of a major rolling stock contract – on which Derby train-maker Bombardier missed out – has passed.In an interview with the Derby Telegraph in January, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said he expected the £1.4 billion deal to be signed off with winning bidder Siemens "by the end of March".But moving into April, the deal for 1,200 carriages still remains unsigned.The Department for Transport (DfT) named Siemens as the preferred bidder

Journal Live

• Emirates boss tells of faith in North East successAN airline boss has reaffirmed his belief the North East can pull itself out of the economic mire after seeing record results.
• Emirates new advert wrap on Metro is 'exciting' for transport bossesAIRLINE bosses are hoping to set Metro passengers dreaming of far-flung destinations by sponsoring two trains.
• Beamish Museum celebrates a bygone age of tramsFOR 50 years trams transported the masses across the North East. By 1950-51 they had been ousted by buses in Newcastle and Gateshead and in 1954 Sunderland followed suit.

London Evening Standard

• Diarmaid MacCulloch: Heathrow blight reminds us that silence is sacred If the airport acquires two more runways, Londoners will find peace only in monastic retreats and churches

The York Press

• Bus petition launched in York GREEN councillors have launched a petition calling for a ‘step-change’ in evening bus services in York.

Daventry Express

• Stagecoach announces fares to rise by average 3.9 per centStagecoach Midlands says rising costs and reduced public sector investment have forced it to increase fares for passengers by nearly four per cent.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Get on with upgrading trains – rail expertTRANSPORT chiefs in Whitehall should give Greater Anglia the green light to go ahead with ordering refurbished trains for the main line to London.

Peterborough Telegraph

• £128,000 grant for cycle safety in PeterboroughThursday, 11.30am: A grant of £128,000 has been made available to Peterborough to improve safety for cyclists, it has been announced.

Other Regional Press

• Mixed support for 'greener buses'NEW hybrid buses across Basildon and Thurrock were launched this week and were greeted with mixed support from local politicians.
• HS2: Alternative rail route backedTalks have been held about lobbying the Government to divert the proposed route of the High Speed 2 rail line.
• East Lancashire's train stock 'the worst in the UK' says MP HYNDBURN MP Graham Jones has told Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin that rail rolling stock on the East Lancashire line is ’among the worst in the UK’.
• Bus shelter joins online greats THE WEBSITE promoting one of Shetland’s most visited tourist attraction is to take its place in internet history after being commended as “essential reading for future generations”.
• Heathrow expansion 'would hit Surbiton' campaigners claim Surbiton residents may have to deal with roaring aircraft flying overhead for the first time if Heathrow expands to a third and fourth runway.
• Airport’s drop off zone fee doubles Luton Airport’s drop off charge has gone up from £1 to £2.
• Real Ale trail has become 'a monster' according to CAMRA expert Bob TomlinsonA BEER expert has labelled the Transpennine Real Ale Trail as “a monster”.

Bus and Coach.com

• CC rules on First Glasgow revisionsThe Competition Commission has provisionally decided to allow FirstGroup to withdraw one bus service and modify two other services in the Glasgow area, but has ruled against two other changes requested by First.
• Sunsundegui's future securedUncertainty over the future of troubled Spanish coachbuilder Sunsundegui has ended with a change in the company's ownership structure.
• Scania supports CNG with mobile fuellingThe Scania-ADL gas-powered bus demonstrator is starting a programme of operator trials and evaluations around the UK.
• Plaxton to launch short Panther B9RPlaxton is launching a 10,8m version of its Panther on Volvo's B9R underframe at the UK Coach Rally at Alton Towers later this month.

Global Rail News

• KiwiRail plans winter closure of scenic serviceOne of New Zealand’s most spectacular scenic railways is to begin closing over winter because of a fall in tourism since the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. KiwiRail will begin operating an extended summer service – October to April – on the Coastal Pacific route between Picton and Christchurch. The service is currently losing around $3 million [...]
• Concepts sought for the future of train technologyWithin the rail industry and among its customers, there is broad recognition of the need to innovate in order to improve efficiency and reduce cost. This brings an important opportunity for the UK to promote growth in its supply chain. Engineering consultancy, Frazer- Nash will be working with the Enabling Innovation Team (EIT) to stimulate [...]
• US firm acquires stake in IEP consortiumA US financial services provider has acquired a minority stake in the consortium delivering the £4.5 billion Intercity Express Programme (IEP). Agility Trains was awarded a £2.4 billion contract last year for the construction of 92 new Hitachi trains to replace Britain’s ageing Intercity 125 fleet. As part of the deal, assembly of the new [...]
• French consortium wins Moroccan high-speed signalling contractA French consortium is to deliver signalling, traffic control and telecommunications systems for a new high-speed railway line in Morocco between Tangier and Kenitra. Operator ONCF has awarded the 120 million euro contract to Ansaldo STS and Cofely Ineo. The new systems will support 320 km TGV-style trainsets along the 183 km route before they [...]

Rail Technology Magazine

• Bombardier to deliver 12 Twindexx Vario trains to Deutsche Bahn Bombardier Transportation has secured a €113m order from Deutsche Bahn (DB) to supply 12 four-car Twindexx Vario electric multiple units.
• Improving the Productivity of Railway Maintenance Knox Kershaw has released a new white paper titled Improving the Productivity of Railway Maintenance.

Railnews

• MetLife Inc. joins IEP consortium GLOBAL insurance provider MetLife Inc. is taking a minority stake in the Hitachi-led consortium that is to produce a new fleet of trains under the Intercity Express Programme at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. The first trains are destined for the Great Western Main Line and will replace diesel HSTs which are approaching 40-year-old.

Aviation Industry

• Hawaiian Airlines first in the US to adopt completely self-tagging systemHawaiian Airlines say they are the first airline in the US to move its hub to a completely self-tagging system.
• United Airlines honors its top 100 employeesChicago-based United Airlines Inc. recognized and rewarded its top 100 employees today at a luncheon at Chicago Palmer House Hilton Hotel.
• Chinese Airline Shares Fall on Bird Flu Concern: Hong Kong MoverChina Southern Airlines Co. , the country's biggest domestic carrier, and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.
• Boeing opens new Everett Delivery Center Boeing has opened its new expanded Everett Delivery Center (EDC) for the 747-8, 767, 777 and 787. read more
• Beijing cuts domestic fuel prices 5.8%The Chinese government has lowered domestic jet fuel prices 5.82% to CNY7,871 per ton ($1,256) as international fuel prices fluctuate. read more
• Finnair names new CEOFinnair has named Hong Kong Cargotec executive Pekka Vauramo as its new CEO. read more
• Stock market regulator approves IAG’s latest Vueling bid Spain’s National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) has given the go-ahead for International Airlines Group’s (IAG) revised bid for Spanish carrier Vueling. read more
• Boeing delivers 137 aircraft, books 209 net orders in first quarterBoeing delivered 137 commercial aircraft in the first quarter while securing gross orders for 220 aircraft during the three-month period. read more
• Airbus first-quarter orders top 400; A330 production rate increases Airbus tallied 431 gross orders in just the first quarter of 2013 and said Thursday it has boosted A330 production to the rate of 10 aircraft per month. read more
• Ryanair was biggest CO2-emitting European airline in 2012 European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) installations emitted 164 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) less than their number of freely received carbon allowances in 2012. read more
• British Airways orders 18 extra DreamlinersAirline shows more confidence in Boeing’s troubled aircraft

Green Miscellany

• Ban on women cycling is lifted…partlyThe ban on women riding bicycles in Saudi Arabia has been lifted according to reports by Al Jazeera and daily newspaper al-Yawn. Head of Saudi Arabia’s Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, is quoted as saying that it’s not the commission’s “job to search or follow women who drive bikes”, which is understandable because cycling is clearly…

Other News Sources

• DfT allocates £40m for safer cycle routesScores of local authorities have won a share of a £40m cash pot to help improve cycle safety across the country, transport minister Norman Baker has announced.

Other Subscription Services

• TfL begins procurement for £1bn Project Electra Ten years on from the launch of Oyster, Transport for London has begun procurement for a ticketing and fare collection provider post 2015. An OJEU notice has been issued for the Electra contract,...
• Caledonian Sleeper rail franchise out to tender Transport Scotland has begun procurement for the new Caldeonian Sleeper rail franchise which is estimated to be worth £375m over the full 16 year term.The Scottish Government's transport agency is...
• Network Rail appoints Crossrail programme lead Signalling boss Rob McIntosh has succeeded Jorge Mendonca as Network Rail director for Crossrail.McIntosh, previously Network Rail project director for European Train Control System and Traffic...
• Cycle safety grants awarded to 78 projects Government funding worth £18.1m has been allocated to 78 cycle safety schemes.The money includes approximately £15m of Department for Transport capital funding announced in June 2012 and £5m...