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

Tuesday, 28 May 2013

BBC News

• East Midlands Airport predicts predicts passenger rise New routes to 15 destinations - including Dubrovnik, Menorca, Poznan and Malta - are expected to lead to a rise in passenger numbers at East Midlands Airport.
• Car smoking ban proposed by MSPAn MSP opens a consultation on his proposals for ban on smoking in vehicles in Scotland when children are present.
• Council backs rail strategy plansCalls to reinstate a railway line between Camberley and Woking and reduce journey times to London are backed by a Surrey council.
• Agreements reached on spending plansChancellor George Osborne hints that Crossrail 2 will not receive support as he reaches agreement over the government's savings plans.

Financial Times

• Brazilian airline Azul plans IPOThe São Paulo-based company is planning to raise about R$1bn, following in the footsteps of Banco do Brasil, which listed earlier this year
• Boris Johnson faces Tory ire over London rail plansLondon mayor’s plan to control Kent lines faces party backlash over fears that commuters from Tory heartlands further afield will be penalised

The Guardian

• FirstGroup chief Tim O'Toole offered to quit with chairman over £2bn debt Transport firm CEO, who was told by Martin Gilbert to carry on, spearheading courtship of big investors over £615m rights issue

The Herald

• Scotland's most dangerous motorbike roads are namedTHE most dangerous roads for motorcyclists in Scotland have been identified for the first time after the spots where riders perished over the course of a year were mapped.
• Smoking in cars ban is put to MSPsA LIBERAL Democrat MSP will today launch his consultation on plans to ban smoking in vehicles while children are present.

The Independent

• Germany's national rail network to use anti-graffiti dones The German national rail network, Deutsche Bahn has unveiled potentially controversial plans to use silent mini spy drones to track down and arrest graffiti sprayers who cost the company an estimated €7 million a year in cleaning fees.
• Berlin’s yet-to-open airport weighed down by expensive problems The monthly cost of air-conditioning and lighting the terminal site is £20m

The Scotsman

• Highland Council seek EasyJet London air link talk HIGHLAND Council leaders are seeking an urgent meeting with easyjet over the future air links with London following Flybe’s decision to sell its Gatwick slots to the budget airline.
• Anger at new Forth bridges authority The Scottish Government was under renewed attack today for a lack of transparency over the future governance of the Forth road bridges – despite agreeing to publish minutes of the new advisory body.
• Stagecoach receive grant for new hybrid buses TRANSPORT group Stagecoach is to invest £13.5 million in a fleet of electric and gas-powered vehicles after securing funds from the UK government’s “green bus fund”.

The Telegraph

• Motorists spend 106 days looking for parking spotsThe typical driver spends 106 days of their life searching for a parking space, according to a new survey.    
• Three more councils come out against HS2Ministers hopes of winning unanimous support from the north for High speed rail have suffered a fresh blow as three more councils have come out against the Government's flagship project.    

Belfast Telegraph

• Ryanair's Aer Lingus takeover hopes groundedREGULATORS are set to force Ryanair to sell off half of its stake in Aer Lingus, effectively ending its chances of buying the former Irish national carrier.Related StoriesFamily-run restaurant has recipe for successPride and passion common denominators at Balmoral ShowNo love lost in Commons over same-sex marriage'Bishop' Durkan sends blessingsNorthern Ireland IT sector predicted to create 20,000 new jobs    

Bristol Live

• Charge for drivers dropping off at Nailsea railway station under fire Read more: http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Charge-drivers-dropping-Nailsea-railway-station/story-19102520-detail/story.html#ixzz2UZIZa8c7 Follow us: @thisisbristol on Twitter | thisisCOUNCIL chiefs in Nailsea have criticised plans to charge people 20 pence to drop off and collect passengers using the town's railway station.
• The Bristol Post published Ten-mile long branch line was nothing if not well engineeredWHEN the Bristol to Portishead branch line opened in 1867 it was in competition with a rival, the Port and Pier Railway, on the other side of the river, where the Portway runs today.It was hoped to persuade developers/investors to build a new, deep water dock at Portishead, on the Somerset side of the river to rival one at Avonmouth, on the Gloucestershire side.Portishead's dock, now an upmarket residential marina, finally opened in 1879, two years after its rival.As Avonmouth went to become the...
• The Bristol Post published Plans for a cycle route between coastal towns move a step closerArticle
• The Bristol Post published 'Let there be light' on major commuter routeA SOUTH Gloucestershire district councillor is calling for lights to be installed on the Bristol to Bath cycle path to make users feel safer at night.Lamps light up the path from Bristol city centre to Fishponds but stop at the border with South Gloucestershire.Ian Adams, district councillor for Siston ward, says he wants lights to extend into South Gloucestershire where the major commuter route links thousands more homes.He claims he has gathered support for new lighting from the local...

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Some bus users angered by bilingual announcements on cross-border service Sapphire service between Wrexham and Chester under fire from some who don't want the annoucements

Edinburgh Evening News

• Anger at new Forth bridges authorityThe Scottish Government was under renewed attack today for a lack of transparency over the future governance of the Forth road bridges – despite agreeing to publish minutes of the new advisory body.

Liverpool Post

• Cammell Laird opens doors for Battle of the Atlantic 70th anniversaryCammell Laird will break a 200-year ban on members of the public entering the Birkenhead shipyard so this can bid a fond farewell to HMS Edinburgh this weekend.

London Evening Standard

• Eurostar 'back to normal' after delays caused by smoke in tunnelEurotunnel passengers experienced bank holiday disruption after smoke was spotted on a works train in the Channel Tunnel.
• New York's Citi Bikes scheme is launched with a fanfare (and a £1.9m law suit)New York’s bike-sharing scheme officially launched yesterday with the kind of fanfare and controversy which will be all too familiar to Londoners - and a £1.9m lawsuit against it.

Manchester Evening News

• Green light for eco-buses after £2m investmentThe cash from the government’s Green Bus Fund is being spent on 57 low carbon vehicles

Sheffield Star

• Special early morning trams laid on for runnersFundraisers heading for Meadowhall to take part in Sheffield’s Race For Life next month can get a head start with three extra early morning trams.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Train company wins honour for its safety commitmentSouth Yorkshire’s main local train operator Northern Rail has been honoured for its ’outstanding’ commitment to health and safety at this year’s RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards.

The York Press

• Transport chiefs give go-ahead for rail funding bid TRANSPORT chiefs say a bid for funding for rail improvements between York and Harrogate should be made – but another scheme on the region’s busiest road is to go on the back-burner.
• York switched on to electric buses NINE new electric buses are coming to York, after the city secured £824,000 of funding.

Bucks Free Press

• Bourne End to benefit from road improvements BOURNE End is set to benefit from long-awaited road improvements over the next financial year, Bucks County Council has confirmed.

Other Regional Press

• HS2 could boost GDP say top business leaders A CONTROVERSIAL rail scheme, which will come within 10 miles of Burton, would boost the economy, according to business leaders.
• £1m boost for Calderdale rail stationsRAIL passengers in Calderdale have been given a £1m boost.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• HS2 MONEY WOULD BE BETTER SPENT ELSEWHERE, COUNCIL SAYS Leaders of Wakefield Council have said they cannot support the government's plans to bring super-fast rail services to the UK, as the money required to build such a network could be better spent elsewhere.

Railway Gazette

• World rolling stock market May 2013Bulgaria: Pesa has been selected to supply 20 Swing five-section low-floor trams for 1009 mm gauge routes in Sofia. The €50m deal includes €16·8m for spare parts and diagnostic equipment. Delivery is planned for 2014. China: The YCSR joint venture of engine manufacturer Yuchai and CSR has appointed Ricardo to assist with upgrading its 240 mm cylinder bore engine design to offer ‘internationally competitive’ standards of performance, fuel economy and durability, and compliance with UIC Stage III/EU Stage IIIA emissions standards. Germany: On April 8 Bombardier announced a €336m variation orde...
• São Paulo tenders restarted and cancelled BRAZIL: Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo restarted the tender for the 25-year PPP concession to build and operate metro Line 6 during April. The new bid submission date is July 30, and the value is unchanged at R$7·8bn. The original tender from January had to be cancelled because of changes to the property acquisition process. Originally, the winning bidder would have been responsible for expropriations along the route, valued at R$673m to R$740m. The state government has amended this so that it will cover any amount above R$740m. In a separate move, CPTM will launch a R$3bn tender by ...

Aviation Industry

• Ukraine International doubles Gatwick flightsServices on route to Kiev will go double-daily from June