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

Thursday, 04 July 2013

BBC News

• New curvaceous lorries aim to save cyclists' lives Lorry cabs have been shaped like an upturned shoebox for decades.
• VIDEO: HS2 'vitally important for growth'The government rejects calls to rethink HS2
• West Midlands to get 300 more busesHundreds of buses, bus stops and smartcards are to be introduced as part of an £81m deal to improve transport in the West Midlands.
• Midland Metro trams made in SpainNew fleet about to be shipped from Spain
• VIDEO: 'Hop off' ban on some London busesBBC London learns that one in five new buses will not allow passengers to hop off between stops until September.

Financial Times

• BA awaits first A380 superjumbo deliveryOverhaul of ageing fleet and shift to more fuel-efficient jets is seen as vital to attain profit targets and to secure the UK flag carrier’s future
• Mallard revives pioneering high-speed eraWith the government plan for a high-speed line from London to Birmingham under question, Mallard celebrates 75th anniversary of a record-breaking run
• UK flag carrier diversifies its fundingBonds by which aircraft are pledged as collateral are common for US airlines, and increasingly popular elsewhere in wake of Europe’s bank crisis
• Flybe lands former easyJet executiveSaad Hammad is appointed chief of struggling European regional airline just weeks after it reported larger than expected full-year losses
• Italian carrier’s three-year plan passedCarrier says it will require further loans from private shareholders – but the three-year industrial plan does not envisage new stakeholders
• Labour leads HS2 fightbackMaria Eagle leads defence of high-speed rail project after criticism from Lord Mandelson, Alistair Darling, Lord Lawson and Lord King
• Britain needs a new high-speed rail lineLord Mandelson is wrong – the case for new north-south links is still strong and what is right for London is right for Britain with HS2

The Guardian

• Lord Adonis defends HS2 following claims it is an 'expensive mistake'Adonis remains committed to proposals for train connecting London to the north following criticism from Lord MandelsonLord Adonis, the architect of High Speed 2 for the last Labour government, has launched an impassioned defence of the £50bn rail link from London to the north of England after his former Cabinet colleague Lord Mandelson attacked the plan as an

The Telegraph

• Dublin airport 'an alternative hub to Heathrow', says Aer Lingus Air passengers in the north of England and Scotland are increasingly flying to America via Dublin to avoid Heathrow, according to Irish carrier Aer Lingus.
• World's fastest steam locomotive celebrates 75th anniversaryThe world's fastest steam locomotive, the Mallard, is reunited with her five surviving sister trains at a special ceremony at the National Railway Museum, marking the 75th anniversary of the train setting the world steam record of 126mph in 1938.    
• Minister digs in to replace ancient woods lost to HS2Tons of soil from ancient woodlands destroyed by the HS2 rail project will be

Mail Online

• Mandelson derails support for HS2 warning super-fast train link will be 'expensive mistake'With the estimated cost of the line rising to £42.6billion, Lord Mandelson said that those who previously backed the plan ‘should not offer it an open cheque and should, instead, insist on keeping their options open.’

Network Rail

• Easier access for Cumbrian Coast passengersPassengers using the Cumbrian Coast line will soon benefit from better access as a project to provide easier access between platforms and trains gets underway at a number of stations this month.
• New apprentice on the right track in YorkMore than 180 apprentices have joined up with railway maintenance teams across Britain for on-the-job training after successfully completing the first year of Network Rail’s advanced apprenticeship scheme.
• Network Rail scoops environment award for Crossrail workNetwork Rail has won a Green Apple Award for its work protecting biodiversity during the design and construction for a new flyover at Heathrow Junction, as part of the Crossrail project.
• New ideas for value for money rail growthNetwork Rail today publishes its ‘alternative solutions’ network route utilisation strategy – the result of a wide-ranging consultation with industry stakeholders and which looks at future, cost-effective options for growth.The study examines five main areas for development: further use of trams, tram trains, hybrid light rail, innovative ideas for electrification and further expansion of community rail initiatives.

Bolton News

• Highways boss warned to 'expect a lot of flak' over Beehive roundabout closure THE boss of Bolton’s highways has been warned to prepare for “a lot of flak” from drivers over the controversial closure of the Beehive roundabout.

Liverpool Post

• Plans revealed for new Merseyside ’super council’MERSEYSIDE councils are coming together to create a new “super council” to oversee economic regeneration and transport.

London Evening Standard

• Peter Mandelson bombshell raises doubts over £42 billion HS2 schemeDavid Cameron's troubled £42billion High Speed 2 rail scheme was under growing doubt today after a bombshell admission by ex-Business Secretary Lord Mandelson that the original go-ahead was driven by politics and flawed figures.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Bus services to get £81m boost with new vehicles and Merry Hill station An £81 million transport masterplan that will see hundreds of new buses take to the streets across the West Midlands and a new bus station created at Merry Hill Shopping Centre was today unveiled.
• Fewer trains arriving on time than in 2012More trains are running up to 10 minutes later than they were at the same time last year, new figures show.

Bucks Free Press

• Total HS2 bill could pass £50billion THE total bill for HS2 could surpass £50billion once the cost of rolling stock is included.

Carlisle News & Star

• Upgrade of sewers near Carlisle Airport will triple capacity A major project to upgrade the sewers around Irthington will remove another obstacle to the redevelopment of Carlisle Airport.

Other Regional Press

• Station car park opens A £400,000, 191-space extension to the car park at Hanborough railway station will open on Monday, once alterations to the entrance in Main Road are completed.
• MP calls for cars to be noiserPreston MP Mark Henddrick has supported Guide Dogs’ call for the installation of noise generators on hybrid and electric vehicles, to keep the visually impaired safe.
• Video: £1.6bn Thameslink line rail carriages will be ‘state of art’Railway users from Bedfordshire will be riding on a brand new fleet of trains from 2015 after the government awarded a £1.6billion contract.

Global Rail News

• Boris Johnson wins London rail devolution battleSeveral Greater Anglia services out of Liverpool Street station are to be brought under Transport for London’s (TfL) control. The decision follows a period of campaigning by London’s Mayor for[...]
• Spanish firm picked for Bank station upgradeTransport for London’s (TfL) Board today approved the funding to award a contract to Dragados SA, through the new Innovative Contractor Engagement (ICE) process for the Bank station capacity upgrade[...]
• Network Rail awards £122m Crossrail contractsNetwork Rail has appointed Carillion to carry out two Crossrail contracts worth around £122 million. The Crossrail West Inner Track Improvements and Crossrail Old Oak Common and Paddington Approaches and[...]
• Hatfield landslip: Upheaval!Collieries and railways, in their various forms, have a long history of happy coexistence. Wooden wagonways were commonly carrying minerals to river wharves back in the 17th century. As new coal mines appeared in the landscape, tracks were soon laid to serve them. And their produce did of course power the railway’s locomotives throughout the [...]
• New Amsterdam trains start serviceAmsterdam’s new fleet of Alstom Metropolis trains has carried its first passengers. The sets entered commercial service on June 26, with managing director of the operating company GVB, Bart Schmeink,[...]
• Toronto Union Pearson Express station contract awardedA station construction contract worth almost $24 million has been awarded for Toronto’s new Union Pearson (Express) rail link. Transport authority Metrolinx has announced that EllisDon Corporation will build the[...]
• TBM lowered into place for São Paulo metro extensionMegatatuzão – the tunnelling boring machine (TBM) responsible for excavating São Paulo’s Line 5 extension – has been lowered underground. In August, the 1,500 tonne TBM will begin a 4.8km[...]
• Contracts awarded for Ecuador’s first tram systemEcuador’s third largest city, Cuenca, has awarded construction contracts for the country’s very first light rail network. A French consortium including Alstom, CIM, TSO and Ineco has won the $143[...]

Railnews

• Business leaders dismiss Mandelson's backtrack on HS2 Former business secretary Peter Mandelson has said HS2 could be a 'monumental mistake', following last week's announcement that the projected cost is now £50 billion for the two phases, although this includes £7.5 billlion for the trains and a much larger contingency margin of £14 billion. Writing in the Financial Times, Lord Mandelson said he had withdrawn his support for the scheme and that upgrades for the existing East and West Coast Main Lines should be 'actively considered' instead. However, Jerry Blackett, chief executive of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group, has responded by underl...

Aviation Industry

• Flybe appoints former Easyjet executive as CEOHammad set to take over at the helm of struggling regional airline
• Aer Lingus moves to increase transatlantic capacityIrish airline will add flights to San Francisco and Toronto from 2014

Green Miscellany

• London Congestion charge change: Now stricterA change to the London congestion charge means that previously-exempt sub-100g/km cars such as the Fiat 500 TwinAir, Smart and Toyota Prius will no longer escape the daily £10 fee. Only fully-electric cars and plug-in electric hybrid models will scrape beneath the new exemption threshold of 75g/km. Cars that will continue to escape the congestion charge include the Nissan Leaf,…

Other News Sources

• Guest columnist: Louise Ellman, MPHouse of Commons' transport committee chairman Louise Ellman explains the issues that need to be addressed immediately if the UK economy is to move forward