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

Saturday, 24 May 2014

BBC News

• Lincoln to receive two brown tourism signs along A1Two brown tourism signs are to point the way from the A1 to the historic city of Lincoln.
• Car-sharing scheme to quit UK marketA car sharing scheme which operated in London and Birmingham announces it is ceasing its UK operation.
• Govia wins Thameslink rail franchiseThe seven-year franchise to run the expanded Thameslink rail network is awarded to Govia Thameslink.

Financial Times

• Thameslink rail franchise given to GoviaSeven-year contract set to deliver fresh investment, including new electric trains with 1,400 new carriages to increase capacity by 50%

The Guardian

• Network Rail directors receive bonuses of £50,000 eachDecision comes weeks after decision to scrap future awards and government calls for no bonuses over safety worriesNetwork Rail directors have received about £50,000 each in annual bonuses, weeks after the track operator pledged to scrap future awards and two months after the government called for zero bonuses following rail safety concerns.

The Telegraph

• US authority calls for more tests on Dreamliner batteryThe National Transport Safety Board said previous tests on lithium batteries in Boeing's flagship aircraft had been "inadequate" after the power packs overheated in flight last year
• Transport officials offer olive branch to rail investorsThe Department for Transport hopes the award of an £8.9bn contract to run Thameslink rail services will mark a new era in its relationship with City investors

City AM

• Govia wins rail contract that'll bring 10,000 more seats during rush hourThe busiest rail routes in London and the South East are to get three new state-of-the-art train fleets....

Mail Online

• HS2 at serious risk of failure after being placed on 'amber-red' warning Spending watchdogs say successful delivery of the HS2 line, which will run from London to Birmingham and then onwards to the North, remains ‘in doubt’.

Network Rail

• Bonuses significantly reduced for Network Rail directorsNetwork Rail’s remuneration committee has decided to award bonuses significantly below target to the company’s executive directors for the 2013/14 financial year.

Birmingham Mail

• Car2go scrapped a year after setting up in Birmingham The company made the shock announcement on Twitter, saying it would be winding up the business by the end of May

Daily Post (North Wales)

• LOOK: Ffestiniog Railway’s £1.3m Harbour Station open for businessSee video and photos from the official opening of the new station, which is expected to improve the experience for tourists

Lincolnshire Echo

• Lincoln needs to be on the board at King's Cross say business leaders Business leaders, politicians and academics are keeping up the pressure as they continue to lobby for more direct trains between Lincoln and London.

London Evening Standard

• Transport campaigner hoping to become next London Mayor to lay out policies at event A transport campaigner who is hoping to become London's next mayor will speak at a conference next month about his vision for the future of the capital.

Bucks Free Press

• Campaign group says 1,925 HS2 petitions sent to Parliament ALMOST 2,000 petitions protesting against HS2 have been received by the government, according to an Amersham-based campaign group.

Doncaster Free Press

• Proposed site for rail college bid is unveiledThe location of the potential HS2 rail college in Doncaster is revealed today.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Train operator First Capital Connect films rail carriages revampA train operator running services between Peterborough and the capital is about to overhaul its fleet of carriages.

Other Regional Press

• £1,000 reward offered after sandbag smashes through train windscreen in NorthamptonshireBritish Transport Police (BTP) is appealing for information after a sandbag was thrown from a bridge at a train near Wellingborough railway station yesterday (Wednesday) smashing through its windscreen.
• Northamptonshire village heralds the opening of new link road todayA procession of lorries, emergency vehicles and a volunteer fire brigade engine, were among the first vehicles to travel on Northamptonshire’s new multi-million pound Corby Link Road today.
• End of the line for First Capital as Thameslink rail franchise goes to GoviaFirst Capital Connect has lost the Thameslink train franchise, which runs through Luton, it has been announced.
• New trains, faster services and more seats promised as new train franchise is awardedThree new state-of-the-art electric train fleets will mean more services and seats, faster journeys and better connections across many of the busiest rail routes in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and London after the government announced today (Friday, May 23) its intention to award the new Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise to Govia Thameslink Railway Limited.

Global Rail News

• Kapsch to equip Czech lines with GSM-RKapsch CarrierCom has been awarded two more GSM-R projects in the Czech Republic covering around 300 kilometres of the country’s rail network. The existing rail network will be extended and upgraded[...]
• BNSF launches intermodal service between US and MexicoRail freight operators BNSF and Ferromex (FXE) have launched a new rail and road freight service between Chicago and Silao. Trains will operate five days a week from the USA[...]
• Govia awarded Thameslink franchiseGovia has won a seven-year contract to operate Britain’s biggest rail franchise, Thameslink. The Go-Ahead/Keolis joint venture will start operating the new Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise in[...]

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair to lease extra capacity in the summer seasonIrish low-cost carrier Ryanair will lease extra capacity over the summer season to accommodate increasing passenger numbers before its new Boeing aircraft arrive in September. read more
• Airbus readies for fifth A350 to fly; remains committed to -800 variantAirbus has completed test flights of two A350 XWB aircraft on the same day, flying them side by side at one point, as the French manufacturer heads towards the entry-into-service date for launch customer Qatar Airways at the end of this year. read more

Green Miscellany

• Cyclists and road rage: Then and nowWith many more bicycles on the road now the the cycling season is getting into full swing, a light-hearted guide for cyclists on how to deal with abuse from motorists suggests forgoing verbal retaliation in favour of psychological warfare. According to the guide, which is available as a guide at the excellent systemcomic.com : When people are confronted they greet it…

Other News Sources

• £100m plan to solve Guildford's congestion problemsCouncil commissions plans to create a corridor through the town to transform its much-maligned transport system
• Train company pays compensation for landslip chaos ONE and a half million pounds in compensation has been paid out by a train operator after commuters suffered travel chaos due to landslips.
• Govia secures Thameslink franchise dealDFT says agreement will open up new routes and reduce delays for south east