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

Friday, 27 June 2014

BBC News

• Underground power workers to strikePower control staff on London Underground are to strike in a row over conditions.
• BA unveils extra flights to LondonAn airline is increasing the number of daily flights to Scotland from London City airport with three new services.
• Gatwick passengers hit record highGatwick Airport reiterates its case for a second runway as it reports record passenger numbers at the airport.

Financial Times

• Search for Malaysia Airlines jet to resumeThe undersea search for the missing jet will recommence in August, with a 60,000 sq km area of the southern Indian Ocean identified as the likely resting place
• Rakuten and AirAsia plan low-cost carrierShares of Japanese online retailer and Malaysian budget carrier buoyed by reports they have agreed a joint venture to run a low-cost airline in Japan
• Fastjet closes in on more Africa licencesLow-cost airline reported a 49 per cent rise in pre-tax losses to $82.4m for the year to end-December on revenues that were up 154 per cent to $53.4m
• Stobart returns cash to investorsTransport and distribution group in net cash position after the sale of a controlling stake in its transport and distribution business
• Gatwick to hand out £250m in dividendsAirport swings into the black with pre-tax profits of £85.5m against a loss of £28m the previous year, bolstering its case to build a second runway

The Guardian

• Good riddance to cyclists stay back stickersTfL has agreed to ask fleet operators to remove the unpopular stickers in exchange for a more appropriate messageThe van driver I spoke to in Amsterdam last month would no doubt laugh at the cyclists stay back stickers that have been seen on vehicles in London and beyond. For him, checking the inside of the vehicle for cyclists, long before turning, is just part of driving safely. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Souter issues a personal statementINDEPENDENCE

The Scotsman

• Revamp of Gleneagles transport links completedA £7.4 million revamp of Gleneagles station and surrounding road network has been completed ahead of the upcoming Ryder Cup.

Mail Online

• Airline fares 'to rise by £5' in bid to recover costs on compensation payouts Passengers could end up paying more for their flights following a ruling against Thomson Airways about compensation payments.
• Number of road deaths falls to lowest level since 1926 despite 14% increase in number of motorway fatalities There were a total of 1,713 deaths in reported road casualties in Britain in 2013 - a 2% dip on the 2012 figure and the lowest annual total since records began.

Network Rail

• Transport Secretary tours East Coast Main LineTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin toured the East Coast Main Line today (26 June 2014) to see how £million of rail improvements are being used to boost capacity and provide better journeys for passengers.
• West Midlands apprentices help to build a better railway as they start work on the front lineMore than 200 apprentices have joined railway maintenance teams across Britain to start their on-the-job training after successfully completing the first year of the Network Rail advanced apprenticeship scheme.
• North west apprentices help to build a better railway as they start work on the front lineMore than 200 apprentices have joined railway maintenance teams across Britain to start their on-the-job training after successfully completing the first year of the Network Rail advanced apprenticeship scheme.
• Apprentices get to work on the Western rail networkMore than 200 apprentices have joined railway maintenance teams across Britain to start their on-the-job training after successfully completing the first year of the Network Rail Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme.
• Apprentices get to work on rail network’s front lineMore than 200 apprentices have joined railway maintenance teams across Britain to start their on-the-job training after successfully completing the first year of the Network Rail Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme.
• Apprentices get to work on the Welsh rail networkMore than 200 apprentices have joined railway maintenance teams across Britain to start their on-the-job training after successfully completing the first year of the Network Rail Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme.
• £1bn+ railway investment continues with Chorley Tunnel upgradeChorley Tunnel is to be upgraded to accommodate an electrified railway as part of Network Rail’s £1bn+ investment in the railway in the north west of England.

Birmingham Mail

• Virgin in talks to put on extra early and late trains to Birmingham InternationalTrain firm says extra service would be a boost for concert-goers and travellers
• Look: The 'unsellable' homes near HS2 line bought by the GovernmentSixty-eight properties in Staffordshire and Warwickshire have been bought by the Government since 2011 as part of the compensation package.

Birmingham Post

• East and West Midlands business leaders unite for stronger transport investmentA new group has been formed to champion strategic transport investment across the East and West Midlands.

Lincolnshire Echo

• Transport secretary pledges better train services for LincolnTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin says he wants Lincoln to get “more and better” train connections between here and London.
• Sir Edward Leigh writes to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin over proposed closure of Hawthorn Road to accommodate Lincoln Eastern Bypass Gainsborough MP Sir Edward Leigh has written to the Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, about the proposed closure of the Hawthorn Road to make way for the Lincoln Eastern Bypass.

Liverpool Echo

• Community company looks to improve transport links in North LiverpoolTransport for Liverpool seeks meeting with Liverpool Mayor, Joe Anderson on new bus services

London Evening Standard

• Free drinking water for parched commuters in Hammersmith Parched commuters are being offered free drinking water at a bus station in west London.
• Tube strike: power workers walkout could affect travel during London stretch of Tour de France A planned strike by power workers on the Tube could cause travel disruption in the capital during the London stretch of the Tour de France cycle race next month.

Manchester Evening News

• Tram bosses use 'smart water' to catch metal thieves in the actMajor crackdown on thefts costing passengers' time and Metrolink's money

Sheffield Star

• New bus for Sheffield group after arsonElderly people are back on the road after a Sheffield group secured a new bus to replace one destroyed by arsonists.

The York Press

• Passengers vote East Coast top rail company YORK-BASED East Coast has been voted number one by Britain’s rail passengers - marking a milestone in customer satisfaction since the once-failing service was rescued by being placed in public ownership.

Other Regional Press

• Exclusive: Transport Minister accused of ’lack of ambition’ over Aberdeen’s HaudagainSCOTLAND’S Transport Minister has been accused of a “lack of ambition” in dealing with Aberdeen’s clogged-up roads.
• Exclusive: Transport Minister accused of ’lack of ambition’ over Aberdeen’s HaudagainSCOTLAND’S Transport Minister has been accused of a “lack of ambition” in dealing with Aberdeen’s clogged-up roads.
• Airport MD jets off after seven years at the helmLuton Airport managing director Glyn Jones is to leave the organisation, it was announced this morning.
• Axed bus wins last-minute reprieve THE troubled No 47 bus service in West Dorset is set to keep running in the short term after 11th hour negotiations.

Global Rail News

• Bombardier and Railpool sign TRAXX framework dealBombardier has signed a framework agreement with rolling stock leasing company Railpool for up to 65 TRAXX locomotives. The contract has a potential value of €250 million if the first[...]
• Yakunin talks railways and politicsAt the second day of the Sochi 1520 strategic forum, Russian Railway’s President, Vladimir Yakunin spoke to Global Rail News and other members of the foreign press. Yakunin is always forthcoming at his[...]
• Trams in Valencia undergo half-life overhaulValencia’s 20-year-old Siemens-Düwag UT-3800 trams are returning to service following a €8 million overhaul. As well as having mechanical components upgraded, the vehicles, which were launched in 1994 with the opening of the[...]
• DB Schenker launches new service between Germany and TurkeyDB Schenker Rail has begun operating a new weekly service between Cologne and Cerkezköy, Turkey. The service adds to DB Schenker’s offering in Turkey, having launched the Bosporus Shuttle train in[...]

Aviation Industry

• Flybe to launch multi-stop shuttle serviceJersey to Aberdeen service with stop offs at Southampton and Leeds
• French air traffic strike called off Union says Government recognises "importance of investment in the sector"
• British Airways to launch London City – Dublin serviceFive-times daily service to start in October
• Gatwick boosts second runway chances with record resultsPassengers numbers reach 35.9 million

Green Miscellany

• Nimbus: hybrid electric successor to the VW KombiThe makers of electric cars have done all they can to make their battery powered vehicles indistinguishable from those fuelled by petrol or diesel – the Nissan Leaf is every inch the conventional city car – but what if the road to success lies in creating cars that dare to be different. Cars such as Nimbus. Breakdown Recovery from less…

Other News Sources

• Winchester councillors support night buses for another two years WINCHESTER civic chiefs tonight confirmed their backing for night bus services.