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

Friday, 22 June 2012

BBC News

• Torbay and Paignton cycle link hope Cyclists are pressing councillors for a track linking south Devon seaside towns Paignton and Torquay.
• Alcohol to be curbed on trains New curbs on alcohol on trains are set to be announced, BBC Scotland has learned
• Scottish rail services plan outlined by government Companies running passenger trains in future will be required to deliver better services, the Scottish government has said.
• 'Death trap' cycle route improvedWork begins on improving the safety of a cycle route in Conwy county which was once called
• Tube strikes due over disputesThree Tube strikes are threatened in the coming weeks over two separate disputes involving workers.
• Bus staff strike over 2012 bonusThousands of bus workers in London take strike action in a dispute over bonus pay to work during the Olympics.
• Air France set to cut 5,000 jobsFrench airline Air France announces it is to cut more than 5,000 jobs by the end of 2013 in an attempt to reduce costs and return to growth
• Plan to train pilots and lawyersYoung people will be able to become airline pilots, lawyers, accountants and engineers as part of a government apprenticeship scheme.

Financial Times

• Invensys tumbles as takeover talks endShares in UK engineer close 14.4 per cent lower on news that talks with Emerson had ended after US group™s ˜highly preliminary™ approach earlier
• Air France-KLM to axe 5,000 jobsFranco-Dutch airline warns it could resort to compulsory redundancies amid €2bn cost-cutting programme if no agreement is reached with unions
• Iberia to challenge key pilots™ rulingChairman at odds with decision that pay scale at Spanish flag carrier and its low-cost airline must be the same even if working conditions are different
• London bus strike to go aheadThe biggest bus strike in the capital for 30 years looks like the first taste of a summer of chaos for commuters
• Go-Ahead admits rail division weaknessThe bus and rail operator says despite signs of weakness that have been shown in its rail operations it will meet full-year expectations

The Guardian

• Go-Ahead cautious about rail business as consumers feel the pinch Company says franchise bid assumed stronger economic growth at this stage

The Herald

• Union warns of cargo staff strikepassengers flying from Heathrow Airport could face disruption by cargo crew striking over pay, a union has warned.
• Rail fare discount pledgeRAIL passengers have been promised fare discounts to help fill empty seats, a roll-out of wi-fi across the ScotRail network within seven years and stricter regulations on train punctuality.

The Independent

• Bus strike threatened in bid for Olympic goldThousands of bus drivers are set to go on strike in London today after talks over a bonus payment for working during the Olympic Games broke down last night.Related StoriesTaxpayers may have to foot bill for Farepak collapseDowngrade for UK banks raises fears of credit crunchTake That on taxman's hit list after Carr tweets: I'm so sorryThe billionaires who do pay their billsNorth-west England on flood alert

The Scotsman

• Tram pay-off scandal: Tie bosses pay-outs ‘signed off in secret’ AN INVESTIGATION has been ordered into how the secret pay-offs to the senior officials working on Edinburgh’s tram project were made without the approval of the city council.
• £5bn masterlan from Keith Brown to keep Scotland’s trains on track RADICAL fare cuts to fill empty seats and tough new targets so more trains arrive on time have been pledged in a new Scottish Government blueprint for the ScotRail franchise.

The Telegraph

• Heathrow cargo staff to go on strike Passengers travelling from Heathrow next week could face delays due to strike action.
• Go-Ahead’s Southern franchise may miss growth expectations Britain's double-dip recession has taken its toll on rail travel in the south of England, according to transport operator Go-Ahead.
• HS2 will go ahead - and it will be a thing of beauty, says Justine GreeningThe Coalition's controversial new High Speed 2 rail line will go ahead and could eventually come to be seen as a
• Dublin attacks Ryanair's bid for Aer Lingus The Irish Government has hit out at Ryanair’s audacious third bid for Aer Lingus, claiming the offer undervalues the flag carrier.
• Transport of delightTelegraph View: Who's to say the much-derided High Speed 2 rail link will not be a thing of beauty?
• London 2012 Olympics: Giant Olympic rings unveiled at Heathrow Airport The aluminium rings which measure 12 metres in width, the same as a double decker bus, have been installed in Terminal Five international arrivals where they will be seen by two million passengers travelling through Heathrow.

Mail Online

• The blow-up seatbelt: Invention that promises greater crash protection in rear car seatsThe blow-up belts, which combine the restraint of a seatbelt with the protective cushioning of an airbag, will be available from next year.

Belfast Telegraph

• 'We can't stop BA from grounding air routes'Ministers have admitted they would be powerless to prevent British Airways from cutting its links with Northern Ireland.Related StoriesFirms face big credit crisis: CBIBank sorry for tech glitchPro-bailout Samaras is sworn in as Greece's PMAer Lingus rejects latest Ryanair bidCorporation tax cut 'could generate 58,000 top jobs' in Northern Ireland

Edinburgh Evening News

• Documents reveal Edinburgh tram bosses pocketed £800k in bonuses and compensation after Tie scrappedFORMER tram chiefs were paid around £800,000 after leaving the project, the Evening News can reveal today, as new documents exposed the extent of pay-offs and bonuses at TIE.

London Evening Standard

• London comes top¦ for traffic congestionOnly three European countries have worse rush-hour traffic congestion than the UK, according to new figures.
• Tube set for five days of delays as union orders strikesFive days of Tube strikes are set to cause massive disruption for hundreds of thousands of commuters across a huge section of the London Underground network.
• Heathrow cargo handlers to go on strike next weekHeathrow cargo handlers warn of summer holiday chaos at Heathrow in a row over pay rates.
• Union brands High Court bus strike decision 'affront to democracy'Unite branded the High Court decision an "affront to democracy."
• Thirty six days until the Olympics and Tube drivers, rail staff and baggage handlers ALL plan strikesCommuters on rail, London Underground and even Heathrow face a miserable summer over the coming weeks with a series of walk-outs.
• Bus drivers to go ahead with strikeMost London bus workers are due to go ahead with a strike despite a High Court injunction granted to three companies involved in a dispute over Olympic payments.

Manchester Evening News

• Postmen banned from riding bikes over health and safety fears Bosses say posties will get back strain as postbags get heavier due to online shopping. They also want to cut road accidents involving cycling postmen.
• Manchester amongst the most congested cities in EuropeThe worst time to be on the roads in Greater Manchester is from 9am to 10am on a Tuesday, a survey has shown. That is when congestion is at its highest level, according to research by traffic information company INRIX, which last year bought Altrincham-based ITIS Holdings.
• Car, bicycle, tram or bus: Who won the great public transport race?The results of the great Manchester Evening News transport race are in... and pedal power won. Our contest between bike, tram, bus and car saw cycling emerge victorious in a dash from Oldham to Manchester.

The York Press

• Thousands heading for York Cycle Show THOUSANDS of cycling enthusiasts are expected to descend on York this weekend for the grand finale to National Bike Week.

Wales Online

• Swansea will benefit from electrification to Cardiff, says Theresa VilliersSwansea will get all the benefits of electrification of the Great Western line even if it only goes as far as Cardiff, the UK Transport Minister insisted last night.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Diggers kick off work at Jaguar Land Rover siteWork at the £355 million Jaguar Land Rover engine plant in South Staffordshire was beginning today as diggers moved on site.

Blackpool Gazette

• Travelling back in time on red busesJUST the ticket!A nostalgia bus service is proving a hit with passengers in Blackpool.

Crewe Chronicle

• UK & World News: Bus strike to cause transport chaosLondon bus workers have gone ahead with a strike in a dispute over an Olympic bonus, threatening travel chaos in the capital.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Mixed outlook for bus and train group Go-AheadTRANSPORT group Go-Ahead said yesterday its bus and train operations were all on course to achieve revenue growth this year.

Other Regional Press

• Consultation on firm to take over Southeastern franchise The company that takes over the running of Kent's rail services could be forced to change the way it records train delays to account for differences between High Speed trains and so-called "classic" services.
• City's rail bid boostedTHE campaign to electrify the Great Western mainline as far as Swansea has been given a boost — after the UK Government admitted that "high-quality infrastructure" will play an "essential role" in attracting investors and stimulation growth in Wales.
• UK & World News: Bus strike to cause transport chaosLondon bus workers have gone ahead with a strike in a dispute over an Olympic bonus, threatening travel chaos in the capital.
• Seven tonnes of items seized at Aberdeen AirportTONNES of passenger items have been seized at Aberdeen Airport during the past year.

Bus and Coach.com

• Tough times ahead for Eire operatorsEire™s two state-owned bus operators, Bus Eireann and Dublin Bus, have announced plans to make substantial cost savings.
• Aberdeen customer panelFirst Aberdeen has created a customer panel, made up of 13 regular users of its services.
• Irish coach sector A report by Ireland™s tourist development body, Fáilte Ireland, into the coach tourism industry shows the entire sector is running at a loss.
• Nine operators back York ticketA multi-operator day ticket is being launched in York on 1 July following an agreement reached between the city council and nine local bus operators.
• Free travel to restore confidence...?In an unusual move to try and restore confidence in local bus services, Metro, the West Yorkshire PTE, was this week offering free travel on 16 PTE-supported bus services in Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, following the ending of a contract with Tyrer Buses after complaints about service reliability.
• Labour repeats re-regulation callThe Labour party is yet again calling for tighter control of bus services with an attack on the œvested interests� of operators in its latest policy review.
• Cabotage confusion for Ireland operatorsOperators from the Republic of Ireland running school contracts which operate exclusively in Northern Ireland will have to establish operating centres in the north, under new guidance from Northern Ireland environment minister Alex Attwood.
• London bus strike in the balanceA strike by London™s bus workers planned for Friday (23 June) looks set to be called off.

Global Rail News

• Assembly starts on Crossrail™s next tunnel boring machineAssembly of Crossrail™s next 1,000 tonne tunnel boring machine (TBM), Elizabeth, has commenced at Limmo Peninsula in east London. During the next four months, components for the 150-metre long machine will be transported to the Limmo worksite from Tilbury Docks and reassembled before being lowered in sections into two huge shafts. Elizabeth will begin constructing [...]
• FirstGroup sponsors Lifetime AchievementFirstGroup is the proud sponsor of the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year™s RailStaff Awards. The company is Britain™s largest rail operator carrying more than 290 million passengers per annum.  It operates First Great Western, First Capital Connect, First TransPennine Express, First ScotRail, First Hull Trains and London Tramlink. It runs regional and commuter services, [...]
• Centro urges ministers to invest in region™s rail networksWest Midlands PTE Centro is urging the Government to invest £60 million in the region’s rail network as part of Network Rail’s Control Period 5, which runs between 2014 and 2019. According to Centro the investment in projects to electrify the Walsall to Rugeley line (£30 million), increase capacity on the Snow Hill route (£10 [...]
• Re-design, re-rail, re-clipReducing the cost of running Britain™s railways is a continuing process, and one that the rail engineer has covered on a number of occasions. All aspects of both maintenance and renewals are coming under the microscope as Network Rail and others look for any opportunity to increase efficiency. This month, the spotlight falls on the [...]
• World™s highest rail bridge to be ready by 2015The world’s highest rail bridge, which will be 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower, is due to be completed by 2015. Indian Railways will become the first railway network in the world to operate train services on the bridge, which is part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project. The bridge is being constructed [...]
• Control staff vote for strike actionTube union RMT has confirmed that key service control centre staff in West London will take both strike action and action short of a strike in a dispute over jobs and conditions of service. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: œThis group of workers are absolutely key to delivering the service on the Piccadilly line [...]

Aviation Industry

• Aer Lingus board rejects Ryanair takeoverIn an expected move, the Aer Lingus (EI) board has rejected the third attempt by low-cost carrier (LCC) Ryanair (FR) to take over the company, saying the bid undervalued the Irish flag-carrier.

Other News Sources

• RESIDENTS VOTE NARROWLY AGAINST THIRD MUNICH RUNWAYMunich residents have voted against development of a third runway at Germany's second-biggest airport, dealing another blow to airlines seeking growth in Europe's biggest economy.
• Transport Minister visits Assembly for rail electrification talks The UK Minister for Transport Theresa Villiers will visit the Welsh Assembly today to discuss rail electrification plans for Wales.
• High Speed 2 uncertainties resurrect Heathrow third runway With political conviction for High Speed 2 (HS2) faltering behind the scenes at Westminster there is a rise in favour of resurrecting plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport.
• Assembly begins on Crossrail's Elizabeth diggerAssembly of the Crossrail project™s next 1,000 tonne tunnel boring machine, named Elizabeth, commenced today at the Limmo Peninsula in East London.
• Provision for Crossrail 2 station needed in HS2 hybrid bill Crossrail 2 will need to be built before the second phase of HS2 in order to avoid massive congestions problems, according to Transport for London™s managing director for planning.