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

Friday, 27 July 2012

BBC News

• UK customs 'ignore drug suspects to beat Olympic queues' Suspected drugs couriers are being waved through customs checks because of understaffing at Heathrow Airport, immigration officers have told the BBC.
• London Midland ticket office closure protests held Protests have been held at four railway stations in the West Midlands over proposals to close ticket offices.
• Bristol approves city-wide 20mph limit Plans to introduce a 20mph speed limit in most residential streets in Bristol over the next three years have been approved.
• PM: Wife's great Heathrow serviceDavid Cameron says his wife's experience of Heathrow shows that focusing on
• Fire halts trains from HeathrowA fire disrupts train services from Heathrow Airport for a time on what the operator BAA expects to be
• 'Boris bike' workers halt strikeWorkers on the so-called Boris Bike scheme in London suspend a planned strike over an Olympic bonus.
• Nissan profits hit by strong yenJapanese carmaker Nissan reports a 15% drop in net profit in the first quarter after the strong yen hit its results.
• BAA loses latest Stansted appealAirport operator BAA loses its latest appeal against the Competition Commission's ruling that it must sell Stansted Airport.
• Engine demand lifts Rolls-RoyceRolls-Royce reports a rise in half-year profits thanks to strong demand from planemakers for fuel-efficient engines.
• Honda to scale back productionJapanese car manufacturer Honda scales back production at its Swindon plant due to falling sales in Europe.

Department for Transport

• Alan Cook reappointed non-executive chairman of Highways AgencyAlan Cook has been reappointed by Transport Secretary Justine Greening as non-executive chairman of the Highways Agency Board for a further 12 months.

Financial Times

• BAA loses Stansted court challengeThe Court of Appeal dismissed arguments by the airports operator to overturn an order made by competition regulators, forcing it to sell Stansted
• National Express on right roadFollowing the sale of its East Anglia franchise, the rail group™s hard work to build a diverse portfolio of businesses overseas is paying off
• Spanish performance aids National ExpressTransport group™s operating profits dropped 31 per cent in first half but operations in Spain helped it maintain steady trading in period

The Herald

• Safety call after sea deaths riseACCIDENT investigators have called for improved safety in the fishing industry, including routine wearing of life jackets, after the number of fatal incidents rose last year.
• Stansted sale appeal lostAIRPORT operator BAA lost its latest challenge yesterday against a decision forcing it to sell Stansted Airport.
• Rail changes branded unfairRAIL passengers travelling to and from one of Scotland's biggest towns are missing out on improved train services in a move branded unfair and unacceptable by a local authority.

The Telegraph

• National Express profits hit by subsidy cuts for over-60s Profits at National Express hit the buffers in the first half of the year as the over-60s shunned coach travel.
• Hot weather sees more rail speed restrictionsTrain speed restrictions have been introduced on services running to and from Paddington and Liverpool Street stations as cables and track struggled to cope in the heat.
• Border controls too fast for Samantha CameronBorder controls at Heathrow have been so efficient that Samantha Cameron did not have time to get her passport out before being summoned to an immigration desk, the Prime Minister said.

Press Association

• Transport holding up well, says PM People have to be prepared for difficulties when one of the busiest cities in the world is hosting the Olympics, the Prime Minister has said.

Mail Online

• French admit they ARE rude and stroppy as Paris public transport bosses launch campaign for civilityThe city's transport authority has launched a long-overdue campaign urging travellers to be more considerate.
• Third runway? We just need more airport staff: Prime Minister rules out Heathrow expansion until 2015David Cameron claimed Britain could maintain its status as one of the world’s busiest aviation destinations simply by providing more officials at passport control.

ATOC

• Free train travel for service personnel on duty at the GamesMembers of the armed forces working to keep London 2012 secure will be able to travel to and from Games venues by train free of charge. The offer,...

Network Rail

• CABLE THEFT PASSENGER MISERY SHOWS NEED FOR SCRAP METAL LAW REFORM “ NETWORK RAIL

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham city centre trees make way for Midland Metro extensionWORK has begun to uproot nearly 30 trees in central Birmingham to make way for the £125 million Midland Metro extension.

London Evening Standard

• Mayor's sustainable Olympic taxis driven on a 130-mile trip to fill up in SwindonFive low emission hydrogen-fuelled Olympic taxis hailed by Boris Johnson as the future of sustainable motoring are being driven by car transporter on a 130-mile round trip every day to be filled up in Swindon.
• London 2012 Olympics: Fire alert halts Heathrow Express as airport deals with record arrivals ahead of GamesThe Heathrow Express rail link to central London was suspended today on the busiest day in the airport™s history.

Manchester Evening News

• Passenger group slams plans for Wythenshawe bus and Metrolink interchange A passenger group has slammed designs for a new £6.7m bus station - because it’s curved.

Northern Echo

• Making the most of Hitachi opportunity CAMPAIGNERS who fought to bring train manufacturing back to the cradle of the railways yesterday celebrated one of the region™s biggest jobs boosts in a generation.
• Full steam ahead for £4.5bn Hitachi train building deal at Newton Aycliffe THE return of train building to the North-East can act as a catalyst to bring thousands of jobs to the region, the Government and campaigners said last night.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Profits reach £82m at National ExpressPublic transport group National Express made profits of £82 million in the first six months of the year, figures revealed today.
• Protests over plans for cuts at rail ticket officesProtests were taking place outside train stations in the West Midlands today against proposed cuts to ticket offices.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Theft of 1km of signal cable delays trains between Northamptonshire and LondonMetal thieves have delayed trains to and from London after stealing almost 1km of signalling cable.
• Rail workers call off strike actionA strike by ASLEF members which threatened to disrupt East Midlands Trains’ services to the 2012 Olympics has been called off.

Other Regional Press

• Railway fearsBad news for Penzance if they cut the rail services – plans to slash the direct trains to London by a third from nine a day to six a day.
• Llandudno railway station project is back on track FEARS that a major redevelopment of Llandudno railway station might be scrapped have been allayed.
• Train operator says union is ˜playing games™THE train operator of the Bedford to London railway line has accused a union of “playing games”, following the announcement of more potential strike action.
• Cable thieves casuse rail chaosCABLE thieves have caused severe delays for commuters travelling from Bedford station this morning.

Global Rail News

• IEPs better value for money than Pendolinos, says DfTThe Department for Transport (DfT) has said it believes IEPs will provide better value for money than an equivalent Pendolino fleet. The Government announced yesterday that it had signed a £4.6 billion contract with Hitachi-led consortium Agility Trains for 596 new IEP carriages to replace the ageing fleet of Intercity trains. Under the agreement, Hitachi [...]
• New IEP factory could be used for Crossrail trainsA new train factory in the north east could be used for the construction of Crossrail trains as well as the IEP, say sources close to the project. The Newton Aycliffe plant has the capacity to produce approximately 35 vehicles a month with two production lines and two shift working. The contract puts Hitachi in [...]
• First Great Western welcomes IEP announcementFirst Great Western has welcomed the Government’s announcement to spend £4.5 billion building the new generation of intercity trains. First Great Western managing director Mark Hopwood said: ”This latest Government announcement is an essential piece of the jigsaw in improving passenger journeys across our network. “Alongside the further electrification announced last week, these trains will give [...]
• Railway Children recruit for new volunteer networkCheshire-based charity Railway Children is recruiting volunteers to help with events and fundraising in the steam, heritage and rail industry. The charity has recently formed the Railway Children Rail Network to raise awareness of the dangers facing homeless children around the world, many of whom end up living on the railways. Railway Children support children [...]
• Government agrees contract for new rail passenger databaseThe Government has signed a deal with Capita Symonds to create a new Rail Passenger Counts Database (RPCD). The £1.9m contract comprises the development of a new database for the collation, management and reporting of rail passenger figures for 23 train operating companies which have contracts with the Department for Transport (DfT). The DfT hopes [...]
• Signalling contractor calls off industrial actionUnion members at signalling technology contractor Thales have called off planned industrial action following a breakthrough in negotiations over Olympic pay. Following a vote unanimous vote in favour of strike action, RMT has now secured agreements covering harmonisation, pay, shift allowances and Olympics payments of up to £680. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: œThis [...]
• Heathrow Express suspended after fireHeathrow Express services between the airport and London’s Paddington station were suspended for 30 minutes this morning after a fire. A blaze at West Ealing station stopped the service for around half-an-hour, as thousands of passengers arrived at the airport ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony. Around 125,000 people are expected to arrive in London [...]
• TfL announces measures to massively reduce Tube delaysTransport for London has announced how it plans to achieve Boris Johnson’s election commitment to reduce delays on London Underground by 30 per cent by 2015. Plans currently on the drawing board, which will be  formally announced in November, include: Using a standardised train fleet and signalling system. For the first time in its history [...]
• ASLEF call off East Midlands strikeProposed strikes by train drivers union ASLEF have been cancelled following “constructive talks” with East Midlands Trains. ASLEF members had planned to take industrial action between August 6-8 over pension changes. East Midlands Trains had said that strike action would have forced it to only run at 50 per cent capacity on services to and [...]
• National Express profits down after East Anglia lossNational Express has seen its rail profits fall by 43 per cent following the loss of the East Anglia franchise. The group’s rail profits slid from £27.1 million to £15.5 million in the first half of 2012. Dean Finch, National Express Group chief executive described the group’s underlying performance as “resilient”. He said: “The first [...]

London TravelWatch

• London TravelWatch publishes TfL monitoring reportThe London TravelWatch Board has welcomed recent improvements in performance on TfL™s transport network. The independent passenger watchdog™s latest quarterly TfL monitoring report which was published earlier this month shows improvements in customer satisfaction with the Tramlink service and London streets and an increased number of accessible bus stops in several London boroughs.

Railnews

• Cable thieves disrupt Thameslink First Capital Connect services between Bedford and Brighton have been badly disrupted this morning, after cable thieves struck near Flitwick. FCC said the signalling had been 'knocked out', trapping more than 20 trains in sidings at Bedford.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair slashes Spanish operations over tax hikeRyanair (FR) has cuts its Spanish services from Madrid (MAD) and Barcelona El Prat (BCN) to protest tax increases, which were applied July 1.
• BAA loses latest Stansted appealCourt of Appeal judges back original ruling that airport must be sold
• Heathrow expecting 'busiest day' for arrivalsAirport is set to handle 45 per cent more passengers than normal on the eve of the games