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

Wednesday, 18 November 2015

BBC News

• Campaign to reopen Beattock rail station gathers steamA group campaigning to re-open Beattock railway station claim to have taken an important step forward.
• Elmbridge anger as MP and council 'lack Heathrow stance'Campaigners fighting Heathrow expansion have demanded their MP and council take a stance on the issue - as a government decision looms by the end of the year.
• CBI Wales wants to speed up big transport projectsThe next Welsh government should set a timetable for the M4 relief road around Newport and put an independent body in charge of big infrastructure projects, an industry organisation has said.
• Country dwellers 'neglected' by cutsPeople living in the countryside have been

ITV News

• Gatwick approaches full capacity as airport renews argument for expansionGatwick Airport has revealed that it has handled 40 million passengers this year and is rapidly approaching full capacity.

Financial Times

• EasyJet posts record profitsBumper summer holiday bookings and lower fuel costs offset impact of strikes and airport fires
• BA and Lufthansa emissions in spotlightResearch ranks transatlantic carriers among least fuel efficient along with rival SAS
• Norfolk Southern criticises bid from CPUS railroad says offer values it about $28.3bn, less than 10 per cent premium to trading price
• TfL files housing development applicationLondon’s public-transport operator turns to property portfolio to fund network

The Guardian

• Fold-up helmets and sandwich bikes: 12 designs that revolutionised cyclingChoppers, Stumpjumpers, fold-away helmets and a flatpack DIY bike kit ... as the Design Museum’s new exhibition Cycle Revolution hits the tarmac, here are 12 innovations that reinvented the wheelBecause without a good saddle your buttocks are on a road to bruised and throbbing misery. The moulded leather Brooks saddle is, of course, a design classic – clean, traditional, warm and beautiful. But what you may not know is that John Boultbee Brooks was working in Birmingham making horse harnesses until the mid-1800s, when the untimely death of his horse forced him to borrow a bike. He found the se...

Times Online

• Cycle Revolution at the Design Museum: the hottest show on two wheels [subscription]A celebration of cycle aesthetics featuring machines used by Bradley Wiggins will thrill the middle-aged Lycra brigade
• ‘Extend tram link to boost investment’ [Subscription]Edinburgh must extend its tram line to make the most of investment opportunities, according to business and transport campaigners (Paris Gourtsoyannis writes).
• We’re running out of room, says Gatwick [Subscription]Gatwick is processing 40 million passengers a year for the first time after a record October.

The Mirror

• Disabled access to public transport 'worse than before 2012' claims Paralympics starA new surbet by the charity Whizz-Kidz says transport issues left many young people feeling excluded from job opportunities or accessing health and education services

Network Rail

• Greater Lincolnshire railway upgrade will be a boost for British businessesInvestment of almost £100m in Greater Lincolnshire’s railway this Christmas will improve passenger journeys and enable more freight trains to run from Immingham, one of Britain’s busiest ports.

Birmingham Post

• First Group director takes CEO role at National College for High Speed Rail John Evans is the first chief executive of new college in Birmingham and Doncaster which will train next generation of rail engineers

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyside devolution deal does NOT include better deal on tunnel tollsCity region leaders say negotiations will continue with the Government

Manchester Evening News

• New Get Me There bus ticket will let you travel with more than 30 different operators across Greater ManchesterOne step closer to an electronic pass for all transport across Greater Manchester

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Go-Ahead Group secures German rail contracts worth £1.12bnThe Newcastle-headquartered firm will operate two Lots of the Baden-Wurttemberg rail network, starting from June 2019

Sheffield Star

• Transport bosses to discuss changes to controversial bus cuts in Sheffield Sweeping changes to the city’s buses came into force on November 1 and have sparked a wave of complaints about cramped buses, long waits, missed services and confusion over timetables.

Wales Online

• Armed police officers will be deployed across the rail network as part of the response to the Paris terror attacksBritish Transport Police said high visibility policing would be brought in after a review of operations carried out in the wake of Friday's atrocities

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds dad fronts new campaignA railway worker from Leeds has been chosen as the face of a nationwide Christmas campaign by Network Rail.

Blackpool Gazette

• Plans on track for better rail serviceTrain passengers across the North West will be stunned at the improvements they see in 2016.
• Tramway threat in budget proposalsBlackpool’s tram link to Fleetwood could be lost after County Hall chiefs threatened to stop funding its share of the tramway.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Bus replaces rail services between Ipswich and Felixstowe and Marks Tey and SudburyTwo rail lines will not be in operation today due to a number of trains needing repair work.

Kent Online

• Gatwick airport: Coaches launched direct from Kent by National Express and run by The Kings Ferry in GillinghamNational Express is to launch a direct bus service to Gatwick airport from Kent in time for the Christmas holidays.

Other Regional Press

• Campaign for a new railway line is gathering paceThe proposal to open a new main line from the South Coast to London is gathering pace, campaigners say
• Welsh Government has given £1.5 billion to Arriva Trains Wales over the last eight years The UK Department for Transport provides a separate subsidy to Arriva Trains Wales for its services across the border.
• Transport cliché strikes as leaves on the line delay new train serviceFALLEN leaves on railway tracks have been partly blamed for delays on a new train service to London.

Transport for London

• Tube treasures under your feetEarlier this year an abandoned station, unseen by commuters for 100 years, was uncovered during rail work for the Thameslink Programme. Lying half-forgotten beneath Rotherhithe New Road was Bermondsey's Southwark Park station. It opened in autumn 1902 but shut after just 13 years owing to lack of use and First World War economising.

Transportxtra

• West Midlands and Liverpool take control of billions of infrastructure fundsThe Chancellor today hails devolution deals with the West Midlands and the Liverpool City Region, which will see local leaders handed control of £1bn of funds each for economic development and further transport funding.

Aviation Industry

• EasyJet posts $833 million full-year net profitEasyJet has reported a full-year net income of £548 million ($833 million) for the year to September 2015, 21.8% higher than its £450 million profit for 2013-14, following a “solid winter” and a “very strong” summer performance. read more
• Airberlin CEO: Germany must rule permanently on Etihad codeshareAirberlin CEO Stefan Pichler said the German government must arrive at a permanent solution to its Etihad Airways codeshare discussions with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and not unilaterally terminate the approval policy that has been continuously implemented since 2012. read more
• Easyjet profits hit record levelsStrong passenger growth and low fuel-costs helps profits jump 18%
• Qantas launches UK group travel booking siteAustralian airline says UK-based agents can now book flexible group fares and competitive group quotes

Other News Sources

• Major new rail deal for ScotlandA significant new contract for work to improve the railway between Aberdeen and Inverness has been announced by the Scottish Government agency Transport Scotland.
• Design award for Hitachi trainsDCA (www.dca-design.com) and Hitachi Rail Europe (www.hitachirail-eu.com) have won the Stanley H Caplan User-centred Product Design Award 2015 from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES).
• GARRANDALE GROUP DELIVERS REDUCED COSTS AND ENERGY SAVINGS FOR RAIL INDUSTRY WITH SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC Garrandale combines innovation and the latest technology with traditional engineering skills to provide engineering solutions to the rail industry, providing jigs, fixtures and handling equipment for the manufacture of trains.
• Siemens plans 20% transport savingsSiemens has announced its plans to reduce transport costs for offshore wind turbines by 20%.
• Johnstone calls for the Government to improve its performance on transport justiceAlison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian,is calling on The Scottish Government to recognise its failure to increase transport justice, reduce air pollution or deliver and climate change targets through investment in sustainable transport.
• Trains to London will take 60 minutes longer on bus replacement over Christmas and the New Year RAIL passengers to London will face hour-long delays over Christmas - despite the efforts of more than 20,000 engineers working on the nation’s rail infrastructure.