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Friday, 26 November 2010

BBC News

• Hammond on changing the railwaysTransport secretary Philip Hammond says: 'We will change the way the railways operate' as he explains the coalition's plans for the UK network.
• Transport expert against A5 planA transport expert criticises plans to build a new £800m dual carriageway between Derry and Aughnacloy.
• Airline switches to City AirportBMI Baby announces it is switching its operations from Belfast International to Belfast City Airport.
• Rail electrification plan backedThe electrification of railways in Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool
• Thameslink rail delay criticisedThe two-year delay in the Thameslink project will prolong
• Boeing 'has failed on Dreamliner'The chief executive of Qatar Airways criticises Boeing over delays to the development of the 787 Dreamliner, saying it has
• Railways to get £8bn investmentThe government unveils plans for £8bn railway investment, but Labour says they are just a

Financial Times

• Europe's railways: Points of changeAs Europe's rail operators work to expand their high-speed services, a tussle is intensifying between two of its main train builder “ each seeking primacy in a liberalised market
• Upgrade of key rail line approvedPhilip Hammond has given the go-ahead to boost to the capacity of one of the UK's most overcrowded commuter routes and order more than 2,000 new carriages
• Airline financing rift deepensRyanair and Emirates have taken the unusual step of joining forces with eight other airlines as a multibillion-dollar row over aircraft financing starts to split the world's ­largest airlines into two rival camps
• CMA CGM to receive $500m boostThe operator of the world's third-largest container ship fleet has brought to an end more than a year of efforts to find fresh capital after the Turkish group Yildirim agreed to invest
• India to act over predatory airline pricingThe government warns domestic carriers that it intends to crack down on 'predatory pricing' after companies sharply increased fares on popular routes during the recent Diwali festival
• Safety raises questions over motivesQuestion raised on which barriers to international passenger services involve genuine safety or technical concerns and which are intended to block competition
• NYK Line eyes deep-sea oil drilling marketJapan's biggest shipping group is likely to invest between $200m-$300m for half of Norway's Knutsen Offshore Tankers, as it seeks to cover all its customers' needs

The Herald

• MSP calls for action over noise of trainsResidents who have complained of overnight noise from a freight railway have been treated with contempt by those responsible for building and operating the route, an MSP has claimed.

The Independent

• Tube replacement buses cost £11.6mA "staggering" £11.6 million has been spent on replacement buses because of engineering work on one of London Underground's lines, it was revealed today.
• Rail investment worth £8bn is not enough, train companies warn An £8billion plan to relieve the overcrowding crisis on Britain's rail network was unveiled by the Government yesterday, but train companies immediately warned it may not be enough to meet ballooning demand.

The Telegraph

• EasyGroup's Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou parts with key adviser Amir Eilon after row The man who brokered a brand licensing deal that should bring Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou £10m a year by 2013 has become the latest casualty of the bloodletting at the easyGroup empire.
• The living ain't easy at Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou's EasyGroup He named it easyGroup. But for some of those working at the investment vehicle set up by self-styled “serial entrepreneur” Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the living lately has been anything but easy.
• Network Rail profits more than double after cutting £200m from running costs Network Rail has cut £200m from its running costs over the past six months, the company said on Thursday, as it announced that pre-tax profits had more than doubled.
• Snow chaos: passenger plane overshoots runway In icy conditions, a plane with 196 passengers overshot its landing position at Newcastle airport, as heavy snow threatened to bring large parts of the country to a standstill.

ATOC

• ATOC responds to Government announcement on investmentResponding to the Government’s announcement on investment in the railways, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies,...

Birmingham Post

• Plans for £1.1 bn West Midlands Metro system unveiled Ambitious plans to create a £1.1 billion Metro system across the West Midlands have been launched by the region’s transport body as part of a 15-year blueprint for the region.
• Midlands rail operators urged to apply for more carriages Rail operators in the West Midlands will be invited to apply for some of 650 new carriages to be funded by the Government, as part of an £8 billion investment package announced by the Government.

Bolton News

• MP heads rail pressure group for North BOLTON West MP Julie Hilling has been appointed chairman of the all-party parliamentary group, Rail in the North.
• ˜Don™t stop children™s free buses™ THE Bishop of Manchester has called on councils across Greater Manchester not to scrap free bus passes for poorer children.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Rolling stock sale on Metro agenda The impact of cuts to public transport spending will be discussed by councillors from Bradford and neighbouring districts at a key meeting tomorrow.

Derby Telegraph

• Budget airline celebrates rise in passengersBUDGET airline Ryanair has said it has flown more passengers from East Midlands Airport so far this year than during the whole of 2009. The operator, which flies 29 routes from the Castle Donington airport, said it had already flown 1.8 million passengers this year – 100,000 more than last year. And the airline, which employs about 200 people at East Midlands, said the figure had been achieved despite disruption caused earlier this year by the volcanic ash cloud. Laura McCormack, Ryanair's sales and marketing executive, said:

Journal Live

• Train delay puts Newton Aycliffe jobs in jeopardy TRAIN builder Hitachi yesterday hinted it could walk away from plans to create thousands of jobs in the North East amid Government delays to a key contract.

Liverpool Post

• Liverpool-Manchester railway electrification to finish by 2016 - three years late THE delayed electrification of the Liverpool-Manchester will not be completed until 2016 - three years behind the original schedule.
• Merseyrail to double train services to Chester from next month MERSEYRAIL is to double its train service to Chester from next month.

London Evening Standard

• Boris Johnson to press for Thames Estuary airportBoris Johnson will formally take his case for a new hub airport in the South-East to Transport Secretary Philip Hammond
• £8bn rail transport scheme unveiledPassengers facing huge hikes in train fares have been promised hundreds of new carriages after the Government committed itself to an £8 billion package of new rail schemes.

Northern Echo

• Hitachi hopes hit by foreign option A SHOCK rival proposal that threatens to derail hopes for a £7.5bn train factory in the region is unlikely to create any British jobs, the Government admitted last night. The alternative option – electric trains, pulled by diesel locomotives on sections without overhead power lines – would involve buying from abroad, The Northern Echo can reveal.
• Dismay at decision, but pledge to fight on CAMPAIGNERS have reacted with dismay to news the Government has delayed a decision on the Intercity Express Programme.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Bid to remove street clutterTOO many unnecessary signs on Sheffield roads and pavements? Too much street clutter?
• Blow to hopes of electrifying rail lineHOPES of speeding up rail journey times between Sheffield and London by electrifying the Midland Mainline have suffered a blow in the economic climate.
• Rail fares to rise 5.6%EAST Midlands Trains, which runs services between Sheffield and London, this week announced an average fare rise of 5.6% in the New Year.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Design fault fears as £2.6m safety lane on A9 is closedA £2.6million stretch of new carriageway designed to improve safety on the notorious A9 has been closed “ after road bosses admitted it may have a design flaw.

The York Press

• Accolade for travel mentoring scheme A TRAVEL mentoring scheme which helps disabled people in York use public transport has won a national award.

Wales Online

• Rail electrification decision delayed to new year A DECISION on the electrification of the rail line between London and Swansea has today been deferred until the new year.
• Passengers face huge fare hikes as £8bn rail package unveiled Passengers facing huge hikes in train fares were today promised hundreds of new carriages after the Government committed itself to an £8 billion package of new rail schemes.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Action day for better buses in Leeds Transport campaigners are taking to the streets in the latest stage of their bid to win a better deal for bus passengers in Leeds.
• Northern rail misery set to go on Train overcrowding is set to continue in Leeds as the government made only 100 new rail carriages available to be shared with Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Share your views on Peterborough™s next transport planMORE than 1,000 city residents have given their views in a consultation on new transport plans for Peterborough.

Other Regional Press

• Campaigners upbeat over delays to new fleet of trains Campaigners are still hopeful of getting a fleet of new inter-city express trains on the Westcountry main line despite further delays by the Government.
• UK & World News: £8bn rail transport scheme unveiled Passengers facing huge hikes in train fares have been promised hundreds of new carriages after the Government committed itself to an £8 billion package of new rail schemes.
• Mirfield meeting over bus services THE future of bus services is up for discussion in Mirfield next week.
• Buses and roads on agenda at Skelmanthorpe meeting HIGHWAYS winter preparation and the West Yorkshire Transport plans are on the agenda at the next meeting of the Mirfield, Denby Dale and Kirkburton Town and Valley Committee on December 2.
• Shock rate of bike thefts in Weymouth and Portland BICYCLES are being stolen at a rate of about one a day in Weymouth and Portland.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Buses face a perfect storm of cutsDark clouds are gathering as free buses passes are the latest target for spending cuts.

Railnews

• News: Hammond’s 'rolling programme' gets mixed reaction The government has announced that 2,100 new vehicles are to be ordered for the National Rail network, including 1,200 for Thameslink. It's part of an £8 billion package announced this morning which the transport secretary Philip Hammond described as ’a rolling programme’ of rail investment to increase passenger capacity by 17 per cent.

Railway Gazette

• 10-year contract will trigger PKP Intercity Pendolino order POLAND: The Ministry of Infrastructure signed a 10-year contract for PKP Intercity to provide long distance train services on November 24. This will see the government pay an initial subsidy of 240m z?oty in 2011, rising by inflation +1% each year. The long-term operating agreement will enable PKP Intercity to finalise a contract for the supply of 230 km/h tilting trains with sole bidder Alstom Transport (RG 0.10 p000), and the order will then trigger a five-year extension to the operating contract. The EU's Operational Programme Infrastructure & Environment is providing €200m to cover h...
• Big decisions still awaited as government confirms commuter electrification UK: The go-ahead for two previously-announced commuter electrification projects was confirmed by Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond in a statement on November 25, along with full completion of the Thameslink Programme. However an decision about electrification from London to Bristol and south Wales has been deferred until the New Year, along with rolling stock orders under the Intercity Express Programme and for Thameslink. Electrification Over the next six years the routes from London Paddington to Didcot, Oxford and Newbury are to be electrified for commuter services, along w...

Transport for London

• TfL Commissioner blasts Thames Water traffic chaos TfL Commissioner furious at Thames Water's failure to reopen the carriageway after overnight emergency works on the A10 Bishopsgate.
• Mayor's flagship Barclays Cycle Hire to go live for casual users on 3 December 2010Anyone at anytime will have instant access to the Capital's newest form of public transport.
• Transport bosses vow to help Londoners beat strike again- Up to 50 per cent of Tube services ran during the last strike

Green Miscellany

• Boris Bikes pay-and-go is here Boris Bikes will from next Friday be available to casual users. Until now, users of the popular cycle hire scheme have needed to pre-register before using the bikes. read more

Other News Sources

• London Underground to get mobile coverage in time for Olympics Mobile coverage will be available across the entire London Underground network in times for the 2012 Olympics, according to a report of Mobile Magazine.
• UK government unveils railway investment plansThe government has announced a raft of railway investment plans, including thousands of new carriages, a fleet of new trains and line electrification.
• RMT slams Government plans to halve numbers of additional rail carriages from 1300 to 650 over next four yearsRAIL UNION RMT today accused the government of deliberately distorting the announcement on rail investment to cover up the fact that they have halved the promised number of additional railway carriages over the next four years from 1300 to 650.
• Smaller transport firms buck the trendOperators are drawn to pallet networks for various reasons, and certainly during the recession being a member of a network has helped many smaller firms to survive.
• News from Caroline Pidgeon - Thameslink Go Ahead Is A Great Day For Commuters 25 November 2010 Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on today™s confirmation that Thameslink will go ahead in its entirety, virtually doubling the number of north-south trains running through central London at peak times said: œThis announcement is a great day for commuters and London™s economy. 360-house-thumb.jpg Yes
• Leeds Bradford Airport to carry more flights from Jet2Leeds Bradford Airport (LBIA) will provide customers with more flights from budget airline Jet2 next year.The Telegraph and Argus reported that the move will see around 145 jobs being created at the hub, while Jet2 will also increase seating capacity on its 11 LBIA-based aircraft in order to meet rising demand.Philip Meeson, boss of the airline, said: "Leeds Bradford was our first base and is still to this day our largest base in terms of passenger numbers. With our head office at the airport, too, we really do see it as our home. "He went on to say that new destinations and addition...
• National strike hits Portugal™s transport system Yesterday's 24-hour strike by public sector workers in Portugal almost crippled the country's transportation system.
• Passengers™ rights hang in the balance Coach and bus passenger waiting for improved rights will have to display patience.
• Hammond announces rail investmentThe transport secretary has announced plans to buy more than 2,000 new train carriages.
• Further civils blow as Northern Line station works are scrappedCuts to the Northern Line tube upgrade programme became clearer this week as Transport for London admitted some station works would be scrapped.
• Thameslink upgrade will 'go ahead in full'The transport secretary has announced £6 billion for improvements to Thameslink stations, track and trains as part of a rail investment to be revealed in full later today.
• MR. MERVYN GERARD FERNANDO APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF ICAO TECHNICAL BODYThe Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), acting in accordance with its Rules of Procedure, has unanimously appointed by secret ballot Mr. Mervyn Gerard Fernando, of...

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