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

Friday, 25 February 2011

BBC News

• National Express profits up after axing East Coast rail Coach and rail operator National Express has reported a sharp rise in annual profits, thanks in large part to giving up the loss-making East Coast rail franchise.
• HS2 'vital' for regions' economyThe planned high speed rail link between London and Birmingham would close the north south economic gap, it is claimed.
• Ice affected derailed goods trainSnow and ice on the brakes of a locomotive and wagons played a part in the train derailing, RAIB investigators say.
• The hole truth about our roadsBBC Manchester takes a look at the region's potholes for The Road Ahead
• Doors opened on moving Tube trainAn investigation is launched after the doors of a London Underground train were opened in error as it approached a red signal.
• Spyker to sell sportscar businessSpyker, the Dutch carmaker that owns Saab, signs a provisional deal to sell its sportscar business to CPP Global Holdings.
• GM in profit as rebound continuesUS carmaker General Motors posts profits of $4.7bn for 2010 as it continues its comeback after bankruptcy protection.
• Merger delay concern hits PorscheShares in carmaker Porsche close down 11% after it reveals that its merger with Volkswagen could to be delayed.
• Boeing wins US air tanker battleAircraft manufacturer Boeing wins a lucrative $35bn (£21.6bn) contract to provide the US with 179 aerial refuelling tankers.

Financial Times

• China plans airport building spreeBeijing intends to invest Rmb1500bn in aviation over the next five years, but the move raises fresh questions about the potential for overcapacity in the transport sector
• National Express upbeat on coach travelThe multinational transport operator says its coaches business is likely to win market share from rail as cash-strapped consumers seek cheaper means of transportation

The Guardian

• National Express boss rejects break-up after US hedge fund builds stake Dean Finch indicates travel group is not interested in any tie-ups with Stagecoach or France's SNCF
• TfL to upgrade travel card readers Transport for London has said it will upgrade its travel card readers so passengers can swipe debit or credit cards from 2012

The Telegraph

• Train fares 'could rise' because of high speed rail, campaign group claims Train fares could rise and rail services starved of funds because of the cost of the planned high speed line to Birmingham, an environmental lobbying group has warned.

Press Association

• Cover-up claim over new bridge The Scottish Government has been accused of trying to "cover up" its liability for a multi-million pound payout to oil giant BP if work on the Forth Replacement Crossing damages an underground pipeline.

Daily Express

• National Express steams aheadAN overhaul of National Express helped the rail, bus and coach operator to hike annual profits and restore its dividend.

The Mirror

• National Express reveals 38% surge in annual profits NATIONAL Express fared well last year as new boss Dean Finch sparked a 38% surge in profits.
• Big business names back 250mph high speed rail link aN £18billion high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham has been backed by the biggest names in business.

ATOC

• Which? report on rail travel 'misleading and misrepresentative' - ATOCIn response to research by Which? on rail travel, a spokesperson for the Association of Train Operating Companies said: “This is seriously misleading and misrepresentative....

Network Rail

• TRACK REPAIR WORKS FOR FAR NORTH LINENetwork Rail engineers working to repair damage to infrastructure caused by passing freight trainScotRail providing rail replacement bus services between Helmsdale and Tain to minimise disruption for passengers
• VITAL MAINTENANCE FOR WAVERLEY™S SOUTH RAMP

Birmingham Mail

• Washwood Heath bus route change due to parking congestion A BUS service has been moved from one of Birmingham’s most congested streets because of delays and costly insurance claims it has been revealed.

Birmingham Post

• UK network must not take hit for high-speed rail costs, say campaigners The Government's plans for the HS2 high-speed rail project between Birmingham and London must not lead to less investment in the rest of the network, a transport campaign group has said.
• Big business backs the Birmingham to London high speed rail link Embattled ministers planning a £17.5 billion high speed rail link from London to Birmingham have been thrown a lifeline by business leaders who urged the Government to press ahead with the scheme.

Edinburgh Evening News

• TIE admits end date for tram project is still unknownTHE people at the helm of the city's tram project have admitted to MSPs that they still don't know when it will be finished or how much it will cost.

Journal Live

• EasyJet grounds Newcastle to Stansted flights CHIEFS at Newcastle Airport have launched a search for a new carrier after low-cost airline easyJet revealed it will cancel its service to London Stansted at the end of next month.

London Evening Standard

• Bus Oyster readers to take credit cards 'within months'Commuters will be able to use 'contactless' credit cards on buses within months, it was confirmed, touching in and out in the same way as with an Oyster card

Manchester Evening News

• New Oldham Metrolink tram lines to be dug up for interchangeUnder the proposals, which will cost nearly £90m, Metrolink will run along Union Street to the new interchange at Oldham Mumps by 2014. There will be a park-and-ride site for about 250 cars “ providing a spur for regeneration in a run-down town centre area. But part of the new Metrolink line being built to Oldham and Rochdale will be ripped up less than three years after it opens.

Bucks Free Press

• 'Self-defeating HS2 risks steeper fares and more car use'HIGH Speed 2 'risks becoming a self-defeating strategy', increasing congestion, causing steeper fares and leaving the country's network 'downgraded', a transport body warns.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Have your say on county bus serviceRESIDENTS from across Cambridgeshire will be able to have their say on controversial plans to cut bus services.

Other Regional Press

• £80m port upgrade for super-sized container shipsSOUTHAMPTON port gets the go ahead for a new £80m berth to handle the world™s largest container ships.
• Solihull Council joins Go-HS2 to promote high speed rail link KEY players from the West Midlands private and public sectors have joined forces to launch a powerful consortium in support of the proposed high speed rail link between Birmingham and London.
• Potholes mean prizesUtility firms that botch nearly half of all Glasgow road repairs have been offered awards.
• Profits boost for National Express The group, whose rail business includes most train services in East Anglia, said 2010 had been “a year of successful transformation”, following a torrid 2009 which saw it fight off two takeover approaches and a threat by the then government to strip it of its rail franchises.

Freight on Rail

• Key rail freight artery expanded Freight on Rail warmly welcomes the completion of the gauge enhancement work on the route from the port of Southampton to the West Midlands, a key element of expanding the green economy 1.

Global Rail News

• Siemens to present mass transit systems at the UITP World Congress and Exhibition 2011 in DubaiSiemens have announced they are to present their plans for mass transit systems at the UITP World Congress and Exhibition 2011 in Dubai. Sustainable, optimally integrated mobility ...
• TfL announce London to lead the way with new ticket technologyTfl has announced that London will lead the world in 2012 when it will become the first city in the world where passengers are able to ...
• ATOC responds to Which? reportIn response to research by Which? on rail travel, a spokesperson for the Association of Train Operating Companies said: œThis is seriously misleading and misrepresentative. Asking ...
• Nomad Digital selected as Wi-Fi provider for AmtrakNomad Digital™s best in class technology has been selected by Amtrak for the nationwide deployment of their AmtrakConnect® Wi-Fi service. Amtrak has set the stage for ...
• Watchdog finds too many passengers in Wales are being ˜kept in the dark™Passenger Focus is calling for real-time information at every unstaffed station as a minimum standard, waiting area improvements and encouragement of community-station partnerships following passenger research ...
• Alstom awarded signalling contract for Beijing MetroAlstom and its two Chinese joint ventures have been awarded two contracts by Beijing MTR Construction Administration Corp., totalling €140 million, to provide both advanced traction ...
• East Coast reveals ticket sales surge for Royal Wedding dayEast Coast is reporting a surge in ticket sales for day trips to London for the wedding of the year “ the marriage of Prince William ...
• Freightliner runs first service to port of SouthamptonIn the early hours of Wednesday 23rd February 2011, Freightliner ran the very first service to the port of Southampton conveying 9’6″ containers on standard wagons. ...
• Business and public sectors unite behind high speed railKey players from the West Midlands private and public sectors have joined forces to launch a powerful consortium in support of the proposed high speed rail ...

Railnews

• News: Mind the gap: TfL passengers could be overcharged TRANSPORT for London has revealed that it will introduce payments by contactless debit or credit cards next year, and is claiming that London will ’lead the world’ when the system goes live. However, passengers using bank cards in the first few months may risk paying more than they need.

Transport for London

• London to lead world as plans unveiled for travel with just a swipe of a contactless bank cardLondon will lead the world in 2012 when it will become the first city in the world where passengers are able to access an entire transport network with just a swipe of their contactless bank or credit card.

Aviation Industry

• BA suspends Egypt routeBritish Airways (BA) will stop flying between London Gatwick and Sharm El Sheikh from the start of May
• Aviation vital to UK plc, politicians toldThe travel industry is failing to communicate how important aviation is to the UK economy, warned Tory MPs and industry chiefs

Other News Sources

• Rail station refit snub to disabled DISABLED rail passengers this week received a double snub in their hopes of getting a fully accessible railway station at Paddock Wood.
• Rail station refit snub to disabled DISABLED rail passengers this week received a double snub in their hopes of getting a fully accessible railway station at Paddock Wood.
• TfL depots to trial inductive charging technologyTransport for London is to install four wireless charging pads in two depots that will serve its private fleet of electric vehicles.
• Hybrid trucks can have similar fuel economy to diesels A comparative study between gasoline-hybrid and conventional diesel trucks has found that hybrids have a similar fuel economy to diesels under certain test scenarios.
• England boasts the safest roads in the UKEngland has the safest roads in the United Kingdom according to a survey from the Institute of Advanced Motorists. The most dangerous highways - ranked by fatality per 100,000 people - can be found in Northern Ireland, while Scotland has the second safest and Wales third.
• New plans to transform Brighton dual carriageway revealed A firm of architects is proposing a bold £4.7 million reinvention of Edward Street in Brighton which would create more green space and make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
• RMT holds public meeting on Isle of Barra in defence of Scottish Ferry ServicesMaritime union RMT will be hosting a public meeting on the future of Scottish Ferries on Monday February 28th, 8pm, at the Castlebay Community School, Isle of Barra. Speakers will include RMT General Secretary Bob Crow, local SNP MP Angus MacNeil along with local RMT and community activists.

News from Europe

• The Northern Maritime Corridor Finds Itself at a Cargo Impasse In March of 2011, the latest concept for the Belkomur, a trunk railway line running from the White Sea to Komi to the Urals, will be submitted to the Russian government.

Other Subscription Services

• Crossrail completes enabling contract award round Twenty seven contracts have been handed out under Crossrail's enabling works framework with no further contract awards currently anticipated.The award of C280, involving construction of a temporary...