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

Thursday, 14 April 2011

BBC News

• How do routefinders find their routes? Many now rely on satnav or online routefinders for directions - instead of paper maps - but how do these gizmos find their way?
• Timetable for West Sussex road-widening scheme unveiled Work to reduce congestion on a key link between London and Brighton will start later this year, it has been confirmed.
• Leeds commuter trains get 2,000 extra seats Commuter trains in West Yorkshire are to get an extra 2,000 seats, the government has announced.
• London Midland and Aslef reach agreement in pay dispute Train drivers' union Aslef says it has reached agreement with London Midland in a long-running dispute which has caused weeks of disruption.
• Transport scheme gets £15.7m liftA transport improvement scheme near Birmingham Airport is awarded £15.7m from the Regional Growth Fund.
• Toyota halts Deeside productionCar maker Toyota is to temporarily halt production at its engine plant on Deeside due to a shortage of supplies from Japan after last month's earthquake.
• Report on holiday jet fuel leakPilots managed to land a UK-bound holiday flight safely after losing more than a tonne of fuel from an engine leak, an air accident report reveals.
• Bmibaby: seven new Belfast routesThe airline bmibaby announces seven new routes from George Best Belfast City Airport.
• VIDEO: New MG rolls off UK production lineThe first MG car has rolled off the production line in Longbridge, marking a new era for large-scale production at the plant.
• Car insurance costs 'rising fast'The cost of car insurance is rising at the fastest rate on record, the AA says, with premiums up 40% in the past year.
• Bmibaby pulls out of two airportsLow-cost airline Bmibaby announces it will cease flying from Cardiff and Manchester airports from the end of this summer.

Department for Transport

• Additional seats for Leeds commutersLeeds commuters are to benefit from more than 2,000 extra seats each day after Transport Secretary Philip Hammond announced today that twenty additional rail carriages are to be deployed on routes serving the city.
• Councils urged to tackle road works disruptionLocal authorities are being urged by Regional and Local Transport Minister Norman Baker to consider the use of permit schemes that help to reduce the disruption caused by road works.

Financial Times

• Hammond calls for procurement revamp Whitehall needs to transform the way it deals with private contractors to stop them “milking the government for every penny”, Philip Hammond has said. The transport secretary, responding to demands from business for a long-term infrastructure strategy, revealed on Wednesday that he was pushing the cabinet to improve procurement processes across government to get better value for money for taxpayers.
• American moves toward spin-off of Eagle unitThe airline is looking to sell its American Eagle subsidiary, reviving a plan first broached in 2007, but the move faces opposition from its pilots

The Guardian

• UK refuses to relax airline liquid ban Plan to lift restrictions on EU transfers have been delayed as airports warn of lack of adequate screening equipment

The Telegraph

• Quadruple bank holiday threatens road chaosMotorists have been warned they face bumper to bumper traffic this Easter with the AA predicting roads will be at their busiest for years due to the quadruple bank holiday.

ATOC

• ATOC responds to call for more information for passengersIn response to Consumer Focus’s call for more information about train services to be made available to passengers,...

Network Rail

• CARDIFF AND VALLEY RAILWAY POISED FOR THE NEXT FRONTIER

Belfast Telegraph

• Investor seeking sale of coach firmTHE largest investor in National Express, American hedge fund Elliott Advisors, which has been lobbying the transport group to consider a sale or break-up of the business, said it expected Spain's Cosmen family, the firm's second biggest investor, to vote in favour of resolutions tabled for next month's annual shareholder meeting.
• Bombardier gets in line to upgrade London TubeA WING of Belfast-based Bombardier has been named as the preferred bidder for the single biggest piece of work to upgrade the London Underground.Related StoriesWallpaper group is 'back on track'Exports hit record high as UK trade deficit fallsStena Line awaits takeover decisionNew flights to the Med from Belfast City AirportIn Pictures: Belfast Telegraph Business Awards 2011
• Stena Line awaits takeover decisionTHE Irish Competition Authority has cleared Stena Line's proposed acquisition of DFDS passenger and freight services and routes between Belfast and Heysham and Belfast and Liverpool. Stena must now await the decision of the UK Competition Commission on the takeover, which is expected by July.
• New flights to the Med from Belfast City Airport bmibaby has unveiled two additional aircraft at Belfast City Airport plus seven new European routes. Related StoriesFactory to shut as BAE axes 230 jobsWallpaper group is 'back on track'Exports hit record high as UK trade deficit fallsStena Line awaits takeover decisionIn Pictures: Belfast Telegraph Business Awards 2011

Birmingham Mail

• New MG6 rolls off Longbridge production line A new MG car has rolled off the production line at Longbridge heralding what the company hopes will be a new era of manufacturing, six years after thousands of jobs were shed when the Birmingham factory closed.

Birmingham Post

• London Midland rail strike called off A rail strike which threatened to cause chaos for people wanting to travel over Easter has been called off after a deal was thrashed out.

Derby Telegraph

• Award for Bombardier after building London's 'coolest ride in town'TUBE trains built in Derby, which have been described by Mayor of London Boris Johnson as
• Airline goes the extra mile to help homeless with massive food giftHOMELESS people in Derby are in for a tasty treat after a donation of food worth £5,000. City charity the Padley Group said it was overwhelmed to get a call from airline BMI Baby saying it wished to give it 13,000 items of food. And the first delivery has been made – a job lot of mushroom stroganoff and thousands of croissants. Julian Carr, managing director at BMI Baby, said:

Edinburgh Evening News

• Trams project will come to nothing, predicts SalmondFIRST Minister Alex Salmond has predicted that the millions of pounds spent on Edinburgh's tram scheme will produce "nothing at all".

London Evening Standard

• Motorists seeing red as yellow box junction rakes in £1 million in finesAngry motorists are putting pressure on Transport for London to revamp a notorious junction after it emerged it had raised more than £1 million in

Manchester Evening News

• 'There's no such thing as a safe x-ray': Hospital radiographer blasts 'naked' body scanners at Manchester AirportHospital radiographer Anthony Hall has spoken out against Manchester Airport™s controversial new body scanners after he was forced to go through them on his way to a holiday in Europe. Mr Hall, 31, of Ancoats, said: œThere™s no such thing as a safe x-ray.
• Bmibaby set to axe services from Manchester AirportA budget airline is pulling out of Manchester Airport - blaming the economic downturn. Bmibaby will axe services to 12 destinations from Manchester at the end of the summer, bosses have confirmed.
• Transport chiefs told to cut cost of bus scheme Transport bosses wanting cash for Manchester™s £54m cross-city bus package have been told to look closely at ways of trimming the costs. Philip Hammond, the transport secretary, said chiefs need to ˜sharpen their pencils™ if they are to win funding from a £630m cash pot.

The York Press

• Rail boss admits train punctuality needs to improve THE boss of York-based rail firm East Coast has admitted she wants its trains to be more punctual as it prepares to launch a new timetable next month.

Wales Online

• Cardiff news: Bmibaby pulling out of Cardiff Airport LOW-cost carrier Bmibaby is pulling out of Cardiff Airport, it has been confirmed.

Yorkshire Post

• Rejoice at plan for high-speed rail link [letter]HOW depressing to read (Yorkshire Post, April 4) letters from no fewer than three people living in Yorkshire that building a high-speed railway link to the North is nonsense.
• Commuters to get more legroom on packed trainsOVERCROWDing on train services into Leeds is to be eased after the Government announced it is to provide an additional 20 carriages at peak times.
• Roads become car parks as 10 million of us set off on the great Easter getawayTHIS Easter is set to be one of the busiest on the roads “for several years”, the AA warned today.
• MG plant gets back into car production after six-year breakA new MG car rolled off the production line at Longbridge yesterday, heralding what the company hopes will be a new era of manufacturing, six years after thousands of jobs were shed when the West Midlands factory closed.

Sunderland Echo

• New port plan gets go-aheadA NEW industrial development to help regenerate the Port of Sunderland has been granted outline planning permission.

Other Regional Press

• Ludlow MP Philip Dunn welcomes £3.6 million to help mend broken roads in Ludlow and south Shropshire A POT of more than £3 million will help to mend the broken roads of Ludlow and south Shropshire.
• 'London Midland Rail excuses pathetic' - Watford MP Richard Harrington A rail company has been branded “pathetic” by Watford MP Richard Harrington, as an ongoing dispute with staff continues to inconvenience travellers.
• High speed rail 'crucial' for Warrington WARRINGTON South MP David Mowat has told a Westminster Hall debate that a new high sped rail link is crucial for the north west, High Speed Rail 2 would link London to Manchester and Leeds and would create an estimated 40,000 jobs in the north.
• Commuters to get both sides of the HS2 debateA RIVAL stall set to point out flaws in the Government’s high speed rail proposals will join representatives for the link when they visit Northampton today to promote HS2.
• HS2 consultation branded ˜a farce™PROTESTERS against HS2 branded a consultation on the high-speed rail link a “farce” when its representatives visited Northampton to promote the controversial plans yesterday.
• Roads minister announces M62 congestion busting plan work to start next autumn HIGHWAYS chiefs have announced the timetable for congestion busting M62 improvement work.
• Arriva appeals for passengers to become 'Ambussadors'Bus users in Bedford are being offered the chance to become one of just 40 Ambussadors across the UK as part of a new official quality control team being launched by bus company Arriva.

Campaign for Better Transport

• A letter from Philip Hammond13 April: The Secretary of Sate for Transport says he welcomes our campaign, and says that disproportionate decisions made by some local authorities are ˜disappointing™. read more

Global Rail News

• Bombardier launches new ˜Learning Centre™ at its site in DerbyBombardier welcomed Frances O™Grady, the Deputy General Secretary of the national Trade Union Congress (TUC) to its site in Derby today to officially open Bombardier™s new ...
• ATOC responds to call for more information for rail passengersIn response to Consumer Focus™s call for more information about train services to be made available to passengers, a spokesperson for ATOC said: œTrain operators recognise ...
• HST re-engine project completedThe project to re-engine Britain™s HST fleet with MTU engines, with the exception of East Midland Trains who opted for VP 185s, as part of a ...
• Games TrainsThe rail industry is limbering up for the 2012 London Olympics with ambitious plans to run extra trains and sell tickets a year in advance. Spectators ...
• New trains for Northern Ireland Railways have arrived at Belfast docksThe first vehicle of a new fleet of trains for Northern Ireland Railways has arrived at Belfast docks from the CAF works in Spain. The 20-strong ...
• Local link planned for HS2: East Midlands will have its own stationTransport Secretary, Philip Hammond, says the East Midlands will have its own station on High Speed Two. Nottingham and Derby would be just minutes away from ...
• Birmingham Airport: There needs to be a ˜step-change™ in rail servicesBirmingham Airport has responded to the Department for Transport™s InterCity West Coast Rail Consultation, which is due to close on 21st April. The Airport says that ...
• ˜Much needed™ extra commuter seats for Leeds are welcomedFollowing today’s announcement by the Department for Transport that Leeds is set to gain 2000 extra seats a day on commuter services, Northern Rail has said ...
• Alstom wins €80m signalling contract for Taichung™s new driverless metroAlstom has been awarded a contract by the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) to supply CBTC signalling systems for the Taichung™s Green Line. The ...
• Angel Trains announces benchmark bond issueAngel Trains Group, through its subsidiary The Great Rolling Stock Company Limited, has issued a £400m long-term amortising bond as part of its debt management programme. ...
• Morgan Sindall secures Crossrail contractMorgan Sindall plc has won the C350 Pudding Mill Lane contract, worth in the region of £50 million, to link the new Crossrail tunnels to the ...

Railnews

• News: East Coast restaurants seem set for a quiet farewell East Coast will abolish its last restaurant cars later next month, ending a tradition on the route which dates back to 1879, but apparently they won’t be greatly missed. The operator’s managing director said very few comments have been received about the change of on-board catering from 22 May, which will see complimentary food served at First Class seats instead.
• News: Network Rail unveils £200m boost for south Wales Network Rail has unveiled a £200 million plan to boost the capacity of lines in south Wales. The upgrade, which is to be complete by 2015, will allow more trains to run through Cardiff. Signalling will also be modernised.
• News: Northern to get Class 322 boost from December Northern has been named by the DfT as the recipient of five Class 322 units due to be cascaded from ScotRail. The units, built by BR for Stansted Express in 1990, are currently in service near Edinburgh. But the DfT is describing them as ’additional’ trains.

Aviation Industry

• Over 25 new arrivals join the Southampton Airport team in 3 monthsIn the first three months of 2011, over 25 local people have joined the team of 1,200 people at Southampton Airport...
• Discover the world with Glasgow AirportAs Scotland™s leading long “ haul airport, Glasgow Airport offers a wide range of worldwide destinations with some 30 airlines serving over 90 destinations.
• British Airways adds capacity on Glasgow - London routesPopular airline increases capacity on Glasgow - London routes by 18%.
• Taxpayer subsidy for Birmingham airportBirmingham airport is the latest recipient of UK government (ie taxpayers’ ) subsidies for aviation. See Birmingham FOE web site.  The spokesperson says:       “The airport claims to be good for the economy but puts its hands into the tax payers™ pockets time and time again. .. The aviation sector pays no tax on its fuel and no VAT on the [...]
• Airlines will keep evolving, execs sayAirport and airline executives from across the country wrapped up a three-day conference Tuesday with a talk about the changing state of the industry.
• Passenger rights under review, EU announcesThe European Commission is to review controversial regulation EU 261, which requires airlines to pay for the care of stranded passengers
• BA's Cityflyer expands from LCYCityflyer has announced plans to increase capacity on its Scottish routes by nearly a quarter

Other News Sources

• Alstom to consolidate India footing, set up rolling stock facility in Tamil NaduLooking to consolidate its footing in the strongly emerging Indian market, Alstom S.A.’s CEO and chairman, Patrick Kron, said the company was looking towards increased demand for nuclear business from India and China.
• Siemens and BMV unveil wireless EV charging station Siemens and BMW have entered the wireless electric vehicle charging market with their version of inductive technology.
• ALM could 'revolutionise' industrial mass productionEADS and GKN have launched a research project to develop additive layer manufacturing for mass-producing aircraft parts.
• Ceramic coatings could protect jet engines from volcanic ashA new class of ceramic coatings could offer jet engines special protection against volcanic ash damage.
• Southampton “ Nuneaton rail freight upgrade complete Bigger freight trains have started full operations between Southampton and the West Midlands following the completion of a multi-million pound rail upgrade. read more
• Single cargo business for BA and Iberia Following the merger of British Airways and Iberia, the cargo operations of both airlines will be run as a single business unit reporting into International Airlines Group (IAG) - the holding company created by the merger.  read more