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

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

BBC News

• Transport museum finds new homeA Birmingham transport museum moves to a new home in a former dustcart production line.
• Airline seat firm Contour is soldCwmbran-based airline seat manufacturer Contour Aerospace Ltd is set to be sold to a French rival.
• Glasgow Subway system marks 115th anniversary Glasgow Subway system is celebrating its 115th anniversary. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the third oldest underground metro system in the world after London and Budapest.
• VIDEO: Fare-dodger thrown off train by passengerScotRail say they are investigating after an alleged fare-dodger was removed from a train by a member of the public.
• Bus firm to acquire rivals ArrivaBus firm McGill's is taking over rivals Arriva Scotland West in a deal thought to be worth more than £10m.
• Snow and strong winds hit travelSnow and high winds disrupt road and rail travel across large parts of Scotland.
• US safety panel urges sweeping phone-use ban for drivers States should ban all driver use of mobile phones and portable electronic devices, except in emergencies, a US safety board has said.

Financial Times

• Boeing wins $19bn Southwest orderThe airline is to buy 150 of the manufacturer™s 737 Max, underlining the industry™s growing appetite for aircraft that burn less fuel
• Boost for £500m transport projectsSchemes, likely to be announced as early as Thursday, follow 20 other transport projects announced in last month™s growth review
• Italy gets a look at new high-speed trainThe Italo AGV will travel at up to 300kph, offers WiFi, satellite TV and a cinema carriage, and will compete with the state-owned network
• Go-Ahead lifts profit outlook on passenger growthGroup says revenues increasing on commuter lines as more people shun private cars for trains during off-peak times

The Guardian

• Transport cuts bereft of long-term strategy, says National Audit Office Report warns that Department of Transport sacrificed sustainability in favour of speed when making spending cutbacks

The Herald

• SNP attacked over election delay to ferry service review GOVERNMENT ministers ruled out publishing a long-delayed strategy on Scotland's lifeline ferry services ahead of the Holyrood election in May this year, despite pressure from officials to spell out the Scottish Government's policy.

The Telegraph

• Train operators cashing in on fare rises warns spending watchdogTrain operators' profits are being fattened by the Government’s decision to push up fares, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has said.

Daily Express

• Go-Ahead boost as car drivers jump on boardCHEAP ticket deals are driving people out of their cars and onto buses and trains, paving the way for better-than-expected profits at transport group Go-Ahead.

Mail Online

• Rail passengers may not benefit from higher fares because operators 'will pocket the profits', watchdog warns Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2073899/Rail-passengers-benefit-higher-fares-operators-profits-watchdog-warns.html#ixzz1gUXkRising rail fares may not be used to improve services as the profits may be channelled into train companies instead, a spending watchdog warned today.

The Mirror

• Tory minister Theresa Villiers blames planning problems for Thameslink delays THE Rail Minister has tried to shift blame for a delay in signing the £1.4billion Thameslink deal on to town planners. Critics said Siemens was struggling to raise cash to fund the project because of the eurozone crisis.

Network Rail

• NEW RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS HOW NEW STREET INVESTMENT WILL BOOST BIRMINGHAM™S ECONOMY

Derby Telegraph

• Bombardier campaigners await report over Thameslink rethinkA COMMITTEE of MPs is expected to publish a report this week on whether the Government should review the Thameslink rail deal.

Journal Live

• EU keeping an eye on Port of Tyne and Liverpool rowTHE European Commission has warned the UK Government it may breach state aid rules if ministers agree to let Liverpool take port jobs from Tyneside and elsewhere.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseytravel chief executive Neil Scales leaves for new transport job in Australia MERSEYTRAVEL boss Neil Scales is to leave his job after 15 years for a new transport role in Australia.

Liverpool Post

• New £200m Port of Liverpool road through Rimrose Valley country park is back on agendaBUILDING a new £200m road through a country park to the Port of Liverpool was last night put firmly back on the table – after being shelved two years ago.
• Neil Scales leaves Merseytravel for Translink Australia jobNEIL Scales is to leave his Merseytravel job for a new transport role in as chief executive of Translink in Brisbane, Australia.

Manchester Evening News

• Delight as road protesters win U-turn over Metrolink track in DroylsdenResidents who brought traffic to a standstill with a rush-hour protest are celebrating after plans to introduce a raised tram track were scrapped. As reported in the M.E.N. last week, campaigners in Droylsden were left seething at proposals to introduce a three-inch elevated line in Audenshaw Road.
• Leigh Guided Busway on track as trees face the chop along routeTrees and shrubs will be cut back next month to prepare the route for a controversial £76m busway. The 13-mile Leigh Guided Busway will carry passengers from Leigh to Manchester via Tyldesley, Ellenbrook and Salford. It includes a four-mile section on guided concrete ˜tracks™ along a disused railway that only specially-adapted buses will be able to use “ allowing them to avoid busy traffic.

Yorkshire Post

• Calls for ’sexist’ Ryanair advert to be banned A CAMPAIGN wanting a “sexist” Ryanair advert banned has been backed by more than 5,000 people.
• Call to start building high-speed rail in North as South steams onLABOUR today piles pressure on the Government to start building the high-speed rail network in Yorkshire at the same time as starting construction in London.
• Train fare rises could help boost firms™ profits, not reinvestmentINFLATION-busting train fare rises due to be imposed next month could end up boosting the profits of the rail companies rather than benefiting taxpayers, according the Government spending watchdog.

Global Rail News

• First Great Western awards Wabtec Rail Scotland refurbishment contractWabtec Rail Scotland Limited, the Kilmarnock based division of Wabtec Rail Limited, has been awarded a contract by First Great Western for the refurbishment of 25 ...
• Major redevelopment of Peterborough station announcedA £43m upgrade of Peterborough station heralding longer, more frequent trains, extra platforms and new footbridges and lifts has been announced today by Network Rail. More ...
• Rail fares in 2012 “ What the Government™s decision meansATOC has provided information for rail passengers on the impact of the Government™s decision to change the level of regulated fare rises in 2012: What is ...
• ˜Two million extra seats™ to be provided by Northern Rail‘Two million extra seats are being provided over the next year’ at peak times targeting the busiest Northern Rail services. Northern Rail said: “Since the start ...
• Birmingham™s Cross-City line ˜one of the most accessible in the country™Improvements at Sutton Coldfield station have ensured Birmingham™s Cross-City line remains one of the most accessible rail routes in the country. With its new lifts and ...
• Rail plans for West Wales unveiledA £40m plan to significantly improve the rail infrastructure between Swansea and Gowerton was unveiled yesterday as Network Rail submitted its proposal to Carmarthenshire Council. Backed ...
• British Transport Police help to deliver a ˜peaceful Christmas™British Transport Police (BTP) officers, working in partnership with the train operating companies, will be out in force over the coming weeks to help passengers and ...
• Investigation launched following ScotRail fare-dodger videoA video posted (WARNING: Strong language) onto YouTube named ‘ScotRail No Ticket’ showing a fare-dodger being hauled off a train by another passenger has received over 550,000 views. An ...
• Christmas & New Year services on Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains is reminding passengers to check times and book seats in plenty of time as services around the holiday period on all their routes ‘are ...

Other News Sources

• Made in Britain – What now for Britain’s train manufacturing industry? - Maria Eagle MPRail is thriving in Britain. More people are travelling than at any time since the 1920s with 1.3 billion journeys by train every year, and predictions of a doubling of that figure within thirty years. Increasing capacity and continuing to reduce journey times are now the priority for investment.
• RMT day of action in fight against McNulty Rail ReviewWITH THE Government confirming that its' planned 'Command Paper' in response to the McNulty Review on the future of the railways has been deferred to the New Year, rail union RMT is working with sister trade unions and the wider community to step up the fight against the expected attacks on jobs, services and affordable fares.
• Reading Station short term parking boostTHE opening hours at Reading Station's short term car park have been extended to help minimise disruption of the multi-million redevelopment.