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

Wednesday, 28 November 2012

BBC News

• Bombardier Belfast welcomes £4.8bn jet deal Bombardier managers in Northern Ireland have welcomed news of the largest business aircraft sale in its history.
• Cycle and walking 'must be norm'Cycling and walking should be the norm for short journeys, experts say.
• Rail commuters face 6% fare riseSome rail commuters in England will face a rise of nearly 6% for their season tickets next year.
• Extra high-speed trains for salesExtra high-speed rail services will operate between Kent and London on Boxing Day to enable shoppers to get to the sales.

Financial Times

• Iberia unions plan strikes to protest cutsIndustrial action by cabin crew, aircraft maintenance and baggage handlers highlight strong opposition to proposed restructuring at lossmaking airline
• Suspended rail official sues DfTThe former banker who was director of commercial and technical services at the transport department, is expected to claim her career has been damaged
• Bombardier lands $7.8bn VistaJet orderThe Canadian group™s aircraft was chosen by the Geneva-based charter business because of its cabin size, range and commonality in the cockpit
• Sir John Armitt to take helm at NatExThe former chair of the Olympic Delivery Authority who oversaw construction of the Olympic Park will join the transport group as its next chairman in January

The Herald

• Concern at lack of taxi cabs for rural disabledWHEELCHAIR users outside major cities are being left stranded because councils have failed to license enough accessible taxis, a leading disability charity has claimed.
• New plan to expand speed limit exemptionsTHE type of emergency services allowed to break the speed limit could be increased.
• Amey fails in bid to halt roads contractsMINISTERS have seen off a legal challenge that saw road maintenance contracts worth up to £700 million put on hold.
• Bus firm in free travel row warnedA BUS company accused of running

The Scotsman

• Train bosses blasted over body on line delay messageSCOTRAIL has sparked a flurry of protests after explaining to passengers that a body on the line was the reason for hold-ups to services on an Edinburgh main line.
• Leap of Raith? Public asked to name bridge THE public will choose a name for the £1.6 billion Forth Replacement Crossing in a two-stage competition launched today, eighteen months after a ministerial U-turn over keeping its current title.

The Telegraph

• Commuters face more steep fare risesRail commuters will be forced to pay up to £300 more for their season tickets in January in a rise that is almost twice the rate of inflation.

Mail Online

• British Airways ends passenger irritation of in-flight movies on planes cut short for landingNo more blank screens on landing: British Airways ends irritation of in-flight movies cut short for landing. Passengers will finish watching films while others disembark.
• Train ticket prices to rise by inflation-busting 6% in New YearRegulated fares, which include season tickets, will rise by an average of 4.2 per cent from January. An annual ticket from Canterbury in Kent to London will be going up from £4,588 to £4,860.

Network Rail

• Network Rail to refresh legal panelNetwork Rail is inviting a selected list of law firms to tender for a place on its legal panel.
• New commercial director of retail for Network RailNetwork Rail has appointed Jonathan Crick to join its property division, as commercial director of retail.

Journal Live

• North East left in the slow lane for spending on transportJUST 6% of Government transport funding is heading to the North, MPs have been told.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail told to reduce platform gaps and improve emergency stop systems after death of Georgia VarleyTRAIN operator Merseyrail has been told to reduce the platform gaps and improve emergency stop systems after the death of teenager Georgia Varley.

Liverpool Post

• More upheaval at Merseytravel as Frank Rogers is appointed new acting chief executiveCRISIS-HIT transport authority Merseytravel has appointed its third chief executive in less than a year.

London Evening Standard

• Rail season tickets to rise by up to 6% in JanuarySome rail season ticket holders will face fare rises of almost 6% in January, it was revealed today.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Brown on-site for bypass™s big day Work on Aberdeen™s long-awaited bypass started yesterday under the watchful eye of Scotland™s transport minister.

The York Press

• Fears traffic ban could be bad for disabled parkers DISABLED residents face parking problems under plans to make city-centre streets in York car-free zones for longer, opposition councillors have claimed.

Wales Online

• Cardiff news: Cardiff could see 20mph speed limit introduced in all residential streetsCardiff transport boss wants the speed limit on all the capital’s residential streets to be slashed to 20mph.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• ˜We want lower fares™ is plea from passengersDisgruntled passengers have called for cheaper fares and increased service reliability to get people back on to the buses.
• Leeds City Station: Row over disabled rail access grows as complaint goes inA row over disabled access to the new £15m new entrance for Leeds city rail station has escalated.

Yorkshire Post

• North ˜needs a big hitter™ to champion transport projectsA LANDMARK report to be published in Leeds this week will call for the construction of a ’Northern Crossrail’ scheme to slash journey times between cities across the North.

Blackpool Gazette

• The next train to Blackpool is... a busTRADERS fear the suspension of train services into Blackpool could hit business in the run-up to Christmas.

Other Regional Press

• Sat navs blamed for lorry jam nightmareVillagers are being driven round the bend by truckers getting stuck in their narrow streets because of sat nav directions.

Global Rail News

• Consultation shows support for rail devolution, DfTA consultation by the Department for Transport (DfT) found that 70 per cent of respondents were in favour of giving local transport authorities more control over rail services in their region. In March, the government launched the consultation ‘Rail decentralisation’ to gauge the level of support for handing more responsibility over rail travel to sub-national [...]
• Model centenary celebration for Grand CentralGrand Central Terminal’s 100th anniversary is the inspiration behind this year’s annual model train show at the New York Transit Museum. This year’s model railway features miniature Metro trains departing Grand Central Terminal (GCT), travelling through New York City, and a surrounding countryside scene. The tribute comes ahead of GCT’s centenary in February 2013. “This [...]
• Network Rail appoints new commercial directorNetwork Rail has appointed a new commercial director to focus on boosting retail revenue at its stations around the UK. Jonathan Crick, who will have overall responsibility for retail when he joins in January, will be in charge of oversees advertising, car parks and other commercial contracts at Network Rail’s 17 managed stations, including King’s [...]
• Former Network Rail boss joins National ExpressFormer Network Rail chief executive and chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority Sir John Armitt has been appointed as the new chairman of National Express. Armitt will replace outgoing John Devaney, who announced that he was stepping down from the role in July. Sir John is currently deputy chairman of Berkeley Group and is a [...]

Railnews

• Civil servant to sue DfT over West Coast fiasco One of the civil servants who was suspended after the West Coast franchise competition was cancelled has started High Court action against the Department for Transport, claiming that her career has been damaged by its actions.

Aviation Industry

• Restructuring at Malaysia Airlines begins to reap dividendsAirline back in the black in Q3

Other News Sources

• Network Rail prepares to revamp legal panel under new general counselNetwork Rail has invited 20 firms including Clifford Chance, Eversheds and Simmons & Simmons to pitch for its external legal panel as the transport infrastructure group’s new general counsel prepares to review its roster of advisers.
• Network Rail prepares to revamp legal panel under new general counselNetwork Rail has invited 20 firms including Clifford Chance, Eversheds and Simmons & Simmons to pitch for its external legal panel as the transport infrastructure group’s new general counsel prepares to review its roster of advisers.
• Network Rail appoints former Stansted Airport director to key retail post UK railway station operator Network Rail has appointed Jonathan Crick as Commercial Director of Retail. Crick currently holds the post of Commercial Director at Stansted Airport, responsible for retail, property and aviation.