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Friday, 08 February 2013

BBC News

• Repairing the 'M6 of the waterways'More than 80m under Dudley town centre in the West Midlands workmen are repairing part of a Victorian canal tunnel which is in danger of collapse.
• 'Hi Nick (Clegg), it's Boris here'London Mayor Boris Johnson has demanded that Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg gets ministers out of their "posh limos" and onto public transport.
• Labyrinth Tube station art unveiledArtist Mark Wallinger unveils his labyrinth design for artworks to be displayed at every station on the London Underground.
• Plans for cycling 'feast' unveiledThe Olympic Park will be the starting point for a two-day cycling festival, which London Mayor Boris Johnson has called a
• Boeing gets 787 test flight approvalThe US Federal Aviation Administration has granted permission for Boeing to carry out test flights of its 787 Dreamliner planes.

Financial Times

• Safety agency deals blow to BoeingThere has been criticism of the extent to which the hard-pressed FAA relied on tests by Boeing as the basis for its safety certification
• National Express wins German rail contractUK transport group to run two regional rail services in North Rhine-Westphalia for 15 years from late 2015, a rare success in Germany for UK operators
• Safety agency deals blow to BoeingThere has been criticism of the extent to which the hard-pressed FAA relied on tests by Boeing as the basis for its safety certification

The Guardian

• What should German passengers expect from a British operated rail route? With National Express to take over German rail routes, what aspects of the British rail network should German commuters be warned about?
• National Express to run German routes British rail operator secures two contracts worth £1.4bn covering 18 million people in the populous North Rhine-Westphalia region
• Dreamliner tests 'failed to spot battery flaw'US safety investigators are examining battery of a Japan Airlines' 787 that caught fire in Boston last monthThe US's top transportation safety investigator has questioned the

The Herald

• Plan to nationalise public transport I firmly believe that free travel should not only continue on buses in its present form but should also be extended to the railways (Letters, February 4 & 6).
• Free tram travel deal agreedEDINBURGH residents could face an annual £3 million bill to grant elderly and disabled passengers free tram travel.

The Independent

• Oh snow, not again! Stand by for miserable commute to start next week Forecasters are keeping a wary eye on a major weather front crossing the UK over the weekend.Related StoriesNext Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, defends £800,000-a-year pay and perks packageTests reveal Findus frozen beef lasagnes contain 'up to 100 per cent horse meat'Rowan Atkinson crash forces insurers to pay out record £910,000 to repair McLaren supercarTruth about 'bute', the drug at the centre of the Findus lasagne horse meat scandalRow over burial site for Richard III
• 'Hi Nick, it's Boris here' - London Mayor calls Nick Clegg's radio show to demand ministers get out of 'their posh limos' London Mayor Boris Johnson ambushed Nick Clegg's radio show today urging him to get his Cabinet colleagues

The Scotsman

• Free tram travel for the elderlyPENSIONERS and disabled travellers will benefit from free use of the Edinburgh Trams network.

The Telegraph

• National Express plans German invasion UK transport group National Express plans to show the Germans how to run an efficient railway after winning two 15-year contracts to operate commuter services to Cologne and Bonn.

The Mirror

• Mind the gap: Six inches of rail missing on 125mph stretch of trackAccident investigators are so concerned they have taken the unusual step of launching a probe, even though there hasn™t been a crash

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Derbyshire-made Toyotas are most green-friendly cars of allBURNASTON car-maker Toyota has come out top in a survey which lists the manufacturers that make Europe's most environmentally...

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh trams: OAPs travel free after campaignThe Evening News has won a major victory for Edinburgh’s old and disabled folk by ensuring they will be able to use their bus passes on trams for free when it begins operating.
• 2000 apply to be drivers on borders rail linkRAIL bosses have been bombarded with more than 2000 job applications from would-be train drivers – all competing for just 18 posts.

Liverpool Post

• LEP chairman to make economic case to bring HS2 to LiverpoolTHE chairman of Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) plans to put together a detailed economic case to bring Britain’s new high speed railtrack (HS2) into Liverpool city centre.
• Mersey Tunnel tolls to rise by 10p from April 1MERSEY tunnel tolls will rise by 10p to £1.60 for cars from April 1.

London Evening Standard

• Boris bikes operator Serco warned over empty docksThe contractor running the Boris bikes scheme has been threatened with œsignificant fines if it fails to improve the system.

Sheffield Star

• £490,000 cost of changes to Sheffield bus lane signage revealedCHANGES to bus lane signs will cost Sheffield Council £490,000 after a decision to alter their hours.
• Factory to build railway stationA FACTORY near Worksop is to build sections of a new London Crossrail station.
• Sheffield bus fan delighted with Little Nipper IdaBus-crazy Iain Frith has revealed his dedication to the humble mode of transport – spending an astonishing £50,000 buying and restoring more than 20.
• Battle over Sheffield HS2 station costsBATTLE lines have been drawn over who should cover the cost of creating public transport links to Sheffield’s planned new high speed rail station.
• Sheffield bus services mark centenaryCelebrations are taking place to mark a major milestone in the history of Sheffield’s transport system.

Yorkshire Post

• Another 19 buses along in a moment, from Iain™s personal collectionIt may be a fairly humble mode of transport but for Iain Frith buses have been a long-lasting dedication.

Daventry Express

• Electric car charging point could come to townDaventry District Council (DDC) is set to consider whether an electric vehicle charging point should be installed in Daventry’s Lodge Road car park.

Other Regional Press

• Hillingdon to vote on expansion at Heathrow THE borough is to hold its own public vote on the issue of expansion at Heathrow, as the council seeks to mobilise opposition to more runways at the airport.
• Gloucestershire Echo published Lift off for minister's visit to aviation companyBUSINESS Minister Dr Vince Cable met apprentices and graduates when he visited GE Aviation at Bishop's Cleeve yesterday afternoon.
• Gloucestershire Echo published Lift off for minister's visit to aviation companyBUSINESS Minister Dr Vince Cable met apprentices and graduates when he visited GE Aviation at Bishop's Cleeve yesterday afternoon.
• PM rules out speeding up aviation reviewThe Prime Minister has ruled out bringing forward a major review of aviation that will recommend where airports in the south east could be built.

Global Rail News

• Bidding opens to replace ageing Chicago metro trainsThe Chicago Transit Authority has invited bids to supply the city’s next generation of metro cars. The new 7000 series trains will replace the ageing 2200 and 2400 stock, which are 40 and 34 years old respectively. The project, if all options are exercised, would provide CTA with up to 846 new rail cars and [...]
• India clears new broad gauge lineThe Indian government™s cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) has approved the construction of a new 120 km broad gauge line between Gevra Road and Pendra Road in the South East Central Railway (SECR) zone. œThe line will be funded through a joint venture firms, consisting of IRCON International Ltd, a railway public sector company, [...]
• Five-car trains to be on all Overground routes by 2015Transport for London (TfL) has outlined its plans to introduce five-car trains on all London Overground routes by 2015. The £320m programme includes the construction of longer platforms and the delivery of an extra 57 carriages to augment the new fleet of 57 Bombardier Class 378 Capitalstar trains. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: [...]
• Gold Coast light rail project restartsConstruction of a new light rail system in Australia’s Gold Coast is set to continue following a six-week break to appease city traders. GoldLinQ has begun work on the Surfers Paradise Boulevard section of the line after rescheduling its programme of works to reduce disruption to the popular tourist spot over the Christmas and new [...]
• National Express to operate German commuter servicesC2c operator National Express has been awarded two 15-year regional commuter rail contracts in Germany. German authorities yesterday (February 6) confirmed plans to hand the two contracts, which serve the cities of Cologne and Bonn in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, to the UK operator. The contracts, which are worth around 1.6 billion euros, are for [...]
• Video: Launch of Crossrail™s TBM SophiaSophia, Crossrail™s fifth tunnelling machine, began her journey from Plumstead to North Woolwich earlier this year as part of the construction of a tunnel under the River Thames.
• São Paulo metro contract for AlstomAlstom has won a 20 million euro contract to install auxiliary systems on São Paulo’s Line 5 extension. Line 5, which has been in service since 2002, has six stations linking Capao Redondo to Largo Treze and serves more than 22 thousand passengers per hour. The extension will allow passengers to connect to Line 1 [...]
• Swiss role for c2cTop performer, c2c, has been named again as the most punctual train company in Britain over the past year. Results show that over the past year 97.3% of c2c trains were on time. This is well ahead of the national average of 91.5%. Almost as good as Swiss Railways managed, 96.6%. Says c2c managing director, [...]
• (New) product acceptanceProduct acceptance and technology introduction are terms that most people in the rail industry have heard, and on which they quite probably have a strong opinion. Engineers and project managers, contractors and suppliers, they will all inevitably have come across the ‘stumbling block’ that is Product Acceptance. There is no doubt that Network Rail’s product [...]

London TravelWatch

• London TravelWatch Consumer Affairs meeting 12 February 2013London TravelWatch's next public meeting will be its Consumer Affairs meeting on Tuesday 12 2013 at Dexter House, 2 Royal Mint Court, London, EC3N 4QN.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Televic Rail Participates in Design of the Train of the Future Televic Rail passenger information screens are currently on display in a mock-up train presented by Eversholt Rail in association with Atlantic Design.
• Metrolink to secure funds for low-emission Tier 4 locomotives Metrolink in Southern California, US, will receive $34.66m from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) as part of the Carl Moyer Program to purchase up to 20 new low-emission Tier-4 locomotives.
• Colas Rail consortium secures Tunis high-speed rail deal European rail infrastructure services company Colas Rail, in a consortium with Siemens and Tunisian firm Somatra-Get, has won a €145m contract to build the first two lines (D and E) on the RFR high-speed railway network in Tunis, Tunisia.
• On and Off-board Passenger information and Digital Signage Delivering the relevant information to passengers at the right time, in the right format, is the purpose of LiveCom, Televic Rail's latest generation of information management systems. LiveCom integrates all aspects of on- and off-board passenger inf¦

Railnews

• TfL approves Overground five-car plan London Overground is to have its fleet enlarged after Transport for London approved a £320 million scheme for five-car trains in accordance with its current Business Plan. The first longer trains are due to enter service on the East London Line by December 2014, with all other routes gaining five-car units within the following 12 months. A Bombardier spokesman confirmed that talks would now take place with a view to reaching commercial close.

Other News Sources

• Minister backs multi-million pound plan to revamp Castle Street in Hull MULTI-MILLION pound plans to improve Castle Street have won support from the Transport Secretary.
• Twenty four hours to comment on key tests that a mega hub airport must pass 7 February 2013 Only twenty-four hours remain for Londoners to comment on draft criteria that the Mayor believes would provide the fairest possible evaluation of the increasing number of plans proposed to solve the desperate need for more aviation capacity in the southeast. Londoners and members of the aviation, business and political communities are being asked what they think about the new criteria. No read more
• News from Darren Johnson AM: Heathrow trial a ˜nightmare™ for SE4 residents 7 February 2013 The Mayor of London has responded to concerns raised by Darren Johnson AM on behalf of residents of south east London whose daily lives and sleep patterns are being disrupted by excess aircraft noise. The disturbance is being caused by additional aircraft movements in the skies over Lewisham and Greenwich as part of a trial being run by Heathrow airport. Darren Johnson AM commented: heathrow, noise, environment ...
• News from Jenny Jones AM: TfL release new data on exemptions to black cab 15 year age limit 7 February 2013 Information obtained from TfL by Jenny Jones AM reveals that 146 black cabs have been granted an exemption from the 15 year age limit on taxis. The exemptions were granted for the following reasons: TfL, black cab, taxi, pollution No read more

Other Subscription Services

• One day sees two major incidents on Metrolink A woman has been killed near the Failsworth stop on the Manchester Metrolink system.The incident occurred on Wednesday (6 February) shortly after 2230 when the woman was struck by a tram around 100...
• First seeks £80m of bus disposals in two months First Group has claimed that it could yet meet its target of raising £100m from bus business sales during 2012/13 despite the deadline being less than two months away. Achieving this would require ...
• Multi-billion CP5 rail frameworks up for grabs Network Rail has invited expressions of interest for places on its new southern multifunctional framework, a workstream offering contracts worth up to £800m in total between April 2014 and 2019.The...