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

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

BBC News

• New-look Swansea station opened after £7.6m upgrade Swansea's upgraded train station will be more accessible and safer for passengers, the Welsh government has said.
• Parked lorries in Kent 'making lives a misery' Lorry drivers parking in Kent are "making people's lives a misery" due to a lack designated truck stops, a local councillor has said.
• Justine Greening: 'Weymouth will cope with Olympics' [video]The transport secretary has promised that Weymouth will be able to cope with traffic during the Olympics if visitors plan their journeys carefully.
• Saltford railway station receives boost from council Campaigners have welcomed news that councillors are considering spending £100,000 on a business case for reopening Saltford railway station.
• Reality dawns for Olympic motoristsThe reality of transport in the Olympics in dawning, writes BBC London's Tom Edwards.
• Cars urged to miss central LondonMotorists are being urged to avoid central London from the middle of July - two weeks before the Olympics even begin.
• Airbus wing fix could take weeksAirbus has confirmed its flagship A380 planes could be grounded for up to eight weeks if work to repair cracks in their wings is done in one go.
• Qantas surges on defence strategyQantas shares surge after reports the Australian airline has appointed the Macquarie Group to help defend against any takeover bids.

Financial Times

• Jordan picks easyJet as Olympics carrierThe UK airline, the first to sponsor a foreign sports team, will fly its athletes and support staff between Amman and London this summer
• Airlines: wings and a prayerBuying into this sector requires a belief either that consolidation looms or that global growth forecasts are pessimistic
• Flybe losses widen but still beat forecastsRegional airline struggles with sluggish demand and high fuel prices but analysts say it is geared to benefit from any recovery in market
• European airlines™ losses put at $1.1bnIndustry body predicts combined net losses at European air carriers set to be nearly twice as big as expected because of the eurozone crisis
• Eurotunnel to take over SeaFrance vesselsA French court has approved the €65m bid for the three ferries belonging to the operator that collapsed into administration last November

The Guardian

• London to be no-go zone for drivers during Olympic Games Transport chiefs predict serious disruption in centre of city and in areas close to Olympic venues in July

The Telegraph

• Britain must have third runway at Heathrow or face 'withering away' Britain's air connections to the rest of the world could "wither away", aviation's most influential figure has warned. Tony Tyler, director general of the International Air Transport Association, launched an attack on the Government's failure to expand Heathrow.
• UK government is damaging aviation industry, warns BA boss Willie Walsh Willie Walsh, one of the most influential figures in aviation, has accused the Government of doing all it can to damage air travel.
• Airlines urge EU to ditch carbon permit scheme Airlines have appealed to the EU to ditch its aviation carbon trading scheme amid fears that it will trigger a trade war.
• Flybe reveals 'disappointing' fall in profits Flybe, Europe's largest regional airline, posted a steep fall in full-year profits, hit by tough economic conditions in Britain and rising fuel costs.
• China to build 70 new airports in three years China is set to build 70 new airports in three years, the head of the country's civil aviation watchdog said on Monday.
• Qantas chief Alan Joyce blames hedge funds for share collapse Qantas' chief executive has blamed hedge funds for the collapse in the Australian airline's share price that wiped more than $1bn off the company's value.
• European airlines could go out of business, warns economist Brian Pearce European airlines could go out of business because of the continent's economic weakness, the aviation industry's leading economist has warned.

Mail Online

• Airline offers passengers luxury private suites complete with double bed and Italian-stitched armchair... and there's no need to worry about the leg-room!Singapore Airlines is offering private suites on its A380 aircraft but you'll need to be rather wealthy to enjoy the luxury facilities.

Network Rail

• RESTORED DESTINATION STONES UNVEILED AT BLACKFRIARS STATION
• NETWORK RAIL™S NEW NATIONAL CENTRE OPENS FOR BUSINESS IN MILTON KEYNES
• FRESH START FOR SWANSEA STATION

Liverpool Echo

• Wifi could be introduced on Merseyrail network as train bosses look to follow London technologyMERSEYRAIL is investigating introducing wifi for passengers on its trains and at its stations.

Liverpool Post

• Merseyrail consider introducing wifi on trains and stationsMERSEYRAIL is investigating introducing wifi for passengers on its trains and at its stations.

London Evening Standard

• David Cameron ‘will face defections’ if he does U-turn on third Heathrow runway David Cameron was warned today that he faced a major backlash from Tory MPs representing people under Heathrow’s flightpath if he decides to favour a third runway.
• Bus chief™s ˜hypocrisy™ over bonusesLondon™s £234,000-a-year bus chief was today accused of œbarefaced hypocrisy� after he condemned workers for voting for strike action over Olympic Games bonus payments.
• Exclusive: All aboard the gravy train - TfL pays £100,000 to 365 staffA total of 365 Transport for London staff were paid more than £100,000 in the last financial year, the Standard can reveal today.
• London 2012 Olympics: TfL boss wants motorists to steer clear of central London during GamesMotorists should avoid central London from the middle of next month as tens of thousands of officials and athletes begin to arrive for the Olympics, transport chiefs warned today.

Manchester Evening News

• Night noise takes off as Manchester Airport runway to close for repairsThe main runway at Manchester Airport is to shut for four nights for repair work. Runway One will close from 10pm-6am for four nights from tonight  to allow work on the taxiways near the runway to be carried out. Night-time take-offs and landings will be switched to Runway Two but passengers should not be affected.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Cycle event like a well-oiled machineThe first bicycle festival in Inverness was hailed a success by organisers yesterday.

Wales Online

• Brighter and safer station created for rail passengers WHEN Swansea’s High Street Railway Station opened in 1850, Queen Victoria had been reigning for just 12 years and Charles Dickens finished writing David Copperfield.

Yorkshire Post

• Link road for Doncaster airport set for approvalPLANS for a new access road which will finally link Doncaster’s Robin Hood Airport to the motorway network are set to be approved by planners today.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Regional airline Flybe posts £7.1m annual lossREGIONAL airline Flybe admitted today it had slumped to a “disappointing” full-year despite increasing its share of a declining UK passenger market.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Changes to bus service leaves residents angryUPDATED 2.30PM: Changes to a bus service have angered residents in a Stanground street with almost 300 signing a petitiong.

Other Regional Press

• Grow Heathrow members wait to hear eviction fate The Grow Heathrow members will find out whether they will be evicted next week, as the landowners attempt to reclaim their land. Hayes and Harlington MP John McDonnell, a staunch supporter of the project, will be a witness at the hearing.
• Updated: Full steam ahead for EurofunnelA new ferry service is to operate out of Dover after Eurotunnel won its court bid to take over the stricken SeaFrance ships.

Campaign for Better Transport

• We've helped win 30 more green transport projects24 May 2012: Today the Government has announced 30 more projects to be funded by the £560 million Local read more

Global Rail News

• German “ Russian Rail Ferry launchedOn 8th June a regular rail ferry was launched across the Baltic between Sassnitz, Germany and Ust-Luga, Russia. The importance of this route is shown by the attendance of German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, Deutsche Bahn Chairman, Dr Rudiger Grube and Russian Railways President, Vladimir Yakunin at the launch ceremony. Speaking at the ceremony Yakunin said [...]

Railnews

• New Manchester tram route tests begin Test trams are running on another extension of Manchester Metrolink from this week, just as the network prepares to unveil the public service to Oldham.

Aviation Industry

• Private jet firm NetJets to buy up to 275 new Bombardier Challenger jetsPrivate jet company NetJets Inc. signed a deal Monday to buy up to 275 Challenger business jets from Bombardier that could be worth up to US$7.3 billion.
• Air France KLM to trial onboard wifiAirlines to test internet and mobile phone services from next year

Other News Sources

• University has vital role in cutting railway noise A “SILENT” railway developed by scientists at the University of Southampton has been installed in the UK for the first time.