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

Friday, 06 February 2009

BBC News

• Station campaign picks up steamA campaign to reopen a railway station on the main west Wales line is picking up steam.
• Highland train line best in worldThe West Highland line has been voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine, Wanderlust.
• Safety barriers jammed 21 timesSafety barriers at level crossings along the new Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine rail link have failed 21 times in the last nine months, it has emerged.
• Rail firm to run 'full service' A rail company says it expects to operate a normal timetable in south-east England despite a warning of more severe weather.

Department for Transport

• Government boost to support new and improved local rail services Passengers in many parts country could benefit from a new approach to Government funding of new local and regional train services Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon announced today
• Access improvements set for hundreds of stations Elderly and disabled passengers will benefit from safer and more accessible railway stations thanks to a multi-million pound Government cash boost, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon announced today.

Financial Times

• UK eyes old-for-new car incentiveMinisters are considering an incentive for drivers to replace old, polluting vehicles with new ones under a scheme to help the beleaguered car sector
• Qantas earnings nosedive by 68%Tthe Australian carrier reported a 68 per cent drop in first half profits as the airline was hit by a downturn in international travel, and volatile currency and oil prices
• Network Rail delays debt planThe company that owns Britain's railways has had to delay plans to raise debt without government help. Network Rail received a poorer-than-expected credit rating and a...

The Guardian

• Lib Dem frontbench owns huge plot of land on Heathrow siteWe know the Liberal Democrats' transport spokeswoman, Susan Kramer, joined ranks with Emma Thompson and Alistair McGowan to join Greenpeace's campaign and buy land at Heathrow (this you remember was one of the attempts to stop the development of the third runway). Now I'm told it wasn't just her; she persuaded the entire Lib Dem frontbench to buy some of the plot of land.
• Services at breaking point as freeze continuesEmergency services and local authorities were stretched to breaking point last night as the heavy snow, icy conditions and lack of gritting salt to treat roads continued to wreak havoc in parts of Britain.
• Two wheels goodA Californian company has unveiled the world's fastest production electric motorbike, the Mission One.Manufactured by San Francisco-based Mission Motors, the bike is capable of 150mph - considerably quicker than the British-designed, pre-production TTX01 bike - and is on sale now to US customers, with deliveries due in 2010.The bike's history has echoes of Tesla Motors' Roadster, the luxury electric sports car that was conceived, designed and built in California with funding from clean technology investors including Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.Mission Motors' founder, Forrest No...

The Herald

• Lerwick Harbour records another strong performanceShetland is reportedly faring better than other parts of the country in the face of international recession, and the performance of its main port seems to bear that out.

The Scotsman

• Concern over workplace parking levyA tax on commuters' parking spaces could cost firms £3.4 billion if it is rolled out nationwide, a business organisation said.
• Ford accused of jobs 'betrayal'The car industry has suffered a double blow as Ford faced the threat of industrial action over plans to axe 850 UK jobs and freeze pay, while new car sales slumped by almost a
• Ministers warned over air travelGovernment departments spent at least £18.5 million on air travel in the last financial year, according to research published.

The Telegraph

• Drivers could be paid to trade in gasguzzlersMotorists could receive up to £2000 from the Government to trade in their old gasguzzling car for a new ecofriendly model.
• Snow Britain: Grit crisis 'putting lives at risk' A national shortage of grit is putting lives at risk on Britain's snow covered roads the country' biggest motoring organisation has warned.
• Workplace parking levy would cost business £3.4 billion says British Chambers of Commerce Charging companies for providing staff with a parking space could cost businesses £3.4 billion it has been claimed.

Times Online

• Road traffic falls for the first time in 30 years Road traffic has fallen for the first time in 30 years after high fuel prices and the recession prompted millions of drivers to leave their cars at home.
• Another day of disruption amid more heavy snow Heavy snow is again being forecast for this morning with warnings that a national shortage of salt will turn many roads into death traps.

Mail Online

• Grit supplies to run out in days: 'Roads are turning into death traps' says AA Motoring organisations warned that the failure to provide enough salt to keep roads ice-free is turning some into 'no-go areas' as 200 motorists were stranded in Devon last night.

Network Rail

• GREEN LIGHT FOR MULTI-BILLION POUND INVESTMENT PROGRAMME AS NETWORK RAIL ACCEPTS REGULATOR'S BUDGET

Birmingham Post

• Hoon says Government committed to London-West Midlands high speed rail linkThe Government is committed to building a high speed rail service between London and the West Midlands by 2020, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon says.

Derby Telegraph

• £1m repair package for roadsCouncillors are driving out plans to improve the county's roads with over £1m being invested in repairs this month.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Commuters hit as length of train is halvedDOZENS of commuters were left stranded at Haymarket station last night after technical problems led First ScotRail to cut half the carriages on a rush-hour train.
• Transport chiefs told it's the end of the line for South SubATTEMPTS to reinstate the South Suburban railway look to have reached a dead end.

Journal Live

• National Express hits back at Branson takeover claimSIR Richard Branson was yesterday accused of "mischief making" by rail operator National Express after suggesting he could take over its East Coast train franchise.

London Evening Standard

• MPs reject call to limit foreign holiday flightsMPs warned today against rationing foreign travel to tackle climate change.
• BA suffers worst winter as City flyers go economyBritish Airways is having its worst-ever winter, losing up to £3million a day - nearly £20million a week - as passengers refuse to pay its high fares to fly first or business class.
• Loophole over road signs lets illegal driving go unpunishedMotoring offences are going unpunished across much of London because of an extraordinary loophole.
• BA set to cut back on soaring costsBritish Airways said it lost £70 million in the first nine months of its financial year as it saw costs rocket to £7 billion.
• Snow havoc returns to roads and we’re running out of gritHeavy snow showers swept across central and southern England again, causing travel disruption and a fourth day of school closures

The York Press

• York rail barrier bid to be changed RAIL bosses have gone back to the drawing board, following a massive public backlash against their plans to install ticket barriers at York Station.
• York residents petition over changes to number 13 bus service NEARLY 200 York residents have backed a campaign against changes to their local bus service.

Wales Online

• First Great Western may avoid further Government punishmentTHERE are no proposals for further sanctions against train firm First Great Western for failing to meet punctuality targets, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon said yesterday.

Carlisle News & Star

• Plan for £40 million Whitehaven bypass Plans are on the cards for a £40 million Whitehaven area bypass to ease A595 congestion.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Up to 100 jobs set to go at portUp to 100 jobs are set to go at a Suffolk port, due to money-saving measures brought on by the recession.

The Economist

• Jaguar Land Rover: Cash-hungryWill anyone feed this eager customer?“I’M NOT a banker,” says David Smith, chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). Yet arguably it is bankerly skills that are most needed to get JLR, Britain’s biggest indigenous carmaker, through the next month or so. Otherwise, the builder of swift Jaguars and go-anywhere four-by-fours could be forced to slash investments and orders from suppliers, driving British car manufacturing to a lingering death. Or so say the pessimists.Last June Ford (which had bought Jaguar in 1990, Land Rover in 2000 and then combined them) sold JLR to T...

Wall Street Journal

• Lack of 'Car Czar' Stalls Progress on BailoutThe delay in naming a

Washington Post

• Auto parts makers see chaos without government aid DETROIT -- Many of the nation's auto parts suppliers are edging close to running out of money, with trade associations saying government loans are needed to keep the U.S. auto industry from falling into chaos.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• German container line ceases tradingA German shipping line has collapsed as a result of the global economic downturn and will cease trading from the end this month.Senator Lines, based in Bremen, has blamed reduced volumes, overcapacity and "unhealthy" competition caused by the "financial and economic crisis" for the decision by its board and management to shut down operations.The carrier said in a statement that there appear to be "no positive signals to be foreseen for 2009" and no improvements in freight rates, resulting in the "painful decision" to cease...

Transport for London

• Extension to route 263 to improve transport links in north LondonLondon Buses will be extending route 263 to Holloway, Nag's Head, on Saturday 7 February 2009, to provide better transport links for bus passengers.

Aviation Industry

• Reclamation project to create a greenway along the former Padiham RailwayWork has started on the £1.22 million scheme to transform Padiham’s derelict railway line into the town’s long-awaited linear park.
• Amadeus to integrate Evolvi for rail bookingsUK rail content is being made available to the corporate travel market through an arrangement by Amadeus. The company is to integrate the Evolvi online booking engine into Amadeus e-Travel Management (AeTM) enabling corporations to book air, hotel, car and rail services without logging into multiple online booking tools.
• US Airways to charge $7 for blanketsIf you want a pillow and blanket in coach on US Airways, it's going to cost you $7. US Airways said Thursday it will begin charging for its
• American adds customer-recognition technology American Airlines says customers who call for flight information will get it faster because of new speech-recognition technology.
• Jan. traffic down 2.2% for DeltaDelta Air Lines today reported a 2.2 percent drop in passenger traffic for January as compared with the same month last year, even as the airline reduced its overall capacity by 1.9 percent - another sign that ...
• Aer Lingus routes face low cost competition easyJet to launch new Gatwick services read more

Other News Sources

• Ministers give new hope for rail linesLong-abandoned rail lines around the district could finally be reopened after the government threw campaigners a surprise lifeline today. Ministers announced a ring-fenced fund to allow local authorities to run new rail services by reinstating mothballed lines, building stations or switching freight lines to passenger travel.
• Siemens awarded major regional infrastructure contractThe Rail Infrastructure business unit of Siemens Mobility has won the contract for delivery of the fixed telecoms infrastructure associated with the Newport Area Signalling Renewal project, part of the wider £400m South Wales resignalling scheme.
• PASSENGERS WILL FACE BUS FARE RISEThe increase, from last Sunday, is the first for 12 months but is much higher than inflation. The Government’s official Consumer Prices Index of inflation is currently 3.1 per cent while the Retail Prices Index inflation figure, which includes mortgages, is only 0.9 per cent.
• Bus route changes win backingCHANGES to bus routes in the centre of Exeter could be introduced in a bid to get reduce traffic congestion.
• Passengers condemn 'filthy' state of busesA BUS company has come under fire for windows so filthy that passengers cannot see their stops. The News has been contacted by several passengers complaining about dirt not being cleaned from the windows of Stagecoach buses in Cambridgeshire.
• Bus drivers 'left idle' after takeoverFormer Preston Bus workers fear their jobs could go after being left "kicking their heels" by new employers Stagecoach.
• Norwich station criticised over securityNorwich Railway station bosses have been ordered to raise their game on security after inspectors uncovered problems during a security spot check.
• Top green advisor slams Department for Transport renewables effortsPorritt warns slow progress on low carbon transport means 45 per cent of electricity mix will have to come from renewables by 2020 to meet EU targets
• Transport project's £100m boostAPPROVAL has been given for the expansion of a massive new transport system in Leeds.
• Passengers warned over bus fare risesBUS users have been told to brace themselves for a round of inflation-busting fare rises. Arriva Yorkshire is putting up the price of its tickets by an average of five per cent from Sunday.
• East Midlands Trains improved timetable sparks best ever punctuality * Passengers benefit as 95% of London trains arrive on time * Punctuality figures for trains on local routes above 90%
• BA set to cut back on soaring costsBritish Airways said it lost £70 million in the first nine months of its financial year as it saw costs rocket to £7 billion.
• Snow storms highlight the need for third Heathrow runway, says ABTAABTA has argued that this week's snow storms have again highlighted the need for a third runway at Heathrow airport. Following...
• Stobart defends site closure decisionStobart Group insists its decision to close a chilled distribution centre in Scunthorpe has nothing to do with the economic downturn and is based on making the business more cost-effective.
• McNaughton to steer High Speed 2Network Rail's chief engineer, Andrew McNaughton, will be seconded to the newly formed High Speed 2 company to lead investigations into new high speed lines from London to Heathrow and north.
• Channel Tunnel repair bill puts sprinklers back on the agendaHeavy costs of repairing fire damage to the Channel Tunnel’s concrete lining have forced Eurotunnel to reconsider the idea of installing sprinklers, the tunnel operator said last week.
• Network Rail put aside £2.6bn to accept 2009-2014 settlementNetwork Rail has abandoned its campaign to secure some £31.1bn to run and imporve the national rail network between 2009 and 2014, and settled for the Office of Rail Regulation's (ORR) figure of £28.5bn.
• Unions urge freeze on rail fares
• Wincanton warns of lower profits than predictedWincanton has braced itself for profits at the lower end of predictions following a slump in construction and home delivery volumes.
• BMW reveals ’eco’ petrol supercarBMW has unveiled plans for an eco supercar. The two-seater BMW Z10 ED will be BMW’s flagship green model featuring hybrid power and BMW’s suite of Efficient Dynamics fuel-saving technologies. Designers of the 400 horsepower supercar are focusing on reduced carbon emissions instead of an electric motor. BMW said new technologies allow petrol engines to run far more [...]
• European Commission Begins Legal Action Against the UK Over Air Pollution FailuresLegal action as UK fails to meet standards on airborne particles.
• Health Pays the Price as London Mayor Abandons 3rd Phase of the Low Emission ZoneThird phase of LEZ to be abandoned due to potential impact on small businesses.
• Ministers warned over air travelMinisters warned over air travel
• Grit required ahead of snowA picture emerges of a gritting crisis, as the second major snowstorm this week brings more school closures and transport chaos. Tom Clarke reports.
• Amadeus sheds light on China Corporate travel expected to grow "exponentially" read more

Other Subscription Services

• Maersk calls for cut in Suez tollsLINE poised to divert more Asia-Europe services around southern Africa due to large cost benefits.