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

Friday, 13 March 2009

BBC News

• Campaigners lose airport battleCampaigners have lost their legal battle to block the expansion of Stansted Airport in Essex.
• 'High risk' of plane fault repeatExperts have warned there is a "high probability" that a fault which caused a British Airways jet to crash-land at Heathrow could hit other Boeing 777s.
• How did the Briton cross the road?The green man, an icon for pedestrians across the UK, could be joined by a countdown clock as part of London's plans to ease traffic flow. But from Cairo to Chicago, how people cross the road speaks volumes about a country's cultural values.
• Minister to raise post bus fearsEnterprise Minister Jim Mather said he would raise the issue following a request for support from Highlands Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Stone.
• Canal takes freight off roads [video]Engineers working on the MediaCity development in Salford Quays have been using the Manchester Ship Canal to transport freight.
• Bank 'is puzzled' by Mandelson The Bank of England says it is "puzzled" by Lord Mandelson's comments about the car financing scheme.
• BMW's profits tumble nearly 90%BMW's profits dropped nearly 90% to 330m euros last year, as the global economy weakened and cut demand for luxury cars.
• GM 'does not need March funding'US carmaker General Motors says it will not need the $2bn it had previously requested for March from the government.

Financial Times

• Transport: Failure of reform package leaves challenges to tackleGreater Manchester’s transport system looks very different depending on the observer’s vantage point. From the other side of the Pennines, the picture looks rosy. Business leaders in Leeds and Sheffield can only envy Manchester’s airport, the UK’s busiest outside south-east England, its three fast trains an hour to London and its growing tram network.
• Supply problems delay rail fleet deliveryCommuters on London's Thameslink route could face delays and cancellations as First Capital Connect, the operator of the revised service, has so far received only one of 23 expected trains

The Guardian

• Mandelson rebuked over car industrySimmering tension between the government and the Bank of England flared into the open when the central bank delivered a public rebuke to Lord Mandelson, the business secretary.In a highly unusual move, the Bank issued a statement saying it was

The Telegraph

• Motorway lighting to be cut despite risk of more accidentsLighting will be turned off late at night on hundreds of miles of motorway despite an admission from the Highways Agency that a small increase in crashes is the likely result.
• Virgin to take on BA in EuropeVirgin Atlantic is to challenge British Airways by starting short-haul flights to Europe, a spokesman for the airline said this week.
• Lord Mandelson clashes with Bank of England over car industry bailout Lord Mandelson has clashed with the Bank of England over who is to blame for the failure to offer Governmentbanked credit to struggling car manufacturers and other businesses.
• Investigators into British Airways Heathrow crash landing urge probe into ice in fuel Accident investigators have called for an urgent inquiry into how ice builds up in aviation fuel in a report into the crash landing of a British Airways plane at Heathrow last year.
• 100ml liquid limit for airline passengers set to be lifted due to new technologyTrials of a new generation of scanners are due to take place at a number of airports across the EU next year.

Times Online

• Motorway lighting to be cut despite risk of more accidents Lighting will be turned off late at night on hundreds of miles of motorway despite an admission from the Highways Agency that a small increase in crashes is the likely result.
• Lord Mandelson and Bank of England clash over consumer credit shortage The car industry lined up with Lord Mandelson against the Bank of England last night as tensions erupted over the failure to agree a main scheme to free up credit for buyers.

Reuters News

• US commuter trains need repairs, money-Sec. LaHoodWASHINGTON, - U.S. commuter trains are in bad shape and, even though more money is flowing into public transportation, they are not receiving enough funding to make needed upgrades, the nation's transportation secretary told Congress on Thursday.

Mail Online

• No more car scuffs: The plastic that repairs itself in the sun in 30 minutes No more car scuffs: The plastic that repairs itself in the sun in 30 minutes
• Jobs alert at troubled bmi as annual losses jump to £100mTroubled airline bmi put its workforce on jobs alert after warning it is seeking to cut £45million from its overheads this year, as it posted an annual loss of almost £100million.

Derby Telegraph

• I am humbled by our workers for accepting pay cut to help ToyotaA TOYOTA boss says he is humbled by the commitment of staff at its Derbyshire factory who have accepted a pay cut. Marvin Cooke, production operations director at Burnaston, was speaking yesterday just 24 hours after the measure – which affects all 3,900 staff – was announced.
• Government should be looking after skilled workforce, says ex-Bombardier bossTHE former boss of Bombardier in Derby has expressed his disappointment at the decision not to name the company as the preferred bidder for a UK rail contract.
• Airline BMI makes £100m lossCASTLE Donington airline BMI has reported losses of almost £100m blaming the overall slump in the industry, higher fuel prices and increases in airport charges.

Journal Live

• City leaders demand improved transport links to regionCITY leaders have written to the Government demanding the region’s ports, roads and airports are included in a nationwide economic masterplan. Experts at the Department of Transport have been told that a draft plan looking at the Government’s funding priorities after 2014 overlooks almost all the region’s main assets.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Group has plan to increase use of west Highland rail linesA railway pressure group has unveiled a plan to increase use of the West Highland Lines – recently voted the world’s top rail journey – and boost the region’s tourism industry.
• Concerns voiced over speed limitA group of Aberdeenshire councillors have written to Grampian Police and Aberdeen City Council about the speed limit on a stretch of road which was the scene of an accident which left two pensioners dead.

The York Press

• Bishopthorpe bypass bid fury TRANSPORT officials have rejected calls for a new village bypass south of York, saying the £6.1 million cost would outweigh the benefits.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Angry Leeds passengers confront bus bossesANGRY Leeds residents are to have their say after confronting bus bosses over planned cuts to services.
• Hoon 'attracted' to Leeds high speed rail linkTRANSPORT Secretary Geoff Hoon has said he is "very attracted" to the idea of a high-speed rail link to Leeds. His comments to MPs in the Commons came as political pressure mounts on the Government to be more ambitious with its high-speed rail plans for TGV-style 200mph trains.

Blackpool Gazette

• Blue Route given county hall backingCOUNTY Hall bosses have thrown their weight behind a new transport route to ease traffic on a busy Fylde road.

New Scientist

• 'Nanoball' batteries could recharge car in minutesUS researchers have revealed an experimental battery that charges about 100 times as fast as normal lithium ion batteries – the breakthrough could be a boost for green transport
• Crab chemical could give cars a self-healing 'shell'A new kind of polyurethane is able to heal scratches to its surface when exposed to sunlight and could be used to make self-healing paint

Washington Post

• GM says it doesn't need $2B from gov't in March DETROIT -- It's not as good as black ink, but General Motors' news that it doesn't need government loan money this month is a sign that it is finally starting to bring its gargantuan expenses under control.

Railnews

• News: ’Give money to rail apprentices, not training companies’ — Pete Waterman PETE Waterman — pop music impresario and railway entrepreneur — has made an impassioned plea for the Government to make money available directly to apprentices rather than to ’a myriad’ of training companies.

Transport for London

• TfL launches new London Coach Parking Map for 2009Transport for London (TfL) today launched a new Coach Map for 2009 to help coach drivers and operators get around London with ease.
• Consultation begins on London Permit Scheme aimed at smoothing traffic flowCoordinated street works, and an end to unnecessary disruption, move a step closer.

Aviation Industry

• ARRIVA BUS BRAND SPORTS NEW LOOK BY COGENTTransport operator Arriva has a new look to its UK bus brand after commisioning Cogent Elliott to devise a new creative approach to all its marketing materials.

Other News Sources

• M5 lights switch off delights villagersVILLAGERS living in the shadow of the M5 near Exeter say they will be glad when the lights go out. The Highways Agency is planning to switch off the lights along the elevated section of the motorway to cut the network's carbon footprint.
• December hope for capital rail serviceA new direct Walsall to London rail service could be on track by December after a formal proposal was submitted by Virgin Trains.
• New cycle route after multi-million pound boostGreen transport in the district has got a multi-million pound boost after Kent County Council agreed to extend the Whitstable to Canterbury cycle route.
• Why aren't women riding more?Women are still lagging behind men in their willingness to get on two wheels, research by sustainable transport charity Sustrans has found. Many lack the confidence to take on the dangers, perceived or otherwise, that cycling involves.
• Hoon banned from tram and parking levy decisionsTHE final decision on two new tram lines for Nottingham will be made by a junior transport minister. Paul Clark will also rule on whether a workplace parking levy will be approved for the city.
• Ricoh rail link back on trackA LONG-AWAITED new train service linking Coventry with south and north Warwickshire and stopping at a new Ricoh Arena station is expected to be fast-tracked after winning crucial government backing. The scheme would create a new platform at Coventry station, next to Central Six retail park, large enough for six carriage trains.
• Councillors welcome Bradford-Leeds corridor plansA new rail station and a revamp of road junctions are measures being considered for the nine-mile corridor between Bradford and Leeds city centres.
• Walsden 'stop' call by rail groupWALSDEN Rail Action Group (WRAG) has raised concerns with Metro and Northern Rail about passengers waiting up to an hour for a train to stop at Walsden.
• Funding boost for new Bromsgrove railway stationWORCESTERSHIRE is one step closer to receiving £10 million after approval was given for the West Midlands Regional Funding Advice by the Joint Strategy & Investment Board.
• Metro key to create 5,300 jobsThe expansion of the Midland Metro would create up to 5,300 new jobs and boost the region’s economy by an extra £178 million a year, according to council leaders.
• New era for operation of Rochdale CanalA NEW organisation is being formed to help operate the Rochdale Canal.
• The re-opening of a rail facility in Bootle will take as many as 50,000 wagons off the busy Dunnings Bridge Road, experts believeIt will allow freight from the docks to be moved by rail instead of by road, creating hundreds of new jobs in the process.
• Rail enthusiasts in plea to council bossesPressure is mounting for County Hall to help fund a link-up between a Norfolk steam railway and a commuter line to boost tourism.
• 300 sign petition to battle A13 bus lanes plansThe proposal is part of Essex County Council’s £6million scheme to cut congestion along the A13 in Castle Point and improve the reliability of buses from Basildon to Southend.
• WORKINGTON BUS STATION WILL STAY OPENWORKINGTON’S Murray Road bus station will not close, after public opposition to plans to move it to the railway station.
• Warning over fault on several jetsAir accident investigators in the US have warned there is a
• Bank scolds Mandelson in car loans rowThe Bank of England has rebuked Lord Mandelson saying he was talking nonsense when he criticised it for not doing enough for the car industry
• Commission under fire as it seeks to protect airlinesThe European Commission has proposed to temporarily freeze its rules on airlines' slot rights in an attempt to help the sector through the economic slowdown. But the move was heavily criticised by low-cost airlines, which argue the measure is not meant to protect the industry but help
• Parliament votes for green road tolls for trucksAmid opposition from centre-right MEPs, the European Parliament yesterday (11 March) backed the EU executive in its call to allow national governments to charge heavy goods vehicles for the noise they make and the environmental pollution and congestion they cause.
• 'Self-healing' car paint developed'Self-healing' car paint developed

News from Europe

• Biodiesel firm calls on minister to boost used oil collectionsBiodiesel producer Argent Energy has urged the Scottish government to do more to help local authorities collect used cooking oil and turn it into renewable fuel for transport.
• Rail Europe adds Bill Me Later as online payment method for rail products purchasesEuropean rail travel operator Rail Europe teams up with digital payments company Bill Me Later. Under the terms of the deal, Rail Europe customers can purchase rail products online select Bill Me Later as a payment option.
• Fleet Test for the New Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid BusStuttgart – Buses made by Mercedes-Benz are headed straight for a clean future: This June, Mercedes-Benz Buses will present the new Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid model, the brand’s first fuel-cell hybrid bus.
• Mixed reaction to EU-wide lorry charging planMEPs have endorsed possible plans to charge road freight transport for its 'negative' impact on the environment.
• EU may end airline carry-on liquids limitNEW YORK, A planned end to liquid carry-on limits from European airports won't be matched by the United States, a U.S. transportation security spokesman said Thursday.
• “Efficiency more important than ever”The air transport industry has faced a considerable decline in passenger numbers due to the worldwide economic downturn. “In such times, efficient and economical behaviour is more important than ever – also in air navigation service provision”, states Stefan Lentz, head of commercial business at DFS, the German air navigation service provider (ANSP).