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

Thursday, 19 March 2009

BBC News

• Tenth anniversary for car shareA pay-as-you-go scheme that gives people the use of a car without having to buy one is 10 years old.
• Money row 'risks plans for Tube'Tube improvements could be scrapped unless a
• AA to seek fuel duty rise delayThe Automobile Association is to meet Treasury ministers to argue that next month's 2p rise in fuel duty should not go ahead.
• New airport 'no Heathrow threat'Air traffic control officials deny suggestions that Heathrow would have to close if a new airport was built in the Thames Estuary.
• Regulator to order airports saleThe Competition Commission is expected to order BAA to sell Stansted and a Scottish airport as well as Gatwick.

Financial Times

• Watchdog to order break-up of BAACompetition Commission expected to force disposal of Stansted and either Edinburgh or Glasgow airports in the most draconian corporate divestment it has demanded
• Shipping body calls for price rises in key laneThe container shipping line grouping has warned of a 'potential catastrophic event' unless prices in a key trade lane rise
• Stagecoach in NY tourism joint ventureUK transport group joins forces with rival CitySightsNY to provide sightseeing tours of the Big Apple, to be called Twin America

The Guardian

• UK road traffic rises 25% in 15 yearsIncreases in traffic have made transport the fastest growing source of domestic UK carbon emissions
• Boris Johnson urged to think again on low emission zoneLondon assembly passes motion calling for mayor to revoke his decision to suspend the next phase of the capital's air pollution reduction scheme
• Steamy pleasuresTrainspotters get a bad press - and now security concerns threaten to drive them to extinction. A worried Stephen Moss revisits his childhood passion
• Ticket barrier myths [letter]So a subsidised crackdown on fare evasion is to be the sole salvation offered to train companies stretched to meet franchise commitments (Report, 16 March). And the government's weapon of choice is the "automatic" ticket barrier, backed by a mythology about the extent and nature of uncollected revenue, and a misplaced belief in their effectiveness at addressing it.

The Herald

• Edinburgh tram project talks to be extendedNegotiations on the stalled Edinburgh tram project are likely to extend into the weekend in a last-ditch bid to avoid going to a formal adjudication.
• Extra train services for east coast this summerTwo extra train services between Edinburgh and Dundee are being introduced this summer as part of a revision of timetables, it was announced yesterday.

The Telegraph

• Investing in trams will fight traffic pollution in cities [letters]London has a model to follow in the Croydon Tramlink. Its customer forecasts have been exceeded and it has increased property values. Transport for London made a good case for the Cross River Tram and a tramway in Oxford Street, but without funding they cannot start.

Times Online

• Michael O'Leary's shadow hangs over sale of Stansted Potential bidders for Stansted are emerging before a decision by the Competition Commission on Thursday that will lead to the break-up of BAA's airport monopoly.

Reuters News

• Airports sale order hits Ferrovial at difficult timeMADRID (Reuters) - Restrictions on the sale of three of Ferrovial's (FER.MC) seven British airports by Britain's competition regulator could mean a lower price for Ferrovial at a difficult time for the Spanish construction firm.
• Ferrovial braced for airports sale orderLONDON (Reuters) - Spain's Ferrovial is expected to be ordered to sell a further two of its seven British airports on Thursday, a move seen by analysts as bad news for the debt-laden infrastructure group.

Mail Online

• Need a lift? Debut flight of first flying car which can go from road to sky at the flick of a switch Need a lift? Debut flight of first flying car which can go from road to sky at the flick of a switch

Transport Briefing

• Transport plans for eco-town eight scrutinised by reportThe government's shortlist of eight eco-towns looks set to be whittled down to six following a study which examines the cost of transport plans for each proposed settlement.
• Agility Trains issues supplier call for Super ExpressAgility Trains - the consortium selected as preferred bidder by the government to deliver a new generation of inter-city trains - is to begin the procurement process by holding a series of supplier events.
• National Express completes East Coast train upgradeTrain operator National Express East Coast has brought its final two High Speed Train power cars back into service following a £27m fleet refurbishment programme.
• Tram bid prioritises New St and Wolverhampton linksPlans for two extensions of the Midland Metro tram line have been included in regional funding advice submitted to the Department for Transport.

Derby Telegraph

• MP slams 'empty promises' of British train contractsPROMISES given by Japanese firm Hitachi to work with UK industry after being awarded a £7.5bn British train-building deal have been branded as "empty" by a Derby MP.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Suitor eyes Capital airportA PROSPECTIVE buyer has emerged for Edinburgh Airport as competition regulators move forward with plans to break up BAA's UK aviation dominance.
• Transport body accused of ignoring new Forth bridge fearsTHE Scottish Government's transport body Transport Scotland has been accused of being "unaccountable, evasive and frequently unresponsive" in its dealings over the new Forth Road Bridge.

Liverpool Echo

• Two-hundred face job cuts at Birkenhead shipbuilder Cammell LairdCAMMELL LAIRD bosses are to lay off up to 200 staff after plans for a four-day week were dropped.

Manchester Evening News

• Tram plan for townCONNECTING Middleton to the Metrolink network could cost upto £80m. Plans are currently being considered to link the town to the tram network by building a new line from Bowker Vale heading through Rhodes and towards the town centre.
• £3bn TIF cash `gone for good'MINISTERS say Greater Manchester cannot bid again for £3bn to improve transport. Both the Chancellor Alistair Darling and Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell have told the M.E.N. the rejection of the congestion charge scheme has permanently pulled the plug on money from the Transport Innovation Fund.
• Train spotter 'terror' rowA TRAINSPOTTER was ordered to stop taking pictures on a station platform because he might pose a `security risk.' Edmund Tan, a retired chartered accountant, was approached by a Virgin Trains worker at Macclesfield. She demanded he put his cameras away. The company says there is a ban on anyone taking pictures or filming at stations without permission because of `security concerns' - which includes fears about possible terrorist attacks.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Partnership scheme could aid firms avoid breaking traffic lawsA SCHEME to help small businesses avoid breaking road traffic laws was launched yesterday in Tayside.
• £7.2million city runway replacement set to beginAberdeen Airport will carry out a multimillion-pound programme of work to resurface the main runway.

The York Press

• Cost of cycle route work at Water End in Clifton, York, soars to £500,000 THE cost of the troubled scheme to build a new cycle route along York™s Water End has soared by almost 70 per cent to more than £500,000.

Washington Post

• Cash-for-Clunkers Could Drive New Sales To put a stop to sliding auto sales that were dragging down Germany's stalwart automakers, the German government offered drivers a few thousand dollars to scrap their old cars and buy new ones. In February, while auto sales fell throughout Europe, German auto sales jumped 21 percent.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Palletline claims northern hub will reduce road milesPalletline is in the process of creating a new northern hub in Trafford Park, Manchester, which is intended to reduce road miles travelled by vehicles collecting and delivering pallets.According to Logistics Manager, the company recently built the 40,000 sq ft distribution centre on the Global Logistics site to support its central hub in the West Midlands and its new London base.Kevin Buchanan, Palletline managing director, commented: "Initial calculations suggest a potential reduction in road miles in the region of 15 per cent, reflecting our continued commitment to a strategy of ope...

Aviation Industry

• 'UK fleet operator picks Icomera for on-board internet'UK fleet operator Eavesway Travel has equipped luxury team coaches for football clubs with Icomera's Moovbox M200 mobile gateway
• CBS trials 'higher visibility' bus adsCBS Outdoor is trialling a new bus ad format that extends above the roof of single-deck buses, which, it is claimed, makes single-deck bus ads more visible.
• On-board Transit Chair for Air, Sea and RailEvac+Chair International Ltd is a UK based company with over 20 years experience in the design and manufacture of patient and passenger transport solutions for persons with mobility impairment.
• FKI Logistex® shows two industry firsts at Passenger Terminal Expo 2009FKI Logistex a leading global supplier of automated material handling systems will be presenting their latest industry-first systems for high-speed automated baggage handling at the Passenger Terminal Expo on 24-26th March 2009 at ExCel, London, UK.

Other News Sources

• Man Utd gets wireless on team coachesWireless provider Icomera has installed wi-fi connectivity on team buses used by the likes of Manchester United and Wigan Athletic.
• Plan to cut East Sussex bus servicesCouncil bosses are proposing to axe bus services across East Sussex to save about £500,000 over six years.
• Expert could be called in to settle tram disputeTram bosses and contractors have just 24 hours to resolve battle or independent expert will be brought in.
• Transport Chiefs Need To Spend A Day At Ely Railway StationONCE again the powers that be have turned down the southern bypass for Ely. Where are our MPs who ought to be pressing for this development?
• 'Cost of mild hybrid technology outweighs benefits'Mild hybrid vehicles - in which the electric motor and battery assist the internal combustion engine - will be dead within years as their technical complexity far outweighs any fuel and emissions savings.
• Eurostar shortlists designers for redesign of train interiorsEurostar is understood to be on the brink of appointing a consultancy to redesign its train interiors, following a six-month tender process.
• Eco-friendly electric scooter turns into a carA new electric scooter converts into a two-seater car if two of the vehicles are placed side by side. The Movito, desiged by Tai Chiem, uses an eco-friendly in-wheel electric motor, and won a top award at the NASA Create the Future Design Contest. An in-wheel motor is lightweight, reducing the energy consumption of the vehicle. It also [...]
• Palletline opens £1.75m Trafford hubPalletised distribution firm Palletline has announced the launch of a new northern hub in Trafford Park. The 40,000 sq ft hub, which cost around £1.75m to build – including £200,000 spent on a new IT system – opened on the site of Global Logistics (UK)’s Trafford Park site last month.

Other Subscription Services

• Maersk seeks further $1bn of cutsGROUP chief executive Nils Andersen says group needs
• Opec oil cuts send VLCC rates plunging to seven-year lowsVERY large crude carrier rates have hit a seven-year low, as demand for tankers is depressed by oil production cuts from Opec.