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

Wednesday, 05 August 2009

BBC News

• Bus drivers in underwear protest Bus drivers will gather in London later wearing only their underwear to highlight a "huge disparity" in wages they claim is damaging services.
• Bus firm reports operating loss Lothian Buses have blamed rising fuel prices and a reduction in passenger numbers for a huge drop in profits.
• Green failures 'may hit taxpayer' The failure of government departments to cut their carbon emissions could hit taxpayers, MPs have warned.
• Call to end all OAPs' free buses Free bus travel for all pensioners in Wales should be scrapped because of the cost, an advisory group has urged.

Financial Times

• New cars for oldUnless US legislators are planning to subsidise the purchase of cars in perpetuity, this 'cash for clunkers' scheme will only postpone consolidation and job losses in the auto sector

The Guardian

• Can the train take the strain? Andrew Adonis is promoting high-speed rail to cut short-haul flights in the UK, but the environmental case is far from proven
• Airlines dismiss high-speed rail plan to replace short flights Government's aim to progressively replace domestic flights with a 250mph train network condemned as 'insane'
• Make do and mend: how Britain neglected its railways In July 1837 Britain opened an engineering marvel: the world's first, fast intercity railway between London and Birmingham. A century and a half later, the route came to symbolise Britain's disastrous transport planning. Taxpayers spent £9bn upgrading the line, only for trains to run more slowly and less frequently than promised. Figures last week showed that the west coast route is one of the least reliable services in the country.
• Better rail links within UK and to Europe could curb short-haul air travel Short-haul flights are the dominant form of air travel in the UK and are a highly profitable business for low-cost operators such as Ryanair and easyJet. While British Airways is struggling with falling demand for long-haul destinations that pushed it into a record loss of £401m last year, Britain's two largest short-haul carriers are expanding aggressively in Britain and continental Europe.
• High-speed rail network: the finances Proposals for a high-speed rail network have drawn a sceptical response from certain quarters within Whitehall and the rail industry. Doubts centre on the financial burden of building a scheme that, if it ever reaches Scotland, could cost up to £30bn – the most expensive British infrastructure project of modern times.
• Government unveils rail plan to ground short flightsReplacing plane journeys with ultra-fast train services 'manifestly in the public interest', transport secretary saysThe government has made the demise of domestic air travel an explicit policy target for the first time by aiming to replace short-haul flights with a new 250mph high-speed rail network.The transport secretary, Lord Adonis, said switching 46 million domestic air passengers a year to a multibillion-pound north-south rail line was

The Telegraph

• High-speed rail plan 'will progressively replace short-haul flights' Lord Adonis said switching 46 million domestic air passengers a year to a new multi-billion pound north-south rail line was "manifestly in the public interest".
• Toyota delivers cheer to car industry as it forecasts smaller loss Toyota, the world’s biggest carmaker, has scaled back a prediction for the size of its losses this year in a move that will cheer the beleaguered auto industry.
• Car park charges: why Nottingham needs the Workplace Parking Levy During the last 20 years Nottingham City Council has worked with the business community to improve public transport in the city and reduce traffic congestion.
• VAT rise will hit motorists just months after fuel duty increase Cut in VAT will hit motorists months after a 2p fuel duty increase.

Times Online

• End domestic flights and turn to rail, minister saysDomestic air travel should be replaced by high-speed rail, the Transport Secretary declared yesterday.
• End domestic flights and turn to rail, minister saysDomestic air travel should be replaced by high-speed rail, the Transport Secretary declared yesterday.
• Toyota issues upgrade but warns on scheme salesToyota, the world's largest carmaker, has marginally raised its full-year sales forecast but warned that the US government™s œcash for clunkers incentive scheme is artificially inflating global sales of vehicles.

Reuters News

• High-speed rail to replace some flightsLONDON (Reuters) - Britain is aiming to replace short-haul aviation with high-speed rail travel and plans for such a network are well advanced, Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis told the Guardian.

Belfast Telegraph

• Airport chief hits out at tourism think tank A think tank set up to oversee the development of a future strategy for tourism for Northern Ireland has no representatives from key inbound tourism providers. Related StoriesCompany targets China for overseas growthProject to aid land use in poorer countriesCould micro-financing kick-start the economy?Northern Rock makes loss of £724mNorthern Ireland shoppers switch to ‘own brand’ labels in bid to save cash

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham City Council to hand over management of roads to Amey Eight years after the idea was first proposed, Birmingham City Council is ready to hand over the task of improving and managing 1,500 miles of roads and pavements to the private sector.

Derby Telegraph

• Derbyshire' councils face more years out of pocket thanks to bus scheme WITH more than 200,000 of Derbyshire's elderly and disabled getting free bus journeys through the National Travel Card, the scheme's benefits are there to see.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Lothian Buses left running on empty LOTHIAN Buses is running at a loss for the first time in its history as the impact of the tram works and soaring fuel costs saw the company take a £9 million hit.

Liverpool Echo

• Thousands of parking fines could be scrapped after Merseyside woman's landmark “spy camera” legal rulingTHOUSANDS of parking fines could be scrapped after a Merseyside businesswoman won a landmark legal ruling.
• Liverpool John Lennon Airport pilots in laser jet disaster fearsYOBS shining dangerous lasers into the eyes of pilots approaching Liverpool Airport could cause a major disaster, police warned today.

Manchester Evening News

• Taxi protest over bus lanes HUNDREDS of private-hire cabs formed a giant convoy in a bid to persuade the council to let them use bus lanes.
• Trams on track for new stations MANCHESTER is to get two new stops on the tram line to Bury. The stops at Queens Road, Collyhurst, and Abraham Moss, Crumpsall, will cost £4m.
• New hope for 'axed' bypass A CONTROVERSIAL bypass could still go ahead - even though the government has dropped the project.
• New city tram service? PLANS to send Metrolink trams down Cross Street in the heart of Manchester have been sent to government officials for approval.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Would a Tory Government block the tram? THE Conservative Party has refused to guarantee that it would back Nottingham's tram extension if it wins the next general election in 2010.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Sunday ferry passengers find missing linkFerry passengers were shocked to discover there was no bus to take them to the Sabbath-breaking ferry to Stornoway at the weekend.

The York Press

• Cashless taxi card system could help combat token fraud A NEW cashless taxi card system could be introduced for vulnerable people in York, to combat fraud and improve security.
• Ryedale politicians back A64 blackspot safety campaign A CAMPAIGNER who is calling on road chiefs to take urgent steps to improve safety at an accident blackspot on the A64 near Malton has won the support of local politicians.
• Minster Rail Campaign wins new support CAMPAIGNERS who want the historic rail link from York to Hull through Beverley reopened have claimed another victory after they received further support for the cause.

Wales Online

• Made in Wales – interiors of World Cup trainsFOOTBALL fans at next year’s World Cup in South Africa will be transported on ultra-modern trains built with the help of a company based in Newport.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• West York rail delays amount to 600 days PASSENGERS using a Yorkshire train operator's services endured delays equivalent to more than 600 days in a single year.

Yorkshire Post

• £3.4m drive to help link new housing schemesTWO Yorkshire transport projects have been pledged £3.4m by the Government to help link up new housing developments.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Future unsure for road plansA public inquiry into the dualling of a major East Anglian road route remains in the balance after a meeting between highways officials and conservation chiefs.
• More workers vote to join rail strikesNational Express East Anglia faces the threat of widespread disruption after booking clerks voted to join other workers in going on strike in a worsening row over pay and cond

Sunderland Echo

• Is Nissan's electric dream real?A Nissan boss let the cat out of the bag when he revealed its pioneering first electric car will be built on Wearside.

The Shields Gazette

• Metro scooter ban could be liftedA CONTROVERSIAL Metro scooter ban could be lifted by the end of the year, say transport bosses.
• Metro: A new station between Hebburn and Pelaw?BUILDING a new Metro station between Hebburn and Pelaw is one of the key recommendations of a new transport review.

New Scientist

• Bored drivers could get a prod from their carA car's judgement on the driver's levels of alertness could be more reliable than the driver's own perception of it, a study by a car maker shows

Washington Post

• Many 'Clunker' Dumpers Buy Foreign Four of the five top-selling cars in the government's

Other News Sources

• Stobart launches Valencia rail service HAULAGE giant Stobart Group is to offer rail logistics services to the UK from Valencia, Spain, using the Channel Tunnel.
• All change! £223m new rail look DOORS and aisles are wider and the seats are bigger and face inwards. These are new, Tube-style carriages and they are coming to a London Overground station near you.
• Pressure is on to nationalise rail franchise PRESSURE is mounting on ministers to permanently nationalise the troubled East Coast rail franchise. Dozens of MPs have called for services to stay in public hands rather than go through yet another lengthy sale process.
• Hundreds join fight to save Blackburn bus services HUNDREDS of people have signed a petition protesting against plans to cut two bus services.
• Time for change on the buses A BUS operator has announced changes to its network following a mass consultation with passengers. Bosses at Stagecoach say the new network, which follows twelve months of consultations, has been designed with the aim of making bus travel easier.
• Bus firms’ ’third wave’ boost hopes IN the late 1980s, we saw the emergence of thousands of independent bus operators with the de-regulation of the UK bus market.
• Bus drivers scrap polite gesture They are a fine English tradition – a thumbs-up sign that indicates old-fashioned courtesy on the roads. But new West Midlands bus are ditching the yellow and black signs.
• Padiham bus shelter removed by mistake BLUNDERING contractors have left pensioners in Padiham at the mercy of the weather after accidentally removing a well-used bus shelter.
• Station Yard redevelopment plans PLANS are under way of how Newport's Station Yard could be redeveloped.
• Ormskirk's eco-friendly station opens Ormskirk’s eco-friendly station has been officially opened by The Hon Sir William McAlpine, chairman of the Railway Heritage Trust, following a comprehensive £1.8m refurbishment.
• Buckshaw set for railway station after funding boost Buckshaw set for railway station after funding boost
• Bombardier flies Global VisionBombardier successfully completed first flight of a Global Express XRS equipped with the company™s new Global Vision flight deck on 3 August.
• Petrol: £6 per litre by 2040Petrol prices are set to hit $20 per gallon (£3.13 per litre) within a generation, American journalist Chris Steiner has predicted in groundbreaking a new book. Taking into account that we pay higher fuel tax in the UK compared to the US, this is equivalent to £6.21 per litre at current tax rates. In ’$20 per gallon’, [...]