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

Sunday, 23 August 2009

BBC News

• Boss warns over airport strikesThe chief executive of airport handling firm Swissport says strikes by union members will

The Observer

• Rail firms 'not quoting cheap fares'Train passengers are being given inaccurate fare advice by rail station staff and could be paying more than double the cheapest train fare when buying tickets. A Which? study revealed two-thirds of station clerks failed to quote passengers the cheapest available walk-on fare
• Crossrail delays feared as Conservatives probe funding crisisThe Conservative Party is scrutinising funding plans for Crossrail amid speculation that the £16bn project could be delayed. The shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Philip Hammond, is understood to have concerns over private sector funding of the scheme, which will build a railway line from Heathrow airport to Canary Wharf in London's Docklands and Essex.

Times Online

• Boris Johnson takes to the hydrogen highwayBoris Johnson is to help create Britain’s first “hydrogen highway”, using a scheme to promote zero-emission cars modelled on one introduced in California by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the state’s governor.
• Think tank: Radical departure for Dublin rail planAn Bord Snip Nua has said €55m should be saved by closing about 240km of railway around the country. Irish Rail, however, has different plans. It is seeking to build a €100m office block on top of Tara Street station in central Dublin, in conjunction with a property developer. The problem is, of course, the capital has a glut of post-Celtic tiger office space lying empty and it’s hard to think of any developers with money to invest.
• Inspection had cleared fallen rail bridge A railway bridge on the Dublin-Belfast line that collapsed on Friday evening was inspected by a structural engineer three days earlier after fears that it might have been damaged during the “high-rainfall summer”, Irish Rail admitted.
• The 276mpg car: is it a drive too far? Americans were amused and infuriated by a recent series of mystery television and online ads. “What is 230?” the ads asked, with the “0” in the 230 in the shape of an electric socket.
• Boris Johnson takes to the hydrogen highwayBoris Johnson is to help create Britain™s first œhydrogen highway, using a scheme to promote zero-emission cars modelled on one introduced in California by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the state™s governor.

Reuters News

• AA calls for ban on LONDON (Reuters) -The AA called on Friday for ministers to follow Scotland's lead and outlaw the clamping of cars on private land in England and Wales, after finding the practice of slapping huge fines on drivers has reached

Daily Express

• Donington at end of road?BERNIE ECCLESTONE, the F1 rights owner, has given Donington race track in Leicestershire a deadline of just one month to secure the £80 million it needs to prepare for hosting the Formula One British Grand Prix from 2010, or lose the race to current home Silverstone.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Train operator and cycle firm team up for station deliveriesA TRAIN operator and an Inverness cycle hire firm have linked to help visitors get out and about in the area.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Union accused of ruining thousands of holidaysA union has been accused of ruining thousands of holidays after baggage handlers and other workers at some of Britain's biggest airports, including Stansted, vowed to go o

Forbes

• Honda to unveil electric car in US by 2015Honda Motor Co Ltd plans to develop an electric car to debut in the U.S. market by around 2015 as tighter environmental regulations push demand for zero-emission vehicles, the Nikkei newspaper said on Saturday.

Washington Post

• Flight Delay Predictor Saves Airport Time and Hassle I hate lacking information when I fly, especially about delays. Sometimes, I'll rush to get to the airport on time, only to have a flight delayed at that point. Who cares if you can look up a flight status before getting in a taxi, if the plane gets officially delayed afterwards? FlightCaster preempts this situation by predicting potential delays before the airline makes an announcement.

Railnews

• News: Railway Benefit Fund Celebrates Third Scottish Dinner The Railway Benefit Fund (RBF) is announcing its third annual fundraising Scottish Railway Dinner with guest of honour Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, and after dinner speaker renowned Scottish referee, Willie Young. The event is being held on Friday 28 August, 2009, at the Glasgow Science Centre.

Aviation Industry

• Southwesta s deal came closeIn the airline industry, Atlanta is a world leader by multiple measures. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the world's busiest airport, and Atlanta is home to Delta Air Lines , the world's largest airline through its merger with Northwest.