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

Wednesday, 01 December 2010

BBC News

• How to keep Heathrow movingThe BBC's Richard Scott finds out how Heathrow keeps passengers flying when it snows.
• Snow strands Kent rail passengersTrain services have been badly hit by the severe weather with may passengers in Kent stranded overnight
• More chaos as big freeze goes onThe cold spell continues its grip on the UK, causing major road, rail and air disruption and meaning hundreds of schools will remain shut.
• Edinburgh Airport flights resumeEdinburgh Airport reopens after heavy snow which had been disrupting flights is cleared from the runway.
• Strike threat over Christmas payWorkers at Northern Rail are to be balloted for strike action in a dispute over Christmas salaries.
• Snow strikes London rail servicesThousands of rail commuters face severe disruption to their journeys after fresh snowfall overnight.
• Snow takes its toll on businessMany businesses are being affected by poor weather conditions as staff struggle to travel through snow, but working from home may be the answer for some.
• Heathrow's defencesThe equipment that keeps Heathrow Airport moving
• BA boss brushes off strike threatBritish Airways chief executive Willie Walsh brushes off concerns about possible industrial action next month by cabin crew.
• Thomas Cook hit by weak summerTour operator Thomas Cook reports a fall in full-year profits after tough economic conditions hit summer trading.

The Herald

• Shareholders approve deal for BA™s merger with IberiaInvestors in British Airways and Iberia Lineas Aereas de España have approved a merger of the two carriers that will create the world™s third-largest airline by revenue.

The Telegraph

• Fears over loophole in airport security Terrorists, criminals and illegal immigrants arriving at one of Britain's largest airports could slip into the country without having their passport checked, the immigration watchdog has signalled.
• UK snow: Gatwick forced to close as icy conditions take hold Thousands of holidaymakers see plans dashed as weather worsens.

Mail Online

• UK snow: Commuters warned to head home earlyPassengers were stranded on a freezing train overnight as the rail network ground to a halt. More misery was on the cards for commuters today.

The Mirror

• Rail staff vote on Christmas strike Workers at Northern Rail are to be balloted for strike action in a dispute over Christmas pay, it has been announced.
• Wintry weather forces closure of airports and causes chaos on roads Travellers endured more misery today, with the wintry weather wrecking air and rail schedules and causing hazardous driving conditions.

Birmingham Post

• Transport Minister's plea to businesses to support high speed rail link Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has issued a rallying call for the business community to get behind plans for a £17 billion High Speed rail link between London and Birmingham, which he said would do more to tackle the north-south wealth gap than decades of Government intervention.
• No business case for high speed rail link, campaigner tells MPs There is no business or environmental case - and no money - for the Government's HS2 multibillion-pound high-speed rail project linking Birmingham to London, MPs have been told.

Derby Telegraph

• Updated 09:10am : Traffic chaos across Derbyshire due to snowHEAVY overnight snow has caused travel chaos and the closure of more than 200 schools across Derbyshire. Jackknifed lorries on both the north and southbound carriageways of the M1, between Junction 25, at Long Eaton, and Junction 27, at Annesley Woodhouse, have brought traffic in both directions to a standstill, police have said. Traffic on the A38 northbound is delayed for up to an hour with traffic reported as grid-locked from Alfreton to Little Eaton. A tree has come down on the A6 between Cromford and Whatstandwell and a number of vehicles have been come off the road on the A52 between Mac...

Journal Live

• Blizzards cause chaos on North East roads TRAVEL chaos gripped the North East again last night as blizzard conditions saw bus services cancelled and traffic queuing for miles.
• North East in a battle to keep going in blizzards BLIZZARDS took their toll on businesses yesterday as councils and emergency services continued their battle to keep the region moving.

London Evening Standard

• Snow brings misery to commuters with planes and trains closedTravellers endured more misery today, with the wintry weather wrecking air and rail schedules and causing hazardous driving conditions
• Rail staff vote on Christmas strikeWorkers at Northern Rail are to be balloted for strike action in a dispute over Christmas pay, it has been announced.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• LIVE: North East Arctic weather into second week TRAVEL chaos gripped the North East again today as blizzard conditions caused major problems on the roads.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Grit bin stolenA BIN full of grit used to make the roads safe has been stolen from the roadside.
• Snow causes travel snagsPORTSMOUTH woke to snow-covered roads this morning as the Met Office issued a weather warning for the region.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• ˜Near miss™ rail worker fails in bid to get his job backA Highland railway worker who caused a œnear miss between a train and a track-repairing vehicle, and then tried to cover up his mistake, has failed to win his job back.
• Gritting teams praised for their ˜Herculean efforts™The Scottish Government has congratulated the country™s road-clearing crews for their œHerculean efforts during the wintry weather.
• Motorists warned not to travel as snow continues to cause chaosThe wintry conditions continued to cause chaos on Tayside roads yesterday, while schools closed and services were disrupted across the region.

The York Press

• Drivers fall victim to snow on North Yorkshire roads A DRIVER was taken to York Hospital after her car skidded into a ditch near Rufforth Airfield, during recent snow showers.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Rail passengers 'crying out' for information on delaysRail passengers are "crying out" for better information when they are delayed, a case history report by a train travel watchdog showed today.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Gritters prepare for icy roads and school closesA 'snow desk' has been created by Northamptonshire County Council to manage its response to the cold weather and snow.
• Opportunist theftA car was stolen from a drive after the owner left it running to defrost.

Other Regional Press

• Northern Rail workers to be balloted for strike action WORKERS at Northern Rail, which runs trains in the North West, are to be balloted for strike action in a dispute over Christmas pay, it has been announced.
• MP accuses Goverment over rail changesWARRINGTON North MP has accused the Government of increasing rail fares, while reducing the number of new train carriages.
• Eleven more drivers defrosting cars fall victim to thieves in LeicestershireEleven more people have fallen victim to car thieves after leaving vehicles to defrost with their engines running. It brings the total number of thefts, which police believe are the work of professionals, up to 20 across the county in the past six days. Mum-of-two Elizabeth Walsh had her Vauxhall Corsa stolen from the drive of her Melton home on Monday. The 42-year-old had already defrosted the car but went back inside when she realised she had forgotten some papers needed for work. She said:
• Now airports hit as the big chill keeps Britain in its gripThe big chill shows no sign of loosening its grip as Britain is braced for more snow and sub-zero temperatures. Around 15cm of snow is expected on higher grounds with strong 30mph north-easterly winds making the temperatures feel as low as -7C in parts of the country. Schools are expected to remain closed and transport chaos continuing as Friday is the earliest we can hope for some respite. Gatwick Airport was closed today with all departures and arrivals halted until further notice due to the adverse weather conditions. Airport spokeswoman Sarah Baranowski said the runway was closed at 10.30p...
• Christmas warning for drink-drivers WITH the Christmas party season nearly upon us, the Devon Road Safety Partnership is reminding motorists to think about the consequences of drinking and driving.
• ESSEX: Train ticket prices to rise by 5.9% early in new yearCOMMUTERS say they are being
• Widespread icy conditionsSome services suspended and lots of disruptions. Reduced East Coast train service & some Northern services.

Transport for London

• Three-car trains increase capacity on DLR Stratford to Lewisham routeThree-car trains have been launched on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) from Stratford to Lewisham with the extra carriage increasing capacity by 50 per cent for each train during the morning peak.

Other News Sources

• London's Transit Strike Hobbles CommutersBritain's biggest city was plunged into disarray and confusion Monday by a 24-hour strike that slashed service on the famed Tube network, one of the world's biggest and busiest subway systems.
• More winter chaos looms for Britain Heavy snowfall and freezing conditions have caused major disruption across almost all of Britain with a warning of more snow on the way.Related StoriesIcy grip forecast to continueFreezing weather 'will stay for weeks'Snow and ice spread across UKTravel trouble after winter freezeSnow keeps Gatwick and Edinburgh closed
• Lufthansa to operate world’s first passenger biofuel flights Lufthansa is launching the world's first commercial passenger flights using biofuel, in a project backed by the German government.
• Hybrid buses to hit the streetsREADING Buses launches its new fleet of hybrid buses next week.
• Rail-Freight: +16.7% from January to September 2010 A total of 264.2 million tonnes of goods were transported on German railway lines from January to September 2010. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), that was an increase of 16.7% from the corresponding period of 2009. It should be taken into account that the transport volume in the first three quarters of 2009 was characterized by a plunge as a result of the economic crisis: compared with the period from January to September 2008 it went down by fifth (“20.3%).The increase now observed has not been sufficient to reach the peak-level of 2008 with a performance of 284.1 m...
• UK Rail punctuality dips in October London Overground was the most punctual rail operator in the UK during October with 94% of trains on time, according to a report by Network Rail. The monthly train performance report revealed that 18 of the 19 UK operators saw their performance drop compared with the same period last year. Train performance from 17 October to 13 November saw 86.3% of trains arriving on time compared with 90.3% for the same period last year. Southern Rail recorded a performance drop of 6.6%, while Northern Rail and National Express East Anglia saw drops of 5.6% and 5.5%, respectively. In total, ten of the comp...
• Virgin Atlantic Flight DisruptionsThe severe weather conditions in the UK are affecting services to and from a number of UK airports. Currently, London Gatwick airport is closed, Virgin Atlantic have been advised it will reopen at 12:00H (UK Local time), on 1st December 2010. This will delay some Virgin Atlantic flights leaving Gatwick today. Please check Virgin Atlantic Flight [...]
• London Gatwick Airport Snow UpdateDue to the current weather conditions, all departing and arriving flights at Gatwick are severely disrupted. The runway will remain closed for snow clearance until at least 11:00. Passengers should not set out for the airport and should check directly with their airline for the latest information. Follow London Gatwick Airport on Twitter for the latest [...]
• Edinburgh Airport Snow UpdateEdinburgh Airport is closed due to heavy snow showers. We anticipate that the runway will be clear and open at 12 o’clock midday. Please contact your airline for further information.
• London City Airport Snow UpdateThe runway will open as usual at 0630 this morning, but some flights have been cancelled. Affected passengers should contact their airline for more information. Click here for airline contact details.
• London Stansted Airport Snow UpdateStansted Airport is open. For information about a specific flight please contact your airline.
• London Heathrow Airport Snow UpdateLondon Heathrow is currently operating normally. Some airlines are experiencing cancellations and minor delays due to snow at other airports. For information about a specific flight, please contact your airline.
• Newcastle Airport Snow UpdateNewcastle International Airport is open and flights are arriving and departing. Significant snow has resulted in some disruption. Passengers due to travel from the Airport should still arrive as planned but should be prepared for changes to scheduled arrivals and departures. We would recommend you account for the extra time it will take to reach [...]
• Aberdeen Airport Snow UpdateDespite the snow, the Aberdeen Airport is currently open for business. You can stay informed with breaking news updates on our snow-clearing and de-icing operations by following Aberdeen Airport on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/ABZ_Airport).
• Record profits for container shipping linesIf last year™s third quarter reports from the...