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

Thursday, 28 April 2011

BBC News

• Ryanair's bikini advert banned by ASA A Ryanair advert that promoted tickets to a place in the sun has been banned as the destinations only had temperatures of between 0C and 14C.
• Crossrail brings old tunnel back to lifeA disused tunnel in East London is being brought back to life for Crossrail
• Tube staff vote for strike actionTube drivers vote in favour of strike action in a row over the sacking of two colleagues.
• BP's first quarter profits slipOil giant BP reports a slight fall in first quarter profits as it continues to be affected by the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
• Person at Durham station injured after train defect An investigation is under way after a person at a station platform was hurt when ballast was thrown up as a fast-moving train passed by.

Financial Times

• BAA cuts Heathrow growth forecasHeathrow’s owners have lowered their long-term passenger growth forecasts for Europe’s busiest airport to account for the UK government’s ban on a third runway and the prospect of oil prices staying high for longer.

The Guardian

• How can we clean up London's air? Last week an air quality monitoring station on Marylebone Road gathered unwelcome news about pollution in the capital. The concentration of health-harming PM10 particles Londoners inhale in that part of town had exceeded the legal daily limit for the 36th time in 2011, and so exceeded the number of such infringements allowed under a European Union directive for the entire calendar year.
• National Express gets support in battle against US hedge fund Pirc, Glass Lewis and ISS Governance Services recommend shareholders vote down proposals from Elliott Advisors

The Herald

• Call for tougher eye testing regime for older driversDRIVERS should be made to undergo regular eye tests from the age of 40 as a condition of keeping their licence, the College of Optometrists has argued.

The Independent

• BAA cuts summer traffic forecast BAA yesterday cut its forecasts for Heathrow passenger numbers this summer and said interest costs pushed it deeper into the red in the first three months of this year.

The Scotsman

• Car safety recall 'needs overhaul'The UK's car safety recall system needs a complete overhaul, Which? Car magazine said.

The Telegraph

• Government car safety checks "putting drivers at risk" Which? Car rounded on the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) accusing it of having a far laxer approach to safety than its American counterpart, the National Highway Traffic System Administration (NHTSA).
• National Express wins corporate governance groups' backing National Express has won the support of three corporate governance groups in its bid to persuade shareholders to reject the board shake-up proposed by hedge fund Elliott Advisors.
• New tube strike threatened Commuters in London are facing the threat of another tube strike after members of the RMT union backed a call for a walk out.
• BAA shrugs off Middle East disruption with higher revenues as customers spend more The improving global economy has driven an upturn in fortunes for BAA despite a backlash over its handling of poor winter weather and travel disruption due to unrest in the Middle East.

Press Association

• Car safety recall 'needs overhaul' The UK's car safety recall system needs a complete overhaul, Which? Car magazine said. The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) which administers the system is "a toothless organisation", Which? Car said.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL DISPLAYS IPSWICH CHORD PLANS

Belfast Telegraph

• Rail staff reject five-year pay dealRelated StoriesUK beer sales in downward slideProperty firm buys former tea warehouseWorkers besiege Quinn HQ and call for tycoon's returnCash for homes sales hit record highCorporation tax cut for Northern Ireland is a risk, admits Treasury chief

Journal Live

• Newcastle MP's warning over rail fare hike A HIKE in rail fares likely under Government reforms will have devastating consequences for the North East economy, an MP last night warned.

Liverpool Post

• Easyjet and Ryanair criticised over false claims in adverts EASYJET and Ryanair have been rapped by a watchdog for “misleading” holiday makers in the latest battle of the budget airlines.
• Technology which may lead to Liverpool Coastguard Station closing 'still unknown', MPs told TRANSPORT chiefs planning to axe Liverpool coastguard station are making misleading pledges that “new technology” will save lives, MPs were told yesterday.

London Evening Standard

• Higher fares as Heathrow growth slows The boss of BAA, owner of Heathrow, today downgraded the airport's passenger growth expectations over the next decade and admitted that will push up fares.
• Commuters to suffer as Tube drivers vote for all-out strike in sacked driver rowCommuters face an Underground shutdown after Tube drivers vote to strike in support of two sacked colleagues

Manchester Evening News

• Plane unfair: Furious cabbies could launch legal fight against Manchester Airport parking planPrivate hire companies could launch a legal battle against Manchester Airport after plans to fine anyone collecting passengers from anywhere other than designated drop-off zones were announced. Meet and greet firms and private hire drivers have teamed up to challenge the proposals, warning the move could put them out of business. It is understood they are considering legal action.

Northern Echo

• Firms rush to sign up for "Hitachi day" MORE than 100 firms have registered an interest in carrying out work on a multimillion- pound train assembly project, in only three weeks.

Other Regional Press

• New drivers and vehicle for Ellesmere Port and Neston Community Transport Ltd ELLESMERE Port and Neston Community Transport Ltd expanded its community car scheme yesterday.
• Harrogate and Knaresborough transport exhibitionPeople in Harrogate and Knaresborough are being given the chance to see at first hand a range of transport options being put forward by North Yorkshire County Council.
• UK & World News: Car safety recall 'needs overhaul' The UK's car safety recall system needs a complete overhaul, Which? Car magazine said.
• Stagecoach rapped over safety failuresBus firm Stagecoach has been slated by Scotland™s transport boss after a wheel fell off a vehicle in Glasgow.

Aviation Industry

• Community village green project wins £50,000 airport charity challengeLast year, the Fund announced plans to donate £50,000 to a major community project linked to either education, the environment and employment which would bring a lasting benefit for many people. Panel members, comprising of representatives from the local community, reviewed 25 bids before deciding the Village Green project as their favourite following a vigorous judging process...
• Biggest US airlines have combined 1Q loss over $1BIn this April 20, 2010 file photo, Delta Air Lines jets are... FILE - In this Jan.
• Ryanair rejects ash closure reportA report by Icelandic and Danish scientists has found that the closure of airspace due to the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano was justified

Other News Sources

• 400 companies interested in getting involved in Hitachi IEP More than 700 individuals representing over 400 companies are set to attend the first Open Day event for Hitachi Rail Europe's Intercity Express Programme in the north east in late May, an event organised by County Durham Development Company on behalf of the involved parties.
• Heathrow Airport experiences greater trafficHeathrow Airport performed well in the three months leading up to March 31st 2011, data from the travel hub's owner, BAA, has shown.The facility experienced a growth in traffic, with group passenger traffic increasing by 2.5 per cent to hit 18.7 million.In addition, the travel hub has had its regulatory period extended to March 2014, an extra year.Colin Matthews, chief executive officer at BAA, said: "During the first quarter, Heathrow achieved strong service standards including some of the best statistics for departure punctuality in recent years and passengers continue to compare He...
• Growing pressure to change EU biofuel policyHopes that plants could help Europe wean itself off its dependency on oil have been given a serious dent as the consequences of using land for biofuel become clearer.
• Tracking progressOne year on from the ash crisis, are companies better able to keep track of the whereabouts of their travellers, asks Sara Turner