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

Wednesday, 24 August 2011

BBC News

• London mayor criticised for 'breaking Jubilee Tube promises' London Mayor Boris Johnson has come under fire after it emerged that there would be further weekend Jubilee Line closures in the autumn.
• Is 'lane rental' the way to solve congestion in London? After persuasion from Boris Johnson, the government is considering plans to charge utility companies to dig up roads during the rush hour
• TransPennine rail union strike begins The first of two 24-hour strikes on First TransPennine Express (FTPE) trains has now started after talks broke down.
• Shropshire railway line to become footpath A disused stretch of railway line between the Shropshire and Staffordshire border is to be turned into a cycleway and footpath.
• Toyota-Ford in hybrid SUVs dealCarmakers Toyota and Ford sign an agreement to work together on developing a new hybrid system for SUVs and light trucks.
• Saab workers' August pay in doubtCash-strapped Swedish carmaker Saab says it may not have the funds to pay its employees' wages on time in August.
• Qantas profit up as rumours swirlAustralian carrier Qantas Airways says annual profits double as speculation swirls it is a possible takeover target.
• BYD shares slump on poor profitsShares of BYD, the Chinese carmaker backed by Warren Buffett, are extending losses following poor earning results.

Financial Times

• Cosco warned of worldwide ship seizuresOne of Greece's highest-profile shipowners threatens to seize back ships leased to China's biggest shipping company, after it halted payments on high-priced charter contracts

The Telegraph

• Do we need speed cameras? New data released by the government shows many speed cameras are simply being used to raise cash and do not reduce accidents or save lives.

Mail Online

• Speed cameras 'do not cut accidents'... they create them, study finds Many speed cameras have not cut accident rates and may even have increased them, figures reveal for the first time today.

The Mirror

• Vince Cable: Bombardier U-turn would make us look bad THE Government has admitted it is more interested in saving face than saving Britain’s last train maker, Bombardier.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Bumper season for Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways TWO narrow gauge railways are having a bumper summer with passenger numbers significantly higher than last year.
• Police clampdown on speeders on A55, A470 and A483 MOTORISTS speeding on three of the most dangerous roads in North Wales are being targeted by police this week.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram bosses scour Europe to find new home for carriagesCity chiefs have launched a desperate Europe-wide hunt to find a buyer for Edinburgh's unwanted trams.

Journal Live

• North Tyneside children use their heads to find new transport methods CHILDREN have celebrated the success of a new project that saw them "thinking green" when travelling to and from their North Tyneside school.

Liverpool Post

• Lime Street station services will be hit by train strike A TRAIN drivers strike will go ahead today – hitting services from Liverpool to Manchester, Leeds and as far as Scarborough.
• Taxpayers help to pay for Merseytravel chairman Mark Dowd’s legal action against fellow councillor MERSEYTRAVEL chairman Mark Dowd is suing a fellow member of the transport authority for defamation – and the taxpayer is helping to pay his legal bill.

Manchester Evening News

• Teacher at Denton primary school spared jail over child porn after court told he was victim of sex abuseMatthew Scott Catherall, 39, had been downloading child porn since his teenage years after being sexually molested by a family member when he was a boy, Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, heard.
• Call for tougher taxi training as tech-savvy cabbies rely on sat navsCouncil officers believe that once they have undertaken the ˜knowledge™ “ the rigorous industry test that makes sure cabbies know their way around Manchester “ they no longer pay attention to learning the city™s layout. A new report due to go before council bosses says some drivers cannot even find Manchester™s most iconic locations.
• Commuters face rail disruption as First TransPennine Express workers stage 24-hour strikeStaff at the firm were due to stage the walkout in a row over pay, with a further strike planned for Friday. Bosses said it meant they would have to operate reduced services, with fewer trains serving the region.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post commented Big rise in rail journeys over past 15 yearsArticle
• bjmann commented £435.7m loan for new tram linesArticle

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Air links vital for future “ NestransA north-east transport group will urge the Department for Transport to reconsider its œone size fits all approach when evaluating how accessible London is from other parts of the country.

The York Press

• Rail firm makes loss of £8.5m YORK train operator Grand Central has sought to reassure passengers after new figures revealed it made a loss of almost £8.5 million in the year to March 31.

Yorkshire Post

• Gas leak under main road set to disrupt city commuters™ journeysSIGNIFICANT disruption on one of York’s main arteries is expected over the coming days, as engineers battle to contain an underground gas leak.

Other Regional Press

• Campaigners want new railway station back on line CAMPAIGNERS are banding together in a bid to get a new city railway station back on track.
• Hopes raised that new city rail station plan is on track Hopes for a new railway station in Cambridge have received a boost after the Government’s Rail Minister announced she will visit the city to discuss the campaign.
• Train giant app-eals to smartphone travellersEurostar has launched an app that turns your phone into a ticket!

Wall Street Journal

• Fight To Save Bombardier's U.K. Rail Plant Not Over - Derby MP TORONTO (Dow Jones)-The fight to save Bombardier Inc.'s (BBD.B.T) Derby train factory, the U.K.'s only train-manufacturing facility, isn't over yet, even though U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron refuses to reopen the bidding process for the GBP1.4 billion (US$2.3 billion) Thameslink commuter rail contract, a Derby Member of Parliament said.

Bus and Coach.com

• PTEG forecasts bus cuts and fares risesBetween 2009 and 2014 bus fares in England™s six biggest urban areas outside London will have increased by 24 per cent while passenger numbers will have fallen by 20 per cent, according to the worst-case scenario in the latest research from PTEG, the Passenger Transport Executive Group.
• Revised Wrightbus hybrids ready to rollThe first new Wrightbus vehicles to be fitted with the latest version of the company™s hybrid drive are about to be delivered to Go-Ahead in London.
• Metroline loses in London tendersMetroline will lose three routes requiring 53 buses when the latest round of Transport for London tender awards takes effect next spring.
• Bristol plans BRT fundingBristol city council is considering either a workplace parking levy or a rise in business rates to raise around £3.
• New project managers for Edinburgh tramConsultants Turner & Townsend have been appointed project managers for the Edinburgh tram, replacing council-owned Transport Initiatives Edinburgh which is now expected to close.

Global Rail News

• Liverpool Hope University and Virgin Trains in partnership to celebrate students™ artistic achievementsLiverpool Hope University and Virgin Trains have joined forces to present a unique exhibition celebrating the talents of young artists in the city. The exhibition opened on ...
• Changes to Virgin Trains™ services over Bank Holiday weekendThere will be alterations to services over the August Bank Holiday weekend because of route improvement work but the principal travel days of Friday and Bank ...
• Centro nominated for six awards at transport ˜Oscars™Centro will be hoping to hit the opposition for six at this year’s National Transport Awards, after picking up nominations in half a dozen categories. The ...
• Tyneside firm generates high voltage success in VenezuelaNewcastle engineering firm Houghton International is celebrating after landing one of its biggest ever single export orders, thanks in part to support it received from UK ...
• Eurostar launches mobile ticketing AppEurostar, the high-speed passenger service linking the UK and mainland Europe has today launched a free mobile application allowing passengers to book journeys on-the-go and receive ...
• FirstGroup donates football kit to Leith Athletic clubA Leith-based football club is kicking off the new season in style with brand new strips. Leith Athletic under-13s Colts received the kit from FirstGroup, the UK™s ...
• Stagecoach rail franchises up for Community Rail AwardsStagecoach has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to community rail with its East Midlands Trains and South West Trains rail franchises reaching the shortlist in 11 categories ...
• Charity to benefit from Thunderbird nameplate saleVirgin Trains supported charity CLIC Sargent will benefit from the sale of 12 sets of ˜Thunderbird™-themed nameplates following its withdrawal of six Class 57 locomotives from ...
• Europorte to fit locomotives with GPS beaconsIn order to further improve traffic efficiency, enhance safety and optimise resource management, Europorte has taken the decision to fit GPS beacons in all its locomotives. ...
• Brunswick Rail raises a further $120m for new freight rail carsBrunswick Rail, Russia™s leading railcar operating lessor, announced today that it has raised an additional $120 million via an increase on $300 mn EBRD and IFC loan facilities. ...
• New collaboration to deliver fresh thinking for railRSSB and TRL have agreed a strategic partnership that is set to share and combine research expertise in transport with their specific experience in the road ...
• Thousands take up free Manchester Metrolink offerMore than two thousand free Metrolink travel vouchers were downloaded from the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) website, as people headed out on the trams to support ...

Aviation Industry

• US imposes tougher rules on airlinesA stronger set of rules for airlines operating in the US have come into force

Green Miscellany

• LED there be light, for bicycle wheels The advent of LED technology has resulted in bicycle lights that are more compact, efficient and bright than ever before. Not only are lights more powerful – the latest crop of LED, Xenon strobe and high-intensity discharge (HID) bicycle lights are rated at over 2000 lumens, which is more powerful than a car headlamp “ they are being used more creatively. Lights are available that can be clipped onto belts or incorporated into jackets and even gloves, and two new designs from America see them built into bicycle wheels.read more

Other News Sources

• RMT suspends action by First Transpennine conductors and station staff after improved pay offerSTRIKE ACTION by more than 350 RMT conductors and station staff grades at First Transpennine Express has been suspended after the company tabled a 'significantly improved' pay offer on the eve of the first of two scheduled 24-hour strikes. Action by drivers remains on.
• Fight for justice for Jarvis workers goes on, says RMTTHE FIGHT for justice for 1,200 Jarvis workers will go on, Britain's biggest rail union says today in the wake of yesterday's industrial tribunal which determined that they should have received 90 days' notice of redundancy.
• Fears lane charges will push up energy prices Plans to charge utility firms to dig up the road could mean increased costs for energy prices.