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

Wednesday, 14 March 2012

BBC News

• Taxi union gains Bristol Temple Meads station court order A court has said black cab drivers can use Bristol Temple Meads railway station while they challenge plans to charge them to pick up fares there.
• Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge shuts for repairs Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge will be closed for several weeks to allow for essential repair work.
• 2012 Olympics: King's Cross concourse ready for Games A new concourse at London's King's Cross station - a key transport hub for the Olympics - is to be unveiled later.
• School bus costs 'could double'Parents could end up paying 50% more to keep subsidised school bus services in the West Midlands.
• Yeo: Rethink Heathrow runway planA former Conservative environment minister is calling on the government to drop its opposition to a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
• Bus firm fined over punctualityBus company First is fined £285,000 after being found not to be
• VIDEO: Should we expand UK airports?The government is days away from publishing a vision for the future of Britain's airports.
• Profits plunge at Cathay PacificAnnual profits at Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific have declined by 61% as global economic uncertainty hit demand for passenger travel and cargo shipments.
• Indian rail budget to be unveiled The Indian government presents its railways budget on Wednesday, outlining its spending plans for one of the world's largest rail networks.

Financial Times

• Track collapse triggers Chinese rail concernsDamage in heavy rains is latest in a string of problems to have hit country™s high-speed rail programme
• Cruise industry predicts robust growthSenior executives expect the sector to bounce back quickly from the Costa Concordia accident with emerging market demand and new ships

The Herald

• Airport group in bid to seal BMI dealBRITISH Airways' parent company has offered secret concessions to European market regulators to help secure the purchase of struggling airline BMI from Lufthansa.
• Forth delaysMOTORISTS using the M90 are being warned they will face weekend delays of more than two hours while crossing the Forth Road Bridge as work to build a new £1.5 million crossing begins this month.
• Transport manager wins fight against sackingA MANAGER sacked by a major Scottish transport body over allegations she failed to declare relationships with senior staff at two companies working for the quango has won an appeal against her dismissal.

Reuters News

• London transport confident of staving off "tube" strike London transport bosses dismissed fears of a strike on the underground train network during this summer's Olympics saying they were confident a deal could be struck that would avoid chaos for commuters and sports fans.

Mail Online

• Boeing 737 ends up nose-down as it taxis off runway in Atlanta A Delta Air Lines jet has sustained 'significant damage' after rolling off a runway and coming to a standstill nose-down on an embankment at Atlanta airport.
• Oops...has Crossrail taken a wrong turn? Two 'voracious worms' were unveiled today by the Transport Secretary Justine Greening and London Mayor Boris Johnson that will spend the next four years or so, in Mr Johnson’s words, 'nibbling their way under London'.
• Oops...has Crossrail taken a wrong turn? Two 'voracious worms' were unveiled today by the Transport Secretary Justine Greening and London Mayor Boris Johnson that will spend the next four years or so, in Mr Johnson’s words, 'nibbling their way under London'.
• Fines for overrun road works will QUADRUPLE to £10k a day in bid by MPs to ease jamsMinisters hope it will spend the end to motorists fuming in their gridlockled cars when stuck behind road-works barriers where not a stroke of work is being done.
• King's Cross 'vest' structure to be unveiled at London railway station as part of £500m revampThis is the centre-piece of one of Britain's biggest and most famous stations – King's Cross - restored with a 21st century twist to its greatness as a railway gateway to the North.
• Women really are worse at parking says Driving Standards AgencyA total of 40,863 women were failed last year for not controlling their car while reverse parking, compared with 18,798 men.

The Mirror

• Electric racing cars could be charged as they raceA 200mph car is in development for a new FIA electric grand prix series that charges wirelessly via pads on the track instead

Network Rail

• NEW FOOTBRIDGE AT HUNTINGDON STATION
• NEW ERA FOR KING'S CROSS STATION WILL DELIVER IMPROVEMENTS FOR MILLIONS OF PASSENGERS

Belfast Telegraph

• Bombardier signs eight plane deal with airline Eurolot S.A., a Polish airline, has signed a firm order to acquire eight Q400 NextGen airliners from Bombardier a deal which, based on list price, is valued at approximately $246m (£157m). Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/bombardier-signs-eight-plane-deal-with-airline-16130225.html#ixzz1p4cYsgMX

Bolton News

• Transport watchdog fines bus firm £285,000 as one in four services run late A BUS company has been fined £285,000 after a public inquiry heard up to a quarter of its buses do not run on time in Bolton.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Council must find £213k as cost of Derby railway station ...A REVAMP of Derby railway station will cost the city council thousands of pounds more than expected because it had to be...

Manchester Evening News

• Plans revealed for £76m Leigh Guided BuswayThis is how the East Lancs Road could look under plans to install a series of bus lanes. New traffic regulation orders have been approved by Salford council allowing the lanes to be built. It is part of a £76m plan to create a fast and frequent bus services from Leigh to central Manchester by 2014.
• Bus firm First fined £285k by transport watchdog after one in four services run lateBosses at Greater Manchester's biggest bus firm have been fined £285,000 by a transport watchdog after officials found one in four services were failing to turn up on time. Senior directors for bus firm First were told by traffic commissioner Beverley Bell they had been

Metro

• Trains can™t hit 92% punctuality because of congestion on the linesSome of Britain™s railways are as congested as the M25, the head of Network Rail told MPs.

Wales Online

• First Minister Carwyn Jones under fire for attack on Cardiff AirportFIRST Minister Carwyn Jones has been accused of “talking our capital city’s airport down” after he said he would not want to bring people into Wales through it.

Yorkshire Post

• Transport chiefs losing their way over budget cuts warn MPs TRANSPORT officials have little understanding of the impact swingeing budget cuts are having upon Britain’s overpriced rail fares and potholed roads, a powerful group of MPs warn today as commuters continue to suffer on Britain’s creaking transport networks.

Other Regional Press

• Transport chief in bus talks A CRUNCH meeting was being held today over the future of bus ser-vices in Glasgow.

Aviation Industry

• UK airports - green arguments and calls for expansion The government is days away from publishing a vision for the future of Britain's airports.
• New route maps at New York-area airportsA ground crew worker walks past a U.S. Airways aircraft in this April 8, 2010 file photo.

Other News Sources

• Comment: People are important but tech holds the keyPaul Tilstone explains why technology is crucial to operating successfully within business travel