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

Thursday, 20 December 2012

BBC News

• Full speed test for city tramsContractors successfully run an Edinburgh Tram at full speed as part of efforts to have the system ready for service in summer 2014.
• VIDEO: Cyclists encouraged off canalCyclists who use the Regent's Canal towpath are being offered alternative routes to reduce canal-side traffic.
• Cab union in Christmas card pleaA union representing workers at a black cab manufacturer presents administrators with a Christmas card calling for them to save the firm.
• The transport challenges for 2013Next year's challenges after golden 2012
• Most overcrowded trains revealedDepartment for Transport figures reveal some rush-hour trains in England are almost twice over capacity.
• Bike commuters 'must avoid canal'London cyclists rushing to work are being urged not to use the Regent's Canal tow path.
• Bus and Tube access to increaseMillions of pounds is to be invested to increase disabled access at London's bus stops and Tube stations, it is revealed.
• King off-the-road: Estates in the mudAre large 4x4s being overtaken by humble estate cars?
• Fourth hub airport plan unveiledPlans to build a 24-hour £39bn hub airport on large sandbanks off the Kent coast are unveiled.
• US government to sell stake in GMThe US government is to sell its remaining 26.5% stake in carmaker General Motors, it is announced.
• Christmas rail strikes called offScotRail confirms that strike action due to take place on 22 December and Christmas Eve has been called off.
• Mitsubishi shares fall on recallShares of Mitsubishi Motors fall after the firm announces that it will recall 1.2 million cars in Japan to fix faulty oil engine seals.
• Qantas and Emirates deal backedQantas Airways gets initial approval from Australia's competition authority for its proposed alliance with Dubai-based Emirates.

Financial Times

• Fastjet eyes move into South AfricaThe Tanzania-based, London-listed budget carrier has offered to pay 1 rand to buy Johannesburg-based 1time Airline out of bankruptcy

The Herald

• New ferry plan will see fares increase by up to 10%FERRY fares on lifeline routes to the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree will increase by up to 10% next year, with even bigger hikes being considered during the busy summer season.
• Rail union U-turn on strikeA SCOTRAIL strike that threatened to bring travel chaos to thousands of passengers before Christmas has been called off after union leaders dropped demands to reinstate a sacked ticket collector.

The Independent

• Pre-Christmas rail strikes called off but Boxing Day Tube strike will go ahead Pre-Christmas strikes that threatened to cause chaos for hundreds of thousands of rail passengers have been called off

The Telegraph

• Commuters pay more than £3,000 a year for country's most overcrowded trainA morning train from Henley on Thames to Paddington has been identified as the country's most overcrowded commuter service.
• Ryanair voted 'worst' short-haul airlineRyanair has been voted Europe's least popular short-haul airline in a poll by Which? magazine.

Mail Online

• Ryanair accused of evading charges 'after giving false information over weight of its aircraft to save millions'Aviation watchdogs in Germany are investigating the airline after it was accused of avoiding up to £42m in extra fee levies.
• Beckett Rankine: £40billion airport for London... in the middle of the ChannelEngineers unveiled proposals for a £39billion four runway airport on a manmade island 1.8 miles off the coast of Kent on underwater banks known as Goodwin Sands.
• Nasa reveals new spacesuit - but was it designed by a fan of Buzz Lightyear?Nasa's next generation of space suit - the agency's first in 20 years - will look familiar to fans of computer generated cartoon classic Toy Story.
• Women's car insurance up by £300 tomorrow after new EU rules that ban setting prices according to gender come into forceCurrently, a young woman will get a much cheaper deal on her car insurance policy because she is seen as a much lower risk on the road than a man of the same age.
• Henley on Thames Britain's most crowded rail service revealed where carriages are 80% over capacityTransport Minister Norman Baker today published new Government figures showing the top ten most overcrowded peak-time services.
• Christmas travel: Planned strikes by two rail operators that would have caused Christmas chaos called offMembers of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at ScotRail had been due to walk out this weekend in a row over the dismissal of a colleague - but have called it off.
• Ryanair bottom of air passenger satisfaction league tableThe Irish low-fare carrier had an overall satisfaction score of just 34 per cent in a table compiled from Which? members' votes.

ATOC

• "Train companies understand passengers' frustration when they cannot get a seat and operators are taking action where they can": ATOCResponding to the DfT’s statement on tackling crowding on some of the busiest rail services, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC),...

Bolton News

• Town™s £1 million boost to fix crumbling roads BOLTON has been given almost £1 million of government cash to help repair its roads.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Video: Edinburgh trams are tested at full speedTHE Capital’s trams are today being tested at full speed for the first time.

Liverpool Echo

• £4m Government grant for Mersey councils to tackle pothole crisisMERSEY town halls were handed almost £4m of government cash for road maintenance amid warnings of a looming “pothole crisis”.

London Evening Standard

• Busiest commuter services are revealedCommuters crammed into rush-hour trains would probably consider their own service to be the most overcrowded in the country.
• Tube strikers wrong to target families at Christmas, says No‰10Downing Street today joined MPs and business leaders in condemning the wave of transport strikes set to bring misery to Londoners over the holiday season.
• Four-runway airport plan revealedAn ambitious plan to build a £39 billion offshore airport to serve London has been unveiled.

Wales Online

• Welsh Government plan to buy Cardiff Airport not a 'done deal', expert warnsThe Welsh Government’s planned purchase of Cardiff Airport is by no means a “done deal”, a leading transport expert has claimed.

Blackpool Gazette

• Roadworks blamed for ˜fewer shoppers™TRADERS have dubbed the Christmas shopping season “a nightmare” and blamed town centre roadworks and a lack of parking for the shocking conditions.

Bucks Free Press

• County cllrs take commuters' concerns to rail bosses CONCERNS over the new railway timetable to London from Princes Risborough were brought to the forefront by county and district councillors at a meeting with railway bosses.

Burnley Express

• Burnley bike recycling scheme appeals for cycles OLD bikes are providing perfect definition of ˜recycling™ thanks to a scheme launched in Burnley.

Carlisle News & Star

• £6m cash boost for Cumbria's road network Cumbria's road network will get a cash boost of almost £6 million.

Crewe Chronicle

• UK & World News: Women to pay more for car insuranceNew European rules come into force on Friday which mean some women are set for a shock when their next car insurance quote lands on the doormat.

Other Regional Press

• Bid to renew £19m bypass planWork will start on Preston’s 
biggest single housing development next year - which could spark the creation of a major new road.
• Huge airport plan for east Kent coastProposals for a multi-billion pounds airport on sandbanks off Deal have been revealed today - the latest in a string of ideas for a Kent aviation hub.
• Roads cash is ˜lowest in country™HARTLEPOOL has been awarded the lowest amount of Government transport ministers cash compared to anywhere else in the country.

C.N.N.

• Boeing uses potatoes for in-flight wireless test

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• EU introduces new laws to protect ship passengersThe EU has brought in new laws that will ensure maritime passengers receive similar rights to people who travel by air or rail. Tourists and businesspeople who head overseas on a ship will now be better protected if their service is cancelled or delayed. One part of the new laws stipulates that disabled passengers also receive the same entitlements as they would on other modes of transport. UK shipping minister Stephen Hammond has welcomed the reforms, insisting that people who use boats should have their grievances taken seriously. "While no one enjoys disruption to their travel ...

Aviation Industry

• Government defers decision on whether to include international aviation emissions in UK carbon budgetsBlaming “uncertainty over the international framework for reducing aviation emissions and particularly the treatment of aviation within the EU Emissions Trading System” the Government announced today that it will defer a decision on how to account for aviation emissions in UK climate policy. Under the Climate Act 2008, the Government was required to take a [...]
• CEO: Turkish Airlines grows network, but limits to 300 destinations Turkish Airlines has added more destinations to its network from Istanbul Ataturk.
• Yakutia Airline takes delivery of first SSJ100Russia™s Yakutia Airline has taken delivery of its first Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100).

Other News Sources

• Maersk Ships to Have 'Nose Job'Maersk Line to cut off some container ship bulbous bows as part of initiatives already implemented across its fleet to reduce fuel costs.   Research carried
• Pirates kidnap 5 marinersPIRATES have kidnapped five tanker crew members after ransacking the ship off Nigeria, operator Medallion Marine of India said today.
• Bidding starts on delayed £81m A160 schemeThe Highways Agency is inviting bids for contractors for the £81 million A160 / A180 Port of Immingham improvement scheme, one of four announced by the prime minister to trial quicker construction.
• UK flight punctuality improved during London 2012. In the third quarter of 2012, 80% of scheduled flights and 77% of charter flights were on-time, an increase of one percentage point and three percentage points respectively compared to the third quarter of 2011. . London City recorded the best on-time performance (91%) and shortest average delay (5 minutes) for scheduled flights among the ten UK airports monitored. . For charter flights, Luton registered the biggest improvement both in on-time performance and average delay.
• Economic regulation to protect consumers at StanstedThe UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has today published for consultation its latest thinking on whether Stansted Airport should be fully de-regulated from 2014. The consultation is about whether the airport should be subject to economic regulation; it does not cover the type of regulation that any licence would contain, which would be consulted on in 2013. The CAA is minded to rule that Stansted should not be fully de-regulated at this time. Its assessment is that, in terms of services to low
• Brighton museum will honour Frank Hornby ideas Brighton Toy and Model Museum has declared 2013 as œFrank Hornby Year to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the illustrious craftsman™s birth
• TSA Pre™ Now Available at 35 Airports Nationwide: Expedited Screening Begins at John Wayne Airport The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) today announced that John Wayne Airport (SNA) is the 35thairport in the nation to offer TSA Pretrade; to eligible passengers. Under TSA...
• easyJet: UK travel trends for 2013 revealedeasyJet has today revealed the nationrsquo;s travel trends for 2013 following a poll with easyJet travellers across the UK. Key findings from the survey: Despite the recession 86% of...
• easyJet to fly over 90,000 passengers for the great Christmas GetawayeasyJet announced today that it will be flying over 90,000 passengers, up by 10% on the same date last year across 1190 scheduled flights as they travel for the great Christmas Getaway on its...
• Air Carrier in the Americas Signs Letter of Intent for Up to 30 Bombardier CSeries AirlinersBombardier Aerospace announced today that an airline, which is based in the Americas, has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire 12 CS100 airliners with options on an additional 18. At this time...