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

Wednesday, 05 January 2011

BBC News

• Rail fare rise campaign unveiled at Charing Cross A campaign against rail fare rises has begun as millions of commuters return to work after the Christmas break.
• Warning over VAT rise fuel impactFuel prices increase across Scotland - and even more so in Scotland's islands and rural areas - as VAT rises to 20%.
• Freight ferry service to reopenA direct freight service from Scotland to mainland Europe is to open on the Rosyth-Zeebrugge route later.
• NI road deaths lowest on recordThe number of people killed on Northern Ireland's roads last year was the lowest since records began in 1931.
• Manchester Metrolink fares riseTram fares in Greater Manchester increase by an average of more than 6%.
• Easyjet orders 15 Airbus planesBudget airline Easyjet confirms orders for 15 new Airbus A320s, cementing its relationship with the European manufacturer.
• US motor sales confirm recoveryUS carmakers report strong sales for December, confirming the auto industry's steady recovery during 2010.
• BP shares jump on takeover reportBP shares surge 6% after reports rival Royal Dutch Shell considered launching a takeover bid following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Financial Times

• Sir Stelios fires warning shot at EasyJet As budget carrier plans to buy 15 new Airbus A320 aircraft, its biggest shareholder says he is focused 'not on seat capacity numbers but on earnings per share'
• Forty years of taxiing on UK runwaysBritish government is not suited to the long horizons needed for airport planning. Ministers are obsessed with the quest for favourable headlines, while civil servants will

The Guardian

• George MonbiotThe only transport war being waged in this country is by motorists “ against pedestrians and cyclistsWhere is this famous war on the motorist? Can anyone point me to the battlefields, the graves of the war dead, the statues commemorating the unknown driver? Who has been waging it and when was it fought?What I see is that driving has become cheaper over the past three decades, while other forms of transport have become more expensive. That the space dedicated to cars “ both on the roads and for parking “ has expanded, often at the expense of other kinds of public space. There is precious little...

The Herald

• Revealed: The cost of keeping Scotland movingTransport operators have spent an extra £22 million this winter to keep infrastructure open with this additional cost predicted to soar as icy conditions return to Scotland.
• Minister to face MSPs over his role in 24-hour rail-freight routeScotland™s new Transport Minister is to face questions from MSPs over his role in promoting a controversial railway that residents claim has led to their sleep being disturbed at night.

The Independent

• Rail passengers urged to protest over fares Rail passengers were urged today to take action in the fight for fairer train fares.

The Telegraph

• Rail passengers faced with double whammy of price hike and delays Unions brand the state of Britain's railways as a "sick joke" after double whammy of price hikes and delays.

ATOC

• Train companies respond to Campaign for Better Transport fare campaign Responding to the Campaign for Better Transport 'fairer fares' campaign, a spokesperson for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC),...

Network Rail

• FIRST STAGE OF READING RAIL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT COMPLETE ON TIME

Edinburgh Evening News

• Somerville wants more honesty over tramsONE of the project's leading critics has called for "more honesty" from tram bosses in 2011, labelling 2010 an "annus horribilis" for the embattled scheme.

Journal Live

• More road hazards may reduce accidents BOREDOM is causing motorists to take unnecessary risks at the wheel, North East researchers have found.

London Evening Standard

• A new year but same old Tube...Commuters endured major disruption today as delays on the Tube and railways hit the first day back after the new year holiday.

Manchester Evening News

• £250k cost of town hall bus lane fine blunders Bus-lane blunders have cost Manchester council up to £250,000 in the past two years, according to new figures obtained by the M.E.N. Town hall chiefs have been forced to cancel more than 4,000 fines because of errors in management of bus lanes.
• Ticket price increases and car breakdowns welcome commuters back to work Thousands of commuters were facing a painful return to work today because of fare increases and warnings of post-Christmas car breakdowns. Metrolink and train passengers were being hit by inflation-busting fare increases this morning and the AA said it was expecting one of its busiest days for call outs. Tram fares have increased by up to 7.3 per cent “ more than double the inflation rate of 3.3pc.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Outrage at sharp rises in rail faresTHE rise in rail season ticket prices between Nottingham and Derby is among the highest in the country, new figures show. The annual cost of travel between the cities has risen by 8.7% to £1,204, according to the Campaign for Better Transport and Passenger Focus. The highest increases are on three London routes, where fares have risen by 12.7%. The next highest is 8.8% on CrossCountry's Gloucester to Birmingham route, followed by 8.7% on East Midlands Trains between Nottingham to Derby and on CrossCountry between Burton-on-Trent and Derby. The national average increase is 6.2%. But East Midlan...

Sheffield Star

• New operations centre is just the ticket for bus firmSHEFFIELD'S biggest bus operator welcomed the city's first citizen to open its new ultra-modern operations centre.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Campaign to save ˜vital™ bus routeAngry passengers are campaigning to save a œvital� Aberdeen bus route after plans to withdraw the service were announced.

The York Press

• York residents urged to report potholes CITY officials are on the hunt for potholes across York after the recent cold spell “ and residents can help them.
• Cycle lane at Clifton Green junction could be removed THE saga of a controversial York junction has taken another twist “ after transport bosses agreed to consider getting rid of a contentious cycle lane altogether.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Bus industry plan may be way forward - Leeds City CouncilCouncil bosses in Leeds have thrown their weight behind the development of proposals for a West Yorkshire-wide bus industry revolution.

Sunderland Echo

• Electric car cashMOTORISTS are being reminded they can get a grant of up to £5,000 when buying eco-friendly cars, including the Nissan Leaf.

Other Regional Press

• Call for pedestrian gate in station car park COLCHESTER’S North Station could get a new entrance to stop commuters filing through a gap in a fence.
• Bus station is epicentre of compensation winsMore than £50,000 has been paid out in personal injury claims by Preston Council this year.
• Inflation-busting fare rises ˜vital for train investment™Inflation-busting rail fare rises set to batter cash-strapped Lancashire passengers in the new year are needed to continue investing in rail lines, train chiefs claimed today.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Public anger over rail fare increases as Fair Fares Now campaign launches Fair Fares Now, a new campaign by Campaign for Better Transport calling for cheaper, simpler and fairer train tickets, was launched today (4 January 2011) as commuters faced their first working day after season ticket fares rose by up to 12.8%.

Railnews

• News: Campaigners protest at New Year fare rises Protestors are handing out leaflets campaigning against fare rises on Transport for London today. Fares have also risen on National Rail routes, sparking further criticism.

Aviation Industry

• VAT increase means aviation avoids £600 million more in taxToday, 4th Jan 2011, the rate of VAT increases from 17.5% to 20%. This means that aviation’s exemption from tax is now worth even more. It was estimated that if VAT at 17.5% were applied to air tickets and to the price of fuel, it would have raised £4.4 billion pa.  (This is a rough calculation. The Treasury have [...]
• Lobby group tries to resurrect airport at CliffeAn ‘independent’ lobby group is trying to resurrect the idea of a new London airport at Cliffe in Kent. This option was regected in 2003 in the government’s airports White Paper. Article from the Financial Times follow. Bob Sherwood, London and South-East Correspondent, 27 Dec 2010. Calls for Kent airport given fresh wings The chaos at London airports [...]
• Ascend: 2010 was a 'disappointing year' for airline safety The air transport industry experienced a "disappointing" 2010 in terms of fatal accidents and passenger fatalities according to UK-based Ascend, which reported increases in both categories over 2009. The fatal accident rate worsened "from about one per 1.5 million flights overall in 2009 to one per 1.3 million flights last year," while the number of fatal accidents increased 22%, from 23 in 2009 to 28 in 2010.
• Lufthansa to boost workforceLufthansa has announced plans to recruit 4,000 new employees in Germany, showing full faith in the recovery of the aviation industry
• Banking expert confirmed for first IBTAC conferenceBarclays Commercial relationship director Jonathan Haseler will address the inaugural IBTAC conference in London next month

Other News Sources

• Space squeeze looming on Europe's roadsDemand for trucking capacity could outweigh supply, warns forwarder
• New year warning over shipping line profitsNYK President predicts a widening gap between supply and demand
• Mozart on the Tube: classical musicians enliven back to work commute 4 January 2011 Mayor's Rhythm of London busking programme links up with Radio 3 Genius of Mozart season The sound of Mozart will ease commuters back to work after the Christmas break with a special busking event on 4 January to celebrate BBC Radio 3's new season The Genius of Mozart. buskoff2.jpg Yes
• New bike racks for 'cycling town' railway stations WOKING’S status as a 'cycling town' has been reinforced after improvements were made to the bike racks at two railway stations.
• Scheme of the Month - Cycle Parking, Bristol Parkway Station Parkway Station in South Gloucestershire serves as an excellent satellite station for people living in the area wishing to commute to Bristol and the rail network beyond and also serves the plethora of businesses located in the north fringe of Bristol including MOD, Hewlett Packard and AXA. Parkway and Temple Meads stations are both a [...]
• Local Sustainable Transport FundThe Department for Transport has announced £560 million for a Local Sustainable Transport Fund, which will be available from 2011-15. Guidance on how local authorities can bid to the Fund will be announced soon. To assist local authorities in preparing bids, Cycling England recommends the following resources: A short DVD demonstrating the successful initiatives from the first [...]
• Thalys to launch onboard meeting spaceEuropean high speed rail operator Thalys will start rolling out its new onboard private lounge Le Salon from January 12