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

Monday, 21 July 2008

BBC News

• Rail 'to counter' Heathrow plansA high speed cross country rail link with connections to Europe could replace the need to expand Heathrow airport, campaigners have said.
• MPs criticise rail boss bonusesMPs have criticised the huge bonuses to be given to rail bosses despite "a catalogue of failings" on the network.
• Air show profits West businessesThe figures are staggering - 256 aircraft were ordered at the Farnborough International Airshow, worth a total of US$40.5bn to the European plane maker Airbus.

Financial Times

• Unions join protest against airline ID cardsThe TUC questions the security benefits and cost of the biometric system, adding to the political pressures on the government over the contentious scheme
• Call to monitor Network RailA parliamentary report recommends that government check the performance of Britain's mainline rail operator and criticises the company's handling of some engineering work
• NOL faces Hapag-Lloyd bid battleSingapore's Neptune Orient Lines could face stiff German resistance after it formally submits a preliminary bid to take over the country's largest container shipping line

The Guardian

• Green worker - Can the Segway ever be the next stop for an eco commute?It was hailed as the vehicle of the future. A small, lightweight platform on wheels that carries the user along smoothly and silently. electrically powered and emission-free, the Segway Personal Transporter was a commuting alternative to the car that wasn't a bus or train, and didn't involve a sweaty cycle ride. And then the government banned it.
• MPs urge rethink of government rail planThe government's rail strategy lacks ambition and should be sent back to the drawing board as high fuel prices force motorists out of their cars, according to MPs.
• Airlines attack EU aviation emissions levyImposing an emissions trading scheme on airlines flying through Europe has "no chance" of succeeding and could incite a trade war with the United States, the global trade body for commercial carriers has warned

The Herald

• Councils’ plan for three-hour rail link between Scotland and LondonA freshCouncils' plan for three-hour rail link between Scotland and London plan for a new high-speed rail link which would carry passengers between Glasgow and London in just three hours has been released by a consortium of local authorities opposed to the extension of Heathrow.

The Scotsman

• 'Motorway of the sea' sunk without EU aidPLANS for a new ferry service between Scotland, Belgium and Norway are hanging in the balance this weekend as those behind the scheme wait to hear if they will be awarded a slice of a £300m-plus pot of European funding.

The Telegraph

• Jacqui Smith warned by first group to be given ID cards that they will not improve securityThe first group of workers to be have compulsory ID cards forced on them have warned Jacqui Smith that the measure will not improve security.
• Rail disruption this summer Rail travellers face delays and disruption this summer as engineering work is carried out on two of the country's busiest lines.
• Network Rail chiefs condemned by MPs Network Rail chiefs took

Times Online

• Rubbish idea that could make driving cheaper A British company may have the answer to soaring petrol prices after it claimed yesterday to have become the first to have found a way to make fuel from rubbish.
• Boris Johnson's A to Z of cycling F is for freedom:With no other means of transport, except possibly skiing, can you determine so exactly the path you intend to follow and arrive there so quickly.

Transport Briefing

• West Midlands Urban Traffic Control project approvedA £26m package of improvements aimed at reducing congestion and improving bus journeys in the West Midlands has been given the go-ahead by Transport Minister Rosie Winterton.
• Councils launch Heathrow high speed rail network planTwenty-one local authorities surrounding Heathrow Airport have teamed up to launch a blueprint to show how a new UK high speed rail network could reduce the need for domestic and short haul flights.

London Evening Standard

• Drivers avoid C-charge by parking outside zoneDrivers are leaving their cars on the edge of the congestion charge zone to avoid the toll.

Manchester Evening News

• £30bn rail link to continentA PLAN for a new £30 billion high-speed rail line linking Liverpool and Manchester to Heathrow and then to the continent has been unveiled by councils opposed to the airport's proposed expansion.

The York Press

• Missed chance over P&R faresPARK&RIDE is one of York’s public transport triumphs. It is a cheap, easy and accessible way for people to get into town without the hassle of finding somewhere to par

This Is Local London Network

• Foreign vehicle drivers not paying parking finesDrivers of foreign registered vehicles who fail to pay parking fines are costing a council up to £23,700 a year.

Wales Online

• Milford Haven port operator in profit boostMilford Haven Port Authority has reported a surge in profits. For the financial year to the end of December, 2007 the group reported a 8% rise in revenues to £17.7m. The owner of Pembroke Port and Milford Dock also reported a strong sturge in pre-tax profits up from £179,000 to £3.3m.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• £2m for research to ease Leeds traffic miserySOLUTIONS must be found for Leeds' traffic congestion for the next 20 or 30 years, deputy council leader Andrew Carter told the city's Executive Board.
• New £30bn Leeds-Europe rail link proposals to be unveiledA PLAN for a new north-south £30 billion high-speed rail line which will link Leeds to Europe will be unveiled next week by councils opposed to Heathrow airport expansion.

Doncaster Free Press

• Final phase of £15m bus corridor scheme set to test motoristsMOTORISTS are bracing themselves for the latest round of major roadworks that will pave the way for cross-Doncaster bus lanes.
• Airport boss unconcerned about £1m monthly lossNEW airport boss Mike Morton is confident of Robin Hood's future despite it losing £1m a month and struggling to attract airlines.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Call to lift ban on bikes in townA RULE which has been in place for 25 years banning cyclists from riding though Kettering town centre could soon be overturned.
• People power wins back Desborough bus routeDesborough residents are celebrating after being told a community bus route that was axed because it wasn't making any money will be re-instated.

Reading Evening Post

• £2m to develop transport planReading has been given £2 million of Government funding to get plans for a third Thames bridge, road pricing and improved public transport on the road.

New Scientist

• Chemical breakthrough turns sawdust into biofuelLignin makes up a third of the dry mass of wood, but nobody knew how to convert it into ethanol – until now

Transport for London

• Bakerloo line changes benefit over 7,000 passengersOver the last two months, more than 7,000 London Underground passengers travelling to and from northwest London have benefited from improvements to the Bakerloo line timetable.

Aviation Industry

• How to profit from the oil priceInvesting in oil instead of filling up the car would have delivered a 34% return in the past six months. But can oil price rises continue and how should you invest?
• East West Rail & Eco Town Transport proposalsQuote from recent Oxford County Council report on Transport Proposals by developer for proposed Eco town at Weston Otmoor: "East West Rail discussions are now at an advanced stage with DfT and Network Rail on their longer-term vision for this section of railway
• More freight transport cash urgedThe Government must invest more in improving the freight transport infrastructure, a report by MPs said.
• Progress for Newcastle AirportNewcastle Airport has invested £450,000 in acquiring a general aviation business at the south side of the airport. By purchasing land owned by Samson Aviation Services Limited, the airport's owners will be able to press ahead with plans to redevelop the entire southern area of the facility.
• Airport keeps an ear to the ground for noise monitoringA four-day noise monitoring operation will be carried out around Aberdeen Airport from tomorrow, as part of the planning agreement reached with Aberdeen City Council which allows 24 hour operations...

Other News Sources

• 80th anniversary of Maersk LineOn 12 July 1928, Leise Maersk, the first vessel to depart in our liner service, sailed from Baltimore on the U.S. East Coast en route to the Far East via the Panama Canal...
• SMARTREG GUARDIAN THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED MOBILE VEHICLE PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEM FOR POLICE ENFORCEMENTPARKING AND TRAFFIC TECHNOLOGIES, international supplier of ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) systems, today announced the official release of SMARTREG GUARDIAN, the world's most advanced standalone mobile vehicle plate recognition system for police enforcement.