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

Wednesday, 06 August 2008

BBC News

• Rail trip to be cut by 35 minutesImprovements to cut rail journeys from Inverness to Edinburgh by 35 minutes and to make the A9 road safer will be made, the first minister has pledged.
• Warning after £83,000 track theftA man who stole 171.6 tonnes of railway track could have caused a serious train crash, police say.
• Railway line's 150th birthday [video]One the world's oldest railway lines, which is still one of Kent's busiest, is celebrating its 150th year.
• Two planes in airport collisionEmergency services rushed to the scene after the wing tip of a Futura Boeing 737 hit the tail of a Lufthansa Airbus A320 while taxiing from Terminal One.
• MPs sceptical over car tax riseGovernment plans to increase car tax for
• BAA sues Ryanair over unpaid feesAirports operator BAA sues Ireland's Ryanair for failing to pay increased landing charges at Stansted.
• BA target Iberia has 6-month lossSpanish airline Iberia unveils a sharp drop in earnings, as it plans a merger with British Airways.
• Fuel costs hit Air France profitsAir France-KLM says profits for the April to June period fell nearly 60% as the airline was hit by rising fuel costs.

Financial Times

• Iberia earnings hit by surging fuel costsIberia of Spain became the latest airline to announce capacity cuts as high fuel costs and flagging growth rates produced a sharp fall in first-half net profits

The Guardian

• Airlines: Fuel price surge plunges Iberia into deficitTwo major European carriers, Air France-KLM and Iberia, reported a slump in profits yesterday as the airline industry continues to suffer from high fuel costs.
• The Mancunian wayManchester's congestion charge isn't a case of aping London. It's a home-grown solution and will do great things for the city
• Number of speeding tickets increases by 1mA million more speeding tickets are being issued every year than a decade ago, the Tories said, raising £100m a year in fines.

The Herald

• Passengers shun BA in favour of low-cost airlinesBritish Airways, which recently announced a merger with Spanish carrier Iberia, said yesterday that its traffic fell by 3.5% in July, led by slump in economy passenger numbers.
• Salmond pledge to spell out A9 plansThe Scottish Government will reveal, within a matter of weeks, how and when it will fulfil its commitment to make the A9 dual-carriageway from Perth to Inverness, the First Minister confirmed yesterday.

The Independent

• Busy Tube station to shut for three years One of London's busiest Tube stations is to shut for nearly three years, it was announced today.

Times Online

• Nine passengers on every British Airways jumbo lose their bags British Airways loses more bags and operates more delayed planes than any other big airline in Europe, a confidential report seen by The Times has found.

Network Rail

• GREEN LIGHT FOR NEW £350M BLACKFRIARS STATION

Transport Briefing

• Manchester public transport crime down 23% in a yearCrime and anti-social behaviour on Greater Manchester’s public transport system has been cut by nearly a quarter in the past year.
• Blackfriars Tube station to shut for over two yearsLondon's Blackfriars Underground station is to close for two and a half years to allow major works as part of the multi-billion pound, congestion-busting Thameslink rail project.

Airwise News

• Sponsorship 'could save threatened bus routes'CITY councillors are set to explore the possibility of commercial sponsorship to save an under-threat bus service.

Birmingham Post

• Brum saddles up for ’free bike’ schemeOOH la, la... transport bosses are set to bring un petit peu of French charm to Birmingham’s streets with the launch of a Parisian-style cycle loan scheme.

Liverpool Echo

• Rail chaos threatens Capital of Culture eventsMAJOR events for the Capital of Culture year are expected to be hit by rail disruption this month.

London Evening Standard

• Fall in fines for C-charge dodgers after paying is made easierFigures show that almost 1,000 fewer motorists are being fined each day following moves by Transport for London to make paying the charge easier.
• Two years of delays as Blackfriars Tube is shut for revampBlackfriars Tube station is to close for two and a half years in one of the longest closures of a central London station

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Stevenson urged not to scrap ˜vital™ transport projectsTransport Minister Stewart Stevenson was last night under pressure to ensure transport projects œvital to the north and north-east economy are not scrapped.
• Inverness handed air link warningInverness will lose further air links before it gains new ones, a city councillor warned yesterday, amid growing fears about the longer-term effects of the fuel price crisis on the Highlands.
• Rail chiefs are urged to heed fears of localsA north MSP yesterday urged Network Rail to stop ignoring local residents™ fears over safety at a level crossing near Inverness.
• Councillors to oppose closure of Forfar junction on A90Angus councillors will oppose proposals to close the central reservation at a busy Forfar junction on the A90 dual-carriageway.

This Is Local London Network

• Old buses back on the roadTraditional buses, some up to 70 years old, will be running through Putney, Wimbledon, Epsom and Sutton on Sunday during a day celebrating classic coaches.

Wales Online

• M4 relief road ’could become a white elephant’THE planned M4 relief road in South Wales risks becoming an expensive “white elephant” because potential users would be put off by the cost.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Young urged to don bike helmetsPOLICE in Lincolnshire are taking part in a national campaign with a leading child cycle safety charity to boost helmet use.
• Punctuality hits decade highOne of East Anglia's rail operators has announced the highest level of punctuality for almost a decade.

Reading Evening Post

• All dressed up but with no coach to travel onAngry railway workers have slammed a coach company after a trip to the races fell at the first hurdle when they were left stranded in Reading.

Sunderland Echo

• Ride highlights joy of two-wheeled travelBike riders were able to enjoy some of the area's finest scenery as part of a project to get more people to take to two wheels.
• Ride highlights joy of two-wheeled travelBike riders were able to enjoy some of the area's finest scenery as part of a project to get more people to take to two wheels.
• Fighter jets sparks airport emergencyHundreds of holidaymakers are facing disruption to their travel plans after a distressed fighter jet sparked an emergency at Newcastle airport.

Washington Post

• N.Y. Airports To Fight Slot Auction Plan The managers of New York City's three crowded airports vowed yesterday to block a Bush administration experiment to reduce flight delays around the country by auctioning off takeoff and landing slots. A federal official said the airports had no such power and hinted they may lose funding if they don't back down.
• Delta to offer Wi-Fi on mainline domestic fleet ATLANTA -- Delta Air Lines Inc. said Tuesday it will offer broadband wireless Internet access on its entire domestic mainline fleet by the middle of next year. Several other airlines either offer similar service or plan to, though on a much more limited number of flights.

Railnews

• Freight operations as important as passenger, say MPsEFFORTS to improve rail freight operations must be treated with as much urgency as proposals relating to passengers, says a Commons Transport Committee report.
• Opinion: The future is bright-with ORR support THIS is a time of success for Network Rail and for the railway in Britain. We have worked hard together as an industry to deliver for passengers and freight users each and every day.
• Opinion: Testament to North East tenacity Soon after the long-awaited launch of open access operator Grand Central last December the celebrations came to an abrupt halt as major train problems struck. Managing director Tom Clift talked to Paul Whiting about the battle to get his small fleet into normal service.
• News: ’Get on your bike’ call from Kelly as she launches stations scheme GET on your bike or take the bus – that’s the message to rail users from transport secretary Ruth Kelly.
• News: Penistone line is chosen for £24m tram trains trial NEW-style tram trains could be running by the end of 2010 on a line in the Pennines as part of the first phase of a £24 million trial.
• News: New RCOs have wider powers MEET Tony Brooks and Jeanette Gould, members of a new South West Trains team making life safer for passengers and staff.
• News: Re-siting of Crewe station defended NETWORK Rail has hit back at campaign group CREAM’s criticism of its plans to re-site Crewe station as part of a multi-million pound investment to increase capacity and speed on the West Coast main line.
• News: MPs slam 30-year plan as ’missed opportunity’ The long-awaited 30-year strategy for the railways published by the Government last summer was a “missed opportunity” that will have to be updated, say MPs.
• News: Consortium voices concerns over Crossrail £billions SERIOUS questions have been raised over how exactly funding will be raised for the £16 billion London Crossrail project, following the granting of Royal Assent for construction work to start.

Transport for London

• Blackfriars Underground station to close for redevelopmentLondon Underground (LU) and Network Rail today announced that Blackfriars Underground station will close from 2 March 2009 until late 2011, as part of Network Rail's Thameslink upgrade programme.
• Consultation on London taxi and private hire vehicle licensing inspections Following Mayor Boris Johnson's promise to consult on the abolition of half-yearly black cab inspections, the Public Carriage Office (PCO) has today launched a consultation on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing inspections in London.

Aviation Industry

• SUPER LORRIES * UK - Government rejects ’super-lorry’ proposalsSuper lorries had been billed as a key weapon in the fight against climate change, yet the government has rejected their introduction in the UK
• Free Wi-Fi at St Pancras StationSt Pancras International is the first UK station to offer free Wi-Fi access, making it the perfect place to meet. The 45 million people who travel through St Pancras International every year now have access to free and fast Wi-Fi.
• Scientists first non-aircraft noiseThe scientists from the United States and Britain shared the design of the project called “noise-free aircraft initiative,” about 40 researchers from the University of Cambridge, Rolls - Royce, British Airways, United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, the British Royal Air Association and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Boeing Company, and other institutions
• Macquarie Fund to Buy Channel Islands Ferry Operator From RBSMacquarie European Infrastructure Fund II agreed to buy Admiral Holdings Ltd., an operator of ferries between Britain and the Channel Islands, the Australian fund's second purchase of a transport-related company.
• Air France-KLM profit drops 59% on oil billLONDON (MarketWatch) -- Air France-KLM on Tuesday reported a 59% profit decline for its fiscal first quarter, as fuel surcharges weren't nearly enough to counter a sky-high fuel bill.
• CAA Upgrades Aircraft Register DatabaseThe UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has enhanced the information available on its UK Register of Civil Aircraft database.
• Co-operative car and road technology moves closerRoad authorities and vehicle manufacturers are working with ERTICO, the manufacturer of Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (ITS) to test a new interactive road transport systems which allow cars to share real time data on other road users and the roads ahead, according to The Telegraph.

Other News Sources

• BA chiefs face price-fixing chargesTrading chiefs are close to announcing charges against current and former British Airways executives over price-fixing on fuel surcharges.
• Hythe ferry meets its ExpectationsONE of the Hythe to Southampton passenger ferries was lowered back into the water following a major refit.
• Hybrid cars 'closest we have to pure electric'Hybrid vehicles are one of the most accessible forms of green transport to the eco-friendly driver, an expert has suggested.
• DfT On Line Benchmarking pilot goes liveOperators are being offered free performance insight into their business with the freight On Line Benchmarking (OLB) pilot finally going live.
• Trucks may get access to bus lanes in WalsallTrucks could share bus lanes in Walsall if local residents give the thumbs up to Walsall Council's congestion-busting scheme.
• US Rail Support Teams with Realskies Web Design, Bringing its Services to the Global EconomyUS Rail Support, a comprehensive railyard services contracting company, has begun announcing its services to the world at large with the help of Realskies Web Design, a leader in the development of user-centered web solutions.
• £26.4M for Yorkshire and Humber transport schemesFour transport development schemes identified as regional priorities by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board are vying for £26.4M in government funding.
• Tube Lines ahead on lost hoursLondon Underground upgrade contractor Tube Lines is 35% up on its 'availability' measure - the performance indicator for lost customer hours - during the last quarter.
• Blackfriars to close in spring 2009London's Blackfriars station will close on 2 May 2009, as part of Network Rail's Thameslink programme.
• Wincanton invests £5m in WEEE recyclingWincanton is doubling its waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling capability by investing more than £5m in a second UK site.
• Reason Transport enjoys growth with PalletwaysReason Transport has enjoyed
• New development director at Bedfords TransportAndy Manning has been appointed as development director at Bedfords Transport and will become managing director before Christmas, when current managing director Liam O'Connor retires.
• Scotflow keeps trading at request of administratorScottish haulier Scotflow is continuing to trade and hoping to find a buyer after its parent company was placed in administration.
• Councils propose more sustainable alternative to Coltishall eco-townA partnership of councils across Norfolk is today calling on the Government to rethink plans for an eco-town on the former RAF base at Coltishall. The Greater Norwich Development Partnership (GNDP) is proposing an alternative new development at Rackheath, in Broadland to the north east of Norwich.  Not only could this development be built to zero carbon eco-town standards, it could proceed in a way that complies with formal planning regulations so that local people are fully consulted.
• Crime on public transport system down 23 percent, report saysCrime and antisocial behaviour on Greater Manchester’s public transport system has been cut by almost a quarter in the past year.
• New resource for travellers and travel management professionalsAMEX announces launch of new online networking site for business travellers.
• Gatwick Express disruptionTravellers on the Gatwick Express can expect disruption over the autumn half-term week when track replacement work is carried out.