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

Thursday, 07 August 2008

BBC News

• Transport scheme gets shortlistedA £3m scheme to improve transport at the Cambridge rail station has been shortlisted for funding by Government.
• Timetable set for Borders railwayThe timetable for the Borders rail line has been confirmed as the project was handed on to Transport Scotland.
• Fuel cost blamed for 5% fare hikeBus and rail fares across Northern Ireland are set to rise by 5% later this month, Translink has announced.

Financial Times

• Airlines woo regulators over allianceAmerican Airlines, British Airways and Spain's Iberia, three carriers on the verge of unveiling a transcontinental venture, will brief US transport officials on Monday on the merits of their alliance
• Cathay warns aviation sector needs changeThe aviation industry will not be able to
• BAA bondholders back refinancingBAA has won bondholders' backing for changes that the highly geared UK airports operator hopes will help it complete a £9bn refinancing within the next few weeks

The Guardian

• In praise of ... London's congestion chargeLondon's roads, it emerged yesterday, are just as snarled up as they were before the congestion charge was introduced five years ago. So was it a costly mistake?
• Biofuel debate faces showdown in USA - 25% of US corn crop already used for biofuel · Texas governor wants biofuel target cut by 50% · Barack Obama wants big increase to 60bn gallons
• London gridlocked despite C-chargeBoom in roadworks and traffic-calming measures has maintained traffic density despite fewer vehicles
• Ex-BA chiefs face price-fixing chargesBusiness & money: OFT targets four former and current British Airways executives over alleged contact with Virgin

The Herald

• Five-year plan confirms £300m Borders rail linkA five-year timetable to bring back the Waverley rail line to the Scottish Borders at a cost of almost £300m was unveiled in a

The Independent

• Woman pushed on to railway line after asking men to stop smokingTwo men pushed a woman off a railway station platform yesterday, two days after she had asked them to stop smoking at the same station.

The Scotsman

• Stagecoach begins driver safety trialBUS provider Stagecoach has launched a six-month trial of a new driver system designed to improve safety and reduce emissions.
• Bus service cuts: 'It is clear that a quick solution is required'BOSSES at Lothian Buses will be disappointed that the council has in effect rejected the company's plan to axe or cut back unprofitable services as it toils against a background of rising fuel prices.

Times Online

• Office of Fair Trading to charge British Airways executives with price-fixing The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is set to unveil plans today to charge four past and present executives of British Airways with criminal price-fixing offences.

Reuters News

• UPDATE 1-Lufthansa open to Austrian talks, watching AlitaliaFRANKFURT, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Germany's Deutsche Lufthansa is interested in holding intensive talks over a stake in Austrian Airlines with the Austrian government, executive board member Stefan Lauer said.

Mail Online

• Lotus fits speakers to electric cars to put the 'vroom' back into silent enginesThe green lobby loves them, celebrities drive them, and they have become Hollywood's latest politically-correct status symbol.
• Passengers warned of soaring ticket prices as airlines slash 60m seats in bid to cut costsAir fares are set to soar by hundreds of pounds as airlines slash nearly 60million seats to try and survive the industry's economic meltdown.

Transport Briefing

• Congestion Charge sixth birthday sees traffic down 21%Mayor Boris Johnson has ordered his officials to rephase traffic lights and clamp down on utility companies wanting to dig up roads after an increase in congestion in central London.
• Crossrail blamed as Parliament Square plan scrappedLondon's £16bn Crossrail project and the upgrade of Victoria station mean it would be foolish to press ahead with plans to part-pedestrianise Parliament Square, the capital's mayor has said.
• Inverness rail upgrade pledged by Scottish GovernmentScotland's First Minister has confirmed that the Scottish Government remains committed to cutting train journey times between Edinburgh and Inverness.
• Crossrail in line for windfall from infrastructure taxA new planning levy on developers will be used to channel cash into the multi-billion pound Crossrail project, ministers revealed this week.

Birmingham Post

• Network Rail and Virgin row hits passengers in the pocketBirmingham travellers booking train tickets to London over August Bank Holiday are being short-changed because of a feud between Virgin Trains and Network Rail, it has been claimed.
• New airline service from Birmingham to IstanbulBirmingham International Airport has received a major boost with the news that a major airline will commence services from the hub to Istanbul.

Bristol Live

• Speed camera fines have risen 11-fold but accidents in Bristol have not fallenSpeed cameras have not reduced the number of accidents on roads in the Bristol area despite the number of motorists slapped with speeding fines increasing 11-fold in a decade.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Blooming railway’s top prizeTHE flower displays at the Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog) have won first prize in the prestigious Wales in Bloom Awards.

London Evening Standard

• Car sales driven down as credit crunch forces motorists to shun showroomsSales of new cars have fallen because of the credit crunch.
• TfL 'losing its Traffic congestion as bad as it was before C-chargeagainst congestion'Central London congestion has soared back to levels last seen before the C-charge was introduced, an official report discloses

Manchester Evening News

• Britons' fuel price miseryBRITISH motorists are forking out far more for their fuel than drivers in the major European vehicle-owning countries, a survey out today shows.
• Britons' fuel price miseryBRITISH motorists are forking out far more for their fuel than drivers in the major European vehicle-owning countries, a survey out today shows.
• Road charge roadshow under wayTRANSPORT chiefs have hit the streets . . . to keep traffic off the road.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• 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.
• Moray bus services are cut following council boobThree bus services in Moray are to be taken off following a £170,000 budget blunder by council bosses.
• 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.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds-based airline apologises for flight from hellANGRY travellers today won an apology from Leeds-based budget airline Jet2.com after enduring a holiday flight from hell.

Blackpool Gazette

• Fylde tax payers multi-million pound bus fareFYLDE coast taxpayers are set to pick up a hefty part of a £2.3m bill for a soaring number of pensioners enjoying free bus rides.

Carlisle News & Star

• Great crested newts delay Carlisle bypass startTraps have been laid to catch great crested newts living on the western by-pass route.

Reading Evening Post

• Third runway ˜will affect Twyford™Plans to add a third runway at Heathrow Airport will œhave a very serious effect on Twyford, according to the village™s MP.

Sunderland Echo

• Thumbs up for park and rideTHE first purpose-built park and ride service in the region has carried 1.88million passengers since it opened.
• Thumbs up for park and rideTHE first purpose-built park and ride service in the region has carried 1.88million passengers since it opened.

The Shields Gazette

• Tyne gets a new £750,000 pilot boatTHE Port of Tyne has really pushed the boat out with the launch of a new hi-tech £750k pilot cutter.
• Tyne gets a new £750,000 pilot boatTHE Port of Tyne has really pushed the boat out with the launch of a new hi-tech £750k pilot cutter.

Washington Post

• Why Pain at the Pump Hurts More Here With crude oil tumbling to a three-month low, consumers might begin to harbor fresh hopes that prices could settle at more moderate levels after all. The problem is, oil's retreat over recent weeks had more to do with financial market instabilities in the wake of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's troubles than the fundamentals that have driven the acceleration in prices. The real question remains whether high prices have finally managed to reduce demand to a sufficient degree, radically altering the supply-demand equation.
• Nissan shows test models of electric car, hybrid YOKOSUKA, Japan -- Nissan showed on Wednesday a spiffy electric car packed with a battery developed by the Japanese automaker to deliver more power than the type common in today's hybrids.
• WiFi Nearing Takeoff Wireless Internet access is about to move out of coffee shops and airport lounges and into airplanes.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• 'Worst ever' environment for airlinesAirlines are currently facing their worst ever trading environment, according to the head of British Airways (BA).Wille Walsh, chief executive of the airline, told the Guardian that fares will have to increase by three per cent by next April to combat rising fuel costs.He added that more airlines are set to join the 25 that have already gone bankrupt this year, as a decline in confidence among consumers also takes its toll.According to Mr Walsh, BA is preparing a strategy to cope with oil prices potentially reaching $150 (£75) per barrel. "We will have to do something and it'...

Railnews

• News: Motorists who cause death at crossings now face jail sentence MOTORISTS who cause death by jumping lights at level crossings now face lengthy jail sentences following a major change in sentencing policy.
• News: Railnews Exclusive: Industry must sharpen up to end skills shortage THE rail industry faces a ’daunting challenge’ to recruit new staff to fill a skills gap, and will have to attract and re-skill adult workers from other industries—and possibly other countries

Transport for London

• 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

• National Express East Coast: 50% increase in conversion rateWe just got the first figures back about how the National Express East Coast booking engine has been performing. The site (researched and designed by Flow) has shown impressive increases in revenue and conversion rates.
• Air Freight numbers drop, passenger growth hits 5 year lowThe International Air Transport Association (IATA) international traffic data for June 2008 showed a continued slowing of demand growth for air transport.
• BA counters negative T5 image with ad campaignThe “Terminal 5 is working” campaign will photograph real people using the terminal and feature them in media adverts the next day.
• Road transport sector gears up for whole vehicle type approvalFears that some goods vehicle producers are not planning for legislation arriving on 29 April 2009. Commercial vehicle suppliers face a major challenge with the introduction of EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) legislation next Spring.
• In gear for a new challengeONE of the UK's oldest bicycle manufacturers has started a new venture which could boost an iconic bike brand.
• Ofcom proposes regulation to use mobile phones on flightsNew proposals mean licences issued to UK airlines on request...
• CAA Upgrades Aircraft Register DatabaseThe UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has enhanced the information available on its UK Register of Civil Aircraft database. The database, which holds all civil aircraft registration and airworthiness data in accordance with international regulations, now holds more detailed aircraft information.
• BAA wins overwhelming support for bond migrationBAA today announces that it has secured overwhelming support for its plans to migrate all series of existing bonds into a new financial structure.
• Airlines: Worldwide capacity drop of 7% predictedAirlines are preparing to cut more flights from their schedules than they did after the September 11 attacks, according to Official Airline Guide predictions.

Green Miscellany

• Hybrid LotusNORFOLK, England - August 6, 2008: Lotus Engineering, the world renowned automotive consultancy division of Lotus, has developed technologies to synthesise external sound on electric and hybrid vehicles to counteract the growing concern these ’quiet’ vehicles pose to pedestrians and cyclists. A simulation of a real engine sound is used on the ’Safe & Sound’ Hybrid technology demonstrator vehicle, making it instantly recognisable that the vehicle is in motion.
• REWARD OFFERED!The Commons Environmental Audit Committee says Motorists should be rewarded for trading in the ’Gas Guzzlers’ rather than ’punished’ for owning oversized vehicles.
• GMPTE praised for environmental measuresThe Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) has been applauded for the way it attempts to adopt green transport, it has been reported.

Other News Sources

• Smarter air traffic control could save 500 kg fuel per flightTidy air traffic control could save 500 kg of fuel and reduce noise by 35 percent for a typical Boeing 747 flight between Sydney and Melbourne, according to a team of researchers.
• BA sees fall in economy passengersBritish Airways' latest traffic figures suggest rising fares and falling consumer spending are driving economy passengers out of the air.
• Consumers unwilling to pay for green air travel, says researchConsumers have become less willing to pay for the environmental cost of flying as the economy tightens. That is...
• Allow airlines to join ATOL scheme, says government committeeGovernment calls for consumer protection as 'matter of urgency'.
• Britons left at risk if airlines collapseAn investigation has revealed the alarming lack of protection for UK consumers if an airline goes bust - with insurance often not enough
• FTA advises on Northern Ireland O-licence reformAhead of the O-licence system soon to start in Northern Ireland, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) will host a seminar offering advice and support.
• Operators must prepare for new type approval regsCommercial vehicle operators have been reminded again to gear up for new type approval regs.
• New FedEx Plane Boosts Capacity, Adds Regional ReachFedEx Express has begun adding larger Boeing 757 freighters to its fleet. The first to arrive has been put to use on a new eight times a week cargo service operating between Memphis International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
• Crossrail confirms Astoria compulsory purchase dateCrossrail this week confirmed that Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) will be issued for works at Tottenham Court Road in mid-October.
• Limerick forges ahead with new river crossingA new river crossing in the Irish city of Limerick was set to reach its halfway milestone this week, as precast concrete tunnel sections were due to be tested for water tightness.
• Move to night-time engineering disruptions could hurt rail freightThe Freight Transport Association has told the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) that it must ensure the needs of rail freight are not disadvantaged in Network Railâ??s plans to alter the way it carries out engineering works.
• Goods vehicle operator licensing in Northern Ireland from 2011 - FTA helps operators prepareChanges to Goods Vehicle Operator Licensing are planned to be introduced in Northern Ireland from April 2011, requiring a step change by all operators of goods vehicles exceeding 3.5 tonnes in compliance practices linked to vehicle roadworthiness.
• Cosco Corp shares dive as Ji departsCOSCO Corp shares dived today in the aftermath of the shock announcement of the departure of Ji Hai Sheng, the high profile Vice-Chairman and President of the Singapore listed enterprise.
• EU to reserve spectrum for cars to ˜talk™EU sets aside for radio frequency for accident warning system similar to those already in operation in the US and Japan.
• EU to join UN carbon market this yearEU companies should be able to trade carbon credits internationally from December 2008.
• UK drivers pay more for fuelUK drivers pay more for fuel