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

Saturday, 09 August 2008

BBC News

• Poor roads delay wind farm plansPlanning applications for wind farms are put on hold in much of Wales over concerns about
• Devices found on city rail routeCrude but viable explosive devices have been found following a security alert on a railway line in Belfast, police say.
• Oil 'could hit $200 within years'Oil prices could rise as high as $200 a barrel within the next 10 years as a result of a looming supply crisis, a report warns.
• Network Rail heads may lose bonusNetwork Rail chiefs could see their bonuses cut after a report commissioned by rail regulators suggests a raft of sweeping changes.

Financial Times

• Oyster card contractor fired after £1m failuresTfL is to end early its contract with TranSys, manager of the swipecard used on UK buses, light railway and the Tube, after the shutdowns last month that cost lost fares

The Observer

• BA deal with Iberia flies in the face of crisisLucrative agreement could help British Airways to scale new heights even in the midst of a severe downturn

The Telegraph

• UFO sightings in UK this year reach 150Reported UFO sightings are at their highest level for years - with authorities now hearing about four mysterious objects in Britain's skies every week.

Birmingham Post

• Lobby group rails against New Street plansA national rail organisation wants the Government to force Birmingham City Council to re-think plans for redeveloping New Street Station.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• £240m needed to improve North Wales transportNORTH Wales needs up to £240m to bring its transport system up to date, a new report says.

London Evening Standard

• Harman and Darling row over business equality plansA row has broken out between Harriet Harman and Alistair Darling over costly equality rules for firms that win government contracts

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Fishing industry handed £29m to help cope with fuel pricesScotland™s hard-pressed fishermen are to get a £29million boost to help them cope with soaring fuel prices.

The Economist

• Energy dilemma: Cheap or green?When poverty and greenery collideTHE Camp for Climate Action--an annual gathering of anarchists and environmentalists--is fast becoming a summer fixture. Having protested outside Drax (a big coal-fired power plant) in 2006 and Heathrow airport in 2007, this year they are pitching tents in Kingsnorth, an industrial bit of Kent that is the proposed site of what would be the first new coal power station to be built in Britain for two decades. The protesters point out that coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel and argue that, given official pledges to cut carbon emissions, building new plants using it ...

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New Stralis for John Reid TruckingJohn Reid Trucking has added an 18-tonne Iveco Stralis to its 31 vehicle fleet, courtesy of North East Truck & Van.According to the Transport News Network, the Stralis Active Time met the distribution company's specifications for a vehicle with an extended range fuel tank, which will aid long distance transport by cutting fuel stops.Equipped with a high roof sleeper cab and a curtainside body, managing director John Reid explained that the model had "proven itself to be a very capable fleet truck", adding: "Our drivers particularly like the cab as it offers p...
• Welsh train managers consider strikeTrain services in Wales could be disrupted as managers consider going on strike.A ballot of Arriva Trains Wales driver managers is being taken by the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) as a resolution to a pay dispute could not be found.If industrial action is approved none of the managers will work any overtime after August 28th.The union has been in discussion with Arriva Trains for over six months, arguing that the salaries are unfair as some of the workers supervised by managers actually earn comparatively more when unpaid overtime is considered.TSSA senior regional organiser Ro...

Other News Sources

• Leading NGOs call for Full Government Compliance with Air Quality LawsLetter to the Prime Minister, urging compliance with Air Quality Directive.
• Renewable Fuels Agency releases its first data on UK biofuels The Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) today (07/08/2008) publishes its first monthly report on the supply of biofuels under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), covering the period 15 April - 14 May* 2008.