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

Thursday, 14 August 2008

BBC News

• Second rail track campaign startsCommuters are being urged to back a bid to back plans for a second rail track between Kemble, Gloucestershire and Swindon, to improve the route.
• Cycle-hire scheme rides into cityDundee is set to join Barcelona, Paris and Stockholm by introducing a self-service cycle hire scheme.
• Spanish inflation at 15-year highPrices in Spain rose at their fastest annual rate for 15 years in July, driven by rising food and fuel costs.

Financial Times

• Airlines aim to form transatlantic ventureAmerican Airlines, British Airways and Spain's Iberia are expected to announce they are applying for antitrust immunity from the US and European competition authorities to form a transatlantic joint venture that would create one of the most powerful forces in the Atlantic aviation market
• Troubled airlines boost parts auctionsSoaring oil prices are fuelling a growing international market for aircraft parts as beleaguered airlines around the world scale back operations or liquidate assets
• CMA CGM in first public stepFrance's CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping line, is to take its first step on to public equity markets by merging its Global Ship Lease arm with a...

The Scotsman

• Scots offered free use of bikes in green transport schemePARIS-STYLE self-service cycle hire points are to be launched in Dundee and Dumfries as part of a new Scottish Government green transport drive.

Times Online

• Fat flyers - issue that’s just too heavy to tackle It’s not politically correct, could lead to legal action and is unlikely to be admitted publicly, but airlines would like to weigh their passengers.

Reuters News

• Airlines embrace oil decline, but no time to partyCHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 23 percent drop in oil prices since mid-July brightens the outlook for troubled airlines, but clouds remain thick over the industry, with little hope that carriers will scale back downsizing plans or repeal unpopular fees.

Transport Briefing

• Rail projects facing struggle to stay within budgetThe cost of delivering many of London's flagship transport projects could rise sharply, according to a report by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
• Ferry idea floatedTransport group Stagecoach is to trial a new fast ferry service in the south west of England. A 138-seat catamaran will carry passengers between Torquay and Brixham in Devon from 29 August to 29 September to test the potential for a permanent link.
• North London Line rail upgrade awaits 2012 go-aheadPlans for a major upgrade of the North London Line to improve access to the 2012 Olympic venues have yet to be approved, despite the Games being less than four years away.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Road users get on their bikeBIKE sales are booming as road users fight high fuel prices by switching from four wheels to two.

London Evening Standard

• Commuters' fury at 10% rail fare riseCommuters have launched a blistering attack on rail bosses after it emerged that fares are set to rise by as much as 10 per cent
• War and weather set to send prices soaring at pumpsMotorists face another huge rise in petrol and diesel prices

Manchester Evening News

• Bus firm sells routesFAMILY owned transport company R Bullock & Sons has sold some of its bus routes and vehicles to giant Stagecoach Manchester.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Unions back bid to derail ticket office opening-time cutsThe country's biggest rail unions are supporting passengers in their fight to stop ticket-office opening hours being cut.
• Radical scheme to create 1,000 parking spacesMore than 1,000 new car parking spaces are being created across the city by removing double yellow lines and 'build-out' sections of pavements that extend into the roa

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• BAA could be forced to sell its Aberdeen ˜cash cow™BAA™s near-monopoly of Scottish airports is about to be brought to an end with an order to sell Aberdeen or one of its two other Scottish airports.

Blackpool Gazette

• Free parking at Blackpool airportA NORTH West tour operator is offering free parking to encourage travellers to use Blackpool Airport instead of Manchester.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Petition calls for drop in A43 limitA campaigner has launched a petition to cut the speed limit on the A43 between Kettering and Northampton after another person was killed on the road.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Council opposes second runwaySt Edmundsbury Borough Council has joined the opposition to a second runway at Stansted Airport.
• Car firms research biofuelA car company based in Norfolk has joined a project to try to make biofuel engines more efficient.

Sunderland Echo

• Travel offer successHundreds of Wearsiders hit the road for free with a little help from the Echo and Stagecoach North East.

Forbes

• What The Airlines Want From Washington The aviation industry is spending millions to press its agenda. Top of the list: fuel prices.

International Herald Tribune

• Downtowns across the U.S. see streetcars in their futureCincinnati and at least 40 other cities are exploring streetcar plans to spur economic development, ease traffic congestion and draw people back from the suburbs.

The Economist

• China's electric bikes: More power to your pedalElectric bikes are all the rage in ChinaCHINA'S increasingly affluent citizens may not all be able to afford cars just yet. But they clearly yearn for some motive power beyond that provided by their two legs. The standard bicycle, synonymous with mass transport in China, is not enough for everyone. Over the past few years electric bikes, with small motors that give a little help to the rider, have become more popular, with more than 20m made last year according to a new report,

Washington Post

• China raises tax on big cars to cut pollution SHANGHAI, China -- China is raising its sales tax on big cars to as high as 40 percent, and drastically cutting taxes on small cars, in its latest attempt to combat emissions that contribute to heavy blankets of smog over most of its cities.
• Automakers scramble to offer more fuel efficiency TRAVERSE CITY, Mich (Reuters) - Chrysler LLC on Wednesday outlined plans to launch a new car-based SUV modeled after the Jeep Cherokee, as other major automakers took the spotlight at an industry conference to pitch their own hurried responses to the surging demand for more fuel-efficient cars.
• GM engineer says rechargeable car is on schedule TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Early versions of the Chevrolet Volt's battery packs are powerful enough to run the high-stakes rechargeable car, but dozens of issues remain before General Motors Corp. can start selling the revolutionary vehicle in 2010 as planned.

Transport for London

• Initial Low Emission Zone results prove positiveAround a third of lorries over 12 tonnes operating in Greater London are significantly cleaner than they were one year ago, according to Transport for London's (TfL's) first monitoring report examining the impact of the Low Emission Zone.

Aviation Industry

• First U.K. ITSO compliant phoneConsult Hyperion have received the first U.K. ITSO certification (no. 00064) for an NFC mobile handset carrying an ITSO shell
• Waterways may play key role in the next transport revolutionTHE BBC's new series, Britain from Above, got off to a spectacular start on Sunday as Andrew Marr took an unusual view of some of the nation's habits.
• Virgin boss appeals to McCain, Obama on BA dealVirgin Atlantic Airways president Richard Branson has written to both U.S. presidential candidates to warn that a proposed alliance between British Airways and American Airlines would severely damage ...
• Airports Feel Economy's PinchAs the airlines make cutbacks, airports find they must do likewise. So, after years of growth, airports are delaying capital projects, freezing hiring, and considering increases in everything from landing fees ...

Green Miscellany

• Cycling to work is booming, says Halfords42 percent of Brits might switch from cars to bikes, claims Halfords. PLUS: Americans are driving less and cycling more
• ACI-NA Honors Three Large Airports With Environmental Awards [USA]BOS, SEA And MSP Earn 2008 Recognitions Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) selected Boston Logan International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport as winners of its 2008 Environmental Achievement Awards.
• Europe spends 1.6 billion to create cleaner aircraftThere are plenty of good reasons why Europe's aerospace industry should improve the environmental performance of its next generation of aircraft. Being offered €800 million of European Commission funds is yet another, as Alistair Rae reports.
• EU and UK on collision course over aviation carbon-trading dealEuropean Parliament proposal to ensure cash from auctioning carbon credits to airlines goes to fund green projects looks set to be rejected by the UK
• Biofuel plant proposed by drinks firmA UK company is to invest £65 million in a biofuel facility at one of its plants in Scotland.

Other News Sources

• Tinkler pushes ahead with LHV prototype trialAndrew Tinkler, chief executive of Stobart Group, says last week's meeting with Department for Transport (DfT) officials to discuss his design for a longer trailer was "really positive"; the firm will now commission a prototype for testing.
• Transport for London wants £1m compensation for Oyster card outagesTwo glitches that hit the London Oyster travel card infrastructure cost Transport for London more than a million pounds, a spokesperson confirmed today.
• Luxury ferry will bring more jobs to PlymouthTHE boss of Brittany Ferries has told The Herald a new £90 million luxury ship will operate out of Plymouth next spring, bringing jobs to the city.
• Air Lingus shed passengers after move from ShannonAER LINGUS have failed to make an impact on the Belfast to Heathrow air route — nearly one year after controversially pulling out of Shannon Airport.
• Arlington and Wincanton join forces to provide emergency waterArlington Packaging, the supplier of bag-in-box intermediate bulk containers, has partnered logistics firm Wincanton to provide emergency kerbside drinking water across the UK.
• Rail appeal offers local incentiveIt promises to give a serious boost to tourism in north Norfolk and now one of the district's most popular attractions is offering a major incentive to encourage local people to get involved with its latest project.
• Transport firms face extra costsEXTRA charges on containers to pay for the cost of road and rail improvements when Felixstowe port expands will stay in place “for the foreseeable future”.
• Travelport admits Easyjet bookings slow through GDSTravelport GDS has admitted bookings for Easyjet have been slow since it began selling the low cost carrier in November last...
• Ryanair could be charged with breaching European regulationsRyanair could be charged with breaching European
• Scots offered free use of bikes in green transport schemeThe networks of pick-up, drop-off stands will offer free cycle use for the first half hour.Dundee City Council, which has been awarded funding for one of the schemes, said the move followed successful...
• Funding to encourage green travelSeven towns and cities to share £15 million to develop innovative transport initiatives.
• Tube strike going aheadLiberal Democrat assembly member Caroline Pidgeon has hit out at the Rail and Maritime Union (RMT), calling maintenance firm Tube Lines' offer of a 4.85 per cent pay deal
• Harnessing automobile energyResearchers have invented a new material that may make cars even more efficient by converting heat wasted through engine exhaust into electricity.
• Air-purifying pavingDutch researchers have developed air-purifying stones that are to be used to pave a section of road in the municipality of Hengelo in the eastern Netherlands.
• RHA sounds alarm over M4 toll road plansPlans for an M4 toll relief road would cripple haulage businesses delivering into Wales and seriously damage the economy, warns the Road Haulage Association (RHA).
• Rising costs jeopardise Crossrail, say RICSLarge infrastructure projects such as Crossrail, the 2012 Olympic Games and Thameslink, risk significant budget overruns due to rampant costs increases, according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
• Fabers win Manchester Metrolink extensionFaber Maunsell has won a contract to provide design and consultancy work to the new £350M Manchester Metrolink extension.
• M-way petrol prices 'a raw deal'Drivers filling up at motorway service stations have been hit the hardest during the recent petrol-price hikes, it has been revealed. Motorway prices have been, on average, nearly 10p a litre higher than supermarket forecourts located just off motorways, according to research by the RAC.
• Trade union ban at Pakistani airline repealedThe ITF has welcomed news that the Pakistani government has lifted a ban preventing employees of the country’s national carrier from joining a union.
• Japan business aviation industry aims to build on strong growthThe Japan Business Aviation Association is pressing for further liberalisation of the rules governing...
• Truckwatch Goes OnlineHauliers across Suffolk and Norfolk now have online access to crime reduction and awareness information, thanks to the Eastern Region Truckwatch scheme's brand new website.
• BW Gas turns down ship offersBW GAS has rejected offers for its LPG ships and agreed with its partner Exmar to terminate their pooling accord.
• Thales UK wins contract from Manchester Airports GroupManchester Airports Group has awarded a technology contract to electronics firm Thales UK.
• Renold wins New York City rail car contractRenold, the Wythenshawe-based chain manufacturing and engineering group, is celebrating the award of a $17m (£8.5m) contract from Mitsubishi to supply couplings and gearboxes for the New York City Metro North Transit Authority.
• Details of Stockport transport interchange revealedGreater Manchester Future Transport has released images of what a multi-million pound transport interchange in Stockport would look like if the £2.7bn Transport Innovation Fund package is approved.
• Conditions too ’challenging’ for Stockport scheme, developer saysAustralian development firm Crosby Lend Lease has outlined its reasons for pulling out of the £500m Bridgefield regeneration scheme in Stockport.
• New Monityre 'to help save fuel'A new wireless tyre pressure monitoring system has been created by Safe Europe to dramatically reduce fuel bills for transport fleets.
• New CPC for bus and coach driversThe UK Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has announced the launch of a new driver certificate of professional competence (CPC) for the bus and coach industry next month.
• The world is your oysterThis programme discovers new concerns about the security of the chip inside Transport for London's Oyster card, reports Bill Code.