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

Wednesday, 20 August 2008

BBC News

• Rail franchise runners announcedThe four companies in the race to run rail services in the South East have been announced.
• BAA 'should sell three airports'The Competition Commission says BAA may have to sell three of its seven UK airports - two in London and one in Scotland.
• Super-port contract to be signedA contract to build a £1.5bn container port and business park in the Thames Gateway is due to be exchanged.
• Passengers test new face scannersFacial recognition scanners are introduced at Manchester Airport in a bid to improve security and reduce passenger congestion.
• Watchdog to set out plans for BAAThe Competition Commission is tipped to back the break-up of BAA, the UK's largest airports operator.
• Fuel bill hits Virgin Blue profitHigh jet fuel prices saw annual pre-tax profits at Virgin Blue, Australia's second-largest airline, fall by 55%.

Financial Times

• GM to make U-turn over sales incentivesGeneral Motors has backed away from a two-year drive to wean itself off incentives, highlighting the increasing desperation of US carmakers to counter the steep downturn in demand
• Virgin in talks to sell out of NigeriaVirgin Atlantic is in talks to sell its 49 per cent stake in Virgin Nigeria following an increasingly acrimonious dispute with the Nigerian government over the location of the lossmaking west African carrier's domestic operations
• We face tough choices on British airportsNigel Rudd and Colin Matthews consider the future of UK airports as the Competition Commission unveils its provisional findings of its investigation into BAA
• NOL hints at keeping Hapag-Lloyd brandNeptune Orient Lines could retain the Hapag-Lloyd brand name after a takeover, the Singapore-based container carrier's chief executive has hinted, as it tries to calm German hostility to a potential deal

The Guardian

• Around Britain by bus: part oneTravel: Is it possible to travel around the edge of Britain by bus? Dixe Wills takes up the challenge

The Independent

• Johnson loses another deputy as transport supremo quitsA high-flying businessman brought in by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to head his staff resigned suddenly yesterday – the third senior figure in his team to quit in as many months.

The Scotsman

• Watchdog may urge airports salePlane passengers who have endured travel misery will learn just what changes to UK airport ownership are proposed by competition chiefs.

The Telegraph

• Passengers warned BAA break up will not lead to fare cutsHopes that the break up of the airport operator BAA's stranglehold of London airports will lead to lower fares are likely to be dashed.

Times Online

• Mike Turner does the business at BAE Systems All political lives end in failure, said Enoch Powell. And it is not much better for chief executives. Many suffer a sudden and painful conclusion to their tenure, particularly when times are tough. Few get to write the last chapter of their careers.

Mail Online

• Beware, elderly people getting crosser: OAPs demand revamp of insulting crossing signIt is one of the most instantly recognisable traffic signs - a hunched couple with a walking stick warning motorists to watch out for elderly pedestrians crossing the road.

Birmingham Post

• West Coast Main Line disruption will be worth it, says Network RailIt is costing £8.8 billion.
• Midland passengers should expect rail disruption, says Virgin TrainsMidland rail passengers are being warned by Virgin Trains to expect severe disruption on its West Coast Main Line services for a fortnight, starting this weekend.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Bus fares slashed on North Wales coastal routesA BUS company has slashed fares by up to £1.50 on routes in the Bangor, Llandudno and Caernarfon areas.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Daft' new bus stop ripped out after city bunglingIT is probably the nearest a bus stop has ever got to doing the hokey-cokey.

London Evening Standard

• Lorry stickers to warn cyclists of undertakingA safety campaign has been launched to stop cyclists being crushed by lorries. Council vehicles in Camden will display warning signs on back windscreens reading "Cyclists - beware of passing this vehicle on the inside."
• Free cycling centre is first step in sporting legacy for 2012London's biggest cycling centre opened today after a phenomenal week for British Olympic cyclists.
• 'Failsafe' face scanners could replace passport officers at airportsFacial recognition machines are to be installed at airports to replace passport officers under new border control plans
• Tube strike called off at last minuteThe Tube strike has been called off at the last minute - with Union bosses set to thrash out the details of a deal on pay and working conditions
• Boris Johnson loses another deputy mayorTim Parker stood down as chief of staff when Mr Johnson stripped him of his role of running Transport for London

The News (Portsmouth)

• Passengers are baffled by 'back to front' shelterPEOPLE waiting for buses have been forced to stand in the rain and wave their arms about to get one to stop “ because the shelter is the wrong way round.

The York Press

• Problems for commuters as station unveils revamp RAIL passengers face disruption at York Station later this year, as major work is carried out on one of the platforms.

The Shields Gazette

• Thousands missing out on teen travel cardMORE than 14,000 youngsters in South Tyneside are missing out on cheap travel because they do not have the right card.

Western Daily Press

• Portishead railway on trackAfter almost eight years of campaigning, supporters of the bid to get Portishead a railway line feel they are finally getting somewhere.

International Herald Tribune

• Cairo tries to get ancient, rattling cabs off the streetsIn Seoul, the Hyundai Pony is a museum exhibit. In Egypt, the decades-old car can still be used as a taxi, so long as it doesn't fall into a canal.

Wall Street Journal

• Could Bike Lanes Cause Pollution?Plans to expand San Francisco's bicycle infrastructure, including bike lanes and racks, have been put on hold thanks to local gadfly Rob Anderson. The 65-year-old successfully sued for an environmental review, arguing the plan would cause more pollution.

Washington Post

• Struggling to Stay Aloft LYNCHBURG, Va. -- American cities have long viewed a thriving commercial airport as a source of civic pride, a way to attract businesses and jobs, a selling point promising an easy connection to the outside world. Any community vibrant enough to support a respectable airport, the thinking goes, is a community that counts.
• Ford workers catch glimpse of future cars DEARBORN, Mich. -- As Ford Motor Co. faces perhaps the most difficult period in its 105-year history, the company is trying to boost employee confidence by showing them _ and letting them drive _ the vehicles it hopes will pull the storied automaker out of the financial basement.

Transport for London

• All London Overground managed stations are deep cleanedTransport for London (TfL) today announced the completion of the first major step in bringing what was once the country's most neglected railway into the 21st century.
• Green Park Tube station to be upgraded ahead of London 2012 GamesLondon Underground has applied for planning permission to bring major improvements to Green Park Tube station in time for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Visit the new on-line destination for London's cyclistsTransport for London (TfL) asks the Capital's cyclists to share their knowledge with others, at www.tfl.gov.uk/cycling

Aviation Industry

• Differential parking charges - a hundred million reasons not toThe Freight Transport Association says that with Differential Parking Charges now firmly in place it is clear that there have been winners and losers. Private motorists have got a fair deal but commercial operators have not – their costs are up by a cool £100 million!
• Tesco gets on board with StobartLONDON (SHARECAST) - Transport and logistic solutions company Stobart Group has won a new contract to supply Tesco at the retail giant’s new distribution centre in Livingston, Scotland.
• Biometric Passport Face Recognition TrialThe UK government has started a trial of biometric facial recognition scanners at Manchester Airport.The trial is open to adults passing through Manchester who hold the new generation of biometric passports.There are five unmanned gates in the airport's Terminal 1 security hall, through which passengers proceed while the scanners check their passport.They are then allowed through to another gate, where facial recognition scanners read their face and compare it to the photo on the biometric passport.Biometric Facial RecognitionThe Manchester airport trial is the first time biometric facial reco...
• Airport Aircraft Radar SystemAbu Dhabi International Airport, one of the world's fastest-growing airports, has selected a new high-tech surveillance system to improve ground safety at the airport.The airport has chosen Seabridge Technologies' IntelliDAR system which will enable air traffic controllers to monitor aircraft movements on the airport's runways, taxiways and apron surfaces in real time.IntelliDAR works by using a network of digital imaging sensors to present a 3D picture of the entire airport site.The system is able to identify every aircraft at any one time, so providing an improved picture for controllers.Air...
• United Air Will Start Charging for Meals in Coach on Some Overseas FlightsUnited Airlines , struggling to curb losses from record fuel prices, will become the first U.S. carrier to stop serving free meals in the coach cabin of some overseas flights. Also at United, free snacks will be eliminated in the coach cabin of North American flights of 760 miles to 1,149 miles, or 2 to 3 hours. They will be replaced with snacks for sale, effective Sept. 2, the memo said. As of Oct. 1, the airline also will boost prices for fresh items sold during flights to $9 from $7; the cost of non-perishable foods will climb to $6 from $5.
• Qantas launches mobile websiteAustralian carrier Qantas has launched an online version of its website, qantas.com, especially for Apple™s iPhone.
• EasyJet to convert part of an Airbus order ?The move to convert part of the Airbus order to larger aircraft signals confidence in the no-frills sector despite the current oil crisis.

Green Miscellany

• "GREEN" RAIL IS THE BEST FREIGHT OPTION [Australia]Rail should be promoted as “greenhouse friendly” to seize the opportunity for further growth in the carbon-constrained economy, rail industry lobbyists have argued.
• FOE: Govt should promote green travelA leading environmental charity has claimed the government should do more to promote forms of green travel, rather than supporting the expansion of aviation.

Other News Sources

• Rail franchise bidders revealedThe four runners in the race for a major franchise deal to run South-East rail services have been unveiled.
• Transport artery that forged a missing link in HighlandsWHEN the Inverness and Aberdeen Railway was opened to Keith on 18th August, 1858, passengers from Inverness were at last able to get to Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh and even London by train. The first railway from Inverness went as far as Nairn and was opened on 15th November 1855.
• Consultation launched into Vosa and VCA feesHauliers will be able to have their say on how fees are set for Vosa and Vehicle Certification Agency services now that a consultation has been launched into the process.
• Mayor to remain chair of Transport for London BoardLondon mayor Boris Johnson will continue to chair the Transport for London board. He was due to hand over to Tim Parker in September, but due to the large public budgets and politics involved, has since decided that the involvement of the Mayor is essential.
• New management for railways in East Africa is “a blessing” for industrial relationsThe establishment of a new management structure at a troubled railway operator could pave the way for better industrial relations between workers and the company according to the ITF.
• Cambridgeshire MP pays visit to local haulierAttending the Westminster fuel protest has paid off for Geoff Hobbs Haulage, with South-East Cambridgeshire MP Jim Paice coming to the firm to hear in person how sky-high fuel costs are draining more than a third of its income.
• Virgin Atlantic in talks over Virgin Nigeria exit Virgin Atlantic Airways is negotiating the disposal of up to its entire 49% Virgin Nigeria stake and may withdraw its branding from the carrier as part of...
• Picture: Transaero introduces first 777-200sTransaero has introduced its first two Boeing 777-200s, becoming the only Russian airline to currently operate the twinjet. The 306-seat, Pratt & Whitney...
• Toyota among six companies to join UN scheme to cut greenhouse emissionsThe European branch of the world™s largest car maker, Toyota, today became one of six companies to join the Climate Neutral Network (CN Net), a United Nations Environment Programme  initiative bringing together organizations which pledge to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• LEZ is working - transport bosses London's Low Emissions Zone has already resulted in significant cuts to the amount of pollution spewed out by the city's lorries, according to transport bosses.
• Manchester Airport to get tracking centreA new centre which will track almost every foreign national coming in and out of the UK by 2010 will be based at Manchester Airport, the UK Border Agency confirmed today.
• Swissport workers to strike at airportBaggage and check-in staff at Manchester Airport are to strike over pay.
• Maersk ditches Southampton from AE8 scheduleMaersk has announced that it is dropping Southampton from its Asia-Europe 8 (AE8) service, with the last vessel on the route, Maersk Taikung, calling at the UK port on September 19th.
• Antidepressants 'may affect driving'Taking antidepressants could have a negative effect on drivers and impair their ability to handle a vehicle, new research indicates.