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

Tuesday, 26 August 2008

BBC News

• UK 'should end biofuel subsidies'The government should spend biofuel subsidies on safeguarding rainforests and peatland instead, a think tank says.
• Work set to start on road revampA £289,000 scheme to improve a four-mile stretch of road in County Durham is set to start next month.
• Warning over weekday railway workBusinesses are very concerned at the prospect of rail engineering works being done on weekdays, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry said.

Financial Times

• An answer at last to the Heathrow horrorsThe commission's report makes a powerful case that competition between the three London airports may offer further options, writes Philip Stephens
• Lufthansa confirms interest in Austrian AirlinesLufthansa confirmed it has formally expressed an interest in buying the Austrian government's stake in Austrian Airlines, the lossmaking national carrier, a move that could reinforce the German group's role in Europe's air travel market

The Guardian

• When a fare deal isn't all that fairYou may pay over the odds on Rail Europe's website
• The age of the train returns to French provincesFor almost 50 years, no train has stopped at the station of Bazancourt. A village in the Champagne region of France with just under 2,000 inhabitants, it was cut off from the railway network after the second world war and lay forgotten.
• That big red bus? It's the ideal symbol for a healthy futureHow cheering to see a London double-decker take the Olympic flame. May it mark the start of a public transport revival

The Telegraph

• Manchester forms Gatwick bid groupThe owners of Manchester Airport have formed a bid team and have begun talking to infrastructure funds and sovereign wealth investors about a potential approach for Glasgow and Gatwick airports.

The Sun

• National Express policy change promise is toshA TRAIN operator told a customer they were considering changing a controversial policy over refunds. National Express promised Lynn Poole they were reviewing the policy after she was forced to buy two sets of tickets at different prices for one journey.

Transport Briefing

• Liverpool Lime Street station upgrade work beginsWork has begun to construct two new passenger lounges, an information point, three shops and railway staff accommodation at Liverpool Lime Street station.
• Call to electrify Uckfield route to spare other rail linesLondon TravelWatch, the watchdog for transport users in and around London, has called on the government to electrify the Oxted to Uckfield railway line, despite the route falling outside the London area.
• Green Park Olympic rail project seeks planning consentLondon Underground has applied for planning permission to make Green Park Tube station fully accessible to passengers with wheelchairs and pushchairs in time for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Rail stations scoop cash from access funding roundRail Minister Tom Harris has visited Glasgow's Mount Florida station to announce that five more stations in Scotland will benefit from the Government's £370m Access for All scheme.
• Cycle hire scheme debut for Dundee and DumfriesDundee and Dumfries are to develop cycle hire schemes with new funding released in a bid to emulate the success of the sustainable travel demonstration towns south of the border (Transport Briefing 24/05/07).
• South West Trains claims success in biodiesel pilotRail operator South West Trains is trialling a mixture of diesel, soya beans and rape seed oil to examine green fuel alternatives which could be used in the future.
• Network Rail reconfigures power lines for airport linkThe next phase of preparatory work on the Glasgow Airport Rail Link will start at the end of August.
• Crossrail shortlist names companies on £850m work listCross London Rail Links, the company developing the £15.9bn Crossrail project, has revealed the shortlisted consortia and companies for the competitive tender process for its programme partner, project delivery partner and design framework agreements advertised earlier this year (Transport Briefing 07/04/08).
• Network Rail steps up West Coast work to hit deadlineNew platforms, new track and new signalling have been installed by Network Rail over a bumper bank holiday weekend which saw more than 4,000 engineers drafted in to seven sites as part of a massive effort to complete the backlog of work required to finish the West Coast Main Line project by the end of this year.

Airwise News

• Overground clean finish allows focus on enhancementsPhase three of a programme to spruce up stations on the Overground network will begin later this year after Transport for London announced all phase two works have been completed, bringing the 34 stations up to a standard on a par with those on the capital's Tube network.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Bus fare 'tram tax' on agenda in leaked proposalsA "TRAM tax" which would see bus fares rise to pay for an extension to Edinburgh's tram line is being considered by the city council.
• Number of vehicles on Scots roads at new highTHE number of vehicles on Scotland's roads rose to its highest-ever level last year, figures revealed today.

Liverpool Post

• ferry fares to face new fuel surchargesFERRY prices on the Irish Sea are to increase to reflect rising fuel charges.

London Evening Standard

• London gets first canal taxi serviceLondon's first canal taxi service starts this weekend. A fleet of 10 paddle-powered vessels have been licensed by British Waterways to operate on the Regent's Canal and Grand Union Canal.

Manchester Evening News

• Fuel costs ease m-way jamsCONGESTION on motorways around Greater Manchester has plummeted - due to the credit crunch and soaring fuel prices.

Newcastle Journal

• Fuel cells power first 'Formula Zero' kart raceGo-karts powered by hydrogen fuel cells compete in the first 'Formula Zero' race, which may one day be a green alternative to 'Formula 1' races

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Group welcomes better access at Montrose StationAN ANGUS disability group last night welcomed plans to upgrade facilities at a railway station in the county.

The York Press

• 15mph speed of rush-hour traffic MOTORISTS in York should be able to get round the city at 15mph during morning rush-hour, transport bosses say.

Blackpool Gazette

• Make link road the top priorityTHE A585 must be your number one priority.
• Pavement warning for town cyclistsBLACKPOOL Council is reminding people not to cycle on the pavement after concerns were raised by members of the public.

Carlisle News & Star

• STOBART EXTENDS FREIGHT BY TRAINThe rail operation launched in September 2006 with a freight service between Daventry in the West Midlands and Grangemouth, near Glasgow.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Date for Airport's second runway inquiryAn inquiry into plans to create a second runway at Stansted Airport is earmarked to start in April.
• Union claims caterers scanning luggage during airport strikeStriking airport bag handlers at Stansted said employers had breached safety procedures by bringing in caterers to operate luggage scanners.

International Herald Tribune

• Car market turns around, and Honda is readyWhile soaring gas prices caught other automakers by surprise, Honda could rely on 20 years of developing fuel-efficient cars.
• Toyota increases price of hybrids 3% in JapanToyota is raising its prices by 3 percent for its hybrid Prius cars and Harrier sport utility vehicles in Japan in response to soaring costs.

Washington Post

• Traffic fatalities driven down by high gas prices WASHINGTON -- Roll back the clock to 1961: John F. Kennedy was inaugurated president. The Peace Corps was founded. The Dow Jones industrials hit 734. Gasoline reached 31 cents a gallon.
• On the Road Again In the early 1990s, all three major American automakers started building clean and efficient natural gas vehicles. But when a new federal law failed to create an expected guaranteed market, the momentum died. Today, only Honda sells a model in the United States -- and in minuscule numbers.

Aviation Industry

• HIGHWAYS & TRANSPORTATION SATISFACTION SURVEY 2008Earlier this year, NELC sent out a survey asking how people in North East Lincolnshire felt about transport in the area. We had a great response with almost 700 replies!
• UK Public transport still overcrowded and no sign of innovationWith an endless and ever increasing number festivals such as edinburgh, leeds, reading filling the summer calendar, major public transport routes notably trains are consistently full.
• Airfare Expert Says Early-2009 Prices Could DipSouthwest Airlines Co. has published its schedule and fares for early next year, a move that could spur rivals to lower their fares for the period, an airfare observer said Monday.

Other News Sources

• 500 sign rail track petitionMore than 500 people have signed a petition in favour of a new railway track in Gloucestershire.
• Bus park plans take hitProposals for a bus park outside Peebles to ease car park congestion have taken a hit after officials said planning permission should be refused.
• £300 million to secure Tyne & Wear MetroRe-invigoration Phase 2 is to start soon and will cost the government around £300 million. It forms part of an initial improvement package that signals an approved contractor to be sought by NEXUS, the Tyne & Wear PTE who operates the Metro system.
• More people taking the trainRises in rail and bus passengers, but car use is still a challenge.
• India reportedly eyeing partnership to build new RJIndia is reportedly seeking to partner with either Bombardier or Embraer to build a new 70- to 100-seat regional jet.According to reports out of India,...
• Carmakers 'not doing enough to boost fuel efficiency'The German car industry made progress towards the European Union™s fuel efficiency goals in 2007, but they “ and all carmakers - need to do more to hit the proposed targets, according to a report by a green campaign group.