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

Thursday, 28 August 2008

BBC News

• Airport links 'unfit for games'Rail links to Gatwick Airport could be "unfit for purpose" by the time the London 2012 Olympics start, the government has been warned.
• Thieves blamed for delays [video]Thieves looking for scrap metal are being held responsible for the delays on our transport system.
• Japanese car making picks upGlobal output by Japan's top three carmakers picked up in July, reflecting strong demand despite the global economic slowdown.

Financial Times

• Buoyant Maersk refloats profitThe world's largest container shipping operation returned to profit for the first half of the year, according to its owner, Denmark's AP Møller-Maersk, after higher freight rates boosted revenue

The Guardian

• New steam technology to turn car engine's waste heat into powerSteam power may have an old-fashioned image, but British engineers think it can improve the efficiency of the internal combustion engine
• Air travel: Virgin Atlantic and BA exchange insults over Terminal 5 fiascoVirgin Atlantic and British Airways traded verbal blows over the botched launch of Heathrow's Terminal 5 yesterday as BA's rival claimed a 38% rise in pre-tax profits.
• How dangerous is air travel?Last week a Spanair jet crashed in Madrid killing 154 passengers and crew. Days later a further 68 people were lost in Kyrgyzstan and this week 168 Ryanair passengers endured a terrifying emergency descent from 30,000ft when their jet suddenly lost cabin pressure. Such a spate of incidents inevitably leads the travelling public to ask: how safe is it to fly?
• Romantics love high speed trains but ministers are reluctant to get on boardThe 11.11am service from Paddington to Princes Risborough trundles through Park Royal, an outpost in the industrial sprawl of west London, at 40mph.

The Independent

• The Big Question: Is there any evidence that airlines are cutting back on safety?Why are we asking this now? Because the aviation industry is suffering badly at the moment. Financially, it is in for a very difficult winter. High fuel prices have bitten hard, while cash-strapped consumers are expected to travel by air in far fewer numbers at the end of the year.

The Telegraph

• Motorists reject Government proposals for 'Lexus lanes'The majority of drivers are opposed to Government proposals to allow them to pay to use high speed 'Lexus lanes' on the country's motorways.

Times Online

• French call for help in taming British speed fiends British motorists have become a safety menace on France's roads, regularly flouting the speed limits after crossing the Channel, French police say.
• Airlines mock decision to award BAA Olympics role BAA has been appointed as a security adviser to the organisers of the 2012 Olympic Games in a move that has been ridiculed by airlines, which have criticised the airports operator for long queues and poor service.

Reuters News

• Maersk says must accept lower container mkt share (Reuters) - Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Wednesday it would have to accept a lower global market share in container shipping in the short term.

Network Rail

• RAIL IMPROVEMENT PLANS FOR READING EXHIBITEDNetwork Rail is unveiling its proposal to implement the biggest ever investment to improve the railway at Reading.

Transport Briefing

• Gatwick rail spend declared unfit for 2012 OlympicsWest Sussex County Council has stepped up pressure on the government to upgrade Gatwick Airport station by claiming that current plans could leave it unfit for purpose during the 2012 Olympic Games.
• £84m Luton-Dunstable busway signed off by governmentConstruction of a guided busway between Luton and Dunstable in Bedfordshire has moved a step closer after the government gave conditional approval for the scheme, four and a half years after granting it initial approval.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Disabled woman left stranded at Rhyl railway stationA DISABLED woman had to be carried up and down 50 steps by an ambulance crew because a railway station lift was out of order.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Sky-high cost of damages as baggage truck hits aeroplaneA BAGGAGE handler is reported to have caused up to £1 million of damage when he crashed his loading truck into the side of an aircraft at Edinburgh airport.

Journal Live

• Pressure is growing for A1 duallingPRESSURE is mounting on the region’s transport bosses to include A1 dualling on a Government-backed list of the North’s infrastructure priorities.

Liverpool Echo

• Rail group results on trackMERSEYRAIL joint operator Serco Group today dismissed credit crunch fears with strong results for the six months to June 30.
• Lime Street facelift on the wayWORK has started on new passenger lounges at Liverpool’s Lime Street station as part of a £3.4m Network Rail investment.

London Evening Standard

• Gatwick rail links 'will be unfit for purpose in 2012'A spending squeeze could leave rail links to Gatwick Airport

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Midstocket bus routes questionnaireEVERY resident of Aberdeen™s Midstocket area has been sent a questionnaire by Aberdeen City Council to help end an ongoing dispute over bus routes.
• Council criticises bus company over cuts to airport servicesMembers of Moray Council have criticised a bus company which cut its services to Aberdeen Airport.
• Bus chaos at launch of new timetableFURIOUS bus travellers across Inverness and the Black Isle endured lengthy delays yesterday amid claims that a new timetable had thrown the city™s public transport system into chaos.
• CalMac scraps charges for cyclists transporting their bicyclesCharges for cyclists transporting their bicycles on Caledonian MacBrayne ferries have been scrapped for the first time, it was revealed yesterday.

The York Press

• Selby bus cuts blow THE bus service between Selby and Leeds is to be halved.
• Road to be repaired less than two years after resurfacing work TRANSPORT chiefs are carrying out repair work on a York road “ less than two years after it was resurfaced.

Wales Online

• Residents’ anger as bus route scrappedTHE only remaining bus service in Velindre will be scrapped next month in a move which has angered residents who claim they will be left isolated.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds holidaymakers in airport protestYorkshire sunseekers staged an airport protest after their Turkish delight turned into a holiday from hell.

Carlisle News & Star

• Park and ride idea for £10m Carlisle garden centreA park and ride facility could be built into a new garden centre on the outskirts of Carlisle, says city MP Eric Martlew.

Doncaster Free Press

• Park and Ride Drivers Get Charm LessonsA PLEASANT journey is being promised as just the ticket for motorists ditching their cars to use Doncaster's park and ride scheme.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Pupils get free bus passes to the new Corby AcademyHundreds of students have been handed free bus passes to get to the new Corby Business Academy when term starts next month.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Airport strike called offA second planned strike by workers who operate luggage scanners at Stansted Airport has been called off following an offer of fresh talks aimed at resolving a row over pay.

Sunderland Echo

• Repairs mean station will lose trainsCommuters in Chester-le-Street who use a busy rail route face delays.

International Herald Tribune

• Air travelers brace for expensive winterExecutives acknowledge that despite the economic downturn, fares will rise, discounts currently available will be scarce, and routes and frequencies of flights will be reduced.
• Investment banks see opportunities in crumbling roads and bridgesAfter more exotic investments imploded during the credit crisis, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Carlyle Group and others have amassed huge war chests to finance infrastructure projects.
• As conventions rev up, General Motors uses 'green' car to buff its imageGeneral Motors is one of many corporations treating the conventions as a glorified trade show.

Washington Post

• Consumers picked to test hydrogen car prototypes WASHINGTON -- Tom Albert drove his loaner Chevrolet Equinox like any other car.

Railnews

• News: Californians to vote on 220 mph train system VOTERS on the west coast of the United States will now definitely get an opportunity to vote on a proposed high-speed rail system in California in November.

Aviation Industry

• Weymouth gets £450m investment in preparation for sailing events at 2012 OlympicsWeymouth has been chosen as the host of the sailing events during the 2012 Olympics. As a result of the decision, the city is set for a renaissance; flats, new marinas, a redeveloped ferry terminal and improvements to the road system are all planned.
• Manchester airport tracks bus movementsAirside buses monitored to prove efficiency of airport's service-level agreements
• Up to 99% wrong!"The man they can't ignore", aka Barry Doe, RAIL magazine's Fares Consultant, claims the Office of Rail Regulation's recent station usage figures are up to 99% wrong. We detailed this file in a recent post and it has attracted over 1,000 hits alone as it was linked to from a couple of websites, one being TransportInfo.org.uk.

Green Miscellany

• Air travel 'can be cut'People can take steps to minimise the amount of air travel they do, an expert has claimed.

Other News Sources

• Rail carriage fills with smokeA rail passenger yesterday spoke of his shock at seeing the train carriage he was travelling in fill with smoke.
• Public transport should be airport's priorityMORE should be done to improve public transport for passengers at Bournemouth Airport, according to campaigners.
• CAA seeks passengers' views on air travelThe Civil Aviation Authority has commissioned researchers to question hundreds of passengers at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester on their experience of flying.
• 2012 rail link 'cause for concern'A spending squeeze could leave rail links to Gatwick Airport
• Green taxes 'too high'Green taxes are far higher than is necessary to offset the cost of Britain's carbon emissions, a pressure group has claimed. Households pay £19.6 billion a year too much in taxes on flights, fuel and their cars, the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) said.
• 'No change' to elderly people road signs design, says DfTThe Department for Transport has confirmed it is not considering changing the design of the road sign warning drivers to look out for elderly people.
• Lower emissions charges with vehicle trackingVehicle tracking equipment manufacturer Navman Wireless has launched a zone report tool designed to monitor vehicles entering the London Low Emission Zone and help them avoid getting unnecessarily penalised.
• New mirror regulations for lorriesThe European Union has introduced new regulations designed to increase lorry safety by improving the standard of mirrors on vehicles.
• Norbert Dentressangle closes Fareham depotFrench transport giant Norbert Dentressangle (ND) has closed its Fareham, Hants, depot following the end of the 30-day consultation period (MT 31 July), making 48 employees redundant.