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

Monday, 01 September 2008

BBC News

• Road tax cheats to be targetedDrivers who fail to tax their vehicles are to be targeted in a tough new crackdown.
• Rail freight hub gets final fundsA rail freight project in Shropshire has been given its final funding payment.
• Steam rail museum plan revealedA new steam railway museum is being planned for south Cumbria.
• Pupils must walk miles to schoolSome children in Glebe near Strabane must walk almost three miles to school when the new term starts because they do not qualify for free transport.
• Alloa rail link could be extendedThe new Alloa rail link could be extended to Edinburgh, transport bosses have said.

Department for Transport

• The Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics:* National Travel Survey: 2007 Interview Data * Road Goods Vehicles Travelling to Mainland Europe, see * Public Awareness and Use of Bus Concessionary Fares, see

Financial Times

• EU regulators probe BA's Iberia/AA plansEuropean Union regulators are investigating a plan by British Airways, Iberia and American Airlines to co-operate more closely on transatlantic routes to see if it violates the EU's antitrust laws, EU officials said
• Opposition mounts to BA-American planBritish Airways must be hoping that 'third time lucky' omens will favour its latest attempt to get closer to American Airlines, but regulators on both sides of the Atlantic may be hard pressed to take a tough line against both companies
• Routemaster to take the green roadAlexander Dennis looks to military technology to put buses powered by hybrid technology on London's roads for 2012 Olympics
• Busmaker lines up what it hopes is winning ticketAlexander Dennis chief is banking on resurgent demand for public transport and a new, more eco-friendly, icon for London's streets
• Twitchy creditors threaten airlinesThe aircraft detentions that led to the swift collapse of Zoom Airlines have led industry observers to suggest more of the same could be in store for other struggling airlines
• Turnround specialist says 'basta' to crying over AlitaliaRoberto Colaninno, leading a consortium of Italian investors who will on Monday submit an offer to rescue a slimmed down Alitalia, says Italians should stop crying in their beer over the decline of their country and do something
• Asia fuels boom in rail supply industryAn Asian surge in high-speed trains and rising US freight locomotive demand have helped create boom conditions in the once-moribund railway supply industry, new research has shown

The Herald

• Embracing high-speed rail could yet prove this beleaguered government [letters]Labour's poll slide gives a transport, environmental and political imperative for Prime Minister Gordon Brown decisively to act on your editorial support for a high-speed rail link north of London as a competitive alternative to domestic airline travel
• Collapsed airline claims debts were no more than £25mBudget transatlantic airline Zoom, which collapsed last week, estimates it has debts of up to £25 million. Reports that the figure could be as much as £60m have been rejected by the company.
• Dutch group linked to Glasgow AirportGlasgow Airport could trade Spanish ownership for Dutch control after the firm which owns Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam broke cover as a potential bidder.

The Observer

• UK drivers can't dodge M50 tollsMotorists from Northern Ireland and Britain were warned last night that they will be tracked down and fined if they fail to pay for using Ireland's unique new barrier-free M50 toll road.

The Scotsman

• From Zoom to Gloom, which budget carrier will be next?With soaring fuel prices, a weak economy and poor sales, the Boyle brothers' airline didn't stand a chance. So which carrier will be next to have its wings clipped
• Campaign targets transport violenceA leading trade union has launched a campaign aimed at tackling a "tidal wave" of violence against transport workers after new research showed that many incidents were

The Telegraph

• Ryanair bosses criticised for fuel capPilots for the budget airline Ryanair have criticised their managers for imposing a limit on their safety fuel reserves.

Times Online

• Ice buggy takes 84mph route to the South Pole The sports car maker Lotus has presented its latest model – a propeller-powered ski buggy that can travel at up to 84mph (135km/h) over snow and ice and runs on biofuel.
• Ghost ship fleet could be a silver lining in clouds of climate change It looks like something out of a Dan Dare comic book, and it might just help to save the world. A scientist at the University of Edinburgh has devised a new weapon in the fight against global warming: a fleet of 1,500 unmanned sailing ships creating wakes that whiten clouds to reflect the heat of the Sun better.
• Off to France on a flying bike It’s 5am on a still summer day on the south coast of England and a man on a bicycle is gazing out to sea. Attached to his bicycle are a pair of propellers; above him is a miniature zeppelin.
• Ford Fiesta Ford has such high hopes for its new Fiesta, the company believes it is its “most significant global vehicle product since the Model T” — the first mass-produced affordable car, that set the world in motion in 1908. I wouldn’t go quite so far myself, but you can see why Ford is saying it. With sales of its traditionally large cars and trucks plummeting in its native US and losses mounting, the company is betting the farm on the Fiesta. If you’d tried to sell a car like this in the United States 10 years ago, you’d have been laughed out of the sh...

Network Rail

• RAIL STRATEGY SIGNALS A BETTER RAILWAY FOR LANCASHIRE AND CUMBRIA

Transport Briefing

• Dennis engineers focus on 2012 Routemaster prizeAlexander Dennis, Britain’s largest bus maker, has deployed 80 development engineers to work on plans for a successor to London's iconic Routemaster double decker bus.
• Waterloo interchange scheme design shortlist unveiledFour architecture practices have been shortlisted for the final stage of a project to simplify pedestrian routes and ease interchanges at one of London's busiest transport hubs.
• West Coast rushNew 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.
• Busway goes to tenderConstruction 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.
• Rail strategy plans track dualling in north westRail tracks in Carlisle are to be redoubled and Cumbrian coast train frequencies increased under plans contained within Network Rail's latest route utilisation strategy.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Bosses urged to address post office closures as bus is axedROYAL Mail bosses were today urged to rethink plans to close a city post office after it emerged the bus route to the next nearest branch is about to be scrapped.

Journal Live

• Ten-hour wait for air passengersFRUSTRATED passengers were left waiting for more than 10 hours in Newcastle airport for their flight — because staff could not print off the flight plan.

Manchester Evening News

• Drivers in a jam '10 minutes a day'THE majority of motorists in Greater Manchester are spending at least 10 minutes a day stuck in traffic jams, according to new research.

Metro

• Campaign targets transport violenceA leading trade union has launched a campaign aimed at tackling a

The News (Portsmouth)

• Bicycle and bus routes are on village wish listRESIDENTS are demanding more bus and cycle routes in Horndean.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Meeting over A82 upgrade campaignA CAMPAIGN for upgrading of the A82 is expected to take a major step forward on Monday when Scotland™s transport minister meets community leaders.
• Safety fears about fitting seatbelts on school busesA councillor has voiced fears about fitting seatbelts on school buses, claiming youngsters could be injured if the devices were not a proper fit.
• MSP trains his sights on SalmondFirst Minister Alex Salmond has been accused of œhypocrisy for encouraging people to make better use of public transport ” while he has used a train just once in Scotland since he was elected to office 15 months ago.
• Plans for bridge over Deveron to go on displayResidents in twin north-east towns will have an opportunity to pass judgment on plans for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge at the mouth of a river.
• Taxi firm tries out hydrogen systemA TAXI company in Elgin has installed a hydrogen system in one of its cars in an attempt to cut carbon emissions.
• Ferry services to be reviewedBetter ferry services could be on the cards following the announcement of a major review by the Scottish Government.

Wales Online

• Rail ’swindle’ leaves Wales £31m off track - expertWALES has been “swindled” out of £31m a year by the UK Government because the rail franchise it handed over to the Assembly Government was wholly inadequate, according to a leading transport expert.

Washington Post

• For Bicyclists, a Widening Patchwork World TACHIA, Taiwan -- Antony Lo is one happy biker. He is 60 but looks younger, with a body buffed by commuting 130 miles a week on his bike. He is also president of Taiwan-based Giant, the world's largest bicycle company, where sales are soaring, helped along by global anxiety over oil prices. With undisguised glee, Lo says:

Railnews

• News: Chiltern Railways plan to make Bicester well connected CHILTERN Railways has drawn up a £200 million plan for a new half-hourly service between London Marylebone and Oxford via an improved and expanded station at Bicester Town.
• News: Rail improves its green credentials THE increased use of rail services had led to “a significant reduction” in carbon emissions relative to the number of passengers and amount of freight carried by train.

Aviation Industry

• Commercial culture in three ages of the trainScholars at the University of York and the National Railway Museum (NRM) are to launch a major historical project to study the development of corporate culture on British railways.
• Transport in the European UnionEUOBSERVER / FOCUS – Transport of people and goods are crucial for the European economy and its competitiveness as well as for bringing citizens and cultures closer to each other. But the sector is in desperate need of a makeover to deal with its growth, its environmental impact and Europe's dependency on oil imports - which currently costs the bloc one billion euros a day.

Green Miscellany

• Thousands have dumped the pumpTHE National Express Dump the Pump campaign aimed to get car users to try out the bus. Apparently more than 40,000 people across the West Midlands claimed their free Daysaver passes to travel on the network.
• More on the Green Taxes report [Centre Right - conservative blog]While plenty of CentreRight readers have voiced their support for our report (PDF), others have criticisms or questions. I'll try and address those here.
• Chorley combats climate changeA north-west town council has adopted green transport as one of its measures to reduce its carbon footprint.

Other News Sources

• Transport system 'failing disabled'More than 40% of disabled Scots have had to turn down a job due to a lack of accessible public transport, a charity has revealed.
• New software to track carbon footprint of air travellersNew Delhi (PTI): Are you a frequent flyer and aware that everytime you board a plane, even for short distances, you are contributing to global warming?
• CCTV spies on bus lane abuseA hi-tech CCTV camera - the first of its kind in the North East - is being used in Stockton to aid traffic flow.
• 4.6% rise in bus passengersBus travel in Hampshire has increased by 4.6% over the last year, rising from 28.5 million passengers to 29.8 million in the preceding 12 months.
• Scrap free travel and save our bus servicesBERYL Smith highlighted a very significant problem: the remorseless cutting of vital bus services.
• Steam train returns to WiltshirePreparations are now complete for the return of the historic locomotive Evening Star to Swindon, the town where she was built.
• Nexus set new record for running on timeNEXUS has set a new record for running Metro trains on time, new figures have revealed.
• Mace to seal £600m New Street station revampConstruction manager set to beat Balfour Beatty and Laing O’Rourke to take Birmingham station
• Parties united against station barrierA HEAD of steam is building in opposition to plans to install automatic ticket barriers at Sheffield rail station.
• Rumbling trains are a nightmareBeleaguered residents blighted by vibrations from freight trains have accused Network Rail of 'appalling apathy' over fears of increased night-time services.
• Louth closes for goodShortly after ten-past-midnight this morning, the last ever vehicle returned to the bus depot in Louth town centre. The garage on Orme Lane closed for good with vehicles being transferred to Grimsby (5) and Skegness (3). Drivers have been given the option to move to any other Stagecoach East Midlands-area depot or to take redundancy.
• Gatwick operator fails with 300 abroadGatwick-based seat-only operator Pure Flights has failed with 300 UK holidaymakers abroad.
• New trains for TurkeyBombardier Transportation has won a contract to supply 30 Flexity Swift high-floor light-rail vehicles to Turkey™s Bursa Metropolitan Municipality.
• Car-buying plans 'stall'Car-buying plans 'stall'