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Thursday, 11 September 2008

BBC News

• Park and ride 'smarter choice'An increasing number of people are moving into the south east of Scotland to work, meaning an ever-growing number of cars are filling the roads, particularly on main routes in and out of Edinburgh.
• Ryanair cancels Edinburgh flightsLow-cost airline Ryanair is forced to cancel all flights from its new Edinburgh base for the next six weeks.
• Electric motoringToyota's hybrid car that you can plug into the mains

Department for Transport

• Fuel efficient and Eco-safe driving introduced to test, plus new £3m boost to help save fuel and cut emissionsFrom today (10 September) new motorists will be advised on how to drive in a way that saves money, saves fuel and cuts emissions as part of their practical driving test.

Financial Times

• Continental closes Gatwick operationContinental Airlines, one of the leading US carriers, is abandoning its long-standing base at Gatwick airport in order to concentrate its London operations at Heathrow
• Boeing's strike delays deliveries to RyanairRyanair said on Tuesday the strike at Boeing's US aircraft assembly plants was forcing it to postpone the opening of its new operating base at Edinburgh, Scotland because of the delay in the delivery of new aircraft
• Alitalia warning on union contractsThe airline's bankruptcy commissioner warns Italy's trade union leaders that the company would be grounded almost immediately if they reject new proposed work contracts

The Guardian

• Tube funding crisis: Ministers rebuff demands for more state cashBoris Johnson's demand for more state cash to cover a multibillion pound funding gap in the London underground network has received short shrift from ministers.
• Fallen off trackThe capital's tube upgrade faces a huge shortfall. It's a perfect example of the failure of public-private partnerships
• Red signalsTrain fares became simpler at the start of this week, as the rail industry merged a bewildering range of tickets into a straightforward choice between cheap tickets booked in advance and expensive ones sold at the station.

The Telegraph

• Heathrow's performance worsensHeathrow's performance has worsened over the past year despite the opening of Terminal 5.
• Trains from London to Paris 'could take under two hours'Train journeys from London to Paris could be cut to under two hours as airlines set up rival rail services to take on Eurostar.
• Plea to widen scope of road hearing rejectedAntiroad campaigners have lost a bid to oppose a controversial city bypass.

Times Online

• Plug-in-and-go Prius hits British roads for testing A hybrid car that can be plugged into a standard mains socket in the home to charge was released in Britain for initial testing yesterday.
• Punctuality at Heathrow deteriorates The chaotic opening of Heathrow Terminal 5 contributed to a fifth consecutive year of worsening delays at the world’s busiest international airport.

Transport Briefing

• Birmingham motorway traffic management project beginsWork starts this week on a £150m scheme to cut congestion and make better use of the motorways around Birmingham.

Birmingham Post

• Drivers to use M6 hard shoulder to ease congestionWork is beginning on a £150 million Highways Agency scheme to cut congestion and make better use of the motorways around Birmingham.
• Air India cancels winter flights out of Birmingham AirportFlagship airline Air India is to suspend its services from Birmingham International Airport in a move designed to protect its slots at Heathrow.

Edinburgh Evening News

• MSP calls for station talksEDINBURGH West MSP Margaret Smith has called for more answers on plans for a new train station in the Gogar area.
• New Forth crossing 'most expensive bridge ever'THE new Forth Road Bridge could be the most expensive bridge in human history, an MSP has claimed.
• Scotland-Europe ferry link to run aground this weekendTHE only sea link between the Scottish mainland and Europe will end on Saturday without a replacement operator in sight.
• Bus talks fail but mums insist it's not the end of the roadPARENTS today vowed to continue fighting despite Lothian Buses' refusal to back down on its controversial prams ban.

London Evening Standard

• Hospitals in England made £103m by charging up to £3.65 an hour to parkHospitals in England raked in a whopping £103million last year by charging patients, their relatives and staff to park their cars.
• Plug-in Prius to be tested in LondonA new generation
• London to Paris by rail in two hoursLondon to Paris train times are to be slashed to under two hours as major airlines look to compete with Eurostar

Manchester Evening News

• Wythensawe station plan scrappedTRANSPORT bosses have rejected calls for a railway stop in Wythenshawe saying it would not provide value for money.
• Call to move C-charge boundaryTHE ring of the proposed Manchester congestion charge zone should be moved to save families and businesses thousands, a council says.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Bus timetables to be altered for second time in six monthsBUS timetables and routes in Aberdeen are to be altered for the second time in six months, operator FirstGroup revealed yesterday.
• Deeside pupils aim to help improve traffic linksCHILDREN on Deeside have been getting involved in plans to improve transport links in their town.
• Airline plans new routes to sun from AberdeenScottish low-cost airline flyglobespan will today reveal another three international routes to the sun from Aberdeen Airport.
• Reporters take their time over challengeOBJECTORS to the proposed bypass kicked off the public local inquiry with a request to allow arguments against the principle of building the road to be heard.
• Ministers are accused of dithering after transport review is delayedMINISTERS were last night accused of œdithering after it emerged a transport review will not be completed until the end of the year.
• Scott chose route of bypass without consulting councilsFormer transport minister Tavish Scott chose a completely new route for the Aberdeen bypass without consulting council leaders or managers on the AWPR team, it emerged yesterday.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Views on £80m bus link soughtPLANS for a new £80m bus link between Sheffield and Rotherham, to replace the failed bid for a Supertram extension, are to go to public consultation later this month.

Doncaster Free Press

• Aiport masterplan to be unveiledUNDER-PRESSURE bosses at Robin Hood Airport will reveal their blueprint for the future to councillors later this week.

Reading Evening Post

• New Cow LaneThe massive £425 million proposal to transform Reading station and major railway improvements is fully unveiled today.

Sunderland Echo

• Designer bridge 'need not cost taxpayers extra'Supporters of the landmark design for the new Wear bridge have slammed claims that council tax payers would have to fork out £30million directly out of their pockets.

Forbes

• OPEC's Tedious Numbers Game An uncertain outlook for oil arises as the cartel snips off some excess capacity.

International Herald Tribune

• Saudis to ignore OPEC decision to cut productionMembers of the oil cartel agreed to cut production to maintain high prices, but Saudi officials said they would continue to pump as much as needed.

Railnews

• News: £425M boost for Reading station THE public have a chance until 15 September to view plans for a £425 million revamp of Reading station, which will give a 50 per cent increase in train capacity.

Transport for London

• Sutton residents urged to take active steps to improve their health10,000 adults in Sutton to be invited to take part in the largest active travel health programme of its kind in the UK.

Aviation Industry

• NEW FORMAT AND SUPPORT FROM HELP THE AGED AT ACCESS 08 TRANSPORT EVENTThere is a new format for the annual Community Transport Association event taking place in Manchester next month.
• August traffic figures BAA's airportsBAA's UK airports handled a total of 14.9 million passengers in August, a drop of 1.7% on the same month last year...
• Continental abandons GatwickUS carrier adds extra transatlantic flight but moves out of Gatwick
• Ryanair postpones Edinburgh hub openingLow cost carrier blames strike for delay
• Air France KLM to bid for Austrian stakeAirline says it must be present at all consolidation talks
• Airline cuts faresTransaero is one of the rare airlines to reduce fares

Green Miscellany

• Liberty Electric Cars Makes Envy Motors Its First UK DealershipWith sales enquires for the world’s first electric Range Rover growing daily, Liberty Electric Cars has appointed London-based Envy Motors to be its first UK retail dealership. Envy Motors specialises in low emission vehicles.
• European biofuel targets to be reaffirmedIn news which will affect people in Britain, the European parliament is to meet tomorrow (September 11th) to reaffirm its targets for the use of biofuels and renewable energy sources.

Other News Sources

• Railway station revamp unveiledREFURBISHMENTS at Cambridge railway station have been officially unveiled by the city's MP.
• £2.5m to improve transportThe Scottish government has assigned more than £2.5m for transport links and parking facilities in Dumfries.
• 2010 Honda InsightHonda was the first automaker to put a hybrid on the road with the original Insight in December 1999 and it wants to reclaim its place at the big kid’s table with the resurrection of the name on an all-new hybrid.
• OIA gives 4 foreign airlines big break on feesOrlando International Airport is waiving more than $15,000 a week in fees for a handful of European airlines as part of incentive packages that have been quietly negotiated in recent months.
• Looking for cheap fuel increases annual truck costsThe Fuelcard People says that operators are losing up to £1,000 a year and journey times are being wasted as drivers go in search of cheaper diesel.
• Air-freight hauliers face challenging timesAir-freight haulage specialists believe the sector is set for a challenging few months following the first decline in more than three years.
• Six couriers win £150m OGC frameworkSix courier firms have been chosen to carry out collection and delivery services for government departments under a new £150m four-year framework agreement.
• Stack, not park, says AshfordAshford Borough says change the site of Operation Stack, rather than build a 70-acre truckstop.
• EasyJet appoints SmartFocus DigitalBudget airline easyJet has appointed smartFocus Digital to handle its email marketing account.
• TUI Travel set for Christmas repositioning of key brandsTUI Travel is planning a major repositioning of its flagship Thomson and First Choice brands at the end of the year to coincide with the Christmas season.
• Eco-awareness Now Part Of Driving TestNearly all UK drivers passed their tests without a thought to the impact that their driving habits may have on the environment, and for most of us, who cared? When I passed my test, petrol was 70p a gallon, the roads were only half full and greenhouse gas was something to do with growing [...]
• MEPs back cross-border traffic finesThe European Parliament's transport committee yesterday (9 September) backed plans to make it easier for national authorities to fine drivers from other EU countries for offences committed on their territory, such as speeding and drink-driving.
• EU transport chief pledges to beef up airline safetyTransport Commissioner Antonio Tajani yesterday (9 September) told MEPs that he plans to tighten checks on Europe's airlines following the SpanAir crash in Madrid on 20 August, which killed over 150 people.
• Bmibaby adds Toulouse and Amsterdam routes from ManchesterLow-cost carrier bmibaby is to add new routes from Manchester to Toulouse and Amsterdam in its summer 2009 schedule.

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