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

Monday, 15 September 2008

BBC News

• Cycle 'to save cash, not planet'Commuters would most likely abandon their cars to make financial savings rather than protect the environment, according to a survey.
• XL holidaymaker rescue continuesStranded UK tourists continue to return on flights laid on by aviation regulators, following the collapse of travel firms XL and K&S Travel.
• Privacy fears over car databaseCivil liberties campaigners voiced concerns over plans to store millions of car journeys five years on a national database.
• BMI's no comment on merger rumourUK airline BMI declines to comment on speculation it has been approached by Etihad over a possible merger.
• Firms back third Heathrow runwayA group of 100 businesses is calling for a third runway to be built at Heathrow airport
• Race to rescue troubled AlitaliaTalks in Rome aimed at saving the airline Alitalia are reported to have made progress on a deal with potential buyers.

Department for Transport

• Traffic signs in Britain - biggest review in 40 years launched today (Saturday)Transport Minister Rosie Winterton today called on motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, highway authorities and road organisations who are keen to have a say in how our streets will look in the future, to take part in the biggest review of British road signs for 40 years.

Financial Times

• Manchester looks to spread its wingsAsked why Manchester Airport Group is considering buying Gatwick from BAA, chief executive Geoff Muirhead indicates Manchester's second runway. Planning permission was...
• Channel Tunnel faces months of delaysEurotunnel was on Friday night planning to restart limited train services through the Channel Tunnel after the worst fire in the undersea tunnel's almost 14 years of operations
• Kroll and CAA at odds over XLA row broke out between the Civil Aviation Authority and XL administrators Kroll over plans to use the bankrupt company's aircraft to pick up 85,000 stranded holidaymakers

The Guardian

• Boris's Bus (A Political Journey) Part 1: Now, Where Were We?We could say that the saga of Boris Johnson's "21st Century Routemaster" – or New Routemaster – bus policy began when Policy Exchange, the think tank whose alumni have had such a large and mixed input into Boris Johnson's mayoralty so far – and whose rubbishy director Anthony Browne is soon to become policy director at City Hall – published a pamphlet attacking Ken Livingstone's decision to remove the famous old Routemaster from London's streets.
• Lower fares would help the fight against climate changeAs the independent watchdog representing rail passengers, we have been critical of train operators who have used the fares simplification process as an opportunity to bring in fare increases through the back door

The Herald

• Edinburgh-Borders rail link plan overly optimistic and flawed, says secret reportPLANS TO build a new rail link from Edinburgh to the Borders have been damned as deeply flawed in a secret government report passed to the Sunday Herald.
• Thousands still stranded at airportsThousands of British tourists were stranded at airports around the world for the third day yesterday as news broke of another British tour operator going bust.
• Groups urge focus on low-carbon solutions to solve transport ’crisis’Six leading environment and transport groups have joined forces to urge the Scottish Government to focus on delivering healthy, low-carbon transport.

The Scotsman

• Green groups band together on transportSIX leading environment and transport groups joined forces today to urge the Scottish Government to focus on delivering healthy, low-carbon transport.
• Anger as car journey data storedCivil liberties campaigners have expressed alarm that millions of car journeys are to be stored on a national database for five years.

The Telegraph

• New scanner can detect bombs as terrorists walk around airport terminalsThe system, developed by engineers at the University of Manchester, can pick up items like knives and explosives hidden on people, allowing secutiry staff to swoop before they get close to aircraft.

Times Online

• Speed cameras to get longer reach SPEED cameras that track drivers over long distances by measuring average speed are to be deployed on motorways, at accident black spots and in residential areas.
• Another tour firm goes under as Alitalia hangs on Thousands more Britons had holiday plans thrown into confusion last night as another tour operator went bust and the future of Italy’s flag-carrier airline hung in the balance.

Mail Online

• Blood clot fears on UK’s ‘cattle-truck’ railwaysScientists are investigating the possibility that rail passengers could be struck down by deep vein thrombosis.

Transport Briefing

• TfL downgrades North London Line infrastructure projectNetwork Rail has endorsed plans by Transport for London for a scaled-down version of the North London Line upgrade project.
• Rail test track upgrade won by Balfour BeattyBalfour Beatty Rail Projects, the design and construction business of Balfour Beatty, has been awarded a contract for the renovation of the Old Dalby Test Track, Britain’s only railway test track, near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.
• Ebbw rail agent extends Wales transport allianceBridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Councils have signed a deal with Capita Symonds for a £75m joint venture that will deliver major highways, transportation, engineering, construction, environmental and related projects across the local authorities and the rest of south Wales.
• Channel Tunnel reopens but disruption to continueEurostar will this morning attempt to restore some sense of normality to cross-Channel rail services after last week's fire in the Channel Tunnel forced the train operator to suspend services, causing major disruption for thousands of passengers.

Edinburgh Evening News

• 'Passport' task to highlight Capital's foot and cycle pathsThe Green Passport Day takes place along the path network between Roseburn and Leith.
• Talks to find new operator for ferry routeTALKS are under way with a potential new operator of the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry route.

Liverpool Echo

• MP calls for insurance scheme for passengers after XL collapseA LIVERPOOL MP has called on the government to back an insurance scheme to protect passengers when airlines go bust.

London Evening Standard

• Stop C-zone extension, say ToriesConservative London Assembly members have written an open letter calling for the western extension of the congestion zone to be abolished.
• 'Just get us home' plead 63,000 Britons still stranded abroad...four days after holiday firm's collapseThousands of holidaymakers stranded by the collapse of XL were still waiting last night to find out how they will get home.

Manchester Evening News

• The £1.5bn transport timetableA TIMELINE for change has been released in a bid by transport bosses to drum up support for congestion charging. The document plots when and where £1.5bn of public transport improvements will take place between now and 2016, with congestion charging due to be introduced in 2013.

Sheffield Telegraph

• New stage in fast bus linkPLANS for a fast bus link between the centres of Sheffield and Rotherham are beginning to pick up speed.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Stagecoach under fire after complaintsTRANSPORT giant Stagecoach has come under fire for its Aberdeen to Peterhead service following a raft of complaints from passengers.
• Environmental research into new road was adequate, engineer tells inquiryENVIRONMENTAL issues have been properly considered throughout the design of the proposed Aberdeen bypass, it was claimed yesterday.
• Planner defends predictions of bypass benefitsA transport planner yesterday defended his predictions on the benefits of the proposed Aberdeen bypass “ despite claims some of his methods failed to meet official guidelines.

The York Press

• Massive cost of dualled ring road HOPES of dualling York™s Outer Ring Road have been scuppered by a new report which concludes it could cost more than a quarter of a billion pounds.
• York cycle path decision rapped RESIDENTS™ lives will be blighted by approved traffic plans around a new £14 million secondary school in York, it has been claimed.

Wales Online

• imber importer signs 20-year lease at portTIMBER importer Premier Forest Products has secured its future at the Port of Newport for the next 20 years.
• Joint £75m project set to bringMORE than 130 jobs are to be created in the next five years in a £75m joint venture to deliver major engineering and construction projects for three local authorities.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Beeching scissors for show at rail museumTHE man responsible for the largest cut in railway history is to have his scissors accepted into the National Railway Museum in York.
• Legal challenge throws doubt on plans for Yorkshire eco-townsTHE creation of two eco-towns in Yorkshire could be threatened after a campaign group has been allowed to seek a judicial review of the Government's programme in the High Court.
• We're still flying high says budget airline Jet2IN the wake of XL's disintegration, Leeds-based budget airline, Jet2, said yesterday that it would avoid a similar fate.
• Percy the penguin lends hand at rail station VIDEOPERCY the Penguin had to p-p-p-pick up the pace when he took part in a promotion on a rail platform.

International Herald Tribune

• Boeing chief gambles on outsourcingBoeing's chief executive, Jim McNerney, is betting his career that the plane maker can survive a strike and emerge stronger by holding firm on its efforts to outsource work.
• Etihad denies talk of allianceEtihad Airways of Abu Dhabi said Sunday that it had held discussions about consolidation in the airline sector but that had no plans

Aviation Industry

• UK Cycle to Work SchemeIn the UK the more expensive folders such as the Brompton, higher-end Dahons, Bike Friday and Birdy come into range under a special tax-saving government scheme.
• Uninsured Drivers Cost UK Motorists Over £500M a YearAccording to comparethemarket.com, the price comparison site, UK drivers are paying, on average, £31 a year more on their car insurance in order to cover for people who are uninsured, equating to more than £500m. This figure doesn't take into account the financial costs surrounding accidents caused by uninsured drivers.
• What if?the latest Classic Bus magazine shows what a Wright Eclipse Gemini 'decker might look like if it was built to pass under the Beverley Bar in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Other News Sources

• Why can't they get a move on with the station? - Campaigners' petition as revamp drags onCAMPAIGNERS are angry at the slow progress in transforming Halifax train station.
• London rail petition gains MPs' supportMore than 500 people have signed a petition asking the prime minister to launch an urgent inquiry into the rail service between Norwich and London.
• Anger over lorries using bus laneA 12-month experiment to allow lorries to use a bus and cycle lane into the city is about to start, despite fears from cyclists.
• Transport conference heldThe Scottish Transport Conference and Exhibition 2008 is to be held in Glasgow next week.
• Branson calls for rules reviewVirgin boss Sir Richard Branson has called for an urgent review of rules governing failed airlines in light of the XL fiasco.
• Free bus rides big issue on websiteEWS that free pensioner bus travel is causing major financial problems for the city council has attracted comments on the Worcester News website.
• Scottish Agents' Passenger Association calls for comprehensive financial protection systemThe Scottish Agents' Passenger Association has called upon the UK Government to take urgent action on consumer financial protection legislation following the failure of XL Leisure Group.
• Green groups band together on transportSIX leading environment and transport groups joined forces today to urge the Scottish Government to focus on delivering healthy, low-carbon transport.
• GMPTA officials to meet with MPs at party conferencesThe Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority has arranged a series of fringe meetings with MPs at the upcoming Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative party conferences.
• Another tourist firm foldsA second British tour operator has gone bust just days after the collapse of XL Leisure Group sent the travel industry into turmoil.
• Time for a levy on air tickets?The government will be asked to reconsider a one pound levy on all air tickets to protect passengers if an airline goes bust. Jane Dodge reports.