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

Tuesday, 16 September 2008

BBC News

• 'Backdoor' fare hike by rail firmA union has accused a train company of "ripping off" passengers by bringing in a "backdoor" increase in fares of 5%.
• Airport plea over fashion beltsBling knuckleduster necklaces, fashionable bullet belts and imitation gun belts are causing security problems at Edinburgh Airport.
• Rail line speeded up by £5m workA rail line in Lancashire which currently has speed restrictions is to be upgraded in a £5m programme.
• Progress in move to save AlitaliaFour of Italy's main unions agree to a new plan to save airline Alitalia, but pilots and cabin crew do not back the package.

Department for Transport

• Consultation begins on Heathrow equalities impact assessmentAs previously announced in a statement to Parliament on 8 July, the Department for Transport (DfT) has today begun a consultation on how airport development at Heathrow might affect different demographic groups living near to the airport. The Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) forms part of the Impact Assessment underpinning the 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport' consultation document and seeks to establish the impact of airport development on different groups in terms of race, disability, age and social deprivation.

Financial Times

• Road pricing plan gathers speedA road-user charging scheme came a step closer yesterday when the Department for Transport named seven companies that will help to shape the technology used in pilot trials.
• Russian railway company doubles profitsA combination of a shortage of rail wagons, Russia's booming economy and increasing prices helped Globaltrans Investment, Russia's largest private rail company, to double first half pre-tax profits to $89.1m (£49.8m).
• Greyhound may yet prove that every dog has its dayIn October 2007, FirstGroup was facing a dilemma. Britain's leading rail and bus operator had purchased the US transport group Laidlaw for $3.4bn to gain access to its lucrative school bus business, but there was a hitch
• Indemnity at root of XL rescue flight disputeXL's administrators could not use the failed travel company's aircraft to repatriate stranded British holidaymakers because the government would not offer an indemnity agreement

The Guardian

• The return of the boat train to ParisFollowing the fire in the Eurostar tunnel on Thursday night, Andrew Martin returns to the original rail and sea crossing from London to Paris
• Transport: Tunnel disruption to last monthsTrain services through the Channel tunnel are likely to be disrupted for months while repairs are carried out following last week's fire, Eurotunnel said yesterday.
• Boris's mid-air U-turnLast week the London mayor revealed to the London Assembly that he was giving the "green light" to an expansion of the airport's activity, enabling it to increase the number of flights by up to fifty percent – from 80,000 to 120,000 a year – by 2010.

The Scotsman

• Bike attitudes: 'Cyclists are abused just for being on road'ANYONE who regularly rides a bike around Edinburgh will be shocked to read that there are 170 accidents involving cyclists in the city every year. But the surprise is that the figure is as low, given the combination of increased congestion, widespread road-rage directed at bike users and the mindless behaviour of some people on two wheels who give cyclists a bad name.
• Air travel policies review urgedThere should be an independent review of Labour's aviation policy in the light of "conflicting arguments and incomplete data", a Government advisory body has said.

The Telegraph

• Airport expansion policy needs to be reviewed, say Government advisersThe Cabinet is currently considering a number of key decisions on airport expansion, including whether to build another runway at Heathrow.
• 50000 XL holidaymakers still waiting for flightsMore than 50000 holidaymakers are still facing uncertainty abroad four days after the collapse of XL the UK's third biggest tour operator.

Times Online

• Lufthansa moves to buy Brussels Airlines Lufthansa has moved to mount a full takeover of Brussels Airlines after signing a deal to buy a 45 per cent stake for €65 million.

Reuters News

• United Airlines doubles second-bag fee to $50NEW YORK (Reuters) - UAL Corp's United Airlines said on Monday it is doubling the fee to check a second bag on a domestic flight from $25 to $50 one-way.

Mail Online

• Mood turns ugly and scuffles break out at airport as XL rescue turns into a fiascoStranded victims of the XL holiday firm collapse threatened to riot and scuffles broke out after 400 travellers were effectively imprisoned in a departure lounge for 24 hours.
• Spy-in-the-car brakes 'could cut road deaths by a quarter'An in-car device that applies the brakes to make drivers keep to speed limits could cut road deaths by a quarter if fitted to all cars, a Government study says.
• LibDems want a 20p hike in fuel duty (so much for tax cuts then!)Nick Clegg's efforts to turn the Liberal Democrats into a tax-cutting party risk being undermined with warnings of a 20p hike in fuel duty.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL TRACK INVESTMENTS TO BRING LINE UP TO SPEED

Derby Telegraph

• Confusion over rail fare restrictionsCHANGES to the national train ticketing system have caused confusion among rail passengers, with cheap fares no longer available on certain services.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Wheeler backs mobility weekTHE city's transport leader has backed the programme of events for European Mobility Week.
• Where danger lurks for cyclistsSOME of the Capital's most dangerous roads for cyclists have been laid bare in a new map of accident hot spots.

London Evening Standard

• 100 artists highlight the centenary of Tube logoThe London Underground logo is celebrating its centenary with an exhibition of specially commissioned artwork by 100 artists

Metro

• Marking a century of plane disastersAviation fans will tomorrow mark the 100th anniversary of the world's first fatal plane crash.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Tramgate fines are backDRIVERS who flout restrictions at Hillsborough tramgates will be fined again from this week, as council bosses reinstate camera enforcement.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Open these roads up nowOpen the roads into our town to traffic “ that is the demand made by an overwhelming majority of residents who took part in a survey.

The York Press

• Train tram ˜would ease car problem™ CITY of York™s council leader today called for radical congestion-beating plans after moves to dual York™s outer ring road suffered a body blow.

Carlisle News & Star

• Fury at Carlisle council's bid to scrap parking spacesProposal to scrap free parking spaces in the centre of Carlisle have angered local businesses.

Doncaster Free Press

• Masterplan looks to airport's futureA MASTERPLAN outlining the future of Robin Hood Airport is unlikely to result in radical change over the next decade, bosses at Finningley have conceded.

Sunderland Echo

• Villagers angry over bus cutsA COUNCILLOR has hit out at cuts to bus services claiming they leave elderly people walking hundreds of yards to their nearest stop.
• Bus pass warning for Nexus travellersPENSIONERS and disabled passengers on Wearside are being warned to ditch their old bus passes or risk missing out on free travel.

Transport for London

• Hanger Lane bridges to be given a revampWorks will improve traffic flows and make the area more pleasant for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Transport for London appoints Serco to operate the Woolwich Ferry serviceTransport for London (TfL) today announced that Serco Ltd will operate the Woolwich Ferry service from 1 October 2008.
• Exhibition showcases plans for Woolwich town centre bus routesTransport for London (TfL) will hold a two-day exhibition in Woolwich town centre on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 September to provide information on proposed changes to bus routes in the area.
• London Buses consults on extension to route R7London Buses is consulting local residents and bus users on proposals to extend route R7 to serve the Aquila housing development in Bickley.

Aviation Industry

• Segway : replacing the bike courier?the Segway PT a viable alternative to the bicycle courier in London?
• It's time for new solutions for rural transportWe're launching the first 5 in a series of think-pieces to raise the profile of rural transport issues and place transport at the heart of the debate on climate change and our work on sustainable rural communities.
• Camera Operators Offer Reward to Capture VigilantesSpeed camera operators in the UK are uneasy over the steadily increasing number of cameras sabotaged by vigilantes. In response, the West Yorkshire Speed Camera Partnership announced last week that it would give £500 (US $1000) to anyone providing information leading to the conviction of a camera vigilante.
• Passengers Demand ” and Get ” Plane ChangePassengers petitioned for another plane after a gauge problem twice prevented their Air Berlin 737-800 from departing.
• Terminal 5 FlightsBritish Airways has said it has "solved" the problems at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5, and that it is on course to transfer its long-haul flights to the terminal over the next few weeks.BA had initially postponed the move of long-haul destinations from Terminal 4 until April 2009 - but operations at T5 have now improved to the extent that the airline feels it is able to bring this schedule forward.From Wednesday 17th September, a total of 29 destinations will be transferred across from T4 to T5.On 22nd October, the remaining 12 long-haul flights will be moved to T5.By then, ...
• Runway Incursion PreventionAlaska Airlines has become the world's first commercial airline to equip its entire fleet with runway incursion prevention technology.The airline has installed Honeywell's RAAS (Runway Awareness and Advisory System) on its 112 Boeing 737s.Honeywell, specialists in avionics collision avoidance systems, have developed RAAS to meet market demand for a sophisticated product to improve pilots' situational awareness on the ground.Ground Proximity Warning The system is basically a ground proximity warning system, using using satellite technology to accurately determine the aircraft's precise location...
• SAS confirms 'structural' talks as shares soar amid speculation of Lufthansa bidScandinavian airline group SAS AB said it was in talks concerning the group's future structure after company shares soared Friday amid speculation that German rival Lufthansa was considering a takeover bid.

Green Miscellany

• Calls for cycling-friendly city designsTwo cycling bodies are calling for architects to submit plans which could transform London into a cycle-friendly city.

Other News Sources

• Government watchdog calls for urgent new solutions for rural transportToday (Monday, September 15, 2008), the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) is publishing five studies putting the spotlight on transport challenges facing rural areas, ranging from accessibility to key services, the effects of technological change and implications of road pricing
• 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.
• Rail line ready to roll out in 2009It’s been ten years in development but the new £8 million Telford rail freight line will be ready to roll out its first services in 2009.
• Stagecoach seeks commuter feedback for fast ferry trial in south west EnglandStagecoach is to undertake detailed customer research in the last week of the Torbay ferry trial to get further feedback from commuters.
• Coach firm helps out in XL rescue dramaA Kent coach company came to the rescue of passengers stranded by the collapse of the travel firm XL.
• Travel fraud increases 66% in three yearsThe average loss for travel, leisure and transport companies to fraud has increased by 66% over the last three years due to the credit crunch, a report by Kroll has revealed.
• Air travel policies review urgedThere should be an independent review of Labour's aviation policy in the light of
• Thomas Cook and TUI launch reassurance campaignThomas Cook and TUI, the UK's largest holiday operators, have launched national press campaigns in a bid to reassure consumers after a series of operators have gone bust. The ads follow the collapse of XL Leisure Group, the third biggest holiday company, on Friday (September 12).
• New rates could break port usersPort users and operators have been warned to brace themselves for potential bankruptcy as a new ratings system is introduced across England that includes a demand for backdated payments to April 2005.
• Has it really taken 37 years to go nowhere?Attempts to create a driverless freight train system have taken more than 37 years - to go nowhere, according to a new historical survey by this newspaper.
• Transworld begins fleet upgradeWidnes-based container haulier Transworld Transport has begun a fleet replacement programme with the delivery of six MAN TGXs.
• Recycling Bus earns awardEfforts to rivet hundreds of cans onto the outside of a bus were rewarded with a Tidy Town's Can It award.
• Air travel policies review urgedAir travel policies review urged