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

Wednesday, 17 September 2008

BBC News

• Texting' clue to LA train crashInvestigators studying last Friday's train collision in California are examining whether one of the engineers was distracted by his mobile phone.
• New railway station set to openA new railway station near a shopping centre still under construction, is to open later this month.
• Costs of congestion set to doubleTraffic congestion could cost residents and businesses in the East of England £2bn a year by 2021, a report claims.
• Fires force black cabs off roadsHundreds of black cabs in London are being recalled following fears over safety, it has been revealed.
• Gatwick Airport put up for saleGatwick Airport is to be put up for sale by its owner BAA, says BBC Transport Correspondent Tom Symonds.
• XL holidaymakers still strandedThousands of holidaymakers who booked their flights with the collapsed airline XL are still desperately trying to get a flight back home.

Financial Times

• Alitalia aloft on wing and discounted fuelItaly's lossmaking airline has remained aloft and still has a chance of surviving in some form under new ownership
• Unhappy birthday for GMGeneral Motors' market share has been shrinking since the early 1970s. Survival in its current form looks doubtful
• CSX grants two seats to dissidentsRailroad group CSX said that it would give two board seats to members nominated by dissident shareholders as a court ruling ended a nearly year-long proxy fight with two hedge funds

The Guardian

• Lib Dems back road-pricing despite fears of 'poll tax on wheels' accusationsEnvironment spokesman said opponents would level 'unfair accusations' that Lib Dems were trying to introduce 'roads for the rich'
• Disaster zone?Plans for a congestion charge in Greater Manchester are about to go to a public vote. As the campaigns for and against get under way, Peter Hetherington reports on a transport solution already mired in controversy
• Raid adds new twist to Alitalia sagaBusiness & money: Italian revenue guard officers seize 10 years of accounts from bankrupt company's headquarters

Reuters News

• BA chief says airline industry in biggest ever crisisLONDON (Reuters) - British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh said on Tuesday the airline industry was going through its biggest ever crisis, and repeated his warning that more carriers would go bust.

Network Rail

• NIGHT TIME IS THE BEST TIME FOR AIRPORT PLATFORM

Transport Briefing

• Serco takes to the water with DLR ferry link contractDocklands Light Railway operator Serco is expanding its east London operations after bagging a £10.7m deal to run the Woolwich Ferry service from 1 October.
• £2.8m Swansea Metro Ftr bus infrastructure completedInfrastructure for Swansea’s new bus rapid transit system is nearing completion with the opening of an express busway today (16 September).
• Edinburgh Airport buys pods to drive public transport useBAA Edinburgh has bought two interactive touch-screen passenger information terminals to provide journey planning services in the domestic and international arrival halls of the Scottish capital’s airport.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Exhibition to show final design of Leith Walk after trams completeAN exhibition showcasing how Leith Walk will look once the Capital's tram network is finished has been scheduled.
• You must be choking as city misses targets on air qualityMORE than three-quarters of Edinburgh's most polluted streets are failing to meet European air quality targets.

Journal Live

• High speed rail call for North EastTHE North East must not be excluded from proposals for a new high-speed rail network, business chiefs have warned.
• Report presses case for two more Tyne bridgesTHE River Tyne could be spanned by two more bridges as local leaders set out future transport plans.

Liverpool Echo

• New Switch Island link road gets go-aheadA LONG-awaited plan to tackle road chaos at a busy Merseyside junction was today given the green light.

London Evening Standard

• Assembly asks train passengers to help banish 'cattle-trucks'Passengers are being asked to recount details of their commuting experiences to the London Assembly to help an investigation into overcrowding

Manchester Evening News

• Cyclist wins commuter challengeTWO wheels proved better than more when cycling campaigners pitted the humble bike in a rush hour race against the car, the bus and the train.
• Passenger numbers fallingMANCHESTER Airport has seen a dramatic fall in passengers as the aviation industry is plunged into its 'deepest crisis' since the 1970s.

Metro

• Air industry is in 'worst crisis ever'The airline industry is in its deepest crisis ever, British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh said last night.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Airport bosses say bypass ˜vital™ to region™s futureAIRPORT bosses in Aberdeen insist the city™s planned bypass is œvital for the future growth of the region.
• Budget airline chopping its city service to BarcelonaScottish budget airline flyglobespan is dropping the route from Aberdeen to the Spanish city of Barcelona, it emerged yesterday.
• Concern over rise in red diesel dutyA DECISION to raise duty on red diesel to bring it into line with road diesel will cripple marine tourism on the west coast of Scotland, the leader of Argyll and Bute Council has said.
• MP says driving tests move ˜unacceptable™A northern isles politician said plans to move the testing of candidates for motorcycle and heavy goods vehicles to the mainland are œunacceptable.

The York Press

• Traffic hell for York motorists COMMUTERS faced nightmarish journeys of up to an hour and a half to travel only a few miles with the onset of the third phase of major roadworks.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Oil prices fall to six-month low at $97Oil prices fell below $100 a barrel yesterday for the first time in nearly six months.
• Call to block Humber Bridge tolls increaseTHE four Humber councils have written to Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly asking her to block a proposed increase to tolls on the Humber Bridge.

International Herald Tribune

• Demand for new cars in Europe fell sharply in summerThe European industry body said car registrations fell overall in August in western Europe, with only Portugal showing growth.

The Economist

• The EU is closer to adopting a target for 20% of its power to come from renewables by 2020The EU gets closer to a target for renewable energyThe European Parliament’s industry and energy committee has voted to approve an amended version of the draft directive aimed at stimulating investment in renewable energies and (more controversially) biofuels.The Commission’s proposal, tabled last January, is a crucial element of the EU strategy for curbing Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels and combatting global warming. It would set differentiated national targets for member states’ contributions to the overall goal of raising renewables to 20% of the energy mix by 2...

Washington Post

• FAA approved new jet despite safety concerns WASHINGTON -- Federal aviation officials approved a new type of small jet despite problems with the plane's design and production, overruling safety concerns voiced by government engineers, inspectors and test pilots, according to federal and congressional investigators.

Aviation Industry

• Eco-Friendly Uniforms for Virgin Trains StaffAll 3,000 Virgin Trains customer facing staff will be sporting a new look from Sunday 14 September following the delivery of a full and flexible uniform range
• No basis for airport ’carbon neutral’ claims !The Manchester Airports Group (MAG) announced in 2006 that the operation of its four airports - Manchester, East Midlands, Bournemouth and Humberside - would be carbon neutral for 2015. But It is clear that the airports will not be “carbon neutral” by 2015 and never could have been.
• Leeds Bradford Airport nominated for awardThe Yorkshire gateway has been put forward for the Best UK Airport for Leisure accolade in the annual British Travel Awards 2008 - widely regarded as the Oscars of the travel industry.
• Airport passengers check-out new check-in servicePassengers travelling with participating airlines departing from Edinburgh Airport can now speed-up their journey through the check-in hall thanks to a new self-service facility...
• Airlines could land '09 profitDelta Air Lines Inc. and Continental Airlines Inc. may return to profit next year, buoyed by a 23 percent drop in jet fuel since its July peak and higher fares that are chasing off the lowest-paying passengers.
• Alitalia unions to meet todayBerlusconi speaks as hopes rise for rescue of bankrupt carrier.
• New fast track self service at EdinburghAirport launches £300,000 check-ins.
• COMMENT: Confused about what to carry on an aircraftThe Department of Transport needs to set rules rather than guidelines

Other News Sources

• Gridlock to cost region £2bn by 2021Congestion on the region's road could cost business and residents £2bn a year by 2021 - double the current levels - unless radical action is taken to ease gridlock.
• Rail link to be discussedA bid to restore the rail link between Bere Alston and Tavistock in Devon will be among the issues discussed at a conference at Plymouth University.
• Virgin 'would relish' Gatwick bidHeavily-criticised airport operator BAA has put Gatwick Airport up for sale, with Sir Richard Branson's airline, Virgin Atlantic, saying it would "relish" the chance to buy it.
• British Airways charge £600 for Paris flightBritish Airways was today accused of cashing in on the Channel Tunnel fire by offering desperate passengers £600 fares between Paris and London
• Tax 4x4s for green handouts, says Lib-DemPunitive road taxes of up to £2,500 a year should be imposed on gas guzzlers to fund £1,000 handouts to people buying green cars
• Bidston Moss Viaduct to benefit from £76M faceliftThe government today announced more than £90M in infrastructure improvements for the North West.
• Congestion to cost East England £2bnCongestion in the East of England will cost £2bn per year by 2021, according to new research from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).
• More BA flights move to T5British Airways is transferring more flights into Heathrow's Terminal 5 (T5) in a move expected to be free of the chaotic scenes that marred the opening of the £4.3 billion facility in March. The T5 opening saw flights cancelled, bags going astray and long queues. It brought down heaps of criticism on the heads of BA and Heathrow operator BAA.
• Petrol price fall expected - AAFalls in the world price of oil have not been reflected at petrol pumps, the AA has said. Average UK petrol prices have barely fallen in a month despite oil prices going back down under the 100 dollars a barrel mark, according to the latest AA fuel price report.
• Dover doubles since Chunnel fireTRAFFIC passing through the port of Dover has doubled over the last few days after a fire forced the closure of the Channel Tunnel.
• Network Rail to work on Manchester Airport station late at nightNetwork Rail is planning a series of late night improvement works at Manchester Airport railway station in order to complete the proposed third platform.
• Amadeus launches Heathrow Express bookingsAir-Rail link available to agents worldwide.

Other Subscription Services

• Tanker market could head for 'uncharted territory'UNUSUALLY large increase is expected in the 2009 tanker freight rates scheduled to be published by Worldscale Association.