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

Thursday, 18 September 2008

BBC News

• Ferry operator announcement dueAn announcement is expected on a new ferry operator to take over the continental service from Rosyth.

Financial Times

• ORR's two cheers for Network RailThe Office of Rail Regulation gives Network Rail a thumbs-up for better safety and punctuality in its fifth annual survey of operating, maintaining, renewing and...
• Air fares nosedive amid falling travel demandAfter peaking earlier this year as a result of rising oil costs, air prices suffer sharp falls, with UK fares to North America declining by nearly a half
• Easyjet warns of tough times aheadLow-cost carrier said strength of the euro and a worsening consumer environment in the UK would slow the strong growth in revenue per seat it had achieved over the summer
• BAA puts Gatwick up for saleThe second largest airport in the UK is to be sold by BAA in response to pressure from the Competition Commission, which is preparing to call for the break-up of the UK airports group

The Guardian

• Britain trying to weaken carbon planEnvironment, science & technology: Leaked documents seen by the Guardian show UK wants to offset rather than cut carbon emissions
• Gatwick vulnerable to foreign biddersBusiness & money: Britain's second-largest airport may attract interest from Middle Eastern investors

The Herald

• BAA determined to retain Scots airports as Gatwick put on saleBAA, the much-criticised operator of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports, has insisted it is determined to hold on to all three, despite putting Gatwick up for sale.

Times Online

• Councils lose VAT ruling on carparks Local councils suffered a setback today when they lost a long-running legal battle over whether they should have to pay VAT on their takings from off-street car parks.
• Virgin Atlantic in the fray as bidding war for Gatwick begins BAA, the owner of London's three leading airports, succumbed to regulatory pressure yesterday and put Gatwick up for sale.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL ANNOUNCES NEW LOOK BOARDA new look Board was unveiled today as Network Rail strengthened its leadership team to take the company forward to meet the challenges of the next five years with the appointment of three new executive directors.

Transport Briefing

• Three-lane A406 orbital road junked for 30mph schemePlans to widen the A406 North Circular road in London to uninterrupted three-lane, motorway grade carriageway have officially been ditched with government approval this week for a smaller scale upgrade at Bounds Green.
• LibDems back high speed rail and national road pricingThe Liberal Democrats have pledged to build a high speed rail network and introduce nationwide road pricing if elected to power.
• Galileo opens first transport sat-nav data centreThe first control centre has opened for Europe’s multi-billion pound Galileo transport sat-nav system.
• Haxby station concord puts reopening back on agendaYork is set to gain at least one new railway station after project partners agreed to fast track development work to reopen a stop at Haxby.
• Chiltern rail upgrade to link Oxford and High WycombeTrain operator Chiltern Railways is finalising plans to submit an application under the Transport and Works Act to allow the construction of rail infrastructure to support a London Marylebone to Oxford service.

Edinburgh Evening News

• MSPs timetable closing date for high-speed rail link probeMSPs have set a deadline of October 18 for submissions to its inquiry into the potential for a high-speed rail link between Scotland, the rest of the UK and Europe.
• Cost of transport to keep the waterfront moving hits £50mNEARLY £50 million worth of transport improvements are needed to support plans to regenerate Edinburgh's waterfront, according to a new study by council chiefs.

Liverpool Echo

• Bus firm offering free ridesMERSEYSIDE bus operator Arriva is offering free travel to passengers signing up to a company study.
• New hope for trams on MerseysideMersey network could be up and running by end of 2010

London Evening Standard

• 'Scale back the bus routes clogging up Oxford Street'Vital new life could be breathed into Oxford Street by scaling down the number of buses that swamp it, a new report claims
• Branson to bid as Gatwick is put up for sale at £2 billionGatwick airport has been put up for sale for an estimated £2 billion

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.
• Disabled-parking fines bid rowAN MSP pressing for new laws to get tough with drivers who abuse disabled parking spaces denied claims yesterday that the estimate of the costs was œinadequate.
• 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.
• Voice of OAPs takes bus firm to task over toiletsBus giant Stagecoach is being challenged over its refusal to introduce coaches with toilets on its service between Caithness and Inverness.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Traffic congestion 'could cost £2bn'Congestion on East Anglia's roads could cost £2bn by 2021 unless action is taken to relieve gridlock, according to a new report.
• Campaigners dress up for airport trees protestA group of "trees" gathered outside BAA's offices in London to protest against the loss of ancient woodland which a second runway at Stansted Airport would cause.

The Shields Gazette

• Tanker contract gives hope to jobs blow yardA SOUTH Tyneside shipyard hoping to secure a bigger share of a massive £4bn defence bonanza has started work on a new tanker contract.

New Scientist

• Can nanoscopic meadows drive electric cars forward?Nanoscale flowers and grass can boost energy storage in the ultracapacitors tipped to replace batteries in electric cars
• Mean machines go greenStunning performance, awesome economy, no compromise. Electric cars are coming of age, says Jim Giles (full text available to subscribers)

Wall Street Journal

• Electric Car Makers Seek Tax CreditsMakers of plug-in electric cars pushed Congress to create consumer tax credits to help spur demand for their vehicles in the U.S.

Transport for London

• Transport for London receives Government approval for A406 Bounds Green Improvement SchemeA scheme to improve a vital section of the A406 has been given the go ahead by the Secretary of State for Transport following a public inquiry.

Aviation Industry

• Invensys Rail Group purchase Quantum Engineering for $38mIRG strengthen train automation offering through Quantum Engineering acquisition
• Network Rail to unveil £600m Birmingham New Street designNetwork Rail is to unveil detailed plans for the £600m redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station tomorrow.
• Three more tankers win 'Green Award'Three more tankers have successfully obtained the Green Award, and three certificates have been renewed, announced the Green Award Foundation.

Green Miscellany

• Innovative recharging station now ’talks’ to electric carsThe UK’s network of Elektrobay road-side charging stations is now able to ’talk’ to electric cars that are being recharged. Elektromotive, the makers of Elektrobay, is the world’s first alternative fuel supply company to integrate the latest Power Line Communication (PLC) technology (developed by EDF), into its road-side charging stations.
• Triple hybrid vehicle developed in WalesThe University of Glamorgan has worked on a research collaboration with UK and international firms to create a triple hybrid technology vehicle.

Other News Sources

• Angela Eagle announces date for first emissions trading auctionThe Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Angela Eagle MP, today announced that the UK's first auction of carbon trading allowances - under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) - will be held on the 19 November, 2008, making the UK the first country in Europe to hold an auction in Phase II of the EU ETS.
• CAA praises travel agents' work after XL collapseThe industry won praise from the Civil Aviation Authority for its help in rescuing holidaymakers when XL Leisure collapsed last Friday.
• Hauliers angry at PD Ports' entry feeMiddlesbrough-based PD Ports has been accused of attempting to top up a funding shortfall by charging hauliers £5 to enter Hull Container Terminal (HCT).
• Crude oil gets cheaper, yet pumps lag behindThe Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) has dismissed industry anger over the time taken for falling oil prices to be passed on to users.
• Can speed cameras ever be as effective as traffic policemen?Peter Mason claims speed cameras are responsible for the small reduction in road casualties since 2005 (NCE 4 September). This is simply not proven.
• Network Rail not efficient enough - ORRThe Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has both praised and condemned Network Rail for its performance over the last year.
• Transport for London launches furniture rangeTransport for London today launches a range of furniture upholstered in its iconic public transport fabrics, what it claims is a first for a museum.
• Sandy McCracken ceases trading; no buyer foundScottish haulier Sandy McCracken & Son has ceased trading after liquidators failed to find a buyer for the business.
• City Link's new board sets out revival plansLoss-making parcels carrier City Link is here to stay, according to its new management team.
• American pushes forward with BA and Iberia tie-up despite pilot protestsManagement at American Airlines is refusing to be roadblocked by its pilots in forging a joint business agreement with British Airways and Iberia after its...
• EU delays urban transport plans as Mobility Week beginsThe Commission yesterday (16 September) celebrated the launch of the 7th European Mobility Week aimed at encouraging citizens to give up their cars and make cities less polluted. But a much-anticipated EU action plan on urban mobility is being held up.
• EU delays urban transport plans as Mobility Week beginsThe Commission yesterday (16 September) celebrated the launch of the 7th European Mobility Week aimed at encouraging citizens to give up their cars and make cities less polluted. But a much-anticipated EU action plan on urban mobility is being held up.
• Lib Dems unveil ambitious transport proposalsOutlined in a new policy paper, Fast Track Britain: Building a Transport System for the 21st Century, the proposals include support for a controversial nationwide road charging system.
• Dip in transport and logistics business confidenceConfidence among Britain's transport and logistics firms has dipped considerably as a result of rising oil prices and the global economic slowdown, new figures reveal.
• Oil prices fall following Lehman Brothers collapseGlobal oil prices have dropped by over $5 (£2.80) per barrel in the wake of the collapse of US banking giant Lehman Brothers.
• London Gateway sets high productivity targetDP World’s forthcoming London Gateway Terminal will handle containers across its quayside 50% faster that its UK rivals, according to London Gateway CEO Simon Moore.