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

Friday, 26 September 2008

BBC News

• Double decker option for islandDouble decker buses could be re-introduced in Jersey to take passengers to and from the airport.
• Anger as rail line trees get chopResidents who live along the London-Hertford rail line are upset with Network Rail's policy of chopping trees to prevent leaves on the tracks.
• UK flights hit by computer glitchSome UK airports are forced to cancel and delay flights after a computer problem at the main air traffic control centre.
• Steer clearWhat's the secret of a really good road sign?
• Council cuts blamed on bus schemeCouncils in England claim they have been forced to cut their spending in key services to cover the cost of free bus passes for pensioners.
• UK opposes green aviation targetThe government wants the aviation industry to be exempt from EU targets on renewable energy
• Car giants set to get $25bn loanUS carmakers may be on track to get a $25bn (£13bn) government loan to help them build greener cars and save jobs.
• Alitalia gets temporary reprieveAlitalia, the Italian airline which is struggling to survive, is given a temporary reprieve by the civil aviation authority.
• Mardell's EuropeMEPs deliver blow to carmakers over CO2 targets

Department for Transport

• Transport Statistics* Road Casualty Statistics Great Britain: 2007 Annual Report * Bus and Light Rail Statistics GB: April-June 2008

Financial Times

• Airport regulator supports break-up of BAAThe Civil Aviation Authority urges the sale of two of the operator's airports in London and one in Scotland, saying this could increase competition 'significantly'
• Alitalia offered lifeline by union dealLast-ditch talks to save Alitalia from bankruptcy took a key step forward when CIGL, the main left-wing union federation, signed a deal accepting the plan proposed by an Italian consortium

The Guardian

• Pedestrian road deaths linked to deprivationRoad safety campaigners have urged the government to do more to protect pedestrians in poorer areas after statistics showed a strong link between road deaths and deprivation.
• Eurostar update from the Man in Seat Sixty-OneMark Smith, aka the Man in Seat Sixty-One, on why the recent fire disruptions haven't put him off taking the Eurostar
• Car lobby loses fight to ease emission rulesMEPs throw out leniency pleas and maintain commitment to 17% CO2 reduction by 2012
• Eco town dwellers may be monitored for green habitsExperts demand legislation ensuring that carbon footprints are three times smaller than national average

The Independent

• Computer hitch leaves British flights groundedFlights in and out of Britain had to be cancelled last night and many more were delayed for hours after a computer glitch at the main air traffic control centre in Hampshire. The problem occurred at 4pm yesterday, affecting airports across the country after National Air Traffic Services (Nats) was forced to impose restrictions on the number of planes entering UK airspace, and on those taking off.

The Telegraph

• Computer glitch throws airports into chaosPassengers have travel plans disrupted after air traffic fault.

Times Online

• Bright idea gives solar-power cyclists a fresh pair of legs London A solar-assisted bicycle that gives riders extra pedal power has been invented.
• New cars to have daytime lights The Scandinavian practice of driving a car with the lights on during the day should be common in Britain within three years. Under new European laws, all new models of cars and small delivery vans will, from 2011 onwards, need to be fitted with automatic daytime running lights to make them more visible. The EU believes that the lights could reduce death and injury on the roads by 3 to 5 per cent, but the Tory MEP Timothy Kirkhope said: “There is a concern that drivers start looking out for lights rather than pedestrians and cyclists.”
• AA accuses supermarkets of petrol price rip off Britain’s biggest supermarkets are ripping off motorists with their local pricing policies for fuel, according to the country’s largest motoring organisation.

Reuters News

• Bombardier scraps Russian train maker deal-paperMOSCOW (Reuters) - Canadian aerospace and transport technology firm Bombardier has pulled out of talks to acquire a stake in Russian railway engineering firm TransMashHolding, Kommersant newspaper reported on Thursday.
• Lufthansa CEO sees merger talk readiness -reportFRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Lufthansa AG Chief Executive Wolfgang Mayrhuber said there is great willingness to discuss mergers in the airline industry as carriers seek to cut costs, a magazine reported.
• INTERVIEW-Hamburg group to grow Hapag-Lloyd if bid succeedsFRANKFURT (Reuters) - A Hamburg investor group wants to expand German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd -- put on sale by tourism and shipping group TUI AG -- if its bid for Hapag succeeds, one of the main investors said.
• UntitledLONDON (Reuters) - Poor weather thwarted an attempt on Thursday by Swiss airline pilot Yves Rossy to become the first person to fly between France and England using a single, jet-propelled wing.

Edinburgh Evening News

• More chaos as major Princes Street tram works to beginTHE first major tram works on Princes Street will get under way next Wednesday, with bus passengers facing diversions.

Liverpool Echo

• Minister’s resignation throws a shadow over Merseytram revival planTHE RESIGNATION of transport secretary Ruth Kelly has thrown a shadow over plans to revive Merseytram.

London Evening Standard

• Road deaths fall to record lowRoad deaths last year fell to their lowest level since records began in 1928, figures have confirmed
• Boris on first Tube with air conditioningThe first Tube train with air conditioning was unveiled as part of a £1.6 billion upgrade on the Underground network

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Oil price drop prompts calls for action on UK fuel dutyOil prices fell sharply yesterday, after a record one-day rise in the previous session, depressed by doubts over an American plan to rescue the financial sector.
• Jersey flights from Inverness Airport a soaraway successHIGHLAND holidaymakers can continue to fly to the beautiful Channel Island of Jersey direct from Inverness, it was announced yesterday.
• QC claims objector™s evidence is ˜discredited™The evidence of a transport planner opposing the Aberdeen bypass is deficient because it is based on documents that are three years out of date, it was claimed yesterday.

The York Press

• Proposal to win Government development funding is revealed AN œeco-district could be on the cards for York if city leaders win support for renewed demands for Government cash.
• Traffic plan to save Terry™s development is rejected by parish council PROPOSALS to build a new link road to alleviate traffic congestion created by the new Terry™s development have met with opposition from an unexpected source.

Wales Online

• Air traffic problems cause delays at Cardiff AirportHOLIDAYMAKERS and business travellers face delays tonight as all flights have been grounded at Cardiff Airport due to an air traffic problem.

Blackpool Gazette

• Call for spy cameras in lollipop polesA FORMER lollipop man left badly injured in a road accident today called for crossing patrols to be equipped with "Robopops".

Doncaster Free Press

• Railport set to bring 5,500 jobsA PROPOSED new railport is on track to deliver thousands of jobs to Doncaster.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Council team up for awardsTHE city council's accessibility and travel team has been nominated for two UK Bus Awards.
• Road dualling may be delayedThe proposed final dualling of a major road in East Anglia could be delayed after Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly announced she will resign.
• Flights chaos fault is fixedAn air traffic control computer fault which led to major flight disruptions at Luton Airport has been solved.

Reading Evening Post

• ’Outsiders’ face charge to drivePeople who work in Reading but live outside the borough may be subject to road pricing in the future. Finding a form of road charging that excludes Reading residents from any cost is an ongoing priority for the borough.

International Herald Tribune

• General Motors' new plant will build smaller, fuel-sipping enginesGeneral Motors said Thursday that it would invest $370 million in a plant to build its most fuel-efficient engines ever.

Washington Post

• GAO: Risk of runway collision still high WASHINGTON -- The rate of close calls on airport runways is up over last year and the risk of a collision is high, a government investigator said Thursday.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Drewry reports drop in new ship ordersA sharp fall in global freight rates has led to a drop in orders for new container ships, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants.The UK-based company reports that the number of new container ships being built has risen over the past decade, but orders for vessels have dipped in recent months.Container tonnage ordered from shipyards fell by 42.8 per cent year-on-year between the second quarter of 2007 and the second quarter of 2008, from 964,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 552,000 TEUs, Transport Intelligence reports.Demand for container ships is a key indicator of worldwide logist...

Transport for London

• Transport for London unveils new air-conditioned Tube trainsThe Mayor of London joined Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy today to unveil the new air-conditioned trains that will serve the Metropolitan line from 2010 and the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines from 2011.
• Oyster pay as you go now accepted at all First Great Western stations in LondonThousands of Ealing and Hillingdon residents to benefit from latest extension of Oyster.

Aviation Industry

• Free wireless internet launched on Arriva buses in DenmarkArriva Scandinavia AB, bus and train operator in Denmark and NZR have announced that it has commenced the roll out of free broadband internet access services to customers on the Arriva Denmark bus fleet.
• Reading rail go ahead welcomed [Leaders Blog]There was plenty of media coverage the other day for the seal of approval that has been given to the large expansion of Reading railway station, one of the busiest in the country outside London.
• Two new routes and three new tour operators from Southampton AirportSix travel companies have announced winter ski routes from Southampton Airport...
• FAA Says Progress Being Made on Runway SafetyFAA Says Progress Being Made on Runway Safety
• Airport Delays Due to Air Traffic Control ProblemFlights from UK airports are being hit by cancellations and delays after a computer problem at the UK's main air traffic control centre.The Central Flow Management Unit at Eurocontrol, the European air traffic management service, confirmed to media that the London Area Control Centre at Swanick, Hampshire, was suffering from a computer failure.The London Area Control Centre covers airports in South East England.All departures from Cardiff International have reportedly been cancelled.The arrival and departure rate at Heathrow Airport has been reduced to just one aircraft every 5 minutes rather ...
• Major Alitalia union accepts rescue dealHopes rise of saving the bankrupt carrier

Other News Sources

• Salford canal brought back to lifeTwo hundred years after it was built, a major milestone in the restoration of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal will be achieved with completion of the first section of restored canal at Middlewood, Salford.
• NI Rail And Bus Travel Up, Says Transport ReportRail travel in Northern Ireland grew by 12% last year, according to the government's latest transport statistics.
• Beartown Buses in line for UK awardCONGLETON'S Beartown Bus Network has achieved over 100 per cent growth in passengers since being launched a year ago.
• Why pedal power is riding higherIT all started with a long, 25-minute crawl along Mumbles Road in Swansea.
• Cash boost for rail linkGovernment funding has been approved to design a 35-minute rail link between Oxford and Milton Keynes by 2012.
• Flight pathBritish Airways is to improve its 777 fleet with the implementation of Boeing™s Performance Improvement Package, a series of measures that will result in fuel-efficiency gains and subsequent emissions reductions.
• Public meeting about the ThamesThe Port of London Authority is organising a public meeting on 25 September - giving people an opportunity to discuss current and future matters concerning the Thames.
• Network Rail to inject more competition into supply chainNetwork Rail said this week that it was looking to deal directly with its second tier contractors in a bid to introduce more competition and efficencies to the railway market.
• Bmi overhauls website to target business customersAirline giant bmi is overhauling its website to reflect its new focus on business customers.
• Sneak preview for new locoFreightliner and GE Transport have given a sneak preview of the of the new PowerHaul locomotive being developed for the UK market at the InnoTrans show in Berlin. The loco holds out the promise of higher payloads and greater fuel efficiency.
• Car emissions plan wins backingEuropean Parliament™s environment committee refuses to make concessions to German car industry.
• Daytime Running Lights on cars to become mandatoryThe Commission has decided to introduce Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) on all new vehicles from 2011 onwards in a bid to increase road safety using energy-efficient technology, it announced on 24 September.
• Truckmakers seek to avert car-style CO2 capsAs MEPs prepare to vote on a legislative proposal imposing caps on the CO2 emissions of new cars, the automotive industry is warning against introducing similar measures for vans and minibuses, which the Commission is planning to propose by the end of the year.
• Parliament deplores national resistance to sea-safety rulesA package of legislative measures aimed at protecting Europe from maritime accidents and pollution looks likely to face a special 'last chance' conciliation procedure as the European Parliament yesterday (24 September) refused to give in to national governments' attempts to water down the new rules.
• HRG launches ground transport toolNew integrated solution for car travel
• Thetrainline launches new look business siteEasier functionality for corporate

Other Subscription Services

• Hapag bid heats up as Hamburg group growsHSH Nordbank and Signal Iduna have both joined the Hamburg consortium bidding for the acquisition of Hapag-Lloyd.