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

Tuesday, 30 September 2008

BBC News

• Traffic makes blood boil [video]A BBC survey states that transport issues are most likely to make us lose our temper in the South East.
• Expert view on city's congestionThe future of transport in Nottingham is being discussed by a leading expert at a special meeting in the city.
• Flight of fancy?The reaction to Tory plans for Heathrow Airport
• Tories would scrap Heathrow planThe Conservatives say they would scrap plans for a third runway at Heathrow and build a high-speed rail line instead.

Department for Transport

• Top national environmental awards won by Government Transport Agency GCDATHE AGENCY which keeps Britain's government on the road has been named 2008's 'Public Sector Fleet of the Year' in the prestigious annual GreenFleet environmental awards.

Financial Times

• Shipping costsThe Baltic Dry index, which measures dry bulk shipping costs, plunged by nearly a quarter last week as rates plummeted for the biggest ocean carriers of raw materials
• Thomas Cook pulls out of Condor talksThomas Cook has withdrawn from talks with rival travel group Tui and Lufthansa, the German flag carrier, about a merger of their German airline operations
• Eurostar considers high-speed train dealEurostar, the cross-Channel train operator, is considering replacing some of its trains with the world's newest high-speed train design as it seeks to boost reliability and expand into new markets

The Guardian

• Tory transport plans received mixed responseRail groups hailed but business criticised Conservative plans, unveiled today, to scrap the third runway at Heathrow and build a £20bn rail link between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
• Delegates welcome Tory plan for high-speed rail linkUnder Tory plans, journey time from Birmingham to London would be slashed to just 40 minutes
• Balloonist Stephane Rousson and his pedal-powered airshipFrench adventurer Stephane Rousson attempts to cross the Channel

The Independent

• Tories 'would scrap third Heathrow runway' The Tories would scrap plans for a third runway at Heathrow and instead build a £20 billion high speed rail line between London and Leeds, it emerged today.

The Telegraph

• UK drivers risk on-the-spot fines in FranceFailure to comply could lead to a fine ranging from £71.51 (90 Euros) to £107.27 (135 Euros), under the laws which start tomorrow (WEDS)

Mail Online

• Tory plan to scrap Heathrow expansion for high-speed train sparks furious backlash from business chiefsPlans for a third runway at Heathrow will be scrapped under a Tory government in favour of a £20billion high-speed rail line.

ATOC

• Train operators welcome conservative party commitment to rail capacityThe Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) welcomed the commitment made by the Conservative Party Transport spokesman Theresa Villiers today that a Conservative government would continue to invest in improving capacity on Britain™s railways.

Transport Briefing

• Road pricing ignorance threatens Manchester TIF bidA consultation on road pricing plans for Greater Manchester has prompted double the number of responses expected with two weeks still to go until the closing date.
• Rail legal advisers appointed for high speed workGreengauge 21, the not-for-profit organisation established to promote the case for high speed rail in Britain, has appointed legal specialist Bircham Dyson Bell as its consultation advisers for its 2008/09 high speed rail development programme.
• Leeds rail station earmarked for extra platformsNetwork Rail is planning for trains in Yorkshire to be lengthened and additional shuttle services to be laid on at peak times according to its draft Route Utilisation Strategy for the region.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham-London rail link pledge under threat from skills shortageA shortage of apprenticeships could make it difficult for a Conservative Government to fulfil a pledge to build a high speed rail link between Birmingham and London.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Over 1,000 untaxed cars clamped in North WalesMORE than a thousand untaxed cars were clamped in North Wales in a year with almost half of the offending vehicles seized by the police.

Derby Telegraph

• M-way widening work disruptionMotorway users should be prepared for further disruption this week as more work is carried out as part the M1 widening scheme in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Hopes high for more trainsEXTRA train services between Edinburgh and Dunbar could be secured within a month following the results of a consultation study.
• Call to lower noise limit for planes at Edinburgh AirportEDINBURGH Airport bosses have been urged to bring in lower noise limits for planes after a system of fines helped cut the racket endured by people living near the flightpath.

Journal Live

• London-style mayor for Tyne-WearA CONSERVATIVE Government would create a London-style elected mayor for Tyne and Wear with powers to deal with health, police and transport problems.
• Region will miss out on £20bn rail link plansDAVID Cameron’s Conservatives were last night accused of snubbing the North East by backing plans for a new high-speed rail link that excludes the region.

London Evening Standard

• Business blasts plan to scrap third runwayThe Tories sparked a furious backlash from business chiefs after vowing to scrap a third runway at Heathrow if they win power
• Eurostar 'reduced' until after ChristmasEurostar services through the Channel Tunnel will not return to normal until after Christmas, senior sources said
• Lorry drivers 'need educating about cyclists'Lorry drivers should be made to watch footage of fatal bicycle accidents in a bid to reduce the number of riders killed on the roads

Manchester Evening News

• Rail link in manifesto A HIGH-speed rail line linking London and Manchester in just 80 minutes would unify the two cities' economies and bring new prosperity to the north, the Conservatives have claimed.

Metro

• Airport jokers risk 'killing hundreds'Pranksters are endangering hundreds of lives by dazzling pilots with laser pointers as they come in to land.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Concern over new ferry harbour lawsNew regulations for the management of west coast ferry harbours are being drawn up for submission to Holyrood ministers.

The York Press

• Anti-fraud blitz on bus passes DETAILS of every bus pass holder in York are to be sent to a national fraud watchdog to ensure passengers are not conning their way to a free ride.
• Secure bicycle park for York A NEW secure cycle park for York city centre has been given the go-ahead after more than a decade of waiting.

Wales Online

• The posh car drivers who won’t pay road taxPORSCHES, BMWs and Mercedes are among the thousands of vehicles contributing to a massive rise in the number of untaxed cars clamped and seized in Wales over the past year.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Tories' high speed Leeds London rail link pledgeA Tory government would give the greenlight to a high speed rail link between Leeds and London - a move which would slash journey times by almost half an hour.

Carlisle News & Star

• Power to the pedalPEDAL power ruled when over 100 cyclists rode through Carlisle calling for a better cycle path network in the city.

Chester Standard

• Chester's free parking scheme extendedA TRIAL free parking scheme at Chester City Council-run car parks is being extended until March.

International Herald Tribune

• U.S. tightens noose around hijacked arms shipThe American military deployed more warships Monday around the arms-laded freighter hijacked by pirates and thwart any possible escape in a standoff near the craggy Somalia coastline.

New Scientist

• Carbon-trading scheme gets underway in USThe scheme selling permits to emit greenhouse gases in 10 US states was set up in an absence of federal guidance
• Fuel thinner turns diesel cars into greener machinesA cheap device that makes oily diesel flow more easily gives a less-polluting burn, as well as improved range in some models

Transport for London

• One week left to have your say on future of Congestion Charge Western ExtensionMayor urges Londoners to give their views before consultation closes.
• Shepherd's Bush Overground station welcomes passengersThe new Shepherd's Bush Overground station has now opened - the first new station on the line since London Overground started operating last year.

Aviation Industry

• Business aviation shows its safety weaknessesBusiness aviation is subject to US and international safety initiatives that appear to be welcomed by the industry, but statistics suggest many operators are not getting the message. Runway excursion resulting in serious damage, one of the accident types theoretically among the easiest to eliminate, occurs regularly.
• BAA statement about a third runway"BAA believes this country needs both a third runway at Heathrow and high speed rail. To prioritise one over the other is a false choice and will put Britain's future competitiveness at risk.
• Airfares Aren't Taking Off EverywhereDiscount airlines are keeping airfares down in some cities.
• EU-US Open Skies talks resumeForeign ownership tops agenda.

Other News Sources

• Protest against plans to cut bus schedulesPLANS to axe subsidised bus services in Cambridgeshire have triggered an angry reaction from passengers and community leaders.
• Bus enthusiasts jump aboard vintage showDOUBLE-DECKERS drew thousands of enthusiasts to the world's biggest bus rally.
• Essex: county in line for UK bus titleESSEX County Council could be crowned Britain’s most bus-friendly local authority.
• Amadeus expands rail booking functionalityTravel specialist Amadeus has enabled travel agents to book Heathrow Express tickets via its selling platform as part of a wider strategy to bring all rail services onto a single booking system.
• High Speed Rail Link should run to ScotlandSNP MSP for Lothians Shirley-Anne Somerville today criticised Conservative plans for a high speed rail link from London to cut short haul flights that would go only as far as Leeds.
• Tory transport policy back on the railsThe planners and politicians have got it wrong. Passengers from the provinces have to use domestic flights to connect with international services because there is no simple or affordable way of reachi...
• Pedal-powered channel bid failsA French adventurer's attempt to enter the record books by becoming the first person to cross the English Channel in a pedal-powered airship ended in failure. Stephane Rousson, 39, aborted the bid part-way across the English Channel after being hampered by a change in the direction of the wind.
• New business 'on the rise' for WincantonLogistics giant Wincanton is confident about winning new business despite the current tough trading conditions.
• Conservatives want high speed rail instead of third Heathrow runwayConservative plans to scrap proposals for a third runway at Heathrow and replace it with a high speed rail link between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds have been welcomed by Friends of the Earth.
• NWBLT backing for c-charge 'nearly unanimous'The North West Business Leadership Team today said it backed Greater Manchester’s Transport Innovation Fund bid, which would bring in congestion charging from 2013.
• Century After First Fatality, Safety is in the AirIt was called an "aeroplane," but the contraption Orville Wright piloted on Sept. 17, 1908 was hardly more than a big box kite with a motor. And unlike his famous first flight in 1903, this one was doomed.

Other Subscription Services

• Groups slam inadequate action over Somali piracySHIPOWNERS and the International Transport Workers’ Federation condemn response of governments and naval forces to attacks.