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

Thursday, 09 October 2008

BBC News

• Expansion plan for steam railwayThe new owner of a troubled heritage steam railway in County Durham has revealed expansion plans to boost passenger and freight traffic. Iowa Pacific Holdings, which operates 700 miles of track in the USA, has taken a 75% stake in Weardale Railway.
• More bus station police patrolsPolice officers will patrol bus stations in 30 London areas after the success of a trial scheme, mayor Boris Johnson has announced.
• North-south service to go aheadThe green light has been given for a new faster train service between north and south Wales.
• Port's rail traffic sets a recordA Suffolk port specialising in dealing with railway container traffic handled a record amount of freight in one week at the end of September, it has said.
• Rail strike suspended after talksA second 24-hour Scottish rail strike due to start at midday on Thursday has been suspended.
• Fire hits Eurotunnel's earningsEurotunnel says it lost 21m euros as a result of the fire in the Channel Tunnel which halted traffic last month.

Financial Times

• BAA appoints Gatwick advisersBAA, the airports group, has appointed Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC as financial advisers for the planned sale of London Gatwick airport. It rejected a rival bid to...
• Green light for City airport flightsLondon City airport, which chiefly serves business travellers and the financial services industry in the UK capital, has won planning permission to increase take-offs and landings by 50%
• Fire puts brakes on Eurotunnel growthThe Channel tunnel operator lost €22m in revenue in the third quarter when disruptions after September's fire checked strong growth in truck traffic and Eurostar passenger numbers
• Stagecoach rides out economic maelstromIn spite of weakening leisure markets in the UK and the US, the company records one of its best performances ever, with strong growth in passenger vloumes

The Herald

• Stagecoach prepares for downturnPerth-based bus and rail company Stagecoach has confirmed it is drawing up cost-cutting plans as transport businesses, previously seen as insulated from a downturn, begin considering the impact of an unexpectedly long and deep recession on the sector.

The Independent

• Pothole pay-outs cost more than fixing them Local councils are paying out more in pothole compensation claims than they are spending on fixing cracks in roads, new research showed today.

The Scotsman

• Second rail strike avertedA second strike on Scotland's rail network in the space of a week has been averted after a breakthrough in talks, unions said.

The Telegraph

• Councils to use green paint in car parks to deter 'boy racers'A council plans to use green paint in car parks to deter the 'boy racers' who have been disturbing residents nearby.

Times Online

• Drivers will have no escape from new speed cameras Clusters of speed cameras that will monitor drivers’ average speed on all routes across a wide area are to be deployed on hundreds of roads next year.
• Tunnel fire hits Eurotunnel traffic The blaze in the Channel Tunnel last month cost Eurotunnel €22 million in lost revenues, the company revealed today.

Network Rail

• RMT SIGNALLERS' STRIKE SUSPENDED
• SOUTHBANK RAIL ARCHES GET £3.8M MAKEOVER

Transport Briefing

• Diamond bus voluntary partnership aims for ace serviceDiamond bus company and West Midlands passenger transport authority Centro have signed a Voluntary Partnership Agreement to deliver improvements to bus services in the Black Country.
• Rail depot spend supports West Coast expansion plansMore train services on the West Coast Main Line and the prospect of longer trains in the near future has prompted Network Rail to spend £15m on new facilities at the Traincare Centre in Edge Hill, Liverpool.
• Transport interchange police teams to go London wideTransport policing teams are to be permanently stationed at 30 bus and rail interchanges in London following the success of Hub Team trials covering Canning Town, Wood Green and West Croydon.
• Metrolink next generation rail car livery on displayNew-look Metrolink trams will start to arrive next year and will shun the light rail system's existing grey and green livery in favour of a splash of yellow.
• Trams go greenTransport for London has unveiled the first re-branded Croydon tram following its acquisition of the Tramlink network from Tramtrack Croydon in June 2008 (Transport Briefing 01/07/08).
• North-south Wales rail link slated for December launchWales' Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport Ieuan Wyn Jones this week gave the go ahead for a fast rail service linking north and south Wales.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• New faster rail service for North WalesA NEW faster rail service between Holyhead and Cardiff was given the go ahead today.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram chiefs red-faced after historic street name misspelled on signsIT was named more than 200 years ago in honour of the Germanic family ruling Great Britain.

Journal Live

• Rail line set to carry freightAMBITIOUS plans to transport hundreds of thousands of tonnes of quarry stone on a North East tourist railway were unveiled yesterday.

London Evening Standard

• Company car drivers rack up £1m fines inCompany car drivers have collected more than £1 million in fines for driving in the western extension zone without paying the congestion charge
• 30 police teams to cut bus crimeThirty new police teams will ride buses and patrol bus stations across London in a bid to cut crime on public transport by Boris Johnson

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Bus company accused of bullying staffA bus company was accused yesterday ” the first day of a union™s ballot for industrial action ” of œbullying its employees .
• Flybe unveils 40 flights between north and Gatwick each weekHIGHLAND airport chiefs yesterday welcomed confirmation that Loganair is introducing new scheduled flights from Kirkwall and Sumburgh to Bergen in Norway next summer.
• Stations deserted as strike hits travellersAberdeen and Stonehaven railway stations were unusually quiet yesterday after the first of two 24-hour rail strikes began.
• MPs launch Westminster campaign for school bus safetyTwo north-east MPs have launched a campaign at Westminster to improve safety standards on school buses.
• BA cut cabin crew but claim commitment to ScotlandBritish Airways chief executive Willie Walsh last night said it remained committed to Scotland “ just hours after the airline announced the closure of its Glasgow cabin crew operation with the potential for 138 redundancies.
• Planner insists bypass will workA transport planner yesterday said he was confident the junctions proposed for the Aberdeen bypass would bring œsignificant improvement to congested areas.

The York Press

• What a ShamblesOnly in York’s narrowest street could this happen.
• University agrees on rethink over route of new link PEOPLE power has won the day after the University of York agreed to rethink the route of a road linking its new campus to the existing site.
• More seatbelts for school buses SEATBELTS will be fitted to all primary school buses in York.

Carlisle News & Star

• Balfour Beatty win Carlisle bypass contractCumbria County Council is fast-tracking the award of the contract to build Carlisle™s western bypass, the Carlisle Northern Development Route.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Vow to secure Corby station openingOfficials have promised to 'fight tooth and nail' to get Corby's railway station open on time after the revelation there were no trains to run from it.

Reading Evening Post

• All aboard for a nostalgic journeyReading Buses is inviting passengers to step back in time on a nostalgic trip to mark the 40th anniversary since trolleybuses last graced the streets of the town.

New Scientist

• 'Transparent cockpit' removes car blind spotsBeing able to see through the solid parts of a car could reveal hidden hazards – a new video projection system lets you do just that

Railnews

• News: Decision on electrification next spring — and Villiers confirms Tory high-speed plans THE biggest programme of electrification in the history of Britain’s railways could get the green light next spring — “if the sums add up” — according to the government’s most senior railway civil servant.

Aviation Industry

• The First of It's KindFreightliner Group Ltd and GE Transportation have today launched images of the new 'PowerHaul(tm)' locomotive being developed for the UK market at the InnoTrans show in Berlin. 30 of these locomotives where ordered by Freightliner last year and the first are due to be delivered in late 2009. GE unveiled a PowerHaul(tm) engine and model of the locomotive at the show.
• Virgin America Joins EPA Climate Leaders ProgramVirgin America, the California-based airline on a mission to make flying good again, today announced it has been accepted into the U.S.
• BAA appoints advisory team to support Gatwick Airport saleAirport operator BAA today confirmed the appointment of advisers to support the sale of Gatwick Airport...
• Qantas Plane Had Glitch Before Altitude PlungeInstruments aboard a Qantas airliner warned of a glitch in its stabilization system when it suddenly rose and plunged.
• Heathrow expansion œnot going to happen “ Vince CableLib Dem shadow chancellor speaks of political opposition to plans.

Other News Sources

• East to west train link could be back onHopes were today reignited that a £135m cross country train link between Norwich and Oxford could be created after government funding was secured for a key part of the project as DAN GRIMMER reports.
• Rail group asks: Why is Wirral so poorly served?RAIL passengers heading for Wirral are dumped off prematurely-terminated trains in North Wales, according to the Wrexham-Birkenhead Rail Users’ Association.
• Lib Dems' transport strategyA HIGH-speed rail link will take pressure off air travel and commuter trains and remove the need for airport expansions.
• MP's anger over Yarmouth roadworksYarmouth MP Tony Wright last night demanded an urgent rethink over quayside roadworks, branding the current working arrangement “an absolute nonsense that is going to kill the town”.
• Campaign to improve train service growsThe campaign for hourly direct trains between Lowestoft and London has stepped up after train operator National Express East Anglia backed a scheme for a passing loop at Beccles.
• Work starts on £3.7bn Chinese high-speed rail linkFour-year project extends Beijing-to-Hong Kong line by 280km up to Shijiazhuang
• 'Railways' efficiency and punctuality is impressive'MUMBAI: Despite their immense experience with the British railway system, a team of railway experts from the United Kingdom (UK) on Wednesday marvelled at the frequency of locals and the load carried by them - 65 lakh commuters daily.
• Ministerial reshuffle riles industry headsIndustry appeals for a coherent government approach to travel have been shunned, with a ministerial reshuffle producing an increased...
• Financial market turmoil hits forward bookings The turmoil on financial markets is undermining businesses and hitting demand.
• Ryanair 'cheap US flights in three years'Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary aims to launch a transatlantic cut-price airline within three years
• Westminster gets electric tip-offThe London Borough of Westminster claims to be the first local authority to run an electric-powered Smith Newton 7.5-tonne tipper.
• Why Norfolk Line prefers Krone trailersNorfolk Line has introduced a policy of buying only trailers that can be transported by both road and rail.
• Tory axe for Heathrow third runway will not kill Crossrail - VilliersShadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers this week promised Conservative proposals to axe the third runway at Heathrow would not jeopardise the Crossrail project.
• St Pancras wins major project awardSt Pancras International took the top honours last night at the British Construction Industry Awards 2008.
• Manchester trams refreshed by HemisphereManchester's Metrolink trams have been given a fresh new look, devised by branding consultancy Hemisphere.
• Stobart Group's Tesco drivers decide futureStobart Group is in the process of finding out whether its 130 Tesco drivers, who transferred over earlier this year from the supermarket have chosen to stay on board or opt for redundancy.
• Knowles' depot extension gets green lightKnowles Transport has received planning permission to upgrade and extend its Wimblington, Cambridgeshire depot.
• Correction: Boeing still eyeing 4Q for 787 first flight(Corrects and clarifies earlier report that 787 flight testing has been delayed until the first quarter of 2009)Boeing is maintaining that the 787's...
• Ships seen topping out at 15,000teuANOTHER major step upwards in the size of box ships is unlikely despite new studies and designs for much larger ships, according to Ocean Shipping Consultants.
• Fiat launches eco:Drive softwareFiat hopes to change the world’s driving habits with a new eco:Drive computer programme. The free eco:Drive software was unveiled by the car maker this week at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. Drivers using the software are given detailed feedback on the fuel consumption of their driving style, and offered personalised tips on how to make their [...]
• Innovative low carbon vehicle programme launched in the regionAn innovative £100m programme to research and develop low carbon vehicles has been launched by local and national Government today.
• New Metrolink trams will be silver and yellowYellow and silver will be the new colour scheme for Metrolink when 40 new trams start to come into service next year.
• Airlines cut 5.6% capacity in Europe - OAGFigure doubles as economy worsens.