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

Monday, 03 November 2008

BBC News

• High speed rail base secures jobsThe decision to house and service the new high speed rail link trains at more than one Kent location has guaranteed 160 jobs, Southeastern said.
• Councils seek £18m for projectsA bid for money to improve transport and traffic management in West Norfolk is being sent to the government.
• T5 was 'national embarrassment'MPs blame British Airways and airport operator BAA for the chaotic opening of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5.
• Boeing machinists return to workWorkers at the US aircraft maker Boeing vote to end their strike and to return to work this weekend.
• Opec head urges production cutsOpec countries must implement agreed production cuts if they want stable oil prices, warns the cartel's president.
• Ryanair set for £8 flights to USBudget airline Ryanair is to launch flights to the US for just £8 by buying planes from its struggling rivals.

Department for Transport

• Department for Transport (National) - Transport Statistics* Public experiences of and attitudes towards air travel Report * Air Passenger experience: Results from CAA survey module Report
• New Swindon Rail Terminal to cut congestion and carbon emissionsA new rail terminal that will help to tackle local congestion and substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions was opened by Transport Minister Andrew Adonis today.
• Shocking Seat Belts Advert Aims to Save a Life Each DayA shocking new THINK! campaign to highlight the deadly consequences of not always wearing a seat belt was launched today by Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick.
• Andrew Adonis appoints Millie Banerjee Chair and Member of the British Transport Police AuthorityThe Minister of State for Transport, Andrew Adonis, was delighted to announce today the appointment of Millie Banerjee as Chair and Member of the British Transport Police (BTP) Authority.
• Better rail services for London and South East EnglandRail services across south-east England are set for a major boost under new franchise requirements, Transport Minister Andrew Adonis announced today. Passengers in south London and parts of Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire will benefit from more trains on key lines - particularly in the evenings and over weekends - increased capacity at peak times and improved security on both platforms and trains. This includes significantly increasing the number of key stations staffed at night.

Financial Times

• BA price fall threatens Iberia talksThe steep fall in the British Airways share price in the past three months is threatening to undermine merger negotiations with Iberia, the Spanish flag carrier
• MPs say T5 chaos could have been avoidedReport by the transport select committee says that 'better preparation and more effective joint working' could have prevented the debacle at the opening of Heathrow's newest terminal
• US airlines pull out of a tailspinThe biggest US airlines stand to return to profitability next year, a stunning turnround for an industry that appeared to be heading toward the biggest crisis in its history a few months ago
• Norwegian to pick up where Sterling left offNorwegian Air Shuttle is moving fast to fill the vacuum left by the collapse of Sterling Airlines, the Copenhagen-based, Iceland-owned low-cost carrier

The Guardian

• High-speed rail may not be best solutionRobert Cochrane - visiting professor, Imperial College
• MPs revolt over third Heathrow runwayThe case for building a third runway at Heathrow has been challenged by figures showing a significant fall in flights this winter as cabinet ministers join a Labour revolt against expanding the airport.The number of flights to and from Heathrow will fall by 1.9% this winter compared with the same period last year, according to figures obtained by the Guardian. The reduction, equivalent to 25 fewer flights a day, was pounced on by anti-expansion campaigners, who said it undermined one of the key arguments for a third runway: that the airport is too congested.

The Independent

• Drivers groups blasts limited road extensions Britain's major road network increased in length by just 1.1% in the years 1997 to 2007, according to new statistics.
• BA staff attack 'annoying' passengersBritish Airways staff have criticised passengers as

The Scotsman

• First Group in the fast lane after cost of motoring soarsSIR Moir Lockhead, chief executive and deputy chairman of Aberdeen-based FirstGroup, will this week unveil a sharp increase in profits as the company benefits from the resilient public transport sector.
• Heathrow T5 'an embarrassment'The chaotic opening of Heathrow's Terminal 5 (T5) revealed "serious failings" on the part of British Airways and airport operator BAA and was "a nation

The Telegraph

• British Airways staff attack passengers on FacebookBritish Airways passengers are 'smelly and annoying' a group of the airline's employees has claimed.
• MPs condemn BAA for Heathrow shamblesThe opening of Heathrow's £4.3 billion Terminal 5 was a

Birmingham Post

• Councils too slow to spend road improvements cashThe West Midlands is in danger of having to hand back £101 million to the Government because councils aren’t spending the money quickly enough on vital improvements to roads.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Rail bosses say sorry for ticket office closureRAIL bosses have apologised after closing a ticket office at Waverley Station due to "staff shortages".
• Ryanair base takes off lateBUDGET airline Ryanair is set to launch its new base at Edinburgh Airport after the project was delayed earlier this year.

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow T5 'an embarrassment'The chaotic opening of Heathrow's Terminal 5 (T5) revealed "serious failings" on the part of British Airways and airport operator BAA and was "a national embarrassment", a report from MPs has said.

Manchester Evening News

• Cyclists steered to the suburbsCYCLISTS are being urged to use leafy suburban routes as an alternative to main roads in a bid to cut Manchester's 'shocking' number of bike accidents.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Parking bays don't leave space for passing carsHOW’S this for a tight squeeze? These new road markings are driving residents round the bend.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Bus service problems continuing, say travellersProblems of irregular bus services in Inverness and the Black Isle persist, two months after transport giant Stagecoach took over its rival Rapsons, it was claimed yesterday.

Wales Online

• Plan to speed up South Wales to London rail diversion shelvedPLANS to speed up the London to South Wales train line when the Severn Tunnel is shut have been shelved amid a cut in public funding for the railways.

Burnley Express

• "Unacceptable" bus depot plans get green lightCONTROVERSIAL plans for a temporary bus depot to be run from the middle of a quiet residential area have been given the go-ahead.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Trains don't take the strain, say passengersNo sooner had East Midlands Trains taken on the rail franchise last November than commuters were up in arms about proposed cuts to the number of trains stopping at Kettering a

Peterborough Telegraph

• Hundreds warned over bicycle safetyMore than 360 cyclists have been stopped by police in a Suffolk town during a two-month safety campaign.

Sunderland Echo

• Silver Arrows point to better busesGlistening in silver from head to toe, two winged living statues heralded in what bus bosses say will be heaven for passengers.

International Herald Tribune

• A comeback for the United States' first superhighway?After decades of decline, commercial shipping has returned to the Erie Canal as high fuel prices have made barges an attractive alternative to trucks.
• A renewed focus on passenger trainsThe high cost of fuel, along with traffic and airport congestion, is drawing travelers back to trains for commuting and for travel between cities as much as 500 miles apart.

Aviation Industry

• Become a Euro-Commuter, Live in France & Work in UKIt’s a concept that has become more appealing since the new Eurostar terminal opened at St. Pancras International, and it is now possible to travel to and from France and land up right in the heart of central London with minimum fuss and maximum comfort.
• Ryanair plans cheap trans-Atlantic flightsLONDON : Budget airline Ryanair plans to offer trans-Atlantic flights as cheap as 10 euros before taxes to several U.S. cities from Britain and Ireland, a company official said, according to a newspaper report ...
• Airline staff give 'annoying' passengers a slap in the FacebookBritish Airways staff have criticised passengers as

Other News Sources

• Air Cars: A New Wind for America's Roads?An air-powered car? It may be available sooner than you think at a price tag that will hardly be a budget buster.
• Olympic rail station in lack of cash rowRail regulators have been accused of “penny pinching” over plans to redevelop Gatwick Station in time for the 2012 Olympics.
• Hoon pushes ahead with Heathrow expansionGeoff Hoon, transport secretary, has promised to
• Ryanair offers £8 flights to US Budget airline Ryanair is preparing to launch transatlantic flights for just £8 by buying cheap planes from struggling rivals.
• France to put armed guards onboardARMED GUARDS from the French Navy can now be put onboard merchant ships free of charge while transiting the Gulf of Aden.

Other Subscription Services

• EU anti-piracy force swamped by requestsBRUSSELS cell receiving five requests a day from ships looking for protection in Gulf of Aden.