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

Wednesday, 19 November 2008

BBC News

• Rail firm 'could shed 300 jobs'A rail firm providing services across East Anglia and into London has said it is to close its call centre in Norwich with the loss of 73 jobs.
• Miliband warns of piracy dangerForeign Secretary David Miliband has said that piracy in Somalia "is a grave danger to stability in the region".
• Interim leader for capital tramsEdinburgh City Council is preparing to appoint a new interim chairman for its controversial tram project following two high level departures in a month.
• UK to auction carbon permitsThe UK Government is to auction carbon emissions permits to power firms over the next 5 years.
• New bridge over upper Forth opensA new £120m road bridge across the Forth is due to be opened by the First Minister Alex Salmond later.
• Ford set to sell 20% Mazda stakeTroubled US carmaker Ford Motor is selling a 20% stake in Japan's carmaker Mazda Motor, the Japanese company has said.

Financial Times

• Berlusconi backs Lufthansa rescue of AlitaliaItaly's prime minister declares that he and the German chancellor are in favour of an alliance between the two airlines, a remark dismissed by other parties as political theatre
• EasyJet dispute deepens over accountsShares in UK-based low-cost airline fall further as founder and largest shareholder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou refuses to approve the group's annual results

The Guardian

• 6,000 bikes in 400 locations: Boris Johnson's bike-hire schemeMayor of London invites companies to register interest in setting up cycle-renting system in the capital
• Obama opens new green chapter for US on climateBarack Obama yesterday renewed his promise to make a decisive break with George Bush on the environment, using a summit convened by Arnold Schwarzenegger to promise a

The Telegraph

• How to survive the Christmas transport chaosWith rail services closing for engineering works over the Christmas period here are the alternatives ways to get around.

Times Online

• Ford sells Mazda stake and seeks aid from Congress Ford ended 12 years in the driving seat at Mazda yesterday with the sale of a 20 per cent stake in the Japanese carmaker. The struggling American company, which has given warning that it could run out of cash by next April, will raise about $538 million ($£359 million).

Reuters News

• China Railway Group says gets $1.63 bln contractsSHANGHAI (Reuters) - China Railway Group , the country's largest railway and highway builder, said on Tuesday that subsidiaries had won contracts worth a total of 11.12 billion yuan ($1.63 billion).
• Boeing shares fall to 5-yr low on earnings worriesNEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing Co shares tumbled 6.5 percent to a nearly five-year low on Tuesday as analysts expressed concerns about the plane maker and defense contractor meeting profit estimates over the next two years, as it grapples with production delays, airlines' lack of financing to buy planes, and risks that the new U.S. administration will cut defense spending.

Network Rail

• RAILWAY VANDALS COME CLEAN

Transport Briefing

• National Express cuts East Anglia rail franchise jobsTransport operator National Express is consulting with staff and unions over proposals to cut more than 300 jobs - many at its East Anglia rail franchise.
• Contractor call for £140m London bicycle hire schemeTransport for London has advertised a design and build contract worth up to £140m to set up a bicycle hire scheme with pick-up points across central London.

Birmingham Post

• Rail chaos predicted for Christmas travelChristmas commuters will face delays as work continues on the West Coast Main Line.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Stena Line’s new ship for Holyhead to Dublin routeSTENA Line have introduced a new ship on the Holyhead to Dublin route.

London Evening Standard

• Delayed rail passengers 'are not told how to claim refunds'RAIL passengers are missing out on hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation for poor service because they don't know how to claim refunds, MPs said today.
• Pirates begin talks over their $250m tanker prizeSomali pirates who hijacked a supertanker carrying $100million of crude oil in the Arabian Sea opened negotiations with the vessel's operator

Manchester Evening News

• Airline boss flying high

  HE began his career checking in passengers. Today Jim French is the head of Europe's biggest independent regional airline, as Sheryl Moore discovers...

• City car club proves a real Whizz of an ideaA PAY-BY-THE-HOUR car club is motoring ahead with ambitious plans to dramatically increase the number of vehicles it operates in Manchester.

The News (Portsmouth)

• The carriage now leaving... for SurreyA GLORIOUS old girl who ferried thousands of delighted visitors along the seafront has retired.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Safety course puts young Moray motorists in driving seatYoung drivers in Moray will be given the opportunity to brush up on their driving skills as part of a road safety course organised by Grampian Police on Sunday.
• Delays for motorists as £1.4m A90 project gets under wayDRIVERS are to face delays during 25 days of roadworks as a £1.4million project gets under way on the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee road.
• Harbour™s £8m plan could pave way for bigger fishing boatsMORE than £8million could be spent at a north-east harbour to pave the way for the new generation of larger fishing vessels to use the port.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds faces 'arm-twisting' over road chargesMINISTERS are preparing to offer millions of pounds of taxpayers' cash to tempt Leeds into introducing a road charging scheme.

Blackpool Gazette

• Villagers' fury at road plansMORE than 100 angry residents took part in a stormy public meeting to discuss changes to a vital Fylde coast road.
• Shock as Tram Sunday is axedIT'S the end of the line for Fleetwood's Tram Sunday.
• Fylde's £1.8m bill for free bus ridesCOUNCIL tax payers across the Fylde coast are facing a shock £1.8m bill to pay for free bus fares for pensioners.

West Sussex Gazette

• Call made for millions more to revamp stationFUNDING for improvements to Gatwick railway station has been increased by £10m to £19m “ but West Sussex County Council's leader says it is still not enough to do a proper

International Herald Tribune

• Strikes unlikely to halt sale of AlitaliaAugusto Fantozzi, the bankruptcy administrator for Alitalia, said he expected the purchase of the Italian flag carrier by the CAI consortium to be wrapped up this week.
• Budget airlines' strategy is splitRyanair sees the economic downturn as a chance to expand, while easyJet hunkers down.

Washington Post

• $2.5 Billion Hit to Md. Transportation Forecast Maryland could be forced to rein in transportation projects by an additional $2.5 billion in coming years, legislative analysts said yesterday, citing a sharp drop-off in tax collections on car sales and gas purchases that has also hamstrung Virginia and other states.
• Big 3 carmakers beg for $25B, warn of catastrophe WASHINGTON -- Detroit's Big Three automakers pleaded with a reluctant Congress Tuesday for a $25 billion lifeline to save the once-proud titans of U.S. industry, pointedly warning of a national economic catastrophe should they collapse.

Aviation Industry

• UK Bus Awards - Winners
• BAA announces results for 9 months to 30 September 2008Colin Matthews, Chief Executive of BAA, said: œBAA has delivered a resilient performance with results in line with forecasts. With trading conditions expected to remain challenging in the coming months, we are maintaining our sharp focus on operational improvement and a substantial programme of capital investment, which will lead to better passenger service standards and lower costs.
• AMR Plan to Buy 787s Will Reshape American's Fleet, Bolster Boeing ProgramAMR Corp. 's American Airlines said it may buy as many as 100 Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliners in a plan that will reshape the fleet of the world's largest carrier and reinvigorate the sales campaign of the delayed ...

Other News Sources

• Network Rail communications 'poor'Communications are so bad within Network Rail that emergency services often don’t know who to contact when there is an incident and can carry out actions and take decisions without knowing what the effect will be on passengers, according to the Committee of Public Accounts (PAC).
• Downturn sees DVLA shelve biometrics projectThe Department for Transport has cancelled the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's purchase of a facial-recognition system for checking driving-licence applications.
• Qantas says emissions trading scheme 'flawed'Qantas says the Federal Government's proposed emissions trading scheme is flawed and the aviation industry would be a big loser.
• National Express to axe 300 jobsRAIL giant National Express is to axe more than 300 jobs in East Anglia it emerged today.
• Stelios turns up the heat as easyJet profits diveOpen warfare broke out at easyJet today as board director, founder and 41% shareholder Stelios Haji-Ioannou refused to sign off the firm's accounts
• Delayed passengers in the dark over refundsRail passengers are missing out on hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation for poor service because they don't know how to claim refunds
• Heathrow T5 wins Structural awardsHeathrow’s Terminal 5 (T5) was the supreme winner at the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE)’s Structural Awards 2008 on Friday.
• Embassies flout congestion charge to the tune of £23MDiplomatic embassies in London are not paying the congestion charge, leaving Transport for London out of pocket to the tune of £23M.
• MPs propose tightening Network Rail accountabilityMPs propose changing the way Network Rail is regulated, to give it greater financial flexibility, but also greater accountability to parliament.
• TfL board member Steven Norris on Johnson's transport plans for LondonTransport for London board member Steven Norris opened the Civils 2008 exhibition at London’s Earls Court on Tuesday with a gloom-busting performance to reassure civils consultants and contractors that future workloads are secure.
• ICE president Jean Venables speaks out against Heathrow expansionInstitution of Civil Engineers president Jean Venables today spoke out against expansion of Heathrow airport and instead backed Tory plans for high speed rail. Listen to the interview here.
• Eco towns will fail and alternatives are needed, say expertsGovernment plans to build eco-towns are destined for failure, with engineers needing to lead the search for a new approach to sustainability, it was claimed today.
• BA launches second phase of 'T5 is working' campaignBritish Airways has launched the second stage of its 'Terminal 5 is working' campaign with a dedicated website and online advertising.
• Bmibaby hires Avenue A/ Razorfish to refresh brand and boost salesLow-cost airline bmibaby is to overhaul its website in a bid to refresh the brand and improve customer retention in the troubled airline category.
• Pirates push up oil pricesCRUDE prices rose 1.4% to $55.72 today in New York in reaction to the pirate attack on the Saudi-owned VLCC Sirius Star.
• Wind Turbines, Trucks and Train Announcements: Managing Noise for a Healthy EnvironmentEvent to highlight links between transport noise and health risks.
• Co-op joins pro-TIF lobby United CityUnited City, the business lobbying group formed to support the Transport Innovation Fund bid, has signed up The Co-operative Group and the North West Trades Union Congress.
• Defeated councillor named to North West Rail Campaign postThe North West Rail Campaign has appointed Roger Jones as its campaign director.

Other Subscription Services

• Stagecoach celebrates success at 2008 UK Bus AwardsSTAGECOACH came out on top with the highest number of top honours at the 2008 UK Bus Awards
• Arriva acquires train maintenance company LNWRLeading European transport operator Arriva has acquired train maintenance company LNWR for £2.4 million, part of which represents repayment of a shareholder loan, and the assumption of approximately £2 million of debt.
• Somali pirates seize Hong-Kong flagged bulkerANOTHER 25 crew kidnapped as bulk carrier, Delight, is taken en route to Bandar Abbas.
• NOL axes 1,000 jobs on grim outlookNEPTUNE Orient Lines is axing close to one tenth of its workforce as it describes the outlook for 2009 as “grim” with a prolonged downturn expected.