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

Saturday, 22 November 2008

BBC News

• Train fares to go up in new yearRail passengers will face big fare rises in January - with some tickets going up by double the rate of inflation.
• Toyota upbeat about latest modelJapanese car maker Toyota defends bringing out a new model despite slashing its earnings forecast for 2008.
• EU warns against car subsidy raceEU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes tells France and Germany not to start a

Financial Times

• Commuter group hits at rail fares riseRail passengers face from January the largest single fares increase since privatisation, with the average cost set to rise by as much as 11 per cent. Regulated fares -...
• Borderless boardersPiracy: With a growing number of ever larger vessels hijacked around the Horn of Africa, trade is being hampered and crews put at risk “ but some evasive tactics exist

The Guardian

• Honda halts production at flagship plant in SwindonThe Japanese car manufacturer Honda is halting production at its flagship plant in Swindon for two months next year as it struggles to cope with a sales slump.While the plant's 4,800 employees will be paid during the closure in February and March, union officials fear that shutting the production line is the prelude to a round of redundancies as the recession starts to bite across Europe. The mothballing of Honda's only British plant comes as sales of new cars plummet across the world. American rivals General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are trying to persuade the US Congress to sign off a $25bn ...
• San Francisco Bay to be electric car capitalOfficials in California have unveiled ambitious plans to turn the San Francisco Bay area - home to 7.6 million people - into one of the world's leading centres for electric vehicles.If it succeeds, the strategy will see billions of dollars poured into a power infrastructure that will turn the region away from fossil fuels and persuade millions of people to switch to green transport technology.The plan, which will see the bay area become the first region of California to switch its transport systems entirely away from traditional fuels, is being supported by local government as well as the stat...
• Rail users' fury as fare rises outstrip inflationRegulated fares including season tickets and saver tickets, will rise by an average of 6%
• Shipping industry urges EU governments to declare war on Somali piratesEuropean shipowners are urging their governments to wage war on Somali pirates and seize vessels by force, the Guardian has learned, amid growing fear that shippers will otherwise avoid the seas off the Horn of Africa altogether - at huge cost to global trade.A day after the world's biggest shipping company, AP Moller-Maersk, said it would divert some of its fleet from the Suez canal and take the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope, the industry urged stronger action against pirates. Last night, the BBC reported the UN had given the green light to warships to go after vessels.Alfons Guin...

The Herald

• Passengers face dearer rail travel as fares up 6%Scottish train passengers will be hit with steep rises in ticket prices from January, it was announced yesterday.

The Independent

• Rail price rise misery for commutersRail companies are facing calls to change the way they calculate fare increases, after a loophole in the law allowed them to introduce price rises well above the rate of inflation.
• Why grand plan for public works means digging up the A11 Plans to boost the struggling economy by bringing forward much-needed work on Britain's transport infrastructure are foundering, causing a rift between No 10 and the Department of Transport.

The Telegraph

• Honda to halt UK production for two monthsJapanese car giant Honda has announced it will halt production at its UK plant for two months next year while new figures showed a huge slump in vehicle building.
• Police helicopter avoids colliding with UFO report claimsA police helicopter narrowly avoided colliding with a UFO over Birmingham a report has claimed.

Times Online

• London Cyclists: ’Attacks just egg me on’ The blow to the back of my head was sudden and sharp. Looking up, I saw a car had slowed alongside me as I cycled home. A burly man – my attacker – was leaning from its passenger window, laughing with silent malice.
• Olympic success provokes a chain reaction as millions turn to bikes The lights change to red at Hyde Park Corner and tensions rise as the tail end of a queue of commuters becomes trapped on the roundabout, unable to move forward.
• London Cyclists: ’They just get in the way’ Like all drivers, I have no problem whatsoever with cyclists as long as they stay in their place – the pavement. I realise, by the way, that this is not a reasonable view. But since when was the car a place where reason held sway? We all, to some extent, think of the road as our own, and we are all quite badly wrong about that.
• Failure of carmakers in US ’will not be allowed’ Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat Speaker of the House, who holds Washington’s purse strings, sought to reassure Wall Street yesterday by insisting that doing nothing to bail out America’s car industry was not an option and that allowing the manufacturers to go bankrupt would be “digging the hole far too deep”.

Reuters News

• Delta ready to cut capacity as demand slipsNEW YORK (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc said on Friday it plans to cut flights even further next year as it sees more signs of air travel demand slipping.

Daily Express

• DIY boosts HalfordsAUTO parts and cycle group Halfords is steering clear of the wider retail downturn as the collapse in car sales drives motorists to spend more on DIY motor maintenance.

Daily Record

• Prospects looking good for Glasgow AirportGLASGOW airport is battling back from the collapse of two major airlines - and is on the brink of recovering all its lost business.

Mail Online

• Fat people will now get two seats for the price of one on flights within Canada Obese air travellers have won the right to two seats for the price of one in Canada.
• Fears grow for hijacked supertanker crew as 'heavily-armed Islamists prepare to attack pirates who seized Muslim ship' Fears were today growing for the safety of 25 crew, including two Brits, held hostage on the supertanker hijacked by Somali pirates
• Helicopter in dramatic near-miss with 'sinister' UFO 1,500ft above Birmingham It was a cloudless night and the police helicopter was carrying out surveillance over Birmingham when the attention suddenly switched from ground to sky.
• The Great Train Robbery: Outrage as commuters face inflation-busting 11% fare rise Rail operators have provoked outrage after announcing fare rises of up to 11% in the New Year. The huge hikes, at a time of economic turmoil, met with almost universal condemnation from passengers, unions and MPs.

The Sun

• Killer drivers from Eastern EuropeACCIDENTS on British roads involving Eastern European drivers soar EIGHT-FOLD in 6yrs

Birmingham Post

• The way ahead for public transport in the MidlandsNow is the time to make smarter choices on travel for a healthier future, argues Ric Bravery, of sustainable transport association ACT TravelWise.

Journal Live

• Express pace rise for your railway ticketsA BASIC rail return to London will smash through the £100 barrier in the New Year. Passengers turning up to Newcastle station to buy an off-peak ticket will have to fork out £105 to go to the capital and back.

Liverpool Echo

• Vauxhall Ellesmere Port: US stalls over £16bn for GMTHE spectre of bankruptcy for US car maker General Motors and the knock-on effect at its Vauxhall plant in Ellesmere Port today loomed closer.

London Evening Standard

• Last call for the restaurant carThe last sit-down restaurant car on London's commuter network has been axed.
• Commuters to face 11 per cent New Year rail fare riseCommuter train fares will rocket by up to 11 per cent from January, rail operators announced

Metro

• Rail passengers face big fare risesRail passengers will face big fare rises in the new year with some tickets going up by more than double the rate of inflation.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Rail travellers hit by 6% fare price hikeIt will be an unhappy new year for train travellers in the area after big fare increases were announced yesterday.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• ScotRail travellers hit by 6% increase in fare pricesMost rail fares are to go up by more than the rate of inflation in the new year, it has emerged.
• Services ˜not as badly hit™ after Stagecoach Bluebird drivers stage second strikeA second strike by Stagecoach Bluebird bus drivers in the north-east has not affected its services as badly as the first, according to the bus company.

The York Press

• York cabbie™s battle over taxi rules A TAXI driver is taking City of York Council to court over its plans to make all the hackney carriages black and take older taxis off the road.
• Late-night bus service hits cab takings TAXI drivers have hit out at a late-night bus service they say has œsignificantly reduced their earnings.
• York fears over transport bid A LEADING councillor today voiced his concern that York™s multi-million pound bid for transport improvements was lacking in detail.

Wales Online

• Rail tickets price hikeRAIL travellers across Wales are facing a big hike in ticket prices in the New Year, despite falling inflation.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Back to 80s in West Yorks petrol price warA WEST Yorkshire supermarket that slashed the price of petrol to below 90p per litre has sparked a fresh round in the fuel price war.

Blackpool Gazette

• Blackpool to feature on top tv showBLACKPOOL will be broadcast to millions this weekend when the town is featured on the hit show Top Gear.
• Tram Sunday could yet be savedFLEETWOOD Transport Festival could be saved.
• Passengers slam "another £10 travel tax"BLACKPOOL International Airport's proposed £10 charge has been slammed as another "travel tax".

Carlisle News & Star

• Working week reduced at Carlisle PirelliWORKERS at Carlisle™s Pirelli tyre factory are to have their working week reduced as a result of the collapse in the global car sales market.

Chester Standard

• More jobs pain as 100 axed at Ellesmere Port's BP/CastrolFAMILIES have received a "major blow before Christmas" with the announcement of 100 job losses from oil giant BP/Castrol at Ellesmere Port's Stanlow plant.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• No cut in Kettering's car park chargesShoppers have been told there will not be a reduction in car parking charges, despite a call to cut them in a bid to attract more trade.
• Kettering and Wellingborough rail fares to rise by six per centRail travellers to and from Kettering and Wellingborough face a six per cent increase in fares from January.

C.N.N.

• Commentary: Auto CEOs need a reality checkMuch has been made of the car company CEOs showing up for Congressional hearings in private jets to ask for a taxpayer-funded bailout.
• Budget airline 'jeopardized windpipe transplant'The successful transplant of a lab-grown windpipe almost did not happen when budget airline staff refused to allow the transportation of stem cells needed for the operation, UK newspapers reported Friday.

International Herald Tribune

• European airlines' decline in premium ticket sales hurts earningsAir France-KLM followed British Airways and Lufthansa in reporting a steep fall in quarterly earnings.
• San Francisco to put a price on parking spotsUnder a trial plan passed by the board of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, 6,000 of the city's precious parking spots will be priced on a sliding scale depending on how popular they are.

Washington Post

• Former Pilots' Union Chief Under Consideration to Lead FAA Labor leaders are pushing for Duane E. Woerth, a former pilots' union president who played an important role in aviation issues in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks, to lead the Federal Aviation Administration under President-elect Barack Obama.

Railnews

• News: Liberal Democrats call for fares freeze as train companies announce big increases from January A BIG hike in rail fares from the New Year has been attacked by the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, who have called for a fares freeze.

Aviation Industry

• Airlines Offer More Promo CodesAirlines are offering more and more promo code deals.
• Air NZ job cuts will save $20m a yearAir New Zealand is cutting 200 full time jobs in a bid to save in excess of $20 million a year.
• 3 big airports get new runwaysBrand new runways are opening at three major airports Thursday, giving the aviation community something to cheer about in a year of dismal economic and travel news.
• Delta Ready To Cut Capacity As Demand SlipsDelta Air Lines said on Friday it plans to cut flights even further next year as it sees more signs of air travel demand slipping.
• UK Travellers Avoiding USA says Skyscanner The strengthening dollar, the credit crunch and recession woes have led to a 15% fall in UK-USA flight search traffic, reports Skyscanner (http://t.ymlp186.com/uqeapaujqaoaubqsanayqq/click.php), Europe's leading flight search engine. read more

Other News Sources

• Updated policy for vessels entering the Gulf of AdenIn order to continuously ensure the safety of...
• Air France-KLM sees profits fall 96% as fuel costs soarAir France-KLM has seen 96% fall in profit for its second quarter as the economic slow down, the rise in oil prices and a weak US dollar all begin to bite.
• Oasis of the Seas is floated outThe floating out ceremony for the world™s largest cruiseliner was held today in Finland.
• Map: Travel job losses hit UK as recession bitesAs the economic crisis hits travel employers, Travel Weekly maps some of the UK locations hit by job losses
• More trains on high speed rail to cope with growing passenger volumeTaipei, Nov. 20 (CNA) The high speed rail system will increase the number of scheduled runs and purchase new trains next year to cope with increasing passenger volume, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (TH...
• New runways open at 3 busy airportsNew airport runways open Thursday in Seattle, Chicago and Washington Officials say new runways will make airports safer, more efficient However, aviation experts caution airport infrastructure still l...
• Rail price rise misery for commutersRail companies are facing calls to change the way they calculate fare increases, after a loophole in the law allowed them to introduce price rises well above the rate of inflation. The fare incre...
• Nautical networkAustralia™s Information and Communications Technology Research Centre of Excellence has joined forces with Singapore A*STAR™s Institute for Infocomm Research to develop a wireless mesh network for ships.
• The Civils debate: short haul flights vs High speed railWatch the LSE's professor of economic history, Dr Tim Leunig, and founder of high speed rail pressure group Greenguage21, Jim Steer, debate the pros, cons and economics of building new high speed rail lines.
• Conservative high speed proposals based on 'funny money'Professor of economic history at the London School of Economics, Dr Tim Leunig, says Conservative proposals to build new high speed rail lines are based on 'funny money', and the number do not add up. Watch the debate here
• New Crossrail boss welcomes his perfect roleTransport Minister Lord Adonis and London Mayor Boris Johnson this week confirmed that Tubelines chief executive Terry Morgan will become non-executive chairman of Crossrail from November 2009.
• American Officials Address PiracyOn Nov. 19, 2008, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell today defended the military effort to deter piracy in the Gulf of Aden and called on commercial ships to do more against this scourge of the sea. The U.S. 5th Fleet forms the core of the American effort in the Maritime Security Patrol Area, but other nations are involved...
• Honda to halt UK operations Car manufacturer Honda is stopping production at its UK plant for two months because of the "dramatic change" in the global market.
• Rail passengers are to face big fare increases Rail passengers will face big fare rises in the new year with some tickets going up double the rate of inflation
• DHL 'got it wrong' in USDHL has finally admitted to mistakes that contributed to the company's US$10bn failure in the US domestic express market.
• AP Møller MaerskAP Møller Maersk is sending ships around the Cape of Good Hope instead of through the Suez Canal to avoid one of the world's piracy hotspots. The shipping giant said vessels without adequate speed or freeboard - including three containerships - would, for the time being, avoid the Gulf of Aden, unless a naval convoy is available.
• Airbus and Boeing heading for significant fall in orders this year forecast max kingsley-jones london Orders look set for large fall this year Airbus and Boeing tally after 10 months down almost 30% on same point...
• China plans huge port expansionCHINA reportedly plans a huge port expansion at Sandu Ao, a bay with 170km of shoreline in northeastern Fujian province.
• Polish unions accept job lossesSOLIDARITY, the trade union representing workers at the Gdynia and Szczecin shipyards, has provisionally accepted job losses as part of the Warsaw-EU sell-off scheme.
• Piracy peril warned for ComorosBIMCO today warned shippers to avoid the Comoros Gap shortcut between Madagascar and the African mainland.
• Wind Turbines, Trucks and Train Announcements: Managing Noise for a Healthy EnvironmentEvent to highlight links between transport noise and health risks.
• Largest cruise ship takes to waterLargest cruise ship takes to water
• Honda closure bodes badly for UKHonda announces it will stop production at its plant in Swindon for two months next year, James Blake reports.
• Honda shutdown; UK car slumpTotal car production reaches its lowest level in the UK since 1991, reports Roz Upton.
• Intel launches ˜book yourself' travel trial Travellers challenged to find cheaper rates read more

EIN News Subscription

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