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

Sunday, 23 November 2008

Times Online

• Environment Agency rounds on plan for third Heathrow runway Building a third runway at Heathrow would make it “impossible” to meet legally binding targets on air pollution, according to Lord Smith, head of the Environment Agency.
• The world's fastest wind-powered car? Parked in the middle of the Mojave desert, about 35 miles southwest of Las Vegas, surrounded by mile upon mile of dry, cracked earth, the Greenbird looks like the mutant offspring of a beached yacht and an alien go-kart. Yet this otherwordly contraption is gearing up to set a world land-speed record.
• Motor Mouth: Deport the lane hogs, Mr Hoon Another day, another transport secretary. Geoff Hoon is the latest to land in a cabinet post no politician actually appears to want. He replaces Ruth Kelly, who, you’ll recall, had such a bad time there she’s abandoning politics altogether. Alistair Darling, a former incumbent, even admitted to me during an interview that the “average shelf life for a transport secretary was 13 months, which is ridiculous”. He moved on shortly afterwards.
• Jaguar in secret plea for £1bn government loan JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR) is in secret talks with the government for a £1 billion loan, just nine months after Tata, the Indian conglomerate, bought the luxury-car marque.

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.

The York Press

• Truckers cautious as fuel prices fall HAULAGE companies have given a cautious welcome to the recent drops in fuel prices which have now seen petrol fall below 90p per litre in York.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Children in bus fumes scareEight children have been checked into hospital amid fears they had inhaled fumes while travelling on a school bus in Norfolk.

International Herald Tribune

• GM's long road aheadIs it really possible that General Motors has not yet begun drawing up contingency plans for a bankruptcy filing - as the chief executive, Rick Wagoner, told Congress?

New Scientist

• Cellphone clusters give traffic jams awayMapping GPS data from mobile phones carried by vehicle occupants can help road users avoid congested areas

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• UK drivers warned to prepare for chillMotorists in Britain are being urged to prepare properly for a cold snap forecast for this weekend.According to the Meteorological Office, snow could move down from Scotland to eastern England over the next few days driven by Arctic winds.

Railnews

• News: Train delays cost passengers £1 billionAlthough train punctuality in Britain is currently reported to be up to 92 per cent, delays are costing passengers £1 billion a year in lost time and there is a risk that passengers are not claiming the compensation to which they are entitled.

Aviation Industry

• Southwest Airlines looks to give up some BWI gatesThe largest passenger airline at a Washington-area airport says it is negotiating with the Maryland Aviation Administration to give up some of its boarding gates.

Other News Sources

• Rail staff flush out dirty secretsNetwork Rail has revealed one of the dirtiest secrets of the British railway system – some trains are so antiquated that passenger loos are still flushed straight on to the tracks.Rail workers compl...
• RTA approves firms to supply 1,616 busesThe Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said the deal would boost the number of buses on Dubai's roads to 2,500 by next year.The RTA said the new buses comprised of standard, double-deckers and articu...
• Lufthansa CityLine to cut 14 CRJ200s and 20% of staff Lufthansa CityLine is to cut 14 of its 22 Bombardier CRJ200s and 20% of its 2,500-strong workforce by 2010 as part of a plan to drive down its cost base. CityLine...
• Thales and BA secure multimillion pound IFE deal BA aircraft to get "everything on demand" system read more

EIN News Subscription

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