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

Wednesday, 26 November 2008

BBC News

• Bus company defies economic gloomLike much of modern day Scotland, Falkirk's prominence as a centre for heavy industry in the 19th Century, failed to insulate it from the decline of the manufacturing sector.
• Dining cars 'good for passengers'The proposed removal of dining cars from Norwich to London mainline trains is to be raised in Parliament.
• Rubbish cleared for steam trainsWork has got under way to clear a railway cutting filled with domestic waste in preparation for extending a steam railway in Sussex.
• Rail users protest with sardinesPassengers fed up with overcrowded carriages on East Midlands Trains' Liverpool to Norwich line are sending tins of sardines to bosses in protest.
• MPs told Severn Tunnel is 'hole'Welsh MPs studying rail services between England and Wales are told by rail unions that engineers call the Severn Tunnel 'the hole'.
• BAA agrees to Heathrow oversightHeathrow's owner will accept an independent body with the power to limit flights - if its third runway is approved.

Department for Transport

• £1bn to accelerate key transport projectsAn extra £1 billion will be invested in major transport projects next year to stimulate the economy by accelerating Government plans to cut congestion and significantly increase rail capacity, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon confirmed today.
• New free bus service links to Stratford InternationalCommuters and local people using high speed train services in Stratford will benefit from a new free shuttle bus linking the area's railway stations, Rail Minister Andrew Adonis has announced.
• Disqualified drivers targeted by new safety lawsDisqualified drivers will be kept off UK and Irish roads by new regulations laid before Parliament today.
• Passenger and freight rail services set for major boostA multi-million pound rail scheme to create an enhanced freight route through London is set to improve performance and capacity on a key link and ease pressure on Britain's roads, Secretary of State for Transport Geoff Hoon announced today.

Financial Times

• Qantas's new chief looks to be facing a bumpy rideGeoff Dixon's parting shot before stepping down as Qantas chief on Friday was to cut aircraft capacity further and warn that this year's profits may be two-thirds...
• AirAsia X chases long-haul dreamThe aviation landscape is littered with the jetsam of failed attempts to launch low-fare, long-haul scheduled air services, but the industry's track record has not deterred this latest carrier from entering the fray
• Shipping groups make major capacity cutsThe world's two largest container shipping alliances announced major service reductions and plan to merge their services between Asia and the US east coast

The Guardian

• Finding their feetA school-travel plan affords children with learning difficulties greater autonomy in getting to school on their own steam
• Deutsche Bahn refuses to slow down"More Germans believe the banks should be nationalised than Deutsche Bahn should be privatised," admitted Alexander Hedderich, head of DB's corporate development, as pouring rain darkened the depressed mood in the federal capital.
• Boris's Bus (A Political Journey) Pt7: Single Deckers FirstA Freedom of Information request by quality London blogger Dave Cole has revealed that "the proposed replacements for 18m bendy buses are 12m single deckers," on routes 507 and 521. Among other things, Dave asked TfL:
• Boris Johnson sets out plans for green LondonMayor seeks to throw off image as climate change sceptic with major speech on environment
• Piracy at sea: Britons held on Sirius Star say crew are being treated wellTwo British hostages held on the hijacked Saudi oil tanker Sirius Star spoke for the first time last night and said they had not been mistreated by their pirate captors.Peter French from County Durham, the ship's chief engineer, said the hostages' families

The Scotsman

• John Barrett urges high speed rail linkA CITY MP today called on the UK Government to commit to a high speed rail link between Edinburgh and the south of England.

Times Online

• Traders cry foul over fuel duty increase More than a million tradesmen and businesses will see costs rise because of the change in the way fuel is taxed.

Daily Express

• Taxes to hit drivers and air passengersTHE cost of running a car and flying are set to rise following Labour's smash-and-grab Pre-Budget Report.

Network Rail

• A MILLION HOURS SIGNAL RAIL PROGRESS ON SOUTH WALES SCHEMEMore than £150m will be invested into the next vital phase of the South Wales re-signalling scheme over the next 24 months. A massive programme of work will start early next year to improve the reliability of the rail infrastructure in the Newport area, while the last phase of constructing the South Wales control centre (in Cardiff) gets underway.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram chiefs agree to be first UK network to carry bicyclesTHE Capital's trams are to be the first in the UK to carry bikes following a campaign by city cyclists.
• First woman to drive a Lothian bus hits out at services cutsEDINBURGH'S first woman bus driver has hit out at her former employers after they cut the route outside her home.

Liverpool Echo

• Liverpool bus routes shake up leads to changesA SHAKE-UP of city centre bus services will take place at the end of the year.

London Evening Standard

• More pressure on Boris to scrap C-charge extensionBORIS Johnson faced fresh pressure today to scrap the western extension of the congestion charge.
• Mayor: I'll make London eco-capital of the worldBORIS Johnson relaunched himself as the green Mayor today with a pledge to make London eco-capital of the world.
• Cash shortage threatens £1bn Tube line upgradeThe £1billion upgrade of the Piccadilly line was at risk of being axed as the Tube cash crisis worsened
• Budget flights to Kuala Lumpur open up the EastA no-frills airline is launching a recession-busting £99 fare from London to Kuala Lumpur
• Miliband prepared to break pollution laws over HeathrowClimate Change Secretary Ed Miliband refused to rule out turning a blind eye to air quality laws to give the go-ahead for a third runway at Heathrow

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Krash TV road safety drive gets on the busesOUR Road Respect campaign is going on the buses. Go North East is featuring episodes of Top Gear-style show Krash TV on 100 of its vehicles in a bid to raise motoring safety awareness.
• Plan to boost bus and Metro system revealedPLANS to boost Tyne & Wear’s bus and Metro network were unveiled today.

The York Press

• Transport campaigners fear fall in total BUS-USERS who faced losing a vital York service earlier this year before a change of heart by transport bosses believe the drop in passenger figures could act as a wake-up call.
• Fewer people use York buses THE number of people using York™s buses has fallen by almost 300,000 in the space of a year “ leading to renewed fears that services in the city could be threatened with the axe.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• No new transport for Leeds until 2015Transport bosses have admitted it could be 2015 before the system slated to replace the failed Leeds Supertram scheme picks up its first passengers.

Blackpool Gazette

• Ryanair to quit Blackpool airportRYANAIR has announced plans to quit Blackpool International Airport.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Region to benefit from key transport schemesA new Government transport scheme, set to benefit East Anglia, is being brought forward to improve links to key UK air and sea ports.

New Scientist

• Electric production car just keeps on goingElectric vehicles are all the rage, but few have pushed the design envelope as far as the Aptera Typ-1, which can travel 190 km on a single charge

Railnews

• News: 200 extra rail carriages for Thames Valley, west and north of England CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling, as part of his Pre-Budget Report, has told Parliament that the government plans to accelerate the delivery of “up to 200” new carriages to expand capacity on the rail network, at a cost of £300 million.

Transport for London

• New White City bus station will cater for 10,000 passengers a dayOn Saturday 29 November 2008, Transport for London will open the brand new White City bus station.

Aviation Industry

• All About Consolidator AirfaresSecret airfares the airlines release in limited
• Stansted welcomes new Asia link and first low-cost connection to AustraliaStansted Airport is today celebrating its selection by AirAsia X as the UK gateway from which the airline will launch the first low-cost, non-stop flights between London and Kuala Lumpur next year...
• Airport gets ready for the appeal of ChristmasAn unusual group of passengers passed through London Gatwick Airport this week as preparations got underway for the launch of the airport™s annual Christmas appeal...
• Seattle third runway is opened (press release) The Port of Seattle unveiled the new third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport yesterday.  The opening of the third runway is expected to cut flight delays from an average of 10 minutes to 2.5 minutes.   read more

Other News Sources

• Welwyn Hatfield Rail Passengers Attack Fare Price RisesA RAIL operator has been attacked by commuters after news emerged of its intention to introduce inflation-busting fare rises.
• Pressure mounts on rail bosses not to axe jobsRailway bosses are facing renewed pressure to back track on controversial plans to shelve hundreds of jobs in the city.
• Amadeus launches tool for disabled travellersAmadeus has launched a new self booking tool allowing business travellers with mobility impairments to request special assistance at airports.
• Passenger duty to hit low-cost airlinesThe hike in the Government's air passenger tax will drag down profits at Britain's top airlines, already struggling in the current aviation slump
• Manchester could be national leader on fast clean and efficient transport systems, say major UK charitiesGreater Manchester could become a national leader in developing a state of the art transport system if residents vote ˜yes' in a referendum that starts today, says a coalition of health, environmental and transport organisations.
• Boeing admits nutplate problem on 747, 767, 777Boeing today confirms that three widebodies - the 747, 767 and 777 - face new production disruptions caused by the same quality control issue already plaguing...
• Portugal Commits To Huge Electric Vehicle DealNissan and Renault have signed a historic agreement with Portugal for the sale of electric vehicles, in order to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emission levels by around 20%. This would assist the country in reaching the European Unions emissions regulations by 2020. The deal calls for the two car manufacturers to begin delivery of large [...]
• Mercedes-Benz unveils eco-carGerman car maker Mercedes-Benz has joined the recent trend of releasing an eco-friendly vehicle. The new environmentally friendly, C-Class 180 Kompressor BlueEfficiency saloon will be available from January. It replaces the existing C-Class model without any increase in purchase price. The C180’s fuel-saving engine reduces petrol consumption by 11% and CO2 emissions by 19% to 149 grams [...]
• EU nears deal on car CO2 emissionsThe EU is getting closer to reaching an agreement to reduce CO2 emissions from cars, amid speculation that the bloc's car-making countries have struck a deal to lower fines for manufacturers that fail to meet their CO2 targets.
• Interim profits tumble 42 per cent at Manchester AirportPre-tax profits at Manchester Airports Group have fallen by 41.7 per cent to £38.4m as passenger numbers fell.
• MAG happy that per-plane tax isn’t happeningManchester Airports Group has welcomed the government’s decision not to scrap the Air Passenger Duty in favour of a per-plane tax.
• Manchester Airport gets £165m to improve roadsThe Department for Transport has given Manchester Airport £165m of government funding to improve access from its surrounding roads in south Manchester.
• New free Heathrow flight updates service for passengers set for take off (press release) BAA Heathrow is launching a new, free text message service this month which will provide passengers with flight updates straight to their mobile phones read more

Other Subscription Services

• Experts believe pirates are being fed informationSOMALI pirates may be targeting high-value vessels using inside information and sophisticated tracking systems.