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

Thursday, 27 November 2008

BBC News

• Bus station plans go on displayA Nottinghamshire bus station is getting an £850,000 upgrade to improve its facilities.
• Ticket barriers under fire [video]Complaints have been made that new turnstiles at Leeds train station will not accept some season tickets.
• C-charge vote adverts spark rowA row has erupted over advertising material distributed by groups on both sides of the congestion charge debate in Greater Manchester.
• Porsche set to delay VW takeoverThe German luxury carmaker, Porsche, pushes back its planned takeover of Volkswagen due to falling sales.
• Five routes suspended by airlineBudget airline bmibaby is suspending five of its services, a move which could lead to 70 people losing their jobs.
• Carmakers in UK bail-out appealSenior figures from the UK's carmaking industry are to meet the business secretary to appeal for help for the sector.

Department for Transport

• New voice for bus passengers as Royal Assent expected for Local Transport BillBus passengers will have a new champion fighting their corner thanks to the Local Transport Act, Transport Minister Paul Clark is expected to confirm today. Royal Assent for the Bill will pave the way for Passenger Focus to represent bus users in England, who make over 4 billion journeys a year.

Financial Times

• BAA's offer on Heathrow noiseAirport operator will ask the government to appoint an independent watchdog to monitor noise and pollution if it gets the go-ahead to expand the number of flights from the London airport
• Lufthansa to launch Italian airlineLufthansa is to launch a new European service, partly filling the vacancy in the northern Italian market left by the bankruptcy and rescue of Alitalia
• Dry bulk shipping rates approach all-time lowKey index is 93.5% down from its all-time set earlier this year, leading to a collapse in price for Capesize ships and subsequent refusal to honour long-term contracts

The Guardian

• BAA proposes independent watchdog for Heathrow expansionBAA, which owns Heathrow airport, will ask the government to appoint an independent assessor of noise and air quality if it wins approval for a third runway.
• Green light for cyclists: Lords reject police objectionsPolice attempts to outlaw the monthly Critical Mass cycle ride through the streets of London unless its route was notified in advance were blocked by the law lords yesterday.
• Climate change watchdog backs expansion of HeathrowThe UK could meet its ambitious pledge to slash greenhouse gas pollution even if ministers give the go-ahead to expanding Heathrow airport, the government's leading climate change adviser has signalled.

The Telegraph

• We should blow the pirates out of the waterAllez La France! Three cheers for Nicolas Sarkozy!
• British car industry chiefs plead for government helpBritish car firms will warn Lord Mandelson that the industry faces lengthy plant closures and job losses unless the Government takes urgent action.

Times Online

• Life under Heathrow flight path about to get noisier The number of flights at Heathrow will increase far sooner than the Government has previously admitted under plans to squeeze in more take-offs and landings on the existing runways.
• Carmakers to call on Mandelson for help The British car industry will face a wave of lengthy closures and job losses in the next few months unless the Government takes urgent action, Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, will be told.

ATOC

• ATOC comments on the pre budget statement.ATOC comments on the pre budget statement.

Transport Briefing

• Network Rail publishes 10 year Wales enhancement planExtra platforms at Cardiff and a 33% increase in capacity for Valley line trains are among the enhancements put forward in Network Rail's route utilisation strategy for Wales.
• Road and rail projects accelerated to support economyTransport projects have been allocated an additional £1bn next year to stimulate the economy by accelerating government plans to cut congestion and increase rail capacity, transport secretary Geoff Hoon announced this week.
• Local Transport Act hands rail watchdog bus remitBritain’s rail watchdog will also monitor the performance of bus services after the Local Transport Act was put on the statute book on Wednesday evening (26 November).
• Local Transport Act "biggest breakthrough since 1968"The new Local Transport Act has been hailed as the biggest opportunity in a generation for transport in the city regions by Pteg, the umbrella group representing England's six passenger transport authorities and executives, which serve the West Midlands, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.
• Local Transport Act heralds shake-up of bus networksLocal authorities across Britain are poised to exercise greater clout over how bus services are run after the Local Transport Bill received Royal Assent on Wednesday evening (26 November).

Birmingham Post

• Virgin and Network Rail clash over track repairsCommuters face another six months of rail delays despite £8billion-worth of engineering on the West Coast Main Line, according to experts at Virgin Trains.
• West Midlands misses out on £1bn transport fundingThe West Midlands has failed to win a share of the £1billion transport package announced in Alistair Darling’s emergency budget.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Promises of better rail service in WalesMORE trains, better connections and improved reliability are promised for rail passengers in Wales.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Transport talks plannedTHE future of transport in the Capital will be discussed at a public meeting being held next week.

Liverpool Echo

• Car of the future is a city firstHALEWOOD will provide the springboard to the future for Land Rover when the world’s first “intelligent” stop-start Freelander rolls of the lines early next year.

London Evening Standard

• BAA backing for green Heathrow watchdogHEATHROW operator BAA opened a new front in its battle for a third runway today by proposing an environmental watchdog to cap flight numbers in future.
• Boris wants better pram and wheelchair accessLONDON could undergo changes to make it more accessible for wheelchair users and mothers with prams in the run-up to the Olympics.
• BAA backing for green Heathrow watchdogHeahtrow operator BAA opened a new front in its battle for a third runway by proposing an environmental watchdog to cap flight numbers in future

Manchester Evening News

• Heated debate on the C-chargeHEATED exchanges fuelled the MEN's congestion charge debate as leaders of the two camps made a last-ditch bid for victory.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Thurso harbour revival group to display plansA community group behind an ambitious scheme to revitalise the Thurso harbour area is to make a presentation of its plans at a business meeting of Highland Council in Wick, on December 10.

Wales Online

• ’Wrong rail passenger figures could lead to under-funding’RAIL investments of almost half a billion pounds in Wales could be flawed because of underestimates of future passenger numbers, it was claimed yesterday.

Blackpool Gazette

• Jet2 pledges future to Blackpool AirportBUDGET airline Jet2 today pledged its future to Blackpool Airport in the wake of Ryanair's shock departure from the resort.

Forbes

• America's Most Stressful Airports Hassle-free Thanksgiving travel depends on which places you fly in and out of.

International Herald Tribune

• Lufthansa to form its own Italian airlineThe Lufthansa chief executive, Wolfgang Mayrhuber, said Wednesday that the creation of Lufthansa Italia would not mean an end to efforts to form an alliance with the bankrupt Alitalia.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Ikusi IP-T Monitor Allows Entertainment, Information and Internet On-Board Now it™s possible to travel by train comfortably and at the same time, access internet, digital television programmes and watch a DVD. All of this is available thanks to the IP-T monitor, specifically developed by Ikusi for installation on-board trains. When connected to a train Ethernet, the device can receive digital quality data and video, decode them and subsequently present them on a TFT screen. This monitor has the added advantage of being integrated in an Ikusi video information and IP entertainment system, which can also be supplied separately. The monitor is connected to...

Aviation Industry

• UK cycle parking designers win top US awardTwo London architectural graduates, Anthony Lau and Jessica Lee, have recently won the New York CityRacks international design competition for indoor cycle parking.
• Heathrow Airport puts environmental limits before new flightsHeathrow Airport announces that it will today ask the Government to appoint an independent assessor to guarantee public confidence in noise and air quality limits if expansion is approved...
• Brain Overload in Airline Pilots StudiedSetup would notify pilots when brain overload is causing dangerous levels of stress, fatigue and distraction.

Other News Sources

• CARLISLE AIRPORT EXPANSION PLAN BACKED BY CUMBRIA COUNCILBusinessman Andrew Tinkler’s plans for Carlisle Airport have received a boost from Cumbria County Council.
• Ferry fuel surcharge being removedORKNEY Ferries, in consultation with Orkney Islands Council, is proposing to remove the fuel surcharge on ferry fares from this Monday.
• Still waiting for the busesBus services are now at the forefront over whether or not Whitehill and Bordon succeeds in gaining eco-town status early in the New Year.
• Eastbourne Buses sold to StagecoachEASTBOURNE Buses has been sold in a multi-million pound deal.
• Hastings schools to get money towards walking school bus schemesFive schools in Hastings and St Leonards are to benefit from thousands of pounds worth of grants to encourage their pupils to walk to school.
• UK shipping minister praises One Voice initiativeTHE UK maritime industry’s One Voice initiative has been praised by the country’s shipping minister for improving communications with government at a time when British ports are complaining bitterly about a lack of consultation.
• BAA asks for independent assessment of noise and air pollution at HeathrowBAA yesterday asked the Government to appoint an independent assessor for Heathrow airport to guarantee public confidence in noise and air quality limits, if expansion at Heathrow is approved.
• Suez Canal Income May Drop Due to PiracyA Nov. 25 report from the Associated Press said that the Suez Canal, a shortcut between East and West for nearly 140 years, is facing an enormous challenge, as the Somali piracy prompts major shipping companies to seek another route. Egypt, which is heavily dependent on the fees it charges ships to go...
• Heathrow Airport puts environmental limits before new flightsHeathrow Airport announces that it will today ask the Government to appoint an independent assessor to guarantee public confidence in noise and air quality limits if expansion is approved...
• Monthly mass cycle ride in London not unlawful, law lords ruleA monthly mass cycle ride through the streets of London - Critical Mass - is not unlawful, the House of Lords has ruled today.
• Costly runway de-icer shortage crimps US airportsUS airports face a shortage of runway de-icing fluid just as they go into the winter season, and although alternative products are available, they are considerably...
• Reducing Road Traffic Noise “ Scientists Support Quieter TyresConcern over EU Parliament-backed report supporting weakened tyre standards.
• Fall in new car sales dents ITISShares in ITIS Holdings Plc plunged 42 per cent after the Altrincham-based traffic management information provider said the fall in new cars sales had pushed it into the red.
• More than 1.9m ballots have been issued for TIF voteDetails of the size of the electorate for the referendum on Greater Manchester’s Transport Innovation Fund proposals have been published today.