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

Wednesday, 07 January 2009

BBC News

• Wheelchair woman denied bus entryA bus firm has promised to investigate after a disability campaigner was left stranded when the driver refused to let her on his bus with her wheelchair.
• Green parking plan to be extendedA London council has announced plans to extend a scheme that charges the most polluting vehicles more to park.
• Rail commuters face Euston chaosThousands of rail passengers face possible travel chaos after a power failure halted all trains in and out of London Euston.
• Porsche takes majority VW stakeGerman luxury carmaker Porsche announces that it now holds more than 50% of Volkswagen's shares.
• Aer Lingus cool on Ryanair offerShareholders in Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus show little appetite for a Ryanair takeover.
• UK 2008 car sales to fall by 10%UK car sales figures for the past year are expected to be more than 10% lower than sales in 2007.

Financial Times

• Armada suffers from fall in charter ratesSingapore ship operator latest company to fall victim to collapse in dry bulk rates and files for creditor protection
• Virgin demands rail reliabilityAfter its services were disrupted by a second day of failures, the UK passenger train operator fears work on the upgrade might have been rushed to meet the December deadline

The Scotsman

• Stena seeks go-ahead for Irish Sea ferry terminalPLANS to build the first phase of a multi-million-pound ferry terminal on the south-west coast of Scotland are set to move forward this week.
• Food for thought – but only if you travel first classRESTAURANT cars have been withdrawn from most National Express east coast trains, with lunch now served only at passengers' seats. Watchdogs hit out at the cuts by the Scotland-London train operator, which they said had come despite a promise to operate dining cars on most trains.

The Telegraph

• Gas guzzler drivers face more expensive parking meters. Drivers of large "gas guzzling" cars face higher car park and meter charges under new council plans.
• Tory MP stopped and searched by police for taking photos of cycle path Conservative MP Andrew Pelling says he searched by police on suspicion of being a terrorist after taking photographs of a cycle path.

Times Online

• Clean, on time and empty. 'Ghost bus' to spare ministers' blushes Every Tuesday, at 9.45am precisely, a 50-seat executive coach draws up at a bus stop outside Ealing Broadway station in West London. No one ever gets on and, a moment later, it departs - empty - on a 70-minute trip to Wandsworth Road in South London.
• Rail chaos to continue across the UK Rail passengers faced further chaos last night after overhead wires between North Wembley and Kings Langley fell down, forcing the cancellation of services in and out of London.
• UK car sales tumble by 20 per cent amid calls for Government help The British car industry will suffer a fresh blow today when new figures are expected to show that sales fell by more than 20 per cent last month. The sharp drop coincides with mounting concern over whether the Government will deliver an aid package that had been expected before Christmas.

Mail Online

• Rail commuters stranded after power lines come down in another train fiasco Rail passengers were left stranded last night when overhead wires came down and stopped trains from moving, in the third railway incident in five days.

ATOC

• Train operators dedicate staff to support new London railway policing teamsTrain Operators welcomed the initiative launched today by the Mayor of London to fund an additional 50 British Transport Police (BTP) officers to be deployed around the London suburban rail network with the aim of further reducing crime at key stations.

Transport Briefing

• Police stop 160,000 people on rail sites in one yearFears that counter-terrorism powers are being used over zealously on Britain's rail network have been voiced after the Liberal Democrats obtained figures revealing that nearly 160,000 people were stopped by police officers on railway property between October 2007 and September 2008.
• Network-wide coverage for rail's Secure Station schemeMerseyrail Electrics has become the first rail franchise area to gain Secure Station status across the network.
• Congestion charge out as Durham starts planning againDurham County Council has scrapped plans to extend congestion charging in and around Durham city following the Manchester Transport Innovation Fund referendum last month in which an overwhelming majority of residents voted against plans to introduce road pricing.

Belfast Telegraph

• Cheapest petrol in three years Drivers in Northern Ireland have been told to reap the benefits of the cheapest fuel prices in three years — while they still can.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham transport schemes will boost economy by almost £1.5bnMajor transport schemes including the refurbishment of New Street Station and Birmingham International Airport’s runway extension will boost businesses and the regional economy by almost £1.5 billion in the first 12 years of operation, new research has found.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Airport link road scheme wins backingPLANS for a link road from the M8 to Edinburgh Airport have won the backing of design quango ADS.

Liverpool Echo

• Easyjet adds new routes from LiverpoolLOW cost airline Easyjet has announced it will fly to three new European destinations from Liverpool.

London Evening Standard

• Olympic great Boardman: We must rethink roads so that riders feel safeThe mastermind of Britain's cycling gold medal haul has called for a complete overhaul of London's roads
• Le grand cycle lane: 218 miles from Paris to LondonOne of Europe's largest cycle paths is set to be created between St Paul's Cathedral and Notre Dame in Paris
• Unions attack plan to leave stations unstaffed for longerMain line rail stations serving London could be left unstaffed for longer periods during the day, and late at night
• Cameron giveaway for savers 'would put Crossrail at risk'A fierce spending row erupted in the wake of David Cameron's pledge to cut taxes on savings
• Boris pledges £6m for 50 extra police on the railwaysBoris Johnson visited Bromley South to launch plans for an extra 50 British Transport Police officers to patrol stations and trains in outer London
• It could be an atheist bus, but we're not quite sureA £140,000 atheist advertising campaign on buses and the Tube was launched with the slogan:

Manchester Evening News

• Cameron slams 'crazy' LabourDAVID Cameron has signalled Greater Manchester should get major investment in public transport without the threat of congestion charging. The Conservative leader said elements of the region's doomed £2.75bn transport innovation fund (TIF) bid - roundly rejected in a referendum last month - should 'go ahead anyway'.

Metro

• Boris: Everyone has the right to travel safelyMAYOR Boris Johnson steps out with the British Transport Police at Bromley South, London.

This Is Local London Network

• On yer bike for a healthy 2009Dust off your bicycle this New Year and make the most of the cheapest form of transport to get around.
• Boris Johnson unveils new railway police force for outer London stationsLondon Mayor Boris Johnson has announced an extra 50 police officers will help patrol trains and stations in outer London.

Wales Online

• Prospects for Welsh transport system in 2009MUCH of this column’s 2008 wish list has been achieved or has been funded. The Ebbw Vale rail service opened with demand levels higher than expected and with good park-and-ride facilities, while capacity on the overcrowded Cardiff-Bristol commuter services was relieved by longer trains. Merthyr receives its half-hourly service a little late in May 2009.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Last orders as restaurant cars hit the train buffersROMANTIC, refined and ritzy, restaurant cars on the Flying Scotsman have long held a special place in rail commuters' hearts – not least for the award-winning cuisine that has made the most of Yorkshire's special ingredients.

Bucks Free Press

• Heathrow plans could blight South Bucks PEOPLE living in South Bucks will be among the losers if plans for new flight paths for Heathrow are given the green light.

Doncaster Free Press

• Airport applies for freight night flying ROBIN Hood Airport has officially applied to Doncaster Council to lift restrictions on night-time freight flights in a bid to create more jobs.

Reading Evening Post

• Small print may mean ’congestion charging’ Tories claimThe small print in new legislation will bring in congestion tax, road pricing and workplace parking tax according to two leading Reading Tories.
• Road deaths fall to a record lowThe death toll on Reading’s roads has increased despite fatalities in the Thames Valley falling below 100 for the first time on record.

The Shields Gazette

• Port of Tyne one of world's best cruise destinationsTHE Port of Tyne has won a top accolade, ending its most successful cruise season to date.
• 300 face axe at car parts plantFACTORY bosses are axing about 300 jobs from its production line.

West Sussex Gazette

• Crack down on using mobile phonesTOO many motorists are still using hand-held mobile phones while driving on West Sussex roads, endangering other road users- despite tougher penalties introduced by police on

International Herald Tribune

• Airlines search for alternate fuelsAlthough jet fuel prices have dropped, industry executives say they are determined to become less dependence on a single source of fuel if prices rise again.

Washington Post

• Airlines fly into new year with wave of fare sales ATLANTA -- A wave of fare sales has spread across the airline industry in the early days of the new year as the weak economy continues to put pressure on carriers to fill seats even after they drastically reduced capacity and some expressed willingness to cut more.

Railnews

• News: Heathrow rail hub, HS2 and third runway all being planned? THE British government appears to be paving the way for a possible ’triple whammy’ announcement of plans for a new rail hub serving London’s Heathrow Airport, plus a new high-speed rail line between London and the North — as well as a third runway at Heathrow.

Aviation Industry

• The Climate Rush heads for Heathrow [blog]With the government's long-delayed decision on a third runway at Heathrow rumoured to be imminent, the intrepid women and men of the Climate Rush will be making their suffragette-inspired opposition felt at the airport next week.
• Boost for Lufthansa in bid for Alitalia stake Milan politicians confirm backing for German carrier read more
• Panasonic system chosen by SilkAir (press release) Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic), the world leader in state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment and communication (IFEC) systems, today announced that SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, is to install the Panasonic Multiplexed Passenger Entertainment System (MPES) IFE system on twelve Airbus A320. read more
• BA premium traffic drops 12.1% Figures show continuing downward trend read more
• Ryanair demands answers over "failure bonus" Airline calls for Aer Lingus EGM read more

Other News Sources

• New campus bike fleet hits MSU streets today [USA]Mississippi State students returning Wednesday today for spring semester classes should find the 832-acre campus a bit easier to traverse with the implementation of the university’s new bicycle fleet program.
• Flights to UK airports fallFLIGHTS in and out of the UK's biggest airports are down by ten per cent, new figures reveal.
• Recycling trollies to have train trialRAIL bosses are urging passengers to get on the right track by recycling while they travelNational Express East Coast, which took over the Inter City franchise from GNER, intends trialling recycling trolleys on selected services during February and March.
• UK pad for Boeing choppersBoeing Defence UK has established Boeing UK Rotorcraft Support, an operation that will focus on developing Boeing's rotorcraft business in Britain.
• More rail misery as wires come down
• ˜Pay-as-you-go™ working well for Stobart GroupStobart Group claims its
• UK Civil Aviation Authority urges action on de-icing aircraftThe UK Civil Aviation Authority has issued a seasonal appeal for pilots and ground crew to not underestimate the dangers posed to aircraft of ice and ground frost this winter. As temperatures continue to drop, commercial aircrew, maintenance staff and general aviation pilots are urged to take the job of de-icing aircraft very seriously. Ultimately, an aircraft should never take off with any form of contamination on its wings, particularly ice, snow and frost (although some types may be permitted some frost on lower wing surfaces). The CAA advises pilots in particular to take the free online ...
• Redundant box ships gather upCAPACITY cuts by the container lines are squeezing more and more ships out of the market, analysts have concluded.
• EEA: Soaring transport demand holds back low-carbon economyTransport's carbon footprint is hampering the development of a low-carbon economy, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA), which wants political action to be taken to address soaring demand for transport spurred by sectors as diverse as food and education as well as business and leisure travel. 
• ebookers Kicks Off New Year with Completion of Move to New Technology Platform (press release) Orbitz Worldwide Completes Major Strategic Initiative by Migrating All 13 ebookers' Country Sites to Common Technology read more

Other Subscription Services

• Naval intervention is bringing Somalian pirates to bookTHERE are signs that efforts to tackle the problem are starting to have a pronounced effect.
• Naval intervention is bringing Somalian pirates to bookTHERE are signs that efforts to tackle the problem are starting to have a pronounced effect.
• US Shipping faces collapse after defaultTROUBLED Jones Act tanker company reveals it has defaulted on its senior credit facility.
• Shanghai Port posts 27% profit growthSHANGHAI International Port Group said today its unaudited net profit in 2008 rose 27% to $673m.
• Crossrail signs new logistics deal with DHL Exel Supply ChainCrossrail has selected DHL Exel Supply Chain as its new logistics partner in a bid to minimise any disruption caused by construction projects in central London.