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

Monday, 19 January 2009

BBC News

• Bus service to link air and railA special shuttle bus will operate between the new £25m East Midlands Parkway railway station and the airport, managers have confirmed.
• Plans to widen motorways 'axed'Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon suggests plans to widen the M6, M1, M62 and M25 motorways will be dropped.
• Mayor blasts Heathrow rulingMayor of London Boris Johnson accuses the prime minister of not having the

Financial Times

• Shipping insolvencies threat grows in wake of defaultsThere are fears of a wave of insolvencies in dry bulk shipping after the failure of many miners and ship operators to meet their financial obligations left creditor...
• Cost-save device helps hauliers to keep on trucking in the downturnAs the road haulage industry battles to cut costs in the face of the downturn, one company is finding its fuel-saving technology is in demand. Kent-based Oil Drum is...
• TAV to sell stake in Havas to fund new bidsThe Turkish airport operator aims to sell a 30% stake in its profitable ground-handling business to pay debts due this year and to continue its aggressive expansion
• Virgin America acts to find new investorsLazard has been hired to line up potential replacements for buy-out groups Black Canyon and Cyrus, which have the right to withdraw their funds from the US carrier

The Guardian

• Rail firm plans £1 seat charge as crunch hits franchisesOne of Britain's most prestigious rail franchises, National Express East Coast, is considering charging passengers for seat reservations in the latest indication of the industry's cash-strapped state.
• Boris the boringThe most disappointing aspect of Boris Johnson's mayoral performance is that his transport policies are so boring and predictable
• Hoon v greens part 3: now a ban from his favourite music festivalSince taking the decision to expand Heathrow airport, Geoff Hoon has been bruised in cabinet, exchanged bitchy comments with Oscar-winner Emma Thompson and become a hate figure for millions of environmentalists.
• Folly and foibles of the Heathrow decision [letter]Geoff Hoon has wrapped himself in intellectual knots in his justification for a third runway at Heathrow (We can have hundreds of extra flights a day and still be green - ministers, 16 January).
• Rail services under threat after passenger growth hits buffersConcerns for the financial health of the rail industry were mounting last night after figures confirmed a sharp slowdown in passenger growth. They came as the chief executives of the five largest public transport groups - Stagecoach, National Express, Go-Ahead, Arriva and FirstGroup - prepare for a summit with transport secretary Geoff Hoon tomorrow, where the impact of the economic downturn will be on the agenda. Go-Ahead, Britain's busiest train company, has warned that rail services might have to be cut if the slump worsens, while bus services across the UK are under threat from a proposed ...
• Crash pilot: I ditched in the Hudson to avert 'catastrophe' in ManhattanThe US Airways pilot who crash-landed a passenger jet in New York after both its engines failed has revealed how he made the decision to ditch the plane in the city's Hudson river to avert a possibly

The Independent

• Could this be the age of the train, not the plane?This year really does appear to be the age of the train, or, at least, the age of the continental train. The opening of the high-speed link between Rome and Milan last month has cut an hour off the journey, with the trip now taking three hours, 30 minutes on Trenitalia's Red Arrow train (pictured right), which plies the route at up to 186 miles per hour.
• Hamish McRae: The Heathrow problem could be solved with a few minor tweaksSo Heathrow is to get a third runway ... oh, no it's not. Whatever the arguments in favour and notwithstanding the Government's decision last week, it is not going to happen.

The Scotsman

• Fast forward on railThe decision of the Transport Secretary, Geoff Hoon, to set up a company to report on high-speed rail (your report, 16 January) is to be welcomed. There is an undeniable case for a high-speed rail/ground transport system being built in Britain.
• Lib Dem anger at 'high' rail faresOff-peak rail fares are "higher in the UK than anywhere else in Europe", the Liberal Democrats have said.

The Telegraph

• Gatwick bids to be 'short of £2bn valuation'BAA is braced for offers well short of £2bn when at least five bidders meet today's deadline for first-round bids for Gatwick Airport.
• Offpeak train fares highest in Europe say Liberal DemocratsOffpeak rail fares are

Times Online

• New fast rail-link companies set upMINISTERS have quietly set up four more high-speed rail companies similar to the one created last week to develop a new link to Heathrow.
• Driving into trouble: Aston warns it may breach bank covenantsASTON MARTIN has admitted it could breach its banking covenants this year amid turmoil in the financial markets.
• Why the BA-Qantas merger failed to flySoftly-spoken Dubliner Alan Joyce was ready for a fight when he took over as chief executive of Qantas in November. The credit crunch meant the boom in world aviation was rapidly turning into a slump, and the iconic Australian airline was not immune.

Mail Online

• Labour opens up hard shoulders to save £5bn on new lanes after ministers scrap 'expensive' widening plan Motorists will drive on hard shoulders after ministers scrapped plans to widen the overcrowded motorway network. Drivers will also be forced to keep to lower speed limits to ease congestion.

The Sun

• Navy bid to scuttle the curse of piratesTHE Royal Navy ship, HMS Portland, is to join a new international team of pirate hunters

Transport Briefing

• Glasgow Airport £130m rail spur shortlist publishedFour construction teams have been shortlisted to build a new stretch of railway as part of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project.
• LibDems back Cross River Tram and high speed railAbandoned plans for a cross-River tram link and express coach services linking outer London town centres are included in new transport proposals put forward by the Liberal Democrats.
• Nexus tells bus operators to back smartcard planTyne and Wear passenger transport executive Nexus has announced plans to work with bus operators to develop the first smart ticketing technology for public transport in north east England.
• Mayor gives west London road scheme extra £10mMayor of London Boris Johnson has told Transport for London to contribute an additional £10m to the costs of the improvements being planned to Exhibition Road, home of the Science, Natural History and Victoria and Albert museums.
• Transport Scotland top job goes to David MiddletonDavid Middleton, head of the Scotland Office, has been appointed as the new chief executive of Transport Scotland.
• C02 parking pioneer council ready to extend chargesRichmond Council transport chiefs will use a meeting today (19 January) to call on the local authority’s cabinet to extend the use of carbon dioxide emissions linked parking charges.
• East-West Rail Link clearance work gets underwayAround 20 kilometres of disused railway line between Bletchley and Claydon Junction stations in Buckinghamshire will be cleared of scrub, brambles and overgrown vegetation so that survey and investigation work can be carried out for the design development phase of the East-West Rail project.
• Crossrail handed keys to Tottenham Court Road sitesLand required to expand Tottenham Court Road Underground station to handle Crossrail services passes to the Transport for London subsidiary’s control today (19 January).

Birmingham Post

• Geoff Hoon defends hard shoulder plan to widen M6The transport secretary yesterday defended plans to relieve motorway congestion on the M6 by allowing vehicles on to the hard shoulder.

Bristol Live

• Metro scheme answer to Bristol traffic crisisA blueprint for a new cross-Bristol rail network is being drawn up to ease the area's chronic congestion.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Search begins for new boss to run Capital's tram projectTRANSPORT chiefs have begun the search for the new boss of the Capital's £512 million tram project with the job description of delivering the scheme "on time and on budget".

London Evening Standard

• Tories plan charging points to help switch to electric carsALL Britons will be encouraged to switch to electric cars under Tory plans to create a recharging network across the country, David Cameron signalled today.
• Londoners divided on third runway as activists hurl bricksLONDONERS are bitterly split over plans for a third runway at Heathrow, with many believing it will be good for the economy but bad for the planet, an exclusive Evening Standard poll reveals today.
• Cameron offers every home a £6,500 energy boostEvery home in Britain will be entitled to up to £6,500 of energy efficiency improvements under Tory plans to slash carbon emissions, David Cameron revealed
• 'Real' Tube map goes on NetGoogle has put one of the first
• Go-ahead for pedestrianised museum areaA major redevelopment plan to create a pedestrianised museum district is to get under way after Transport for London pledged an additional £10 million
• Trees in the road are latest obstacle to stop speeding motoristsTrees could become the latest weapon against speeding drivers if an idea for north London is given the go-ahead
• Rail crowding set to get worse as SWT shortens its trainsCommuters face cattle truck conditions after rail managers announced plans to shorten 100 trains to save money

Metro

• £10 rail fare: As far as the Alps... or Basildon?Off-peak rail fares are higher in Britain than anywhere else in Europe, the Liberal Democrats claim.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• New Deveron bridge top choiceA new road bridge over a major north-east river has emerged as a more popular option than a proposed pedestrian and cycle crossing.

The York Press

• ˜It is important we encourage people to cycle, but it is also important we implement these ideas sensibly™˜It is important we encourage people to cycle, but it is also important we implement these ideas sensibly™

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Split-line plea for high-speed rail linkPoliticians yesterday called for the Government's proposed new high-speed rail line to split in the Midlands and carry on up to Yorkshire.

C.N.N.

• Electric cars move closer to your garageAt the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and MINI showed the world what electric vehicles of the future will look like. And the future of driving looks fun.

Wall Street Journal

• Traffic Stalls on Road to InaugurationWashington has been bracing for traffic chaos on inauguration day since November. But the past 10 days have been a harbinger of the gridlock to come.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Euro MPs issue warning about rising port ratesA trio of Euro MPs has written to local government minister John Healey expressing their concerns about the high business bills faced by port companies in Britain.MEPs Chris Davies, Fiona Hall and Diana Wallis claimed that UK ports are facing a rates crisis and cargo could go overseas unless the government takes action.The three politicians want ministers to scrap a new business rating system for port companies and have stated that it will "threaten the competitiveness" of ports.According to the MEPs, who represent the north-west, north-east and Yorkshire/Humber, backdated ch...

Aviation Industry

• Tickets on departure are in demandUK: Online ticket purchases in the UK grew by 30% in 2008 to reach a total of £700m. The Association of Train Operating Companies expects this to reach £2bn by 2013.
• Rail network to get £500m Olympic cash boostEAST Anglia's rail service to London will benefit from a cash injection of nearly £500m over the next two years as a result of investment ahead of the 2012 Olympics, it has emerged.

Other News Sources

• Tonbridge pensioner's campaign for bus seatbeltsA PENSIONER from Tonbridge is calling for seat belts to be installed in buses that travel along main roads.
• Watford rail link support boostThe extension of the Metropolitan tube line to Watford Junction station moved a step closer to realisation today.
• Lancs loses out on £6bn transport planNot a single penny of the £6bn in newly-announced Government transport cash will be spent on Lancashire.
• 'Tremendous benefits' promised to rail passengersTHE railway line between Exeter and Plymouth is set to become more according to Network Rail.
• Call for Coventrty to be added to high speed rail linkCOVENTRY business leaders are urging the government not to leave the city stranded in a bid to cut rail journey times from Birmingham to London to “well under an hour”.
• EU will buy your old banger for £1,000Car owners may be paid £1,000 to scrap their old model if they buy a new 'greener' vehicle under plans being promoted by the EU Industry Commissioner
• Miliband on defensive over Heathrow runwayFabian Society conference delegates were not in a receptive mood as climate change secretary Ed Miliband sought to defend the government's Heathrow decision.
• 'Flash mob' demo staged at airport
• Lib Dem anger at 'high' rail fares
• Spaniards abandon planes for high-speed trainsA new fleet of high speed trains in Spain has stolen hundreds of thousands of passengers from the airlines, slashing the country’s carbon emissions. Passenger numbers on domestic flights fell 20% in the twelve months to November, as passengers shunned cramped airline seats in favour of spacious, convenient, and fast trains. Over the same period, high speed [...]
• Heathrow plans should have been grounded “ London CouncilsThe government™s announcement Thursday that it is backing plans to expand Heathrow airport has been condemned by London Councils.
• Heathrow Decision - Hounslow condemns Hoon™s Environmental BetrayalHounslow Council has vowed to continue its fight against Heathrow expansion and environmental destruction following the Government™s decision to approve plans for a third runway.
• Stobart Group says full-year results to meet expectationsWarrington-based Stobart Group Ltd said it is confident its full-year results will be in line with its expectations.