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

Saturday, 07 March 2009

The Herald

• Edinburgh tram project could shelve Princes Street stretchContingency plans for the stalled Edinburgh tram project could include shelving the milestone Princes Street stretch, which was supposed to begin weeks ago but was halted after a contractual row.

The Independent

• That's for backing Heathrow's third runway, Lord Mandelson Protesters wielding foodstuffs, paint and buckets of water have long been a messy occupational hazard for politicians venturing out in public. Eggs, flour, cakes and pies have all been used by demonstrators to make their point, but Lord Mandelson has become the first figure to fall victim to attack by green custard.
• Brown's initiatives: The promise and the reality Car industry Initiative: In January, Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, announced a £2.3bn scheme of loans and guarantees for car makers to invest in green technology.

Times Online

• Shapeshifting car, the Rinspeed iChange launched at the Geneva Motor Show The experimental Swiss auto company Rinspeed unveiled a new car this week at the Geneva Motor Show whose body adapts to the number of passengers on board.
• A lingering farewell to the railway restaurant car The heart normally sinks when the public address system crackles and the guard begins: “We regret to announce . . .” On this occasion, however, I was most grateful to the teenager trespassing on the line near Grantham.
• Railway restaurant cars to be scrapped to make way for more passengers The last surviving railway restaurant car service is to be scrapped and the space used to cram in more passengers, ending a 130-year tradition of fine dining on trains.

Reuters News

• PM sees green jobs vital to recoveryLONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Friday a

Liverpool Echo

• Jaguar Landrover car vote secures job vowJAGUAR Land Rover car workers accepted a pay freeze and a four-day week because the alternative was too dreadful to contemplate.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Expect delays for roadworksMOTORISTS are being warned of possible delays in the Featherstone area.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Rail operator to shed 162 jobsA train operator which runs services through the county has announced plans to axe 162 jobs because of the credit crunch.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Government pledges £7.75m to sustainable transportThe government has announced that it is providing £7.75 million in funding for the future of sustainable transport in Britain.Announced by transport minister Andrew Adonis, the research programme will be based at Imperial College London, University College London and the University of Leeds and is expected to start early this year.Scientific experts from across the UK will work on the project, while the UK Transport Research Centre plans to conduct long and short-term studies into key challenges facing the transport sector in the future, such as the environment, economic competitivene...

Transport for London

• TfL launches spring campaign to cut motorcycle deaths, as thousands return to commuting by bikeAdverts warn drivers of dangerous 'optical effect' that can lead to collisions with motorcyclists.

Other News Sources

• £7.75m for a sustainable transport future A centre to revolutionise the future of UK transport industry was announced today by Transport Minister Andrew Adonis. The £7.75m programme will be based at Imperial College London as well as University College London and the University of Leeds, and will draw on scientific experts from across the country.
• UN backed road map for halving auto emissions unveiled in GenevaWith the world's car fleet expected to triple by 2050, a road map to halve greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles by that date was laid out today at the Geneva Motor Show by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partner organizations.
• Heathrow Noise and Pollution Assumptions Fatally FlawedOur response to today's announcement on the expansion of Heathrow.
• Health Pays the Price as London Mayor Abandons 3rd Phase of the Low Emission ZoneThird phase of LEZ to be abandoned due to potential impact on small businesses.
• UK Coalition Supports Labelling Tyres for Quieter, More Fuel Efficient TransportLetter to EU Committee highlights need for labelling for quieter tyres.
• Congestion charging plans face oppositionIdea of including passenger cars in congestion-charging proposal is proving controversial.
• Will the recession make the Earth a greener planet?Carbon prices sharply down since last summer; analysts predict further market contraction.
• Commission could suspend airline slot rulesAirlines ask Commission to change rules that could prevent them cutting capacity.
• No bailout for carmakersMinisters offer easier access to EIB cash, but say carmakers must shoulder the main responsibility.
• Hawaiian™s CEO pours praise on the Boeing 717Hawaiian Airlines CEO Mark Dunkerley believes no other aircraft rivals the operation of the Boeing 717 used on the carrier's inter-island flights.After...
• PD Ports in sale talksThe owner of PD Ports has admitted several companies have made an approach to buy a stake in the UK port company.
• Brittany Ferries mulls over SeaFrance bidBrittany Ferries is considering joining Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) in the battle to gain control of troubled Dover Strait ferry operator SeaFrance.
• Air freight market hits rock bottomThe double-whammy of high inventory levels and low sales that has had such a disastrous impact on air freight traffic could be beginning to ease.
• Winds of good fortuneThe winds of good fortune blew the way of Harwich International Port as it welcomed extra business in the shape of wind turbines.
• Unprofitable year ahead, predicts MaerskMaersk Line's owner does not expect the carrier to be profitable in 2009 because of falling volumes and low rates.
• Working time victory for drivers in EuropeEuropean transport workers have won a victory on working time for drivers after the European Parliament voted to reject plans for an 84-86 hour working week.
• Union safety warnings unheeded at Turkish AirlinesThe ITF has highlighted how a civil aviation’s warnings concerning maintenance checks were ignored by managers of Turkish Airlines.
• BRT, Rail, and NYC: A Conversation With Walter Hook (Part 1)New York City made a major public commitment to Bus Rapid Transit in 2006 when, after years of discussion, the MTA and DOT put forward plans for pilot routes in each of the five boroughs. In the meantime, the city's BRT agenda has encountered a few setbacks in Albany and made a partial breakthrough on Fordham Road, with a service that incorporates some nifty bus improvements, but not enough to merit the BRT designation.Perhaps no one knows the ins and outs of BRT better than Walter Hook (right). As director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, Hook has advised cities on ...
• Network Rail Tees Bridge completedOne of Network Rail’s largest new railway crossings, the £4.5M Tees Bridge at Stockton, Cleveland, was handed over yesterday by design and build contractor Carillion Civil Engineering.
• High speed but with caution New changes in the planning system should help get new rail projects going.
• Peter Pilots Port TeamA sea captain is heading the port authority team that helps ships supply the capital with food, fuel and goods.
• Top Provider of Trucking Insurance As insurance carriers specializing in the trucking industry make a mad dash to grab as much premium as possible, one thing is sure, the winds of change are already blowing, and it doesn't bode well for trucking companies looking to 2010 and beyond.
• The Do's And Don'ts of Automobile AccidentsThe do's and don'ts following an accident are important and can help you down the road (no pun intended). Depending on the accident, the following is list of suggested DO's:
• Youth market propping up leisure and holiday spend, says lastminuteAs many as 70% of consumers are spending more or the same each month as they did last year on holidays and leisure
• JTA reports 6% growth in long haul ticket salesFlight consolidator JTA has reported a 6% increase in sales in long haul flights in the first two months of the year.