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

Thursday, 12 March 2009

BBC News

• Airlines suffer as demand fallsA number of major global airlines have reported losses or big falls in profits for 2008 as the global economic downturn hits demand for air travel.
• Land Rover gets government cashJaguar Land Rover is to receive a government grant of up to £27m to help develop a new Land Rover vehicle.
• 'Eco' car hope for workers [video]p to 2,000 jobs could be secured at Land Rover's plant in Halewood after the government gave the company a £27m grant.
• Critic hits out at car scrapping schemeEfforts to mirror a scheme which pays people to scrap their old vehicles and buy new ones has been condemned.
• Mandelson says car help too slowBusiness Secretary Lord Mandelson has said he wished talks with the Treasury and Bank of England on help for car financing schemes had "gone quicker".

Financial Times

• 'Use or lose' air dispute reignitedA European Commission proposal to help struggling airlines triggers a clash between big and low-cost carriers, which dismiss the proposal as a protectionist ploy
• Lufthansa orders new Bombardier jetsGerman carrier is the first launch customer for the new family of 110 to 130-seat short-haul jets under development by Bombardier
• Progress seen on Crossrail projectThe £16bn trans-London rail project, which is due to open in 2017, took a significant step forward with the appointment of the main contractor to start work on the scheme
• Cathay Pacific posts record $1bn loss Hong Kong airline posts record shortfall, dented by heavy fuel hedging losses and weak passenger demand
• Lufthansa cuts dividend and capacity Germany's flagship airline reports two-thirds fall in net profit in 2008 due in part to drag from troubled investments
• Airline industry 'in crisis'Air France-KLM and Lufthansa announce cuts in capacity and profits

The Guardian

• London pedestrians could face countdowns at road crossingsCritics of Boris Johnson's plan fear it may cut the time given to those on foot to cross roads
• Tube platforms closed during rush hour due to 'screeching tracks'Bank station closed after complaints over decibel level of rails on Central line

Times Online

• Airlines' limit on liquid in hand luggage to be lifted Airline passengers will be able to carry any amount of liquid in hand luggage under Government plans to relax restrictions after the upgrade of airport X-ray machines.
• Lord Mandelson admits that negotiations over help for carmakers have gone too slowly Negotiations with the Treasury and Bank of England over help for car financing schemes have gone too slowly, Lord Mandelson has admitted. The Business Secretary said progress was being made on a deal to provide people with credit to buy vehicles, but he wished talks were going “quicker”.

Reuters News

• Mandelson frustrated by slowness of car aidLONDON (Reuters) - Business Secretary Peter Mandelson said on Wednesday he regretted the time it was taking the Treasury and Bank of England to get aid to the car industry.

Mail Online

• £27m Range Rover: Massive state injection for new green car Jaguar Land Rover yesterday became the first UK motor group to receive a multi-million-pound government grant to build a new generation of 'green' cars.

Transport Briefing

• Infrastructure Planning Commission to get Bristol baseHousing Minister Margaret Beckett has named Sir Michael Pitt as the preferred candidate for the post of chair of the new Infrastructure Planning Commission. She also announced that the IPC will be based in Bristol.
• Network Rail to lift Tunbridge Wells train constraintNetwork Rail is to start work next month to build a new siding near Tunbridge Wells station in Kent that will make it easier for 12-car trains to start and terminate at the station.
• Birmingham light rail line prepares to buy 25 tramsPlans to spend approximately £45m buying 25 new trams for the Birmingham Midland Metro line have been advertised by West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive Centro.
• Waterloo Square design competition won by DSDHAArchitecture practice DSDHA has been chosen to redesign Waterloo City Square near London's South Bank arts quarter.
• Bus rapid transit scheme enters consultation phaseResidents and businesses in Essex are being asked for their views on plans to build a bus rapid transit network that could be operational by the end of 2012.
• Tram campaigners earmark Congestion Charge finesUnpaid Congestion Charge fines from foreign diplomats driving in London now exceed £26.2m, according to figures released by Transport for London.
• Transcend - what experience can it offer Crossrail?Transcend, a joint venture between AECOM, CH2M Hill and Nichols Group, has won the £100m Crossrail Programme Partner contract. So what experience do the three companies have to qualify for this crucial role which is crucial to delivering Crossrail successfully on time and on budget?
• Transcend wins Crossrail Programme Partner contractTranscend, a joint venture between AECOM, CH2M Hill and Nichols Group, is the surprise victor, beating a Bechtel/Halcrow/Systra joint venture and Legacy 3, the Parsons Brinckerhoff, Balfour Beatty Management and Davis Langdon joint venture tipped by The Times newspaper to clinch the deal.

Belfast Telegraph

• Toyota announces cutbacks Car giant Toyota today announced cuts in production and pay at its two UK factories in another sign of the crisis facing the motor industry.
• Aer Lingus posts loss of £110m AER Lingus today posted a pre-tax loss of €119.7m (£110m) for last year and warned that bigger losses were on the cards for this year.

Derby Telegraph

• OUR PETITION GATHERS MOMENTUM WITH 2,000 BACKERSSINCE going live on Downing Street's website, the online petition in support of the Evening Telegraph's Change Track campaign has attracted almost 2,000 signatures.
• University backs 'world-class' Bombardier for rail contractTHE University of Derby has given its backing to an Evening Telegraph campaign calling for the Government not to award a multi-billion-pound rail contract to a Japanese-led consortium.

Liverpool Echo

• Government pledges 'green' funds for JLR to develop new Range Rover model at HalewoodBUSINESS Secretary Lord Mandelson today promised Jaguar Land Rover £27m to develop its new green car range at Halewood.

London Evening Standard

• Plane liquids ban may endThe ban on taking liquids through airport security may start to be lifted next year
• Sorry, Tube station is closed... the trains are too screechyOne of London's busiest Tube stations was partly closed during rush hour because the trains were too noisy

Metro

• Salt provision on roads reviewA review into the provision of salt for winter roads will be held after supplies ran ’very low’ during the recent cold snap.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Bus gate change 'could risk lives'LIVES could be put at risk if controversial proposals to relax the Wicker Bus Gate restrictions go ahead, it has been claimed The city centre, south and east planning board has been recommended to reverse its decision to cut operating times of the restrictions from 24 hours to 12 hours.

Wales Online

• Cardiff to get £28m transport investment – with free bikesA £28.5M investment in transport in Cardiff has provoked annoyance in Swansea. The leader of Swansea council yesterday expressed frustration at the Welsh Assembly Government’s willingness to pay for free buses in the capital while his city struggles to fund transport improvements.
• Toyota cuts production at UK factoriesThe motor industry suffered another body blow today when Japanese car giant Toyota announced cuts in production and pay at its two UK factories minutes before the Government held a special summit to discuss the automotive crisis.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Survey shows backing for car-tracking camerasAN INDEPENDENT report into the use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras in Leeds has revealed an overwhelming number of people believe they are effecti
• Council go round the bend to fix dangerous roadsBy DAVID MARSH

Sunderland Echo

• Call for £3,000 car scrap incentive schemeCar makers today called on ministers to go green to help flagging sales.

Forbes

• Why GM Might Not Follow Ford The UAW likes to put in place the same deal with every carmaker. But GM may still be too cost-heavy to survive.

International Herald Tribune

• Airline travel in slumpThe chief executive of Southwest Airlines, Gary Kelly, said that travel slumped early this month from the sluggish pace of February and that the airline industry had not yet hit bottom amid the worldwide financial crisis.

Washington Post

• Metro's Crisis PartnersONE OF THE FEW bright spots of the recession is the continued popularity of mass transit. Even with gasoline prices down, commuters are flocking to rail lines and buses; the last time nationwide ridership was this high, Dwight D. Eisenhower was president.
• Ford-UAW deal cuts wages to $55 an hour DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co expects operating savings of $500 million per year from an agreement with the United Auto Workers that also will make its labor costs competitive with Japanese rivals, the company said on Wednesday.

Railnews

• News: Rail must have a skilled workforce ready for the end of the recession – says train builder chief BOMBARDIER Transportation’s UK chief Colin Walton has urged rail companies to ’dig deep’ to ensure that they have the skilled workforces required for when the recession ends.

Aviation Industry

• Cathay Pacific posts lossHONG KONG : Cathay Pacific Airways will most likely cut capacity further after it reported its first annual loss in 10 years and warned of an extremely challenging 2009.
• Bombardier to build 30 aircraft for Lufthansa, deal worth at least US$1.5 billionBombardier Inc. said Wednesday it had finalized an agreement to build 30 of its CSeries jets at a price of US$1.5 billion for Germany's Deutsch Lufthansa AG.
• Aer Lingus announces post-tax loss of €108m O'Leary calls for apology for shareholders read more

Other News Sources

• Bus station car parking slashedDrivers will be unable to park on the top two floors of Preston bus station from next month. Public access to floors eight and nine will be blocked from Wednesday April 1 to save taxpayers £20,000 a year in running and maintenance costs.
• Guided bus firm locks horns over new contractorTHE firm building the guided busway has reacted angrily to Cambridgeshire County Council's decision to bring in a second contractor. BAM Nuttall is already at loggerheads with the council about the bill for the controversial project.
• Bus station pedestrianisation planHalf of Preston bus station's concourse is to be pedestrianised to allow easier and safer access to the building.
• Concessionary bus fares for young people proposedWestmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has written to the Department of Transport asking it to help people under the age of 25 by introducing a concessionary bus fare scheme in South Lakeland.
• Bus companies back Queen Street pedestrianisationPROPOSALS to cut buses in Oxford city centre by a quarter and pedestrianise Queen Street earlier than expected are being put forward by Oxford’s two main bus companies.
• £1.5m spent on safer busesSTAGECOACH North West has invested £1.5 million in nine new buses for its X2 route linking Liverpool to Preston, via Southport and Crosby.
• Watch Out For The Poo Choo Train At Hatfield!Mr Morris, a magazine editor, said the Mk4 Mallard trains used by National Express were to blame for the problem, which he described as "completely preventable".
• Train operator told to get on trackTrain operator London Midland has been warned it will pay the price unless it improves services. Following criticism over delays and cancellations of London and Bedford line trains, it is now under fire over facilities at Milton Keynes Central Station.
• Commuters from Sussex in line for more delaysJust weeks after the hugely criticised introduction of Southern’s new timetable, First Capital Connect (FCC) has announced it will launch its new Thameslink Programme on March 22.
• Train buffet car plans run on timeTHE first of 18 mini-buffet cars for First Great Western’s High Speed Trains is due to start in May.
• Rail bosses to tackle station road 'danger'A 'VERY dangerous' junction at Rugeley Trent Valley station will be improved following concerns raised over driver safety, the Mercury can reveal.
• Loud trains cause Tube disruptionA busy Tube station was partially shut during rush hour because the trains were too noisy, it has been revealed. The closure on the Central Line part of Bank station happened after passengers complai...
• A £2,500 handout to scrap your old carMotorists are to be offered up to £2,500 in taxpayer-funded handouts for trading their old car in for a newer model
• Toyota set to announce fresh job cutsJapanese car giant Toyota is expected to announce more jobs cuts due to falling sales, as motor industry officials meet the Government to discuss a £2.3bn aid scheme
• Cambridge looks at road pricingCambridge is set to become the next city to attempt to introduce a congestion charging scheme.
• Clipper Logistics is still growingClipper Group's logistics arm enjoyed a 35% boost in operating profit in the year to 30 April to £7.7m before exceptional costs, on turnover up 13% to £94.5m.
• Government must fast-track production of greener carsFall in carbon emissions of new cars is not enough says Friends of the Earth - Government must ensure car makers meet EU targets

EIN News Subscription

• European airlines grapple with bleak 2009Germany's Lufthansa warned of a considerable fall in 2009 operating profit and Ireland's Aer Lingus gave up any chance of a pretax profit as airlines brace for a sharp slowdown in air travel.