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Tuesday, 17 March 2009

BBC News

• Bus firm warns of 150 job lossesThe UK's biggest bus and coach builder Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) has warned 150 jobs could go at the firm. The Falkirk-based manufacturer, which employs 2,200 people globally, said it was in talks with trade unions to minimise the impact of the cuts.
• Airlines 'lose one million bags'The world's airlines mishandled 42 million bags in 2007 and irretrievably lost more than a million, a pressure group says.

Financial Times

• Help urged for transport 'backbone'Alexander Dennis, the UK's biggest bus and coach manufacturer, yesterday urged the government to support the whole transport sector as it warned it might have to shed 150 jobs, writes Andrew Bolger .
• Ford cuts output at European plantsThe Detroit carmaker is cutting production at its plant in Spain and extending a shorter work week in Germany in response to the 'unprecedented decline' in demand for new cars on the continent
• Potential suitors boost Asciano share price Asciano shares jumped after Australia's biggest port and rail operator said it had received multiple expressions of interest, including at least one early stage takeover proposal
• Buses resilient as Stagecoach rail suffersFalling commuter numbers are beginning to affect rail revenues, Stagecoach said on Monday, in the latest sign that train operator profitability is under threat. However, the group's bus division is holding up well
• US rail freight finally starts to hit the buffersNorth America's railways appear finally to be experiencing the full force of the economic downturn after freight volumes fell 14.5 per cent in February against the previous year

The Guardian

• Boris Johnson mulls 'intelligent' congestion charge system for LondonMayor considers copying Stockholm's example, where motorists pay more to enter the central zone during peak periods and less at other times
• Airport expansion [Letter]Campaigners who say building a third runway at Heathrow should be scrapped because demand for air travel fell (Fall in passengers marks end of air travel boom, 16 March) miss the point.
• Stagecoach: Rail 'not immune' to recessionStagecoach warned that its rail operations, including Virgin Trains, were "not immune" to the recession today as it indicated that passenger growth has come to a standstill.

The Herald

• Forth rises despite 40% cut in dividendForth Ports yesterday unveiled a crash from a £32m reported profit to a £31m loss, and a 40% cut in the dividend, as the property slump wiped more than £220m off its Edinburgh Waterfront valuation.
• Compensation tougher to find than 42 million missing bagsAirlines are losing more bags in transit but are not compensating passengers properly for the inconvenience, a watchdog has found.
• Leading coach makers may have to cut 150 jobsA Falkirk-based company, said to be the biggest bus and coach manufacturer in the UK, has announced it may be forced to cut 150 jobs.

The Independent

• It's wrong to think all rail fans are geeksNational Express wants to ban trainspotters, a move backed by Rail minister Lord Adonis, who is offering government money for "gating" to tackle fare evasion. In reality it is a sop to rail companies during the recession.

The Scotsman

• Stagecoach rail revenues up but future holds added challengesSTAGECOACH'S rail operations drove revenues up 6.7 per cent in the 44 weeks to 1 March, the company revealed yesterday.

The Telegraph

• MPs call for increase in price of long haul flightshe Environment Audit Committee also called on the Treasury to tax flights within the UK to encourage more people to take the train. In a damning report on the Government's financial stimulus package, the committee said not enough money is being spent on ensuring that any effort to pull the UK out for the recession also helps tackle climate change.
• GM rescue moves up a gear in UK but stalls in Germany General Motors is making faster progress in Britain than Germany in winning support for its European rescue programme it emerged on Monday.
• Stagecoach risks strike over plans to cut more rail costsStagecoach has said it will cut further costs out of its rail business if required putting the operator of South West Trains on a potential collision course with the unions.
• Airlines 'short change' passengers for lost luggage watchdog claimsPassengers are often awarded compensation of less than a tenth of the value of their possessions when airlines lose their bags a consumer watchdog has claimed.

Times Online

• Competition chiefs check on bidders for GatwickThe Competition Commission has begun to vet bidders for Gatwick to ensure that they are suitable candidates to run the UK's second-busiest airport.
• Passenger revenues down at Virgin RailVirgin Rail, the joint venture between Sir Richard Branson and Stagecoach, has become the first big rail company to announce falling passenger revenues as a result of the recession. In the ten months to the beginning of March, Virgin Rail's like-for-like revenues fell 0.6 per cent, according to Stagecoach.
• Limit on garage size reversed to bring drivers back off the streets The contortionist’s skill required to squeeze a car into a tiny modern garage and climb out of a barely opened door will become redundant under plans to allow more generous parking provision on new housing estates.
• Hybrid price wars as Toyota and Honda go head to head An intensifying race for the coveted title of "greenest" carmaker has pitched Toyota and Honda into a worldwide price war on hybrid cars that could see models in Japan selling for under £14,000.

Mail Online

• Airlines are losing more bags than ever... (but find endless ways of avoiding compensation) Airlines are losing more bags than ever... (but find endless ways of avoiding compensation)

ATOC

• The iTrain has arrivedNational Rail Enquiries and Agant Ltd have developed a new application that allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to access real-time rail journey planning information across the national rail network.

Transport Briefing

• East Croydon station pushes Glasgow out of top 10Britain's top 10 most used railway stations are now all located within the Greater London boundary, according to newly published figures produced for the Office of Rail Regulation.

Birmingham Post

• Seminars in Coventry and Dudley help business flourish in rail sectorCompanies looking to break into the rail sector are being targeted as part of a series of events being held by the Rail Alliance, the dedicated ’super group’ for the industry.
• £18m handout to Selly Oak super hospital link roadBirmingham City Council has stepped in with an emergency £18 million handout to allow a new link road to the Selly Oak super hospital to be completed.

Derby Telegraph

• My vow to keep train firm in cityTHE boss of Derby train-maker Bombardier has made a personal pledge that the company will remain in the city despite being overlooked by the Government for a multi-billion-pound UK rail contract.
• Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers backs our Bombardier campaignSHADOW Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers has vowed to continue to put pressure on the Government to answer questions over its decision to favour a Japanese-led consortium for a multi-billion-pound rail deal.

London Evening Standard

• Virgin train passenger revenues hit the buffersVirgin Trains users have voted with their feet as the main inter-city service from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow became the first rail company to admit to falling passenger revenues.
• 'Dangerous' trainspotters to be banned from King's CrossTRAINSPOTTERS could be banned from King's Cross for security reasons, it was claimed today. Union leaders say National Express will bar spotters from stations on the East Coast main line because they are a nuisance and pose a "security risk". There are suggestions of other operators following suit.
• Boris considers bringing in off-peak rate for C-chargeMOTORISTS could be charged varying amounts according to when they enter the congestion zone. The £8 daily rate could be lowered in the middle of the day to help businesses operating in the zone while the higher tariff could operate in the rush hour.
• Olympic VIP route 'will cause a rubbish blight'Key London streets could be blighted by rubbish during the 2012 Olympics because of plans for a VIP road network

The York Press

• Rail chiefs deny York station trainspotting ban RAIL chiefs have denied claims they are planning to ban trainspotters from York station.
• First under fire over announced evening bus service cuts A NORTH Yorkshire MP has hit out at First York after it announced cuts to a raft of evening bus services.

Washington Post

• GM, Chrysler bankruptcy not Obama task force goal WASHINGTON -- A top adviser to President Barack Obama's auto industry task force said Monday that bankruptcy is not the goal of the administration's efforts to restructure General Motors and Chrysler but stressed that the government cannot solve all of the industry's woes.
• Chrysler Values Deal With Fiat at $10 Billion Chrysler's proposed partnership with Fiat could be worth as much as $10 billion to the struggling automaker by giving it a jump on developing new vehicles, Chrysler chief executive Robert L. Nardelli said in an e-mail to employees yesterday.

Aviation Industry

• 50 jobs lost as Ryanair cuts Dublin routesRyanair has announced further cuts in routes and flights from Dublin Airport this summer with the loss of 50 jobs.
• US Airways: Air travel showing signs of stabilityExecutives from US Airways Group Inc. said on Monday that demand and airfares seem to be stabilizing after sharp drops in January and early February.
• Austrian traffic declines further Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow...

Other News Sources

• British Airways Consortium File Information To US Transport DeptLONDON -(Dow Jones)- British Airways PLC (BAY.LN) confirmed Monday the airline, along with other members of the oneworld alliance, have filed further information to the Department of Transportation regarding its antitrust immunity application.
• Gas guzzlersUS telecommunications giant AT&T plans to invest up to $565m to deploy more than 15,000 alternative-fuel vehicles over the next 10 years.
• Solar car-parking A parking canopy intended to provide solar power for electric vehicles has been unveiled by glass specialist Romag Holdings.
• FTA names new presidentFormer Christian Salvesen CEO Stewart Oades has been appointed the new president of the Freight Transport Association (FTA).
• Important rail link to Port of Liverpool reopensA rail link that could reduce the number of truck journeys to and from the Port of Liverpool by 50,000 a year has re-opened.
• It's a thermal blanket cover up for cold chain air cargoVarious airlines are testing a new thermal blanket initiative to increase the protection of temperature sensitive shipments and address the IATA Chapter 17 regulations.
• Irish haulage firms to be hit by European environmental taxesA recent European Parliament decision that has gone against the wishes of Ireland's Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) could prove costly for Irish firms who regularly transport goods across the continent via road, it has been reported.

Other Subscription Services

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