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

Thursday, 26 March 2009

BBC News

• Call to reopen town train stationA public consultation to assess the demand for a public train service to Grangemouth has been launched by Central Scotland MSP Jamie Hepburn.
• Contract signed on trains for NIA multi-million pound contract has been signed for 20 new Class 4000 trains from Spain for operation on the NI rail network.
• MSPs 'thwarted' in rail row probeMSPs have complained of being thwarted in efforts to get to the bottom of an alleged conflict over the extension of the First Scotrail franchise.
• New rail lines 'may be cheaper'Building new high-speed rail lines could be cheaper than upgrading existing track, Transport Minister Lord Adonis has claimed. Projects like the £8.8bn ($12.8bn) West Coast Main Line upgrade were "highly disruptive and expensive", he said.
• Microwaves 'improve fog landings'Passengers flying into Heathrow airport in fog or poor visibility will now be guided in using a new microwave system.

Department for Transport

• Multi million-pound transport changes for BridlingtonTransport Minister, Paul Clark, has given the go-ahead for a scheme which includes a new park and ride, the relocation of the boat compound at Wilsthorpe, and a much-needed roundabout at Carnaby. Once complete, the changes will help cut peak-time congestion in the town centre.

Financial Times

• Network Rail rapped on major line closuresTrack operator accused by transport minister Lord Adonis of a serious failure to take account of passenger interests as well as making misreading promises
• Qantas to axe 90 senior management jobsQantas, the Australian flag carrier, is to axe 90 senior management jobs and maintain a salary freeze to stem costs to counter the effects of the global aviation downturn
• DP World's port volumes in the west declineDP World, the container terminal operator, suffered double-digit falls during the first two months of this year in container volumes at its developed world ports

The Guardian

• EU's 27 airspaces to be streamlined to nine by June 2012STRASBOURG, France, March 25 (Reuters) - European lawmakers approved a plan on Wednesday aimed at straightening commercial air routes to cut fuel costs and carbon dioxide emissions growth from increasing numbers of aircraft.
• CEO sees possible 3 pct fall on South-Eastern rail networkBritish transport group Go-Ahead Group Plc has prepared for a potential 3 percent slump in rail passenger revenue on its routes into central London in 2009, while also cutting 500 jobs at its aviation division.
• Emission possibleThe cheapest hybrid car yet has just been launched in the UK. But is it as good as its more expensive rival, and will it save the planet? Sam Wollaston tries it outThe new Honda Insight is not shy about publicising its green credentials. It shouts them from the rooftops - make that the treetops, the tops of the trees that will live so much longer because you have bought one of these cars instead of a filthy gas-guzzler. The little booklet that tells me all about the car is covered in paper that has seeds embedded in it. Presumably, when I have finished reading it, I will toss it into an urban ...
• Obama faces delay on climate dealBarack Obama may be forced to delay signing up to a new international agreement on climate change in Copenhagen at the end of the year because of the scale of opposition in the US Congress, it emerged today.Senior figures in the Obama administration have been warning Labour counterparts that the president may need at least another six months to win domestic support for any proposal.Such a delay could derail the securing of a tough global agreement in time for countries and markets to adopt it before the Kyoto treaty runs out in 2012.American officials would prefer to have the approval of Congr...
• Test-driving the world's cheapest carTata's Nano, built for functional frugality, is striking if not beautiful and does the job of people's car admirably Taking the world's cheapest car out for its first public test drive by a journalist makes for a surprisingly smooth ride. Thrifty transport is not meant to be this comfortable. Tata's Nano purrs from zero to 40mph in eight seconds and its gearbox changes with ease. The brakes are solid, bringing the car to halt smartly.True, its 623cc engine whines a little like a blender when pushed to its top speed of 65mph and the body leans like the Tower of Pisa when cornering at speed. But...

The Scotsman

• Network Rail under fire for double dose of closuresMINISTERS have issued a strongly-worded rebuke to Network Rail after it closed both cross-Border routes for engineering works over the past two weekends, The Scotsman has learned.

The Telegraph

• Struggling airlines need to look beyond the horizonAviation industry is in crisis but China and other emerging economies will provide opportunities for the survivors.

Times Online

• High-speed rail must go into London [letters]Sir, You report (Mar 23) that the London terminal of the proposed high-speed line to the North and Scotland may be sited at Old Oak Common in West London, where it would link, inter alia, with the proposed Crossrail.
• Don’t want to miss the plane as you queue? Pay £5 to barge inAirports have started charging up to £5 for the right to save up to half an hour in queueing time. Luton has become the first large airport to introduce the fee following Leeds, Liverpool and Bristol. BAA, which owns Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh and Glasgow, is considering the scheme.

Daily Record

• I didn't do anything wrong, claims rail chief caught up in shares rowGuy Houston told MSPs he had increased his shareholding in First Group while working for Transport Scotland - which went onto to extend a £2.5 billion franchise deal with the company.

Transport Briefing

• Hoon appoints next Office of Rail Regulation chairThe chief executive of the Healthcare Commission has been appointed by Secretary of State for Transport Geoff Hoon as the new chairman of the Office of Rail Regulation. Anna Walker will succeed Chris Bolt, whose five year term of office ends this summer, taking up her new role on 5 July.
• Rail minister says HS2 must learn from West CoastCompensation to train operators paid during the West Coast Route Modernisation project cost more than half a billion pounds, transport minister Lord Adonis told an industry conference this week.

Birmingham Post

• Moor Street key to commuter hub overhaulBirmingham could experience a public transport overhaul with the transformation of Moor Street station into a commuter hub that rivals New Street. Transport Correspondent Patrice John takes a detailed look at what it will mean for the city.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• No progress on North Wales-Liverpool rail linkHOPES of major transport improvements linking North Wales to Liverpool were “kicked into the long grass” last night by the deputy first minister.

Derby Telegraph

• No answers as we step up our search for the truth over vital trains contracthe Government has made great play of the fact that awarding the £7.5bn Intercity Express Programme contract to Agility Trains - a consortium led by Japanese train-maker Hitachi - is a good deal for Britain. But the Evening Telegraph believes there are still several large holes in the Government's reasoning.
• Questions they would not answerTHE Government has failed to answer vital questions over why Derby train-maker Bombardier was passed over for a £7.5bn rail contract.

Liverpool Echo

• High-speed Liverpool-Leeds rail link closer to realityA HIGH-SPEED rail link between Liverpool and Leeds moved a step closer to reality yesterday, when the rail minister pledged to cut the “extraordinarily slow journey times” across the Pennines.

London Evening Standard

• Go north for £1 ... cheap new fares by rail then coachA NEW combined rail and coach service connecting London and the North with fares as low as £1 was unveiled today. Transport giant Stagecoach will begin operations this Monday between St Pancras and nine northern destinations.
• High-speed rail network linking all major citiesBritish cities could be linked by a single high-speed rail network running from London to Scotland

Sheffield Telegraph

• Upgrades for rail stationsUPGRADES have been promised for South Yorkshire railway stations. Hillsborough MP Angela Smith revealed platforms at Penistone, Silkstone Common and Dodworth will all receive investment as part of an upgrade to the Sheffield to Huddersfield line.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Scheme for rail link between towns gets up steamTHE prospect of reinstating a rail link between two Strathspey towns is now a little closer. The Strathspey Railway Company is to set up a charitable trust to attract funding for their multimillion-pound proposals to extend their line from Broomhill, near Nethybridge, to Grantown.
• Elgin traders hit out at two-lane cycleway A TWO-WAY cycle lane being built in an Elgin street was yesterday branded œcrazy by local traders.

The York Press

• The rail issues 2 [letter]Judging by the discussions being held behind the walls of the City of York Council (Site proposal for new city station, The Press, March 19), one would be forgiven for assuming that the planned opening of a city station at Haxby is now almost a foregone conclusion.
• The rail issues 1 [letter] - Hugh Bayley MPI agree with Susan Wade Weeks that full-price rail fares to London are expensive (Rail “scandal”, Letters, March 19), but she is wrong if she imagines that most people turn up on the day without pre-booking, and pay these high prices.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Boost in fast rail link battle as minister blasts journey timesTransport Minister Lord Adonis, the man driving the high-speed plans, said it was "quite an achievement" for the 43-mile rail journey between Manchester and Leeds to take 55 minutes, suggesting the Government will back a fast link between the two cities
• Leeds Manchester suffer poor rail linksRail links between Leeds and Manchester are "extraordinarily slow" and could benefit from a new high speed rail line, according to a government minister.

Wall Street Journal

• Auto Task Force to Back More Loans, With StringsObama's auto task force is set to back more loans for car companies, saying it sees viable futures for GM and Chrysler but only if there are sacrifices from their managements and unions.

Washington Post

• NYC transit agency adopts fare hikes, service cuts NEW YORK -- Officials running the nation's largest mass transit system voted Wednesday to impose steep fare hikes and painful service cuts to close a $1.2 billion budget gap.

Railnews

• News: Solar powered high-speed rail plan A completely new and revolutionary type of high-speed rail transportation system — hydrogen-powered and magnetically-driven — is being proposed in the US state of Michigan. It would run from Detroit to the state capital, Lansing.

Aviation Industry

• ARRIVA ANNOUNCES IMPROVEMENTS TO LOCAL SERVICE FOLLOWING PUBLIC MEETING ORGANISED BY HILARY.Ariva Buses have announced that improvements are set to be made in the next 12 months to bus services in Crook after a public meeting organised by Hilary was held andd attended by of 50 members of the public.

Other News Sources

• Rail cuts despite passenger numbers riseRAIL campaigners claim new passenger figures prove service cuts at small stations on the Nottingham to Grantham line were unjustified.
• New plea to bring back rail services to NorthumberlandThere was anger just over a year ago when Arriva announced it was cutting the number of cross-country trains stopping at Morpeth, immediately after taking over the franchise for the 1,500-mile route.
• Credit crunch: London for a quid is just the ticketA TRANSPORT group has come up with a capital idea – fares from Huddersfield to London starting at just £1.
• Megabusplus.com will link Bradford with LondonAn integrated bus and rail service connecting key locations in Yorkshire with London was due to be unveiled in Bradford today.
• Arup pushes high speed rail Heathrow HubArup has gone on the offensive to push its Heathrow Hub concept, as recent media reports suggest that the chair of High Speed 2 favours a cheaper interchange between Crossrail, the West Coast Main Line, the Heathrow Express and any new high speed line north in the London suburb of Acton.
• Beverley-York rail plans on trackCAMPAIGNERS are set to go to the top in a bid to keep ambitious East Yorkshire railway plans on track. A high-ranking Government minister has agreed to meet members of the Minsters' Rail Campaign when he visits the region in April.
• Minister calls for Bradford high-speed rail linkA high-speed rail line must be built to cut lengthy journey times between Bradford and major northern cities, Rail Minister Lord Adonis has vowed.
• Bus firm loses Durham park and ride contractAN independent bus firm has lost its contract to run Durham City's park and ride service - despite scoring almost 100 per cent in a satisfaction survey.
• Car makers put up prices despite sales crashIn a move that will bewilder many cash-strapped would-be buyers, car manufacturers announced yesterday that they are actually raising prices

News from Europe

• EU completes ’Single Sky’ airspace shake-up Cheaper airline tickets, shorter flight times, less pollution and no more air borders: these are the expected benefits of the 'Single European Sky II' package of legislation adopted by the European Parliament yesterday (25 March).
• EU presidency forging consensus on green road chargesThe Czech EU Presidency last week (20 March) tabled a compromise proposal to delay the introduction of congestion charges to lorries by four years in an attempt to kick-start deadlocked negotiations.
• New IT system to 'revolutionise' European airspace Replacing voice communications between traffic controllers and pilots with email-like messaging is expected to make European airspace safer and more efficient, shortening flights and reducing CO2 emissions.

Other Subscription Services

• Stagecoach beats credit crunch with £1 fares on Britain’s first budget coach-rail serviceHard-pressed consumers can beat the credit crunch by bagging bargain £1* fares to and from London with a new innovative budget coach and rail service, transport giant Stagecoach Group announced today (26 March 2009).
• Hapag-Lloyd poised for major cost cutting exerciseCOMPANY expects to save $193m in 2009 from renegotiations with shipowners and the redelivery of vessels.
• Crew wage hikes are off, say shipping employersSHIPPING employers have sent unions an unequivocal message that seafarer salary increases are off the International Bargaining Forum mechanism agenda as far as they are concerned.