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

Saturday, 28 March 2009

BBC News

• What is it about trains in movies?Romance, murder and intrigue. Why do films so embrace railways and why do we so love to watch them?
• Wind powered car breaks recordAfter 10 years, British engineer Richard Jenkins breaks the world land speed record for a wind-powered vehicle.
• Embraer hedging sees profits fallBrazilian planemaker Embraer reports a 44% fall in fourth-quarter profits due to currency hedging losses.

The Independent

• All geared up for the ride of his life Few people who watched the BBC documentary The Man Who Cycled the World last summer would dream of emulating its star. On his way to smashing the world record for circumnavigating the globe on a bike, Mark Beaumont crashed into a donkey in Pakistan, was mugged in Louisiana, and endured nights locked in Iranian prison cells, for his

The Telegraph

• Rail passengers face major Easter disruption Rail passengers face widespread Easter disruption with nearly every train operator cutting services or facing engineering works.
• Leeds airport evacuated after bomb scare Leeds Bradford International Airport had to be evacuated after what is believed to have been a hoax bomb scare.

Times Online

• Nuclear-powered passenger aircraft 'to transport millions' says expert Nuclear-powered aircraft may sound like a concept from Thunderbirds, but they will be transporting millions of passengers around the world later this century, the leader of a Government-funded project to reduce environmental damage from aviation believes.
• Tesla unveils electric saloon that it says will be 'luxury green car of choice' Tesla Motors has finally unveiled its Model S, an electric saloon car which, it says, will become the environmentally friendly luxury car of choice and help the American car industry to wean itself off foreign oil.

Mail Online

• Fasten your life jackets: The coach that turns into a boat Introducing the aqua-bus that can drive on the road and then, with barely a gear-change, jump into the ocean and head overseas.
• £500 fine for mechanic who killed pedestrian while test-driving a Ferrari A mechanic who killed a pedestrian while test driving a Ferrari sports car has escaped jail - despite a string pf previous driving offences.
• Rail passengers face chaos over Easter while £55m is spent upgrading key routes Rail passengers face chaos over Easter while £55m is spent upgrading key routes

The Sun

• Brit's 126mph eco carDAREDEVIL Brit becomes the fastest naturally-powered person on Earth

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Wrexham car parks receive cash for new pay and display machinesCOUNCIL chiefs have invested more than £80,000 to install new pay and display parking machines.
• Car park cost rises in PowysCAR parking charges in mid Wales are to rise by up to 25% in a bid by Powys Council to raise £100,000.
• Massive bust of red diesel at Holyhead portFUEL smugglers were busted trying to bring 50,000 litres of illegal red diesel through Holyhead port.

Journal Live

• Stobart boss held hostageAMILLIONAIRE director of a leading North haulage group was held hostage during a terrifying raid on his home, police confirmed last night.
• Why did airport boss receive huge bonus?DEMANDS were made last night for an investigation into how Newcastle Airport’s ex-chief executive was allowed to claim a bonus worth more than £2m.

Liverpool Echo

• KLM’s inaugural flight from Liverpool to Amsterdam takes off, opening up worldwide connectionsKLM’s inaugural flight from Liverpool to Amsterdam took off yesterday, heralding a new era in John Lennon airport’s history.

London Evening Standard

• Roadwork rubbish around Whitehall is cleaned up amid fear of G20 riotingThe rubble-strewn streets around Whitehall have embarrassed the Government into ordering an emergency clean-up of roadworks ahead of the G20 summit

Manchester Evening News

• Jail for speed camera cheats TWO businessmen have been jailed after they falsely applied for Isle of Man driving licences which were then used for speeding offences in England.

Metro

• Pilot found over legal drink limitAn airline has assured passengers that safety was its top priority after it emerged that one of its pilots was found to be over the legal alcohol limit as he prepared a holiday jet for take-off.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Former Newcastle Airport boss lands £2m pay-offBONUS-ROW airport boss John Parkin has received an out of court settlement worth more than £2m, figures out today reveal.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Traffic battle over 10,000 homes planGOSPORT has come to blows with neighbours Fareham over plans for 10,000 new homes.
• £20m go-ahead for bus routeThe government has given the go-ahead for a £20m high speed bus route through Gosport and Fareham.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Bus giant calls in hawks to see off gullsAN ABERDEEN transport company has called in two former part-time employees to scare off troublemakers at its new headquarters.
• Weeks of road disruption ahead Residents in a north-east suburb are bracing themselves for weeks of disruption after a local authority announced the closure of a section of a busy commuter road.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• VIDEO: Raising a stink with Leeds car parkersFINDING a parking space has been getting up drivers' noses so plans are now afoot to make the ordeal less odorous.

Doncaster Free Press

• Increased flights from Doncaster to JerseyMORE flights are being scheduled between Robin Hood Airport and Jersey this summer.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Transport projects get £58mTransport projects designed to support new housing developments in East Anglia are to get more than £58m from the Government.

Sunderland Echo

• Nissan car cash plea as dealer goes bustNissan is urging the Government to offer cash incentives to get people buying new cars, amid warnings that the industry is facing "a state of emergency."

The Shields Gazette

• Nissan keen on car scrapping schemeNISSAN has backed calls for the Government to offer cash incentives to help boost flagging car sales amid warnings of a "state of emergency" in the motoring industry.
• See the £41m Testo's flyover plan ROAD chiefs have unveiled plans for a £41m redevelopment scheme at a busy roundabout.

International Herald Tribune

• Where old airplanes go to dieA windswept airport in the center of France is where the issues plaguing global aviation are played out.
• Students give up wheels for their own two feetTo confront childhood obesity, traffic and car emissions, a city in Italy is encouraging its children to walk to school.
• Eminent physicist challenges consensus on climate changeIncreasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may even be a good thing, according to Freeman Dyson, whose intelligence is revered by other scientists. But his stand has led to anger and ridicule.

Wall Street Journal

• Pick to Head FAA Gets Airline SupportThe White House announced that Randolph
• More Scrutiny for Aircraft EnginesU.S. and European aviation regulators are stepping up scrutiny of certain jet engine parts designed to help aircraft slow down after landing amid concerns about potential hazards.

Washington Post

• Consumers clutch cars longer, choking March sales DETROIT -- She wants a new car, but Pamela Davies is still driving the very first one she purchased.
• FAA wants to keep bird strike records confidential WASHINGTON -- The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to keep secret from travelers its vast records on where and how often commercial planes are damaged by hitting flying birds.
• Autos task force readies aid announcement WASHINGTON/DETROIT (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will announce the next steps to help General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC on Monday, the White House said, amid signs of progress for GM in talks aimed at slashing its debt and cutting costs in response to slack demand.

Aviation Industry

• Southampton Airport launches the centenary of flightSouthampton Airport has officially launched a year of celebrations planned for 2010 which will mark the centenary of flight in south Hampshire...
• American Airlines hires wine expertAmerican Airlines has brought on board wine expert Ken Chase, with plans to improve its wine service on flights.
• American Airlines, pilots, renew safety programAfter months of wrangling, American Airlines and its pilots have renewed a key safety program that experts say is a vital tool for preventing in-flight problems.

Other News Sources

• Pirates seize tankers off Somalia Pirates have seized two European-owned tankers off the...
• Feds push out stimulus funds for transportThe Department of Transportation has distributed $2.9 billion to 33 states for almost 800 approved projects out of the $27 billion total for highway infrastructure in the economic stimulus plan enacte...
• Government may seek more auto givebacksDETROIT — The Obama administration is likely to demand deeper concessions from Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp. in exchange for additional federal loans, a person briefed on the government'...
• Driving distractionsAustralian researchers have proved that visual clutter around roads, including prominent advertising, signs or billboards, can be a hazard for drivers - especially older ones.
• VOSA confirms 9% HGV test fee increaseVOSA has confirmed an average 9% increase in annualHGV test fees, and a 5% rise in O-licence fees,will take effect this month.
• Up to 193 DHL staff could face redundancyUp to 193 DHL Exel Supply Chain employees could face redundancy, following the plan by retail giant Marks & Spencer to close its Exeter Distribution Centre.
• Road schemes get share of £170m funding potAn array of road-improvement schemes have been allocated a share of a £170m government funding pot.
• Shipbuilders Ask for New Loan TermsAccording to a March 26 report from JoongAng Daily, Korean shipyards are asking state-run lenders to increase loans and extend financing for orders as their cash holdings run out, industry sources said yesterday. According to the sources, shipbuilders called on the Korea Development Bank and the Export-Import...
• Branson's space dream in the clouds Exclusive footage of a test flight for Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) space launch vehicle has been released.
• Officials probe freighter crashFirefighters and airport officials probe the wrecked fuselage of a FedEx MD-11 freighter from Guangzhou that crashed at Tokyo's Narita airport last Monday.
• The end is in sight, says IataInternational air freight will decline 13% this year, according to a radically revised forecast by the International Air Transport Association (Iata).
• P&O fury at 'illegal' subsidies to rivalA war of words has erupted between P&O Ferries and rival operator LD Lines over what P&O claimed are
• Embraer to decide on larger aircraft within 18 to 24 monthsEmbraer expects to decide whether to move forward with development of a larger commercial aircraft within the next 18 to 24 months.During an earnings...
• Know your pirate, seminar toldCULTURE™S the key to dealing with pirates, a security seminar being held in Pretoria today has been told.
• Maersk shifts US flag vesselsAP MØLLER Maersk will continue to enjoy a $10M payday for shifting four of its box ships from the UK register to the Stars and Stripes.
• DP World delays London GatewayDUBAI Port World is delaying work on the London Gateway port as part of a global review of its development projects.
• Piraeus bomb sparks shipping alertA SECURITY alert for shipping was issued today for Greece in reaction to an explosion outside the offices of two shipping companies in Piraeus.

EIN News Subscription

• Bright sparks solve our transport woes ... bus system" a contradiction in terms? Leeds's transport supremo Kieran Preston insists not. He met ... estimated 4.5m car journeys from the city's road every year and created something like 6-7,000 ... team members who visited a string of European cities like Amsterdam and Lyons to sample ...
• School run safety warning to drivers ... children being hastily dropped off in the road rather than on the pavement and darting ... casualty reduction officer, Michael Edney, said: Throughout Europe, Britain has the best road safety record for adults but the worst for ...
• Poland Changes Plans for Major Highway ... it will re-route plans for a major highway away from one of Europe's last unspoiled ... longer. He says he will ask the European Union to stop its lawsuit aimed at forcing ... environmentalists and brought legal action from the EU. Residents of the northern town of Augustow ...
• IATA: Airlines to lose $4.7-B in 2009 due to crisis ... The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced a grimmer outlook for ... but only a 4-percent drop in capacity. European airlines are projected to lose $1 billion ...

Other Subscription Services

• Box downturn forces Landguard Terminal into early retirementTHE UK’s top container port, Felixstowe, is putting its elderly Landguard Terminal into early retirement as a result of the downturn in box volumes.
• Fifth of tanker newbuilds 'will not be delivered'DELAYS of newbuldings are most likely in the suezmax sector, Simpson Spence & Young report suggests.