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

Monday, 30 March 2009

BBC News

• Transport schemes get £24m grantMore than £24m is to be invested in road schemes across Essex to help meet the expansion plans for the county.
• Peugeot Citroen drops CEO StreiffFrance's biggest carmaker, Peugeot Citroen, sacks chairman Christian Streiff weeks after the firm posted big losses.
• GM chairman to leave US car makerThe chief executive and chairman of troubled US car maker General Motors will step down at once, at the request of Barack Obama.

Financial Times

• Two new investors buy into Air BerlinGerman and Turkish investors are taking significant minority stakes in Air Berlin to end uncertainy over its future ownership

The Guardian

• Concern for Boris Johnson as decline in passengers threatens tube revampLondon Underground carried 1 million fewer passengers in January, as City job cuts threaten to widen a multibillion pound funding gap in the tube network.
• Heathrow third runway plan hits new snagThe proposed third runway at Heathrow has been dealt a serious blow after a government document warned that airport group BAA cannot lodge a planning application for the project before the next general election.

The Herald

• ’Stevenson must go’ say rail union bossesTRANSPORT MINISTER Stewart Stevenson was last night accused of lying to the trade unions and betraying the spirit of the Scottish government's own memorandum of understanding with the STUC.

The Independent

• Govia wins rail franchiseGovia won a four-consortium race to operate the Integrated Kent Franchise (IKF) which will start from April 1 next year. From 2009, Govia will run high-speed commuter trains on a section of the franchise which will use the Channel Tunnel rail link.
• Electric avenues: Battery-powered cars take over the roadsThe oil giants could be taken by surprise at how quickly battery-powered cars take over the roads. David Strahan reports on a world-changing market

The Telegraph

• Rail passengers face major Easter disruptionSeventeen out of 28 train operators will face disruption on all four days of the Easter Weekend. By contrast only three will be completely unscathed. They are Eurostar, Stansted Express and Island Line, which operates eight and a half miles of track on the Isle of Wight.
• Rural communities complain of 'airport blight' as flights increaseRural communities are complaining that their lives are being blighted by the increasing number of flights at small airfields.

Times Online

• Boris Johnson punctures bike hire joy with £150 lock snagFor many London cyclists, the joy of freewheeling on one of Boris Johnson’s 6,000 new hire bikes may judder to a halt — because he is banning the use of locks.
• End of the road for free go-anywhere bus pass for the over-60sAre you 60 or over and do you fancy a free trip to the seaside? Grab your coat because this weekend is your last opportunity to take advantage of a benefit that the Government is quietly withdrawing.
• Train overcrowding to worsen as Government drops carriage pledge Overcrowding will worsen on several of Britain's busiest rail lines because the Government has quietly cancelled plans for more than 300 additional carriages.
• Green cars: will someone hit the accelerator It's astonishing how suddenly and absolutely the motor industry has been converted to the green cause. The “environment” used to be regarded as that boring blurry thing that flashed past between Esso stations. Now data about fuel economy and CO2 emissions takes precedence over performance criteria such as torque and acceleration. Reading press packs and auto manuals, you could almost mistake car manufacturers for environmental charities.
• Honda Insight SE The big question is: what will the cars of the future run on? And, of course, the simple and slightly terrifying answer is, nobody exactly knows. The broad feeling is that somewhere ahead lies hydrogen fuel cell technology. Beyond that, it's fingers crossed for a new generation of zero-impact engines, running on a home-made blend of crushed acorns, rain water and left-over cereal scrapings (possibly.)
• BA and Iberia merger talks are idling on the tarmac Merger talks between British Airways and Iberia, the Spanish flag carrier, are making little progress, despite recent assurances from both sides that a deal was imminent.
• Christian Streiff pays for trouble at Peugeot Citroën as recession takes heavy toll Peugeot Citroën ousted its chief executive yesterday as the French carmaker continues to struggle with a slump in consumer demand. Christian Streiff will be replaced by Philippe Varin, chief executive of Corus, the Anglo-Dutch steel maker.
• Rick Wagoner to step down from GM in return for more aid Rick Wagoner, the chairman and chief executive of General Motors (GM) is to step down as part of an agreement with the White House to get more federal aid for the struggling carmaker. The Obama administration is believed to have asked Mr Wagoner, who has led GM since 2000, to give up his dual post.

Reuters News

• German government appears ready to dump rail chiefhe head of German rail operator Deutsche Bahn appears on the verge of being forced out after losing the support of Chancellor Angela Merkel in the wake of a snooping scandal at the firm.

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.
• Barack Obama set to announce bailout package for troubled car firms On the eve of his first visit to Britain as U.S. President, Barack Obama is today set to announce another bailout for car makers.
• Over-60s lose out as free bus passes are cut back The free bus pass has turned out to be rather expensive. This week the popular benefit enjoyed by 11million is being scaled back because it is costing too much.

The Mirror

• Latest News: General Motors chief 'set to quit'Rick Wagoner will step down immediately as chairman and chief executive of General Motors, according to reports in the United States.

Network Rail

• MORE CAR PARKING SPACES AT RUNCORN STATION FROM 9 APRIL

Transport Briefing

• West Anglia rail four-tracking package backed by DfTMinisters have pledged to deliver a major rail project to upgrade train capacity on the West Anglia line between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport.

Birmingham Post

• London Midland promising capital improvements in rail servicesLondon Midland has vowed to improve services from Staffordshire and Warwickshire to London, following complaints from a West Midlands MP.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Bus company set to drive up its pricesBUS operator First is to put up fares on its services in the Lothians from the start of next month.

Manchester Evening News

• Bypass plan back on the roadPLANS for a controversial new road are set to be resurrected - just days after they appeared doomed. The Mottram-Tintwistle bypass looked set to be mothballed after regional planners decided the £315m scheme was `not a priority'.

Wales Online

• Disabled denied access at South Wales train stationsINACCESSIBLE and unmanned South Wales train stations are leaving disabled people stranded, an Assembly Member has warned.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Railway line milestone markedA month-long celebration is to be held later this year to mark the 150th anniversary of a Suffolk railway line.

Washington Post

• Obama conditions bailout funds for automakers WASHINGTON -- The White House says neither General Motors nor Chrysler submitted acceptable plans to receive more bailout money, setting the stage for a crisis in Detroit and putting in motion what could be the final two months of two American auto giants.

Aviation Industry

• Travel groups step up lobbyingAim to raise profile of industry  read more

Other News Sources

• Fury at train link axe planPLANS to divert an important train service which currently links Sheffield and Doncaster have been slammed as "bad news" for South Yorkshire. Arriva Cross Country Trains runs a half-hourly express through the county between the north east, midlands and south west.
• High-speed rail links to spark house price risesLondon and Continental Railways (LCR), the company running the new faster domestic line launching in December, predicts the service will bring a range of benefits worth more than £17.6bn to the county over the next 60 years.
• Cracked rail ’is not deadly risk’RAIL bosses have hit back at claims a crack in the tracks near Swindon could cause a serious accident.
• Concern over Nafferton rail crossingPARISH representatives in Nafferton have spoken of their concerns after reported problems at the level crossing close to the village's railway station.

Other Subscription Services

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