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

Thursday, 09 April 2009

BBC News

• New hourly train service to startThe new hourly train service from Corby to London is to start on Monday 27 April, it has been announced.
• Public transport 'meets targets'Buses and trains in NI are meeting punctuality targets, an independent survey of Translink services has found.
• Transport chiefs have pay frozenPay for London's transport officials could be frozen this year and their bonuses reviewed, due to the recession.
• The innovatorsCan businesses innovate their way out of recession?
• Want a new motor? It may be cheaper than a used oneNew cars are now cheaper than used ones for the first time in the UK, according to a comprehensive guide to UK car prices.
• German car scrap scheme expandsGermany triples the size of its car scrapping scheme, which pays cash to those who turn in older cars.

Department for Transport

• New motorcycle helmet safety ratings unveiled New safety ratings for motorcycle helmets were published today by Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick. An extra 28 motorcycle helmets have been rated by SHARP - the Department for Transport's Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme - taking the total number of ratings published to 125.

Financial Times

• Brown plans subsidy for electric carsBuyers of electric cars will be offered discounts of more than £2,000 – paid for by the state – under plans by Gordon Brown to make Britain a leading centre for manufacturing “greener” vehicles.

The Guardian

• London mayor – 100,000 electric cars for capitalLondon mayor Boris Johnson announced today his intent to make the city the electric car capital of Europe. He said he wanted to introduce 100,000 electric cars to the capital's streets and to build an infrastructure of 25,000 charging points in public streets, car parks and shops.
• Who was in the loop over Heathrow?Those challenging the airport's expansion draw on the principle that the decision should be both rational and transparent
• Transport for London to freeze senior managers' pay and review bonusesTransport for London chiefs have drawn up plans to freeze around 1,000 managers' pay and review bonuses as significant improvements to the tube are hit by a multibillion-pound funding gap.
• Motorists to receive government grants for electric carsA £2,000 government grant will be provided to encourage motorists to buy electric cars as part of a fresh initiative to stimulate the green economy, ministers will announce within weeks.
• Eurostar interiors to get makeover by Italian luxury car designerThe interiors of Eurostar trains, the high-speed rail passenger service linking Britain with mainland Europe, are to be redesigned by an Italian company best known for its track record in the car industry, it was announced yesterday.
• Somali pirates meet their match¢ Somali hijackers sent packing but take US ship's captain hostage ¢ Warship arrives at the scene of Indian Ocean standoffWhen Somali pirates skimmed across the Indian Ocean and muscled their way aboard a US food aid ship yesterday, it had all the hallmarks of a depressingly familiar scene: a hostage cargo ship, a vulnerable crew and a well-organised team of brigands with the firepower and knowhow to seize a ship and demand a fat ransom.But as a dramatic tussle on the high seas played out last night, it became clear this was a startlingly different confrontation to the regular string of hijack...

The Herald

• Business chiefs want high-speed rail link to LondonBusiness leaders are to push the case for building a high speed rail link between London and Scotland by presenting ministers with a detailed assessment of its economic benefits.

The Independent

• Mayor unveils plan to turn London into 'electric car capital of Europe'Motorists would get at least £2,000 towards the cost of buying an electric car under government moves to revolutionise driving in cities.

The Scotsman

• Easter set to test travel networkAbout two million people will travel abroad this Easter, with Thursday expected to be the busiest day for traffic and for airports.

The Telegraph

• Rail passengers face Easter disruption as ten million travel by trainRail passengers face widespread disruption over the Easter weekend as an estimated 10 million people will travel by train.
• Electric car initiative fails to get off the grid with Lord Montagu of Beaulieu While understanding why Gordon Brown should feel the need for a headlinegrabbing initiative to take people's minds off the dire state of the nation's finances in the next budget Lord Montagu of Beaulieu has his doubts about the PM's plans for the mass introduction of electric cars.

Times Online

• Fleet-owners face bankruptcy threat from plunging shipping ratesGlobal shipping rates are set to fall by 74 per cent this year as commodity demand continues to fall in Asia and the massive glut of vessels ordered during the boom years finally takes to the seas.

Transport Briefing

• Pininfarina and SNCF to refurbish Eurostar train fleetEurostar, the high speed passenger train operator linking Britain and mainland Europe, has awarded the design contract for the interior refurbishment of its cross-Channel fleet to Italian design consultancy Pininfarina.
• Corby station to introduce hourly rail timetableEast Midlands Trains says the delayed hourly service from Corby to London St Pancras will begin on Monday 27 April. The company says it has now received assurances that the third Class 222 train - previously used by Hull Trains - required to run the full Corby service will be delivered in time for the new launch date.

London Evening Standard

• Boris tells TfL bosses they must slash their bonuses and salariesLONDON transport chiefs are to have their pay frozen and their bonuses slashed on the orders of the Mayor Boris Johnson. Transport for London Commissioner Peter Hendy will see no increase in his annual base salary of around £340,000 this year and has also been told that his annual bonus must be cut from a potential £170,000 to a maximum of £75,000.
• Hoon held Madrid talks to 'build bridges' over BAA rowGeoff Hoon flew to Madrid for talks with the owners of Heathrow and Gatwick after they complained about Britain's competition watchdog

Manchester Evening News

• Easter test for airport securityMANCHESTER Airport's new £15m security search areas are to be put to the test for the first time this Easter.
• MP's tax disc errorTOP MP John Leech, who speaks on transport issues in parliament, has had to take his car off the road after being caught with an out-of-date tax disc.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Call for UK air tax to be scrappedThe Government is being urged to follow the lead from the Dutch Government by ditching Air passenger duty.

Sunderland Echo

• Nissan wins green car loan aidWearside has landed pole position in the race to develop the cars of the future.

C.N.N.

• U.S. warship nears boat carrying piratesA U.S. warship arrived before dawn Thursday near a 28-foot lifeboat holding four pirates and the kidnapped captain of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship, officials said.

New Scientist

• Innovation: 100-mpg car contest under starters ordersThe final list of teams competing to design a truly efficient vehicle has been unveiled – but the winners will have to meet some demanding criteria

Wall Street Journal

• Alstom to Supply 60 Double-Decker Trainsets to the RATP for Paris' RER* Line AThe RATP has announced its decision to award a firm contract for 60 MI09 double-decker trainsets to the Alstom-Bombardier consortium. Alstom will carry out 70% of the contract which is worth a total of EUR917 million, with EUR640 million for Alstom. The contract also includes an option for extra trainsets.

Aviation Industry

• SmartWater wins Euro rail awardSmartWater Technology Ltd has won a prestigious European award for its innovative approach to combating railway metal theft. SmartWater fought off competition from major businesses across Europe to land the 2009 Innovation Award at the Rail-Tech Europe exhibition in Utrecht, Holland.

Other News Sources

• Advisers slam high speed over runwayThe All Party Parliamentary Group on Infrastructure (APPGI) heard from leading civil engineers on the need to expand the UK’s airport capacity. “You need large passenger flows to justify heavy rail,” said Mott MacDonald director for aviation strategy and aviation adviser to the House of Commons All Party Aviation Group Laurie Price.
• Bus company's anniversary giftSTAGECOACH South West has set the wheels in motion for a busy summer by introducing a number of additional services to key routes around North Devon.
• Bombardier to supply commuter cars in ParisBERLIN, Germany — Bombarider Inc. (TSX:BBD.B) has been awarded a contract to supply 60 MI09 trainsets for the greater Paris suburb for an undisclosed sum. The deal sees a consortium of Alstom-Bombardier supply the three middle cars of the five car sets. The cars will be designed and assembled at Bombardier's site in Crespin, France.
• Runway obstructionThe RSPB and other leading green organisations have launched a legal challenge against the government™s decision to expand Heathrow airport.
• Transport drives emissions upBridging the gap between the EU™s climate change goals and the pollution from transport is a huge challenge.
• Budget to focus on green carsGordon Brown will unveil measures to pave the way for the mass introduction of electric cars on the roads. Tom Clarke reports.