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

Tuesday, 14 April 2009

BBC News

• Biomass 'worse than fossil fuels'Biomass power could become one of the worst emitters of greenhouse gases by 2030, the Environment Agency warns.
• GM stock hit by bankruptcy reportShares in US carmaker General Motors fall sharply after reports that the US government wants it to start bankruptcy proceedings.

Financial Times

• Qantas slashes full-year profit forecastQantas Airways, the Australian flag carrier, will axe a further 1,750 jobs over the next few months as well as cut flying capacity by five per cent, defer aircraft orders and ground aircraft as its profits sag.
• Pirates nervous as Obama vows to crack downSomalia's pirates have been acting more nervously and co-operating more closely among themselves after Sunday's killing of three of them by US navy snipers, and a French attack on a seized vessel, say people combating the problem.
• Hitachi victory divides rail industryA furious debate erupted within Britain’s £2bn-a-year rail equipment industry after the government decided to make Hitachi of Japan the preferred supplier for one of the most valuable train contracts awarded in the UK.

The Guardian

• London mayor Boris Johnson wants legal left turn for cyclists at red lightsCyclists in London will be able to legally run red traffic lights if plans by Boris Johnson, the capital's mayor and a keen cyclist, get the go-ahead from the government.
• Local platform to save branch linesulian Glover's article on the impact of recession on the railways (Losing track, G2, 13 April) fails to consider how other countries manage the branch line problem, or even how other networks in the UK work. As a rule of thumb, about 50% of the traffic is carried on 10% of the network, and 10% of the traffic is on 50% of the network, whether it is road, rail, gas, telecomms etc.

Times Online

• Where to track down the rail minister on his round-Britain tourwhile Parliament is in recess, I’m off on a five-day national rail tour, starting on the midnight sleeper from Paddington to Truro, then zigzagging from Cornwall across Britain to reach Inverness by Friday, and returning to London on Saturday via a few hours at the National Railway Museum at York, where the new Tornado steam engine may be making an appearance.
• Ministers urge rail chiefs to give up £1m bonuses The Government is to put pressure on Network Rail to reduce or cancel bonuses of more than £1 million that are about to be paid to its directors.

Metro

• Photographs that capture the stranger side of the TubeA unique photography exhibition showcases the different moments that make up a day on the London Underground.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Road signs causing chaos for motoristsA confusing road sign has stalled a scheme to create more cycle routes across the city.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Backing for £2.8m park-and-ride service over TayA LOCAL authority transport partnership has backed proposals for a £2.8million cross-Tay park and ride service for commuters travelling between Dundee and Fife.

This Is Local London Network

• Rail network crime costs £264m a yearA gang of 20 youths hurled bricks at trains and on to railway lines around Wimbledon station in the worst of a concerning number of crimes committed on Merton’s railways last year.

Washington Post

• Ohio wants $57M in stimulus for highway studies COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio wants to spend $57 million in federal stimulus money on highway projects that won't begin for years, an unusual strategy for money that President Barack Obama said should be used to give the economy an immediate job-creating jolt.
• American Airlines unveils newest jet in fleet FORT WORTH, Texas -- American Airlines will add the first of 76 new Boeing jets to its fleet this week in a move that the carrier hopes will cut fuel and maintenance costs.
• LaHood sends Obama advice on ending trucking dispute WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has sent the White House recommendations for ending a NAFTA trucking dispute, which is expected to be high on the agenda when President Barack Obama visits Mexico later this week, an administration aide said on Monday.
• Leaning on Fiat's Sense of Direction To Guide Chrysler When corporate executives brief Wall Street analysts, they can usually be counted on to put their companies' performances in the best light. But Fiat's engaging chief executive Sergio Marchionne rarely minces words. After taking the wheel at the Italian automaker in 2004, he promised analysts he would do
• Small cars get poor marks in collision tests WASHINGTON -- Micro cars can give motorists top-notch fuel efficiency at a competitive price, but the insurance industry says they don't fare too well in collisions with larger vehicles.

Other News Sources

• Steam train returns after 50 yearsTrain lovers can take a step back in time after a steam engine service was relaunched on Norfolk's shortest railway line - five decades after it closed.
• Minister to take trip on city train Norwich's long-suffering rail passengers are to get the chance to air their grievances to a top Government minister as he embarks on a six-day rail voyage across Britain.
• Obama urged to stamp out pirates The crew of a US ship attacked off Somalia have called on US President Barack Obama to lead the battle against piracy.
• Cosco freezes port expansionCOSCO Pacific is freezing new port development, slashing capital expenditure by 36%.
• Minister to take trip on city train Norwich's long-suffering rail passengers are to get the chance to air their grievances to a top Government minister as he embarks on a six-day rail voyage across Britain.
• Railway could link to main line in JulyTHE US company running a heritage line is on track to end years of rail isolation for a dale’s residents by the summer.

News from Europe

• Haenel urges change at SNCFFRANCE: Anyone studying French railway policy over the last 20 years will find that one name stands out as a supporter of proposals to steer strategy towards a more commercial and viable future. That name is Hubert Haenel, Senator for Haut-Rhin, who, since he chaired an inquiry into SNCF in 1993, has become something of a rail specialist.
• Shannon earmarked as US pre-clearance pointTHE GOVERNMENT has said it will strive to make Shannon airport the first full pre-clearance point for entry into the United States from outside North America by the summer.