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

Saturday, 18 April 2009

BBC News

• Super Pumas grounded for checksSuper Puma helicopters used by the UK oil and gas industry are grounded for 48 hours after the latest North Sea crash report.
• Strike sparks Wembley travel fearFootball fans going to the FA Cup semi-finals have been warned of potential travel problems due to a strike by police support staff.
• Weak demand hits Air China profitNational flag carrier Air China reports an annual loss of $1.4bn after being hit by weaker demand and higher fuel costs.

Financial Times

• Cathay PacificCathay staff should count their blessings “ they at least will be back to work after their enforced leave. Over in Australia, Qantas is chopping 1,750 jobs and more will follow
• Chinese airlines ask Beijing for more aidChina's three big state-controlled airlines have asked Beijing for fresh government bail-outs after losing almost a combined Rmb30bn last year

The Guardian

• US breaks with 'climate denial' yearsThe Obama administration took a bold first step towards limiting the gases that cause global warming today after formally declaring that such emissions are a danger to public health.The official finding by the Environmental Protection Agency that carbon dioxide and five other gases threaten public welfare sets the stage for regulation of emissions from coal-fired power plants, and for forcing US car manufacturers to make cleaner and more fuel efficient vehicles. Environmentalists celebrated the ruling as the most definitive break to date with eight years of

The Herald

• Scotland’s biggest airline virtually wipes out £17.6m lossThe Globespan group, Scotland's biggest airline, cut an operating loss of £17.6m two years ago into non-profits of less than £400,000 last year, the firm's annual accounts have revealed.
• Royal Mail under fire as postbus cuts under wayThe final run was made on five Highland postbus routes yesterday as Scotland prepares to be left with just 14 postbuses by midsummer, down 85% since 2005.
• North Sea air fleet grounded in urgent safety callThe Super Puma fleet serving the North Sea oil industry was last night grounded after a new report revealed that a small piece of metallic debris was found in a device that provided early warning signs of gearbox failure on the helicopter 34 flying hours before it crashed killing 16 people.

The Scotsman

• Helicopters grounded in death probeTwo models of Super Puma helicopter have been grounded following the latest report into the North Sea crash which claimed 16 lives earlier this month.

Times Online

• Rail trip blog of the minister, Lord Adonis LORD ADONIS'S RAIL TRIP BLOG
• Biofuel imports - a costly trade in bunkum Forget electric cars, you won't be driving one for decades, perhaps you never will. What matters is the liquid that fills the tank in the Mondeo and that liquid is becoming more peculiar every year. You may think that your car's diesel engine is burning brown sludge pumped out of a North Sea well and processed in a stinking jungle of pipes and pots on some blighted estuary in the North of England. That is only part of the story: what goes into your tank may be a cocktail of fossil-based fuels from Russia or the Gulf laced with vegetable oils imported from as far afield as Brazil a...

Reuters News

• UPDATE 1-Eurotunnel traffic down, issues new sharesPARIS, April 17 (Reuters) - Cross-channel rail tunnel operator Eurotunnel reported a big dent in first-quarter revenue Friday, blaming a fire in September that damaged one of its tunnels and seriously reduced shuttle and train services.

Mail Online

• Policeman deletes tourist's photos of London bus 'to stop terrorism' Policeman deletes tourist's photos of London bus 'to stop terrorism'

Birmingham Post

• Time to drop congestion charge hopes and fund the Metro, says thinktankThe Government should admit defeat on road pricing and make the money available for projects such as the Midland Metro instead, an influential thinktank has insisted.
• Chiltern aiming to cut Birmingham to London journey by 20 minutesTrain services from Birmingham to London will be slashed by up to 20 minutes on Chiltern services, the company has claimed.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Super Puma helicopters grounded Industry body Oil and Gas UK said 25 helicopters in the UK offshore fleet were affected by the decision.
• Llangollen Railway for the Steam, Steel and Stars FINAL preparations were being made last night for the biggest steam gala in Britain.

Liverpool Echo

• Hundreds of new jobs at Birkenhead’s Cammell Laird shipyardUP TO 400 jobs could be created at Merseyside’s Cammell Laird shipyard over the next three years.

London Evening Standard

• Thieves steal Bentley’s wheels for second time in a monthA £150,000 Bentley is the latest expensive car to have its wheels stolen in London
• Mind the gap: departing Tube chief warns of £2bn black holeGordon Brown's £30 billion Public Private Partnership to refurbish the Tube has wasted public money, says the managing director of London Underground
• Unions fear thousands of job losses at Network RailUnions fear Network Rail is drawing up plans for redundancies which could run into thousands

Metro

• Helicopters grounded in death probeTwo models of Super Puma helicopter have been grounded following the latest report into the North Sea crash which claimed 16 lives earlier this month.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Woman admits driving along Metro rail tracksA WOMAN has admitted driving her car hundreds of yards down a Metro track. Karen Angus, 40, risked passengers’ lives by travelling on the line before breaking down as a train approached.
• Drivers in Newcastle targeted in parking fines conBOGUS parking tickets are being dished out around Newcastle. Phoney enforcement companies are slapping fines on cars parked in disabled bays in private car parks, such as those at supermarkets.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• End of an era at railway station SHE was one of the most popular faces at Inverness station and as well known to commuters as the station clock and the 7.10am to Aberdeen.
• Road workers ˜sent on bogus jobs™AN EMPLOYEE of a roads construction firm is alleged to have sent workmen all over the UK, including the north-east, for jobs that did not exist.
• Offshore workers face long delays The grounding of two models of Super Puma affects just over half the fleets of leading North Sea helicopter firms.

The York Press

• Bus operator First axe York office jobs YORK™S biggest bus operator First has shed office jobs in the city as part of a streamlining of the company.

Wales Online

• Electric cars lose out in WalesWALES’ only electric car makers have hit out at the timing of £5,000 Government incentives to buy low-carbon vehicles.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Petrol prices in steep increaseAVERAGE petrol prices at the pumps have soared to 95p a litre and are now rising faster than in last spring's fuel-price surge, the AA said today.

Blackpool Gazette

• Airport to expand car park as demand soarsBOSSES at Blackpool Airport plan to extend the terminal's car parks.

Bucks Free Press

• Joy as campaigners win parking victory RESIDENTS of Old Amersham were celebrating this week after councillors were forced to reconsider plans to introduce car parking fees in the town.

Sunderland Echo

• Park and ride bus wrangleA bus company is considering legal action against a council over a contract to run services from park and ride sites.
• Nissan welcome electric car initiativeNissan bosses have welcomed Government plans to spark life into Britian's ailing motor industry with a £250million electric car initiative.

Forbes

• What The EPA's Ruling Means For Business The decision on CO2 emissions is likely a boon for cleantech; critics fear huge risk to the U.S. economy.

Wall Street Journal

• U.S. Commits $13 Billion to Aid RailObama called for spending at least $13 billion to launch a
• U.S. in Historic Shift on CO2The EPA said greenhouse gases endanger health. The landmark decision lays the groundwork for federal efforts to cap carbon emissions.

Washington Post

• UPS, DHL end talks over airlift agreement ATLANTA -- UPS Inc. said Friday that talks with DHL about carrying some of its air packages have ended, scuttling a venture that originally was expected to generate up to $1 billion in annual revenue for the world's largest shipping carrier.
• Experts: GM bankruptcy won't be the easy way out DETROIT -- A Chapter 11 filing might be the most effective way to overhaul General Motors Corp., but that doesn't mean the sweeping changes that are possible in bankruptcy court are going to be quick or easy.
• GM Chief Says Bankruptcy Is ’More Probable' Now Than Ever Before General Motors chief executive Fritz Henderson said a bankruptcy filing is
• Obama Backs Autos Task Force Chief; Rattner Faces Probes of Pension Fund Deals President Obama has full confidence in auto task force chief Steve Rattner, the president's spokesman said yesterday, despite disclosures that the former Wall Street financier was involved in business dealings now under investigation by New York and federal authorities.

Aviation Industry

• Delta Air Returns Customer Call Centers to U.S. From India Amid ComplaintsDelta Air Lines Inc. , the worlda s largest carrier, stopped routing customer service calls to India and brought them a oeback in housea in the U.S. because customers were unhappy, Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson said.
• Overweight Passengers May Pay More To FlyUnited Airlines may ask overweight passengers to pay more to fly. Passengers who can't fit in a single seat may have to buy a second one or get off the plane.
• Southwest CEO's compensation $1.6 millionSouthwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly in 2008 received a compensation package valued at $1.6 million -- 17% less than the year before.
• US Air, Southwest outline policy on overweight passengersAirlines are outlining policies on overweight passengers who can't fit into one seat in the wake of United Airlines ' announcement Monday that it will charge some people for a second seat or make them upgrade to first class.
• Cathay Pacific to launch major cost-cutting measuresAirline forced to cut capacity and lay off staff read more

Other News Sources

• Somali piracy: Global overview World leaders are increasingly concerned by pirates operating...
• Thailand negotiates with German firm on airport rail linkBangkok - Thailand's state railway was expected to sign a 90-million-baht (2.5-million-dollar) deal with Deutsche Bahn International to operate Bangkok's airport rail link to open later this year, med...
• UPS and DHL call off talks on air freightATLANTA -- UPS announced Friday that talks with DHL about carrying some of its air packages have ended, scuttling a venture that originally was expected to generate up to $1 billion in annual revenue ...
• Heavy chargeThe potentially huge cost of the infrastructure needed to support mass adoption of electric cars emerged when technical experts revealed that each recharging point could cost up to £6,500 to install.
• Trams on the runTrams could run without overhead contact lines and emit significantly less CO2 using a new hybrid energy-storage system.
• Secure truck park planned for KetteringRothwell Land has put in an application to open a 24-hour truckstop in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
• ESP to become mandatory on new CV modelsElectronic stability control (ESP) is set to become mandatory on all new commercial vehicle models registered in the EU by November 2011 and on all new CVs by November 2014, as agreed by the European Parliament.
• Up to 30 DHL staff in Scotland may face redundancyThere could be up to 30 redundancies at DHL Exel Supply Chain following a consultation over changes to shifts and positions.
• Ballistic Net System Stops Small BoatsMoscow Mills Manufacturing and Foster-Miller, Inc. of Waltham, Mass., have announced a new non-lethal system for stopping small boats such as those used by pirates, drug traffickers and terrorists. The companies are working in conjunction with the Pentagon's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate program in Quantico, Va...
• Super Pumas grounded after crashes Two models of Super Puma helicopter have been grounded following the latest report into the North Sea crash.
• Man held over Guatemala bus murders Police in Guatemala have arrested an alleged gang leader for the murders of dozens of bus drivers.
• US ship captain thanks rescuers A cargo ship captain freed from Somali pirates has thanked his rescuers as he arrived back home in the US.
• US unions praise crew's devotion to duty in the face of piracySeafarers' unions in the US have extolled the bravery and commitment of the crew on board the Maersk Alabama, among the latest vessels to fall victim to piracy.
• 'Dover still needs a second terminal'The port of Dover has insisted it needs a new ferry terminal, despite the decline in freight volumes last year.
• Seven-year low for US port trafficImport volumes at major US container ports were at their lowest level for seven years in February, as the trade hit its off-peak season.
• Cabin air chemicals far more toxic than previously believed, says toxicologistAviation industry inquiries into neurotoxins in aircraft cabin air
• Superjet faces a hard sell in North AmericaCan Russian-built aircraft win North American customers in tough economic times?
• Pirate to be tried in US courtA PIRATE suspect in the attack on the US-flagged Maersk Alabama will reportedly be tried in the US.
• EU halts carbon emissions lawTHE EU halted plans today to impose regional greenhouse gas laws on the shipping industry because of the global recession.
• Blockade forced back to FranceA BLOCKADE of French fishing vessels that held up ferries and played havoc with local shipping was forced back to Boulogne this morning by a fleet of cutters sent by the French government.
• Piracy cost impact discountedSO far, piracy™s financial impact on shipowners is less than implied by blanket press coverage, according to Lazard analyst Urs Dur.
• Barack calls for fast track on railUS President Barack Obama today announced his intention to create high speed rail systems for the nation™s ten most congested transport corridors. Acknowledging that the nation™s transport system had aged and needed upgrading, yhe President stated that the new transport infrastructure would ease congestion that cost the country $80 billion in lost productivity. In line with several [...]
• Pinched by crisis, aerospace sector asks for EU supportThe aeronautics industry called on the Brussels executive and EU governments to provide support to airlines hit by the credit crunch. It also urged public authorities to increase support for R&D to help the sector deliver the next generation of environmentally-friendly aircraft. 
• Towards Low Carbon TransportGovernment launch vision for ultra-low carbon vehicles.
• Super Pumas grounded after crashesTwo models of Super Puma helicopter have been grounded following the latest report into the North Sea crash.

Other Subscription Services

• Japan to deploy maritime patrol aircraft to Horn of AfricaDEFENCE Minister Yasukazu Hamada orders flight of naval patrol planes to join fight against Somali pirates.
• Lines slow to lay up biggest containershipsBOX lines are keeping most of their very big ships in service, despite a collapse in cargo volumes this year.