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

Friday, 24 April 2009

BBC News

• Campaigners oppose M26 depot plan [video]Campaigners oppose plans for a new rail and road freight depot near the M26 at Borough Green, Kent.
• Translink face fare hike pressureTranslink is coming under pressure to retract adverts announcing rises of up to 10% for bus and rail fares.

Financial Times

• Fiat pursues GM Europe stake Fiat has set its sights on becoming one of the world's leading carmakers, signalling an interest in taking a stake in General Motors' European business as it rushes to cement an alliance with Chrysler
• Rail chief warns on high fare pricesPassengers could be
• Franz lined up as Lufthansa chiefLufthansa, the German airline, looks set to appoint Christoph Franz, the head of its Swiss airline unit, as group chief executive next year after yesterday naming him...
• China Cosco to cancel or delay ship ordersThe world's largest dry bulk shipping line plans to cancel or postpone some of its vast portfolio of ship orders, scotching speculation that the transport company might be forced to increase its order book to support China's shipyards

The Guardian

• Low Gatwick passenger number may hit price-biddersUK airports operator BAA may raise less than it hoped from the sale of London's Gatwick after latest passenger numbers there disappointed, putting downward pressure on its valuation, bidders said on Thursday.
• Economy, charges take bite out of BNSF Q1 profitCHICAGO, April 23 (Reuters) - No. 2 U.S. railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp reported a better-than-expected net profit despite a drop in freight volumes due to the U.S. recession, sending its shares up 1.7 percent in after-hours trading.
• Go-Ahead's rail passenger growth slows sharply as experts warn boom may endBritain's busiest train operator has reported a sharp slowdown in passenger growth on its main commuter franchise, providing further evidence of the weakening rail market.
• Fiat in talks to buy Opel and VauxhallThe Italian car group Fiat could take over General Motors Europe, including UK-based Vauxhall and Germany's Opel, it emerged today.A flurry of media reports suggested that Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne has shown interest in buying GM Europe in talks with German government officials, who said Canada's car-parts supplier Magna is also keen to buy.Vauxhall, which produces cars and vans at its Ellesmere Port and Luton plants, employs 5,000 workers while GM Europe employs 25,000 in Germany.The potential tie-up emerged as GM prepared plans to shut much of its US manufacturing operation for nine weeks...

The Herald

• West is losing out on rail and road cash, says McNultyWide-ranging transport improvements are needed across the west of Scotland, with urgent investment needed in rail and road links, MSPs were warned yesterday.
• Investigation reveals ticket pricing system ’defies logic’Rail passengers travelling on cross-border services can pay as much as £163 difference in two tickets for the same journey.
• Edinburgh tram extension plan shelvedA multi-million-pound extension to Edinburgh’s planned tram network has been shelved. The proposal for a line running from Haymarket to Granton has been postponed by Edinburgh City Council due to the ­economic downturn.

The Scotsman

• High-speed rail link will come to ScotlandSCOTLAND will be fully integrated into Britain's planned new high-speed rail network, transport minister Stewart Stevenson said yesterday following talks with his English counterpart.
• New car production figures due outCar and commercial vehicle production slumped again last month, new figures are expected to show.

The Telegraph

• National Rail Enquiries application angers customersHundreds of angry rail passengers have been complaining about the National Rail Enquiries iPhone application. More than 500 people have reviewed the app, which gives travelers live access to train running times and delays, but almost half of them have given the application one star. The app currently has an average rating on iTunes of two-and-a-half stars out of five.
• Motorists on all fours to collect from Britain's smallest ticket machineThe machine, which is 3ft tall, dispenses the pay-and-display tickets only 18 inches above the ground at the short-stay car park in Sheringham, Norfolk.

Press Association

• Rail services key to North economyImproving rail services from Manchester would boost the North's economy by an estimated £16 billion, according to the Northern Way think tank.

Daily Record

• Labour demand major transport improvements across ScotlandLABOUR today called for wide-ranging transport improvements across the west of Scotland, despite claims it should be "wary of the credibility gap" on the issue.

Network Rail

• WORK STARTS ON NEW PLATFORM AS PART OF £450M KING™S CROSS REDEVELOPMENT

Belfast Telegraph

• Recession puts brakes on car-share initiative Northern Ireland’s first pay-as-you-go car club has fallen prey to the recession — less than a year after it was launched at Stormont.

London Evening Standard

• Met set on more electric cars for London’s roadsHalf of London's police cars could be powered by alternative fuels within four years, Scotland Yard announced today.
• Gang in attack on 11 Tube trainsTerrified Tube commuters cowered in their seats as a gang of youths threw a fusillade of bricks and rocks which smashed carriage windows

Manchester Evening News

• Rail congestion 'losing £16bn'THE economy is missing out on up to £16bn because of rail congestion around Manchester, experts will claim today.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Noise worries for Gosport bus lane residentsFears are rife that construction of a high-speed bus route will give residents 18 months of sleepless nights and cause traffic chaos.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• New Kintore station a step nearerThe campaign for a new railway station in the north-east took an important step forward yesterday when supporters met Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson.
• U-turn urged on school speed limits A road safety charity urged Moray Council yesterday to rethink its policy on speed limits outside schools.
• Council to double spending on ˜worst roads in Scotland™A council is proposing to spend double last year™s figure repairing what have been called the worst roads in Scotland.
• Scrappage cash may jump-start car industryOffering £2,000 to motorists whose vehicles are 10 years old or more is expected to give new car and van sales a much-needed boost.

The York Press

• City of York council transport chiefs reveal ˜saved™ bus routes COUNCIL chiefs have intervened to save some bus services in York which had been facing the axe.
• Rival bus companies compete for passengers on Leeds-York route BUS WARS are looming after Yorkshire Coastliner announced it was doubling the number of its services between York and Leeds.
• Report reveals no ˜unmet demand™ for taxis in York TAXI drivers are set to find out whether plans to allow more cabs on to the streets of York will be ditched after a survey discovered passenger demand has plummeted.

Washington Post

• Airlines feel pinch of falling business traffic MINNEAPOLIS -- First-quarter airline results are in and it's nearly all red ink with JetBlue and AirTran the notable exceptions.
• Chrysler aims for Fiat but readies bankruptcy plan WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - With a week remaining for Chrysler LLC to clinch a deal with Italy's Fiat , the U.S. automaker is readying a bankruptcy plan but still focused on reaching an alliance with the support of the Obama administration, people with knowledge of the discussions said on Thursday.

Transport for London

• All London's buses now fitted with iBusAudio-visual 'next stop' announcements are making bus travel easier.

Aviation Industry

• Body calls for road pricing fund switchThe DfT must abandon its drive for local road pricing if no cities opt to introduce congestion charging schemes this year, according to a leading think-tank.

Other News Sources

• Minister in talks on railway reopeningCAMPAIGNERS are making a plea for a detailed engineering study to keep ambitious East Yorkshire railway plans on track.
• Gatwick Airport Sale Said to Draw Three Bids, Defy Travel Slump Global Infrastructure Partners, owner of London’s City Airport; a group led by Citi Infrastructure Investors; and a third team that includes the owner of Manchester Airport plan to submit offers before the April 27 deadline, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
• Heathrow Express signs Deal with GuestLogixHeathrow Express train tickets will soon be sold using the popular GuestLogix Mobile Virtual Store retail platform, which is deployed or is being implemented by leading carriers representing over 30% of the passenger trips taken annually worldwide. The initial rollout will be with a global carrier on all flights originating from New York city.
• Travel Centre will close this month say rail chiefsRail bosses have confirmed a specialist office which helps passengers with travel plans at Lincoln Central station will close at the end of this month.
• Uproar over ministers' latest train of thoughtSCOTTISH Ministers have been branded "diabolical" over plans to derail any chance of the Waverley Line reaching Hawick.
• 'Back door' bus lane move approvedBOROUGH councillors said they were ’powerless’ to refuse a ’back door way’ of introducing a controversial bus lane.
• City bus ban plans approvedTHE first phase of a scheme to pedestrianise Oxford’s busiest shopping area was given the go-ahead today.
• Biden Announces $300 Million for Green TransportLANDOVER, Maryland, April 22, 2009 (ENS) - To mark Earth Day, Vice President Joe Biden today announced $300 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for state and local gover...
• High speed rail networkAny expansion of UK rail network must include Scotland - Minister.
• Electric dreamThe Renault-Nissan Alliance has teamed up with Netherlands-based vehicle management company, LeasePlan, to promote the use of electric cars in the global market.
• Hauliers give their reaction to the BudgetThe government's decision to increase fuel duty by 2p/litre from September has been described by one haulier as a
• Amey tipped to win rail mega-contractsAmey is this week expected to be named as the sole winner of five major Network Rail bridge inspection framework contracts.
• Dartford crossing: new plansNew crossing is needed, but is likely to face opposition from environmentalists.
• Roads become public investment priorityPublic satisfaction with roads and highways has dropped below that of public transport, according to the latest instalment of the ICE™s quarterly infrastructure perception survey.
• Forpeople to launch first class seat for British AirwaysSouth London luxury product design group Forpeople is creating a first class seat for British Airways, launching in September.
• Foster & Partners to design Saudi rail stationsFoster & Partners has teamed up with Buro Happold to design four stations for Saudi Arabia™s Haramain high-speed rail link project.
• New car production figures due outNew car production figures due out

News from Europe

• Italian trains to rival TGVs in France - Le FigaroFrench fast-speed trains may compete against Italian rivals on major domestic routes such as Paris-Lyon starting at the end of this year, newspaper Le Figaro said on Thursday.
• Parliament backs strict labelling for tyres EU lawmakers have insisted that tyre manufacturers such as Michelin and Continental must display details of tyres' fuel performance, as well as their wet grip and noise levels, as of November 2012.

Other Subscription Services

• Lots more to be done as Stagecoach Green Week comes to an endTransport group Stagecoach today (Friday 24 April) brought to an end its first ever Group-wide Green Week – by promising to continue its drive to help tackle the challenge of climate change.
• Maersk switches calls to FelixstoweMAERSK Line has confirmed plans to drop Southampton from its Asia-Europe schedules and concentrate UK calls on Felixstowe.
• Hapag-Lloyd faces UK unrest over job lossesDISCONTENT is rising among employees of German container line Hapag-Lloyd over planned redundancies.
• Cantor Fitzgerald cuts tanker freight rate forecastsBANK lowers rate predictions for every segment of the tanker market and forecasts that asset values will drop as well.