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

Thursday, 30 April 2009

BBC News

• Commuter call for tourist railwayProposals are being considered to extend a tourist steam railway line to provide a commuter link between Lancashire and Manchester.
• Gaping hole appears in main roadMotorists in south Manchester are facing delays after a huge hole opened up in the middle of a main road.
• Desk jobs at risk at bus operatorUp to 100 staff from Bristol and Somerset who work in administrative roles with bus operator First Bus have been told their jobs are at risk.
• Translink fare rise 'to go ahead'Transport Minister Conor Murphy confirms bus and rail prices will rise, although the levels of the increases are not yet finalised.
• Industry warns of pothole backlogIt will take around 14 years to repair all the potholes on roads in England and Wales, an industry report suggests.
• Lower oil prices hit Shell profitOil giant Royal Dutch Shell reports a 58% fall in first-quarter profits to $3.3bn (£2.24bn) as oil prices remain lower.

Financial Times

• Sarkozy unveils grand plan to transform ParisEvery French president must have his grand project and yesterday Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled his: a vision of a Greater Paris where state-of-the-art transport ends the isolation of deprived suburbs and vast new forests consume its carbon emissions.
• Obama hopeful for Chrysler survivalBarack Obama said that he was increasingly confident that Chrysler would survive as a viable company and said he had no intention of maintaining a government stake in the ailing car company “ or other private businesses “ longer than was essentia

The Guardian

• Jaguar Land Rover rescue in doubtJobs at risk as warring government departments delay £800m bailoutAn £800m emergency package for Jaguar Land Rover is in doubt because of wrangling between the Treasury and Lord Mandelson's business department, the Guardian has learnt.Executives at the carmaker fear that even if they can agree terms with the Treasury for the refinancing it may be months before they receive the cash. Such a delay could force it to cut jobs in its 15,000-strong workforce to stay afloat.Officials from the business department (BERR) met executives representing Jaguar Land Rover this week to discuss the package. Ja...

The Herald

• Stagecoach warns of loss amid dispute over contractStagecoach is in dispute with the government over revenue support which could mean its rail business making a “significant loss” next financial year, the group warned yesterday.

The Independent

• Sarko's €35bn rail plan for a 'Greater Paris'A driverless, 24-hour, regional metro system, in the shape of a giant figure eight, will connect Paris to its troubled suburbs by the year 2020, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced today.
• Pothole 'every 120 yards' on Britain's roads Whether there are now enough holes to fill the Albert Hall might never be known, but the number plaguing British roads has soared by 32 per cent since last year and the average road now boasts a pothole every 120 yards.

The Scotsman

• Trams 'still future' but line to be axedTRAMS will be the cornerstone of Edinburgh transport improvements over the next 20 years, Phil Wheeler, the city council's transport convener said on the eve of the expected shelving of the second phase of the scheme.
• 'One pothole every 120 yards'The number of potholes on England's local roads has increased 32% over the last year, a report has shown.

The Telegraph

• One pothole every 120 yards on England's roads The number of potholes on England's local roads has increased by 32 per cent over the last year a report showed today.

Times Online

• Yes, the planet’s future is a worry, but we’ll carry on flying, consumers tell opinion pollEven consumers who care about the environment are not willing to fly less and are sceptical about the benefits of carbon-offsetting, a poll for The Times has found.
• Electric Citroën C1 car is ready, but government grants are notThe shift to greener motoring is being delayed by the Government’s refusal to offer grants for electric cars until 2011, according to a British company that today introduces the first fully electric car available to buyers.
• Chrysler clings to hope of last minute reprieveAn announcement on Chrysler's future could come within hours, keeping hope alive that the US automaker will avoid going bust.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL AWARDS £100m RAIL LINK CONTRACTS
• NETWORK RAIL - MAY RAIL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME
• NETWORK RAIL - MAY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME (LONDON)
• RAIL CABLE THIEVES COSTING YOU £MILLIONS

Transport Briefing

• Bus concession funding consultation launched by DfTEngland's concessionary bus pass system is to be reviewed following complaints about how funding for the scheme is allocated by the government.
• Network Rail backs Crossrail extension to GravesendExtension of Crossrail services beyond Abbey Wood to Gravesend is "worthy of serious consideration", according to Network Rail's draft route utilisation strategy for Kent.
• Edinburgh tram dispute to require formal resolutionUnresolved commercial issues arising from a dispute between Edinburgh tram scheme promoter Transport Initiatives Edinburgh and the Bilfinger Berger/Siemens/CAF consortium will need to be decided through the formal contractual dispute resolution process, according to the latest project status report.
• Stagecoach and DfT fail to agree rail franchise duesStagecoach is to seek arbitration through a rail industry dispute resolution committee after failing to reach agreement with the Department for Transport regarding how much subsidy is due for the company's South West Trains franchise.

Belfast Telegraph

• Aer Lingus shares in freefall as losses soar to €100m Losses at Aer Lingus are likely to soar to more than €100m this year after the airline warned yesterday that a slump in revenue will prompt additional cost-cutting measures to ensure its continued viability.

Birmingham Post

• New Birmingham coach station in Digbeth topped outBirmingham’s Lord Mayor took part in a ceremony to mark the end of construction work at the new Birmingham coach station in Digbeth.

Edinburgh Evening News

• £19m list to pave way for repairs on roadsTRANSPORT bosses have outlined a £19 million to-do list of road and pavement repairs across the Capital over the next year.

London Evening Standard

• Sack 'Buff Hoon' say rail unionsRail union bosses called for Geoff Hoon to be fired, saying he is the worst Transport Secretary ever
• Boris wants voters to have power over police and busesMayor Boris Johnson backed an extraordinary attempt by London councils to grab power for the people

Metro

• Police buy flying carsA real flying car has been snapped up by police to hunt criminals.

This Is Local London Network

• ONGAR: New bus service connects town to StanstedA NEW bus service which will run through Ongar directly to Stansted Airport is being launched this week.
• London Mayor Boris Johnson rejects plea to rezone Morden Tube stationA campaign to move Morden into zone three in a bid to save the regular commuter up to £300 a year appears to have reached the end of the line.

Wales Online

• £1bn rail station ’hub’ plannedA NEW station, 3,500 parking places and a 130-acre business park costing up to £1bn could be built at St Mellons.

Washington Post

• Will GM become `Government Motors'? WASHINGTON -- If the government takes a majority stake in General Motors, will it end up taking the wheel, too?

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• ODA 'transport majority of materials by rail'The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced that it is sending a total of 57 per cent of all materials for construction by rail.In the Sustainable Development Strategy, a target of 50 per cent is set for the level of materials by weight that is transported by trains or water.David Higgins, ODA chief executive, stated: "By switching road deliveries to rail, we have significantly reduced traffic and pollution on the roads around the Olympic Park."Dredging is due to commence on local waterways close to the Olympic site in east London and Prescott Lock is scheduled to open...

Railnews

• Rail cable thieves “costing millions”THE cost of train delays caused by thieves stealing signal cables in Yorkshire and North-east England has more than doubled.

Aviation Industry

• Reliance Aviation Services wins London City Airport contractReliance Aviation Services has been appointed sole provider of contracted aviation security services at City Airport in London’s Docklands.
• Airport Security to the MaxAirport technology experts ARINC are addressing the security concerns affecting passengers, information and baggage in today's airports.

Other News Sources

• Late arrival lands bid for GatwickLysander Gatwick Investment Group - a consortium of Citigroup infrastructure fund, Vancouver Airport and John Hancock Life Insurance Co, is reported to have belatedly submitted a bid for Gatwick Airport. BAA is reported to have received the bid on Tuesday afternoon 24 hours after the original deadline for offers had closed, according to Dow Jones Newswires.
• BAA may breach loan terms if flu slows travelBAA, the owner of Heathrow airport and several other major airports in the UK, may end up in breach of the terms of its loans if the swine flu outbreak leads to a further decline in air travel demand, according to a recent report by the Credit Suisse Group.
• TFL REJECTS £7 MILLION FUND TO BUILD STATIONTfL and Mayor Boris Johnson have been accused of turning their back on Southwark, after rejecting £7 million to build a new tube station at Surrey Canal Road.
• Sutton tram would take second place to Crystal Palace extensionShoppers and commuters could catch trams to Sutton if proposals to improve the town centre get the thumbs up. Merton and Croydon residents could connect to Sutton’s main shopping stretch at the Tramlink at Morden, under Sutton Council’s draft development plans.
• Aberdeenshire MP in bid to change school bus safety lawsA FIGHT to change the law after two youngsters died on Aberdeenshire roads was today under way. Lib Dem Gordon MP Malcolm Bruce wants motorists to be banned from passing stationary school buses
• Halesowen estate gets subsidised bus serviceamilies on a Halesowen estate have been given their first ever bus service after Centro stepped in with financial backing. Centro, the region’s transport authority, has agreed to use taxpayers’ money to extend the route of the existing 007 service so it can serve the Halesmere estate.
• 'Geeks' get connected to digital with bus toursA new initiative created by Liverpool's Kisky Media and the ICDC (The International Centre for Digital Content) aims to connect the north west digital community with conferences, networking opportunities and each other... by bus.
• Bus station critic may have to open itA stern critic of Bath's new bus station may have to officially declare it open. Cllr Bryan Chalker was one of the most vociferous opponents of the bus station plans and campaigned in vain to save Churchill House, the building it will replace.
• Council defends ’pointless’ bus lanesSOUTH LANARKSHIRE Council have defended the bus lanes in Rutherglen Main Street, despite some vehicles being allowed to park on them throughout the day.
• Use it or lose it - that's MP's fears over Crewkerne station ticket officeRAIL travellers in Crewkerne are being urged to use the ticket office at the town’s railway station to ensure its long-term survival.
• We had the money...It is true that London has benefited from a number of transport projects, including the Jubilee Line extension (commissioned by the Conservatives), the high-speed rail link to the Channel, a number of light rail improvements and massive investment in the capital's bus fleet.
• Cycle lane pressureTHE MAYOR of London Boris Johnson has announced Transport for London (TfL) is to finally consider making a cycle lane two-way. The cycle lane in Station Place Finsbury Park, currently only runs in one direction, on one side of the road. The cycle lane is heavily used and is near the Finsbury Park cycle Park.
• Rail firm urged to delay plansMP Owen Paterson has urged Arriva Trains Wales to look at improving its current services before expanding to provide a direct route from Mid Wales and Shropshire to London.
• Cautious welcome given to rail stockDISGRUNTLED commuters have given a cautious welcome to the introduction of improved stock on two Southern services between Eastbourne and London Bridge.
• Sheffield station is tops - ministerGORDON Brown's rail minister picked Sheffield Midland as his favourite station during a five-day tour of the nation's rail network.
• 'Voice of the rails' launches £3.3 million passenger information systemLeading voice-over artist Phil Sayer appeared in person at Bradford Interchange today to mark the completion of a £3.3 million project to improve customer information systems at stations across Yorkshire.
• Rail halt plan for KC hits buffersHopes of developing a new rail halt next to the KC Stadium in Hull look certain to be dashed.
• £3.5m cable thefts hit railway projectsTHE improvement and expansion of the region’s rail network is being hampered by scrap metal thieves, it is claimed.
• Committee briefing: TransportePolitix.com reports on Wednesday's transport committee, in which MPs hold a pre-appointment hearing with the chairwoman-designate of the Office of Rail Regulation.
• Van-maker LDV applies for administrationLDV has applied for administration, but the Coventry-based van manufacturer states that it is still looking for funding until its application is processed on 6 May.
• Used van prices rise sharply in MarchUsed van values are up as Manheim Auctions is the latest to reveal average prices rose 3.6% in March compared to the previous month, while online prices rose by 12.7%.
• £8.5bn needed to improve potholes in England and Wales£8.5bn is needed to bring the roads in England and Wales up to scratch, says the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) Survey due to be published this week.
• Gateway port developer seeks M25 funding get outThe developer of the £1.5bn London Gateway mega-port was this week attempting to talk ministers into removing one of the project™s key planning conditions.
• Young transport workers’ project gets whole-hearted welcome by ITF executive boardThe ITF’s executive board gave the organisation’s young transport workers’ project a ringing endorsement last week.
• Russia tops the pirate tableRUSSIA is holding more Somali pirates than any other naval power, news reports indicated today.
• Better Rotterdam links urgedDUTCH transport minister Camiel Eurlings has told Fairplay that the recession is just the time to fix Rotterdam™s port connections to the hinterland.
• Four-seater electric car launchedFour-seater electric car launched

News from Europe

• The heat is onAUSTRIA: Reflecting a steady transition from standard grade rails to high-strength premium steel grades, Voestalpine has recently inaugurated a new heat treatment facility at its Leoben rail rolling mill in Austria.