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

Friday, 01 May 2009

BBC News

• Night freight train noise appealClackmannanshire Council has denied misleading residents over the issue of night trains carrying tonnes of coal to Longannet Power Station.
• Rising 'air rage'Police at Gatwick crack down on disruptive people
• Rail-replacement bus use opposedTrain companies are being asked to sign a pledge to use buses only as a last resort when services are disrupted by engineering work.
• Chrysler bankruptcy deal revealedUS carmaker Chrysler is to file for what the White House calls a

Department for Transport

• New Crossrail route safeguarded The Government today safeguarded a potential Crossrail route from Maidenhead to Reading.

Financial Times

• Chrysler files for Chapter 11 Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after President Barack Obama criticised hedge funds for blocking an out-of-court restructuring of the US carmaker's $6.9bn debt.
• Møller-Maersk in disposal talksThe Danish company, owner of the world's largest container shipping line, confirms that it is in talks about a 'possible transaction' involving Norfolkline, its ferry business

The Guardian

• FirstGroup's Dean Finch emerges as frontrunner for top job at Tube LinesTube Lines, the London Underground contractor at the centre of a multibillion pound funding row, is close to appointing a senior executive at FirstGroup, the bus and rail operator, as its new boss.
• Chrysler to declare bankruptcy¢ Hedge funds refuse to countenance $2bn payoff to settle debt¢ Obama condemns actions of 'small group of speculators'¢ 11th-hour Fiat deal fails to save carmakerAmerica's third-largest car manufacturer, Chrysler, has declared itself bankrupt after a handful of creditors withstood pressure from the Obama administration to forgive billions of dollars in debt, casting a cloud of uncertainty over tens of thousands of jobs at factories, suppliers and dealers.After round-the-clock negotiations broke down, the 83-year-old Detroit ­carmaker put its future in the hands of the courts, despite an 11th-h...

The Scotsman

• Warning over poor emissions targetsThe Government is not on track to meet targets to cut carbon emissions from its own departments, its sustainability watchdog has warned.

The Telegraph

• British airline 'sorry' for deleting Israel from map Israel was excluded from electronic maps displayed to passengers on a British airline's flights from London to Tel Aviv.
• Motorway service stations charge four times supermarket price for water Prices at motorway service stations could mean day trippers blowing their spending money before even arriving at their destination according to a Which? Car survey.

Times Online

• Long-term fears over bmibaby’s victoryAlmost unnoticed, the High Court ruled yesterday on a three-year-old dispute between bmibaby, the airline, and Durham Tees Valley airport. Yet the ramifications of this ruling could be widely felt and prove a watershed in the relationship of airlines and airport operators.
• Chrysler set for bankruptcy as talks stallChrysler, one of the world™s biggest carmakers, appeared to be headed for bankruptcy today after talks with lenders broke down last night.

Mail Online

• Bright start to Bank Holiday weekend... but brace yourself for rail closures and traffic chaos
• The motorway services that charge four times more than supermarkets

Belfast Telegraph

• Fiat set to rescue ailing Chrysler Barack Obama made a call for US drivers to "buy American" yesterday, in the same breath as he announced a plan for the Italian carmaker Fiat to become the major shareholder in Chrysler, an American icon with a history stretching back to 1925.

Birmingham Post

• Wolverhampton plans £30m Metro extensionPlans for a £30 million Metro extension giving Wolverhampton “a truly integrated transport system” have been unveiled.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Airport hungry to back healthy breakfast clubEDINBURGH Airport has become the latest backer of a scheme to provide healthy breakfasts for schoolchildren in the Capital.

Liverpool Echo

• Jobs fears as Ryanair moves to axe check-in desks at Liverpool John Lennon airportAIRLINE Ryanair plans to axe all its check-in desks at Liverpool John Lennon airport by October in a bid to cut costs.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Fury at bus gate decision 'in secret'A DECISION made "behind closed doors" to delay camera enforcement at a bus gate in Sheffield city centre has been criticised by the Green Party.
• Minister approached in station rowA CAMPAIGN group pressing for Sheffield railway station to be kept open as a pedestrian through route are hoping to present their case to Transport Minister Lord Adonis.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• MPs call for ID guaranteeHOME Secretary Jacqui Smith was challenged last night to guarantee proposals which could require ferry operators in the Northern and Western Isles to demand passengers show their passports will never be applied.
• Social networking sites used in new road safety initiativeTHE popularity of social networking websites is being used as part of a new road safety initiative aimed at young drivers in Scotland.

Wales Online

• Road-users call for investment in Welsh road systemA REPORT that exposed Wales’ 94,000 potholes could be underestimating the scale of the problem as it was compiled before the heavy snowfall of the winter, a cyclists’ organisation has claimed.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Bramhope road row resurfaces as spending plan revealedCAMPAIGNERS are furious that Leeds City Council intends to spend £20,000 resurfacing a road “ after rejecting pleas to cut the speed limit.

Daventry Express

• Speed limits will not stop crashesREDUCING the speed limit of a notoriously dangerous road near Daventry will not help reduce the number of accidents on it, according to a parish council chairman.

Doncaster Free Press

• Green buses on the roadsA NEW fleet of environmentally-friendly buses is to be introduced on the recently-completed A638 bus corridor in Doncaster.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• 400 reasons to end misery on our roadsA campaigner will be using a collection of 400 photographs of the main roads in Rushden as part of his efforts to rid the town of potholes.

Peterborough Telegraph

• UK's first four-seater electric car launchedThe UK's first four-seater electric car, made in Bedfordshire and with a range of 60-70 miles, has been launched.

Wall Street Journal

• Chrysler Pushed Into Fiat 's ArmsChrysler's bankruptcy reorganization envisions the auto maker being revitalized under a partnership between Fiat and the UAW. But the U.S.'s intervention could stall in court.

Washington Post

• After struggle, Chrysler succumbs to bankruptcy DETROIT -- The first sound of the gavel in Chrysler's bankruptcy case might as well be the bang of a starter's pistol.

Transport for London

• London Buses seeks views on proposed new bus route 324London Buses is seeking the views of Barnet, Brent and Harrow residents, businesses and bus users on proposals to introduce new route 324 to the local area.

Aviation Industry

• Seattle partners with Nissan on EV programThe City of Seattle has partnered with Nissan North America to promote the development of an electric vehicle charging network in anticipation of Nissan's release of its highway-legal EV, Renault-Nissan Alliance and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels announced Tuesday.
• ATG Airports Introduce Hi-Intensity Runway Guard Light ATG Airports, a global provider of innovative airfield ground lighting products and services, has developed a hi-intensity LED runway guard light capable of a 3000cd light output. The light output fully complies with FAA and ICAO Annex 14 specifications and performance standards. It can therefore be utilised in CAT III conditions with the aim to provide indication to aircraft that they are approaching an active runway. The ZA389H (hi-intensity application), can also be used in conjunction with ZA280 (stop bar application) to provide additional warnings in low-visibility condition...

Other News Sources

• Minister 'on the wrong track'SIR Alan Beith MP has accused the Government's Transport Minister Lord Adonis of failing to grasp the real needs of the rail network in the North East.
• Ministerial support won to speed up A21 meeting duallingTunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark won support this morning from Transport Minister Lord Adonis to examine all possible ways to speed up the dualling of the A21.
• Transport Minister Adonis in warning over high-speed rail planBIRMINGHAM will struggle to cope with a new high speed rail line because existing stations are running out of capacity, the minister responsible for the nation’s rail network has warned.
• DfT issues swine flu guidelines for travel industry The Department for Transport has asked the travel industry to review its business continuity...
• Bank holiday work to improve rail linesNETWORK rail will carry out work to improve train lines in south Essex over the two bank holidays this month. The firm says around 4,500 people will be working over the holidays, on Monday and May 25, to put the much-needed improvements in place across the country.
• Council expected to say no to KIGMaidstone council is gearing up to officially oppose KIG for the first time. The council's planning officers are urging councillors to refuse the Kent International Gateway application when they finally debate the proposal next Thursday.
• PASSENGERS SHOULD BE KEPT ON THE TRAIN DURING ENGINEERING WORKSAs passengers prepare for another bank holiday of disruption on the national rail network, Passenger Focus is calling for train companies to use rail replacement services as a last resort. The industry should also make certain that passengers aren’t charged more for longer journeys.