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Wednesday, 06 May 2009

BBC News

• Rail 'champs' to improve stationsThe government has appointed two rail "champions" who will advise on improving facilities at train stations. It comes after a six day rail tour of Britain by Transport Minister Lord Adonis revealed some "downright poor-quality" stations.
• Talk to save LDV set to continueNegotiations to save van maker LDV are continuing after ministers offer a £5m loan to help save the firm going bust.
• Robert PestonBAA is optimistic but knows there's no margin for error
• Fiat's ambitionOpportunism drives Fiat's efforts to acquire GM Europe
• German car sales continue to riseA trade-in plan helped boost German car sales by 19% in April compared with a year earlier, less than March's 40% leap in sales.
• Chrysler lenders aim to stop saleA group of lenders to US carmaker Chrysler ask a New York court to halt the proposed sale to Italian firm Fiat.

Financial Times

• CBI hits back on Heathrow runwayThere is a "strong consensus" among CBI members that a third runway for Heathrow airport must go ahead, Richard Lambert, the business group's director-general, insisted yesterday.
• Adonis hints at new terms for train operatorsFuture rail franchises may specify minimum standards for station lavatories, cycle parking and opening hours of refreshments facilities, the government indicated on Tuesday, in the latest sign of its increasingly tight control of the industry.
• National Express in talks over rail franchiseThe chief executive of National Express said the company was in constructive talks with the government over the future of its train franchises, although the rail...
• Alstom to bid for Areva T&DAlstom's chief executive conceded that his dream of merging the group with nuclear company Areva appeared to be receding, but staked a claim to his target's energy transport business
• Ferrovial in third quarterly loss in succession Weakness at UK airports operator BAA, the construction downturn, currency movements and heavy financial costs take their toll on the Spanish infrastructure group
• Oil tanker owners see rates fallOil tanker owners have become the latest ship­owners to see earnings plummet, after the rates earned by some ship classes fell by more than half in two months

The Guardian

• Car ads 'should carry climate health warnings'MP Colin Challen accuses motor manufacturers of not telling whole truth in green claims
• Tea and toilets order for railway stationsRailway stations are to be ordered to keep toilets clean and offer refreshments to passengers. Lord Adonis, the rail minister, has set up a review of stations following a six-day rail tour of Britain with low points including a tea drought at Southampton station.
• National Express treated lenientlyNational Express holds its annual meeting and chief executive Richard Bowker will be hoping that no shareholder reminds him of what he said in August 2007:

The Herald

• Call for Scotland to introduce railway station championsTwo "Stations' Champions" have been appointed to advise the government on how to improve railway stations in England and Wales, prompting calls last night for a similar role to be created in Scotland.

The Independent

• The case for a third runway has been further erodedDespite the formidable array of political and social forces arrayed against the Government when it took its controversial decision to give the green light to a third runway at Heathrow airport, ministers could always cling to the unswerving support of the business community for the project.

The Scotsman

• Give us back our forgotten footbridge over WaverleyIT WAS built in the late 19th century to replace an ancient road that used to link the city's Old Town and Leith Walk before the opening of Waverley Station.

The Telegraph

• Ferrovial's gored matadors will have foreign investors running for the exitThe Spanish matadors only have themselves to blame for paying £10.1bn at the height of 2006's bull market and then gearing up the company's seven UK airports with a jumbo-load of debt. But Ferrovial has also been dealt a lousy hand by UK authorities which, having sat on their hands for the 20 years since BAA's privatisation, have suddenly decided to move not only the goalposts, but the pitch.

Times Online

• Last-minute £5m loan keeps LDV on the roadHundreds of jobs at LDV, the vanmaker owned by Oleg Deripaska, the Russian billionaire, appeared to have been saved last night when the Government agreed to provide a £5 million bridging loan.
• BAA loss soars as Gatwick set to disappointBAA's losses in the first three months of this year rose nearly 500 per cent and it has emerged that the airports operator may also have to accept a much lower offer for Gatwick.

Press Association

• Aviation bosses plan pollution cutAviation chiefs showed off their green credentials by explaining how they planned to make planes grow quieter and less polluting. In future, planes could reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 30%, Rolls-Royce vice president Robert Nuttall told an aviation and climate change conference in London.
• National Express under pressureTransport group National Express said that stalling revenues from its East Coast Main Line service had put more pressure on its struggling UK rail business.

Reuters News

• National Express revenue up, eyes more cost cutsritish rail and bus operator National Express (NEX.L) said on Wednesday that foreign exchange movements had helped lift revenues in the first quarter but that it planned further cost cuts amid challenging market conditions. The company said total group revenue rose 7.9 percent in the first three months of the year with underlying growth of 4.1 percent at its UK Bus and Coach division. At its UK Rail unit revenue grew 0.3 percent on its East Coast services, 3.8 percent at its East Anglia franchise and by 4.6 percent on c2c.

ATOC

• TRAIN COMPANIES WANT TO MOVE FASTER TO IMPROVE STATIONSCommenting on Lord Adonis™ announcement today on station improvements, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said: œTrain companies are keen to move faster on initiatives to improve stations and have been calling for quicker procedures to approve projects.

Transport Briefing

• Ex-Virgin boss to advise on rail station upgradesFormer Virgin Trains chief executive Chris Green and president of the Town and Country Planning Association Sir Peter Hall are to conduct a review of railway stations across Britain.

London Evening Standard

• Pilots to boycott trial of ID cardsAirline pilots will refuse to take part in the national identity card scheme when trials begin at London City and Manchester airports this autumn
• Tube and rail workers protest at ParliamentHundreds of Tube and mainline rail workers protested outside Parliament over job losses
• Crossrail under threat if Tories win next electionCrossrail could be delayed at the 11th hour if the Conservatives win power, it has emerged

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Restored railway station prepares to reopenA RAILWAY station, which closed in 1967 has been restored and is to reopen on Sunday, May 17.

Wales Online

• Vital for Wales to work with airlines on international linksTONIGHT I shall be at the National Transport Awards for Wales organised by the Chartered Institute for Logistics and Transport (UK) Cymru and it may therefore seem somewhat inappropriate to revisit a transport issue outside of Wales.

Peterborough Telegraph

• BAA profits up despite fewer passengersHigher charges helped airports operator BAA lift profits 28% in the first three months of 2009 despite a 10% fall in passengers at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airpo

Washington Post

• Even If GM Lands in Chapter 11, Its GMAC Financing Arm Might Not Follow GMAC, the financing arm of General Motors, said yesterday it would not necessarily be dragged into bankruptcy court if the automaker fails to meet its restructuring deadline and files for Chapter 11 protection.
• Judge OKs Chrysler's steps toward sale to Fiat NEW YORK -- The judge overseeing Chrysler LLC's Chapter 11 proceedings has ruled that the automaker can start taking steps toward selling the vast majority of its assets to Italy's Fiat Group SpA. The judge also said lawyers for a dissident group of lenders have until noon Wednesday to file a list of members with the court, ruling that their identities do not need to be sealed despite reported death threats.

Railnews

• News: National Express East Coast ’seeking management contract’ – reports SPECULATION is growing that National Express is seeking to replace its franchise to operate intercity trains on the East Coast Main Line with a management contract to run the services for the Department for Transport.

Aviation Industry

• Lichfield MP sceptical over appointment of railway station championsPlans for a review of facilities at railway stations across the country have been met with scepticism by Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant.
• BAA announces three month financial results to 31 March 2009Colin Matthews, Chief Executive of BAA, said:

Green Miscellany

• Ford examines thermoelectric energy regenerationDuring last month’s SAE 2009 World Congress, Ford presented a research paper into thermoelectric exhaust heat energy recovery.
• Electric transit bus hits fuel economy targetDuring testing at Pennsylvania State University, the 35ft Proterra FCBE transit bus powered by an electric propulsion system and a lithium-ion battery pack achieved the equivalent of more than 20mpg.

Other News Sources

• Icomera Introduces Rugged Wi-Fi Cellular Router for Rail and Road VehiclesSeattle, WA (PRWEB) May 6, 2009 -- Icomera, the world's leading provider of cellular broadband gateways, has announced the introduction of a ruggedized, industrial cellular router and Wi-Fi access point designed for demanding transport applications. The Moovbox M200R mobile broadband gateway is targeted at markets where high-specification equipment must endure harsh environments; these include light rail, commuter trains and buses, and first responders such as fire, ambulance and police.
• Gatwick railway station set for improvementsPROPOSALS to improve Gatwick railway station were due to be heard at a meeting last Thursday(April 30).
• Rye rail group seeks Ashford linkRye rail action group Marshlink is looking to join forces with another group at end of the line Ashford. They believe it will strengthen attempts to get improvements to the line such as dual tracking and electrification
• City people are making fewer journeys by carCAR use in Worcester has fallen significantly over the last five years while journeys by bus, bicycle and on foot have rocketed, a new study suggests.
• Train Row Near End?Furious locals had complained about the freight trains that sit outside their houses for hours on end at all times of the day and night with their diesel engines still running.
• Lancashire council criticised for spending tax payers money on first class train faresCOUNCIL bosses have sparked fury by spending a quarter of a million pounds on luxury first class rail travel. Taxpayers’ have been landed with a £250,000 bill for the 1,638 first class tickets over the past two years, with critics branding the payout a “disgrace”.
• "Stations Tsars" appointed to revamp Britain's "downright poor" railway stationsTransport minister Lord Adonis has today appointed two “Stations Champions” to review passengers’ requirements at stations across England and Wales and suggest ways to improve facilities.
• The Co-operative Travel welcomes third runway opposition The Co-operative Travel has welcomed the opposition to Heathrow's third runway, which was voiced yesterday by business leaders in an open letter to The...
• Rail Runner heads to El Paso, Las CrucesThe New Mexico Rail Runner Express will head south this week to Las Cruces and El Paso. Gov. Bill Richardson said there is growing enthusiasm for the commuter train in southern New Mexico. “It...
• Pirates hijack cargo ship off SomaliaAn Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship has been hijacked by a band of eight pirates in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia, the government of the Caribbean state says. It is the latest repor...
• Eurogate stands firm on feesGERMAN terminal operator Eurogate is rejecting pressure from container carriers to cut box handling rates, chairman Emanuel Schiffer said today.
• CSAV lines for sale?SPECULATION is mounting that Chilean carrier CSAV may be ready to sell off its Companhia Libra de Navegacao and CSAV Norasia lines to help reduce costs and debt.
• London to get 'flagship' low carbon zones Boris Johnson has pledged £3m to develop ten flagship Low Carbon Zones (LCZ) - aimed at creating jobs and cutting carbon emissions.

News from Europe

• Cessange railway station plans unveiledLuxembourg's Minister for Transport, Mr Lucien Lux, yesterday unveiled the architectural design of the new railway station for Cessange.
• Bombardier and Alstom win US$605M suburban-train order from Deutsche BahnBERLIN — Bombardier Transportation (TSX:BBD.B) and Alstom Transport have won an order from Deutsche Bahn for 83 electric four-car suburban trains.

Other Subscription Services

• EU convoy ships 'less likely to suffer pirate attacks'JUST one vessel registered with the anti-piracy operation was successfully hijacked, according to Brussels' figures.
• Nautilus UK meeting to discuss pensions, piracy and safetyPENSIONS, piracy and maritime safety will dominate the debate at the Nautilus UK conference in Newcastle next week.
• EU slaps 17-month block on Hellenic RegisterCOMPANY banned from classing new ships while it attempts to save its status as a recognised organisation.