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

Thursday, 14 May 2009

BBC News

• Teen drive scheme to 'save lives'A Welsh police force is linking up with the AA in a move aimed at tackling teenage road deaths. North Wales Police will offer "at risk" teenagers free driver safety training in the scheme run by the road organisation's charitable trust.
• Voters ponder transport at pollsIn 2007, the main parties were tossed aside in Boston when a "single issue" group called the Boston Bypass Independents swept to power in a protest vote against traffic congestion in the town. Transport concerns are likely to play a major part in this campaign.
• Train oyster card delay 'unfair'A travel watchdog has said a further delay in the introduction of Oyster cards to the London rail network would be "blatantly unfair" to passengers.
• Calls for expert road crash teamsBritain needs a road accident investigation body to work alongside rail, air and marine investigation teams, the RAC Foundation says.
• Rail chief gives up annual bonusNetwork Rail's chief executive opts to give up his annual bonus for this year to avoid overshadowing company performance.
• Profits rise at transport groupProfits at transport firm FirstGroup rise by almost a third, bolstered by its North American business, but its UK rail business performs poorly.

Department for Transport

• Britain better connected as adonis opens £8.9bn rail upgrade Britain is now better connected and rail passengers across the country are benefitting from quicker journeys and more frequent services as Rail Minister Andrew Adonis officially opened the upgraded £8.9bn West Coast Mainline.
• £7.5m funding to help councils manage highways assets An extra £7.5m will be awarded to English local authorities to help them manage their roads, bridges and other highways assets, Transport Minister Paul Clark announced today.
• England to get its first 'sustainable travel city' Large urban areas across England are being given the chance to bid to become the country's first Sustainable Travel City, Transport Minister Paul Clark announced today.

Financial Times

• FirstGroup lifts dividend as bus revenue risesA fall in passenger revenue at its UK rail businesses has not prevented FirstGroup from raising its dividend
• Airlines bow to Brussels ticket sale pressureReforms will address concerns about the way some fares were displayed, so that taxes and additional charges were only added when a purchase was almost complete
• Group knocked out of Gatwick bidThe consortium led by Citi Infrastructure Investors was ejected from the contest to take over London Gatwick because its bid was too low

The Guardian

• Count on Tories to stop the runwaysA Conservative government will tear up Labour's flawed plans for expansion at Heathrow, Stansted and Gartwick
• We need to expand our airportsThe debate on the need for new runways on Comment is free is welcome (Count on Tories to stop the runways) but I should perhaps address some misconceptions.
• EU approval paves way to sale of UK high-speed railBRUSSELS, May 13 (Reuters) - The European Commission approved on Wednesday a British plan to give 5.2 billion pounds ($7.9 billion) of state aid to the owner of Eurostar and Britain's first high-speed railway. The clearance opens the way for the break-up of London & Continental Railways (LCR), which built the High Speed 1 link between London and the Channel Tunnel.

The Herald

• FirstGroup boosts profits by 31% but plans to cut 3500 jobs are confirmedAberdeen-based transport company FirstGroup boosted profits by 31% last year but has seen two key rail franchises take Government support as the recession weighs.
• Motoring group wants national unit to probe UK road deathsLives are being lost on our roads because no statutory body exists to investigate traffic accidents, a leading motoring group has claimed.

The Independent

• Ryanair set to charge £5 for online check-inRyanair passengers face a £5 charge per flight to print out their tickets at home as part of moves to abolish check-in desks and increase revenues. The policy replaces Ryanair's practice of offering free online ticketing and charging anyone who opted for face-to-face check-in £10.

The Scotsman

• Tram emissions: 'The figures are hardly based on pure science'TODAY'S revelations that the city's trams will not be as eco- friendly as many would have assumed will be manna from heaven to detractors of the scheme.

The Telegraph

• BAA cuts Lysander from Gatwick bid processA consortium led by Citigroup's infrastructure fund has been kicked out of the £1.3bn-£1.4bn bid for Gatwick, leaving just two bidders vying for control of the Sussex airport.
• World's fastest electric cycle to go on sale in Britain The world's fastest electric bicycle the A2B capable of doing speeds of up to 20mph is set to go on sale in Britain.
• Ryanair to charge for online checkin Ryanair is to remove all its check in desks airports and charge passengers £5 a flight to check in online
• FirstGroup boosted by extra £40m rail supportFirstGroup highlighted its greater resilience to falling passenger numbers than rival train operators after benefiting from £40m of extra taxpayer support last year.
• Break-up of LCR on trackThe long-awaited break-up of London and Continental Railways has moved a step closer after the European Commission approved a British plan to advance the business £5.2bn of state aid.

Times Online

• Lysander out, leaving two in bid battle for GatwickThe contenders to buy Gatwick narrowed to two yesterday after the Lysander consortium said that it had been dropped from the competition.
• FirstGroup feels recession as railway commuters lose jobsFirstGroup illustrated the dire impact of the recession on Britain’s railways yesterday as its train business reported a 21 per cent drop in full-year operating profits.
• Passenger Focus watchdog will replace Air Transport Users CouncilThe airline passenger watchdog, a long-standing critic of government policy on aviation, is to be abolished. The Government plans to replace the Air Transport Users Council with a body appointed directly by the Transport Secretary.
• Passenger Focus watchdog will replace Air Transport Users CouncilThe airline passenger watchdog, a long-standing critic of government policy on aviation, is to be abolished. The Government plans to replace the Air Transport Users Council with a body appointed directly by the Transport Secretary.
• Schoolchildren help FirstGroup to get its arithmetic rightSchoolchildren are not always the most well-behaved, nor the most eager, passengers, but you will not find FirstGroup complaining about carrying them. Yesterday™s full-year results from Britain™s biggest bus and train operator went some way to explain why. At a time when the transport sector faces a recession-related slowing of revenues at home, First™s strengths as North America™s biggest operator of school buses has come to the fore as never before.
• Oil demand still declining, says OpecGlobal demand for oil is continuing to slide as the economy contracts, the Opec producers™ cartel said yesterday. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which pumps about a third of the world™s crude oil, said that it expected consumption to fall by 1.57 million barrels a day this year to an average of 84.03 million barrels.
• Ryanair to charge for checking in onlineRyanair is to start charging customers to check in online. The no-frills airline said that check-in for all its flights booked after May 20 would be by website only and that passengers must pay £5 to do so.

Mail Online

• Check-in is a frill, says Ryanair as passengers face £40 fine if they forget to print tickets at homeRyanair is doing away with the airport check-in desk. The ’no-frills’ airline has decided that the administration of passengers at the airport should be classed as a frill.

The Mirror

• Top Stories: Ryanair to scrap airport desks - and charge passengers £5 to check inBudget airline Ryanair is to scrap its airport desks and make most passengers pay £5 a head to check in online.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL CHIEF EXECUTIVE FORGOES ANNUAL BONUS

Transport Briefing

• Sustainable Travel City competition invites bidsLarge urban areas across England have been invited by the government to bid to become the country's first Sustainable Travel City.
• Burnt Tree Island junction upgrade signed off by DfTA £12.3m upgrade to cut congestion and improve safety at a key Black Country road junction has this week been given the go-ahead by transport minister Paul Clark.
• Metrolink tram 3b extension funding brought forwardFour Manchester transport projects, including two extensions to the Metrolink tram network, are to be fast-tracked under a £244m funding package announced this week.
• West Coast rail ceremony marks project completionTransport minister Andrew Adonis has officially reopened the West Coast Main Line to celebrate completion of the decade long, £8.9bn upgrade of one of Europe's busiest mixed use railways.

Belfast Telegraph

• Ryanair to begin move to web-only check-inRyanair has confirmed it will move to web-only check-in for all new bookings from this day next week.

Birmingham Post

• Unthinkable that high speed train services bypass BirminghamThe announcement by Lord Adonis, the Transport Minister, that the government has ordered an investigation into whether Birmingham needs a major new railway station is both welcome and long overdue.
• Government to consider new rail station for BirminghamA Government inquiry is to consider building a major new railway station in Birmingham to serve new high speed services, the minister responsible for the rail network has revealed.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Call for more high-speed rail links in WalesMINISTERS will urge rail chiefs not to ignore Wales when plans for high- speed railway lines are drawn up.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Carbon warning on 'green' tramlineDOUBTS have been raised over the green credentials of the capital's tram project after figures suggested it would produce the same level of greenhouse gas emissions in its first year as 8,000 flights from Edinburgh to London.

Liverpool Echo

• Ellesmere Port union bosses see Fiat Vauxhall axe plansUNIONS today confirmed they have seen Fiat documents suggesting Vauxhall's UK plants will close by 2016.

London Evening Standard

• Citi brands BAA bizarre after losing Gatwick bidA row broke out tonight over the bidding for Gatwick airport as a Citigroup consortium was kicked out of the process. Citi Infrastructure Investors declared the decision to eliminate it at an early stage was “bizarre in the extreme”
• Powering into London: £2,000 electric bike with ’rocket boost’It costs almost £2,000 and travels at 15mph, but at least it won't get stuck in traffic.
• Revealed: FirstGroup's secret £50m bailout from taxpayerFirst Great Western, the much-criticised Paddington-based train company, has received a secret £50 million bailout from the taxpayer. Figures from FirstGroup today revealed profits from its rail operations plunged more than 20% last year.
• Network Rail boss to forego bonusThe boss of rail infrastructure company Network Rail (NR) has said he will not be taking any bonus this year. Last year, NR chief executive Iain Coucher received more than £500,000 in bonuses, including a £305,000 annual bonus, despite the firm being fined a record £14 million for engineering overruns.
• All Ryanair passengers must now check-inNo frills airline Ryanair is to stop using traditional check-in desks at airports as it moves the service entirely online

Manchester Evening News

• £1.4bn transport deal unveiledGREATER Manchester's new £1.4bn transport package is a whole new programme and not a 'plan B', politicians claim.

Metro

• Ryanair charges £40 for airport check-inNo frills airline Ryanair is abolishing the use of traditional check-in desks and charging passengers £40 if they don't print their own ticket.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Airline blames Heathrow for Inverness flights endingA regional airline said yesterday that Heathrow Airport™s operators must reduce their fees before flights between the London hub and Inverness can resume.
• North railway freight plan could create ˜scores of jobs™Scores of jobs could be brought to the Highlands through an enterprising multimillion-pound rail freight venture.

Washington Post

• Senate Bill Steers Away From the CarAs stimulus spending on highways and bridges ramps up, Senate Democrats are submitting legislation today that suggests the nation's transportation policy is headed for a major overhaul, with a strong emphasis on reducing automobile use and carbon emissions and boosting public transit, inter-city rail and rail freight service.

Other News Sources

• Train station work brings disruptionTRAIN passengers face a week of disruption as Network Rail carries out a major upgrade scheme at a key regional station. Hundreds of journeys will be affected during work at Stoke Station over a nine day period at the end of the month.
• In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without CarsVAUBAN, Germany — Residents of this upscale community are suburban pioneers, going where few soccer moms or commuting executives have ever gone before: they have given up their cars.
• Airport’s hopes of expansion put on iceNEWCASTLE Airport has been forced to scale back expansion plans because of the recession, MPs were told yesterday.
• Delight as tram link is rubber-stampedA HIGH profile Ashton councillor has welcomed Metrolink to the town on the day the government officially announced funding to extend the tram system from Droylsden.
• Nottingham will be 'second rate' if new tram lines derailedSCRAPPING the proposed £471m tram extension could make Nottingham a "second rate city in the future", it is claimed. Lib Dem and Labour politicians spoke out during the first public debate on NET Phase Two since Tories pledged to derail the scheme if they win the June 4 county council elections.
• £2.60 a year to fund town centre trams?Homeowners could be asked to fund the scheme which will bring Metrolink into the heart of Rochdale.
• Not happy with GCR rail clearing efforts [letter]CONGRATULATIONS to the Great Central Railway for their work in clearing the old rail track from Swithland to Mountsorrel quarry.
• Crewe's Bombardier Firm Is Set To Lay Off 86 Rail WorkersCREWE suffered a further economic blow this week with the announcement that the town’s railway works is to slash scores of jobs.
• Transport giant looks to IT to stop rail franchise from hitting buffersTransport group National Express is relying on the deployment of innovative customer management technology as it looks to cut costs and drive up revenues in the face of debilitating financial commitments. Maintaining passenger loyalty while reducing operational costs has become an urgent priority at the transport group as it struggles with the burden of financial obligation for the East Coast rail franchise.
• Overload warning for Brit EuropeanBrit European Transport has escaped with a formal warning after being caught twice for overloading within the space of a month, on the A565 at Rostherne, Cheshire last year.
• Thurrock Council pilots HGV clamping schemeThurrock Council has launched a pilot scheme to clamp all illegally parked HGVs in the borough.
• EC green light for UK railGovernment aid of more than £5bn for the high-speed rail link between London and the Channel has been approved by the European Commission.
• The Yard Creative designs Eurostar buffet carsThe Yard Creative has designed new buffet cars for Eurostar™s fleet of 28 trains. The new-look interiors will be ˜drastically different from other train buffet cars™, according to The Yard creative director Steve James-Royle.
• Ryanair names UK marketing managerLow cost airline Ryanair has recruited Laszlo Tamas as its UK sales and marketing manager.
• EC green light for UK railGovernment aid of more than £5bn for the high-speed rail link between London and the Channel has been approved by the European Commission.
• UK encouraging use of next gen passports' biometric features The UK Border Agency is encouraging UK and other European with passports issued since 2006 to make use of the new border entry gates with installed facial biometric systems at Stansted airport, according to a Travel Bite article.
• Passenger bill of rights narrowly passes crucial voteOTTAWA — A big lobby campaign by Canada's main airlines to thwart a proposed passenger bill of rights with a pitch that it would endanger the flying public fell short on Wednesday when the legislation cleared an important hurdle in Parliament.
• EIB Board gives green light for an additional EUR 750m to support cleaner transportThe European Investment Bank™s Board of Directors today approved loans to European-based automotive companies worth a total of EUR 750m to help design and build cleaner vehicles with lower emissions.
• Black Carbon Presents Key Opportunity for U.S.-China Cooperation on Climate Change, HealthReducing black carbon emissions could be part of the solution to two major problems plaguing China, said experts participating in an event yesterday organized by the Woodrow  Wilson Center™s China Environment Forum. The discussion focused on opportunities for the U.S. and China to work together on solving some of the health and environment issues that have been a result of the country™s rapid economic development.
• Airport brings in cancer scanning technology to detect explosivesManchester Airport has become the first in the UK to buy a scanning system used in cancer hospitals in order to detect explosives in luggage.
• 'Bizarre' claim as Gatwick boots out Lysander bidOne of the bidders in the battle to land Gatwick airport, the Lysander Gatwick Investment Group, today confirmed that BAA had dropped it from the bidding process.
• Facial tests to be extended in UKMove could mark end of iris recognition system Trials of facial recognition immigration gates at Stansted and Manchester airports are to be extended to ten UK terminals by August this year.

News from Europe

• EU approves British state aid for high-speed Eurostar lineBRUSSELS) - The EU's top competition watchdog on Wednesday approved 5.2 billion pounds (7.9 billion dollars, 5.8 billion euros) of British state aid to develop Eurostar, including the high-speed rail service which links London with Paris and Brussels.

Other Subscription Services

• Goldenport shuffles containership chartersGREEK shipowner Goldenport has shuffled charter contracts within its containership fleet in order to ensure employment of younger vessels.
• Hapag-Lloyd's UK staff vent anger over redundancy clauseSHORESIDE staff accuse company of reneging on a generous redundancy clause in their employment contracts.