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

Friday, 15 May 2009

BBC News

• Voters focus on transport issues [Cambridgeshire]The county is beset by transport problems. Its train to London is the most crowded in Europe. Major road links are under pressure. The east to west A14 dual carriageway is bumper to bumper.
• Rail improvements to be delayedWeston-super-Mare MP John Penrose has said he is angry after discovering promised local rail track improvements have been postponed.
• Bus drivers may lose their jobsReading Buses has said it may have to make some of its drivers redundant after a dramatic drop in the number of fare-paying passengers. Takings are down by £100,000 a month - a 14% drop, the firm said.
• Rail link marks first full yearMore than twice the number of commuters are using the new Alloa rail link than predicted, latest figures from Transport Scotland have revealed.
• PM hails £16bn Crossrail projectMr Brown joined rail minister Lord Adonis and London Mayor Boris Johnson at Canary Wharf in London Docklands as a foundation for a new Crossrail station was laid.

Department for Transport

• Transport Statistics The Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics: * Provisional Port Statistics 2008

Financial Times

• Balfour and Kier buoyed by public spendingPublic spending should buoy revenues at Balfour Beatty and Kier in spite of the deepening construction downturn, the companies said.
• Crossrail vital for London and UK [letter from Mr Boris Johnson and others]Sir, We are delighted that the construction of Crossrail begins today. This is clearly a crucial step in delivering the project that will benefit the whole of the UK, adding 10 per cent to London's rail-based transport capacity and creating a lasting legacy of jobs and skills.
• Big rail electrification scheme called forA compelling case for the first big electrification programme for 20 years is to be presented by the company that runs Britain's railways “ a move that would cut costs and lead to faster and cleaner journeys
• EU airlines join online reformersBritish Airways and Air France-KLM have 'expressed their commitment' to end any misleading advertising or unfair sales practices on their websites amid pressure from the European Commission
• Singapore Airlines hit by 92% fall in profitsSingapore Airlines unveils net profits for the January-March quarter unexpectedly fell by 92 per cent
• Branson hits out at BA/AA tie-upSir Richard Branson warned that British Airways' planned transcontinental venture with American Airlines could imperil Virgin Atlantic Airways, the carrier he founded 25 years ago, if it wins approval from US regulators

The Guardian

• Dogs on the Eurostar? You're barkingAfter her passports for pets victory, Lady Mary Fretwell is campaigning for dogs to be allowed to travel by Eurostar
• Recession grounds corporate jetsBoom in luxury air travel comes to an end as chastened executives sell the company plane and rediscover economy class
• On the road in an air-powered carAn air-powered car? Sounds almost too good to be true - so a sceptical Alex Benady took one for a test driveHow would you react to someone who tried to sell you a car that runs on fresh air? Perhaps you would think he was peddling a potentially planet-saving technology. More likely you would dismiss him as a conman or a fantasist. Yet that is precisely the pitch being made by French auto engineer Guy Negre, a good-humoured man in his mid-60s who claims to have developed a car powered by compressed air: one that produces a fraction of the carbon emissions of a standard engine, reaches speeds o...

The Scotsman

• Scrappage benefit 'lost in 88 days'The £2,000 incentive under the Government's "cash for bangers" car-scrappage scheme will be wiped out in just 88 days due to depreciation, it has been revealed.
• Work to begin on Crossrail projectMain construction work on the £16 billion cross-London Crossrail scheme is set to begin.

The Telegraph

• Crossrail’s first departure leaves two months earlyA starting gun we've been waiting for. Work is to start today on Crossrail, London's east-west rail link. How keenly awaited is this? Well Transport for London put out the same press release every day this week flagging up the start, (all not for publication – sorry TfL). But that is just the start of it.

Times Online

• British Airways to offer free cab journeys to Heathrow Terminal 5British Airways is to offer UK members of its Executive Club frequent flyer programme free black cabs and executive car journeys to and from London Heathrow Terminal 5.
• Digging in as Crossrail startsToday is an important day for Crossrail. For the first time since someone, some time in the early 1990s, said, wouldn’t it be useful to have a fast rail link between the City and Heathrow, they are putting a spade in the ground and starting work on the project.
• A renewable force meets an irreplaceable objectA green oil company can halve diesel emissions. But obtaining its wonder ingredient involves destroying vital rainforest

Press Association

• Brown hails crossrail project startPrime Minister Gordon Brown cast the cares of the Westminster expenses scandal aside for a while by celebrating the start of major construction work on the £16 billion cross-London Crossrail scheme.

Reuters News

• UK infrastructure firms buoyed by public sectorBritish infrastructure company Balfour Beatty (BALF.L) said on Thursday it expects to make further progress in 2009, after its performance in the building sector topped that of last year. Rail was the only sector to lag in the first four months of the year, it added, as the group continues to trade in line with expectations.
• BA/American Airlines link would be monopoly-BransonA proposed alliance between AMR Corp's (AMR.N) American Airlines and British Airways (BAY.L) would create a "monster monopoly," British entrepreneur Richard Branson said on Thursday.

Mail Online

• The ultimate get-fit gadget for yummy mummies: The buggy that turns into a bike in 20 seconds
• Budget airlines told to clean up 'misleading' websites and show true cost of fares upfrontEurope's main budget airlines were yesterday given a final warning to clean up websites that mislead travellers about the true cost of flights.

The Mirror

• Latest: Work to begin on Crossrail projectMain construction work on the £16 billion cross-London Crossrail scheme is set to begin.

Transport Briefing

• Glasgow Siemens train depot expansion work startsThe train care facility, which is expected to be completed by the end of August next year, will cost £24 million and house and maintain a new fleet of 38 Siemens Desiro Class 380 electric trains for Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire routes as well as some of the existing ScotRail fleet. Up to 130 new jobs will be created in Scotland to operate and maintain the new fleet and expanded depot facilities.
• Crossrail construction begins at Canary WharfConstruction of Britain's largest transport infrastructure project finally gets underway today as piling starts for Isle of Dogs station.

Journal Live

• Hoon refuses to let rail bosses off hookTRANSPORT Secretary Geoff Hoon yesterday ruled out renegotiating the East Coast rail franchise as growing numbers of MPs expressed concern.
• Turbulent times for regional airportsROCKETING tax and security bills could shut regional airports, MPs have been told. Newcastle Airport also warned flights could be squeezed out of Heathrow despite the proposed third runway unless ministers step in and “ring fence” regional slots.

Liverpool Post

• Work to begin on Crossrail projectMain construction work on the £16 billion cross-London Crossrail scheme is set to begin. Rail Minister Lord Adonis and London mayor Boris Johnson will be present when a 60ft pile is sunk into the floor on the site of a new Crossrail station at Canary Wharf in London's Docklands.

London Evening Standard

• Senior Tory sinks Mayor's plan for Boris island airportThe Mayor of London's plan for a 'Boris Island' were dealt a blow today as the shadow transport secretary ruled out the idea.
• Finally! Crossrail gets out of the sidings after 20 yearsWork started today on a new railway under London that will transform travel across the capital.
• BA tempts top passengers with free ride in a black cabBritish Airways is to lay on free London black cabs for passengers living within 100 miles of Heathrow.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Anger over pass plan for railway footbridgeSHEFFIELD residents could be issued with passes to allow them to continue using the railway station footbridge controversially closed to non-train passengers.
• 'Pass' plans for station bridge revealedPLANS were today announced to issue Sheffield residents with passes to allow them to continue using the railway station footbridge controversially closed to non-train passengers.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Trial of bus stop system to improve safetyThe SeeMe system – which is widely used in Sweden – is the latest Aberdeenshire Council-led initiative to improve school-transport safety following the deaths of two pupils in road accidents last year after they stepped off buses.
• Dyce shuttle bus to become permanentA new shuttle bus service is set to become a permanent feature at Dyce after securing additional funding from Aberdeen Airport.
• Minister refuses to scrap road planTransport Minister Stewart Stevenson has refused to scrap a £750,000 underpass planned as part of a major Moray road project.
• Disabled woman™s bus station plea A disabled woman has called for greater safety measures at Inverness Bus Station after her wheelchair became trapped between a high kerb and a stationary bus.

The York Press

• Transport Minister Lord Adonis delivers body blow to rail firm National Express THE Government has flatly ruled out allowing York-based rail operator National Express East Coast (NXEC) to change the terms of its franchise for the East Coast Main Line.
• £298k Selby roads upgrade MORE than a quarter-of-a-million pounds is to be spent improving the roads around Selby and Sherburn-in-Elmet.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Rail disruptions for 17th MayTRAVELLERS using Peterborough railway station on Sunday (17 May) will once again face major disruption because of a lack of drivers.
• Potter's Bar rail crash inquiry 'soon'Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon has pledged that an inquiry into the Potter's Bar rail disaster in Hertfordshire would take place "as soon as possible".

Forbes

• American Airlines spent $1.5M lobbying in 1QAmerican Airlines spent nearly $1.5 million to lobby in the first quarter on the economic-stimulus bill, its bid for antitrust immunity for a joint venture with two European carriers and other issues, according to a recent disclosure form.

Aviation Industry

• Co-op Travel urges government to improve UK airport standardsAccording to the poll, 65 per cent of airport customers are dissatisfied with baggage reclaim systems, 60 per cent are not happy with catering choices or quality and 58 per cent indicated that they were not satisfied with airport parking facilities.
• Branson:Can't Assure Virgin Survival If AA & BA MergeVirgin Atlantic Airlines President Richard Branson said Thursday a proposed merger of AMR Corp.'s (AMR) American Airlines and British Airways PLC (BAIRY) would be
• Airport security "getting ridiculous" - IATAPassengers "almost have to strip"read more

Green Miscellany

• Green technologies set to storm ’International Engine of the Year’ awardsLast year’s winner, BMW, renowned for its Efficient Dynamics technology and for its range of class-leading green cars, has a fight on its hands to achieve a record-breaking fifth consecutive International Engine of the Year title.
• Billing system for electric vehicle charging unveiledBritish company Elektromotive has unveiled a groundbreaking tool for monitoring and invoicing electricity drawn from vehicle charging stations.
• Triple hybrid fuel cell bus unveiledA presentation near Munich marked the debut of the first passenger bus to use a triple hybrid fuel cell system developed by Fuel Cell GmbH, a subsidiary of Proton Power Systems.

Other News Sources

• Adonis will demand more rigorous station standards in new franchisesTrain operators will be required to meet more rigorous station standards when new franchises are let, transport minister Andrew Adonis has announced.
• Port still UK's busiest in 2008The East Yorkshire port of Grimsby and Immingham has maintained its position as the UK's busiest for freight traffic.
• Rail improvement delay - MP 'angry'VITAL work to improve the railway around Weston is moving at a 'snail's pace', according to the town's MP.
• Fight for station revamp starts nowMoves to bring Leyland Railway Station into the 21st century are gathering pace. South Ribble Council leader Margaret Smith is driving the project forward and says 'the fight starts now' to get all the agencies on boar
• New railway station for Apperley Bridge?A Calverley councillor has welcomed plans to deliver a new railway station at Apperley Bridge. The proposals developed by Metro will see two trains per hour stopping at the station in both directions on the busy Leeds to Bradford Forster Square route.
• Bus travel card speeded upTravel cards which are the passport to free bus rides are now being printed while you wait in Bath.
• First Group merge Yorkshire bus operations in cost-cutting driveUS operator First Group has completed a shake-up of its operations covering Huddersfield in a bid to cut costs. The group has merged its four subsidiaries covering Huddersfield and Halifax, Leeds, Bradford and York into a single bus operating company comprising 1,143 vehicles and 3,231 staff.
• Give us a break from bus bypassA HIGH Peak bus service is not calling at Chapel-en-le-Frith in order to give respite to its long-distance passengers! Chapel-en-le-Frith parish councillor Ann Young has been campaigning for the reinstatement of the Transpeak bus through the town for the past four years.
• Great Harwood bus station plan rejectedPLANS for a new bus interchange have been turned down by councillors over fears it would disrupt elderly residents.
• Travel made easier by new rail-bus schemeThe PLUSBUS scheme, supported by West Sussex County Council, is being introduced in the city from Sunday, May 17. A county council spokesman said this was an integrated ticket that enabled combined discounted train and local bus travel.
• Scheme for Seaside bus lane will add to not reduce road congestionWe understand that the proposed Seaside bus lane, which was rejected by a majority of local residents in a county council poll and then later deferred by the county planning committee on the grounds of lack of justification and evidence of need, is to be resurrected by the Hastings-elected zealot Mathew Lock, the Tory lead member for transport and environment at Lewes.
• Commuter trains in valley consideredA new study has been published into the possibility of re-introducing regular passenger train services between Oxenhope and Keighley.
• Extra bus is added to beat congestionTransdev Keighley and District has added an extra 662 bus on the route between Keighley and Bradford after a satellite tracking system highlighted where traffic hotspots were causing difficulties.
• Calls for re-nationalisation of town's train linkDONCASTER'S main rail link to London is today at the centre of a campaign for renationalisation, with a local transport campaigner backing the call.
• M25 widening: Mega-deal's financial close reported to be The £5bn upgrade of the M25 looks to be back on track with lending backs meeting this morning to set a date for financial close.
• Villiers promises to axe Stansted runwayShadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers this week pledged to scrap plans for a second runway at Stansted airport if the Conservatives win the next election.Stansted operator BAA has already won permission for the airport to grow from 23M passengers per year to 35M passengers per year. Proposals for a 442ha second runway will go to public consultation shortly.Doubts and concernsBut doubts about the economic viability of the proposals have surfaced, a
• London mayor makes statement of intent with Isle of Dogs ground breaking ceremonyWork to build London™s mega-rail project Crossrail starts tomorrow at the site of the Isle of Dogs station in Docklands.The £500M station box will be built partially below the water level at North Quay, next to Canary Wharf.London mayor Boris Johnson, transport secretary Lord Adonis, Transport for London commissioner Peter Hendy, Crossrail chief executive Rob Holden and outgoing Crossrail chairman Doug Oakervee will be present when a drilling rig will signal the
• Crossrail faces review if Tories win next electionFears for the future of London™s £16bn Crossrail scheme resurfaced this week after the Conservatives said they could scrap it if they win the next General Election.The Conservatives said they planned to review œall major projects should they come to power, and have already committed themselves to axing a second runway at Stansted.Fears about the Conservatives™ commitment to Crossrail surfaced during a debate on Treasury spending in the House of Commons last wee
• Opposition to Inland Waterways Lockage TaxThe American Waterways Operators, the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, criticized the proposal in the Obama Administration's Fiscal Year 2010 budget to replace the inland waterways fuel tax with a lockage tax. A similar idea was proposed by the Bush Administration and rejected by the 110th Congress...
• TINKLER’S VISION FOR AIRPORT AS AVIATION CENTREEDDIE Stobart boss Andrew Tinkler has revealed his vision for Carlisle Airport as a regional centre for aviation services that could employ more than 1,000 people.
• Olympic construction materials delivered by bargeMany of the construction materials for London’s 2012 Olympic Park are to be transported to the site on barges, with an east London waterway being dredged and brought back into use. Water transport has just one fifth the carbon footprint of road transport, and barges can carry up to ten lorries’ worth of materials without causing [...]
• Change in car-buying motivationsChange in car-buying motivations
• Work to begin on Crossrail projectWork to begin on Crossrail project

News from Europe

• Bicycles touted as ’first modern post-fossil vehicle’ Cycling is not only good for the health, but can also help tackle global challenges like climate change and oil dependency, specialists argued at the world 'Velo-City' conference in Brussels this week.
• Real-time Traffic Information For Connected DriversCVIS, European flagship project for Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure Systems, is co-organising the first on-road demonstrations of core technologies and applications developed for Europe’s universal platform for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication and services.

Other Subscription Services

• Climate protesters train their sights on shippingLOBBY groups target International Chamber of Shipping in series of events in run-up to Copenhagen.
• British officers must accept wage restraintBRITISH officers must accept wage restraint in order to help British shipping survive the current crisis, says president of the Chamber of Shipping.