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

Monday, 18 May 2009

BBC News

• Parking fees 'rip off' rail usersRail passengers are being "ripped off" when parking at stations, which can cost up to £135 for eight hours, according to a union.
• Rail station finally back on lineAn Aberdeenshire railway station which was closed in the 1960s has finally re-opened after a long-running campaign by residents.
• Merthyr-Cardiff trains increaseA new half-hourly train service between Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff which aims to get commuters out of their cars is to start.
• Bus company plans to cut servicesThe travel company First says it plans to make a 6% cut in its bus services across West Yorkshire from mid-July.
• Scrappage deal 'will boost sales'Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said the £300m scheme would "provide a boost to the industry and kick-start sales". But critics say it is not generous enough and does nothing to encourage the take-up of low emission cars.

Financial Times

• Young keener on 'cash for bangers'Younger and lower-income motorists are the most likely to take advantage of the government's "cash for bangers" car scrappage scheme that begins today, a study indicates. The scheme enables customers trading in cars more than 10 years old to get up to £2,000 off the price of a new vehicle.
• Tube improvements at risk, boss saysOfficials are risking improvements on some Underground lines by questioning the future of the private company responsible for them, the company's out­going chief says

The Herald

• UK ports not prepared for terror attack, warn MPsBritain’s maritime defences are not properly resourced or co-ordinated to deal with the threat of terrorist attack, MPs warned.
• Anger over ’failure’ of £28.5m rail upgradeResidents of two villages in Ayrshire have complained that a £28.5m upgrade of railway track has not del­ivered the service improvements they were promised, with a number of faster trains due to pass them by.

The Independent

• Confusion over scrappage rescue plan for motor industryAs the Government's £2,000 cash-for-old-bangers scheme launches today, in a bid to breathe life back into Britain's stalled motor industry, manufacturers and dealerships are split over which of them is expected to cover the car industry's share of the discount. One of the major manufacturers, Honda, almost pulled out, fearing that it would be economically unworkable.

The Scotsman

• Cash-for-bangers revs up for launchThe Government's "cash for bangers" car scrappage scheme will give a particular boost to disadvantaged drivers, it has been revealed.

The Telegraph

• Motorists 'risk being refused new car under scrappage scheme'Thousands of motorists wanting to trade in their old cars under the Government's scrappage scheme beginning on Monday risk being turned down.

Times Online

• Italy's elite powers full steam ahead on a fantastic journeyThis is an Italian dream machine: low-slung on its wheels, with a ferocious barracuda nose, designer interior styling and a top speed of 360km/h. Of course, the colour is haemoglobin red — and, best of all, you can chatter endlessly to your friends in the seats behind you without fear of wrapping the car round an olive tree.
• Only the fast track will do for next generation of rail investorsRail transport is on the cusp of a decade of upheaval, with mergers, takeovers and new investors from the airline industry and elsewhere, according to the chief executive of one of the world's leading train manufacturers.
• Germans seek deal to let trains run direct to UKDeutsche Bahn is close to securing a concession from Eurotunnel that would allow the German national railway to send its high-speed trains through the Channel tunnel and offer direct services from Germany to London.
• Shell to face shareholder anger at annual meeting as Co-op criticises pay policiesShareholders in Royal Dutch Shell have increased the pressure on the Anglo-Dutch oil and gas group to reconsider its pay policy as a second institutional investor promised to vote against the directors' remuneration report at tomorrow's annual meeting.

Daily Express

• Heathrow State BAA takeover plansHEATHROW Airport could be taken under State control under emergency powers designed to protect passengers from the financial woes of operator BAA.

The Mirror

• VAT row hits Government's 'scrap a car' planhousands who have ordered new cars under the Government's "cash for scrap" scheme face a big letdown tomorrow. A last-minute VAT row between the makers and Lord Mandelson's Business Department has left the plan to kick-start the ailing car industry in chaos.

Transport Briefing

• Network Rail backs Midland and Western electrificationElectrification of the Midland Main Line, Great Western Main Line and Gospel Oak to Barking Line in north London should be prioritised by ministers, according to a new investment strategy published by Network Rail.
• High Speed 1/Eurostar aid package agreed by EUOpening up High Speed 1 to other train operators has moved a step closer after the European Commission approved a £5.2bn package of state aid for the St-Pancras to Channel Tunnel leg of the cross-Channel Eurostar route.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds bus passengers hit as services are cut - Transport giant First is planning a savage round of bus service cuts across West Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Evening Post understands six per cent of the firm's services in the county look set to be axed from mid-July.

Aviation Industry

• United matches US Airways baggage fee planUnited Airlines is adding an extra $5 charge for travelers who pay their baggage fee at the airport instead of online.
• The TSA lets United charge $39 for better security accessUnited Airlines has a new sneaky trick up its sleeve...Its latest cash grab is the right to buy

Other News Sources

• Boris battling to fill Crossrail cash gapBoris Johnson, London's mayor, is staring at a black hole in his city. Its name is Crossrail, the £16 billion east-west link that will speed journeys under the capital from Canary Wharf and the City to Heathrow and points west. Soon the tunnel boring machines are due to go in, making the hole a physical reality. The problem is that there's another looming black hole - a financial one.
• Foreign investor sought for rapid transitOPERATORS from France and the United Kingdom could hold the key to the Gold Coast's 'nation-building' rapid transit system project if an Australian investor is not secured.
• Busway Fuels Hope For Hunt's FutureBUSES on the St Ives-Cambridge guided busway, which is due to open in late summer, could be filling up at the country's first 100 per cent waste-product bio-diesel depot, operator Stagecoach has revealed.
• Minister tackled over £2m bus pass shortfallTorbay Council says it is expecting the cost of the free passes for the over 60s to soar to £4million for 2008 and 2009. The final total will depend on the figures from the bus companies
• Action plan to beat the tram crooksAN ACTION plan is being drawn up to tackle crime around tram stops in Basford. It could mean more lighting, CCTV and changes to a footbridge.
• Penryn rail loop opens tomorrowImprovements to Penryn Railway Station which will allow train services between Falmouth, Penryn and Truro to more than double, will be marked by an opening ceremony on Monday.
• Chance to learn more about Halifax rail improvementsRail users and campaigners will get a chance on Monday night to find out more about the new intercity trains due to start running soon from Halifax to London.