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

Tuesday, 19 May 2009

BBC News

• Rail-discount web focus condemnedIt is "unacceptable" that low-cost rail fares are easily available only to those with internet access, MPs say.
• Aer Lingus deny bankruptcy claim Aer Lingus Chairman Colm Barrington rejects as
• Toyota unveils new Prius hybridToyota, the world's biggest carmaker, has revealed the latest revamp of its Prius petrol-electric hybrid in Japan.
• Porsche and VW merger 'in doubt'German car giant Volkswagen says it is suspending merger talks with Porsche, but the luxury carmaker says talks will go on.
• BAA to challenge airport break-upBAA says it will appeal against the decision by the Competition Commission ordering it to sell three airports.
• Carmakers delay car scheme startFord and Honda delay the start of their involvement in the UK car scrappage scheme, saying some issues need to be resolved.

Financial Times

• Car scrap plan off to a stuttering startA UK car scrappage scheme got off to a stuttering start as confusion about how it would work prompted several leading manufacturers to delay their involvement
• Timetable slips for rail carriagesThe 1,300 new carriages the Department for Transport has promised to bring into service on passenger trains by 2014 look unlikely to be delivered on time. A report on...
• BAA appeals against order to sell airportsBAA, the airport operator majority owned by Ferrovial of Spain, is applying to the Competition Appeal Tribunal to review the order forcing it to sell three of its seven UK airports within two years

The Guardian

• Johnson urges non-London developers to pay towards CrossrailMayor asks transport secretary to get planning bodies in east and south-east England to seek contributions towards the new train line
• Boris Johnson may revive low emission zone plansAfter suspending a pan-London scheme upon taking office, the mayor of London may now return to the idea
• Ford and Honda pull out of schemeTwo leading car manufacturers want the 'dog's dinner' of the bangers-for-cash initiative cleared up before they commit to itMotoring groups said the government's long-awaited scrappage scheme had turned into a

The Herald

• Rail stations are accused of rip-off over £55 fee for six hours’ parkingScottish rail passengers are being “ripped off” when parking at stations and face charges of up to £55 for leaving their cars for just over five hours, according to a survey.

The Independent

• Prepare for 'multiple failure' of rail operators, MPs warnThe financial condition of some of Britain's train operating companies is so parlous that the Government needs to make contingency plans for keeping the railways running "in the event of multiple failure", a cross-party committee of MPs warned today.
• Car scrappage plan feels the squeeze of uncertainty As any MoT inspector knows, the devil is in the detail when it comes to old motors. A runner that looks clean enough can, once it's been poked underneath with a screwdriver, reveal flakes of rust and bigger structural problems.

The Telegraph

• Car scrappage scheme: 'cash for bangers' has difficult start The Government's
• Rail union attacks 'rip off' train station car parks Train passengers are paying more than £1 billion a year to use station car parks with

Times Online

• Car dealers fear government scrappage scheme will lose them money Buyers might be queueing up to trade their old cars for new, but dealers fear that they are going to end up out of pocket.
• Volkswagen calls off Porsche talks amid feudVolkswagen, Europe's biggest carmaker, has abruptly cancelled planned merger talks with Porsche amid a feud that marks the latest turn in a continuing power struggle between the automotive groups.
• Ford and Honda reject 'bangers for cash' schemeA £2,000-a-car scrappage scheme aimed at kick-starting Britain's depressed motor industry has hit trouble after a dispute between car companies and the Government over costs.
• BAA to appeal against ˜bias™ in findings of break-up orderBAA, the airports operator, is to appeal against an order from the Competition Commission that it should be broken up.

Daily Express

• Bumpy landings as BA leads the wayBRITISH Airways will fly into the red this week as the flag carrier joins a squadron of major -companies reporting results that give a vital snapshot of the health of the economy.

Mail Online

• 'Bangers and cash' car scrapping plan stalls on first day

Network Rail

• CAR PARK EXPANSION WORK STARTSWork to increase the number of parking spaces at Lancaster station has started after Network Rail appointed Kier Construction to carry out the work as part of a £90m project to improve car parks at most of the Virgin managed stations on the west coast main line.
• CAR PARK EXPANSION WORK STARTS SOONWork to increase the number of parking spaces at Carlisle station is expected to start by the end of the month (May). Network Rail has appointed Kier Construction to carry out the work as part of a £90m project to improve car parks at most of the Virgin managed stations on the west coast main line.
• CROSSRAIL GETS A BOOST AS NETWORK RAIL MAN JOINS TEAMNetwork Rail today announced that Andrew Mitchell, programme director for its £5.5bn congestion-busting Thameslink Programme, will join Crossrail Limited later this year. He will take up a new position as the board level programme director for the multi-billion rail scheme.
• INVESTING IN YORK'S RAIL FUTURENetwork Rail has completed a multi-million pound deal to buy the former Thrall site and Alliance House offices at Holgate in York.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham's Grand Central Station site sold by council for £11mLand identified as a possible site for a major new Birmingham railway station has been sold by the city council for £11 million.
• Train services worse since London Midland awarded franchise - surveyPassengers believe train services are worse since the Department for Transport awarded a franchise to London Midland, an inquiry has warned.
• Union slams 'rip-off' Birmingham New Street car parking charges Rail passengers in Birmingham are being "ripped off" over the price of parking, facing charges of up to £55 for four hours, a union has complained.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• 100mph solar car to be built at Glyndwr UniversityA LECTURER is building a new 100mph solar car to race from America to Canada.

Journal Live

• Tyneside ring road ’must be put first’ says North Tyneside mayorA RING ROAD for Tyneside will be put before transport bosses as concern grows that A19-gridlock could cripple the region’s economy.

London Evening Standard

• Tube upgrade ’put at risk by tensions in TfL partnershipTensions within the private-public partnership responsible for upgrading the Tube network are putting improvements at risk, a senior official warned
• ’Cash for bangers’ under threat as firms pull out over VAT rowThe Government’s “cash for bangers” car scrappage plan suffered a blow when three big manufacturers suspended the scheme

Metro

• Cash for bangers scheme hit by 'hitch'A high-profile government scheme to boost ailing car sales has been engulfed in a funding row.
• £135 a day to park at rail stationRail passengers are being 'ripped off' paying as much as £135 a day to park at stations, says a union.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Hampshire signal box up for discussionThe future of a railway signal box will be discussed at a community board meeting.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• New link to Inverness AirportPassengers from Moray and Nairn can get the bus straight to the door of Inverness Airport from today, after the extension of a popular service.
• Laurencekirk station reopens todayLAURENCEKIRK railway station will be officially reopened today “ 42 years after shutting its doors.

The York Press

• Network Rail buys former York Carriageworks site NETWORK Rail chiefs have signalled their commitment to York after completing a multi-million pound deal to buy the former carriageworks.

Peterborough Telegraph

• BAA to appeal against airports sell-off rulingAirport operator BAA has announced it is appealing against the Competition Commission's (CC) decision to make it sell three of its airports, including Stansted Air

Wall Street Journal

• U.S. Orders Stricter Fuel Goals for AutosThe Obama administration is pushing a plan to raise fuel-economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2016, four years faster than current federal law requires.

Washington Post

• Obama to tap consumers for emission, mpg standards WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama plans to propose the first-ever national emission limits for cars and trucks as well as average mileage requirements of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 _ all costing consumers an extra $1,300 per vehicle. Obama's plan couples for the first time pollution reduction from vehicle tailpipes with increased efficiency on the road. It would save 1.8 billion barrels of oil through 2016 and would be the environmental equivalent to taking 177 million cars off the road, senior administration officials said Monday night.

Railnews

• News: Network Rail proposes major electrification programme ELECTRIFICATION of the Great Western main line to Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea, and of the Midland main line to Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield — followed by electric coverage of many more routes — is the central feature of a new long-term strategy proposed by Network Rail.

Aviation Industry

• BAA confirms application to competition appeal tribunalBAA today confirmed that it is applying to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) to review the Report of the Competition Commission on two separate grounds

Other News Sources

• Anger as 'vital' bus routes axedAnger has erupted in Bradford over a savage round of bus cuts that are threatening to “tear a hole” in the local transport network.
• Major Metrolink improvement works for AugustThe multi-million pound Metrolink expansion will come to Salford and Trafford later this summer as transport bosses build connections to new tram lines.
• Airlines forge closer ties with consolidators Flight consolidators are being offered more seats at better prices as airlines seek to maximise sales through alternative distribution channels. Over...
• Car scrappage scheme stalls on day oneThe 'cash for bangers' car scrappage scheme stalled on day one today with Ford and Honda delaying their involvement
• MPs doubt if Britain rules the waves
• MPs signal cheaper online rail fare oppositionAn influential committee of MPs has expressed concern at the
• Telematics are a necessity, say operatorsEvery haulier will soon need satellite navigation and vehicle tracking systems to survive business and legal pressures, according to operators using the technology.
• DVLA abandons virtual licence check schemeThe British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) is demanding that the Department of Transport (DfT) provides more money for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
• Return of Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry route welcomedA road transport manager says the return of the direct ferry service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge will help his company
• London mayor Boris Johnson makes new developments pay for CrossrailNew changes to the London Plan to make new developments pay contributions to the cost of Crossrail have been published today, with a ˜pragmatic™ get-out clause for those in financial difficulty.
• Mersey Gateway bridge public inquiry set to get underwayPlans for a £431M crossing of the river Mersey near Runcorn are set to move forward tomorrow with the start of a six week public inquiry into the scheme.
• London mayor Boris Johnson makes new developments pay for CrossrailNew changes to the London Plan to make new developments pay contributions to the cost of Crossrail have been published today, with a ˜pragmatic™ get-out clause for those in financial difficulty.
• BAA appeals against order to sell its airportsBAA today confirmed that it is applying to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) to review the Competition Commission™s order that it sell three of its UK airports.
• Tipper fleet fits blindspot scannersDemolition specialist Keltbray has fitted its 32-strong tipper fleet with electronic sensors in an effort to cut the risk of accidents caused by blindspots.
• Tritech Rail wins slice of £18m power station contractWigan-based rail engineering consultancy Tritech Rail Ltd has been chosen to work on an £18m project at Drax’s coal fired power station in Yorkshire.

Other Subscription Services

• Asia-Europe cargo slump shows signs of slowingBOX lines serving the shell-shocked Asia-Europe trades enjoyed some respite in March as the pace of decline slowed.