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

Wednesday, 10 June 2009

BBC News

• Criticism for city's £1m bus laneA 700 yard (640m) bus lane near Bath, built at a cost almost £1m, is a waste of money, critics have said.
• Commuters in call for more trainsCommuters in north Devon have demanded more early and late trains on the Exeter to Barnstaple line. The Tarka Line has hourly services to Exeter, but the earliest leaves Barnstaple at 0709.
• School bus tracking scheme startsA satellite tracking system which will enable parents to check their children are on the school bus is to go live later.
• Fuel emissions focus 'too narrow'Policymakers must consider more than just "tailpipe" emissions when assessing the impacts of different modes of transport, say researchers.
• Tube strike under way as talks failA 48-hour Tube strike begins as talks break down between London Underground bosses and the RMT union.
• Holding patternThe global economic downturn, the spread of H1N1 and volatile oil prices make for an unpleasant mix that has hit the airline industry more than most.

Financial Times

• Court allows Chrysler deal with FiatThe US government and Fiat have warned that Chrysler could go out of business as soon as next week if the Supreme Court does not quickly reject an attempt by three Indiana pension funds to block the bankrupt carmaker's restructuring
• Veolia considers spin-off of unitThe heavily indebted French water, waste and energy services group might merge its transport subsidiary with Transdev if its bid for a stake in the company is successful
• KLM bags pilots for down to earth dutiesDutch airline is encouraging under-employed pilots to take menial duties and a time of peak demand for ground staff
• Tube strike goes aheadLast-minute talks between London Underground managers and the underground's biggest union failed to avert a 48-hour strike that was due to start just before 7pm on Tuesday

The Guardian

• Go-Ahead holds on to Brighton lineGo-Ahead Group gave a gloomy outlook for Britain's train operators today as it retained the Southern franchise with a £534m bid that expects no growth in passenger numbers until 2012.
• Supreme court green lights Chrysler saleCourt removes block on deal that would enable a sale of the carmaker to FiatThe US supreme court has given a green light for a sale of the carmaker Chrysler to Italy's Fiat, lifting a temporary block on the deal and clearing the way for the troubled Detroit-based company to emerge from bankruptcy.In a ruling late on Tuesday, the highest court in the US denied a challenge to the transatlantic tie-up from a group of Indiana pension funds holding $42.5m of Chrysler bonds who complain that they are being unfairly treated in the buyout.The decision came 24 hours after a temporary stay was placed on...
• Chaos expected as tube workers strike¢ London hit by 48-hour strike after talks collapse¢ River shuttle, taxi-sharing and cycle schemes laid onMillions of commuters face huge disruption across London today as a result of a 48-hour tube strike which began last night when thousands of rail network workers from the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out.Last-ditch talks between the union and Transport for London (TfL) failed to avert the industrial action which will last until 7pm tomorrow night and has been taken in a dispute over pay, jobs and disciplinary issues, including the sacking of two drivers.The 3 million co...

The Herald

• Rail groups call for investment to boost ’forgotten’ trainlineRail groups have called for investment in Scotland's "forgotten line" connecting the south-west to the central belt after finding that passengers have been driven away by irregular timetables and infrequent services.
• Watson set to take on marketing role with FirstGroupEllis Watson, the news-paper marketeer who has led the John Menzies distribution business for four years, has been appointed marketing and business development director at FirstGroup, with a seat on the main board.

The Telegraph

• Airlines reduce size of spoons to save fuel during recession, says IATAAirlines are reducing the size of spoons and dropping in-flight magazines to make planes lighter and save fuel during the recession, according to the International Air Transport Association.
• Will any airlines be brave enough to desert Heathrow?This was my fourth IATA summit. The settings always splendid change but the message seems fairly constant.
• Tube strike goes ahead after talks fail A strike by thousands of London Underground workers got under way tonight after lastgasp talks to try to resolve the bitter row broke down.

Times Online

• British Airways pays its cabin crew twice as much as VirginBritish Airways is paying its cabin crew and pilots up to twice as much as rival airlines, prompting the carrier to demand significant cuts from its staff.

Press Association

• Car to catch poorly parked driversMotorists who park badly are to face fines of £70 when caught by a special hi-tech patrol car equipped with cameras.

Reuters News

• Veolia eyeing Transdev to form transport giantFrench utility group Veolia (VIE.PA) is looking at ways to combine its transport arm with French transport group Transdev to create a new European leader in the travel sector, it said on Tuesday.

Daily Express

• Go-ahead for 10-car trainsTRANSPORT group -Go-Ahead yesterday pledged to ride out the recession with longer trains and a crackdown on fare-dodgers as it won the race to run the new Southern rail franchise.
• Fiat: ’We won't jilt Chrysler'Italian carmaker Fiat has pledged not to walk away from its deal to buy bankrupt US car giant Chrysler after the US Supreme Court delayed the sale.

Mail Online

• Council unveils £1m new bus lane... that goes only 700 yardsA 700-yard bus lane that cost nearly £1million to install has been condemned as a waste of public money.

Transport Briefing

• Go-Ahead banks on 2012 for passenger resurgenceTransport group Go-Ahead says it expects economic conditions to return to normal within two years and has predicted average annual revenue growth over the five year 10 month period of its new Southern rail franchise of around 6% before inflation.
• Showcase stations and Smartmedia for Southern railPassengers in south London and Sussex have been promised longer trains, later-running services and major station refurbishments under a £76m programme of capital investment included in the new Southern Railways franchise, awarded this week.
• Go-Ahead hangs on to Southern RailwaysGovia, the 65/35 partnership between Go-Ahead and French transport operator Keolis, has fought off competition from three rivals to retain the Southern Railways franchise which it will now run until July 2015.
• Oxford Tube cuts emissions with Belgian coach orderBus operator Stagecoach is to spend more than £9m on a new fleet of vehicles for its Oxford Tube network, the most frequent express coach service in Europe.

Belfast Telegraph

• British Airways ‘fighting for survival’ British Airways' chief executive Willie Walsh has refused to rule out compulsory redundancies, as the airline continues crisis talks with trade unions over plans to cut pay and jobs.

Birmingham Post

• Developers unveil first phase of Wolverhampton’s Interchange schemeNeptune Developments, in partnership with Wolverhampton Council and transport authority Centro, has submitted a detailed planning application to push ahead with the plans.
• Railway vandals putting their lives on the line in BirminghamThe comments come after a clean-up operation at the Proof House Junction in the city centre cost Network Rail more than £10,000 through cleaning costs and disruption of train services.

Derby Telegraph

• Bus lane plans to go on showBUS lane plans for Kedleston Road have been put forward again as part of a city council scheme to improve traffic flow in the area.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Putting foot down for faster rail linksTRANSPORT minister Stewart Stevenson has unveiled a new team charged with developing the business case for extending high-speed rail links between Edinburgh and London.

London Evening Standard

• Air France fits speed sensors after crashAir France is equipping all its flights using long-haul Airbus jets with new speed sensors after last week's disaster over the Atlantic, it was announced

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Bus station plans go before councillorsANGUS councillors are expected to give the go-ahead to a £420,000 upgrade of Arbroath bus station today.
• Network Rail to spend £2.4m on promoting west coast mainlineRAIL bosses warned by regulators about their unsatisfactory performance on the west coast mainline are to spend £2.4million on a six-week advertising campaign œshowcasing the line.

Wales Online

• Long way to go until our higher earners ditch carsLAST week the Western Mail published an annual survey of the travel patterns and expenditure of weekly higher-income commuters – professionals who work in Cardiff and who travel to the capital city from all over Wales.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Astonishment at bus cutbacks plan COMMENT ON THIS STORYLeeds City Council's deputy leader today added his voice to criticism of proposed bus service cuts by transport giant First.

Railnews

• News: Tube Lines makes ’going green’ a rooftop priority MAINTENANCE and upgrade partner Tube Lines has furthered its ’Go Green’ initiative with installation of a ’living roof’ on London Underground’s new Northern Line control centre in north London.

Aviation Industry

• Wrexham & Shropshire Select Icomera for On-Train Passenger Wi-FiIcomera AB, the world's leading provider of cellular broadband gateways, has announced that Wrexham & Shropshire railway will offer free Wi-Fi services to rail passengers on all trains running between Central London and the UK Midlands.
• Police disappointed over loss of dots [New Zealand]A government decision to scrap the introduction of vehicle-marking technology was short sighted and ill conceived, a police expert says. Whole of vehicle marking (WOVM) involves spraying cars with thousands of micro dots.
• Southern rail operator retains Gatwick Airport franchiseLondon Gatwick Airport welcomes the news this morning that Southern, the largest railway operator from the airport, has retained the Southern Central franchise...
• IATA names Cathay chief as chairmanThe International Air Transport Association (IATA) has appointed Cathay Pacific Airways ceo Tony Tyler as chairman of the Association's board of governors. Mr Tyler will serve as chairman for one year. His predecessor, Royal Jordanian Airlines' ceo Samer Majali, served from June last year.

Other News Sources

• Tram reaches 50 million passengersA COUPLE from Woodborough yesterday won 50 days of free tram travel as part of celebrations to mark 50 million passengers on Nottingham's tram system.
• MP demands ’fair’ bus service from companyCOMPLAINTS about bus services in Christchurch and East Dorset are to be taken to a government watchdog by the district’s MP.
• Competition to find most expensive bus journeyBUS users in East Devon are being urged to enter a competition to find the most expensive fare, in a bid to bring down prices.
• BUS FIRM INSISTS SERVICES IN TEESDALE WILL BE IMPROVEDA BUS company has hit back at claims that its drivers don’t know their way around Teesdale and that vehicles break down too often.
• Rights group fights to reopen rail crossingA disability rights group says it will go to the European Court of Human Rights in its fight to reopen a rail crossing for wheelchairs and prams.
• Brighton, Southampton train link from GoviaAN hourly train between Southampton and Brighton, will be launched by rail operator Govia after it retained its franchise for Southern trains in London and the South East.
• More passengers on Tarka LinePASSENGER numbers on the Tarka Line, the rail link between Barnstaple and Exeter, are up by 15 per cent so far this year.
• UK transport MEPs are all re-electedAll of the British MEPs who sat on the EU's Transport and Tourism Committee (TTC) and who stood for re-election have held on to their seats in the European Parliament.
• Fitzpatrick leaves the DfT for DEFRAJim Fitzpatrick (pictured) has left the Department of Transport, where he was under secretary of state, to join the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as minister of state.
• Olympic Park workers lead on sustainable transportTen per cent of the Olympic Park workforce is walking or cycling to work, leading the way on using sustainable transport to get to the Olympic Park.
• 'Ludicrous and unnecesary' Tube strike goes ahead Tube workers are bringing the capital to a standstill after talks aimed at averting a 48-hour strike failed.Related StoriesTube strike talks break downWembley won't close its doors
• UK gets new shipping ministerTHE UK has appointed Paul Clark as shipping minister, the Department for Transport told Fairplay today.
• Navios shuffles shipsNAVIOS Maritime Partners, the shipowning spinoff of Navios Holdings, today announced an agreement to back out of a Capesize acquisition.
• Maersk pushes up ratesMAERSK Line is increasing rates on services to Europe from the Far East and from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the Mediterranean and northern Europe.
• Strategy for a Low Carbon Future - Lord Adonis Introduction Thank you Professor Jackson for that kind introduction. I would also like to welcome you to your new role as Chair of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. As you can imagine I have a particular affinity this morning with people taking up new jobs.

Other Subscription Services

• Box lines face fight of their lives as ocean rates fall back to zeroCONTAINER lines have just four weeks to reverse the slide in Asia-Europe freight rates or risk going out of business.