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

Friday, 12 June 2009

BBC News

• Residents oppose £20m tram depotResidents are opposing plans for a new £20m depot as part of the upgrade of Blackpool's 120-year-old tram system.
• Call to limit rail freight speedTests have revealed freight carriers using the reopened Alloa rail link to transport coal at night are breaching accepted noise and vibration levels.
• MSPs 'obstructed' in rail probeA Holyrood committee complains of obstruction and a lack of co-operation during its probe into a former transport chief's shares.
• Adonis 'deplores' strike on TubeServices on the London Underground are slowly returning to normal after a 48-hour strike which has been strongly criticised by the transport secretary.

The Guardian

• Europe's crisis-hit airports revise down outlook June 11 (Reuters) - The economic crisis has hit aviation harder than expected and European airports are slashing this year's passenger and freight outlook, the head of airport body ACI Europe said. "We're looking at passengers down 8 percent for the whole year, and freight down 16 percent," Olivier Jankovec, director general of ACI Europe, told Reuters.
• BA boss: Airline passengers will have to pay for pollutionAirline passengers will have to pay for the environmental impact of their journeys through fare increases if carriers join a global emissions trading scheme, according to British Airways boss Willie Walsh.
• Boris Johnson salutes Londoners' spirit in coping with tube strikeBoris Johnson, the mayor of London, today saluted the "grit and determination" that kept London moving during a 48-hour tube strike due to end at 6.58pm.
• Truckers threaten new fuel price chaosHauliers protest over petrol prices, fuel duty and job losses

The Herald

• Car seats facing rear safest for all childrenParents should be advised to follow their Scandinavian counterparts and keep their children in rear-facing car seats for as long as possible, a British Medical Journal study warns today.
• Top civil servant criticised over rail probeScotland's top civil servant, Sir John Elvidge, was yesterday severely criticised over “totally unacceptable” evidence to a Holyrood inquiry in a report by MSPs into a former senior transport official’s conflict of interest over shares that he owned.

The Independent

• Mayor 'provoked Tube strike' A Labour MP today said there was a "real suspicion" that Boris Johnson's fingers were "all over" the provocation of the strike on London Underground (LU).

The Scotsman

• Strike-hit Tube gets back to normalLondon's Tube is getting back to normal after a strike that caused disruption for millions of travellers.

The Telegraph

• The spat behind the London tube strikeBoris Johnson could end the misery London's commuters face all too often writes David Millward.
• London tube strike video: Biking to work On day two of the Tube Strike the roads are clearer and biking seems a preferable option to taking the Tube to work.

Times Online

• Scrappage means new car buyers miss out on cheap dealsCar buyers trading in old vehicles for new ones under the Government’s scrappage scheme could end up losing money because dealers are refusing them access to cheap finance deals.
• Stagecoach paid double for South West franchiseStagecoach paid almost £600million more than the next nearest bidder to retain Britain's biggest rail franchise, according to documents released by the Department for Transport (DfT) under the Freedom of Information Act.
• Climate pact in jeopardy as China refuses to cut carbon emissionsChina will not make a binding commitment to reduce carbon emissions, putting in jeopardy the prospects for a global pact on climate change.
• Passengers should pay global carbon tax, says British Airways chiefAirline passengers should pay a global tax on carbon and accept an increase in the cost of flying for the sake of the environment, the chief executive of British Airways has told The Times.

ATOC

• ATOC APPOINTS NEW CORPORATE AFFAIRS DIRECTORThe Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has appointed Edward Welsh as its Director of Corporate Affairs. Mr. Welsh is the Programme Director for Media and Campaigns at the Local Government Association (LGA) and takes up his new role on August 17.

Transport Briefing

• Intercity Express programme manager bids invitedThe government is to appoint a company to act as programme manager for the £7.5bn project to replace Britain's fleets of inter-city trains with more environmentally friendly, higher capacity Super Express carriages.
• Metrolink Altrincham line secures upgrade cashGreater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority has signed off a £3.5m package of improvements for Altrincham's Metrolink tram line.

Derby Telegraph

• Bombardier says it's on the right trackBOMBARDIER, which owns a train-making factory in Derby, has unveiled its long-term strategy for producing more environmentally-friendly products.

London Evening Standard

• Has Bob Crow bitten off more than he can chew?He may be no friend of the London commuter but there is no doubting the respect afforded the skilful leadership of Bob Crow by the union movement
• Tube strike is a success, says Bob CrowUnion boss Bob Crow gloated over the

The News (Portsmouth)

• Demand to ban buses from Chichester city centreA plea to 'ban the buses' from central Chichester has gone out, with a warning the historic heart of the city is being degraded.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Ford’s third bid to gain debate on HeathrowA north-east politician is making a third attempt to call on his council to oppose plans to expand Heathrow.

The York Press

• Yorkshire business leaders 'staggered' at transport funding reductionBUSINESS leaders in Yorkshire are “staggered” that funding for transport schemes in the region has fallen in the past year compared with rises across the rest of England.
• Plan drawn up for £50,000 revamp of Selby™s rail ticket office DISABLED passengers using Selby™s railway station could be set for a boost after a new blueprint to improve its facilities was drawn up.

This Is Local London Network

• Flying more punctual thanks to recessionLondon's airports and the airlines that use them have found a solution to the congestion and chaos they cause for paying passengers: the recession.

Wales Online

• Aim to get more of us using public transportTHE scale of the challenge to turn South Wales into a model region for sustainable travel has been outlined in a report made public yesterday.
• Cardiff Airport set for increase in passenger numbers this summerSTAYCATION may be the buzzword for the travel industry this year, but not even the recession will stop an exodus from Wales this summer.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Council chiefs get on board rail-link campaignCHIEF executives from Yorkshire's major councils signed up to a pledge yesterday to lobby hard for a high-speed rail line to link the region directly to London.
• Leeds: Bust up over bus services First Bus bosses were hauled over the coals over swingeing service cuts at a packed public meeting in Leeds.

Blackpool Gazette

• Minister drops in to hail £100m tram dreamBLACKPOOL'S new £100m tramway system will be the start of "joyous times ahead" for the resort, according to transport minister Sadiq Khan.

Chester Standard

• Future of Vauxhall motors Ellesmere Port plant under the spotlight in BerlinBUSINESS Secretary Lord Mandelson is in Germany for top-level talks on Vauxhall Motors' future.

Aviation Industry

• Adonis pressed for policy focus reviewTransport campaigners have urged new transport secretary Lord Andrew Adonis to revisit the government's policy on airport expansion and road building.

Other News Sources

• Boeing cuts 20-year forecast for plane marketAerospace giant Boeing Co. has lowered its 20-year forecast for the commercial airplane market, citing the global recession, declining air traffic and unpredictable fuel prices.
• King’s Cross station revamp ’will be even better than St Pancras’Project boss says £450m plan will produce rail gem IT will usurp St Pancras’s status as the jewel in the nation’s railway network and become a new British landmark, according to the man overseeing the renovation of King’s Cross train station.
• AM's call to upgrade Severn Tunnel Junction stationA GWENT Assembly Member is calling for the Assembly to make Severn Tunnel Junction railway station a parkway where inter-city trains could stop.
• Redhill railway station set for big refurbishmentA MAJOR refurbishment of Redhill railway station is being prepared as part of a wide-ranging improvement of rail services in east Surrey.
• All change at Huddersfield railway stationRAIL passengers could see the end of long queues at Huddersfield Train Station. Planners yesterday approved major improvements to the Grade 1 listed building to prevent bottle-necks at busy times.
• Rail demand expected to soarDemand on a packed Lancashire rail line could almost double in the next 25 years, it has been revealed. Network Rail's long-term plan for the future of the UK's railways sets out how the economy could affect passenger growth.
• Beijing to build "public transport city"Beijing will transform into a "public transport city" by 2015. In peak hours, the minimum departure interval for subway trains will be shortened to 2 minutes; the waiting time at bus stops will be reduced to 3 to 5 minutes; public transport will account for 45 percent of the journeys in downtown areas.
• Southend Council transport boss ANNA WAITE calls for a debate on a new Thames crossingTOWARDS the end of April we were informed the Government’s Department for Transport was publishing its study on the future of the Dartford Crossing.
• £370m transport plan approved by Swindon councillorsThe long-awaited transport strategy was praised by councillors at last night’s cabinet meeting as a vital and relevant document.
• Region missing out on transport cash, says Mid Yorkshire Chamber of CommerceBUSINESS leaders in Huddersfield are calling for more cash to be spent on the region’s transport network – after hearing how Yorkshire is missing out.
• British Airways' Willie Walsh says no to bonusBritish Airways chief Willie Walsh last night confirmed he would not take an annual bonus this year as the airline heads for further hefty losses
• 'At least six months' until decision on longer trailersThe Department for Transport (DfT) says a report into the viability of longer semi-trailers won't be ready for at least six months - and it will be longer still until a ministerial decision is made on their introduction.
• New chief for ThameslinkJim Crawford is to take over from Andy Mitchell as programme director for Network Rail™s £5.5bn Thameslink programme.
• Adsa revamps driver trainingSupermarket Asda has admitted that its driver training system was
• M&S reaps rewards from £200m green schemeRetail giant Marks & Spencer has highlighted how its distribution operation is helping it achieve the corporate sustainability targets it has set out in its ambitious 100-point Plan A scheme in a new report: How we do business 2009.
• Blackpool’s trams given £100m makeoverBlackpool’s seafront tram system is to be given a £100 million makeover. Funding has been secured to bring the 120-year old line up to modern standards, the Department for Transport (DfT) said. Sixteen new trams, replacement track, and extra stops will speed up journey times and make the tramway accessible to more people. Transport minister Sadiq Khan unveiled [...]
• More than £100m boost to Blackpool trams The Blackpool to Fleetwood tramway is to get a £101.67m upgrade, Transport Minister Sadiq Khan has announced.
• Assura sells Stobart stake for £6.38mWarrington-based healthcare group Assura has announced that it has sold a stake which the company had held in transport group Stobart Group. The company had held 6,382,474 ordinary shares in Stobart, which were valued on its books at £5.74m on 30 September 2008.

News from Europe

• Green groups give poor grade to outgoing Commission Green organisations gave the current European Commission 4.4 out of 10 for its environmental record in the past five years, urging its successors to double its efforts to move from rhetoric to genuine action on the environment
• Europe accelerates the ERTMS North-South rail freight axisThe European Union has today set an important step towards developing a North-South rail freight axis using the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). The Ministers of Transport from Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria and Italy signed, in presence of the European Commission's Vice-President in charge of Transport Antonio Tajani, a letter of intent settling long term development objectives for the rail freight corridor "Stockholm – Copenhagen – Hamburg –Munich – Innsbruck - Verona –Naples".
• EU countries must open up rail markets - TajaniEuropean Union countries must push ahead with opening their rail markets and not revert to protectionism amid the economic downturn, European Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.
• Committee: Danish not necessary for train operatorsRecruiting more Swedish and German engineers would help alleviate the current shortage of train operators A shortage of qualified train engineers has led the government’s Locomotive Operator Committee to recommend dropping fluent Danish as a requirement for the job, reports Berlingske Tidende newspaper.

Other Subscription Services

• Stagecoach gets Manchester back on the busesThe number of trips made by fare paying adult passengers using Stagecoach services in Manchester has shot up by more than 25% in the past five years.