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

Wednesday, 24 June 2009

BBC News

• Rail campaigners' anger at delayVillagers campaigning to reopen their railway station are angry that their plans have been stalled.
• 'Make London like Bogota'UK towns and cities should become more like the Colombian capital of Bogota, at least in their transport policies, according to Professor Martin Wiseman, medical and scientific adviser at the World Cancer Research Fund.
• Petition on missed village trainsPeople wanting to use a Cornish railway branch line have started a petition because they say trains do not always stop at their station if requested.
• UK's infrastructure 'vulnerable'Large parts of the UK's infrastructure including energy and transport networks are vulnerable to terrorism or bad weather, a report has warned.
• Founder's grandson leads ToyotaToyota appoints the grandson of the company's founder as its new president, as the carmaker aims to turnaround its fortunes.
• Nissan eyes an electric car boostNissan aims to make 100,000 electric cars a year by 2012, as it aims to become the first auto firm to mass produce the vehicles.

Department for Transport

• Tees Valley is to benefit from a £62m upgrade to help improve its local bus network, Transport Minister Sadiq Khan announcedThe scheme, which has received initial government approval, aims to make bus journeys quicker and increase reliability by removing some of the major causes of delays. The funding - £40m of which is coming from the Department for Transport - will improve services on a number of the major bus routes through Darlington, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and Hartlepool.

Financial Times

• Boeing delays maiden Dreamliner flightThe aircraft maker warned of fresh delays to the troubled 787 Dreamliner, its flagship new aircraft development programme, just a week after saying that the long-awaited start of the flight test programme was on track
• Ryanair to end airport baggage check-inRyanair plans to stop passengers checking in baggage next year but will allow two or more pieces of carry-on luggage

The Guardian

• Stations in £5m drive to get rail passengers onto bikesMajor railway stations will be offered the chance to become "cycling hubs", with extra bike racks and repair shops, under government plans to boost the appeal of two-wheeled travel among train passengers.
• Carbon targets 'dangerously optimistic'A leading UK climate scientist yesterday warned MPs that the government's climate change policies are "dangerously optimistic".

The Scotsman

• Watchdog: Network Rail action on holdThe Office of Rail Regulation has put on hold enforcement action against Network Rail for shortcomings on the main Scotland to London rail line after welcoming a £50m package of measures designed to improve performance.
• Road signs 'may deface countryside'Plans for signs advertising new speed limits could deface the countryside, distract drivers and cost £300 million, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has war

The Telegraph

• Stagecoach profits rise 2pc, warns of challenging yearStagecoach, the UK train and bus operator, reported a 2pc rise in full-year pre-tax profit and warned the transport sector faced challenging year.
• Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary wants passengers to carry all their bags to the planeUnder the plan, passengers would drop all but one bag at the aircraft steps, possibly paying £5 per bag for each placed in the hold. "What it means is no more waiting at the carousel, no more losing your bags, no more wasting your life in over-priced airport terminals," Mr O'Leary said, believing he would need just one baggage handler per plane instead of five.
• Environmentally friendly car trials start within weeks The first of a fleet of 340 environmentallyfriendly cars will take to the streets within weeks as part of the Government's plans to cut carbon emissions from road transport.

Times Online

• Stagecoach rail profits fall as economy weakensStagecoach, the rail and bus operator, saw profits at its British rail franchise fall as the faltering economy hit passenger growth, particularly at its flagship South West Trains franchise operating from Waterloo.

Mail Online

• Ryanair rethinks any expansion plans into Britain due to controversial airfare dutyRyanair today announced a 'freeze on growth' at the nine UK airports from which it operates due to a fall in passenger numbers. The company blames Labour's £10-a-time, £2billion airfare duty for causing the collapse in the UK air travel industry.
• Train of thought: The railway station announcer who treats passengers to his daily musings

The Mirror

• Road signs 'may deface countryside'Plans for signs advertising new speed limits could deface the countryside, distract drivers and cost £300 million, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has warned.

Network Rail

• HISTORIC KING™S CROSS RESTORATION MARKS FIRST STAGE OF STATION REDEVELOPMENT

Liverpool Post

• Surge in profits at StagecoachMERSEYSIDE’S second-biggest bus operator, Stagecoach, is today reporting a 13% surge in annual profits to £196.4m.

London Evening Standard

• New Transport Secretary tours six London rail stations to witness sorry state of facilities for bikesLondon's stations were today given a sharp dressing down by the new Transport Secretary for the dire facilities they offer cyclists.
• Electric car trials launchedLabour ministers drove electric cars on to the forecourt of London's historic Guildhall today to launch trials of low-carbon vehicles
• British Airways throws down gauntlet to budget airlinesBritish Airways threw down a challenge to the no-frills carriers by launching a

Manchester Evening News

• Who's driving the tram?The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive will have to continue without a full-time chief executive for the time being.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• North East set to hold trials of electric vehiclesELECTRIC cars will be on our roads as part of a £10.6m green project.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Highland Pass Plus scheme helps to cut death tollA ROAD safety initiative aimed at young drivers in the Highlands is helping to assist in the reduction of deaths and serious injuries throughout the area.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds Transport pledge knocked off the railsTHE news that congested Leeds may lose its planned trolleybus is a bitter blow for the new head of public transport in West Yorkshire.

Carlisle News & Star

• Carlisle residents told to pay £25,000 towards road repairsResidents of two streets in Carlisle have been told they must fork out £25,000 if they want the road outside their homes to be resurfaced.

Sunderland Echo

• £10m injection fuels electric car schemeWearside's auto industry will be at the cutting edge of developing electric cars after signing a multimillion-pound deal today.

The Shields Gazette

• Nissan's £10m deal to pioneer electric carsWEARSIDE'S auto industry will be at the cutting edge of developing electric cars after signing a multi-million pound deal today.

Washington Post

• 3 Automakers Get Loans to Build More Efficient Cars Three automakers will receive nearly $8 billion in federal loans to boost production of fuel-efficient vehicles in the United States.

Transport for London

• Mayor tests London's first air-conditioned Tube trainWith summer on its way and excellent weather being forecast Tube passengers will already have noticed their journeys getting warmer.
• Richmond Circus to undergo transformationImprovements to the roundabout and surrounding area will benefit pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

Aviation Industry

• Call for councils to sign up for online cycle plannerLocal authorities are being urged to sign up to a scheme to create the first UK-wide, online journey planner for cyclists.
• London Gatwick Airport invests in new North Kent coach serviceA new luxury coach service linking North Kent with London Gatwick Airport has been introduced. Operated by Excel coaches, the service is jointly funded by London Gatwick Airport and supported by Kent County Council and Medway Council. The service operates every two hours departing from Chatham Docks, calling at Hempstead, Maidstone, Sevenoaks and Godstone en route to Gatwick Airport...
• London Gatwick Airport helps shape new planning lawLondon Gatwick Airport welcomes the opportunity, as a major infrastructure provider, to respond to the Department for Communities and Local Government Consultation on the Pre-Application Consultation and Application Procedures for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
• Austrian Airlines enhances efficiency and service with IT from Lufthansa Systems (press release) Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif...
• Air New Zealand Increases Baggage Allowances for Premium Economy passengers (press release) Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif...
• British Airways' changes to winter schedule 2009 (press release) British Airways' new winter schedule will include additional services from Gatwick to Bermuda (from five to six a week), Barbados (from nine to ten a week) and St Lucia and Port of Spain (from three to five a week).

Other News Sources

• Cyclists urge action for cycle route on busy roadA CYCLE route is urgently needed to prevent cyclists being killed on a dangerous stretch of road in Seaford.
• Is North Lincs rail network adequate?IS North Lincolnshire served with an adequate rail network? That is the question the Scunthorpe Telegraph has been asking readers to vote on in our latest online poll at www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk.
• Rossett railway plan put on holdTHE vision of bringing a rail station back to Rossett has been shunted into the sidings – at least for the time being. But Wrexham Council says it is prepared to put the general idea of new stations in the area out to consultation.
• Full steam ahead on Christchurch railway station revampONGOING improvements to Christchurch railway station have been given the green light by borough councillors. Facilities and access to the railway have all been cited as key areas for development, with visitors to the town presented with little or no information about local attractions or how to get to them.
• Railway station champions invited to view Lichfield Trent Valley facilitiesThe Government’s new ’railway station champions’ have been invited to view the state of facilities at Lichfield Trent Valley.
• ’Eco’ scheme for Accrington’s railway stationMORE details have been revealed of the new ’eco’ station building set to be constructed at Accrington railway station. The building will feature a wind turbine, solar panels and water harnessing technologies.
• Portobello station campaign builds up a head of steamA RAILWAY station in Portobello, which has not been in use since the 1960s, could be reopened under ambitious proposals being put forward by local campaigners.
• Rail route threatened by rising sea levelsTRANSPORT campaigners have called for an alternative to the Westcountry's vulnerable coastal rail track after the Government's warning on rising sea levels.
• Stations in £5m drive to get rail passengers onto bikesLord Adonis announces plans to provide better cycling facilities including specialist shops and more storage Major railway stations will be offered the chance to become "cycling hubs", with extra bike racks and repair shops, under government plans to boost the appeal of two-wheeled travel among train passengers.
• Ryanair halts British projects in tax protesturope's leading budget airline Ryanair said Tuesday it was freezing the expansion of bases in Britain in protest at government tax measures and high charges levied by airport operator BAA. Ryanair "will freeze growth at its nine UK bases with immediate effect," it said in a statement, citing a "tourist tax" of 10 pounds per flight on air passengers and what it called the "monopoly" of BAA.
• Ryanair freezes growth in the UK Ryanair has announced a freeze on growth in the UK, blaming Air Passenger Duty (APD) and airport charges for making the UK a
• Millions ride old, vulnerable rail cars on subwaysU.S. ride old subway cars like the ones that crumpled in the deadly crash in the nation's capital. The largest transit systems depend on such cars for more than one-third of their fleets, despite safe...
• Branson: Airlines could go bustVirgin supremo Sir Richard Branson has delivered the gloomiest warning yet about the state of the airline sector
• Regulator welcomes West Coast planThe Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has welcomed a new plan drawn-up by Network Rail and Virgin Trains to improve the performance of the West Coast Main Line.
• US piracy kill bill introducedA REPUBLICAN on a US maritime congressional panel has introduced a bill that would give immunity to seafarers who kill or wound suspected pirates.
• Hapag names new boss in USGERMAN box line Hapag-Lloyd has appointed Wolfgang Freese, now its Gulf-Pacific senior VP, to head its US business.
• ME box volumes fall 16%MIDDLE East container volumes have fallen by 16% this year compared to last, APL executive Euguene Seroka told Emirates Business magazine today.
• Liners decline at record levelsBOX LINES have suffered a record decline in 1Q09 revenues, according to a report by shipbrokers Barry Rogliano Salles.
• Yorkshire and Humber ready for national launch of climate projectionsThis week sees the launch of the new climate projections for the United Kingdom known as UKCP09, which includes details of what impact climate change could have on the Yorkshire and Humber region.
• Search for GMPTE chief suspendedThe Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) will not be appointing a new chief executive, despite advertising the £200,000-a-year post in April.

Other Subscription Services

• Stagecoach Group plc – Preliminary Results for the year ended 30 April 2009Strong financial results against challenging economic environment Earnings per share+ up 12.8% to 22.9p Full year dividend up 11.1% at 6.0p