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

Friday, 26 June 2009

BBC News

• Rail bosses get £1.2m in bonusesSome top Network Rail bosses are to receive bonuses totalling more than £1.2m, the company has announced. Chief executive Ian Coucher will get more than £150,000 in incentive payments for the performance of his company over the last three years.
• UK to outline emission cut plansThe prime minister is to pledge UK leadership in the international battle against climate change.
• Solar plane to make public debutSwiss adventurer Bertrand Picard is set to unveil a prototype of the solar-powered plane he hopes eventually to fly around the world.
• Track purchase boosts rail hopeHopes of restoring a Devon rail link which closed more than 40 years ago have been given a boost.
• Campaign to stop crossing misuse [video]A new campaign has been launched to warn people about the dangers of jumping the lights at level crossings.
• Calls for £25bn transport boostAn integrated road, rail and air hub should form the heart of a £25bn "revolution" in Scotland's transport system, a think tank has recommended.
• UK to outline emission cut plansGordon Brown is pledge UK leadership in the battle against climate change, as he outlines emissions cut plans.
• Toyota to review product rangesToyota is to review all of its products as its new president seeks to revive the world's biggest carmaker.
• BP names new chairmanBP appoints Carl-Henric Svanberg, the current head of Swedish telecoms company Ericsson, as its new chairman.
• 800 BA workers set to work unpaidBritish Airways says 800 workers have volunteered to work for nothing for up to a month, following its request to cut costs.

Financial Times

• BA staff to work for no payNearly 7,000 BA staff have offered to take pay cuts by opting for periods of unpaid leave, part-time or unpaid work
• Eurotunnel considers UK rail bidThe move comes as the company that runs the Channel tunnel prepares to buy back the last of a series of financial instruments formed during its complex 2007 restructuring
• Qantas cancels Dreamliner ordersQantas, the biggest customer of Boeing's 787 Dreamliners, announced that it had cancelled orders for 15 planes and delayed the delivery for another 15 in a further blow to the US company

The Guardian

• If you thought BBC bosses were profligate, take a look at Boris's taxi billBoris Johnson may have cultivated an image as a bicycling, cost-cutting mayor of London, but according to figures published yesterday he has spent more than £4,500 of public money on taxis – including one bill for £237.
• Slump in airline revenues cuts faresGood news for travellers, says Iata, as carriers slash cost of seats to fill planesAirline passengers are benefiting from a slump in demand after the latest industry data indicated that carriers are having to slash fares to fill their planes.Industry revenues have registered their steepest decline since the recession began, according to the International Air Transport Association (Iata), falling by an estimated 30% in May. Passenger numbers appear to have reached a plateau, Iata added, with a fall of 9% indicating that the declines in bookings are not getting progressively worse month-on-month...

The Herald

• Ericsson chief is surprise choice to head BPBP’s two-year search to fill one of Britain’s top corporate jobs ended yesterday with the surprise appointment of Swede Carl-Henric Svanberg as chairman.
• Designs for new Forth Road Bridge revisedDesigns for the new Forth Road Bridge have been revised after community protests that the approach roads would have a devastating impact on them.
• High-speed rail link made priorityScottish ministers have elevated the status of a high-speed rail connection to London, adding it to a list of major projects deemed to be in the national interest.

The Scotsman

• Scotland 'must build' £25bn Grand Central travel hub in capitalSCOTLAND should create a "Grand Central" rail-air hub at Edinburgh Airport to form the heart of a national high-speed rail network, a think tank has proposed. The ambitious £25 billion scheme would enable passengers to reach the new super-airport from Edinburgh city centre in five minutes and Inverness in just over an hour, according to Reform Scotland.
• Transport revolution is key to our recoveryTHE economic focus over recent months has been on the recession, the ballooning UK government spending deficit and what this will mean for budgets in Scotland. But now is the time when we should be looking ahead and planning how we can create the infrastructure to drive the Scottish economy in future.

The Telegraph

• Commuters could use phone to pay for travelPassengers could be able to pay for bus and train travel with their mobile phone, under plans being considered by the Government.
• SkyEurope sparks fears of more airline failuresConsumer groups want safeguards as the low-cost airline carrier SkyEurope goes into administration. A spate of airline failures is expected to follow that of the low-cost, Slovakia-based SkyEurope, which went into administration this week.
• Government tactics spark fury over backdated port ratesBritain's port operators expressed outrage last night after the Government used a 17th Century parliamentary procedure to attempt to stifle opposition to its plans to backdate business rates.
• BA costcutting measures: 800 staff offer to work for freeThousands agree to take unpaid leave or work for free as airline takes radical measures to survive the downturn.
• Rail chief: 'Move to the seaside if you want to get a train seat 'Commuters who want to be guaranteed a seat should move to the seaside according to Keith Ludeman chief executive of one of Britain's major rail operating companies.

Times Online

• BA accused of bullying as only 800 staff respond to the call to work for nothingUnions stepped up their attacks on British Airways yesterday, accusing the management of œbullying and being out of touch with staff after the airline revealed that only 800 of its employees had accepted its invitation to work for nothing.

Press Association

• Rail bosses set for bonus bonanzaTop bosses at Network Rail (NR) are to receive huge bonuses despite the company being warned over delays on the London to Scotland West Coast line.

Reuters News

• London Olympic waste to be moved by riverLONDON (Reuters) - The transport of waste from London's 2012 Olympic Park will be partly switched from road to river after the opening of a 20 million pound lock, organisers said on Thursday.

Transport Briefing

• Eurostar restructure sees UK expand rail stakeCross-Channel train operator Eurostar is to be restructured with the UK expected to take a larger stake in the new company.

Journal Live

• MPs fear worst as transport spending cuts loomTRANSPORT Secretary Lord Adonis has failed to guarantee regional transport schemes will be protected from public spending cuts. He also revealed that the Government is ready to take over any rail franchise, including the East Coast main line operator, if ministers deem it necessary.

London Evening Standard

• Boris Johnson dents cycling image with £4,698 taxi billBoris Johnson's image as a bicycling, penny-pinching Mayor took a blow today as it emerged that he had spent more than £4,500 of public money on taxis - with one bill alone topping £237.
• Want a seat on the train? Move to the coast, rail chief tells commutersKeith Ludeman, chief executive of Go-Ahead which includes train operators Southern, South-Eastern and London Midland, said commuters should be prepared to stand if they live close to the city.
• 7,000 British Airways staff accept pay cutAlmost 7,000 British Airways staff have applied for voluntary pay cuts, including 800 who said they will work unpaid for up to a month

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Dangerous drivers risking death on rail crossingsDRIVERS are dicing with death on rail crossings. The two level crossings at Tile Shed and Boldon, in South Tyneside, have today been named as the most misused in the North East.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Phase Three tram meetingRESIDENTS are being invited to walk along a proposed route for a third phase extension of Nottingham's tram network. A public meeting will then be held to launch a group to support the proposal – extending the tram to Kimberley, and possibly into Eastwood.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Think-tank calls for roads upgradeAn independent think-tank has called for two of the main roads in the north and north-east to be upgraded into dual carriageways.

Wales Online

• Experts call for Valleys to get all-electric train serviceALL-ELECTRIC trains should be introduced to the Valleys lines, a transport group will recommend tomorrow.
• Transport expert recommends trams for CardiffWALES’ leading transport expert said he envisaged a transport system where trams shared the roads with cars in Cardiff.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Drivers 'increasingly likely to purchase greener cars'Motorists in the UK are more environmentally-conscious and are increasingly likely to purchase a next-generation hybrid or electric vehicle, research has suggested.According to moneysupermarket.com, 39 per cent of drivers would buy a green model when it comes to changing their car, with 33 per cent stating they would opt for a hybrid and six per cent for an electric vehicle.Steve Sweeney, moneysupermarket.com head of motor insurance, explained that eco-friendly cars are also cost-effective, noting that road tax for the Honda Insight Hybrid is just £35 a year as a result of its low emi...

Aviation Industry

• Free Wi-Fi network launched at London Heathrow Travellers catching flights with members of the Skyteam airline alliance can now use free internet services at the group's lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4.
• Heathrow Airport seeks representativesHeathrow Airport wants to recruit volunteers to be part of a new independent statutory body.

Other News Sources

• Map shows public transport services across HampshireThe easy to read map shows principal bus, rail and ferry services across the whole of the county.
• MP: trains are "overcrowded"Train passengers are being "crushed" so much on the Swansea to Shrewsbury line there may be deaths if a train crashed or had to stop suddenly, an MP warned.
• BAA seeks bids from non-construction firmsBAA is to invite bids for major projects from companies outside the construction industry as part of a wide-ranging overhaul of its procurement system
• The bridge builder: Arup's new chairman Philip DilleyThe firm is also gaining ground in transport. Although its consortium, which also included Fluor and EC Harris, failed to secure a management role on Crossrail, Arup has since been appointed to design Tottenham Court Road station with Atkins and HawkinsBrown. Its pet proposal for a high-speed rail centre at Heathrow, the “Heathrow Hub”, has vocal support in both main parties and Arup is fashioning itself as something of a tunnelling specialist:
• Is partnering dead?The decision was taken by Steven Morgan, the man brought in by the airport operator to wring the greatest possible value from its capital spending. As our interview on page 26 makes clear, his preferred method for doing so is gladiatorial combat between would-be suppliers.
• 'I will not be taken for granted': BAA's boss on frameworks...or to put it another way, BAA’s five-year framework is just a large feather bed, and the military brain behind its new procurement policy wants contractors to fight for their work
• Reading joins 2M's Heathrow battleThe Royal Borough has welcomed the news that one of its neighbours, Reading Borough Council, has joined the 2M Group which campaigns against Heathrow expansion.
• Letter: Trams are not the solutionI am writing in relation to a recent article in which Councillor Mansell Williams calls for trams to be used to solve traffic problems in Shrewsbury. Every now and then, this ridiculous idea rears its head and I think it’s time the idea was put away permanently.
• New-look bridge for KimberleyA refurbished railway bridge in Kimberley was officially opened last Friday, June 19. Mayor of Broxtowe, Cllr John Longdon, cut the ribbon, accompanied by several Kimberley town councillors and Broxtowe borough councillors.
• Get on track and join tram walkersA walk is being staged along the suggested route for the Kimberley tram and residents of the town are being asked to join in and pledge support for the plans. Two Kimberley residents devised the route using old track beds they traced via a map of the town's old railway lines and they now want to drum up public support and form an action group to help make the tram a reality.
• Government aims to widen use of smart ticketingNew transport secretary Lord Andrew Adonis has announced plans to boost development and take-up of smart ticketing across the UK.
• MP hits out ar rail station 'disgrace'A MIDLAND railway station has been branded a “disgrace” by an angry MP. Michael Fabricant said disabled passengers, young children and those carrying heavy luggage were still not being catered for at Lichfield’s Trent Valley station as three out of four platforms were inaccessible to them.
• New £5m station for townA NEW £5 million railway station is set to be built in Gourock. Network Rail has submitted plans to Inverclyde Council to replace the town’s dilapidated station with a terminal fit for the 21st century, above.
• MINISTERS CHALLENGED OVER MOTORWAY ACCIDENTS CONGESTIONTHE GOVERNMENT was accused of failing motorists over congestion caused by accidents on motorways. Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said ministers had "no comprehension" of the "huge cost impact" of the slow clear-up of traffic accidents.
• Road pricing debate is back on agendaA pay-as-you-drive scheme would help tackle congestion hotspots in the West Midlands, one of the region’s transport chiefs has told Parliament.
• £200,000 transport job goes beggingTransport bosses have failed for the second time to find a new chief executive despite offering to pay more than the Prime Minister’s salary.
• Thousands of BA staff sign up for pay cutAlmost 7,000 British Airways staff have applied for voluntary pay cuts, including 800 who said they will work unpaid for up to a month
• Air India studies low-cost service for domestic flightsAir India is considering becoming a low-cost carrier on its domestic services as part of a plan to restructure its operations in order to get a government bail-out.
• Maersk's Norfolkline sells to DSVDENMARK™S DSV has acquired parts of AP Møller-Maersk™s Norfolkline, the UK company told Fairplay today.
• GrandUnion eyes Aries takeoverPRODUCT tanker and box shipowner Aries Maritime Transport is considering a deal that would transfer control to Greece™s GrandUnion.
• FESCO faces drops, analysis saysRUSSIAN fleet operator FESCO is facing a 35% drop in revenues this year, according to a report released today.
• HSH ˜not open for new business'LEADING lender HSH Nordbank will not have capacity for new shipping business this year and has predicted both more capacity and more œproblem situations in 2010.
• Ryanair boss: Manchester will continue to growRyanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has singled out Manchester Airport for future growth.

News from Europe

• European Rail Freight Freefall DeepensShippers slash production, trucks cut rates to grab market share

Other Subscription Services

• Maersk Broker buys Broström agenciesMAERSK Broker is expanding its agency activities through the acquisition of three firms from AP Moller-Maersk subsidiary Broström.