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

Monday, 29 June 2009

BBC News

• National Express turns down bidRail and bus operator FirstGroup has said it has had a bid for rival National Express rejected.
• Electric cars roll-out by '2020'Proposals to widen the use of electric vehicles in Scotland are due to be unveiled by the Scottish Government.
• T5 check-in reopens after glitchPassengers at Heathrow Terminal 5 have faced disruption following problems with the baggage system.

Financial Times

• Porsche rekindles dispute with VWThe sports car maker's chairman accused VW of blackmail as he claimed Europe's biggest carmaker was exerting pressure to reach an agreement between the German groups
• Chaos as baggage glitch hits Heathrow T5Passengers at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 suffered severe disruption on Sunday after it was hit by a luggage glitch which left them unable to check in
• National Express snubs bid from rivalRail and bus operator has rejected an unsolicited takeover bid from FirstGroup that is likely to put further pressure on the heavily indebted group

The Herald

• Climate bill puts new Forth Bridge at riskGOVERNMENT PLANS for a new road bridge over the Firth of Forth, airport improvements and coal-fired power stations have been thrown into doubt by the target to cut climate pollution agreed by the Scottish Parliament last week.
• Fears for future of east coast lineCrunch talks between National Express and the Department for Transport (DfT) over the East Coast Mainline's future have stalled, it was reported yesterday.

The Independent

• Bob Crow: You Ask The QuestionsThe Leader of the RMT Union answers your questions, such as 'Don't you think that £40,000 a year is a lot for driving a Tube train?'
• Terminal 5 hit by baggage glitch Heathrow's Terminal Five was hit by a luggage glitch yesterday which left passengers unable to check in.

The Scotsman

• Green groups set to challenge Forth crossingSENIOR civil servants in the Scottish Government fear the radical Climate Change Bill passed last week could lead to a legal challenge blocking the proposed new Forth Road Bridge.

The Telegraph

• Commuters in cold over Clear Channel ad rowA dispute between BT, local councils and the UK's largest bus-stop advertiser could leave hundreds of thousands of commuters waiting in the rain.
• Rail travel might have something going for itAlthough a car won Top Gear's race to Edinburgh, the train remains fantastic on longer journeys
• BA to expose 'true cost' of no-frills carriers' hidden extrasA new BA 'value calculator' tool will allow customers to compare costs with low-cost airlines such as Ryanair.
• Thousands stranded by Heathrow Terminal 5 baggage failure Thousands of passengers at Heathrow's Terminal 5 were left stranded after a mechanical fault on the baggage system meant they were unable to check in their luggage.

Times Online

• Ships sail towards scrapheapMore ships have been scrapped so far this year than in the whole of 2008 as owners decide to cash in on their ageing fleets rather than have them sit unused amid the slowdown in global trade brought on by the recession.
• At last, Britain is ready to build hybrid carsToyota expects to start making the Auris hatchback at its plant near Derby before the end of the year
• Trains in Spain race across the plainThe speedometer races up. First 50, then 100, 150. Within 20 seconds we have hit 300km/h (186.4mph). Sitting in the nose-like cabin of Spain’s bullet train, the rugged countryside whizzes past in a blur. Abelardo Carrillo Jiménez looks over and smiles, as if to say: “Pretty good eh?”
• FirstGroup in secret move for National ExpressAberdeen-based bus and rail group approaches embattled rival for deal that could transform British transport industry

Mail Online

• MIDAS: Slicker operation at Greyhound to boost FirstGroupFirstGroup is one of the foremost travel groups in the world. It is the largest bus and rail operator in Britain, running more than one in five local bus services as well as four train lines - First Capital Connect, First Great Western, First Scotland and First TransPennine Express. Every day here, three million passengers use FirstGroup buses and the trains carry more than 280million a year.

Bristol Live

• Plans for M-way project to manage more trafficMajor work is being carried out to transform Almondsbury interchange over the next two years. The work, costing millions of pounds, will begin in March to improve traffic flow along the M4 and M5.

London Evening Standard

• EasyJet fighting Gatwick's 'rip-off' feesTravellers using Gatwick are being ripped off, the biggest airline at London's second airport warned today.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Trams 'travesty' [letter]Coun Gordon Wheeler (Your Views, June 13) pretends the change in political control at County Hall was brought about by a massive reaction against the proposed Nottingham tram extensions. Who does he think he is kidding?
• Post Comment: Conservatives at County Hall have no mandate to wreck tramBusinesses have broadened the debate on the future of Notts' tram system. The open letter from 13 organisations, which we publish today, makes a strong case in favour of lines two and three of the tram.

This Is Local London Network

• Trees to be planted along Edgware RoadTHE Edgware Road has been chosen to be of the areas in the capital to benefit from the Mayor of London's plan to plant 10,000 new street trees in the capital.

Other News Sources

• High-speed preview of train serviceCommuters will finally be able to see if the new high speed rail link really is all it has been billed as from today. The first 'preview' service for the public left Ashford International just before 7am.
• Trams plea to councillorTwo businessmen in Nottingham have asked the county council's Tory group leader to continue to support the development of the city's tram network.
• Birmingham "bad for cars" survey branded as rubbishA SURVEY that placed Birmingham among the country’s worst places for drivers was today branded “absolute nonsense” by the city’s transport boss.