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

Friday, 31 July 2009

BBC News

• Instant pay system for C-charge Drivers entering London's congestion charging zone will be able to take advantage of a new automated payment system from next year.
• No rise for Humber Bridge tolls Tolls on the Humber Bridge will not be increased, it has been announced.
• New transport help for disabled A new service to help wheelchair users get out with their friends and family has been launched in Gwynedd.
• Falling sales hit Air France-KLMAir France-KLM posts a bigger-than-expected loss as business class and freight traffic falls during the recession.
• Oil firms see big fall in profitsOil giants Shell and Exxon Mobil both report a big fall in profits due to the decline in crude prices since mid-2008.

Financial Times

• Southwest plans to bid for FrontierThe decision to make a competing bid for rival Frontier Airlines marks the evolution of the largest domestic US airline to a powerful incumbent with deep pockets but limited growth prospects
• Outside group takes pilot seat at Brazil's TAMBTG, a Brazilian investment company, will take over the management of the carrier under an agreement signed with the airline's controllers on the promise of developing the business
• Singapore Airlines sees first full-year lossSingapore Airlines warned that it could make an unprecedented full-year loss due to the downturn in aviation traffic as it reported its first quarterly loss since 2003
• Airlines beset by heavy lossesLeading airlines in Europe and Asia reported heavy losses amid the deepening crisis engulfing the aviation sector, with Singapore Airlines warning it could make a full-year loss for the first time since it was founded in 1972
• National Express bidder in rail franchise pleaSpanish-led consortium bidding for the group has appealed directly to the transport secretary to spare the struggling rail operator's two remaining franchises

The Guardian

• National Express makes loss after East Coast exit National Express's costly exit from the £1.4bn East Coast rail franchise dragged the public transport group into the red over the first half, with pre-tax losses of £48.1m.
• Shell warns of job cuts as profits dive¢ Shell 'not banking on a quick recovery' for oil demand¢ Oil firm could freeze its dividend¢ Exxon reported a 66% drop in profitRoyal Dutch Shell boss Peter Voser has warned of a

The Herald

• Great staff – shame about the litter, seats, timetables, tickets... Scotrail's annual report card shows some serious room for improvement - and if the words "must try harder" lack the necessary bite, the £938,000 fine should leave enough of a welt on the palm.
• National Express bids to stay on track amid woesAnalysis: The wheels have not yet come off National Express but the company is limping along in the slow lane, with well-publicised problems with its East Coast Main Line rail franchise and a £1bn debt load.
• Scotrail fined £1m for state of stations and trainsTrain operator ScotRail faces almost £1m in fines for its failures in passenger service. Problems exposed in a series of special reports by The Herald earlier this year have now been confirmed by Transport Scotland.

The Telegraph

• Motorists to pay £250 tax for parking at work Motorists who drive to work face having to pay a £250 “parking tax” under a scheme to be announced by ministers on Friday.

Times Online

• Debt threatens to derail National Express fight against takeover bidTakeover target National Express warned yesterday that there was a œmaterial uncertainty about the transport group™s ability to continue as a going concern, adding to the pressure to sell the business.

Press Association

• Commuters facing £185 'parking tax' The UK's first tax on parking spaces is expected to be endorsed by the Government. Commuters could be charged £185 a year to leave cars at work under the scheme, with the sum rising by 2014 to £350 per parking bay for firms with 11 or more.

Daily Express

• WORKERS TO BE HIT BY PARKING TAX THOUSANDS of drivers will be forced to pay a workplace parking tax under a scheme being unveiled today.

Network Rail

• STREATHAM COMMON STATION ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS UNDERWAY

Transport Briefing

• Victoria Tube station expansion gains TWA powers Powers to allow a £695m upgrade of Victoria Underground station have been approved and should allow construction to begin next year.
• Fareham-Gosport busway granted planning permission The first phase of a £20m bus rapid transit route designed to relieve congestion in the Gosport Peninsula has been approved by Hampshire County Council.

Journal Live

• Travel planners bid for £29m in to improve public transport A BID has been made for millions in cash to persuade Tyneside drivers to ditch their cars.

London Evening Standard

• Firms will pay for Crossrail and so must Government, says MayorBoris Johnson challenged David Cameron to deliver his share of the funding for Crossrail as he announced plans to raise £4billion from London businesses for the high-speed route

Nottingham Evening Post

• Post Comment: Tram decision is good news So finally, after a little local difficulty (and a decade of bureaucratic delay) the extension to Nottingham's tram system has won the approval of Government.

The News (Portsmouth)

• All systems go for £20m bus link as residents appealPlans for a £20m bus corridor have been given the go-ahead after councillors narrowly voted in favour of the project.

The York Press

• New high-speed train officially named after James Herriot A NEW high-speed train which will offer more opportunities for rail travellers from York and the area to visit London has been officially named after vet-turned-author James Herriot.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds MP's £6,000 flights to South Pacific A RETIRING Leeds MP is jetting off for 16 days island-hopping in the South Pacific next month at taxpayers' expense.

Yorkshire Post

• Exclusive: Stations upgrade demanded in new rail franchise THE next company to run the East Coast main line will have to "systematically" improve stations and could be required to cut journey times between Yorkshire and London, the Yorkshire Post can reveal.

Doncaster Free Press

• Airport bosses defend massive leaflet drop BOSSES at Robin Hood Airport have hit back at claims that people are unaware of its existence.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Police patrol railway station to combat vandals POLICE are to carry out specialist patrols near Peterborough train station to combat young vandals.
• Rail franchise shunts National Express into redNational Express says it is "confident" the Government could not seize its East Anglia and c2c Essex rail franchises.
• Rail staff stage walkoutRail passengers on National Express East Anglia, including passengers going to Stansted Airport, are experiencing severe disruption as workers strike over pay.

Transport for London

• Victoria Tube station upgrade gains planning approvalPassengers using one of London Underground's (LU) busiest and most congested stations are set to benefit from a major £695m upgrade as part of TfL's Investment Programme.

Other News Sources

• Stagecoach offers one million bargain rail tickets Transport giant Stagecoach is offering more than one million bargain rail tickets this summer to help hard-pressed families beat the credit crunch.
• Island MP’s Ferry Survey Makes Interesting ReadingIt would appear all is not lost in the debate into cross-Solent ferry travel costs, as Isle of Wight MP Andrew Turners Poll at present predicts a very ’interesting read’ for the Ferry Companies!
• Wokingham station will need overhaul to cope with AirtrackA major overhaul of Wokingham’s station would be needed to cope with a 60 per cent increase in barrier closures required for the high-speed link with Heathrow Airport.
• Rethink urged over bus route cuts [letter]I AM writing to you regarding the proposed bus journey cutbacks for Harrogate and Knaresborough, which are due to take effect next month.
• Bus drivers 'livid' over senior citizen issue An Isle of Man Transport worker is slamming his bosses' decision to extend the period during which pensioners are charged to ride on the buses, calling it 'grossly unfair' and 'incompetent'.
• All systems go for £20m bus link as residents appeal Plans for a £20m bus corridor have been given the go-ahead after councillors narrowly voted in favour of the project.
• Rapid bus route plan moves up a gear MULTI-MILLION pound plans for a high-speed commuter bus scheme to whisk passengers across south Hampshire have been given the green light.
• Cuts fear for OAP bus travel PENSIONERS and disabled people in Andover could lose out on generous travel benefits if Hampshire County Council’s bid to run a concessionary travel scheme wins Government approval.
• MSP Wants New Rail Service To Include Clydesdale Stations CLYDESDALE MSP Karen Gillon has launched a petition calling on the Scottish Government to ensure stations in the district are served by a new Glasgow to Edinburgh train service.
• Funding shortfall for station lifts A FUNDING shortfall of £800,000 will have to be met if lifts for disabled passengers are to be included in a station revamp.
• £60,000 of improvements for railway station First Capital Connect has launched a £60,000 project to develop facilities at the station by creating two new waiting rooms and two toilets.
• £60,000 of improvements for railway station Thousands of pounds are to be spent on a major upgrade of Biggleswade railway station.
• Committee seeks removal of innovation bids' road price link The £2 billion transport innovation fund (TIF) should not be raided for other spending despite the tie to road pricing making it difficult to use, MPs have warned.
• ND staff agree to 44-hour working weekNorbert Dentressangle 's (ND) transport arm has reached an agreement with Unite over work and pay.
• Lobby team battles on for more secure lorry parksIn an appearance on the BCC, the lobby team from Truckersworld has highlighted the severity of crime in the haulage sector.
• EU mulls extending green criteria beyond biofuelsThe European Commission has begun consultations on tackling indirect land-use change caused by agro-fuel production, floating the idea that such criteria could be applied more generally to a range of other agricultural commodities.

News from Europe

• Siemens and Russian partner to supply new sleeping cars to Russian Railways – contract value 320 million eurosErlangen, Germany, The Russian Railways AG (RZD) has ordered 200 modern sleeping cars from Siemens and the local coach builder Tverskoy Vagonostroitelny Zavod AG (TVZ). The Siemens scope of supply has an order value of about 320 million euros. The new coaches can be operated in the Russian and standard-gauge European railway networks. They are thus suitable for cross-border service as operated by RZD as well as for operation across Central and Western Europe.
• Cork people urged to use reopened line MINISTER for Transport Noel Dempsey has urged the people of Cork to avail of the State’s newest rail link as he officially opened the refurbished €75 million Cork to Midleton rail line in the first significant line opening under the Transport 21 programme.