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

Thursday, 13 August 2009

BBC News

• Pedestrians only for city street One of Cardiff's busiest streets will be fully pedestrianised by early 2010.
• Rail station revamp forges aheadWork to "transform" a Berkshire railway station is pressing ahead with the next £600,000 phase under way.
• Railway police pilot new cameras British Transport Police officers who patrol railway crime hotspots in the South West are to wear clip-on cameras designed to catch offenders in the act.
• Hundreds 'die without seatbelts'Fifty years after the invention of the car seatbelt, 400 people a year die because they do not
• Rail strike on after talks falterStrike action on some railway lines into London begins after talks fail between unions and National Express.
• SAS to cut more than 1,000 jobsScandinavian airline SAS says it will cut another 1,000 to 1,500 jobs as part of a fresh cost-cutting programme.

Financial Times

• Shell joins carbon capture plant race Royal Dutch Shell will on Thursday enter the government-sponsored race to build a carbon capture and storage plant in the UK – becoming the only major oil company to do so.
• High-speed rail link extendedThe high-speed commuter service from London to two stations in Kent, launched on June 29, is to be extended for the first time to stations off the dedicated high-speed...
• Hapag-Lloyd seeks €420m financing at talks Talks on the future financing of Germany's biggest container shipping line continued as the company sought to raise €420m in new equity
• Serco to run London's bike-hire schemeLondoners should be able to hire an award-winning Canadian bike design at 400 points around central London within a year after Serco and Montreal's bike-hire company jointly won the right to run the British capital's bike-hire scheme

The Guardian

• Boris Johnson bike hire scheme: and the winner is... At last it is official: the contract to set up and operate Mayor Johnson's flagship London Cycle Hire scheme has been won by Serco, the Richmond-based company that runs the Docklands Light Railway and the Woolwich Ferry.
• Third East Anglia rail strike will go ahead, says union Two-day stoppage in and out of Liverpool Street station due to start at midnight, with week-long strike planned next month
• SUVs top 'cash for clunkers' tradesSUVs and pick-up trucks make up 83% of the 316,189 cars that have been traded under the schemeAre Americans really over their love of big, gas-guzzling automobiles? Not entirely, but there is a chill coming on, as 83% of the top trade-ins under the Obama administration's

The Independent

• Rail strike hopes dashed Strike action which will cripple some of the busiest lines into London for two days will go ahead tomorrow, the train drivers' union Aslef said tonight.

The Scotsman

• Princes St and George St lined up to be traffic no-go zoneBOTH Princes Street and George Street could be part-pedestrianised under plans being considered by council chiefs.
• Rail strike chaos due as talks failStrike action is set to cripple some of the busiest rail lines into London.

The Telegraph

• Dinosaurs BA and AA should not be given a free meal ticket to mergeThis Friday will mark the first anniversary since British Airways and American Airlines asked regulators to bless their plans for an effective merger of the two troubled carriers.

Times Online

• Rail strike to continue for another two daysStrike action that will affect some of the busiest railway lines into London for two days will begin at midnight after talks between Aslef, the train drivers™ union, and National Express East Anglia broke down. The 48-hour walkout, which is the third in recent weeks, will create problems for commuters in Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, and the Stansted Express airport train.

Highways Agency

• £2.6m for Key M62 BridgeThe Highways Agency is to spend £2.6m on repairs and improvements to Rakewood Viaduct along the M62 in Greater Manchester. Preparatory work for the improvements, which include replacement of the bridge joints, carriageway resurfacing and resurfacing of the westbound hard shoulder, began yesterday (Wednesday, August 12). The main works will begin on Friday, September 25.

Mail Online

• Pictured: The child bollards that are so lifelike they're scaring motorists
• Delayed train passengers WILL get cash compensation (and airlines must pay more for lost luggage)
• The 'ghost ship' riddle: Where is the vessel that vanished in the Channel?

Belfast Telegraph

• Belfast Harbour sees profit rise despite recession Belfast Harbour today reported an increase in turnover and operating profits for 2008 but an overall drop in trade as the recession began to hit. Related StoriesBarclaycard threatens to hike rates for those struggling with debtEngineering firm cuts workforce by a quarterDebt provisions mean Northern Bank could lose £75mNorthern Ireland unemployment breaks 50,000 markNew jobs for redundant maintenance workers

Birmingham Post

• Night-time closure of busy Birmingham flyover to make it safeOne of Birmingham’s main city centre routes is to be closed for eight months as part of major repair works.
• Birmingham Airport enlists help to campaign for rail linkBirmingham International Airport has launched a letter-writing campaign to push the case for a high speed rail link directly to the airport and NEC.

Derby Telegraph

• £57m dream to open up our canals PLANS have been revealed to completely restore a historic Derbyshire canal in an ambitious £57m scheme which would provide a major boost to the county's economy.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Rail link plans to go on show TWO further public exhibitions are to be held outlining plans for a rail interchange at Gogar as part of the city's tram project. The two exhibitions will take place at the Gyle tomorrow and at Waverley station later this month.

Journal Live

• Task force set up to lobby for North East rail lineA TASK force has been formed to put together a last-gasp bid to get a high-speed rail line through the North East.

London Evening Standard

• Have the Tories turned their backs on the City?The transport minister Sadiq Khan's warning was stark. “I hope we've reached the tipping point where this project can't be stopped,” he said on a visit to Canary Wharf to review the £16 billion Crossrail scheme. “I've just come from Tottenham Court Road where a huge amount of work is going on. But there's still huge scope for people to come in and make massive cuts.”
• DLR firm to run £140m bicycle hire scheme Plans to introduce a bike-hire scheme across central London akin to the Vélib in Paris have moved a step closer.
• Bike thefts soar by 75% as crime gangs move inCycle theft in central London has risen by 75 per cent in four months as criminals exploit the growing popularity of riding to work
• Unions plan full week of rail strikes

Metro

• Flying bike record was just a flykeA teacher flew into the record books yesterday after becoming the first person to travel the length of Britain – on a flying bike, or flyke.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Ticket barriers 'having impact' on fare-dodging BOSSES at Nottingham railway station say new ticket barriers designed to crackdown on fare-dodging passengers are already acting as a deterrent.
• Railway station barrier trials begin THE first trial run of new ticket barriers at Nottingham railway station began today. Early morning commuters were arriving at the station and being asked to put their valid tickets through the machines to get access on and off the platforms.
• Letter: TramsSo Lillian Greenwood, Labour's prospective MP for Nottingham South, says and I quote "the new lines will allow quicker and easier access to the city centre and Queen's Medical Centre".

The York Press

• 14 new Ryanair routes to fly out of Leeds Bradford Airport HOLIDAYMAKERS from York and city tourism businesses have both been given a big boost with news that Ryanair is to launch 14 new routes out of Leeds Bradford Airport.

Yorkshire Post

• Bosses' pledge over Leeds airport growth trafficBOSSES at Leeds Bradford Airport have pledged its surrounding areas will not be crippled by congestion when it doubles in size. The airport at Yeadon got the go-ahead last month to increase two-fold by 2016, eventually catering for more than five million passengers a year.
• VIDEO: Air fares war at Leeds Bradford Airport AN AIR fares war is set to break out at Leeds Bradford Airport. Irish low-cost airline Ryanair on Tuesday revealed plans to invest £85m in the airport, launching 14 new routes across Europe catering for one million new passengers.

Chester Standard

• First class dining at new Chester station cafe bar NOT so very long ago the British Rail sandwich was the embodiment of the unappetising fare available on Britain’s railways.

Doncaster Free Press

• It's quality bus chaosA £15.4 MILLION congestion-busting scheme designed to improve bus links has actually delayed services, transport bosses have admitted.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Rail strike to go aheadStrike action by National Express East Anglia workers will go ahead, the train drivers' union Aslef has said.

Wall Street Journal

• 'Clunkers' Drives Ford to Boost OutputFord confirmed it boosted output of its Focus car after the successful

Washington Post

• Airlines to Begin Asking Passengers for More Information U.S. airlines on Saturday will begin asking travelers to provide their birth date and sex for the first time under a new aviation security requirement, federal officials said Wednesday.

Railnews

• News: Work on Birmingham ’Gateway’ set to start — but public will not see difference until 2012 PREPARATOIRY work is to start in September on the rebuilding of passenger facilities at Birmingham New Street. But the 40 million passengers using the station will not notice any difference for another three years, and it will be six years before the whole project is completed.

Transport for London

• London Cycle Hire scheme takes big step forward as operator announcedTransport for London (TfL) appoints Serco to operate London's Cycle Hire scheme as progress continues.
• New Piccadilly Circus bus lane to improve journey timesRoute 38 passengers to benefit, traffic congestion will also be cut.

Aviation Industry

• BAA Airports Limited issues RFP for IT Consultancy Services ProvisionBAA IT group have agreed an IT Strategy with the board that reflects the overall direction of the BAA Business. In particular this embraces a simplified IT proposition for airports and the focus upon Heathrow as a global hub. The IT group is currently mobilising to meet this challenge as a result of which BAA is seeking expressions of interest from providers of IT Consultancy Services

Other News Sources

• British shipping making an ’outstanding contribution’British shipping’s turnover grew from £9.5billion in 2007 to £11.9 billion in 2008, an increase of over 25% according to new figures produced for the UK Chamber of Shipping by the Office for National Statistics. Shipping now earns £1.35 million every hour of every day for the UK economy.
• Airlines' Expert on Missing Bags Fights Lost CauseIn Andrew Price's first year on the job, airlines lost his luggage seven times. That would be bad enough if he were the average continent-hopping businessman, but Mr. Price is the man the airlines rely on to help them stop losing bags.
• Heathrow runway court hearing welcomed by Chiltern campaignersCONSERVATION groups in Buckinghamshire have welcomed the news plans for a new runway at Heathrow airport will be reconsidered.
• Have your say over transport plans Calderdale residents are being invited to talks about a transport action plan. The meeting has been arranged by Calderdale Council and the results will be presented to rail and bus bosses to try to address the problems people face.
• Means test for bus pass ruled out Oxford City Council has ruled out means testing for over-60s’ bus passes, but admitted the scheme had left council finances in crisis.
• Means test for bus pass ruled out Oxford City Council has ruled out means testing for over-60s’ bus passes, but admitted the scheme had left council finances in crisis.
• Means test for bus pass ruled out Oxford City Council has ruled out means testing for over-60s’ bus passes, but admitted the scheme had left council finances in crisis.
• New bus services for East Kilbride BUS services in East Kilbride are set to be improved with new additions to the fleet.
• 'A cut too far' for Blackburn hospital bus service BUS bosses have been widely condemned for a ’cut too far’ after announcing they are to scrap most of the wheelchair-friendly buses to the Royal Blackburn Hospital.
• Cash deals bring links step closer TWO green transport projects which will connect communities in Royston and St Neots are a step closer after £1.4 million of Big Lottery Fund cash was confirmed.
• New stations could be built in city as part of transport masterplan TWO new rail stations could be built in Exeter under radical proposals being drawn up by transport chiefs.
• [India] Railway tickets to be issued through post officesKOCHI: Railways will soon enter into a tie-up with the Department of Posts to issue railway tickets at 500 post offices in the State, said E. Ahamed, Union Minister of State for Railway
• Plains railway station plans re-opened THE campaign to have a railway station at Plains on the new Airdrie to Bathgate line is being reopened by Airdrie North councillor Tommy Morgan.
• Plains railway station plans re-opened THE campaign to have a railway station at Plains on the new Airdrie to Bathgate line is being reopened by Airdrie North councillor Tommy Morgan.
• Rail boss urges business traveller 'choose the train' Ditching the car and taking the train should be a ’no-brainer’ for today’s business traveller, according to the chairman of Chiltern Railways.
• Rack safety inspection partnershipThe Freight Transport Association (FTA) has joined with the Storage Equipment Safety Service (SESS) to provide a rack safety inspection service.
• RHA appoints new technical expertThe Road Haulage Association (RHA) has appointed its former public affairs manager and engineer of 30 years, Ray Engley, as head of technical services.
• Norbert Dentressangle opens Heathrow distribution centreNorbert Dentressangle (ND) has opened a 50,000sq ft (4,650sq m) distribution centre near Heathrow Airport.
• Rail strike chaos due as talks fail
• Ryanair targets Manchester with expansion in Leeds BradfordRyanair is targeting Manchester airport with a new base at Leeds Bradford International Airport, its 11th in the UK.