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

Tuesday, 18 August 2009

BBC News

• Passengers hit by bust bus firm Users of 10 bus routes around Weston-super-Mare have been affected by the decision of bus operators ACL Travel to cease trading.
• Traffic lights get 'green' bulbs Energy-saving light bulbs are to be installed at 3,500 traffic lights across London to reduce electricity consumption and carbon emissions.
• Meeting to discuss bridge tolls An East Riding MP is to meet transport secretary Sadiq Khan to discuss the future of the Humber Bridge tolls.
• £1bn boost for high-speed trains Network Rail is to fund a £1bn scheme to electrify the track between Edinburgh and Glasgow, cutting journey times to as little as 35 minutes.
• 'London' airport name change row A row has started over Oxford Airport which changed its name to London Oxford Airport despite being about 60 miles away from the capital.
• City bus workers to strike againBus services in Aberdeen are to be hit by another round of strike action again after talks over pay break down.
• Ryanair closing Manchester routesRyanair is to switch or close nine of the 10 routes it operates from Manchester Airport, blaming the airport's refusal to lower charges.

Financial Times

• Distress signals from specialist ship sectorOil products carriers are increasingly facing seizure by banks or being laid up as the shipping crisis spreads
• Air China raises Cathay Pacific stakeChinese flag carrier to pay HK$6.3bn (US$813m) to raise its stake in Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific to just below the takeover level
• Ryanair to end most Manchester flights Ryanair raised the stakes in its battle to drive down its airport landing costs by announcing the ending of almost all flights from Manchester
• Creditors agree to take over EimskipIcelandic shipping group is to become the first big company to emerge from Iceland's banking crisis after creditors agreed to take over the country's oldest publicly listed company

The Guardian

• Fast rail can mean slower CO2 progress As a new report shows, building high-speed rail links is sometimes less green than leaving passengers up in the air
• Boris Johnson aims to stamp out car use at London 2012 • IOC officials urged to take the train • Mayor hopes it will provide a sample of 'everyday London life
• Obama's ambassador to London will not pay congestion charge backlog Hopes that US would now cough up £3.5m in unpaid charges and fines dashed
• Russia finds 'piracy' cargo ship¢ 15 crew rescued unharmed and 'answering questions'¢ Moscow envoy reveals few details of 'brilliant' captureThree weeks after it vanished at sea, the cargo ship Arctic Sea was found off the Cape Verde islands today with its Russian crew alive, well and

The Scotsman

• Mark McLaughlin: Cost of new rail link must be fare to all commutersFOSTERING better links between Edinburgh and Glasgow has been like trying to bring two positively charged poles of a magnet together – although the two sides have so much in common they refuse to come together, but it would only take a flick of a switch to send them hurtling towards each other.
• Inflation 'boost for rail travel'Official inflation figures are expected to pave the way for a cut in the cost of train travel for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

The Telegraph

• Ryanair cuts flights from ManchesterRyanair has pulled out of Manchester Airport in a move which will cost 600 jobs following a row over airport fees.
• Passengers to get more compensation for train delaysRail passengers will be entitled to a full cash refund if their train is more than one hour late, under new EU regulations.

Times Online

• Ryanair raises jobs threat in Manchester exitRyanair is to shut nine out of ten Manchester routes after the airport refused to cut its charges.
• Ryanair and easyJet spark airport price warRyanair and easyJet have triggered a price war among Britain™s regional airports as the site operators fight to keep traffic this coming winter.

Press Association

• Inflation 'boost for rail travel' Official inflation figures are expected to pave the way for a cut in the cost of train travel for hundreds of thousands of passengers. The Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation is expected to fall to a new record low of minus 1.7%, potentially heralding lower travel costs in January.

Daily Record

• £1bn rail improvements for Scotland unveiledA PROGRAMME of railway improvements worth up to £1billion is to be funded by Network Rail, it was revealed today.

The Mirror

• Inflation 'boost for rail travel'Official inflation figures are expected to pave the way for a cut in the cost of train travel for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

Derby Telegraph

• Fare-dodgers facing barriers AUTOMATIC ticket gates installed at Derby Railway Station to clamp down on fare-dodgers will become operational from today.

Journal Live

• Be Aware of green impact WE’RE wedded to our cars, but are we aware of the effect our driving is having on our health and the environment? Tyneside is forecast to have the fastest growth in car ownership in the UK over the next 10 years, with problems such as congestion, air quality and health issues predicted to grow alongside this.
• Guides are freeGET out into the countryside without using your car with the help of Nexus Bus Walks guides.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail plans overhaul of railway station management MERSEYRAIL is planning to get rid of station supervisors in an overhaul of how interchanges are run.
• Ryanair to switch flights from Manchester to LiverpoolLIVERPOOL John Lennon Airport (JLA) will benefit from a decision by Ryanair to switch nine of its 10 Manchester routes to other locations

London Evening Standard

• London gets a new airport... 60 miles away in OxfordIt is almost 60 miles from London, but managers at Oxford airport did not let an inconvenient geographical fact stand in the way when they renamed it
• Missing 'hijack' cargo ship Arctic Sea and crew found safeThe missing cargo vessel feared hijacked by pirates has been found after a huge search in the Atlantic

Manchester Evening News

• Ryanair quits Manchester with loss of 600 jobsThe Irish low-fare airline is to close or switch nine of its 10 routes at Manchester airport from October. Ryanair blamed the airport's refusal to lower its charges for the decision, which will mean the loss of up to 600 local jobs.

Nottingham Evening Post

• New web resource for transport chiefs ROAD transport and logistics operators in Notts are being urged to check out a new online service. Business Link, in association with the Department for Transport and its Executive Agencies VOSA, DVLA, VCA and DSA, has pulled together key business advice and support available to those within the transport sector.

Wales Online

• New Swansea bus station’s recycling initiative RECYCLING is being taken to new extremes in one Welsh city centre, with a £10m bus station being built with material from the old one.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds Bradford airline rivals declare warA SPOT of sky rivalry means cheaper flights for passengers. So last week's announcement that Ryanair was to open new flights along 14 existing Jet2.com routes was welcome
• Fears over £15m new Leeds railway station entrancePlans to create a new £15m southern entrance to Leeds City railway station could prove a missed opportunity, councillors have warned.
• Ryanair to ditch Manchester for LeedsLow-fare airline Ryanair effectively pulled out of Manchester airport today in a row over airport charges that will result in up to 600 jobs being lost.

West Sussex Gazette

• Harbour plan's £5m boostREGENERATION of Shoreham Harbour has been given a £5m boost thanks to a Government grant to help improve transport links around Shoreham.

Railnews

• News: Passenger growth halted by recession THE first official indication of the impact of the recession on Britain’s railway passenger businesses is contained in the latest figures published by the Office of Rail Regulation.

Transport for London

• Mayor gives green light to energy busting 'LED' traffic signalsInvestment of £2.4m for thousands of new energy saving lights in traffic signals.

Aviation Industry

• Wheels on the bus go round and round after airport cash boostThe wheels on a local community bus will keep on rolling after a funding boost from Glasgow Airport.
• Ryanair to cut Manchester routesAirline estimates 600 job losses read more

Other News Sources

• Arriva keeps Capgemini on the busesBus operator Arriva London has signed a 10-year extension to its outsourcing contract with supplier Capgemini.
• Ultimate bicycle inflates its own tyresA new type of bicycle does away with the need for a pump, a lock and even the need to pedal, but the labour-saving features come at a cost; the new Boardman road bike costs £500,000 – although it is estimated that a full production model would sell for around £2,000.
• Torrington railway track extension projectTHE Tarka Valley Railway Group reports that discussions are under way in respect of planning permission for an extension of track at the former Torrington Station site.
• Network Rail begins Walkden station construction workConstruction work has begun on a £120,000 scheme to improve the roof at Walkden station, which is located on the Manchester to Wigan railway line.
• Masterplan drawn up for station area: PLANS to transform the "gateway" into Scarbor-ough have moved a step nearer following a series of meetings.
• Broadside fired over new cuts to bus routes First is making the changes after a customer survey looked at the reliability of services in Fareham and Gosport.
• Energy minister walks the talk as he shuns Government limoBritain has a political chief who actually walks the talk after official figures revealed he travelled to more ministerial engagements on foot and bicycle than in his chauffeur-driven limo.
• Unite reacts to Ryanair pulling Manchester routes Unite is to seek an urgent meeting with ground handling company Servisair at Manchester airport following news that Ryanair is cutting routes. The...
• VOSA hopes for more ATFsVOSA's new chief executive Alastair Peoples has admitted that the agency is hoping companies will step forward to open Authorised Testing Facilities (ATFs) once the formal contract terms have been finalised.
• Ryanair pulls nine Manchester routesRyanair has announced it will switch or close nine of its 10 Manchester routes to competitor airports.
• Jet2 expands from Manchester hours after Ryanair pull outLow cost giant Jet2.com has today announced the addition of three new destinations to its Manchester Airport schedule and#8211; hours after rivals Ryanair announced a pull out.
• Russia finds missing ship and crewA maritime mystery could be solved tonight after the Russians announce they have found a missing cargo ship near Cape Verde in the Atlantic with all 15 Russian crew safe. Sue Turton reports.

Other Subscription Services

• Maersk Line says mergers not a priorityLINE prepared to take over bankrupt competitors but not at the moment.
• Suez Canal revenues plunge 22%REVENUES from Egypt’s state-owned Suez Canal reached $382.9m in July, a 22% fall on the corresponding month in 2008.
• Pirates strike near Singapore againATTEMPTED attack on a Singapore-registered tanker the fourth incident this year off Tanjung Ramunia