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

Tuesday, 15 September 2009

BBC News

• New £7m ship for ferry crossing A co-operative behind plans to restore the Swansea to Cork ferry says it has bought a new ship for almost £7m.
• New Greyhound buses start running Greyhound buses - a popular way of travelling cheaply in the United States - have started running in the UK.
• Threat to county rural bus routes A council has warned its budgets are now so tight it may have to cut rural bus services.
• Magna could axe 10,500 Opel jobsCanadian car parts manufacturer Magna may cut as many as 10,500 jobs at Opel and Vauxhall in Europe, says a top executive.

Financial Times

• Alstom train aims to transform commuting One of the world’s largest trainmakers is preparing to launch a revolutionary new commuter train design that it says could transform the experience of travel on some of the UK’s busiest rail lines. Alstom’s X’Trapolis design, to be made public on Tuesday, will feature a single long internal space with wide openings between each section, instead of the distinct carriages and narrow gangways of traditional UK trains. Doors will also be positioned to encourage the most efficient flow of passengers.
• Brussels to pore over Magna dealThe European Commission is to scrutinise German backing for the takeover of General Motors™ European operations amid concern that planned job cuts could be influenced by political factors, hitting plants in the UK and Belgium disproportionately hard
• Heathrow chief set to return to London Underground Mike Brown, managing director of Heathrow Airport, is set to return to London Underground as its new managing director after leaving the world's busiest metro system last year
• American Airlines considers stake in JALAmerican Airlines told Japan Airlines it would consider making an equity investment in its Asian ally as part of a sweeping transpacific joint venture agreement between the two carriers.

The Guardian

• Get your kicks on ... the A316. We ride Britain's first Greyhound Don't expect one of those gleaming rounded metallic jobs from the 1950s – or the wide open skies and scenery of America
• Blackpool launches on-street cycle hire scheme Just over a century ago, it happily borrowed the idea of the Eiffel Tower. Now, Blackpool has taken inspiration from a more recent Parisian innovation – mass on-street cycle hire.

The Scotsman

• More park-and-rides to ease congestion TRANSPORT bosses look set to create thousands of extra park-and-ride spaces across the city to encourage more motorists out of their cars.

The Telegraph

• Britain's first work place parking levy gets go ahead Britain's first workplace parking levy, which will see companies charged for enabling their staff to commute by car, has been formally endorsed by Nottingham City Council.
• Unsuspecting buyers sold former driving school carsThousands of unsuspecting motorists are buying secondhand cars previously used by a leading driving school for teaching teenagers to drive it has emerged.

Times Online

• Heathrow boss returns to London UndergroundMike Brown, the managing director of Heathrow Airport, is to leave his post after just over a year to return to London Underground.
• India™s electric cars spark interest of General MotorsGeneral Motors is poised to join forces with the Indian start-up that leads the world in budget electric cars in a deal that could come to define the fallen American group™s efforts to reinvent itself.
• Regulators to pore over Magna™s GM Europe dealEuropean competition regulators are to examine General Motors™ deal to hand control of its Vauxhall and Opel plants in Europe to a consortium led by Magna International, the Canadian car parts supplier.

Daily Express

• TEN THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT... TRAINS TODAY is not only the 150th anniversary of the death of the great railway engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1859, but also the anniversary of the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester line in 1830.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Laying of tram tracks in Leith facing delay until new year WORK to lay tram tracks in Leith could now be delayed until the new year – 12 months later than originally planned.

London Evening Standard

• Rail firms ’picking pockets’ with 50% rise in car park chargesRail bosses were condemned today for raising station car parking charges by up to 50 per cent to offset January's small cut in rail fares. They were accused of “picking the pockets” of captive passengers who have nowhere else to park.
• New Tube boss is man who got trains running after 7/7 bombsThe new head of the Tube was named as Mike Brown, now in charge of Heathrow airport

Nottingham Evening Post

• Council votes in favour of Workplace Parking Levy THE city council has officially endorsed the introduction of the Workplace Parking Levy, at a meeting tonight.

The News (Portsmouth)

• £3m boost for Hampshire's roads 'is still not enough'Hampshire's roads are set to benefit from £3m of investment.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Councillor™s hopes high of bus firm aid for teens and familiesA LOCAL SNP councillor has had a œvery productive meeting with Stagecoach management about getting help for youngsters and families using buses in the Highlands.
• Greens raise prospect of bike taxTHE Greens yesterday voiced concerns over a consultation which raises the possibility of a road tax on cyclists.
• Rise in LPG costs to hit rural northHomeowners and businesses in remote parts of the Highlands are facing huge increases in charges for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Passengers face cuts in cheap bus faresPeople using public transport in East Northamptonshire could see a reduction in the range of concessionary fares available.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Mandelson in plea to regulators over Vauxhall plantsBusiness Secretary Lord Mandelson has urged European regulators to ensure that the future of the Vauxhall plants at Ellesmere Port and Luton is not placed at risk as a result

Washington Post

• Automakers offer new electric cars at Frankfurt FRANKFURT -- Sales have plunged, General Motors Co. has emerged from bankruptcy and Chrysler has been taken over by Italy's Fiat. The past year's turbulence will be reflected this week in a smaller U.S. presence at the Frankfurt Auto Show - along with the new electric vehicles many hope will secure the auto industry's post-recession comeback.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Scrappage scheme decision disappoints RMIThe Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) has criticised Lord Mandelson for not considering an extension to the scrappage scheme.He has reportedly opted not to renew the initiative and the industry body has said it is disappointed meetings with those working in the automotive industry were not held before the decision was made.Paul Williams, chairman of the RMI's National Franchised Dealers Association, stated he is "bitterly disappointed" with the news, noting that the body has requested a meeting with the government but is "still waiting for confirmation"...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Invensys Rail to Showcase Innovative Solutions at Nordic Rail The Nordic Rail exhibition, which will be held in Jonkoping, Sweden, from 7-9 October 2009, is set to see the formal launch of Invensys Rail “ the new brand name for Westinghouse Rail Systems in the UK. The launch will be in hall D, at stand 05:58. Over the coming months Westinghouse Rail Systems in Australia; Safetrans Systems in the United States and Dimetronic Signals in Spain will also take the Invensys Rail name “ bringing together three of the world's strongest names in rail signalling. The Invensys Rail stand will showcase the broad range of advanced signalling and cont...

Transport for London

• Mike Brown named as new Managing Director of London UndergroundTransport Commissioner, Peter Hendy today announced that Mike Brown will be the new Managing Director of London Underground (LU).

Aviation Industry

• London Gatwick Airport hosts final public event on noise consultationLondon Gatwick Airport will be hosting its final public session on the content of the draft noise action plan on Thursday 17 September 2009...

Other News Sources

• Stagecoach takes rap for trams delay The company behind Rochdale’s new tram services has been lambasted for its “bravado and buccaneering” in dealing with the upgrade of Metrolink lines.
• Bus lane cheats face fine Motorists who drive in three bus lanes in Liverpool city centre are being warned that they will be caught on camera and will pay the penalty.
• Merseytravel worried about secrecyMerseytravel has voiced concern that it is being kept in the dark about decisions being taken by the new Liverpool City Region cabinet.
• Round the pole at bus lane Drivers using one of the main routes into Bath from Somerset recently will have been befuddled by a series of new poles set at the roadside – the wrong way round.
• Bendy bus cull 'is causing crowding' ANOTHER controversial bendy bus route has been axed, but the move has angered commuters who claim replacements have caused over-crowding. London Mayor Boris Johnson first made good on his election pledge to scrap bendy buses on South London streets in July.
• Transport hub for Cheltenham and Gloucester Plans for a new transport hub on the outskirts of Gloucester with a 1,000 space park and ride are to be re-examined.
• Brunel, Locke and Stephenson: the engineering giants who shaped our world Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Joseph Locke and Robert Stephenson are past giants of engineering whose legacy remains one hundred and fifty years on, says Michael Bailey
• Virgin Atlantic changes baggage policyVirgin Atlantic are making changes to their baggage policy to make it less confusing for passengers. From 25th November 2009, baggage details on flights to America and the Caribbean Islands will become a lot clearer. The current policy allows Economy passengers to have two pieces of luggage weighing up to 23kg each but when added together, the [...]
• EasyJet must sell flights for axed airportAirline easyJet is being forced to continue selling tickets for flights from East Midlands airport, despite plans to stop flying from there
• Second hand car values leap by 30%Second hand cars have jumped in value this year by up to 30% as companies hang on to cars for longer
• Truck registrations set to increase in SeptemberSeptember truck registration figures are expected to be significantly higher than those of previous months due to a combination of factors, according to the SMMT.
• Stobart finishes £7m site refurb for NestléEddie Stobart has completed the £7m refurbishment of its warehousing and distribution centre in Leicestershire, which it operates for Nestlé.
• Drivers unhappy at Sainsbury's 50mph limitSainsbury's drivers have expressed scepticism at the company's decision to limit the speed of its lorries to 50mph.

Other Subscription Services

• ESPO chief warns against German aid for portsSecretary general urges Brussels to rule on the legality of proposals for financial support to help hard-hit terminal operators at Hamburg and Bremen.
• EU shipyards call for subsidiesCesa claims Brussels support and wants ˜active stimulus for demand in markets which are in need of new vessels, such as the replacement of ageing vessels in European waters™