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Thursday, 01 October 2009

BBC News

• Lord Adonis on high-speed rail lines [video]Transport Secretary Lord Adonis was quizzed on the Sun's political leanings, public spending and why transport did not feature in Gordon Brown's conference speech, before explaining plans for high-speed rail lines.
• Plans for £60m rail link unveiled A railway bridge costing about £60m is planned for a bottleneck on the East Coast Main Line in Hertfordshire.
• Bus users complain of deal breach Bus users in Cornwall have accused First Group of breaking a £600,000 deal with Cornwall Council to provide bus services between Torpoint and Plymouth.
• Meeting over bridge tolls future A delegation is to meet the transport minister as part of a long-running campaign calling on the government to abolish the Humber Bridge tolls.
• Distracted US drivers 'a menace' The top US transport official has said that people driving while distracted - including by making phone calls and texting - are a "menace to society".
• Mayor's bendy bus plan criticised Mayor of London Boris Johnson's plan to replace bendy buses with Routemasters is misdirected and prohibitively expensive, a report has suggested.

Department for Transport

• Extra Trains for London CommutersCommuters travelling into London from Harrow, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire are to benefit from an extra 1,300 seats on five new peak time services announced by Transport Minister Chris Mole today.
• The Cumbrian Coast Line between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness has been designated as a community rail serviceDesignated services allow for a more flexible approach to be adopted by the train operating company (Northern Rail) working alongside the local community rail partnership. This enables them to manage the service with greater emphasis on meeting local needs. Together they will continue to look for ways to increase patronage and improve the service.
• The Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics: Road Freight Statistics 2008

Financial Times

• BA thought twice about business class-only flightsBritish Airways has looked at whether to go ahead with its London-to-New York service at least twice after announcing it last year, prior to the collapse of premium travel
• Air India pilots call off pay disputePilots at Air India have called off their four-day strike after the government overruled the airline's steep wage cuts
• BA still hopes to conclude Iberia deal British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh has said the UK airline has a chance of finalising its proposed merger with Iberia by the end of the year

The Guardian

• Boris Johnson: rapped by the RAC The Mayor of London is in danger of becoming pre-occupied with minority-focused transport schemes, and high-cost initiatives rather than concentrating on the fundamental travel problems faced by millions of people every day. His emphasis on cycle "super-highways", bikes for hire and a new bus for London has blinkered him to the wider strategic issues.
• Ryanair scraps airport check-in desksBudget airline Ryanair risks wrath of watchdog as passengers face mandatory £5 online check-in feeMillions of Ryanair passengers face a mandatory £5 online check-in fee from tomorrow as Europe's largest short-haul airline abolishes check-in desks.The low-cost carrier's latest cost-cutting move is likely to attract scrutiny from consumer watchdogs, who have tolerated Ryanair's add-on fees because they can be avoided by, for instance, not checking in bags.Passengers will now be forced to register for their flight online “ a privilege costing £5 a flight, or £10 for a return flight.The Air Transp...

The Herald

• FirstGroup passenger numbers fall Aberdeen-based transport business FirstGroup has revealed the economic downturn has hit passenger numbers in the hitherto resilient bus sector.

The Telegraph

• Ryanair removes checkin desksRyanair will remove its airport checkin desks from today with charges for checking in baggage set to rise.

Times Online

• BA all-business flight grounded by engine fault on second dayThe new British Airways business-class-only flight to New York, which launched to much fanfare yesterday, has been struck by an engine fault. The problem left the aircraft grounded at London City Airport for nearly two hours earlier today.
• British Airways™ ˜fight for survival™ is overWillie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways, has signalled that the immediate crisis facing the airline has receded and it is no longer in a œfight for survival.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL COMMITS £250m TO REDUCE PASSENGER DISRUPTION

Bristol Live

• Bristol railway electrification 'only under Labour' Transport secretary Lord Adonis, speaking to the Bristol Evening Post at the Labour conference in Brighton, said work could begin in two years, following detailed "mile by mile" plans being drawn up.

Journal Live

• Rail bosses’ high-speed rail line case NETWORK Rail is putting together a business case to justify an East Coast high-speed rail line. Train bosses want to set out for the Government the arguments for investment in a new line up to Newcastle and to Scotland.

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow trains 'will shut roads for 40 mins'Drivers face being forced to wait at railway level crossings for 40 minutes every hour if a new train link to Heathrow airport is approved.
• The Eurostar chief who is spoiling for a fight IT'S 9.30 in the morning and St Pancras is humming. Business travellers are gathering; a school party is grouped together; there are leisure passengers in the droves. And they're not all British going over there. The air is thick with the accents of French and Belgian people arriving here or heading home — which is not how I remember the former Eurostar terminal at Waterloo.
• Adonis says East Coast Line will stay in public handsIt may feel like the twilight of the Labour government but the party of the Left has finally admitted to believing in nationalising part of the railways. Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has revealed that after National Express was sacked from the East Coast Main Line, the King's Cross-based train franchise will stay in public hands for the foreseeable future.
• Gas masks, false eyes and a samurai sword - all left on public transportStuffed fish, samurai sword and a jar of false eyeballs are some of the items the Transport For London lost property office has collected

Nottingham Evening Post

• Major upgrade for Notts rail tracks? A MAJOR upgrade for rail tracks serving Nottingham could be just around the corner, Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis has suggested.

Sheffield Star

• Welcome for 'bicycle hub' A GOVERNMENT announcement that Sheffield train station will be one of 10 around the country having new 'cycle hubs' has been welcomed by the Green Party.

The News (Portsmouth)

• The big slowdown is slow to arrive in cityPORTSMOUTH'S pioneering 20mph speed limit isn't having a major impact on slowing down vehicles, according to a report.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Bid to reopen train station at Kintore gathers steam A campaign to reopen a north-east railway station is being stepped up at Holyrood. Opposition regional MSPs will put fresh pressure on Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson next Wednesday to announce the government’s plans for Kintore Station.

The York Press

• Analyst Kieran Larkin warns that York Central site ’vital’ for city’s ambitions If York has any aspirations to grow and become a major economic player in the future, it is vital that York Central does go ahead.
• Workers of three York employers urged to ditch their cars and cycle to work WORKERS for three of York™s biggest employers are being urged to ditch their cars and cycle to work as the city looks to combat congestion.

Wales Online

• Cardiff Airport boss upbeat despite fall in passenger numbers CARDIFF Airport has fallen to its lowest place in the UK airport rankings for four years, according to new passenger numbers.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Cash to make Leeds City Station cycling 'hub' Millions of pounds are to be invested at Leeds City Station in a bid to tempt commuters away from four wheels and on to two.
• Safety moves at Leeds M62 death crash siteSAFETY improvements are being carried out on a stretch of motorway where two Leeds brothers lost their lives in a horror smash.

Reading Evening Post

• MP calls for investment in skills and transport Greater investment is needed in skills and transport, according to Reading East MP Rob Wilson.

Other News Sources

• £27.9m works to improve M62 A MAJOR boost to the region's economy could be on the way with the start of an M62 safety improvement scheme. Delivery of the £27.9m project has been accelerated as part of a £700m stimulus package from the government.
• Green light for speed limitersA County Durham firm is targeting motorists with technology that aims to make the nation’s roads safer. Enablecom, based in Netwon Aycliffe, is launching software that warns drivers when they are speeding and a device that prevents them from exceeding the speed limit.
• Transportation chief takes aim at textingWashington -- Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday the Obama administration will work with Congress to stop drivers from sending text messages. "We'll find a way forward to do something ...
• ITIC backs quick Shipman changeTHE ITIC urged ship managers today to restrict their liability so it closely reflects the growing gap between ship values and ship management fees.
• Berlin delays Hapag decisionGERMANY™S parliamentary budget committee startled shareholders of Hapag-Lloyd today by postponing a decision on a loan guarantee from the government.

Other Subscription Services

• Hapag-Lloyd state aid facing further delayGERMAN parliament™s budget committee in surprise vote to delay state aid approval.