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

Saturday, 10 October 2009

Financial Times

• BAA eyes end to passenger decline Passenger traffic at BAA's airports fell 2.6 per cent in September, a similar rate of decline to that seen in July and August, giving hope to the airline industry that falling passenger numbers may be bottoming out
• Airlines face rising pressure to cut costsAs the aviation industry struggles with the economic downturn and high fuel prices, BA and Aer Lingus are under pressure to act

The Guardian

• Ellsmere Port: if politics is the driving force, efficiency alone may not save jobsMagna, the leader of the controversial bid to take over Opel/Vauxhall, agreed this evening to scale back the number of job cuts it is planning to make in Britain, after a day of talks with Lord Mandelson, the business secretary.

Times Online

• BA faces online India bookings surgeBritish Airways staff must have been pleasantly surprised at the sudden surge in online bookings for flights to India originating from the United States.
• General Motors sells Hummer to Chinese group and Hong Kong investorGeneral Motors (GM), the giant American carmaker, has reached an agreement to sell its Hummer brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, of China, in a deal thought to be worth $150 million ($£95 million).
• Mandelson wields £400m in state support as weaponLord Mandelson will spend much of this weekend in conference calls with unions and Magna International, the new owner of Vauxhall, to try to force the Canadian group to increase its commitment to both the carmaker™s plants.
• Ryanair says BBC is preparing ˜hatchet job™ for PanoramaA dispute broke out last night between Ryanair and the BBC before the broadcaster™s planned documentary on the budget airline.

Reuters News

• UK fails to agree deal with Magna over GMLONDON (Reuters) - The British government said that talks with unions and Canadian automotive company Magna over the future of carmaker Vauxhall/Opel had failed to reach agreement.

Daily Express

• BAA results give hope of end to airline gloom A MODEST fall in passenger -numbers at Britain's biggest airport operator yesterday fuelled hopes that a recovery in the airline -industry may not be far away.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Tyneside jobs on track if rail deal comes offTRAIN bosses have taken a major step towards bringing hundreds of jobs to Tyneside.

The News (Portsmouth)

• County roads to get laser treatmentHi-tech laser scanners are being used to assess the condition of Hampshire's roads.
• Failed hi-tech bus system is costing £173,000 a yearTaxpayers are forking out £173,000 a year to maintain a high-tech public information system that doesn't work, The News can reveal.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Bus driver strike action called offBus drivers have called off strike action after an emergency meeting with company bosses.

C.N.N.

• Plane crash in Haiti kills 11, U.N. saysAll 11 people aboard a U.N. plane carrying military personnel died Friday afternoon when the aircraft crashed into a mountainside in Haiti, a spokeswoman said.

International Herald Tribune

• Debt Trips Up Hinckley, Venerable Maine Yacht MakerHinckley Yachts, known for beautiful sailboats and sleek powerboats, lost business when the economy faltered, but debt made its problems even worse.

Railnews

• News: Birmingham launches bid to become High Speed hub Birmingham has launched a bid to become the engineering hub of the future High Speed rail network in Britain. The Leader of the city council Mike Whitby told a fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference that the city's engineering heritage, central location and readily available skills-base meant it was ’the only logical choice’.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair calls on Govt to explain rejection of Aer Lingus offerRyanair today called on the Department of Transport to explain why it rejected Ryanaira s December 2008 offer for Aer Lingus.

Other News Sources

• Gapless points for safer railwaysGapless railway points that could ensure the safe rollout of high-speed trains are being developed by a former Oxford University tutor in collaboration with ISIS Innovation.
• All Drivers Should Carry Uninsured Motorist InsuranceTo ensure that you are fully protected in the case of an automobile accident, you should carry your own bodily injury liability and uninsured and/or underinsured motorist insurance.
• British Airways launches Club Europe Packages OnlineBritish Airways launches Club Europe packages online allowing customers, for the first time, to combine short haul travel in comfort with the best hotels in Europe
• Would Devoted Truck Lanes Make I-70 Safer?To alleviate traffic pressure and reduce the number of serious or fatal crashes, Missouri is involved in a study of the feasibility of adding truck-only lanes to I-70.
• Atkins wins £200M roads dealConsultant Atkins is preferred bidder for a £200M deal to maintain Somerset™s roads for five years, beginning on 1 April 2010.
• Provisional funding approved for Hastings link roadProvisional funding for the £100M Bexhill to Hastings Link Road has today been agreed by transport sectretary Lord Adonis..
• Staff abused for transport failings
• Premier Foods signs £9.5m deal with RyderPremier Foods has signed a £9.5m contract hire agreement with rental firm Ryder in one of the biggest deals of the year that sees it taking on 187 new vehicles. The majority of the vehicles will go into service on Premier's Hovis fleet (pictured).
• Angola snubs US for LNG exportsANGOLA is looking for new LNG export markets as prices in the US continue to fall.
• Tanker charterers maintain pressureTANKER charterers maintained the downward pressure on VLCC tanker rates this week.

Other Subscription Services

• China box rail network on trackNETWORK of eight rail container terminals at major ports and inland cities in China should be operational by 2010.